Public Comment Sought on Proposed Changes to
Field and Gym Allocation Policies

The Fairfax County Athletic Council is seeking public comment and feedback on proposed changes to the Department of Community and Recreation Services’s (CRS) Field Allocation Policy and Gym Allocation Policy. As the advisory council to CRS and the Board of Supervisors on community athletic issues, the Athletic Council is responsible for periodically reviewing the policies and recommending changes. The Athletic Council will use the feedback gathered during this public comment period to refine their recommendations before presenting them CRS, which will forward them to the Board of Supervisors for final approval this fall.

The policy recommendations presented for public comment are presented in three parts:

1. Changes to the current Field Allocation Policy and Gym Allocation Policy are outlined in the document “Substantive Changes to the Allocation Policies,” which highlights the major changes proposed. The documents “Field Allocation Policy – Proposed Changes” and “ Gym Allocation Policy – Proposed Changes” demonstrate all proposed changes to the policies through the “track changes” function in Microsoft Word.

2. The document titled “Proposed Elements of MOUs for Synthetic Turf Field Development Partnerships” is a working paper outlining key issues the Athletic Council believes need to be addressed in memoranda of understanding (MOUs) that govern the development and allocation of synthetic turf fields funded in part or in whole by community athletic organizations. Depending on the Athletic Council’s final recommendation, these proposed elements may be presented to the Board of Supervisors either as a stand-alone policy recommendation that is referenced in the Field Allocation Policy or as a part of the proposed Field Allocation Policy itself.

3. The Athletic Council is also considering proposing that the County implement a non-county fee for youth. (The allocation policies already allow for a youth non-county fee; however, one has not been implemented previously.) As with the current adult non-county fee, the youth fee would be set at $20 per participant per season. While this fee would be in addition to the application fee (the “$5.50 fee”), the non-county fee would be administered in the same manner. County residency is defined in the allocation policies as living in Fairfax County (including the towns of Clifton, Herndon, and Vienna) or the City of Fairfax. The Athletic Council anticipates recommending to the Board of Supervisors that any revenue from new fees be directed into projects that benefit the athletic community. If the Athletic Council determines that they will propose the implementation of a youth non-county fee, the fee recommendation will be incorporated into CRS’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget request.

The Athletic Council will be accepting comments on the three policy recommendations from county residents and those representing Fairfax County-based organizations through July 9. Interested individuals may provide feedback in one of the following ways:

1. In writing via e-mail to AthleticServices@fairfaxcounty.gov, via fax to 703-324-5546, or via US Mail at CRS Athletic Services, 12011 Government center Parkway, #1050, Fairfax, VA 22035.

2. At one of six public comment meetings:

Monday, June 9, 2008
9:00 am
12011 Government Center Parkway (Pennino Building)
10th floor, Virginia Room
Fairfax, VA 22035

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
7:30 pm
12011 Government Center Parkway (Pennino Building)
10th floor, Virginia Room
Fairfax, VA 22035

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
7:00 pm
Kingstowne Center for Active Adults (next to Kingstowne Library)
6488 Landsdowne Center
Alexandria, Virginia 22315

Thursday, June 12, 2008
6:00 pm
Herndon Senior Center (adjoining Herndon Harbor House)
873 Grace Street
Herndon, VA 20170

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
7:00 pm
12011 Government Center Parkway (Pennino Building)
2nd floor, Room 206B
Fairfax, VA 22035

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
7:00 pm
12011 Government Center Parkway (Pennino Building)
10th floor, Virginia Room

You do not need to register or sign up in advance to attend or speak at the public comment meetings. CRS may be able to accommodate requests for public comment sessions to be held at other times to provide better access to your organization. For information, please contact Jesse Ellis at 703-324-5704, TTY 711 or jesse.ellis@fairfaxcounty.gov.

Thank you for your interest in community athletics in Fairfax County. We look forward to your participation in this important process to ensure Fairfax County’s continued ability to provide fair and equitable allocation of athletic facilities. If you have any questions, please contact the CRS Athletic Services Division at 703-324-5533, TTY 711 or AthleticServices@fairfaxcounty.gov.