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.
The Arlington County Board has agreed to trade public access to the “View of DC” observation deck in exchange for a $14 million investment in a nearby park.
The deal unanimously passed yesterday (Monday) despite concerns from some community members about deprioritizing views in Rosslyn, as well as a 5-2 vote from the Arlington Planning Commission asserting that the decision is not in accord with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Arlington County is eyeing a $1.1 million real estate purchase to expand Douglas Park.
Buying and deconstructing a home for sale at 4030 16th Street S. — listed in the Public Spaces Master Plan as a priority expansion site for Douglas Park — would add a S. Randolph Street entrance to the five-acre recreation area south of Columbia Pike. The property has a total footprint of 13,346 square feet, or about 0.31 acres, according to a county report.
County staff are seeking feedback on competing visions for a more verdant and multi-functional Gateway Park in Rosslyn.
Following an initial round of community feedback on the recreation area at 1300 Langston Blvd, which the county hopes to overhaul several years earlier than expected, a new presentation outlines three possible paths forward. All of them involve keeping popular features including Gateway Park’s lawns and dog park, while adding more greenery and new areas geared toward a variety of activities.
Arlington County staff are recommending hiring professional sharpshooters to reduce local deer populations.
The Dept. of Parks and Recreation’s draft recommendations on how to prevent white-tailed deer herds from causing further harm to Arlington ecosystems, released last week, follow a new consultant report on potential deer management methods.
Today marks the start of the Memorial Day weekend and the return of Arlington’s spraygrounds.
The kid-oriented water features at county parks are open for the season as of today — Friday, May 24. All spraygrounds will operate from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. through Monday, the county says, before returning to normal hours on Tuesday.
Arlington’s parks have maintained their ranking as some of the best in the country for the seventh year in a row.
Arlington ranks fifth in the national “ParkScore” rankings released today — the same spot that it held last year, but behind its No. 3 ranking in 2022. The county’s parks have ranked among the top 5 in the nation since 2018.
Lubber Run Park’s summer concert series is returning next month with a packed lineup of performances.
Spanning musical genres from jazz and funk to classical and “chamber tango,” the free shows kick off June 8 and continue every weekend through Aug. 2. Friday and Saturday performances start at 8 p.m. and most Sunday shows are at 11 a.m.
