LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg leaders discussed ways of revitalizing College Park, located near the University of Lynchburg campus, during the August 23 city council work session.
Over the next two fiscal years, the area’s Parks & Rec and the Department of Water Resources are dedicating hundreds of thousands of dollars to start the project.
Susannah Smith, the construction coordinator for Lynchburg Parks & Rec, said other than besides a basketball court and some picnic tables, the five acres are lacking amenities. College Park is walkable, but not very inviting.
The city started the process with consultants in the summer of 2021, then received input from neighbors that fall.
“We’re going to have public gathering areas, picnic tables, and a hammock garden. There will be natural play areas that are, kind of, tucked up underneath the trees. We’re going to use the topography of the park in a better way,” said Smith.
Smith said the stormwater ponds throughout the park are a major obstacle.
The area flows into the Blackwater Creek, but the drains back up and create pools of standing water.
Smith said that first, the Department of Water Resources will work to prevent flooding before other improvements are made.
Smith added that realistically, overall completion could take two-to-five years.