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Commission to follow up on resident request for native-plant/habitat guidance at Veterans Park
Summary
The commission agreed to investigate an emailed request asking that invasive species be removed and native-plant guidelines incorporated into development plans for a new Veterans Park; staff advised coordinating with parks staff, the urban forester and Rich Williams, director of parks and recreation.
A resident email asking Leesburg to prioritize native plants and invasive-species removal in the development and maintenance of Veterans Park prompted the Environmental Advisory Commission to agree to investigate and respond.
The commission said the email requested that the town consider habitat restoration and invasive removal as part of park planning. Staff recommended that the commission coordinate with Parks and Recreation leadership and the town’s new urban forester; staff identified Rich Williams, the parks director, as the operations contact and noted that an urban forester position has recently been filled.
Why it matters: the resident’s request touches on park design, biodiversity and long-term maintenance. Commission members noted previous efforts by volunteer groups and homeowners associations to tag invasive species but said liability concerns have limited volunteer removal efforts on town-owned land (for example, use of herbicides by volunteers is generally not permitted by parks operations without a formal arrangement).
Staff said the parks department manages planting, maintenance and associated budgets; some tree and invasive-removal requests require additional funding for removal and stump/brush cleanup. The commission recommended staff inform the resident that the request has been received, to follow up with parks staff, and to consider bringing the topic to the tree commission and parks commission as appropriate.
Ending: Staff agreed to look into the park’s plans and the extent to which invasive removal and native-plant recommendations are included and to report back at a future meeting.
