Op-Ed by Toby Sorensen – City of Fairfax resident
I was so excited to learn the details of the new Willard-Sherwood Health and Community Center at the Feb. 10 City Council meeting. When I was on the Green Acres Feasibility Study Committee in 2015, I never thought it would be possible to have a comprehensive community center at the Willard site on Blenheim Boulevard, which is near Old Town Fairfax, the public library, Van Dyck Park, the police station, three schools, and, most importantly, public transportation.
The presentation on Feb. 10 should allay many of the fears that have been expressed. The cost-sharing with the County will provide the City with a beautiful, energy-efficient green building at a price similar to what it would cost to repair or rebuild the old Green Acres building, the site of the current community center. The annual operating costs for the new building will be covered by activity, class, and rental fees.
In one complex, City and nearby County residents will continue to have access to Health Department services like immunization, hearing and vision screening, nutrition and child development programs, dentistry services, a pharmacy, and more. In addition, it will create a combined community and arts center offering much more than the current Green Acres and Sherwood buildings alone can provide.
This is not a “nice to have” project as some have called it. It is a replacement for services that are currently located in dilapidated buildings. We cannot let fear or a vague concept of something better halt a visionary project that will serve our community decades into the future.
WILLARD-SHERWOOD HEALTH AND COMMUNITY CENTER – FACT SHEET
(Compiled by Friends of Willard Sherwood members Toby Sorensen, Janice Miller, Michael DeMarco, and Jennifer Passey. Friends of Willard Sherwood can be reached by email at friendsofwillardsherwood@gmail.com)
