City's Master Parks Plan Proposes Changes to Alum Spring and Old Mill Park and Ficklen Island
Parks and Recreation department will gather public input through the spring and summer.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Fredericksburg's Alum Spring Park is a natural fun land for children and families. It's shaded by mature trees and cooled by the waters of Hazel Run, and it has trails to explore and giant rocks for climbing on - as well as smooth, round ones that are perfect for practicing stone skipping.
In addition, it's a place of cultural and historic significance, with evidence of pre-contact Native American presence and THE potential for Civil War "battle related cultural deposits," according to the 2024 Fredericksburg Parks Master Plan prepared by the City's Parks and Recreation Department and shared at a public meeting last month.
But the plan also identifies a number of concerns with the park.
One is that vehicle access is by fording Hazel Run and is restricted when the water is too high. Another is that the 37-space parking lot fills quickly, especially during the popular summer months. There's also stream erosion at the ford crossing, "significant" trail erosion, and "tree cover [that] requires continual assessment for broken limbs, damage."
Parks and Recreation staff will be gathering input on a plan for Alum Spring Park that would close the ford entrance and build a new entrance from Emancipation Highway with a new parking lot; improve and make "more welcoming" access to the park from the Virginia Central Railway trail; "protect, manage, [and] replant woodlands”; and potentially fence off access to the sandstone cliffs to prevent further erosion.
"Alum Spring Park needs and deserves a new concept plan that highlights the special historic and natural features of the property," the plan states. "The concept plan should address the following: New entrance from Emancipation Highway with parking (50 spaces); Remove low water crossing/ stream restoration; Remove existing parking area; Welcome center /bathroom building; Pedestrian bridge connecting new entrance to main park area across Hazel Run Creek; Bicycle repair station for VCR Trail; Cultural interpretive stations (2)."
The plan, which is available for the public to view at the Parks and Recreation Department's website, would also expand the park by possibly purchasing from the University of Mary Washington the large portion of undeveloped land that fronts on Emancipation Highway across from the Idlewild neighborhood.
Alum Spring Park is not the only City park addressed in the Parks Master Plan. It also addresses Ficklen Island, which is located on the Rappahannock River and is "a hidden gem of natural space" offering river access and bank fishing opportunities, according to the plan.
Access to Ficklen Island currently is by a concrete dam, which is "narrow and not safe [emphasis added by Parks and Recreation staff]," according to the plan. It's also difficult to access because there is no off-street parking, and the island is plagued by "litter and graffiti issues" and invasive plant species.
The Parks Department is assessing whether to remove the concrete dam or close access to it and whether it is feasible to build a pedestrian bridge to the island given its location in a floodplain.
Old Mill Park, the city's most visited park, is the third park addressed in the plan. It frequently floods and has limited accessibility under the Americans with Disability Act, as well as a "steep exit drive with poor sightlines."
This park is "in need of a specific concept plan to redesign the park." Improvements should include an expanded picnic plaza with permanent grills and pavilions, a relocated bathroom building, a parking kiosk with a ticket system to control entry, an expanded parking lot with 40 spaces, a 0.75-mile perimeter walking trail, an event staging area, and an improved playground, according to the plan.
Parks and Recreation staff will present the Parks Master Plan to the City's Recreation Commission on Thursday, March 21. The public will be able to provide input into the plans at pop-up meetings at Old Mill Park and Alum Spring Park in May and June, as well as at a second formal public meeting in late May or early June and via an online questionnaire.
There will be a third public meeting and formal recommendation to City Council in the fall.
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