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Fairfax County Park Authority pilot lowers fees and uses outreach to boost camp equity, survey shows cost main barrier
Summary
FCPA presented a Sully Community Center sliding-fee pilot that increased nonwhite participation to 92% at the pilot site and a countywide survey of 2,400 respondents showing cost, distance and familiarity limit access to parks and recreation; staff will return in January with implementation options.
The Fairfax County Park Authority told supervisors on Oct. 15 that a sliding-fee pilot at Sully Community Center and a countywide outreach survey identified cost, distance and awareness as the main barriers keeping underrepresented households from park programs.
Jay Cole, FCPA executive director, said the authority began structured equity work in 2020 and used FY23 consultant funding to test hypotheses about fee reliance and participation. "Our recreational services are too expensive for some residents," Cole said, adding that fee-based recreation skews participation toward wealthier, whiter residents compared with general fund programs.
Sarah Baldwin,…
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