Fairfax County Park Authority reports record visitation, outlines maintenance and equity priorities

Summary

Parks Director Jay Cole told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors that FY24 saw millions of visits, $40 million in capital investments and rising golf revenue, while flagging deferred maintenance—especially at rec centers—and asking for continued funding for trails, accessibility and ongoing planning toward the 2026 bond.

Jay Cole, Fairfax County Parks Director, presented an overview of Fiscal Year 2024 operations, investments and priorities for the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), telling the Board of Supervisors that parks saw an estimated 16,600,000 total visits in the year and that the authority invested roughly $40,000,000 in facility improvements.

Cole said the authority added 31.5 acres to the system, completed more than 100 improvement projects and held 11 ribbon cuttings in FY24. He highlighted growth in golf rounds and revenue—citing an increase in rounds of play and an increase in golf revenue from about $9.6 million in FY19 to $17.8 million in FY24—and said driving-range receipts rose from roughly $1.3 million to $2.8 million.

"Parks are economic drivers," Cole said, adding that investments in trails, playgrounds and rec centers support health, community-building and environmental resilience. He described a multi-pronged approach in FY24 that included playground renovations and a data-driven playground study to target "playground deserts," upgrades to technology on golf sites, accessibility improvements such as poured-in-place surfacing and a continued expansion of adaptive and…

Fairfax County Park Authority reports record visitation, outlines maintenance and equity priorities

Summary

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