Fort Hunt Park Seeks Public Input on Potential Visitor Center

The National Park Service’s George Washington Memorial Parkway is hosting a public scoping meeting about future developmental plans forThursday evening at the Martha Washington Library.  

“We want to involve the public from the very beginning,” said Debbie Feldman George Washington Memorial Parkway Park Planner.

The meeting will be conducted in “open house” style, in which residents can tour different stations and ask park officials questions. Deputy superintendent of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the natural and cultural resource manager will be at the meeting, as well as other park representatives and consultants.

Fort Hunt National Park has received $250,000 dollars from the park service to develop a plan for visitor experience, existing resources, and park operations. Chief among the goals is to evaluate the impact of a potential visitor’s center at the park that would explain the rich history of the 105-acre property.  

Park officials say Fort Hunt National Park has from visitors and tourists, ever since it was discovered that the park housed a secret World War II intelligence operation and a prisoner of war camp.

After collecting resident input, the park will come up several alternative plans and present them to the public, before making a final decision.  The whole process could take a year said Feldman.

According to statements released by the park service, the goal of the developmental site plan is to:

- Outline ways to further protect the park’s cultural and natural resources

-Determine what infrastructure is necessary for increased park operational efficiency and safety.

-Provide a framework for park managers to use when making a decision on how to enhance the park’s visitor experience.

The park service is collecting input from local residents on its Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website. Residents can also submit written comments to Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park, McLean, VA 22101.  Thus far, the service has received about 15 comments. The deadline is March 10^th.

Public Scoping Meeting

Thursday, February 24th

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Martha Washington Library

6614 Fort Hunt Road

Alexandria, Virginia   22307