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Which would you choose? 500 acres of parkland open to the public at no cost to taxpayers OR 230 acres of parkland open to the public at an initial investment of $1.6 million + $215,000 tax dollars each year. Click here to email all Supervisors. Click here to skip to the BRMC discussion and here to skip to the PWC Park Authority discussion. Notes from the April 8 Board of Supervisors Meeting: Main outcomes: After extended discussion, John Stirrup made a motion to convey Silver Lake to the Prince William County Park Authority. This motion failed by a 5-3 vote. Marty Nohe then made a motion directing staff to enter into negotiations for an agreement with the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy. This motion failed by a 5-3 vote. Marty Nohe then initiated a directive instructing staff to meet with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to discuss future opportunities. Frank Principi initiated a directive instructing staff to meet with the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy and the Prince William County Park Authority to seek a blended solution. No timeline was established and the Board did not set a date for the next public hearing and vote on the Silver Lake proposals.
Key points from BRMC, presentation made by John McBride:
John McBride responded, saying BRMC had made offers to the PWCPA, including the provision of additional land and access to Silver Lake, which would allow the PWCPA to operate a boat concession. However,the PWCPA has consistently said it needs full ownership of the property but would allow BRMC to run programs. BRMC would operate under deed restrictions and covenants, to ensure use as county desires, and would agree to a clause whereby the property would revert back to the County should BRMC fail to honor their commitments. John Stirrup asked if the BRMC goals could be achieved through a lease agreement with the County? John McBride explained that the BRMC must be able to demonstrate 30-year stability to finance improvements & infrastructure. Under a lease agreement, the donor have not have the needed assurances to complete the donation of the additional 268 acres. There would be uncertainty about future and the donor has many competing requests for funds. A lease would be a constraint on their ability to raise private funds. John Stirrup shared his view that the County government is the best organization to ensure that Silver Lake won't be developed, but would be maintained in perpetuity. John McBride pointed out that the BRMC uses would be restrict and could not be altered without Board approval. Maureen Caddigan asked if Silver Lake would count toward the County's "land bank" under BRMC proposal? Staff responded, saying that it would count toward the County's open space goal as well as the new parkland goal of 70 acres per 1,000 residents and be added to the trails inventory. John McBride shared information on BRMC proposes uses, which would emphasize infrastructure to support community needs including a nature/interpretive/education center; boat launch; repair to house on site for BRMC resident. He said that BRMC has secured a challenge grant, which would provide $500,000 in matching funds for infrastructure improvements. Mike May pointed out that BRMC could allocate some acreage to the PWCPA for horse facilities, which would count toward the 15 acres per 1,000 residents goal established for County-owned parkland. Mike May asked when BRMC would open the park to public access. Mike Keiffer, BRMC Executive Director, said the park would be fully open to the public, sunrise to sunset, in a year. Corey Stewart asked about financing improvements, do they line up with what the PWCPA has proposed? John McBride said that BRMCs first thrust would be to develop a parking area, bus turn-around, access to the lake. He said they would work with Toll Brothers on the trails the developer is required to build (two miles). BRMC would add ten miles of additional trails, as shown on their map, and work with equestrian groups to connect the trail system to Long Park. Corey Stewart asked how much money BRMC would have to raise each year for maintenance? He asked if BRMC would you commit to raising $200k per year for maintenance (based cost in the PWCPA proposal)? Stewart observed that the County does not have money to fund the PWCPA proposal and said he needed to have confidence that BRMC could raise the necessary funding. John Jenkins asked if Toll Brothers was required to construct trails. John McBride said yes, Toll Brothers had committed to construct two miles of trails. Mike May requested information on the process, asking whether staff would draft deeds, covenants and restrictions if the decision is for BRMC? County Attorney Ross Horton said yes, and that because both parties would have to agree on documents, this would be negotiated between the parties. Corey Stewart said that the PWCPA had defined maintenance costs and asked what level would the BRMC establish? Mike Kieffer responded, saying that the County would get a park that was open from sunrise to sunset in one year. Corey Stewart requested information on BRMCs plans to ensure security at the site. Mike Keiffer said BRMC would have a resident on-site, with a 24/7 presence. Key points from the PWCPA, presentation made by Jay Ellington:
Jay Ellington responded, saying the PWCPA would look at all its resources. Frank Principi wanted to know what would Silver Lake look like at opening should the Board approve the PWCPA proposal. Jay Ellington said there would be one to three miles of trails and lake access. The PWCPA plans to use volunteer groups, such as the Boy Scouts, to expand trails and their own maintenance resources for upkeep. Marty Nohe asked about the specific landmarks or goals the PWCPA would establish. Jay Ellington said there would be trail access, lake access, and that the PWCPA would work with other stakeholders to finish master plan in one year. John Jenkins asked how much benefit would the PWCPA management staff at Locust Shade be? Jay Ellington said the PWCPA has three to four park managers, and could use them. The PWCPA nature-based programming is strong and said they were partnering with Prince William Forest Park for summer programs. Maureen Caddigan expressed concern about the need for an additional $215k per year to cover maintenance costs and observed that Locust Shade Park needs work now. She also expressed concern about financial commitments associated with the NVRPA proposal for Silver Lake. Corey Stewart said he had no philosophical problem granting Silver Lake to a non-profit as long as there was a guarantee of facility maintenance, etc. He wanted to know more about what the property will look like under each proposal and asked about the security situation under the PWCPA? Jay Ellington said the PWCPA planned for three and one-half full time employees (FTEs) at Silver Lake for a cost of $120k per year, and said these people would be on board by July 2009. Mike K or John M - BRMC will have one person living on site Frank Principi asked what would happen if the PWCPA pulled from another park to help at Silver Lake? Jay Ellington responded, saying the PWCPA would have to backfill. Cory Stewart commented that BRMC proposes leaving some land to PA, what about partnership? Jay Ellington said that the PWCPA Board position has been consistent - the PWCPA must have ownership of Silver Lake. Frank Principi asked if the PWCPA would participate in programming at the site if Silver Lake were to go to BRMC. Jay Ellington said the PWCPA must own Silver Lake. Marty Nohe observed that the PWCPA and BRMC have different visions of the park, which prevents a partnership.
The public hearing was closed; discussion followed. John Stirrup talked about the concept of protecting land in perpetuity, maintaining Silver Lake as passive recreation site. He said that Toll Brothers bought the site for $4 million, then proffered to the public as mitigation for development. He had heard no compelling argument to move it from public domain and made a motion to convey Silver Lake to the PWCPA, which was seconded by John Jenkins. Wally Covington concurred with John Stirrup, saying he supports the PWCPA but has concerns over funding and will not vote to convey the site to either the PWCPA or or BRMC at this time. Marty Nohe said that he was an advocate for less government in this case. Under BRMC, the County could take back the property if BRMC doesn't comply with the agreed uses. He was disturbed by discussion indicating that the only way to do this is thru government. Franck Principi said he could not support the motion to convey Silver Lake to the PWCPA. He also expressed reservations about giving fee simple title to BRMC, saying his preference would be for BRMC & the PWCPA to work together. Maureen Caddigan said she would be voting for fiscally conservative approach. She pointed out that the BRMC proposal would provide 500 acres, ten miles of walking and horse trails at no cost to taxpayers. She observed that the deed to BRMC would include restricts and that the property would revert back to the County if BRMC did not honor their commitments. Mrs. Caddigan also noted that approval of the BRMC proposal would allow the County to use the $1.6 million in proffers from the Dominion rezoning to address other needs in Gainesville. Mike May said that if Silver Lake goes to the PWCPA tonight, they won't be able to do anything with it due to funding issues. With BRMC, the County will ensure public access and uses through deed restrictions, which would guarantee public access and uses or ensure that the property was returned to the County. Corey Stewart said that if Silver Lake goes to BRMC, the County must make certain of the uses. Would this set precedence for giving away other county land, such as Doves Landing? He suggested the Board consider a compromise and asked if BRMC would be open to a long term lease agreement with the County, with County ownership? John McBride responded, saying BRMC must raise money to fund improvements and a standard lease agreement with the county would make this difficult, so the answer is no. However, they would be willing to discuss a license and management agreement where BRMC would operate the park at a set cost per year, which would eliminate their concerns about fundraising. Citizens definitely count! In September, more than 50 people commented on the Silver Lake proposals through emails and public comments. All emails and speakers, save two, were in support of the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy proposal.
At the July 26 meeting, the County did not request written comments or share information on how citizen comments will be used for their evaluation. In addition, no public hearing is planned before the Board of Supervisors makes a final decision. Oh, well. It is still very important for citizens to share their views with Supervisors and the staff team who will be making a recommendation. Comment early and often! Click here to email Supervisors. What Should Happen to Silver Lake? The Silver Lake property was donated to Prince William citizens, through the Board of Supervisors, to provide much needed land for public recreation and open space. The Board of Supervisors will decide what to do with the Silver Lake property on Tuesday, September 18, at their 2:00 p.m. Board meeting. Officials are supposed to represent the views of the community ... which is possible only if officials hear from citizens. Decisions are made by the people who show up. Plan to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday, September 18, 2:00 p.m., McCoart Government Center. The Board did not schedule a public hearing before their vote, so citizen's who wish to share their views on Silver Lake must speak at Citizen's Time at the start of the meeting. Decision Making Process At the request of the Board, the County Executive's Office has established a staff review committee to provide criteria that will be used to evaluate the three proposals. The review committee includes staff from the County Executive's Office, County Attorney's Office, Public Works, Planning, Budget and Finance. Staff will present their recommendation for review criteria and the evaluation process established by this committee to the Board for approval on Tuesday, June 5 2007. The current proposal for this review process recommends that the already-established staff committee will (1) advertise for competing proposals; (2) review proposals, including meeting with the applicants; (3) provide a public information meeting; (4) complete a written analysis; and (5) present their findings to the Board in September 2007, followed by Board vote selecting one of the proposals. Currently, there is no information on public participation in this process, beyond the opportunity for citizens to attend an information sharing meeting led by County staff. In the meantime, the Prince William Conservation Alliance has read the proposals for Silver Lake, met with the applicants and completed a chart reviewing the three current proposals. In our assessment of the proposals for Silver Lake, we used consistent criteria and restricted our comments to items included in the three written proposals. All organizations and agencies listed on the chart have had the opportunity to review the information and make corrections. Although the topic of our chart is the Silver Lake property, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) proposal includes additional commitments and potential opportunities. In addition to their specific proposal for Silver Lake, approval of the NVRPA proposal would provide free access for Prince William residents to existing NVRPA facilities that charge a fee (such as Bull Run Regional Park) and includes the potential for the use of bonds to acquire additional parkland. The NVRPA proposal would require Prince William to become a member organization, including the transfer of ownership of Silver Lake to NVRPA and an annual commitment for funding, which would start with $1.6 million in 2009. Click here to read our comparison chart. Background On July 11, 2006, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved Toll Brothers proposal to add 420 additional homes to the Dominion Valley subdivision. As part of the agreement, Toll Brothers agreed to donate the approximate 317-acre Silver Lake property to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. At that time, citizens were told that the Silver Lakes site would be used to increase passive recreation opportunities for County residents. Since that time, there has been considerable discussion about the portion of the Silver Lake property intended for public open space and recreation uses, including how the property will be managed and who will be responsible. Right now, the property is owned by the county but still closed to the public. The Board of Supervisors is considering proposals from three different organizations - the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy, PWC Park Authority, and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Read more, then share your views with Prince William Supervisors! Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC)
The Bull Run Mountain Conservancy (BRMC) currently maintains public access facilities and provides outreach programs, in accordance with the State Natural Area Preserve Deed and Dedication, for a portion of the Bull Run Mountain Natural Area, which is owned by the Virginia Outdoor Foundation. Click here to view a map showing their current facilities. BRMC is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 and governed by a Board of Directors. As part of their proposal, the BRMC has offered to:
Prince William County Park Authority (PWCPA)
The Prince William County Park Authority, founded in 1977 by the Board of Supervisors, provides PWC residents and visitors with recreational programs, parks and facilities. Click here to view a map showing their current facilities. The Prince William County Park Authority is an autonomous organization governed by an eight member board that is appointed by the BOS and funded by a tax transfer and revenue producing facilities. As part of their proposal for Silver Lake, the PWCPA provided information showing:
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA)
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority was founded under the Virginia Park Authorities Act and from the Concurrent Resolutions. Click here to view a map showing their current facilities. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is governed by a 12-member policy-making Board. The city council or county board of each jurisdiction appoints two members to the NVRPA Board. For FY 2007, the NVPRA projected that 78% of their operating costs would be provided from park operations (user fees, licenses, etc.). As part of their proposal for Silver Lake, the NVRPA has provided information showing:
What should happen to the Silver Lake property? The Silver Lake property was donated to Prince William citizens, through the Board of Supervisors, to provide the land needed to increase public recreation and open space opportunities throughout the County. Plan to attend the Board meeting on Tuesday, September 18, 2:00 p.m., McCoart Government Center. The Board did not schedule a public hearing before their vote, so citizen's who wish to share their views on Silver Lake must speak at Citizen's Time at the start of the meeting. Contact information for Supervisors is also posted online here and here. We are also interested in hearing your views, send a copy of your comments to us at alliance@pwconserve.org. |
John Stirrup expressed concern about giving a $4 million asset to a non-public entity. He said that throughout this long process, he has wanted an agreement on joint management (PA & BRMC). 
