Image courtesy of Del Ray Gateway
Del Ray Gateway
Plans are in the works to redevelop the triangle park at the corner of Mt. Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues in Del Ray to include a memorial garden, spray park and more.
A fundraiser is planned for later this month by the Del Ray Community Partnership for the major improvement project called the Del Ray Gateway. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit The Del Ray Gateway, a collaboration of community members, business owners and the City of Alexandria.
“We need to change the entrance to Del Ray into a vibrant space for all ages. The spray park would turn an abandoned pool into a play area where children could cool down in the summer and also work as a green space for people of all ages to hang out. I hope we can transform the space so when people enter Del Ray, they are welcomed by something beautiful,” said Nancy Lee, a Del Ray Gateway Committee Member.
The Del Ray Gateway Night of Giving is from 5-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26 at Pork Barrel BBQ, 2312 Mt. Vernon Ave. Raffle tickets will be sold for the opportunity to win one of several gift baskets, including "Dining in Del Ray,” "Wellness in Del Ray," and "Dogs in Del Ray."*
Money raised from the fundraiser will go toward the new Gateway, which will feature the Nancy Dunning Memorial Garden and a community spray park. Currently at the site are the former Colasanto pool and a pocket park.
Dunning was murdered Dec. 5, 2003 by a now-convicted serial killer Charles Severance in her home in Del Ray. "Her death impacted the hearts of many, who have long sought to honor her memory and the joy, optimism and life she brought to "our little community in the big city," officials from the Partnership said.
“I’m happy to see the combination of honoring my Mom with the exciting new spray park planned for the old pool site," said Christopher Dunning, Nancy Dunning’s son and Del Ray Gateway Committee member. "Once completed, the entire park will serve as a gathering place for Del Ray families of the future. My Mom would like that.”
The Community Partnership received a matching grant for $48,000 from the City of Alexandria. That money will go toward Phase I development and construction of the site. While some money has been raised, the Partnership still needs to raise more than $42,000 by June.
The Del Ray Citizens Association plans to donate all proceeds the May 12 Home & Garden Tour.
Interested residents who are unable to attend the Feb. 26 fundraiser can donate to the cause at www.delraygateway.com. For updates, follow Del Ray Gateway on Facebook.
Del Ray Gateway
A rendering of the planned spray park at Del Ray Gateway.
From the Del Ray Gateway Committee:
About the Nancy Dunning Garden
Nancy Dunning was a mother, a wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend and some would call her, “The Queen of Del Ray." She became a real estate agent and helped to bring new buyers and develop the neighborhood that so many have come to love and cherish. She, along with others, saw beyond the closed businesses and under-developed spaces, and had a vision to see what now is frequently referred to as, “The Avenue,” the shops that have found homes along Mt.Vernon Avenue.
Her daughter Liz said it best in the eulogy she gave at her funeral: “There wasn’t a day of my life – and there won’t be one – when I wasn’t sure that my mom loved me, that she believed in me, that she was proud of me. And with or without a secret decoder ring, a cape or a phone booth to change in, it truly takes a superhero to, in this crazy messed-up world, love people so well and so much. So perfectly. It takes all that to be what I have – the best mom in the world.”
"We want to help Nancy’s memory live on, and show someone who loved so many, that she is remembered, thought of often, and will always have a special place to reflect, sit quietly and be beautiful in the Nancy Dunning Garden," the Del Ray Community Partnership said in its news release.
About the Splash Park
The Colasanto Pool has been closed since 2010. Since then, it has been an eyesore in the community located right at the intersection that greets people to Del Ray. The City plans on making it into a spray park for children in 2020. However, funds are needed to both clear the site and make it into an inviting, green space that works for both adults and children year round and reflects the spirit of Del Ray.
The Community Partnership has been awarded Alexandria’s Community Match Fund for Phase 1 of the project, which will include the removal of a chain link fence and old wooden posts and deck over the pool space so the area can be used in the meantime as a green space for families.
