The county is planning to give Henry Clay Park in the Lyon Park neighborhood a makeover.
The Arlington County Board will consider awarding a $1,4 million contract to Falls Church-based Pivot Construction LLC for the renovations. A staff report to the Board says there will be “minimal changes” to the park layout and that the work will focus on “current facility standards, storm water requirements and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliance.”
The report notes that Henry Clay Park (3011 7th Street N.) is a “heavily used facility” and that “the outdoor amenities for Henry Clay Park are now past their useful life and are in need of replacement.”
Work includes “reconstruction of the basketball court, playground, athletic field, picnic shelter, site circulation, site furnishings, fencing, drainage, and landscaping.” Other planned renovations include:
- removing the park’s gazebo and adding a shade canopy and a tall slide
- expanding the east children’s playground by adding a swingset, a tall slide, benches, and new trees
- adding a ramp and benches around the west children’s playground
- adding a water fountain on the southside of the park’s green space and improving the field turf
- adding new trees and a drainage system between the green space and the basketball court
Google Maps describes the one acre lot as a “tiny park.”
Board members will vote on the contract during their next meeting this Saturday, July 13. Approving the contract for the renovations is listed on the County Board’s consent agenda for the upcoming meeting — a space usually reserved for items expected to pass without debate.
The park was created three decades ago and named after the Henry Clay School, which once stood where the park is now.
The school’s namesake is Kentucky political Henry Clay who is known for his efforts to stave off the Civil War, and for dueling Virginia political John Randolph on what is now the intersection of N. Randolph Street and N. Glebe Road.
Image 1 via Yelp, Images 2-3 via Arlington County