Silver Lake Aerial Photo,
originally published in
the Potomac News
UPDATE at bottom.
Is the struggle over the Silver Lake Recreational Area over? Not likely.
Supervisors will take up the issue again in two or three weeks after county staffers prepare a report sought by Supervisor Frank Principi, D-Woodbridge, that offers yet another alternative—the blending of proposals from the local park authority and the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy. (from here)
Will the county staff and the BRMC be able to work out a solution? Even if the BRMC is willing to compromise, is the county staff willing to propose a realistic compromise?
This is relatively uncharted territory. Leadership on such issues must come from the BOCS. John Stirrup probably stands to gain the most from a positive solution. The park is squarely in the Gainesville District, and Gainesville District residents stand to gain the most from this park. If the Silver Lake property is to be a viable park, Stirrup needs to find a funding mechanism consistent with his conservative political philosophy.
When he makes the effort, Stirrup is quite capable. Hopefully, he will help to work out a solution that his fellow board members can support.
In the meantime, here is an email from the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC) with recommended reading material.
Dear BRMC Members,
I want to thank all of who supported us in last week’s Board of Supervisors Meeting, whether through your presence at the meeting or through your letters to the Supervisors and the media.As you may have heard by now, no decision was reached on the final disposition of the property. The meeting centered on a discussion of a motion to accept the proposal of the Prince William County Park Authority. After much discussion, this proposal was defeated by a vote of 5-3. After this, Supervisor Martin Nohe introduced a motion to accept the Conservancy’s proposal. This was also defeated 5-3. Three of the supervisors are in full support of the Conservancy’s approach, three are committed to the Parks Authority approach, and two are undecided. The meeting ended with direction to the Board’s senior staff to work with the two groups attempt to find a compromise. We’ll keep you posted as events continue to evolve.
A good summary of the meeting can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/44fzup
Michael J. Kieffer
Executive Director
Bull Run Mountains Conservancy
P.O. Box 210
Broad Run, VA 20137
703-753-2631
mk@brmconservancy.org
UPDATE: The Examiner put out an article today. This article includes a quote from Michael Kieffer.
The Bull Run Mountains Conservancy has teamed up with a local landowner to more than double the size of the park, while using a relatively small maintenance budget.
But the Prince William County Park Authority, with years of experience operating parks, has won support from supervisors who do not want to turn over the land to an outside group.
Because both sides view ownership as critical to being able to operate the park, County Executive Craig Gerhart said bridging the divide will be a challenge.
“It could be a poster child for what you can do with public-private partnerships and it provides something that is currently lacking,” said Michael Keiffer, executive director for the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy.
(from here)
