Williamsburg Traffic Circle Flag Pole Project

At our September 2001 WCA meeting, we voted in favor of a proposal to see what would be involved -- financially and bureaucratically -- to replace the rusted-out flagpole in the Williamsburg Traffic Circle. WCA member Ann Rudd made some initial inquiries, which suggested that the costs for such a project exceeded what we could afford right now, without a major fundraising campaign.

Fortunately, the Boy Scouts have come to our rescue! At our October 2001 meeting, Joe Donahoe -- a Second Class Scout from Troop 681 and student at Nottingham Elementary School -- presented a proposal to the Williamsburg Civic Association to replace the flag pole and flag on the Williamsburg Circle near Minor Hil with funds raised through solicitation of donations of cash, materials, and labor, and government grants.

The American flag at Minor Hill dates back to the Civil War when the hill was used by the Union Army for surveillance purposes. An existing flag pole was place in the 1964, but has fallen into disrepair. A flag has not been flown on the pole in recent memory.

Joe got his idea for the service project when he noticed that a local patriot attached a flag to the pole after the September 11 bombings. Unfortunately, the upper attachment came loose shortly thereafter, leaving the flag hanging upside down. Joe and his father rescued the flag and presented it to the Civic Association. Joe noticed that the halyard on the pole was rotted and the pole was rusty and crooked. Joe, being the take-charge type, decided to correct this situation and developed his proposal which was unanimously approved by the Civic Association.

Community response to Joe's initiative has been overwelmingly enthusiastic. Over the fall and winter, Joe raised over $1300 and has ordered the pole. Joe also met with strong support from the Arlington County staff. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources has offered to install the flag pole. Parks Department personnel have also agreed to restore electricity to the circle. (The electrical line was damaged during repairs to a water main break some years ago. The Williamsburg Civic Association has asked that the County restore the electrical line.) We have also asked the County to restore water to the Circle, to assist in maintenance of the landscaping.

The flag pole was installed in June. It is located on the Sycamore side of the Circle, on the same side as our newly-installed Neighborhood Sign.

Dedication Ceremony -- 14 June 2002

Joe and his Scout troop organized a dedication ceremony on Flag Day, June 14th, 2002 at 2:00 p.m. on Williamsburg Circle. The keynote speaker was Chris Zimmerman, Arlington County Board Chairman.

Over forty people attended the ceremony at which the flag pole and flag – major new additions to our neighborhood – was dedicated to our friends, relatives, neighbors, and fellow citizens that perished in the September 11th attack on the United States. Joe's hard work and commitment to his service project has created a fitting and lasting memorial to those who were lost.

Flag Dedication Ceremony -- Program & Photo Album

Poster -- Click for larger image.

New Landscaping forWilliamsburg Circle

At WCA request, the County's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Rsources put Williamsburg Traffic Circle on its spring 2002 budget to get a complete re-landscape. This goal dovetails perfectly with Recommendation 7 of our Neighbhorhood Conservation Plan. We worked with the County staff to ensure that the new plant materials work with the flag, with our new neighborhood signs and associated landscaping, and with the landscaping design for both Powhatan Street (which, as part of the Powhatan Traffic Calming project, will get a landscaped median at the bottom of Powhatan Hill near the Cirlce) and Little Falls Road (which will get landscaped medians as part of the Little Falls Project). The County traffic engineering people have also reviewed the plans with an eye toward making sure that we improve visibility for both walkers and motorists.

We held our first meeting on the landscaping project on 6 February 2002, when Kurt Louis and Rebecca Feldberg (both from Parks) and Jill Yutan (from Neighborhood Services) met with Williamsburg neighbors and Joe Donahoe to discuss how to integrate Joe's flag project and the neighborhood sign landscaping into a larger plan to revamp the Circle. Ms Feldberg's initial thoughts were to plant small flowering trees (such as Kousa dogwood, cherry, Crepe Myrtle, or Forest Pansy Redbud) near the center of the circle, with small deciduous bushes that do not require pruning.

Ms Feldberg's design includes the following plants:

• 1- Ulmus americana 'Liberty'/ Ameican Elm
• 2- Cladrastus lutea/ Yellowwood
• 4- Cornus kousa/ Chinese Dogwood
• 6- Lagastromia indica 'Sioux'/ Crepemyrtle
• 10-Spiraea x vanhoutte/ Vanhoutte Spirea
  

To review Ms Feldberg's design for the Williamsburg Circle landscaping, click here. The plan involves removal of the brick planter and perenniel bed (to make way for lower-maintenance shrubs) and installation of a grass perimeter about three feet wide around the new plants. The rest of the area will be mulched. During our 26 March 2002 WCA membership meeting, we circulated copies of this design plan, discussed it, and voted to approve the plan.

The project has now been completed. County personnel removed the brick planter and perenniel bed in late April 2002. The plants were installed in early June 2002, in time for the Flag Day Dedication Ceremony on 14 June.

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