DANVILLE, Va. – The next step in the creation of Danville's much-anticipated Riverfront Park will soon be taken.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department has just received a $25,000 grant from the Danville Regional Foundation for travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Twelve city leaders will look at riverfront parks in each of those cities to get ideas for the park in Danville.
The park will be built on the open lot next to the White Mill building across from the YMCA.
Construction is expected to start sometime in the upcoming fiscal year and take about a year to complete.
City Manager Ken Larking said he is thankful for the foundation providing an opportunity to further develop the park and he anticipates some money for the park being included in the city's fiscal year 2019 budget.
"Louisville and Chattanooga and their parks are known for being outstanding parks that draw a lot of visitors," larking said.
"So we want to take a look at their experience. Learn from, maybe, some of the mistakes they may have made or, maybe, have not made and learn how those parks have impacted their cities and downtowns," he continued.
A final design for the city's park being should be complete shortly after the visits to Chattanooga and Louisville.
"The timing works out really great for that," Larking said. "We're going to go in, maybe spend a night in each location, pack in a bunch of meetings with various people."
As for a final cost for the city's park, Larking said it had not been determined as of Thursday.
Any grant money the city officials do not spend on their visits will be returned to the Danville Regional Foundation.