Why has someone painted ‘Jay Fisette Memorial Trail’ near the W&OD?

A short, informal dirt trail has long been worn from the paved W&OD trail, just east of Carlin Springs Road, up to the road itself. Lately, it’s been labeled the “Jay Fisette Memorial Trail.” Googling the biography of the former Arlington County Board member gives no indication that he’s died. Is the designation a joke? A premonition? An accurate statement, but with his death unreported since The Post stopped publishing local obituaries?

— Paul Blackman, Falls Church

After visiting the location in question — on the east side of North Carlin Springs Road, north of First Street North — Answer Man called Jay Fisette and asked a question: Are you dead?

“No,” said Jay Fisette.

It didn’t seem necessary to find a second source.

But what of the signs themselves? They don’t look very official. They’re not upright and mounted on signs, but are stenciled in white paint directly on the asphalt, with blue arrows pointing to the modest trail.

“The paint on the trail in the photo was not applied or authorized by NOVA Parks staff,” wrote Kelly J. Gilfillen, the park agency’s director of marketing and communications. “We contacted Arlington County staff to see if they may have some information to share and, so far, no one has any knowledge of this painting on the pavement.”

Technically, they are graffiti. But why are they there? And why do they reference Jay Fisette?

Fisette served six terms on the Arlington County Board, from 1998 to 2017. During his time in local politics, he was known for his devotion to cycling, to getting residents out of their cars, to linking up the various trails that crisscross the county.

“I have very mixed feelings about stenciled graffiti with my name on the trail,” Fisette, 67, told Answer Man. “It’s not something I could encourage.” He added: “I don’t know of any dirt path that I would have ever used or created.”

Fisette may not be able to recall any interactions with this particular trail, but the internet never forgets. In 2015, the future of the 220-foot trail came before the County Board. County staff had recommended paving the trail, which was referred to as a desire line: an unofficial path created by humans traveling the shortest distance between two points. (Fisette called it a “cow path.”)

Those in favor of turning the ad hoc trail into an eight-foot-wide paved path argued that would provide a better bicycle connection to the Washington & Old Dominion Trail. Opponents pointed out there was already a connection nearby from the Four Mile Run Trail to the W&OD Trail. Foes also believed a paved trail would harm the wildflower-filled meadow through which it passed.

In the end, the County Board voted 4-1 against paving the trail. Fisette was among those who voted with the majority.

“I’m going to argue, unless you tell me I’m missing something, that this proposed connector is essentially unnecessary to be paved,” Fisette said. The ArlNow.com website quoted Fisette as saying the path could still be used by pedestrians but he did not see why it needed to be paved for cyclists.

“There is always that trade-off between a pervious surface and an impervious surface,” he told Answer Man.

The stenciling seems to have been done some time in the last few months. But why? If you’re someone who is glad the trail wasn’t paved, perhaps it is in celebration of Jay Fisette. If you think the trail should have been paved, it seems more of a sarcastic gibe at him.

Fisette was actually aware of the message. In June, some friends from the Unitarian church he attends sent him an email saying they’d spotted the Jay Fisette Memorial Trail signs while biking.

“They said, ‘We know what memorial usually means and it makes us anxious. We’re just checking to make sure you’re still alive,’” Fisette said. “I wrote back and said, ‘Yep, still alive.’”

Fisette is a consultant now, helping communities with the sorts of issues he championed while on Arlington’s board: sustainability, transit, affordable living.

The trail signs don’t just break the rules about graffiti. They break the rules about memorials.

“It’s actually inaccurate, because of the word ‘memorial,’” Fisette said. “In Arlington, even if someone were to attempt to name a piece of infrastructure like a trail for me — or for anyone — we would have to be dead for five years, according to county rules. So, I’m kind of hoping it doesn’t happen anytime soon.”

Whenever it does happen, Answer Man is assured by his colleagues that Fisette will receive an obituary in the pages of The Post.

If you have a question about something in the Washington area — or if you want to confess to painting these signs — write to [email protected].