NOVA Parks News

BY THE NUMBERS

2,000,000+ enjoy the W&OD Trail

273,000+ waterpark users

228,000+ enjoy the two NOVA Parks light shows

100,000+ children have a meaningful nature/outdoor experience

90,000+ enjoy Cameron Run/Great Waves Waterpark

89,000+ golf rounds played

30,000+ enjoy one of the numerous ethnic festivals hosted at Bull Run

26,000+ served by Great Blue Heron Catering

20,000+ camping nights

14,000+ enjoy Temple Hall Fall Festival & MAiZE

12,000+ kayak/canoe/paddle board rentals

3,000+ take a learn to shoot safety class at Bull Run Shooting Center

Many millions enjoy the 12,200 acres of parkland provided by NOVA Parks

2016 Year in Review

The calendar year of 2016 began and ended with spectacular holiday light shows at both Bull Run Regional Park and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. A remarkable 228,000 people go through these two shows! The holiday light shows are becoming nearly as popular as the five waterparks that are the highlight of the summer season, with over 275,000 people enjoying them.

With a system as expansive and diverse as NOVA Parks, there is no way to record all the activity, but below are a few key areas and some of the most notable happenings in those areas:

Park Expansion/Development

In December of 2015, NOVA Parks purchased 150 acres on the Potomac River for a future park.

In December of 2016, NOVA Parks and Loudoun Water unveiled plans to build new park facilities at Beaverdam in the next few years. This 1,000 acre waterfront park in the middle of Loudoun County will feature facilities for high school crew teams, picnic shelters, boardwalks, boat rentals, and environmental education.

In December of 2016, construction began on the rebuild of Occoquan Regional Park. This project will result in a new central building with an elegant room overlooking the river for events/receptions for up to 300 people, historical and environmental interpretation, a 5k trail loop, rebuilt waterfront area, a cafe, and new large shelter. In a few years, a memorial to the suffragists is planned for this park.

Meetings were held with community groups to discuss future upgrades for Upton Hill Regional Park that will meet a number of community needs.

Efforts to get an extended lease for Cameron Run/Great Waves, the most popular recreational facility in the City of Alexandria were put on hold while the City undergoes a public engagement process. Over 2,000 people signed up to join the Friends of Cameron Run and advocate for the future of this most popular waterpark.

Trail News

In June, NOVA Parks hosted “Trail Fest” at Occoquan Regional Park in partnership with numerous trail advocacy groups from all over the region. Fairfax County Chairman Sharon Bulova was given the Trail Champion Award for her work supporting a more connected community.

A ribbon was cut on a new section of the mountain bike trail at Fountainhead Regional Park. This was the result of the good work of MORE (Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts).

Ongoing efforts to improve the many road intersections with the W&OD Trail continue. In 2015, Rt.7 and Rt.9 crossings in Loudoun County were rebuilt and grade separated for safety. In 2016, a great deal of planning started on a number of intersections. Planning is underway to build a bridge over Wiehle Avenue in Reston, VDOT has proposed to build a bridge over Lee Highway in Arlington, and Supervisor Saines has initiated a study of a possible bridge over Sterling Boulevard in the future.

NOVA Parks is studying several urban areas along the W&OD Trail to experiment with dual parallel trails for walkers and cyclist for safety.

Nature Nuts (engaging children with the outdoors)

Between programs like our Roving Naturalist, school groups to Hemlock Overlook and summer camps, plus family activities like camping and boating, over 100,000 area children have a wonderful outdoor nature experience through NOVA Parks each year. This helps these children grow in healthy ways and builds the park and nature supporters of the future. Through effort and focus, these numbers have gone up by over 15% over the last five years.

To help with these efforts, and particularly help attract the children with less resources, NOVA Parks opened an account with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia called the “NOVA Parks Outdoor Kids Fund.” Donations to this fund will help support programs to get area children outdoors and in the parks.

NOVA Parks, a Strong and Growing Organization

2016 started with NOVA Parks being selected as a Finalist in the 2016 Greater Washington Innovation Awards, presented by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce for the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights. Being unique and innovative has been central to the NOVA Parks success story for years.

Completing a year-long process, an all-new and cutting edge website, www.novaparks.com was launched. The new site, coupled with new and greatly expanded on-line reservation options, has driven more people to the parks. A very active social media campaign is making the most of these new resources.

NOVA Parks is the only regional park system in Virginia, yet after 57 years, many citizens are unsure which entity is providing these amazing places and experiences. This is being addressed through a systematic branding effort. It started with the new easier-to-remember name a little over a year ago. Then came the branding kiosks in most of the major parks, and then came the new website. The next phase just starting to launch is the “NOVA Parks, What’s Next” branding campaign. Watch for this on social media in the near future.

This year saw one of our longest serving Board members, Barry Buschow from Falls Church, retire and Paul Baldino, a long-time park advocate, and former Fairfax County Park Authority Director, be appointed to the Board. Wanting to set the highest standards for governance, a Board Handbook was developed and adopted by the Board, incorporating best practices and standards.

This year Michael Useem, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School of Business spent a day training NOVA Park’s management team the finer points of leadership. Ongoing training efforts assure the NOVA Parks team is one of the best in the nation.

Looking forward, the Board and staff have started work on a new 5-year Strategic Plan. The last several plans have helped to drive significant growth in facilities and programs. Today, NOVA Parks has some of the most iconic sites in our region, including the Carlyle House in Alexandria, Ball’s Bluff Battlefield in Leesburg, Aldie Mill and numerous other historic sites, and the panoramic views of water from Pohick Bay, Fountainhead, Algonkian, Beaverdam, White’s Ford and other waterfront parks. The iconic sites are matched by truly innovative and engaging programming like the light shows, the five themed waterparks, large cultural festivals, the unique summer camps, fall festival and more. Taken together, NOVA Parks helps to define many of the best elements of this wonderfully diverse region of Northern Virginia. The next strategic plan that will be adopted in 2017, will help outline how this cutting-edge agency can continue to build on the best, and move forward.