[Archived] Park and Recreation Commission Hosts Public Hearing on Recreation Fields at Witter Drive and Alexandria Freedmen’s Cemetery

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	June 17, 2005 PIO# 203-05	Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

Park and Recreation Commission Hosts Public Hearing
On Recreation Fields at Witter Drive and Alexandria Freedmen’s Cemetery

The City of Alexandria’s Park and Recreation Commission will host a public hearing to discuss the acquisition of the CSX property, located south of Witter Drive and west of Telegraph Road for recreation fields, and the property known as the Alexandria Freedmen’s Cemetery, located at 1001 S. Washington St. and 714 Church St. for a memorial park. The public hearing will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, July 21, at the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave.

New recreation fields at Witter Drive are being proposed on 13.7 acres of land to be acquired from the CSX Railroad. The CSX property, located south of Witter Drive and west of Telegraph Road, would be acquired with federal funds as part of the settlement of a lawsuit related to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge construction project. The settlement will also provide funding for the construction of the fields, restrooms and adjacent parking, which are scheduled to be completed in 2008 and 2009.

As part of the settlement, property will be acquired for a passive memorial park called the Alexandria Freedmen’s Cemetery Memorial Park to honor refugees from slavery during and immediately following the Civil War.

Additional public meetings will be scheduled in the future to obtain additional community input to complete the federal requirements for land acquisition with federal funds.

For more information, call the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities at 703.838.4842.

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