Oldie But Goodie: Beulah Road Mulching Nonsense

It should be annexed into the adjacent park. This is prime property and the town is using it essentially as a dump.

NOISE, ODOR, VIBRATION, HEALTH & SAFETY RISKS all exist at this once 16 acre parcel deeded to the Town for "public use forever" ... What happened to the other 8 acres? Look at MapQuest ... It's a park! Do you get to enjoy it for your tax dollar? Charlie wanted to annex it to Glyndon ... What happened?

This property is not adjacent to Glyndon Park anymore and it is not zoned parkland. We already have two natural park areas with trails right down the street from this "Park". We already have an ampitheater of sorts at Glyndon Park not to mention the stage at the town green nearby. I would love for it to be a pool, but is that really realistic? I don't see why a small skate park couldn't be put in within the current Glyndon Park borders. If they are going to do a large skate park it should be near the teen center.

NE Resident: I sure feel like you really want to keep your leaf mulch.

Seriously, though, where would a large skate park be near the teen center? On top of the girl's softball diamond at Caffi Field? I think Beulah Road Park would be perfect but we know people like to get all nutty about teenagers. Small kids = good. Teens = bad.

Perhaps, a dog park, too? Driving to Nottoway or Blake Lane is far for a dog area for people on that side of town.

I was pretty sure the town is or was looking at properties close to the community center for a skatepark. A dogpark at Beulah Road Park would be nice, but I haven't heard people saying they really need one - there are several trails to take your dog around in NE Vienna Northside park, Foxstone Park & Glyndon Park. A dogpark probably wouldn't take up too much land on the site. They could even put a dogpark on that site and keep the mulch pile. They could share the parking for Glyndon Park off Beulah Road for the dogpark since the lot is rarely used for Glyndon Park. I heard that people preferred keeping the mulch pile over the possibility of developing the property with homes. BTW, Mapquest for some reason doesn't show the homes on either side of Sherwood Drive which separate Beulah Road Park from Glyndon Park.

I think a lot of people would agree with you (HV, that is) about the mulching facility, but if they were to spend money to build something else there, I get the feeling it might become one of those classic "look what the Town is wasting your tax dollars on now" HV.com posts.

Questions: How much does the mulching/leaf pick up cost the town each year (including equipment, manpower, etc)? I heard a rumor that the mulching requires a certain number of Town employees and if it stopped, jobs would be lost. Thus, the hesitation to end the program.

I would not even care if the Town just planted grass and let it be a field to run around. Not everything needs to be done immediately.

Has the town ever looked into having the leaves taken to a landscaping company or recycling center? Leaf mulch is pretty popular?

Yes the town had farmed out the leaves to Betty's Azalea Ranch. The town was not pleased with their demands about dressing the pile. Now you read today in the Sun Gazzete that Maud does not want to "go green". However, When it comes to leaves she has several interests. One, the leaves must be processed in order to qualify as recycled material. Two, the recycling figures are very high in Vienna because of the leaf program. Three, each delivery of leaves to citizens is considered one vote for each maudite on Council.