Three Alexandria community groups seek nearly $30,000 in city matching funds for park improvements
A community garden, a Little League scoreboard and a teen-led skatepark renovation are up for review at a Feb. 19 public hearing
A community garden looking to expand its gathering space, a Little League seeking a new scoreboard, and a teenage skater working to revitalize a worn-down skatepark are among the groups asking the city for a combined $29,131 through Alexandria’s Community Matching Fund program.
The Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission will hold public hearings on all three proposals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St. The commission will also take public comment on proposed updates to the city’s recreation funding model, which The Alexandria Brief previously reported on Jan. 30. The commission’s regular monthly meeting will follow.
The three matching fund applications total $57,917 in proposed improvements across the city.
The largest request comes from Alexandria Little League, which is seeking $15,000 to install a scoreboard at the softball field at Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Ben Brenman Park Drive. The league would match that amount for a $30,000 project. Jesse O’Connell submitted the application on behalf of the league, which he described as the largest volunteer-run, nonprofit youth sports organization in the city. The league fielded 34 baseball teams with more than 500 players and seven softball teams with more than 90 players during its 2024 spring season.
Dale Street Community Garden is requesting $8,131 to expand a pergola to roughly three times its current size, add two ADA-accessible picnic tables, and plant native and fruiting vines at its site at 65 Dale St. in the Hume Springs neighborhood. The garden, which is part of Four Mile Run Park, would contribute $6,931 in cash and an estimated $1,200 in volunteer labor for the $15,917 project. Garden Manager Lea Blubaugh said the garden currently has just one bench and one picnic table under a small pergola, despite serving as both a formal event space and an informal neighborhood gathering spot.
The smallest but perhaps most personal proposal comes from Eli Fathelbab, a 17-year-old skater who has been using Schuyler Hamilton Jones Skateboard Park at 3540 Wheeler Ave. for most of his life. Through his organization Skate and Donate, Fathelbab is seeking $6,000 from the city to match $6,000 in community fundraising for a $12,000 project to remove broken obstacles, reposition existing features and install up to five new elements such as grind rails, ledges and small quarter pipes. He has already raised nearly $1,500 through ACT for Alexandria and is working to establish a 501(c)(3) through MightyCause to manage future fundraising.
Residents who cannot attend the hearings may submit written comments by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, by emailing judy.lo@alexandriava.gov or mailing the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, Attn: Community Matching Fund, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314.