Be heard: Manassas to survey its 17 city parks in 2020

Members of the Manassas Parks and Recreation Committee will soon fan out into public parks with a mission.

The 11-member board plans to pick up clipboards, and armed with a checklist will perform an inventory of facilities at the city’s 17 public parks. They’ll be checking for litter, the quality and condition of park benches, playground equipment, landscaping, picnic tables, and making sure park signs are prominently posted and easy to read.

“Our parks and recreation committee really enjoys visiting the parks, and this inventory will provide a first-hand account of what our parks look like on a one-on-one basis,” said the city’s parks, culture, and recreation division manager Kisha Wilson-Sogunro.

The inventory will begin in the spring, and when committee members will be seen in the parks, wearing a polo shirt with the city’s logo. They’ll also ask patrons what they think about the quality and conditions of the park.

Some of the city’s largest parks like Dean, Stonewall, and the E.G. Smith Baseball Fields will have two committee members assigned to them.

Wilson-Sogunro says the park inventory is a brainchild of the committee and was not requested by the city council. It’ll be up to Committee Chairman Lawrence Smith to decide to take the information collected during the inventory and report it to the city council.

Manassas Councilwoman turned mayoral candidate Michele Davis-Younger is also a member of the parks committee, serving as a liaison to the city council.

Committee members will conduct the inventory once per month during the spring and summer season. It should be completed by November 15, 2020, the time when parks will be closed for winter, said Wilson-Sogunro.

Residents can also voice their concerns about the state of city parks at the monthly parks and recreation committee meeting, which meets at the Manassas Museum six times per year. Upcoming meetings are posted here.