PRCS needs to listen to western Loudoun when redesigning Mickie Gordon Park

Dear Editor:

Mickie Gordon Memorial Park is a special place among County parks. Being in the rural southwest, it’s appropriate to emphasize natural space, rather than to maximize active uses like athletic fields. The local community values a natural park, and visitors traveling to historic rural Middleburg also expect a more rustic, natural park experience—unlike the intensively developed parks in the east. 

Natural space means preserving trees and natural areas—not maximizing the park with athletic fields, not having field lights, and leaving the entrance road and parking area unpaved. Concept A, as presented by the County, gets much of this right, but the lights and pavement need to go.

Mickie Gordon Park is in a rural area noted for its historic, scenic gravel roads. It fronts on Carters Farm Lane, a landmark antique road popular with bicyclists, equestrians, pedestrians and tourists.

Light towers don’t belong here. The current lights went up without public notice, are a non-conforming use under today’s zoning, and are incompatible with Loudoun’s policy to preserve “dark skies” in the rural west. Remember, County leadership prevented light towers at Scott Jenkins Memorial Park near Hamilton due to public outcry. Don’t forget citizens want dawn to dusk use.

That includes the American Legion Post 295 baseball team who assured many in the community who fundraised for them that they would not go against the community consensus of Mickey Gordon Park being dawn to dusk. 

PRCS should do more to minimize the impact of park facilities on neighboring homes. Beyond removing the lights, that means not siting new facilities, parking, athletics, and pavilions close to neighbors’ properties. Noisy activities should be kept near the park’s center. 

Consideration should be shown to moving the existing recycling center, which is a non-conforming industrial use, to an area such as the water treatment plant within the town’s limits.

I would like to further add there is a vast historic relationship between Hall’s Field (adjacent to the park), the home of the Middleburg Braves and Hall’s Park aka Mickie Gordon Memorial Park. The relationship between these two is deeply heartfelt, historic and intertwined in Loudoun’s African American community. as a sanctuary for the African American community during the period of segregation—with the assistance of William Nathaniel Hall, a prominent African American businessman. He provided a place for the Loudoun County African American Community to gather and celebrate when doors were closed to this community. 

There are important cultural heritage considerations to ponder as plans for this park are formulated. We should consider adding the Hall name to the park—Mickie Gordon and Hall’s Park—in honor of both men. 

Holly Harrington

Middleburg