An array of boulders recently placed on a field at Roundtree Park (3320 Annandale Road) in West Falls Church is being removed, the Fairfax County Park Authority says.
The appearance of dozens of rocks in late December alarmed residents and park visitors, who frequently use the open field for soccer and other recreational activities.
“They put boulders all over it to make it unusable,” said one community member who contacted FFXnow. “This field was widely used by kids and adults to play frisbee, soccer, and baseball. Seems like our tax money should be used for improvements instead of taking away community resources.”
Employees who placed the boulders around Dec. 30 and 31 indicated that they were intended to limit use of the field due to an issue with litter, according to Kristine Grow, another resident who says she visits the park on a daily basis.
“As a resident, I can tell you it isn’t the soccer games that are the cause of the trash — it is drinking in the park,” Grow told FFXnow yesterday (Monday). “This boulder field has now become a really good drinking spot, which will result in more trash not less. And it also seems like if trash is the problem, there are half a dozen ways to address the problem that are better than making a public park unusable by the public.”
However, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) says the boulders were actually placed in the field by one of its staff members “to discourage unpermitted mowing” so it can revert into a meadow.
Though Roundtree Park previously had a baseball field with a backstop and bleachers, the FCPA decided to stop actively maintaining the fields in 2018 “due to low or unpermitted use and their proximity to the Resource Protection Area” that covers the nearby Holmes Run stream, spokesperson Andy Grabel says.
Resource Protection Areas are established by the county along or near waterways to protect environmentally sensitive areas as part of regional efforts to restore and preserve the Chesapeake Bay.
“In recent years, however, the area has been increasingly used by community members for informal social and recreational gatherings,” Grabel said. To keep the fields usable for soccer players and others, some private residents have taken on the responsibility of mowing.
Upon learning about the boulders, an FCPA supervisor and other agency leaders directed staff to remove the rocks so the field can remain open for public use, according to Grabel.
Trucks were reportedly seen at the park, collecting the boulders, earlier today.
“It’s not that we’re discouraging people from using it,” Grabel added, explaining that the intent was just to make clear that the FCPA isn’t providing the level of upkeep that it would for an official athletic field.
Among the FCPA leaders surprised by the boulders’ installation was Mason District’s representative on the Park Authority Board, Rick Healy, who told Annandale Today that he learned about the rocks from “several residents” who contacted his office.
“This was an unfortunate incident, and I am glad it is being quickly corrected,” he said to Annandale Today.
Official amenities available at Roundtree Park include tennis and basketball courts, a playground, trails and a picnic shelter.
The park authority faced the possibility of cuts to its grounds and facility maintenance budget for this fiscal year, but the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors ultimately restored $380,000 proposed for elimination with the help of some one-time funds.
