A walk in the park?

 

Ballfield at Hidden Rock Park that hosted the 2021 Dixie Youth Baseball State Tournament

  

The Goochland Department of Parks and Recreation is in the process of updating its 2018 master plan. Two sessions about the update have been held, one in January at the sports complex in Courthouse Village, the second on March 18 at Salem Baptist Church in Manakin Sabot. Mike Svetz with Pros Consulting https://prosconsulting.com, the firm retained by the county, to help with the update made presentations at both sessions.

Attendees at the January meeting seemed to be mostly from the central and western parts of the county, where all of Goochland’s recreational facilities are located. Their “wants” included more playing fields, pickle ball courts, and programs for senior citizens.

The March 18 meeting was lightly attended, perhaps because it’s hard to get the word out and there are no county recreational facilities east of Maidens Road.

Tom Cocke, Director of Goochland Parks and Rec, gave a brief overview of existing programs and facilities. Go to https://goochlandva.us/1352/Parks-Facilities for a full list. He explained that the county maintains fields at the Reynolds Community College complex in addition to all county buildings and fields.

Walking trail at Tucker Park

Svetz explained that the goal of is work is to craft a master plan that is implementable, feasible, and financially sustainable. He will be deploying a statistically valid survey to obtain feedback from 375 respondents county-wide used to determine recreation needs for Goochland.

He remarked that, for a small rural county, Goochland has “more robust offerings” than its peer counties.

Svetz acknowledged the disparity of recreational resources in the east end versus the rest of Goochland. He opined that people who live in the east may go to neighboring counties for recreational opportunities. A statistically accurate random sampling of residents from all parts of the county will be conducted to obtain a clearer picture of the kind of recreational resources people who live in different parts of the county want.

Time and distance access these is also a factor. Leakes Mill Park, for instance, has athletic fields, a playground, picnic area and regionally renowned mountain bike trails, but it is a 30-minute ride from the east end.

The Central High School Educational and Cultural Center on Dogtown Road is also a bit of a hike for most people who live east of Courthouse Village.

Svetz discussed various types of recreation on March 18. A show of hands indicated that many people in the room walk or hike for exercise and would like more opportunities for this closer to home.

Matt Brewer, a former planning commissioner, said he is the coach of the Goochland Mountain Bike team, a 501 c-3 youth interscholastic cycling team whose members compete statewide. The organization has sent “two kids to college on cycling scholarships” thanks to the Leakes Mill trails.

bike trail at Leakes Mill

He explained that Leakes Mill Park nine miles of mountain bike and hiking trails were built by volunteers with a bit of help from the county for signage, gravel, and bridges. His group has restored seven miles of private single track at Westview on the James installing seven bridges and an additional five miles of trail.

Brewer said that it would be nice if the county had another public trail system where the Goochland Mountain Bike organization could practice and host group rides and practices. He contended that land at Reynolds Community College in Courthouse Village is an underutilized state asset and would make a great “proper” cross country running and mountain bike cycling course. He said that while athletic fields are great, they require significant capital to build and recurring upkeep that can be taxing on the environment due to the monoculture of grass and chemicals, fuel, equipment and manpower to maintain them.

Single track trails on the other hand, contended Brewer, are low impact, low cost, and provide a great return on investment while preserving our rural character. He said that his team is willing to help with design, build, and maintenance of a new trail system when Goochland is ready. “Trails support the local economy, provide an important connection to nature that improves physical and mental health and bring the community together.”

Most March 18 attendees expressed support for more walking trails. Fenced safe playgrounds for special needs children should also be part of the plan.

The first phase of the East End Trail system, from the West Creek Emergency Center to Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, was mentioned. This is Goochland’s version of Lucy and the football, as it has been an on again off again project since 2019. Cocke seemed to indicate that it might be built. We’ll see.

Members of the Central Virginia Blacksmith Guild https://cvbg.org/ headquartered at Central High School advocated for completion of an artisan studio complex to encourage and support local crafters and artists. This too was in the works before Covid.

Virginia Blacksmith Guild facility

A suggestion was made to use the 87-acre parcel on the west side of Hockett Road opposite Greenswell Growers that the county has owned for decades for a park. The need for more open and green space in new development was also mentioned.

Newer subdivisions tend to include walking trails as amenities in their designs.

Recreation master plans evolve with a community, said Svetz. Facilities need to be built, maintained, and changed as community interests change. The plans must be implementable and sustainable, and affordable.

Public facilities are funded in two ways. Construction falls under capital improvement plans, which fund one-time big-ticket expenditures. Ongoing maintenance and repair come under operating expense.  

Several speakers commented that major sporting events, including mountain bike meets, youth baseball and soccer tournaments attract people from out of the area who buy food, gas, and bolster the local economy.

Cocke said that completion of the plan is expected around November and community input is welcomed. Send your thoughts to Cocke at tcocke@goochlandva.us. Please share your thoughts about recreation in our community.