King George unveils Barnesville-Dahlgren parks master plan; staff estimates $34 million in phased improvements

King George County27s parks and recreation staff presented a phased master plan for Barnesville and Dahlgren parks, describing priorities, funding options and constraints that could shape development over the next decade.

Chris Clark of Parks and Recreation said initial work uses roughly 30 of the 154 original acres and that public input identified restroom/concession facilities, a fishing pond and trail network, additional ball fields, picnic shelters and potential camping as community priorities. Using preliminary data, Clark said McGill Associates developed a plan that staff estimates could require more than $34,000,000 in improvements spread over 10 to 15 years.

Clark told the board the plan is phased and not set in stone; staff recommended including Phase 1 in the FY28 capital improvement plan and noted funding could come from developer proffers, local matches for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, or other grants. He identified operational staffing needs and proposed requesting a sports turf crew leader in the FY28 budget.

Staff also cautioned that some infrastructure work is limited by a cooperative agreement with the nearby naval base: Barnesville and an associated museum currently use base water and wastewater capacity, and additional hookups could require significant runs of waterline and engineering that add cost. "If we tie into the county system, we're looking at about a 2-mile run ... which obviously ... $1,000,000 a mile, to run waterline at this point," Clark said.

Board members discussed trail use, including whether equestrian access would be permitted if the trail becomes part of the state system; staff said rails-to-trails conversions can permit horseback riding alongside biking and hiking. The board did not take formal action to commit funding at the meeting; staff said they will return with a phased capital proposal and potential grant-matching strategies.