The story below is from our January/February 2019 issue. For the full issue Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
People want more to do outside these days. That perspective is driving not only the changes at Explore Park, but also at Roanoke County Parks & Rec in general.
Bone and Sol Photography
One perk to parks - new cabins and yurts for guests to camp overnight in style.
The term “Renaissance” may be a bit strong in describing the new initiatives from the Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department, but there’s something significant afoot, beginning with a new direction for the Explore Park.
Explore, initially envisioned as a Lewis & Clark theme park, has been through several iterations since then, but a new master plan has designated it an “adventure park,” one that will be operated and developed by the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authorities for at least 99 years.
“We’re going to do something totally different,” says Director of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Doug Blount. “Previously, it was about history, but now, we want to concentrate on outdoor recreation. Roanoke County wants to have a recreational destination so that locals can experience the outdoors, and it will be a lure for tourists, as well.”
Explore, which was chartered in 1985 and opened nine years later, was initially a living history museum, concentrating on the 1840s homesteads and the Lewis & Clark expedition west. Over the years, it has evolved away from that intent and now has a completely different focus, one more in line with economic development goals in the 21st century. The focus will be “expanding recreation opportunities, such as hiking/biking trails, [Roanoke] River access, overnight camping and educational programs” stressing environmental and cultural history. There will be a partnership with business throughout the development.
Phasing in the new Explore Park will take about 20 years, says Blount. Connection with the Blue Ridge Parkway (which draws 16 million visitors a year) will be important to Explore’s success. The initial plan, says Blount, “was 20 years ahead of its time. If the money had been brought forth 10 years ago, it could have worked,” but it wasn’t and didn’t. “It took the right timing, citizens craving outdoor experiences.”
The model, says Blount, will “be different because we’ll bring in private business for recreational amenities.” Blue Mountain Adventures will handle camping; Reba Farm horseback riding [with 73 rescue horses]; Niagara Ranch public trail rides; Don’s Cab-Inns for yurts and cabins; Tree Top Quest for a ropes course and Brugh Tavern for a restaurant and bar. There will be weddings at the renovated Mt. Union Church and the renovated Taubman Center will be a meetings/retreat center, as well as a spot for weddings. The renovations will cost about $4 million when complete, but revenue generated is expected to be substantial immediately.
“What sets us apart,” says Wendi Schultz, the county’s tourism and events director, “is that we will train people for their whole lives.”
The county’s 33 parks are undergoing a newfound emphasis on their combined 2,200 acres. There are now 51 scheduled sports tournaments, a disc golf course, access to the Roanoke River Blueway and the continued growth of the wildly popular Roanoke Valley Greenways. The Arnold Burton Center will be host for national softball and soccer tournaments and a Spartan Kid Race is scheduled. Events like the Highland Games in Green Hill Park draw big crowds annually and a polo fundraiser at Green Hill has always been popular. Thousands are served with the County’s summer camps, some of them residential.
Courtesy of Roanoke Parks and Rec
Schultz points to the Park Partners, a group of volunteers who “help maintain the facilities.” These include Scouts who adopt a park and keep it clean. Faith Christian recently had 600 people volunteer to help.
This past year, the parks held eight big events with 29,226 participants and, says Blount, there are 12,854 programs a year, 6,000 of them in young people’s sports. The economic impact, he says, “is in the millions, but we don’t have a specific figure.”
The greenway is one of the most popular governmental initiatives in Roanoke Valley history and it continues to grow under the director of Liz Belcher. The county has a new, complete design for two miles linking Riverside Park and Green Hill Park, Blount says. There is also a planned road from the Roanoke water treatment plant to Explore in multiple sections covering the six total miles.
Blount says he hopes the entire 32-mile span from Green Hill Park to Explore will be finished in the next few years.
The huge Green Ridge Recreation Center off I-581 is a sort of ground zero for those looking for fitness and water recreation. The center features a health club, large gymnasium, walking track and classes for people of any age, with a special emphasis on those of retirement age.
Additionally, Green Ridge is home of one of the most popular summer destinations in the Valley: Splash Valley water park, where families gather to watch their children slide, and jump and spill into the outside pool. Green Ridge also has an indoor pool that is used for water exercise, children’s birthdays and other classes.
One of the more interesting features of the Parks and Rec Department’s recent emphasis is that of Therapeutic Recreation Services of the Roanoke Valley, which encompasses recreation programs for those with a variety of physical and mental challenges. It provides “specialized and adaptive recreation and leisure services that empower people with disabilities to gain the knowledge and skills needed for the development of a leisure lifestyle …” Programs vary from cooking, to cultural arts, to fitness and outdoor experiences.
When all of this is put together, it shows a Roanoke County that is looking to provide leisure activities that are a benefit, challenge and a learning experience for its residents and the expected tourists.
Will Roanoke City Adopt New Parks Plan?
Roanoke City’s Parks and Recreation Department released what is probably more of a wish list than a realistic plan in December, but it has people talking and it may well light a fire under City Council.
Parks and Rec Director Michael Clark made an issue of the fact that his department has been operating with staff at 2008 levels and a $2 million budget shortfall for some time. The effects, he insists, have primarily been felt in maintenance of existing facilities.
His new plan would eliminate that shortfall and could add the following:
- A water park at one of two city-owned pools.
- Upgrading of the skate park at Wasena Park.
- Construction of two new recreation centers and expansion of another, creating a multi-generational facility.
- Continued construction of trails at Carvins Cove (which is honeycombed with them).
- Construction of Countryside Park.
The plan also calls for continued attention to the expanding greenway.
Clark says that the shortage of $2 million is especially difficult: “It is in the nature of what we do to be creative and we can’t do that now. We can’t add anything until we can take care of what we have.” He stressed the trail construction and maintenance at Carvins Cove is heavily reliant on volunteers “and that is not sustainable. The city has a role to play.”
Presentation of the new plan, says Clark, has been met with considerable support. “There’s a lot of excitement about the potential we have,” he says. “We need to stress that people express their support to council instead of us. That’s where it will get results.”
Meanwhile, the Parks Department is planning yet another Roanoke 100-miler Jan. 13-April 21. That is a program (for a $10 fee) encouraging Roanokers to walk or run 100 miles in 100 days. If you have that in you, get more info at 540-853-1027.
... for more from our January/February 2019 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!