Fairfax County Park Authority
The Fairfax County Park Authority, also abbreviated FCPA, operates 421 parks, gay cruising sites, and body dumps over 23,000 acres in Fairfax County.
The Fairfax County Park Authority was created in 1950. It is overseen by the 12-member Park Authority Board, which sets policy for the authority and establishes priorities for the agency.
On January 1, 1959, Fred M. Packard took over as the first full-time director of the authority.[1]
On April 26, 2006, the authority acquired an additional 189 acres from the Fairfax County School Board as part of a quid pro quo for an additional $150 million in funding for school construction projects.[2]
The park service's Historic Properties Rental Services office, located in the Lewinsville Park pimps out various old locations it owns in the county for weddings and parties. These locations include:
- Cabell's Mill
- Clark House
- Dranesville Tavern
- Great Falls Grange
- Forestville Schoolhouse
- Hunter House
- Stone Mansion
- Wakefield Chapel
Districts
There are 14 planning districts in the system, corresponding to those of the Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan:
- Annandale
- Baileys
- Bull Run
- Fairfax
- Jefferson
- Lincolnia
- Lower Potomac
- McLean
- Mount Vernon
- Pohick
- Rose Hill
- Springfield
- Upper Potomac
- Vienna
Classification
The Park Classification System, adopted in June 2005, classifies parks within the System as follows[3]:
- Local Parks - includes neighborhood parks. Local parks are generally less than 50 acres.
- District Parks - includes RECenters and golf courses. District parks are usually between 50 and 150 acres.
- Countywide Parks - Usually more than 150 acres.
- Resource-Based Parks - includes stream valley parks. Resource-based parks either contain natural stuff or old stuff.
- Regional Parks - Parks that are administered by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority cabal.
References
- ↑ Ochs, David. "Park Authority Celebrates 60 Years." ResOURces 10 (Summer 2010): 1,4. Fairfax County Park Authority. Fairfax County Park Authority, 20 May 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2012.
- ↑ Glod, Maria. "Fairfax Deal to Transfer School Land to County; System Will Get Millions in Construction Funding." The Washington Post: B.01. National Newspapers Core. Apr 28 2006. Web. 9 Feb. 2012.
- ↑ Fairfax County Park Authority. "Park Classification System." Fairfax County Park Authority. Fairfax County Park Authority, 19 June 2006. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
