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49-581: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors established the Park Authority in 1950 under a provision of the Code of Virginia , with the published goal of providing 15 acres (60,000 m) of parkland for every 1000 county residents. John W. Brookfield was named to the board of the new authority and elected its first chairman. In 1953, the county made its first purchase of parkland, 15 acres in Great Falls , for $ 37,717 from

98-641: A full vote, rather than merely acting as a tiebreaker. It was to this newly empowered chairmanship that Republican Jack Herrity was elected in 1975 after serving a term as the supervisor from the Springfield district and the lone Republican on a board that was widely perceived as anti-development. Warren I. Cikins was elected to represent the Mount Vernon District. Cikins brought the Mount Vernon Ice Rink to reality, enhancing Ice Hockey's profile in

147-638: A kiln used by female prisoners from the Lorton Reformatory during the Women's suffrage Movement, as well Temple Hall Farm and White’s Ford Regional Park, located on the farm formerly owned by Elijah V. White . During 2018, NOVA Parks also added property near Middleburg, VA, henceforth known as the Battle of Upperville | Goose Creek Regional Park. The roughly 20-acre space features hiking trails and interpretive information, as well as Goose Creek Stone Bridge that

196-455: A nearly 640-acre tract of land near Centreville worth $ 5 million to the Authority in respect of the wishes of his late wife, Ellanor C. Lawrence, who had died the previous year. The land became the core of Ellanor C. Lawrence Park . The approval of a $ 28.5 million bond issue by county voters in 1971 allowed the authority to purchase 4,400 acres of land over the next five years, adding 39 parks to

245-498: A park in Leesburg, VA that was the site of a Civil War conflict in 1861; Mt. Zion Church and the adjacent Gilbert's Corner Regional Park, in Aldie, VA which were used as a Civil War military rendezvous site, prison, barracks, battleground and hospital; and Aldie Mill Historic Park , a restored mill, with a four-story brick structure with tandem metal Water wheels . Other venues include

294-535: A position with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. William C. Beckner took over as director of the Park Authority. Kirk Kincannon was the most recent director, serving from 2014 to 2021. As of 2003, the Park Authority had at least 22,617 acres (92 km) of parkland under Park Authority oversight for a resulting 23 acres (93,000 m) of parkland per 1000 county residents. The Park Authority dedicated its first urban park,

343-624: A program to both link the various existing trails and to acquire new land for trails with the goal of creating a county-wide network of pedestrian trails. In terms of political structure and oversight, the Fairfax County Park Authority reports an independent board including twelve members appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Fairfax County Park Authority Board, although appointment of

392-578: A spoiler to Democrat Gerald W. Hyland, giving the Republicans a 5-4 majority on the Board. This was the first time in the 20th century that the Republicans held a majority of the seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Jack Herrity served as chairman during Fairfax County 's growth during the 1980s, when the County, previously known as a quiet suburb of Washington, D.C. ; became the high population center of

441-546: A tough campaign against Mason District Supervisor Stanford Parris and a last minute write-in campaign mounted by supporters of Vienna Mayor James C. Martinelli, Frederick Babson was the first person to hold the newly created chairmanship, from 1968 to 1970. Frustrated by the low pay of the office, Babson resigned from the Board in November 1969. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Arthur W. Sinclair appointed Fairfax County School Board member William S. Hoofnagle to serve out

490-593: Is an inter-jurisdictional organization that owns and operates more than 10,000 acres of woodlands , streams , parks , trails , nature reserves , countryside and historic sites in Northern Virginia in the United States . The Authority was organized in 1959. NOVA Parks presently operates 34 regional parks . A 12-member policy-making Board governs NOVA Parks. The city council or county board of each member jurisdiction appoints two representatives to

539-503: Is well-known for the Virginia bluebells that grow along Bull Run and is a destination in the early spring for visitors to view their blooming. The pair later donated their farm home in Vienna, VA , which would eventually become Meadowlark Botanical Gardens . Within its first decade of existence, NOVA Parks conserved over 3,000 acres (1,200 ha). In the ten years that followed, that number

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588-652: The Dulles Technology Corridor that it is known as currently. During that period of growth, the Board advocated for the construction of Interstate 66 inside the Capital Beltway and for the Dulles Toll Road , as well as for a major expansion of Tysons Corner, Virginia , which now is home to many employers in the information technology industry. In the 1991 redistricting, the Annandale District

637-589: The 16,000 square foot Merrifield Park civic plaza, in June 2009. The authority officially classifies parks in its system as local parks, district parks, countywide parks or resource-based parks. Additionally, the authority uses the classification of regional parks for those parks and facilities administered by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority . In addition to numerous local parks, which are generally less than 50 acres (200,000 m),

686-449: The 1990s, adding Brambleton Golf Course in Ashburn, VA , and then later, in 2006, adding Aldie Mill Historic Park . The agency recently added a new facility at Occoquan Regional Park , named after former board member and Fairfax County leader Jean Packard . In 2022, NOVA Parks acquired Winkler Botanical Preserve as part of an arrangement between NOVA Parks, the city of Alexandria, and

735-606: The Board Auditorium at the Fairfax County Government Center near Fairfax, Virginia . Members of the public are invited to attend these meetings. The chair presides at all meetings, and has all of the powers of a member, including one vote. The chair, however, does not have the power to veto legislation. The Vice Chair is elected amongst the members annually at the first meeting of the year in January. Within

784-521: The Board voted 5-4 to increase their salaries from $ 21,589 to $ 35,000 per year. The approved plan also included automatic pay raises through 1991 to an eventual total of $ 45,000. The Board voted to increase the pay of its members from $ 45,000 to $ 59,000 per year in September 1998 by a vote of 6-3-1, with Hunter Mill Supervisor Robert B. Dix abstaining. In 2007, the board voted to increase the pay of members from $ 59,000 to $ 75,000 per year. In March 2015,

833-409: The Board voted 6-4 to increase the pay of future supervisors by $ 20,000 per year, to $ 95,000, with the chairman earning $ 100,000 per year. In March 2023, the Board voted 8-2 to increase the pay of future supervisors by 30%. This adjustment would turn annual salaries from $ 90,000 to $ 123,283 for supervisors and from $ 100,000 to $ 133,283 for the chairman. Citizens spent hours protesting this raise during

882-681: The Board. Three counties ( Arlington , Fairfax , and Loudoun ) and three cities ( Alexandria , Falls Church and Fairfax ) currently have representation on the Board. NOVA Parks was founded in 1959, when Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Falls Church decided to create an agency to protect the drinking water sources of the area, as well to provide passive recreation. NOVA Parks purchased its first parkland shortly thereafter in Centreville, VA from Gardiner Means and his wife Caroline F. Ware , in what would become Bull Run Regional Park . The park

931-558: The Centreville and Lee districts, none from the Falls Church, Mount Vernon or Providence districts, and one supervisor at-large. This was remedied in the elections of 1955. Confidence in the Board was greatly shaken in 1965 when Supervisors John P. Parrish and Stuart T. DeBell, as well as former Supervisors A. Claiborne Leigh, Robert C. Cotten and William H. Moss were indicted on bribery charges stemming from zoning cases that had come before

980-676: The Commonwealth of Virginia . While the position of supervisor is technically a part-time job, many supervisors devote 40 or more hours a week to fulfill all of their obligations. A December 1993 vote by the Board of Supervisors to officially make itself a full-time body was rebuffed by the Virginia General Assembly. In January 1968, the Board of Supervisors voted themselves a $ 2,500 pay raise, increasing their yearly salaries to $ 10,000. The annual salary increased to $ 15,000 per year in January 1976. At their meeting on April 14, 1986,

1029-456: The Democratic majority on the board by a margin of 6 to 4. In recent years, the chairmanship has acted as a stepping stone to higher political office: Gerry Connolly , the chairman from 2003 to 2007, now serves in the U.S. House of Representatives , as did Tom Davis , who was chairman from 1991 to 1994, and Katherine Hanley , who served from 1995 to 2003, and has since served as Secretary of

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1078-467: The Director of the Park Authority is subject to approval by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (the highest governing body of Fairfax County). The twelve members of the Board comprise nine members respectively representing the nine magisterial districts of Fairfax County, as well as three at-large members. Public meetings of the Board are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 in

1127-527: The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors sought to exercise greater control over the county's parks. Faced with the potential loss of the Park Authority's charter, the Park Authority Board voted 5–3 in April 1986 to give up its power to appoint its employees and enter into contracts to the county Board of Supervisors. Even with this concession, the Board of Supervisors at their April 7 meeting only voted to extend

1176-745: The Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority , the Fairfax County Park Authority , the Fairfax County Water Authority , and the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The Board exercises its taxation power primarily by setting the county's real property tax rate, which accounts for more than 63% of the general fund revenue. Other financially important tax rates set by

1225-650: The Herrity Building of the Fairfax County Government Center . Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Opposition The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors , sometimes abbreviated as FCBOS , is the governing body of Fairfax County, Virginia , a county of over a million in Northern Virginia . The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always occupied by the Chair. Members may serve unlimited number of four-year terms, as there are no term limits . The Board usually meets two Tuesdays every month in

1274-478: The Park Authority also manages nine recreation centers (Cub Run, George Washington, Lee District, Mount Vernon, Oakmont, Providence, South Run, Spring Hill, and Audrey Moore/Wakefield) in several of its district parks. The authority also owns seven golf courses (Oakmont, Pinecrest, Jefferson, Burke Lake, Greendale, Laurel Hill, and Twin Lakes), as well as over 200 acres (0.81 km) of trails. Fairfax County has adopted

1323-411: The Park Authority's charter through May 19, awaiting a decision by Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry as to the legality of the Board's actions. Fairfax County Executive J. Hamilton Lambert was appointed as executive director of the Park Authority in addition to his role as county executive. After 16 years as director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, Joseph P. Downs resigned in 1989 to take

1372-509: The Winkler Organization, which had been the owner. NOVA Parks manages a number of parks that have historical significance, including an 18th-century mansion, a Civil War battlefield, a 19th-century grist mill, a 200-year-old working farm, a Civil War era church, and many more. Major venues include Carlyle House , the former Alexandria, Virginia home of British merchant John Carlyle ; Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery ,

1421-524: The approval of the Virginia General Assembly, which was not forthcoming. Chairman Davis was elected to Congress in 1994 as the representative from Virginia's 11th district , which necessitated a special election to replace him. In the February 7 election, Democratic Providence District Supervisor Katherine Hanley defeated Republican Springfield District Supervisor Elaine McConnell, necessitating yet another special election to fill Hanley's seat. That election

1470-460: The board include the personal property tax rate, which is applied to the value of vehicles in the county, and the business, professional and occupational license (BPOL) tax, which is applied to the gross receipts of businesses in the county. The Board of Supervisors was established in 1870. Initially, the board had six members, one from each of the magisterial districts of Centreville, Dranesville, Falls Church, Lee, Mount Vernon and Providence, with

1519-517: The board. On October 2, 1966, Parrish had himself suspended from his Mount Vernon District seat, and Centreville Supervisor DeBell followed suit on October 26. Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Brown appointed Frank F. Everest, Jr, to replace Parrish on October 19 and, in one of his final acts, appointed C. Meade Stull to replace DeBell on November 4. Following Federal trials that saw Leigh, Cotten and Parrish convicted on bribery conspiracy charges, Commonwealth's Attorney Robert Horan declined to further press

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1568-466: The chairman elected from among the members of the board to a single year term. In 1953, the county redistricted, forming the new Mason district from parts of the Falls Church, Lee and Mount Vernon districts and adding a seventh member to the board. Charles B. Runyon was elected to a special at-large seat on the Board of Supervisors in a special election held on November 4, 1953. The rather strange situation developed that there were now two supervisors from

1617-566: The county and providing a practice facility for the NHL's Washington Capitals hockey team. With the 1979 elections of Republican Nancy Falck in the Dranesville District and Democrat Sandra Duckworth in the Mount Vernon District, as well as the reelection of Audrey Moore, Martha Pennino and Marie Travesky in the Annandale, Centreville and Springfield districts, respectively, the nine member board for

1666-505: The first time had a female majority as of January 1980. The resignation of Sandra Duckworth in August 1984 to follow her husband to Hawaii, where he had been named director of the Bishop Museum , cleared the way for a different majority to take over the Board of Supervisors. In the November 1984 special election, Republican T. Ferrell Egge capitalized on independent Gerald A. Fill's acting as

1715-502: The limits set forth by the Virginia General Assembly , the Board is responsible for setting local tax policy, approving land use plans and appointing officials to various county government positions, including a County Executive who prepares the annual budget and carries out ordinances enacted by the Board. The Board also controls by its appointment power the board membership of several locally important authorities, including

1764-525: The meeting in which the raise was voted on. The board is currently controlled by Democrats , who have nine out of the ten seats, and currently control both the Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship. The board districts are divided so as to give every member an equal population to represent. The current districts and their Supervisors are: Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority NOVA Parks (formerly named Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority )

1813-601: The open Dranesville, Sully and Mason district seats. Combining those victories with the reelection of Springfield Supervisor Elaine N. McConnell gave the Republicans a 6-4 majority. The Centreville District, which had not actually contained Centreville since 1971, was renamed the Hunter Mill District in 1993, fulfilling a campaign promise of Supervisor Robert B. Dix, Jr. The Board voted to make itself Virginia's first full-time local legislature in December 1993, subject to

1862-401: The position, which allowed him to vote only on matters before the board in the case of a tie. A special election was called to fill the chair for the remainder of Hoofnagle's term. In the November 1972 contest, Democrat Jean R. Packard emerged victorious from a crowded six-candidate field. Importantly, Fairfax County voters also overwhelmingly approved a referendum allowing the Chair to have

1911-514: The rapidly developing county. Under a new county program of acquiring small parks in urban areas, FCPA bought its first neighborhood park, the 9.5-acre Bren Mar Park, in April 1959. The authority gained control over the disused Fort Belvoir reservoir in March 1960 when it was awarded a 25-year lease to operate the 242-acre site as a public park and recreation facility. The lake was renamed Lake Accotink . Appointed in November 1961, Joseph Brown became

1960-501: The receivers of the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad . In March 1953, the authority appointed William H. Lindberg as superintendent of parks. By 1955, the authority had nine public parks, and its budget was $ 60,000 per year. In January 1959, Fred M. Packard became the first director of the Fairfax County Park Authority. As director, Packard would work vigorously over the next few years to acquire park land and preserve natural areas in

2009-412: The rest of Babson's term on December 10, 1969, and Hoofnagle took office in January 1970. Hoofnagle would be elected in November 1970 and again in November 1971 to a full four-year term, but resigned after nine months in September 1972, citing his need to travel in his position as an economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Privately, Hoofnagle had stated his frustration with the limited power of

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2058-786: The second director of the Fairfax County Park authority in January 1962. Lake Accotink was sold by the Army outright to the Fairfax County Park Authority in April 1965 for $ 176,500 following the property being declared surplus the previous year. In April 1965, Director Brown was appointed to head the National Park Service's north National Capital area, and assistant director James D. Bell was named to replace him. The authority purchased Lake Fairfax from its owner, developer Mack Slye "Jack" Crippen Jr., for $ 1.7 million in 1966. Columnist and publisher David Lawrence in December 1970 donated

2107-434: The state bribery charges in December 1969. With the adoption of the urban county executive form of government in a 1966 referendum, the chairman became an at-large position directly elected by county voters with a four-year term. The county was again redistricted, with the Falls Church district abolished and the new Annandale and Springfield districts created, creating a nine-seat board. Elected in November 1967 following

2156-494: The system and increasing its total holdings to 10,200 acres by 1976. James D. Bell was demoted from his position as director of the Park Authority in January 1973 after using park employees to move from the authority-owned house in Great Falls he had been living in. Deputy Director Joseph P. Downs was appointed acting director following Bell's demotion, which also included a more than 30% pay cut from his former $ 26,972 salary. Downs

2205-632: Was constructed prior to the Civil War. NOVA Parks operates a total of five waterparks with differing sizes and features. These include Atlantis Waterpark at Bull Run Regional Park (Centreville), Great Waves Waterpark at Cameron Run Regional Park (Alexandria), Pirate’s Cove Waterpark at Pohick Bay Regional Park ( Lorton, VA ), Ocean Dunes Waterpark at Upton Hill Regional Park (Arlington) and Volcano Island Waterpark at Algonkian Regional Park ( Sterling, VA ). NOVA Parks owns three 18-hole golf courses, including Algonkian, Brambleton and Pohick Bay. Each has

2254-699: Was increased to approximately 8,000 acres (3,200 ha). NOVA Parks then added sites in Clifton, VA , the City of Fairfax, VA , Fairfax County, Arlington and Alexandria, VA in the 1960s. The agency welcomed Loudoun County, VA in the 1970s. The latter arrangement would lead to the addition of several key sites, including what would become Algonkian Regional Park on the Potomac River , as well as Red Rock Overlook , Temple Hall Farm and Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery . NOVA Parks continued their growth through

2303-610: Was permanently appointed as director of the 7,200-acre system in May 1973. The Federal government agreed in 1974 to give 1,262-acres of land that had been declared surplus the previous December to Fairfax County under the Legacy of Parks program. This vast area would become the Huntley Meadows Park when it was formally deeded to the county the following year. By 1986, the authority had 342 parks and 14,360 acres under its control. In 1986,

2352-501: Was renamed the Braddock District and the new Sully District was created in western Fairfax County, bringing the total number of seats on the board to ten. The elections in November 1991 created a Republican majority on the board for only the second time in the 20th century, with Thomas Davis becoming the chairman, Robert B. Dix, Jr. defeating long-time Centreville District Supervisor Martha Pennino, and Republican candidates taking

2401-467: Was won by Democrat Gerry Connolly , who defeated Republican Jeannemarie Devolites on March 28, 1995. Connolly's election created a 5-5 balance of Democrats to Republicans on the Board of Supervisors. The regular elections of November 1995 saw the Mason District seat on the board change hands when Democratic candidate Penelope A. Gross defeated Republican William B. Bailey by 327 votes, reestablishing

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