The Fairfax County Park Authority’s (FCPA) acreage continues to grow with the acquisition of 7.33 acres of land from the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (BOS), which will be combined with 6.13 acres of existing parkland at Chantilly Park. This acreage in the Sully District was transferred to the Park Authority from the BOS in November 2017. It originally was part of a larger parcel that includes the Chantilly Library. The land transferred to the Park Authority contains three, 60-foot ball diamonds, two of which are lighted. The fields were originally developed by the Chantilly Youth Association, and it continues to maintain them under the Park Authority’s Adopt-A-Field Program. The property also includes a 105-space parking lot and a trail that connects to an existing trail in Chantilly Park. The combined trail runs for approximately 800 feet and connects the parking lot to Brookfield Court cul-de-sac, which is part of the Brookfield residential community. Because of the development already on the new parkland, no new facilities are planned. For more information, please contact the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662 or via Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov. 

The Fairfax County Park Authority Board approved it’s first-ever Parks and Recreation System Master Plan at its meeting on December 13, 2017. With a 10-year time horizon, the Great Parks, Great Communities Parks and Recreation System Master Plan will guide the agency to meet growing and changing community needs. This long-range, comprehensive park system master planning effort builds on the findings of the Parks Count! Needs Assessment that was completed in spring 2016. The master plan is also an essential part of ensuring the Park Authority achieves world class standards as required for re-accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). To read the final master plan, go to the Great Parks, Great Communities Parks and Recreation System Master Plan website. For more information, please contact Project Manager Samantha Hudson at samantha.hudson@fairfaxcounty.gov or 703-324-8726. Carol's edit

Fairfax County households are overflowing with new toys and other gifts at this time of year. While it is fun to head outside to try them out, it’s important to know the rules before bringing holiday gifts into the parks. Here are some tips: Drones are growing in popularity, but are not allowed to take off or land in most FCPA parks. Park regulations and Federal Aviation Administration directives ban the use of hobby rockets, remote-control gliders or powered remote-control or tethered planes, boats, cars or other similar devices in most parks. Drone pilots may take off and land at Poplar Ford Park (6704 Bull Run Post Office Road, Chantilly, VA) under a partnership with Northern Virginia Radio Control, a model aircraft organization. For more information on drone usage in the parks, please visit Model Aircrafts and Drones. Projectiles are prohibited. Try out the new golf clubs only at a county golf course. Unless you’re in a special archery program, leave bows and arrows at home. That goes for Tasers, spears, slingshots, dart devices, and other high-speed missile projectiles, too. Knives with a blade more than four inches in length are prohibited, unless you’re using them to prepare food. Metal detectors may only be used with the FCPA’s express written permission. Got a new puppy? Keep your furry friend on a leash, and no visiting a dog park until they are at least four months old and not in heat. New pony? Stay in designated equestrian/riding areas. Feel free to try out the new fishing rod, but you must comply with Virginia State game laws and park rules. Take your new skates for a spin at the Mount Vernon ice rink, but don’t tempt fate by skating on any body of water in a park. Keep bicycles and skis on established trails, walkways and roadways. No off-trail use. Similarly, do not sled or tube or ski on our golf courses once the snow arrives. Keep the ear buds in your ears. If you want to play something loud enough for everyone around you to hear, you need written permission from the Park Authority. If you want to spend the night in your new tent, plan to stay in a designated area, register and pay the appropriate fees. For more information, please contact the Public Information Office at 703-324-8662.

The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking further public comment on plans for Lake Accotink Park. Residents are invited to a meeting on Monday, January 22, 2018 from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at North Springfield Elementary School. The school is located at 7602 Heming Court in Springfield. The Park Authority will host a community gathering to gain further public input towards development of a vision for the future of Lake Accotink Park. This meeting will focus on management of the lake and a few key design ideas. Significant analysis has gone into investigating options for managing Lake Accotink and the long-standing issue of sediment accumulation. This topic and some options for addressing the sediment problem were shared with the community in May 2016. Planning staff will provide an update to this research and gauge the community’s preference for the future of Lake Accotink. The Lake Accotink Sustainability Plan has been posted to the project website for you to review and can be found at Lake Accotink Sustainability Study. Staff will also provide a summary at the meeting with time to consider all the options. If you are unable to join us at this meeting, the presentation will be shared online after the meeting with an opportunity to provide your comments. You can always find presentations and comment summaries from previous community meetings on the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan Revision webpage. Please note that if inclement weather results in the closure of Fairfax County Public Schools or the cancellation of evening events, this meeting will be rescheduled to Monday, February 5, 2018 instead – same time and location. More information may be found at Lake Accotink Park Master Plan Revision. If you have questions please contact Gayle Hooper, Project Manager, at 703-324-8741 or by email at Parkmail@fairfaxcounty.gov.