OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Leesburg Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting: June 18, 2026

Town Council & Commissions — Thursday, June 18, 2026
BodyLeesburg, Virginia
SessionTown Council & Commissions
DateThursday, June 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:07:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

We need to vote in Keirsten from afar.

0:05

So anybody not want to let Keirsten in.

0:08

Please let me in.

0:12

All right.

0:12

So you're in.

0:14

Yay, thank you.

0:17

All right.

0:19

Approval of minutes from May 20th.

0:38

Citizen comments.

0:40

Would you like to comment as a citizen?

0:42

You got a wonderful one.

0:44

Let the record show that we are ready for your wonderful.

0:52

Let's start with Keirsten from afar.

0:56

From afar.

0:58

I'm sorry, I'm not there tonight, but um I don't really have any comments this evening.

1:03

Uh, but thank you for voting me in so I can participate anyway.

1:08

Thank you for your work on the uh the logos.

1:12

Oh yeah, you're welcome.

1:14

Happy to do it.

1:15

Yeah.

1:18

Patrick.

1:19

I have questions, comments, some things you're probably aware of already, but I was at a few different parts, so I forgot to bring one.

1:26

Uh first, I already just walking in.

1:28

Do you guys have a plan when you're gonna restrain ideally?

1:32

Typically that that'll get done during our close down in August.

1:35

Okay, okay.

1:36

And is that currently on the plan for this August?

1:38

Yeah, yeah.

1:39

Okay, okay.

1:40

Cool.

1:41

Yeah, the parking lot.

1:42

Yeah, yeah, we have to look at it come July and next one in Robertson Park.

1:47

It wasn't necessarily tonight.

1:48

I didn't try that with the same, but I saw it before.

1:50

When they have the swim meet, I realized they use Robertson Park as well, which I guess it's not an issue, but they're parked on the grass there also.

1:57

Like there's a they're willing when I was there, it was a 25 to 30 cars on the grass.

2:02

Now they're not they're not spilling into the athletic field themselves, but nonetheless, it was on the grass and just wanted to make you aware of that.

2:09

Thank you.

2:13

Yeah, one of the Wednesday night, yeah.

2:15

They are very particular about their own property over there.

2:17

Right.

2:18

Well, and some vision when I saw that exactly where I figured out.

2:21

And they've got a school right down the street.

2:23

So probably most of them are gonna be walking distance up the pool.

2:27

Right.

2:30

Uh play all day updates.

2:32

Are you guys participating?

2:33

You guys are just what exactly because I haven't seen anything on the social media about it.

2:37

There was just a social media thing that came up today.

2:40

Um, what we're doing is basically four three hour blocks of things we need to do.

2:47

Um, so you could do a whole 12-hour day if you wanted, or you just you only wanted to do one three-hour program or whatever.

2:54

So it could be anything from yoga or fitness class in a pavilion um to a guided walk through a park or whatever.

3:04

Um we're not doing the same as the counties where the counties kind of opening up the rack center street show.

3:10

Yeah, we're not doing that.

3:10

We're doing more outdoor-based things where we'll put programs out in the blocks.

3:15

Although that's implemented three-hour blocks so that you could make a full day of it.

3:19

That's really cool.

3:20

Yeah, it's all video of the class advertised.

3:23

So yeah, I think that the fact that it's like your guys' first year doing it in a while.

3:28

Yeah, awesome.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Active Transportation█████████████13%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Personnel Matters██████████10%
Community Events█████████9%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis███3%
Logo Design███3%
Arts And Culture██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Leesburg Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting: June 18, 2026

The Leesburg Parks and Recreation Commission met on June 18, 2026, to discuss park maintenance, trail safety, the pickleball project, master plan updates, and staff transitions. The meeting included citizen comments, staff reports, and committee updates.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from the May 20, 2026, meeting.
  • Voted to allow member Keirsten to participate remotely.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Patrick raised multiple items: parking on grass at Robertson Park during swim meets, an update request on the Play All Day event, the status of compost bins at Sporting Park, traffic flow and safety issues at Freedom Park (including missing arrow signs, bleacher end caps, and bathroom cosmetics), and a suggestion for a bottle filler. He also highlighted a dangerous situation at the South King Street multi-use trail underpass where cars frequently crash through the fence, recommending bollards for protection. Lastly, he discussed the fragmented multi-use trail along Battlefield Parkway, requiring multiple road crossings, and advocated for a complete trail map and connection plan.
  • Laurie noted that the Robinson Park sign has been replaced but other signs are sun-bleached, updated on the Fox Ridge playground odor testing, reported that Rock Spring property has been purchased by the town, and mentioned ongoing planning for the 250th anniversary celebration.
  • Ross (commission member) shared county-level updates from a recent Pros Board meeting, including trail development at Banshee Reeks, horse access negotiations, a new county arts program, budget tightening, and various park projects.

Discussion Items

  • South King Street Trail Safety: The commission decided to send a formal inquiry (with video evidence) to Public Works and the Traffic Commission to request installation of protective bollards, citing repeated vehicle incursions.
  • Trail Map and Connectivity: Members discussed coordinating with the county GIS to update the official trail map, filling gaps in the multi-use network, and advocating for a comprehensive bike and pedestrian plan. The commission will contact town GIS staff to initiate updates.
  • Rock Spring Property: The town closed on the purchase; a funding request for pasture maintenance and fencing (opens as a passive park) will go before council on June 22. Council will later decide whether to retain or sell the farmhouse. The commission expressed interest in being consulted early in the decision process.
  • Pickleball Project: Construction is on track for a fall opening at Freedom Park (softball side). The commission ordered 1,000 custom logo pickleballs. Discussion covered tournament logistics (logo finalization, QR code setup, registration timing) and ball distribution at events like Flower & Garden or the tree lighting. Details will be finalized at the next meeting with sports staff input.
  • Master Plan Update: The master plan is still in draft; staff have not completed supporting documents for review. The timeline may slip. No preview was available.
  • Veterans Park: A ribbon-cutting is tentatively set for August 26, 2026 (4 p.m.), though the large pavilion may not be installed until later. The trail from the mill to the boat ramp has been GPS-marked.
  • Director Retirement: The parks director announced retirement effective January 2027. The town will initiate recruitment, likely allowing a 5-month transition period with overlap. The commission expects some involvement in the selection.
  • Other Updates: Fox Ridge playground odor test results pending (5 business days); county-level budget tightening and arts program hiring; discussion of e-bike safety concerns on trails.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission will send a joint letter (with video) to Public Works and the Traffic Commission recommending bollards at the South King Street underpass trail.
  • Staff will connect with town GIS to update the county trail map to include all town multi-use paths.
  • A funding request for Rock Spring pasture maintenance will be heard by council on June 22; the commission will monitor and provide input as needed.
  • Pickleball tournament planning (logo, QR code, distribution) will continue at the next meeting, with sports staff invited.
  • Recruitment for the parks director will begin; the commission will be kept informed and likely participate in interviews.
  • No decisions were made on the master plan; further updates expected at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

We need to vote in Keirsten from afar. So anybody not want to let Keirsten in. Please let me in. All right. So you're in. Yay, thank you. All right. Approval of minutes from May 20th. Citizen comments. Would you like to comment as a citizen? You got a wonderful one. Let the record show that we are ready for your wonderful. Let's start with Keirsten from afar. From afar. I'm sorry, I'm not there tonight, but um I don't really have any comments this evening. Uh, but thank you for voting me in so I can participate anyway. Thank you for your work on the uh the logos. Oh yeah, you're welcome. Happy to do it. Yeah. Patrick. I have questions, comments, some things you're probably aware of already, but I was at a few different parts, so I forgot to bring one. Uh first, I already just walking in. Do you guys have a plan when you're gonna restrain ideally? Typically that that'll get done during our close down in August. Okay, okay. And is that currently on the plan for this August? Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Cool. Yeah, the parking lot. Yeah, yeah, we have to look at it come July and next one in Robertson Park. It wasn't necessarily tonight. I didn't try that with the same, but I saw it before. When they have the swim meet, I realized they use Robertson Park as well, which I guess it's not an issue, but they're parked on the grass there also. Like there's a they're willing when I was there, it was a 25 to 30 cars on the grass. Now they're not they're not spilling into the athletic field themselves, but nonetheless, it was on the grass and just wanted to make you aware of that. Thank you. Yeah, one of the Wednesday night, yeah. They are very particular about their own property over there. Right. Well, and some vision when I saw that exactly where I figured out. And they've got a school right down the street. So probably most of them are gonna be walking distance up the pool. Right. Uh play all day updates. Are you guys participating? You guys are just what exactly because I haven't seen anything on the social media about it. There was just a social media thing that came up today. Um, what we're doing is basically four three hour blocks of things we need to do.

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