Notes on April 17th 2006
This week Jeff Rainey informed the Board that, on April 17, 2006 at 7:00 p.m., the Fairfax County School Board, in its regular session, will decide whether to transfer the Hickory Run school site to Fairfax County as surplus property, not suited to a school site. This is the area bordered by Shesue and Pensive and in which the pond is located. The School Board does not decide the future use, but the County later may decide a use for the site. A probable outcome can be to turn it over to the Park Authority, which has land on the other side of Shesue. The long term Plan of the Park Authority is not acquire vacant land to maintain but it is seeking athletic fields.
The use of the land will be decided by the Board of Supervisors. In the past, Lexington Estates Homeowners Association has opposed an elementary school and athletic fields on this site. The Board contacted the Dranesville School Board member Strauss and Supervisor Dubois. Members of LEXHOA may attend the School Board meeting to hear what it decides, however, please do not state anything as an official position of the association. You also may want to attend the Board of Directors meeting in May, when the Board will discuss an official LEXHOA position of the use of the area. Please let us know if you will attend so we may use a larger meeting room, if it is available.
On April 12, 2006, I received a call from Joan Dubois, the Dranesville Magisterial District Supervisor on the Board of Supervisors. She confirmed my understanding of what is happening regarding the Hickory Run School site on Pensive and Shesue. The property will be transferred to the County as surplus property unsuited for school use. The County, most probably, will transfer it to the Park Authority. Then, the Park Authority will decide on its use. It is estimated that whole decision making process can take approximately four years and the neighborhood (not just us) will have the opportunity to give its input to the Park Authority. However, it is important that as the community most affected, together with Hickory Creek, we should try to influence the decision on use. We have time and we have a Committee monitoring this issue. The Board and Committee I will appreciate all help and indeas at the May 2, 2006 Board of Directors' meeting at the Great Falls Library.