Richmond MORE and city open Forest Hill Park trails

After nearly six months and 800 man hours, one of the key elements to the revitalization of Richmond’s Forest Hill Park is now complete with the re-opening of the biking and hiking trail.

The trails were closed to allow the reworking of portions of the original trail to help prevent erosion and to make it easier to maintain, said Nathan Burrell, Trail Builder for the City of Richmond.

“That’s why we build them that way — to cut down on the maintenance and let us work on other projects and continue to expand,” he said.

The restored trail is intended for use by everyone, not just the mountain biking community, he said. The single-track trail winds it’s 3.2 miles around the perimeter of the wooded areas of Forest Hill Park and highlights many of the park’s existing features.

Several new techniques were put to use and the trail looks fantastic.

The restoration of Forest Hill Park’s lake was completed under budget and a month early and the park will soon put in place a footbridge over Reedy Creek at the above the lake in memory of the Bryan Harvey family. The lake has become a marsh after being filled by silt over many years of neglect.

“We’ve turned the corner on perception,” said J.R. Pope, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation Department. “People are taking ownership of the parks.”

The trail restoration was a combined effort from the City of Richmond Parks and Recreation Department, Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts, and many other volunteer groups.

RA-MORE is an all volunteer organization formed in 2005, is dedicated to improving the state of mountain biking in the Greater Richmond Virginia area.

The Forest Hill Park trail project cost $15,000 to complete — $5,000 from the city and $10,000 in donations, mostly from RA-MORE.

One example of the cost is the new wooden multi-use bridge over a brook in the middle of the park.

“The bridge is incredible,” Pope said. The bridge has a curve in the middle as it crosses the ravine and a staircase — a fine example of carpentry.

Several overheard comments from riders as they approached bridge for the first time were nothing but complimentary.

Greg Rollins, president of RA-MORE, congratulated the 25 members that attended an opening day picnic before the group hit the trail to celebrate its completion.

“J.R. saw that the mountain bikers wanted to be a part of the parks,” Rollins said. “Guys that come out and put 8 hours in each Saturday.”

Burrell was the project leader and was especially proud that the trail was completed in time for the Urban Assault mountain bike race, which is part of Dominion Riverrock, scheduled for May 14-15.

“We were able to bring something together that only a small amount of people could use….to something that walkers, hikers, bikers, everyone could use,” he said. “And as a result, everybody is happy!”

Burrell added that the next trail building project is in the wooded hillsides Dogwood Dell, below The Carillon and across the road from Pumphouse Park. 

Pope agreed and said that effort would be the next logical step in establishing the Pumphouse as the new visitor’s center for the James River Park System.

Ghost hunting at the Pump House

On Saturday, the Foundation for Paranormal Research demonstrated “cutting edge technology involving paranormal capture and containment of ghosts or foreign entity’s within our personal world” with an event titled “The 3 Mile Lock Experiment – Conquest.” 

We watched for ghosts and had a great time getting to see the inside of the Byrd Park Pump House — filled with at least 100 people who seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

City of Richmond parks director J.R. Pope said he hoped that if nothing else, he hoped that visitors would come away with a good impression on the Pump House facility. 

The City is making progress on making the classic multi-purpose building the new home of the James River Park System visitor center. Giving more people a chance to see the interior of the Pump House — which is closed to the public except only the most unique of opportunities — can only help with effort to raise funds and encourage volunteers to help out the park system and the Friends of the James River Park. 

I was there and didn’t see anything paranormal — at least not to my untrained eye — but did see plenty of interested onlookers at the Victorian Gothic Style, gray granite Pump House. It is still a marvelously attractive building, and the perfect setting for a ghost hunt. 

The Foundation used something called the “Parabot,” which they promote as having been seen on Ghost Adventures Live, the 7 hour lock down at Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia shown on The Travel Channel. 

It also demonstrated its latest invention, “The Tesla Tower.” There were two fully active Tesla coils firing during the demonstration, which they promoted would produce “over 2.6 million volts of raw uncontrolled energy — wild and attractive arcs from the coils.” It was quite a show. 

Friends of the James River Park: www.jamesriverpark.org

Boulevardizen.com: SUV Swallowed By Sinkhole As Spirits Are Stirred

 

 

 

 

A look inside the old Pump House

The City of Richmond is trying to bring back the glory of the Pump House. At a recent event at the old gothic treasure, parks director J.R. Pope talked with me about the plans for the Pump House, which was designed by the great Richmond city engineer Col. Wilfred Emory Cutshaw and built in the 1880s.

In the Falls of the James Atlas, by Bill Trout:

The gray granite Byrd Park Pump House is a magnificent example of the Victorian Gothic Style. The upper floor, with cast-iron arches, was a pavilion used by park visitors….[it] is a treasure well worth saving through re-use as a public meeting hall, part of a canal museum, a small restaurant and the terminus of canal-boat rides from downtown Richmond. It needs our help.

Pope and the Friends of the James River Park hope to make it reality someday soon. The hope is that it one day will be the new home for the James River Park System visitor’s center, Pope said. In addition, it could be a museum, learning center, host weddings, parties, events and the canal could once again be in operation.

Of course, it would not be cheap, and fund-raising would be a big part of making that happen. 

I got my first look inside the Pump House, and it is a great space.  I could see spots where Pope suggested an amphitheater could be placed. The building has space for offices, a gift shop, catering facilities — dream big, it might happen.

The current state of the building is a little damp. Pope said that the canal would have to be drained and dredged. While the canal is dry, its leaky walls could be shored up to prevent the leaking that is seeping into the Pump House. Some areas of the main pump room are full-fledged springs and the room is constantly wet.

He also lamented that the old iron pumps — the big machinery that filled the pump room when it was in operation — are long gone. They were sold for scrap to Japan in the 1930s. They would have been a great tool for learning about the old process and purpose of the building, as well as being something cool to see on a visit.

The old dance floor — an open space with a balcony above the pump room on the top floor of the building — is every bit as alluring as I suspected. Standing there — after having read so much about the multipurpose usage of the building — I could easily imagine the grand parties held there in the early 1900s. People riding up the canal from downtown to the Pump House….maybe we can do it again someday? If not, at least experience a small measure of the building’s grandeur.

Improvements to the access to the building have been made. A dock on the canal and a wooden ramp and staircase have been in place for a couple of years. The inside of the building has safe staircases and walkways and the structure is sound.

Another giant step in the right direction is the recent work to clear the grounds west of the Pump House. Much of the weeds and unwanted trees have been removed. Plus, the Lower Arch — the grand entrance to the canal, famously visited by George Washington in 1791 — can finally be seen again.

The building is more presentable to visitors — a large key to future fund-raising efforts that is not lost on Pope and the Friends of the James River Park.

Finally getting to see the inside of the Pump House made reminded me of something once said by Nathan McCann, photo journalist for NBC12 [watch a video of the inside of the Pump House]:

The building is stunning, but touring something so few people get to see inside is the real treat. As a news photographer, I get to see things like the Pump House in a more raw, more unfiltered state…There’s something vibrant about seeing a space sculpted into its intended purpose. There’s something beautiful about letting a place like the Pump House speak for itself.

That would be the key to making the building work as a visitor’s center — not to alter too much of the character, which I trust Pope and park manager Ralph White would honor.

I’d love to be able to kayak from Huguenot Flatwater down to the James River Railway Bridge, left at Grant’s Dam and glide in under the Lower Arch before taking a break at the Pump House. We’d be able to paddle back out and ride down to Reedy Creek or beyond to finish our trip.  

While we’re dreaming, how about being able to paddle back up from the current end of the Lower Canal, at Oregon Hill? [See two previous posts:  Field research: Paddling up Lower Canal and Paddling up Kanawha Canal = Boon to Richmond?].

Forest Hill Park lake repairs complete

Gazebo overlooking the newly restored lake at Forest Hill Park

Forest Hill Park is finally complete, and I couldn’t be happier. I took a walk there today to confirm it for myself. The park is a treat to visit and is a very diverse and under-appreciated gem. The natural beauty combined with wonderful walking, hiking and biking trails are a delight.

Reedy Creek remains a highlight of a trip to Forest Hill Park

The lake looks quite placid, and I assume that it is much deeper now, which would allow for stocking with fish. My favorite part of the park will likely remain the rocky bed of Reedy Creek as is curdles down toward the lake from Forest Hill Avenue, on its way to the James River at the Reedy Creek takeout and the James River Park System visitor’s center.  I’ll be glad to see the gray, silty water clear again at the takeout.

I wrote about the City of the Future helping Richmond parks earlier this week.  A big thank you again to City of Richmond parks director J.R. Pope and his staff.

Michael Martz of the Richmond Times-Dispatch had a report on the project:

The lake, more than a century old, is brimming with water again in the historic South Richmond park. Turtles have been sighted, and so have largemouth bass, even though Richmond hasn’t yet stocked the lake with fish for recreational anglers.

“It’s gorgeous down there,“ J.R. Pope, director of parks, recreation and community facilities, said during the final meeting on the project Tuesday.

A stream bed was uncovered along the marsh and new planted trees

More details on the work that needed to be done:

Richmond finished the $1.7 million project with about $145,000 left in the bank, though some work remains to be done… The contractors began in May to remove fish and other aquatic life so they could begin the process of dredging 34,000 cubic yards of muck that had built up over 30 years, turning a former quarry lake into a cattail-choked marsh. Walkways and water channels that had been buried for years suddenly reappeared.

NBC12’s Andrew Freiden did a nice story about halfway through the project, back in August:

Years of development along Reedy Creek provided the dirt, and rain storms washed it all into what used to be a lake, a gathering place that entertained families for years. But sediment slowly erased the lake from the map. It’s been slowly filling up since the 70s. 

The forebays are located near the dam

So what’s to stop the lake from filling up yet again? It’s not like dirt and trash will stop flowing along Reedy Creek into the park. The solution:  two forebays.

“A forebay is basically a hole. It’s a settlement hole where the silt will kind of build up. We will be able to clear it out with a Bobcat and haul it off and it will fill up again. So the process will be able to continue. But it will not affect the lake so that the citizens’ investment that they have in the lake will certainly be safeguarded,” said Richmond Parks deputy director Roslyn Johnson.

Reedy Creek can be very beautiful

There is some concern that Reedy Creek could silt over the lake again.  I work very closely to Reedy Creek and cross it in several places often. Even the smallest of rain showers causes a large amount of runoff to reach the creek. The buffer zones and concrete walls built to contain the creek around the German School Road area and down to Forest Hill Park is likely not helping, as it just speeds up the flow of water as it heads to the park. Time will tell.

Granite walkways are a classic feature in the park

For now, enjoy the scenery and take a walk around the lake.  To complete a circuit, you’ll have to walk on the sandy natural trail along Reedy Creek, crossing over a wooden footbridge toward the top of the hill near Forest Hill Avenue.  Or start there and walk down hill, the park is great to see from every angle and is safe for kids, except around the rockiest portions.

One of my favorite details of Forest Hill Park is the granite walkways and walls along the trails. In so many shaded areas, there is a deep green mossy hue covering many of the mortar lines and cracks along the walls. Very beautiful.

City of the Future helping Richmond parks

I spent much of this past weekend enjoying my neighborhood park, named after Joseph Bryan.  I’ve lived next to Bryan Park for 10 years, and I’ve always enjoyed the proximity to this diverse park.

Mitchell, Carly and I play in Upham Brook at Bryan Park

Friday was a chance to check on the work being done on the lakes with my son. We also had a little time for him to play in Upham Brook, just below the waterfall (“turned off” right now — according to my son — as the lakes are under repair). Saturday, the fall foliage was my focus during a bike ride through the back roads in the park, and Sunday my whole family to rode bikes and played in the creek again.

The City of Richmond is fixing up its biggest draws for citizens — it’s city parks. The places people play and get away from their day.  It is part of a program started in the Mayor Doug Wilder administration called the City of the Future.

I talked with City of Richmond Parks Director J.R. Pope in Summer 2008 after the completion of renovations to the tennis courts at Byrd Park — one of the first phases of these many improvements. He spoke passionately about parks and communities, and how important it was to him that the city carry out these projects to help restore people’s pride in Richmond.

Of course, the economy went sour, but the city is to be commended for sticking with the City of the Future plans.

Byrd Park and Forest Hill Park (at more than $2 million), along with Bryan Park, are seeing the biggest and most expensive improvements under this plan, titled on the city’s website as Capital Projects and Park Improvements: 

Major Parks Renovations – $1,973,598
1. Restoration of Young’s Pond – Bryan Park
2. Azalea Garden Pond Restoration – Bryan Park
3. Azalea Garden Gazebo – Bryan Park
4. Restroom/Concessions Building at Fountain Lake – Byrd Park 
5. New Signage Program

Work at Bryan Park's Young's Pond

The Young’s Pond restoration is the most dramatic at Bryan Park, as there are two ponds that have been drained to rebuild the walls around the lower lake, exposing massive amounts of mud and showing just how over-silted the lakes are and how much work it would take to restore the lakes to paddle boat traffic and fishing.

Azalea Garden pond at Bryan park

Young’s Pond and the restoration of the Azalea Garden pond (which has already been dredged) began in September 2009 and is scheduled for completion Spring 2010.  I don’t know about the schedule, but Upham Brook tends to flood, and we’d better not have any large rainstorms stir up for a while. An effort two years ago to get this project started was scrapped after flooding caused major problems and delays.

Forest Hill Park lake repairs

The repairs to the lake at Forest Hill Park began in May and are scheduled for completion next month.

Bryan Park are Forest Hill Park have similar histories and the granite features of the walkways, walls and structures of the parks favor one another. Both were quarries at one point before becoming attractions for city-dwellers.  Forest Hill was an amusement park along the South Side trolley line and Bryan Park was a bike destination, back when biking was a novelty and you dressed up to go to the park.

Byrd Park’s new Fountain Lake restroom and concession area

According to the city’s website, Byrd Park’s new Fountain Lake restroom and concession area are scheduled for completion October 2009. I checked in last week and things are looking very good.

CBS6’s Mark Holmberg did a nice video column about the improvements at city parks, including Bryan and Forest Hill parks.  He also focused on some of the repairs at Chimborazo and Libby Hill parks.

I remember Pope saying before last fall’s mayoral election that the election could potentially have an adverse effect on the park improvement’s plan. Thankfully, Mayor Dwight Jones and his administration didn’t cause delays and have allowed Pope and his staff to carry on.

Carly and I at Bryan Park

Bryan Park has restored its reputation since it installed soccer fields in the early 1990s and more recently with the popular 18-hole disc golf course. More people doing positive things in the park, thus more respect for the park.

Forest Hill Park had a similar rebound, due in part to the bike trails that increased the amount of well-intentioned people visiting the park.

I hope Pope gets his wish and the improvements do help restore community pride. He said something to the effect of “what does it say about a city if it doesn’t take care for its public spaces?” 

I think about that question often, and I cringe when I see graffiti and trash. Those aren’t city problems — those are people problems. The city can repair and clean, but they can’t make people stop abusing the facilities. We park-goers can do our part by being in the parks more, and doing our own policing just by being there as often as we can, enjoying our excellent city parks. 

Other city website links that helped with this article:
http://www.richmondgov.com/getBlobD.asp?BlobID=A0201000F
http://www.richmondgov.com/showArticle.aspx?artID=A02080301