Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11), formerly Fairfax County Board Chair, has written to current Chair Sharon Bulova and Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand, as well as Providence District Supervisor Linda Smyth, urging them to NOT use Blake Lane Park for a new school. Why not? According to Connolly:
- Blake Lane Park is “the largest and last remaining open green space left in this section of the county and is home to the only off-leash dog park in the Providence District.” (Connolly notes that if this park were to be destroyed, the “nearest off-leash dog park is 9 miles away”)
- There are “no other open green spaces within walking distance of the park, which has been described to me as the “back yard of the neighborhood.'”
- “It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife,” including a “pollinator garden within its boundaries.”
- Other concerns include an increase in vehicle traffic, a flawed site-selection process, and that closure of this park would directly conflict with “the goals established in the One Fairfax policy” regarding access to green space for higly diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic neighborhoods such as this one.
In short, it’s an absolute travesty that this park is even being *considered* for destruction. Instead, I urge everyone to check out the Save Blake Lane Park website and to speak up on this subject. For my part, as I consider the candidates running for Fairfax County Board Chair and for Providence District Supervisor, let’s just say that anyone who supports destroying this part will not be getting my support – quite the contrary! I’d be very interested to know which candidates clearly and unequivocally agree that this park should not be destroyed. Because, frankly, anyone who *does* support destroying this park is not serious either about environmental protection or achieving the goals laid out in “One Fairfax.”
