WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Prince William has a new Department of Parks and Recreation after officials voted Tuesday to merge county government with the Prince William County Park Authority – an independent corporation in continuous existence since 1977.
The merger puts control of all 67 properties owned by the Authority in the hands of the county government, under the leadership of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. The independent parks board will now be merged with the county to become a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
The merger is expected to be complete by July 1 and is not expected to cost the county any additional funds than what has already been budgeted for parks and recreation services over the next year. Currently, county parks in Prince William generate 44 percent of their revenue through user fees, according to county documents.
Employees of former Park Authority – the largest employer of youth in Prince William County through a summer jobs program – will all become county government employees.
Apparently, some Park Authority employees were concerned they would lose their jobs, prompting County Executive Melissa Peacor to address the matter before the Board of Supervisors’ voted unanimously to approve the merger.
“The efficacies that we will gain are synergies… we both have fleet operations, however, they take of mostly equipment, we take care of mostly vehicles. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for them to do all of the equipment and we do all the vehicles and we get work done more quickly,” said Peacor. “They are hiring hundreds and hundreds of folks for the summer. They need their [human resources] people. We have four folks who folks for the county, and they can’t take on their work for the Park Authority. So I think there was some worry in the beginning that some folks would lose their jobs…but we don’t see a major ability to cut jobs because they become a department.”
Representatives with the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition and the Arts Council, groups that have close working relationships with the Park Authority, urged Supervisors to maintain those relations as the members of the new Parks Department are put in place.
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Supervisor Diggs took a moment to reflect on the responsibilities of his new position and the values he brings to the role. “The citizens in the George Washington District knew that I was a law enforcement officer in this community. I love my job. And part of being a law enforcement officer is conducting ourselves with integrity. And so I will continue to do so, and I can serve in this role and do that as well,” Diggs said.
He further expressed a strong desire to foster collaboration among the board members. “The goal is that we’re gonna work together as a team. I’m not asking, I’m demanding that. That’s the expectation,” he stated. Diggs’ remarks came as a call to unity, encouraging board members to prioritize cooperation and accountability.
The board also elected Supervisor Tinesha Allen as vice chair in a 5-2 vote.
On January 7, the U.S. House of Representatives convened for the first session of the 119th Congress and passed H.R. 29, the “Riley Laken Act,” with bipartisan support.
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