City to Host Witter Athletic Fields Grand Opening

The city of Alexandria has announced the official opening of the Witter athletic fields, located at 2600 Business Center Dr. off Duke Street, at 6 p.m. April 12.

Following the opening, the T.C. Williams varsity softball team hosts Annandale at 6:30 p.m. The grand opening will occur rain or shine.

Project resources for land acquisition and construction of the athletic complex are a result of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Settlement Agreement Record of Decision between the city and the Federal Highway Administration. The project was approved by the Alexandria Planning Commission and City Council in October 2007.

The athletic complex includes:

• Two multipurpose synthetic fields suitable for field sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby and football
• One 225-foot softball diamond
• State-of-the-art sports lighting for all three fields
• One hundred forty-one parking spaces oriented to minimize headlight glare on the playing fields
• Signature architecture park buildings including rooftop photovoltaic solar panels, natural day lighting and low voltage lighting systems
• Furnishings including trash receptacles, benches and bike racks, constructed of 95-percent recycled domestic steel
• Half-mile fitness path for jogging and walking

In addition, two historic sites were preserved on the property, including:

• Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century residents of the site included the Whaley and Bloxham families. The Bloxham legacy is honored by the preservation of their family cemetery; and
• A Native American site, consistent with prehistoric settlements along Taylor Run, dating back approximately 3,000 years.