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| Beautiful James River Valley |
On April 2, the Goochland Department of Parks and Recreation
presented a finalish look at its updated master plan. Department Director Tom
Cocke discussed the process at the session which was held at the beautiful
Manakin headquarters of Luck Stone, which has been a dedicated supporter of
county parks and rec for a long time. Tucked into the hillside overlooking the
James River Valley, the care taken to preserve the site is typical of Luck’s high
regard for Goochland.
The site is exquisite. There has been speculation among
historians that, had the rebellion by pesky colonists about 250 years ago been
put down by the British, a certain Lord Cornwallis was so taken by the place
that he considered retiring there. But that was before the unfortunate events
at Yorktown.
(Speaking of the Revolution, the VA 250 mobile museum will
be at Goochland High School, 3250 River Road West in Goochland Courthouse on
Friday, April 10 from 5-8 p.m.; Saturday April 11 from 9 to 4 p.m.; and Sunday
April 12 from noon to 4 p.m. Go to https://www.exploregoochland.com/187/VA-250-American-Revolution
for details.)
Described as “a roadmap to shape the future of our parks,
facilities, and programs,” the P&R master plan revision process began in January
2025 to gather citizen input about the state of existing facilities and
recreational needs and wants going forward.
The results of a countywide survey conducted in the summer
of 2025, which returned 329 valid responses above the goal of 300, are included
in the “slides” from the April 2 meeting, available at https://www.goochlandva.us/1390/Parks-and-Recreation-Master-Plan.
Cocke shared the 10-site inventory that includes 347 acres of
public parkland, mostly from the center west in the county that contain 2 recreation
centers, more than 13 miles of trails, 8 ball fields, 4 rectangular fields, 4 playgrounds
and 3 dog parks.
Our parks are well used. A park amenity priority list by district—there
are none in the east end of the county—indicates support for both paved and
unpaved trails; natural areas; farmers market; and river access across the board.
Funding priority by district—no cost estimates were included
in the presentation—included countywide support for permanent farmers market
location; development of new parks; a new area for community wide events; and new
sports facilities. District support for funding included adding splashpads to existing
parks in Districts 1 and 2; and off leash dog park in District 4.
Based on county population growth, Cocke said the county
could use at least another 58 acres dedicated to P&R to meet recommended levels
of service.
Suggestions for Matthews Park near Hadensville-Fife Road
include better ADA access, an archery range, and a nature playground.
Tucker Park, which is considered a signature destination would
benefit from moving the exiting archery range out of the flood prone areas; enhancing
the playground; building ADA trails and a fishing pier on the remnants of the
ramp to the old Maidens bridge; improving the canoe launch; upgrading restrooms
and relocating parking.
The old Goochland Elementary School, which includes the
sports complex behind the administration building would benefit from relocating
parking and the skate park when the road connecting the roundabout the Rt. 6 is
completed. This would be an ideal site for a permanent farmer market pavilion, high
demand pickleball courts, and a plaza area.
Perhaps of most interest, was a conceptual plan to use the
80 or so acre parcel of county owned land on the east side of Hockett Road
opposite Greenswell Growers for the badly needed east end park. This site has topographical
and wetland challenges that could make it unsuitable for a school but adaptable
for a varied use park. Cocke said that no decision has been made about the ultimate
use of this parcel, which is up to the board of supervisors.
As depicted, this park could include an indoor sports facility
large enough to accommodate 10 to 12 basketball courts, which could be used for
events like graduation or rented out as a revenue stream. Cocke suggested that
this could be funded by a public-private partnership. There would be space for
outdoor fields, pickleball courts, playgrounds, dog park, picnic shelter, and opportunities
for different kind of trails. Cocke contended that building this park would use
a phased approach. Its location, near I64 and Rt 288, closer to population
center will draw more participants to events like mountain bike races.
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| Concept for Hockett Road property. Brown rectangle in lower right is proposed indoor sports facility |
An attendee pointed out that there could be an opportunity to create another Leake’s Mill Park there with the help of the passionate volunteers who built and maintain an extensive network of mountain bike trails without a great deal of funding. Matt Brewer of the Goochland Mountain Bike Team contended that the capex for building trails is far lower than that for building rectangular fields.
“We have kids that do service projects on the trails as a way
to connect with nature. We currently maintain single track trails at Leake’s
Mill and the private venue of Westview on James. If we had a county owned venue
or an MOU with Reynolds Community College we could pull in a state championship
bike race,” he said.
Cocke said that creating a venue for niche sports, like mountain
biking, for which Leake’s Mill Park is renowned, is a way to encourage tourism with
relatively little capital investment.
Denis Dempsey of RVA Racing, https://rvaracingevents.com/
which organizes mountain bike races, said that Goochland Parks and Rec “is a pleasure
to work with”. He said that respondents to a survey of participants in events indicated
that Leake’s Mill is their favorite venue because of its variety of trails. “You’ve
made it very easy to do this,” he said thanking Cocke and his staff.
Responding to question about funding, Cocke explained that there
are a “wheel of options” for funding after decisions are made about moving
forward. The master plan is the first step. Cash proffers, collected from residential
rezonings, is one potential funding source but implementation is a long way
from creation of a master plan.
Cocke commended the many “awesome” people who collaborated on
the master plan including his staff, other county departments and citizens who
took the time to share their views on the topic and contribute to the process.
The plan is expected to be presented to the Board of Supervisors at its May meeting.
