More robust efforts to eradicate invasive plant species are in the works at Arlington Public Schools.
Core to the effort is collaboration with the county and community volunteers.
parks department
Three days after the last snowflakes fell on Arlington, significant stretches of walkways around the county remain encased in ice.
Along sidewalks and crosswalks in front of businesses, single-family homes, townhouse developments and at least one county park, ARLnow braved the ice and snow yesterday and today (Thursday) to document numerous failures to comply with the county’s snow removal ordinance.
A second tennis court, a new lawn and additional greenery are all included in Arlington’s latest plans for improvements to Jennie Dean Park.
Respondents have until Thursday, Oct. 31 to submit feedback on the expansion proposal, which follows a $15.5 million renovation of the 80-year-old Green Valley park in 2022.
Crystal City’s iconic Restaurant Row soon might lend its name to a nearby park.
Some members of the Arlington Park and Recreation Commission seemed to informally gravitate to the name, despite staff proposing several alternatives.
Arlington has released the final design for a proposed overhaul of Gateway Park, featuring expanded dog parks, more tree cover and a new bridge.
Other elements include two play areas, “social groves” surrounded by natural landscaping and a large lawn with an event pavilion.
The Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation is accepting requests for up to 500 young native trees that will be provided free, one per household, next month.
“The trees you plant are part of our mission to expand and enhance Arlington’s urban-tree canopy,” county officials said. “This annual program is very popular and has yielded many beautiful trees and benefited our community.”
The Arlington County Board has approved a $900,000 property purchase in order to expand Monroe Park.
This is the second such purchase the Board has greenlighted in the Douglas Park neighborhood this summer, following a $1.1 million acquisition of a property next to the Douglas Park recreation area in July.
The installation of two athletic lights and additional fencing at Bluemont Park is teed up for approval as plans to renovate the park’s tennis courts move forward.
A use permit application for the changes is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board tomorrow (Saturday).
Discarded marijuana joints in local parks are raising some concerns about the safety of Arlingtonians’ furry friends.
“In some of Arlington’s parks we need to be more vigilant to protect our dogs from accidental marijuana ingestion,” Ann Marie Douglass wrote in an article for the Arlington Neighborhood News Exchange, which distributes resident-written content to civic association newsletters across the county.
Arlington is collecting feedback on proposed renovations at Douglas Park, a month after the County Board approved a 0.31-acre expansion of the recreation area.
Renovation plans at the five-acre park — in the neighborhood of the same name — call for replacing a wooden pedestrian bridge, a picnic shelter and site furnishings including picnic tables, park benches and waste bins. The project also aims to upgrade walking paths, improve stormwater management and remove invasive plants.
Arlington County and most of the D.C. area is under an Excessive Heat Warning today.
Heat index values of up to 110 are expected today, making time spent outdoors potentially hazardous, especially for those working, exercising or who are medically vulnerable.
Arlington has a new top climate official to steer the county toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 — a goal that some activists fear the county is not on track to meet.
Jennifer Fioretti, previously deputy director of the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, has been named Assistant County Manager for Climate Policy, the county announced in a press release. She will oversee the development of policies that engage both county government and the broader community in achieving Arlington’s environmental goals.