Leesburg Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting - October 29, 2026

The Leesburg Parks and Recreation Commission met on October 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. The commission approved remote participation for Commissioner Ross, endorsed a public art installation at Fox Ridge Park, reviewed FY28 budget concepts, and voted to move the draft Parks Master Plan forward in the approval process.

Commission and Staff Updates

• Commissioner Ross reported that the new pickleball courts look excellent and praised the Veterans Park opening, including the river views, boat ramp, parking lot, and walking trails.
• Parks staff said Veterans Park operations have gone smoothly, with two full-time staff assigned primarily to the park plus roving part-time staff during off-hours. Parking has occasionally been full.
• A commissioner noted the trailhead from the lower Veterans Park lot is difficult to find; staff said a trailhead exists and trail maps will be installed.
• Staff outlined Veterans Park phase two work, including a pole barn, renovation of the corner crib, additional paving, disc golf, and mountain biking. Discussions with disc golf and biking groups are planned after leaves fall, with efforts to keep hiking, biking, and disc golf routes separated where possible.
• A commissioner gave detailed playground feedback, especially for Billy Cox Pavilion playground: more swings, an accessible swing, kid-size picnic tables, rubber safety surfacing, and flushing restrooms. The commissioner praised Rotary Playground and said the Douglas restroom is very nice.
• Staff updated the commission on a successful metal-detecting event: 20 people attended, 19 metal detectors showed up, and finds included bullets, buttons, and farm trash. Metal detecting is generally allowed in town parks unless digging occurs, but it is not permitted at Veterans Park.
• The Environmental Commission is holding a pumpkin smash at Tuscarora Park the day after Halloween, with the first batch of pumpkins recycled/donated to a farm. Commissioners noted the planned food-composting site near the parking garage has not materialized.

County Liaison Report

• The county trails group now called Loudoun Trails and Waterways, formerly the Loudoun Parks and Arts Trails group. The county arts program is receiving $250,000 per year and is recruiting commission members.
• The county signature trail project would connect through a new footbridge at Tuscarora Creek near Keep Loudoun Beautiful Park; the town should plan how residents will access that trail corridor.

Public Art Proposal at Fox Ridge Park

• The Commission on Public Art (COPA) presented a concept for a sculpture at Fox Ridge Park's pollinator garden along the W&OD trail. The call for artists was expanded beyond the original selfie-style sculpture to allow broader submissions.
• The project has a $7,500 budget. Timeline: November to town council, December call to artists, January art selection and council approval, February-March base installation, March-April artist installation, and May plaques and ribbon cutting.
• Parks staff preferred location one to avoid encroaching on nearby backyards. ADA accessibility will require a pad; staff identified an 8-foot by 10-foot art box and asked COPA to coordinate if a design needs different dimensions.
• COPA will maintain the artwork. A non-voting parks and recreation representative should be part of the selection committee.
• The commission voted unanimously to endorse the concept and location one.

FY28 Budget Discussion

• Commissioners discussed requesting $10,000 for a park passport/medallion program, where each park would have a collectible medallion or QR code, similar to national park passport programs.
• Other ideas included a bike-around-Leesburg event, benches, informational plaques, a park brochure, and more active use of the Idylwood field.
• Staff noted benches and typical operational items can often be funded from existing parks operating funds, while larger outreach programs could be requested through the commission budget.

Draft Parks Master Plan

• Staff presented the draft plan as a raw Word document. The next steps are: formatting into a final document, forwarding to commissions for a two-week comment period, possible endorsement at the December 16 commission meeting, then review by the Planning Commission and ultimately Town Council.
• Several commissioners said the plan felt too broad, generic, and passive, with too many options and not enough prioritized, Leesburg-specific implementation items. They asked how success could be measured without a clear checkoff list.
• Parks staff responded that the document is a strategic plan rather than a task list, and that its themes can support future funding requests, land acquisition, and development-review negotiations. Staff also cited the need for more staff, requesting four additional parks FTEs based on an identified eight-FTE gap.
• The commission unanimously approved moving the draft master plan forward in the review process.

Key Outcomes

• Approved Commissioner Ross's remote participation by unanimous vote.
• Endorsed the COPA sculpture project at Fox Ridge Park, location one, by unanimous vote.
• Approved advancing the draft Parks Master Plan to formatting and the next review steps.
• Pickleball court dedication is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, at 10:00 a.m.; if Dominion Energy has not delivered a transformer, the courts may open for daytime-only use until the lights are operational.