Rabbit Run Restoration Project Update

By Bob Cosgriff

As announced at the HFCA Annual Meeting, Fairfax County informed us on 14 October that the long-awaited Rabbit Run Restoration Project has officially begun. Letters announcing this and providing additional information have been mailed to Hickory Farms residents. Preliminary design steps, such as surveying the project area and obtaining easements, will begin very shortly. The project area comprises the entire Rabbit Run Resource Protection Area (RPA) from Cotton Farm Road to the HFCA north path. It does not include the small area of Rabbit Run south of Cotton Farm Road. The project goal is to restore the Rabbit Run flood plain to its historic condition prior to the development of Hickory Farms and other properties along Burke Station Road. This will eliminate the serious erosion problem in the RPA and provide residents safer and more comfortable access to the RPA along a reconstructed path along the creek while maintaining environmental quality along Rabbit Run.

In order to gather the necessary topography, utility data, and soil samples to support the project design, contractor personnel staff will be working in Hickory Farms over the next several weeks. This may include surveyors taking equipment onto private property through public easements and tagging trees. The tagging is for information purposes required for the design plan. Please do not remove the tags or any other surveying markers such as orange tape attached to trees or stakes.

As the project progresses, the Fairfax County Watersheds Project Implementation Branch will create a website specifically for this project. Additionally, the Project Manager, Ken Trinh, will also set up public meetings to involve the community in the design. In order to have one point of contact to coordinate with Mr. Trinh, the HFCA Board of Directors created the Rabbit Run Project Coordinator position under the Common Areas Coordinator. The Project Coordinator is Bob Cosgriff and he heads up a committee of Hickory Farm residents Bruce Ferguson (Harvester Farm Road), Mike Mehrman (Cotton Farm Road) and Roger Basl (Wheatfield Court). Bob will ensure that any information from the County Project Manager is disseminated to the community. Please direct any questions or inputs about this project to Bob at bandjcoz@gmail.com.

In terms of the project timeline, the design phase is estimated to take 12-18 months. Construction can take from six to 12 months or possibly longer. Using the outside timeframes, which means that the design phase could take until April, 2026. Assuming construction begins shortly thereafter, the project could be completed around April, 2027. However, at this preliminary point in the project, these dates are estimates only and could change.

Holiday House Decorating Contest

Voting will be open December 14-21

An online link for voting will be sent via email in December.

Decoration Categories:

Holiday Heavyweight, Most Holiday Spirit, Most Colorful, and Most Classic.

Hickory Farms Holiday Celebration

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