A River Connects Us The Scenic Appomattox Chesterfield Dinwiddie - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Chesterfield Dinwiddie Colonial Heights Hopewell

A River Connects Us – The Scenic Appomattox

Petersburg Prince George

Collaborative Partnerships to

CREATE A WORLD-CLASS TRAIL SYSTEM

ALONG THE APPOMATTOX RIVER

Community Benefits - Objectives Conservation Health & Wellness Economic Growth Social Equity

Appomattox River Trail

Conservation – Land and Water

Trails and green space can be beneficial to the environment

• Pollution abatement by reducing vehicle trips
• Prevention/reduction of soil erosion and filter road and

agricultural runoff

• Serve as natural floodplain
• Provides hands-on environmental classroom
• Preservation of historic land and structures

Appomattox River Trail

Health and Wellness

Time visiting green space is beneficial to your health

• Heart-Healthy. Just 30 minutes in a park each week helps control high blood pressure.
• Promotes cancer-fighting cells. Living in areas with a lot of green space lowers

risk of death as compared to with people in least green places.

• Helps ADHD symptoms and short-term memory. Children with ADHD

symptoms improved attention after 20 minute park walks. Short term memory improved after a nature walk but no improvement after city street walk.

• Helps with depression and anxiety. Walking 90 minutes in natural surroundings

showed lower activity in the area of the brain linked to depression.

• -The Healing Power of Nature. Time July 25, 2016

Appomattox River Trail

Economic Growth

Trails stimulate tourism and recreation spending and catalyze revitalization 2017 Outdoor Industry Association Data $21.9 BILLION In Consumer Spending

.

197,000 Direct Jobs

.

$6.5 BILLION In Wages and Salaries

.

$1.2 BILLION In State And Local Tax Revenue

.

$13.61 Generated for every $1 of tax revenue provided to

…………………….VA State Parks in 2016

VA Capital Trail

Social Equity - Quality of Life for All

Access to the benefits of trails and green space for all…

• Proximity to exercise and recreational opportunities is linked

to community health Healthy Communities by Design

• Cultivates community ties by connecting people more

deeply to the fabric of the community – National Rec & Parks Assoc.

• Safer neighborhoods and public spaces through social

interaction, cohesion and sense of place Healthy Communities by Design

Appomattox River Trail VA Cap Trail

A coordinated guide to locating and prioritizing 20+ miles of shared-use trails with a coordinated signage system through six municipalities:

Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg.

Funded through a $100,000 grant from The Cameron Foundation

Appomattox River Trail Master Plan

Cross-sector Collaboration

Planning and on through current implementation

Local Jurisdictions: Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Hopewell, Petersburg, Prince George Board Supervisors Planning Departments Economic Development Parks and Recreation Historical Societies Chambers of Commerce Housing Authorities Regional Crater PDC and RRPDC/CRC PART Virginia Gateway Region Appomattox River Soil/Water Conservation District State Health Department DCR Federal Fort Lee National Park Service Virginia State University Non Profits Sports Backers JRAC JRA Hopewell Downtown Partnership Businesses JR Medical Center Vulcan Dominion Local Developers Funders Cameron Foundation John Randolph Foundation

Property Owners and Community Residents

August 2015 PLANNING PROCESS TIME LINE March 2017 INPUT INPUT

Master Plan - Trails

*Shared‐use trail system – N & S *Planned in sections for manageability *Multiple route options and surfaces *Connects to local and regional trails

Trail Recommendations - Examples

Right: Example of potential bridge near historic dam structure area. Below: Example of shared‐use trail.

Pocahontas Island Patton Park East Historic Petersburg River Road – Dedicated Path

Signage Creating Identity/Sense-of-Place

Family of Signs: Addresses different needs Manufacturing standards and guidelines

Before & Improved Examples

Patton Park, Petersburg Colonial Heights Chesterfied Ettrick Hopewell Appomattox River Trail – Riverside Park to Marina

Trail Successes Everywhere

Because we draw thousands of through‐riders, multiday journeys are common, and people spend money ‐‐ not just on ice cream, but

• n lodging, entertainment, gear,

and meals.

— Bryan Perry, Allegheny Trail Alliance

Need for consistent trail design, programs, and promotion across the region to provide seamless experience. FOLAR is the organization to keep that vision and consistency in place as we partner with each municipality and many other stakeholders.

THE RISE OF EN-TRAIL-PRENEURSHIP

Prince George

Chesterfield Dinwiddie Petersburg Colonial Heights Hopewell

Current Projects–The ART of Tomorrow

• Hopewell Riverwalk section (approx. 1,700 linear ft.) - City

Park to Rt. 10 Bridge. Phase 1 Scheduled for completion in

• 2019. Phase 2 Scheduled for completion in 2020.

.

• ART to VA Cap Trail Feasibility Study – Crater PDC with
• VDOT. Completion in Summer 2018. Ferry or Shuttle – short-

term recommendation.

.

• Colonial Heights Phase 4 of the C.H.A.R.T.S. Bid fall 2018

.

• Patton Park Trail Petersburg – Part of VSU-University Blvd.
• Gateway. Funding: VDOT/Cameron Foundation/Mary Morton

Parsons matching grant. 2yrs to complete.

.

Below: VSU-University Blvd. Gateway Project – Patton Park Trailhead

Patton Park Plan Hopewell Riverwalk

Petersburg WOW Camp

Battersea Bridges Restore Healthy Shorelines ‐ 10,000+ lbs of Trash Removed Outdoor Environmental Education

Advancing Next‐Gen Learning ‐ FOLAR Environmental Stewardship Scholarship

$2.5 million in Park, Trail & Greenspace Infrastructure

FOLAR works in partnership with communities to conserve and protect the Appomattox River for all to enjoy. Incorporated in 2001.

Overwhelmingly, community members ask FOLAR to “Complete the Trail” making that our highest priority.

Canoemobile

Battersea Bridges

State of FOLAR

Growth = Demand for services exceeds the organization’s capabilities

2018

ACTIVITIES

2014

ACTIVITIES

WORKING TO STRENGTHEN THE FOLAR ORGANIZATION *Standards of Excellence accreditation *Board development *Fund Development Plan *Independent financial/ administrative processes

LIFE CYCLE: START UP – GROWTH – MATURITY – DECLINE – REBIRTH

Wendy Austin Heather Barrar Executive Director Regional Trails Program Director (804) 543-0325 (804) 512-4486 WAustin@folar-va.org HBarrar@folar-va.org

FOLAR-VA.org

We need your help to get there!