Origins

The search for a location for our signs led to the open space between the W&OD Trail and the stream, immediately on the north side of Columbia Pike. This location was chosen because it is in a sense a cultural crossroads of Arlington. Trail users traverse from north and south, while residents of the highly diverse and less affluent surrounding neighborhoods traverse the busy sidewalk along the Pike.

This location has other attractive characteristics. In addition to being a cultural crossroads, it is also the intersection of a commercial corridor with a greenway. As the only open green space along the entire length of Columbia Pike, its significance to the community is probably underestimated. Many southbound recreational trail users turn around at this point, as the trail environment is not as attractive once one crosses the Pike.

There are challenges as well. The space is generally considered to be misused. People sleep under the bridge; adult men drink in the valley, and delinquent teens gather in the woods. Other than mowing, the site has seen very little public investment. Most maintenance, including litter and brush removal, has been taken care of by members of the Barcroft School & Civic League, in which civic association the site is located.

From the point of view of installing signage, the site also presents challenges. At the point of their intersection, the trail and sidewalk audiences are a couple hundred feet from the stream, although both cross it in the general area. Developing a park-like setting between the stream and trail would not only reclaim the site for wholesome public use but also create a setting in which people can relax and become exposed to our environmental message.

The ethnic diversity of the surrounding communities suggested to our steering committee that non-traditional means of communication will be required in order to effectively communicate our message. Rather than put twenty different languages on our signs, we have opted for an intensively graphic approach. Signs alone, however, will do little to educate those who are not already seeking information.

In the interest of exploring the potential community interest and cultural references for this watershed education project, the steering committee enlisted the services of Mara Adamitz Scrupe, an artist who specializes in community-driven public art projects. Scrupe's participation was underwritten by Arlington's Cultural Affairs Division

Outreach

During these initial meetings, many questions were raised regarding current and future site usage, safety, and educational goals. Among these:

• How do we design signage which communicates with all park users regardless of English language proficiency?

• Regarding site design, how do we get people to walk from Columbia Pike, onto the trail and into the interpretive site?

• How do we humanely discourage the homeless population, which periodically takes up residence under the Columbia Pike overpass bridge?

• How do we improve the overall security of the park site, including eliminating public drinking in the park, and other threatening behavior?

• How do we facilitate cleaning up the park area, removing debris and trash, and encouraging environmentally-friendly approaches to the park by all users?

• How do we keep a cross-section of the community involved with site design throughout future development phases?

• How do we conceptually and physically represent all ethnic and immigrant groups in the area in creating a place that the entire community will be drawn to?

• How can we reconcile user needs in a community as diverse as that which surrounds the Four Mile Run site?

• How do we encourage positive and family-oriented use of the site across cultural and ethnic lines, such as family picnicking, strolling and biking, and outdoor community events?

• How can teens contribute to this project while also contributing to the goals of existing service learning programs aimed at that age group?

• Beyond the interpretive signage initiative, how do we develop the park site so that it addresses the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the people who use it?

Meanwhile, we also met with numerous representatives of the county government, including various divisions of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources, as well as Department of Environmental Services, Department of Public Works, Housing and Neighborhood Development, and the Police Department. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, which actually owns much of the land under discussion, has also been kept apprized. The basic purpose of these meetings has been to ascertain any other county objectives which might support or conflict with our own. Beyond this, ACE recognizes that this project requires the "buy-in" not only of the neighbors but of the county staff as well. We have endeavored to involve staff in all phases of this project and many of their ideas are embodied here.

Findings

Regardless of the ethnic backgrounds of those whose opinions and insights we solicited, we were told many times that among new immigrants in the area, interest in local environmental issues is almost non-existent. Although concern about inappropriately deposited trash is often cited by those who use the Four Mile Run parks, as is the safety and the general attractiveness of the area, new immigrants appear to have few opportunities, and little time or energy, for addressing these issues. At the same time, other, more comfortably-settled and longer-term residents, express many ecologically-based worries about their local parks and the urban environment as a whole. How can we reconcile these very divergent interests, experiences, and world-views, while creating a single, effective, environmentally-attuned public project?

During preliminary interviews, the point was made by all those surveyed that immigrants rarely use the trails, and infrequently visit the stream valley portions of the parks, in part because of security issues, but also because the site currently contains no specific cultural references which might draw them there. With regard to site design, residents cited desires for park amenities which appeared to be congruent with the needs of specific ethnic communities. For example, Spanish-speaking citizens suggested site furnishings that address cultural traditions: pi¤ata poles and soccer fields were mentioned. Other nearby neighbors stressed a need for practical site amenities such as trash receptacles, nighttime illumination, benches, picnic tables, bathrooms, and playground equipment for children. A safe, clean, and welcoming open space, with plenty of room for families to meet and play, was the most frequent suggestion to emerge from interviews with all community members.

Proposed: The Four Mile Run Interpretive Site

We recommend that an appropriate county process, such as the Neighborhood Conservation Program, be employed to develop a master plan for this new park. The master plan should seek to incorporate the thematic and community values outlined in this report. Site design needs to be closely coordinated with the interpretive and community art objectives detailed below. It is our hope that ACE will continue to be a partner in this community process and that funding will be identified to continue the role of the artist, working in partnership with the landscape architect.

ACE recognizes the significance of the maintenance burden that a new park requires. Decisions in the design process need to be carefully considered to minimize maintenance requirements. While we are not in a position to lobby on budgetary matters, we would hope that the community would take appropriate measures to provide staff the needed resources to properly maintain the proposed facility.

Site design

The site should include a new collateral trail diverging from the southbound W&OD near the second high voltage pole, meandering through the woods, and looping back to the W&OD near its intersection with the Pike. One or two gravel paths should lead to properly fenced overlooks into the stream valley, where future interpretive signs could be installed. A path should also link the loop to the Pike sidewalk through the existing opening in the split rail fence.

This design will require at least the partial leveling of the berm, apparently left from railroad construction in the early 1800s. This is necessary both to provide access from the W&OD at a reasonable grade and to help ensure personal security of visitors through better visibility.

In terms of amenities, tables and seating should be designed to encourage interaction among people and with the interpretive elements. It should not encourage sleeping or loitering. A drinking fountain, bike rack, and trash receptacles should be installed. The strategy for security lighting needs to be carefully considered.

Public art

Through our community outreach efforts, we have realized that a successful park project, that is, one that will be used, maintained, and valued by local citizens, is one which addresses the ideas, experiences, and themes which run through the community and are represented in the individual lives of its citizens. Our great challenge and aspiration is to develop both a process and an installation that transcends these differences and delivers a unifying message that all can relate to and draw inspiration from.

The best method we know of for rising to these challenges is through a participatory public art project. We hope that the community will recognize the potential value of an art component and embrace the concept in the context of master planning for the site. The Arlington Cultural Affairs Division is willing to assume the leadership role in coordinating the public art project, however non-traditional sources of funding may be required.

Possible themes for the project include:

• A three-dimensional representation of a watershed including moving water pumped by a renewable energy system

• A project which visually represents the idea of a "crossroads", or a "journey", utilizing water as an important design element

• A project which addresses the existing storm drain in the deep depression near the trail/street junction, replacing it with a functioning rain garden or mini-wetland

• A project which combines the above elements while also referencing the immigrant experience which is common to the surrounding neighborhoods as well as to Arlington as a whole

Interpretive signage

The themes of the three panels will be

1. From Arlington to the Chesapeake, a watershed orientation;

2. Flow of time, Four Mile Run is important to the human history of the area and has been significantly altered by man;

3. We all live upstream, stewardship of stream and Bay

The signage needs to be integrated into the site design in order to fulfill their function and to reduce risk of vandalism. Since under the terms of our grant the signs must be installed well before the site can be developed, we will seek a temporary location for them. This conveniently provides the opportunity to present our message to a different audience.

Watershed friendly landscaping

The opportunity exists, however, to go beyond a "do no harm" standard and to model the kinds of practices we would hope developers and property owners would adopt. A demonstration area of watershed-friendly landscaping would reinforce other educational amenities in nearby parks, including the native plant garden at Long Branch Nature Center and Sparrow Swamp in Glencarlyn Park.

We recommend the creation of a bioretention bmp (a.k.a. "rain garden") on the site of the derelict storm sewer inlet which sits in a deep pit near the intersection of the Trail and Pike. The facility should be engineered to detain and treat the runoff which the inlet currently receives. Upon completion, an interpretive sign should be installed explaining its value and functions.

In addition to treating stormwater, the bioretention strategy presents many strategic advantages. It allows most of the site to remain within the turf-dominated conceptual framework that people have for recreational parks and yards. Because of its relatively small scale, such a facility should not carry huge maintenance obligations. As an "island" in a prominent location, it should not present any security concerns. It is also possible that the artwork might be integrated into this feature.

Involvement

Our community research and outreach has convinced us that, in order to reach the broadest-possible cross-section of residents, it will be necessary, from the start, to create a project which will encourage their ownership in the park and its resources. When we create a sense of ownership in the park by all users, we can then expect to receive widespread support for its sustenance, leading us logically toward enhanced environmental awareness and preservation. Therefore, future efforts at developing this site into a community resource needs to be as broadly inclusive as possible. We believe that a formal citizens advisory committee that is intensely involved with all aspects of site design and implementation will help ensure wide-ranging support for and participation in the Four Mile Run Interpretive Installation.

Timeline

A. Interpretive signage installation

B. Site planning and design

C. Fundraising for site design implementation and artist involvement

D. Planning and design of environmental public art work

Phase 2: March through October 2000

Site Design Implementation

Phase 3: November 2000 through June 2001

A. Implementation of design for environmental public art work
Contracting of fabrication services

Installation of artwork on site

Institution of maintenance plan for artwork

B. Relocation of interpretive signage

C. Public celebration and dedication of The Four Mile Run Interpretive Installation

Horizons

There are doubtless issues we have not addressed. We have not to date communicated with Virginia Power about any concerns they might have related to the high voltage lines. We do not know the significance of fact that the VA Department of Transportation right-of-way extends about 50 feet into the proposed park area. County plans for streetscape improvements are apparently too far in the future to plan around those changes. We have not considered the area on the east side of the trail, which a thorough landscape design probably should.

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