Wonderful Waters
Wayne Walton would be the first to admit that politics is not that much fun.
The Hopewell native, resident and retiree has been a member of the Hopewell City Council for more than a year now. He sought the seat for two reasons, both of which flow around the city and its neighboring communities.
Walton loves the water and says Hopewell’s position near the Appomattox and James rivers feeds his interest in preserving and promoting the waterways, as not only recreational resources but as economic ones.
Walton has spent a large part of his life on the water. When his children were young, he bought a mobile home on a little sandy beach called Sunken Meadow, along the James River in Surry County, and raised his family there. He now works to make the area’s rivers more accessible for everyone by raising money for walking trails and parks.
“My number one love is parks and trails,” said Walton, who is vice chairman of the Friends of the Appomattox River.
“We’ve been building trails and parks from Lake Chesdin to Hopewell,” both by water and land, he said. “That’s been my favorite pastime.”
One of his favorite places is the Appomattox River Regional Park, which opened this year.
“It was nothing in 2003,” he said. “It’s 65 acres now” and includes a mile of trails, river overlooks, piers, pavilions and restrooms.
He’s also working to raise money and interest for a series of park trails that begin at Lake Chesdin and end in Hopwell.
“Hopewell’s got two rivers and we don’t take advantage of them like I think we should,” Walton said.
This article originally published in Discover Richmond. Click here to view more Discover articles, or send us an e-mail to request a copy of the magazine.
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