Category Archives: parks

New Bike Skills Training Area on Belle Isle Opens Saturday

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From City press release:

City to Open New Bike Skills Training Area on Belle Isle

Richmond, VA – The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities will open its new Belle Isle Bike Skills Area on Saturday, September 29, at 10 a.m. with a celebration that will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, demonstrations, and tours. The public is invited to attend and to bring their bicycles to try out the mountain bike training area.

“I encourage residents and visitors to come discover the Belle Isle Bike Skills Training Area as it is another step Richmond is taking to create bike-friendly, outdoor tourist attractions, as we prepare for the UCI Road World Cycling Championships in 2015,” comments Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “The benefits of cycling are tremendous to our city in many ways, including our efforts to encourage city residents to get active and adopt a healthy lifestyle.”

The new training area is located within the James River Park on Belle Isle across from the Tredegar Street suspension bridge. It includes a beginner and expert pump track, rock gardens, and log and rock skinnies in addition to other features. Bicyclists can learn to handle these obstacles and challenges, which they will find on the trails throughout the James River Park, in a controlled environment.

“This site, which has been built largely with the labor of volunteers who love mountain biking, will provide a place to learn and practice mountain biking skills and introduce the fun of mountain biking as a recreational activity to a much larger audience,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of the department.

In addition, while this new facility provides “off-road” training, the city also has plans to add an “on-road” training component on Belle Isle adjacent to this site. The on-road training facility will provide a place for children and adults to become competent bicyclists, as well as learn and practice the skills needed to ride safely in an urban environment.

“The James River Park is already known throughout the East coast and internationally for its outstanding network of urban mountain biking trails. Now with the addition of this skills area Richmond has enhanced its reputation as a ‘bike city,’” said Jakob Helmoldt, the city’s bicycle, pedestrian and trails coordinator.

Organizations that provided volunteers who helped construct the new training site, as well as in-kind donations, include the Friends of the James River Park, the James River Outdoor Coalition, the Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, the International Mountain Biking Association, Virginia Bicycling Federation, Hands-On Greater Richmond, SportsBackers, Altria, Luck Stone, Tektonics Design Group, Sattler Creative, Alpine Trails, Dreaming Creek, and Green Side Up Landscaping.

The Belle Isle Skills Area is free to use and is open from sunrise to sunset. For more information, call (804) 646-5733 or visit www.RichmondGov.com/Parks.

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Tomorrow is PARK(ing) Day in RVA

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…On which a bunch of planners, landscape architects, engineers, and other creatives descend upon Monroe Park and hopefully good DIY planning for Richmond takes place. Click for link here.

From the main Park(ing) Day website:

ABOUT PARK(ING) DAY
Providing temporary public open space . . . one parking spot at at time.

PARK(ing) Day is a annual open-source global event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. The project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco. Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has evolved into a global movement, with organizations and individuals (operating independently of Rebar but following an established set of guidelines) creating new forms of temporary public space in urban contexts around the world.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!

Main Library Features James River Park Photos

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From the Friends of James River Park FaceBook page:

The downtown Richmond Public Library Main branch, 2nd Floor Gallery, will exhibit a
collection of photographs of “Wild Things on the James” from September 7th,
First Friday, to October 2nd. Check it out when you check out a book!

Also on Saturday, the 8th, at the Main branch:

11:30am
Father and Son Basketball Craft
Come and make a inside basketball game to hook on the door. Ball included. Please call for reservations – 646-4768. Limited spaces. Great for ages 2-10.

Kanawha Canal

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Looking west near entrance of North Bank Trail (notice flowing water):

Looking west from new pedestrian canal bridge:

You may have heard of greenways, the Kanawha Canal is one of Richmond’s original ‘blueways’.

From a current Canal Walk display:

Washington’s vision was to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River with navigable rivers, canals, and a land portage through what is now West Virginia. After the Revolution, the James River Company was created, primarily as a result of his sponsorship and lobbying efforts. Before Washington’s death in 1799, a large portion of his dream had been realized.
Two canals bypassed the falls of the James River at Richmond, and 220 miles of river improvements extended westward. In the early 19th century, other farsighted Virginians took over Washington’s leadership role. The final elements of his plan were completed in the 1820s, when the Kanawha Turnpike joined the headwaters of the James River to the Kanawha River. In 1835, the James River and Kanawha Company was formed, and within 15 years a canal system stretched to Buchanan, Virginia, a distance of 197 miles.

Underwater Choir Recording Scheduled for August

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As the new group RVA League of Leisure and Public Pool Appreciation takes shape, some events are starting to be scheduled. This one is for August 11 at 1 pm in the bottom of the Randolph Public Pool. Practice, practice, practice.

From the Facebook event page:

This event’s platform is continuing to re-envision our public space while providing a recognizable pastime in performance. The direction of this recording situates the group in a circle formation dialoging to one another. Submerging together the group screamingly sing which will be received through the condenser microphones in the center of the ring.

Advancing towards this event I realized that this pastime of underwater vocal projection is enjoyed through basic achievement in absurdity. The enlarged statement making of the group dilutes any talent, content, or exacted consciousness. This fundamental encourages participation whether cloaked or not and now being said i hope to see you, my friends, at Randolph Public Pool 1pm sharp for a musical collapsing of classical reservations. hahaha ♥