Saying "Thank you for your generous support" to our partners and supporters of the western trailhead of the Virginia Capital Trail is kind of like telling a bride on her wedding day, "You look pretty good" -- it just doesn't cut it. Skywriting thank-you notes, chiseling granite busts in their image, or unleashing horn-blowing marching bands might be getting closer, but I'm still not sure that's enough. For now, though, I say sincerely, on behalf of future users of the Virginia Capital Trail, thank you for making Great Shiplock Park the very cool place it now is.
How We Got Here
About 18 months ago, as we were preparing for the city approval process of our trailhead design, we were challenged by Meg Turner of Capital Trees to think bigger. She introduced us to Jay Hugo and Jill Nolt of the architecture firm 3North, who showed us in drawings what she meant -- how the whole park could call out to trail users to sit, enjoy the views of the Kanawha Canal and James River, and take in the beauty and history. Lucky for us, Richmond has several corporate citizens, private foundations, other nonprofits, and individuals who also like to think big and share a passion to make Richmond a better place. What we'll be cutting the ribbon on next week is the result of a successful mix of partners, collaborators, and generous supporters, to the huge benefit of anyone passing through downtown Richmond along Dock Street or the Virginia Capital Trail.
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| Shots of the new Shiplock Park |
Just across the entrance to the park, trailhead amenities like benches, shade structures, and bike racks encourage people to stop. The views, history, and other nearby attractions will encourage them to linger. We built ramps on either side of the Kanawha Canal locks so that wheels can easily cross them and people can enjoy the new trails on Chapel Island. We added light poles to make it safer at night, and bright LED lights along the Trail that run off of solar panels. On the western edge of the park, our friends at Capital Trees designed a biofilter to cleanse rainwater before it goes into the river. They also added landscaping, not just to make the park pretty, but to further manage stormwater in an environmentally friendly way.
The Virginia Capital Trail is going to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors every year to Richmond's riverfront. Now, once the trail is complete, we'll be ready. It's been humbling to work with people who not only talk about how great Richmond can be, but provide a way to make it so. Because of their generosity, we were not only able to add an impressive trailhead, we've also reclaimed a venerable part of Richmond's riverfront. These incredible supporters put the Great back into Great Shiplock Park.
Thank you to:
The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation
The Robert G. Cabell III and Maude Morgan Cabell Foundation
Capital Trees
CSX Corporation
Luck Companies
Richmond Historic Riverfront Foundation
and others
The public is invited to the trailhead ribbon-cutting ceremony:
Tuesday, October 15, 2013, at 2:00 pm
Great Shiplock Park
We're expecting a crowd, and downtown parking is limited, so we encourage everyone who is able to ride their bikes to the event.
Hope to see you there!
