MONTGOMERY CO., Va. – A grassroots fundraising campaign saved H.L. Price Park from auction Thursday morning, as a GoFundMe for the beloved community green space hit its $35,000 goal.
The park, located just outside Blacksburg town limits in Prices Fork Village, is not publicly maintained. It has been cared for by Friends of the Rivers of Virginia — a nonprofit that manages the property and coordinates volunteers.
The funds raised will go toward purchasing the most essential tract of land within the park. Friends of the Rivers of Virginia says additional fundraising is still underway to secure other portions of the property.
A hidden gem, found by the community
Acting Park Manager Randi Lemmon says the response from the community tells the story of who actually uses the park.
“It is heavily used by the locality, and this is why they’ve given so much,” Lemmon said. “Most of those people on that GoFundMe — those are local folk right here that use the park and love the park.”
The campaign started slowly, Lemmon said, before gaining momentum through word of mouth.
“It started slow because word of mouth had not gotten out, and so we were really concerned — I’d say the first four or so days,” she said. “Then word started getting out and it grew exponentially.”
Park Steward Marvin Addikis, who visits the park regularly, said the outpouring of support validated what he already knew about the space.
“It’s cool when you have something of value and you recognize it, and when other people recognize it as well,” Addikis said. “I love this place. I’m out here a lot, and it’s cool that other people find that same value and are willing to commit to it financially.”
More than a park — a classroom
Among the most active users of H.L. Price Park is the Mayapple School, a nature-based education program whose director, Melissa West, visits multiple times a week with students.
“Just an incredible resource — the number of just different wildlife that we’ve seen here, plants and animals, it’s amazing,” West said.
West described how the park’s stream serves as a living classroom that no textbook can replicate.
“Instead of just talking about water filtration and nitrates, we can come here and we can actually test the stream for nitrates and use a water filter and have the kids actually experience that,” she said. “If we didn’t have this resource, that would really break my heart.”
The Mayapple School currently runs a summer program called Little Limnologist — a camp focused on the study of freshwater streams — which West says depends entirely on access to the park.
“That camp is going to be gone if Price Park is not accessible to us anymore,” she said.
West also said the park fills a gap in Montgomery County’s park system that few other spaces can.
“There’s a lot of parks in Montgomery County that are less natural — have playgrounds and different things,” she said. “I think this is really unique, and it fills a need not just for the Prices Fork Village, but it fills a need for the whole county.”
Land still at risk — auction looms July 16
While the GoFundMe goal has been reached, not all of the park’s land is secure. Lemmon said Friends of the Rivers of Virginia is negotiating to purchase an adjacent 24-plus-acre property that includes a loop trail built along a historic wagon road leading to the Michael Price mill site.
“A future owner might have a different opinion — might say, ‘Nope, I don’t want a trail on my land,’” Lemmon said. “So it’s under jeopardy.”
That property is currently scheduled to go to auction on July 16.
Lemmon also noted that owning the land opens the door to grant funding. She said she plans to pursue a Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation grant in August — one that requires land ownership as a prerequisite.
“Most grant programs require that you own the land,” she said. “We can go after that if we own, or know we’re going to be owning, this property.”
Supporters hope county takes notice
Addikis said he hopes the fundraising success prompts Montgomery County to reconsider taking a role in the park’s future. Friends of the Rivers of Virginia offered the park to the county more than a decade ago, he said, but the county declined.
“I would really hope that encourages the county to take note,” Addikis said. “The community is willing to support it. Maybe we should as well.”
Lemmon echoed that sentiment, saying the organization is open to future conversations.
“We’re willing to sit down again and talk about a future with the county as maybe a county park,” she said.
For Addikis, the campaign’s success means something far beyond dollars raised.
“This space in the world is so precious to me personally, and to know that it’s going to be here for hopefully generations to come — and accessible for generations to come — that’s amazing,” he said.
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