City Seeks Input on Simpson Stadium Park Plans

Take a survey on what improvements you would like to see at Simpson Stadium Park.

As part of a nine-month public outreach process, the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is seeking information about several of the city’s large multi-use parks—including Simpson Stadium Park in Del Ray—to inform its longterm planning. Park officials held a public meeting to discuss Simpson Stadium Park on Oct. 17 and followed it up with a visit to the Del Ray Citizens Association to discuss Simpson on Nov. 12.  Meeting attendees described a variety of issues, desires and concerns about the park, including the state of fields, the lack of open play space, parking and safety. The city is anticipating several new projects at the park in upcoming years, including lighting replacement at the big baseball diamond…

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Del Ray Dog Group Spruces Up Simpson Park

Group of volunteers plants tree, installs bench in honor of Arthur Tucker.

Twenty Del Ray residents and other volunteers spent Nov. 4 cleaning up and sprucing up the dog park at Simpson Stadium Park and planted a weeping willow. The cleanup was organized by members of the Del Ray Dog Owners Group. Local company Personal Touch Landscaping, headed by Steve Jackson, delivered the willow and donated several hours to the cleanup effort. Alexandria maintenance staff brought in truckloads of gravel and assisted volunteers as they went about the maintenance work. A new memorial bench in remembrance of Arthur Tucker, a long time dog park user who passed away unexpectedly in July, was also dedicated on Nov. 4. Members of Tucker’s family and park volunteers gathered around the new bench and read the memorial plaque, which …

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City Seeks Input on Park Plans

The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is starting a public outreach process.

The city of Alexandria is beginning a nine-month public outreach process to help develop plans for six major, multi-use parks in the city. The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is developing management framework plans for the following parks: Four Mile Run Park, Simpson Stadium Park, Chinquapin Park, Hensley Park, Holmes Run Park and Ben Brenman/Armistead L. Boothe Parks. The project’s goal is to study and understand the existing conditions and plan for future needs in each of the parks. Park planners want to know how local residents use the parks, what they like about the parks and what they hope to see in the parks in the future. Their input will help guide the plans and inform decisions on how the parks will evolve…

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New Monroe Avenue Dog Park in the Works

Park will be part of the Potomac Yard parks network.

A new dog park is in the works for Monroe Avenue not far from where the current Simpson Stadium Dog Park is located. Project planners with Alexandria’s Planning Department and Land Planning & Design Associates made a presentation about the park to the Del Ray Citizens Association last week at Mount Vernon Community School. The 1-acre, fenced-in park will be located on the south side of Monroe Avenue between a yet-to-be-built Dominion Virginia Power substation and a new multi-family development. Amenities will include separate inbound and outbound gates on both sides of the park, pressure-fed water fountains, benches, deciduous trees, shrubbery and a bike rack. Planners will place temporary fencing around the trees inside the park to allow …

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RJ

2:26 pm on Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I wonder how many people are driving that live less than a 1/2 mile from the park.   more ›

Off The Leash

Full Access to Simpson Stadium Dog Park is Restored

The fences that restricted access to the upper area of the dog park have been removed

Simpson Stadium Dog Park is back to its full size. In February, the dog park got a big expansion as the fences were pushed back and dogs were allowed to roam around the upper bowl of the park. Then, toward the end of April, that new area was closed off so workers could even out the ground and plant grass seed. Until the middle of June, orange mesh fencing lined the area, teasing dogs by giving them glimpses of what they could have. Actually, “dogs got through pretty regularly,” said one dog owner. Well, regardless, the orange mesh fencing has been removed and the park has returned to its expanded size. “This space is huge!” remarked Katie, as her dog Lilly roamed around the park finding other dogs to play with. “This dog goes crazy for …

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