If opportunities materialize to create public recreational facilities using partnerships or other methods, Fairfax County officials want to be ready to pounce.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay (D) and Supervisor James Walkinshaw (D-Braddock) proposed that County Executive Bryan Hill conduct a review and study concerning possible creation of a Fairfax County public-recreational-facilities authority.
Staff would inquire whether creation of such a body better could facilitate collaboration on construction of new facilities, foster partnerships with neighboring institutions and jurisdictions, and generate opportunities to benefit county residents.
The pair’s motion called for the county’s evaluation to include a potential authority’s establishment, role and oversight; partnerships; transparency and community involvement; resident and/or student use; geography and scope; and private-entity engagement.
County staff will report back to supervisors later this year with recommendations concerning the proposed authority’s structure, scope, benefits and revenue impacts.
The Virginia Public Recreational Facilities Authority Act lets localities establish authorities concerning art, sports and other recreational needs.
“These authorities have been instrumental in building new facilities, facilitating partnerships with neighboring jurisdictions and local institutions, and fostering economic diversification,” Walkinshaw said.
Such authorities can acquire or lease property, operate and maintain projects, and collect fees, rents or other charges for the use of those projects, he said.
In recent years, various groups have expressed interest in partnering with Fairfax County to establish entertainment, sports and other recreational facilities.
“This is not about any particular project or something that is before us,” Walkinshaw said. “I think it makes sense for us to have this information, to be prepared if an opportunity presents itself [concerning] where such an authority makes sense.”
He added, “If there is an entity or an institution who is interested in using this as a tool to partner with us, we don’t want to have to tell them, ‘Come back in six months while we study the authority itself.’ So I think it makes sense to have this work done.”
McKay agreed and underscored that the information request did not apply to any project being considered by the board.
“The establishment, should the board decide to establish an authority like this, would be a tool in our toolbox if something like that did come about in the future,” McKay said. “To me, setting this up, absent a project or proposal, is the right thing to do.”
Anticipating commentary from board colleague Jimmy Bierman (D-Dranesville), Walkinshaw stated the new organization will not be authorized to construct a casino. Bierman has been an outspoken opponent of a proposed Tysons casino, which got tabled in this year’s General Assembly session but will return for the 2025 session.
The authority proposal strongly emphasizes public-private partnerships, which can be useful when applied to recreational facilities, Bierman said.
Bierman asked for clarification of that entity’s duties versus those of the Fairfax County Park Authority.
The Code of Virginia establishes park authorities under a separate section, Walkinshaw responded. Virginia localities that have created public-recreational-facilities authorities have used them for purposes complementary to, or separate from, their park authorities or departments, he said.
Examples of such work include museums jointly operated by jurisdictions and sports or recreational facilities created in partnership with the park departments or authorities, Walkinshaw said.
Supervisor Walter Alcorn (D-Hunter Mill) was interested to see examples of what other jurisdictions had done, especially from a financial perspective.
“Frankly, I’d love to have our finance folks take a look at how this could potentially affect our bond rating, one way or another,” Alcorn said.
