Parks and Rec

If you don't live in Stafford County, it will cost you $25 to park at one of the area's busiest summertime destinations.

Stafford County will implement a $25 charge to non-residents for parking at the Historic Port of Falmouth, a popular swimming hole on the Rappahannock River. The county Board of Supervisors approved the new fee during its meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in a five to two vote.

The county will begin charging the fee on July 22, 2022, and plans to hire new parking attendants weeks before the new fees.

The fee is expected to pull in $283,750 in revenue to fund parking management, trash cleanup, and public safety and to recoup the costs of frequently rescuing swimmers on the river.

The county will install credit card machines for parking staff to collect fees from park-goers from out of the area. A lack of robust and available wi-fi at the park could hamper electronic fee collection. The county has discussed options to deal with this issue, including tablets with cellular capability.

A handful of residents spoke to the Board on Tuesday, questioning the fees and the possibility that it may detract potential tourism from the area at a time when the county is trying to improve its tourism industry after the coronavirus pandemic. Karen Brown of Falmouth supported the parking fees. The money will help to clean up trash that has been accumulating at the beach, she said.

Others were concerned about equity with other beach locations in the county, like Aquia Landing Park on the Potomac River.  Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen questioned why Aquia Landing wasn't getting this consideration and instead asked for a comprehensive plan that could be applied to all of the beaches in the county. County staff said that the parking and safety issues were not as dire at Aquia as at Falmouth.

Rockhill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch said illegal activities are occuring at the Port of Falmouth Park. Through pictures taken by a drone owned by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, Vaunch showed evidence of illegal parking made by a resident living near the beach. Vanuch also pointed out an ice cream truck which she claimed did not have permits to operate in the county or pay county meals taxes.

Vanuch then called upon the Planning and Zoning Department to look into the matter.

George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen voted against the fees and said that the fees were indeed a tax and didn't want to unduly tax potential out-of-town visitors. Coen offered an alternative motion which would study the situation more closely with input from various organizations including local public safety and environmental groups which would hold off implementation of the fees until next year.

This alternate motion was defeated 4-3 in favor of the parking fees.

County leaders started debating the parking issue at the park before the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, reports of park-goers parking in residential areas and causing traffic issues and illegal parking in some nearby areas, like Carter Road, have been cause for concern.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors is once again turning its eye to a familiar problem: overcrowded parking at the Historic Port of Falmouth Park.

The Board has had several discussions over the last two years on alleviating problems of overcrowding and parking at the beach.  Since then, the county has made some strides, including sectioned-off parking areas, adding drop-off areas and no parking signs, and towing away illegally-parked cars.

The county has also made additions aimed at the beach's cleanliness and safety, including dog waste stations, loaning personal flotation devices, and providing EMS staff from the Fire and Rescue Department to monitor park activity on the weekends.

All these steps and others have cost the county money, and now they're looking for ways to continue funding the beach.

Some Board members, such as Hartwood District Supervisor Darrell English, have proposed to close the beach entirely. English spoke to the high operation costs mentioning items such as the upkeep of 18 port-a-potties and county employees picking up trash five hours a day which, according to the Supervisor, gets worse during the summer.

"There's a lot that we spend on there, and we've kicked the can so many times, and it's been an issue," says English. "I suggest we start charging or close the beach because it's costing too much money to run this. I think it's going to get worse this year."

English would suggest charging for parking and estimated that a fee of $20 or $25 per car from 80 cars over the course of the day could bring in $2,000. This estimate is based on how many cars would park at the beach during the summer.

George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen responded that the county would not be allowed to close the park due to a deal with an entity that no longer exists, the Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority. Coen believed that the county would also not be able to charge parkgoers from nearby Fredericksburg but got clarification that the county would not charge residents of the city more than they would potentially charge county residents.

One option was charging non-residents of the county and Fredericksburg for parking. Garrisonville District Supervisor Pamela Yeung was against the idea, saying that the park was for everyone.

On the opposite end was Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary, who noted that the park was already paid for by local taxes and didn't have an issue with charging out-of-towners for parking. Falmouth District Supervisor Meg Bohmke also attested to the trash collection at the park and favored charging out-of-towners.

Any solution that the board would come up with would not go into effect until Summer 2023. The timing of the Board's attention to the issue wouldn't allow the county to implement any change for the Summer 2022 season.

The matter will come back to the board as unfinished business at their next meeting on May 17.