Ropes Course Good for Byrd Park?

"Richmond’s Byrd Park has a natural gem that is threatened by The City’s push for economic development," says Debbie Flippen, who lives across the street from Byrd Park. "The park’s last remaining passive natural area is located between the Carillon and Pump House Drive. City officials want to commercialize this area of the park by allowing a company called Go Ape to build an adventure course with zip lines and Tarzan swings."

In the late-1800s, Byrd Park was carved out of the land just north of the James River and set aside as public property. Following a plan the City of Richmond gradually bought up the wooded land to create a park. In this time, the trolley system was being established and the Fan District was considered as Richmond’s West End.

Much of the credit for the vision that became Byrd Park is given to Wilfred Cutshaw, Richmond’s City Engineer from 1873 until 1907.

Under Cutshaw’s supervision, a raised 10-acre new reservoir was built in 1874 to provide water to serve the growing population of Richmond. In 1883 a new pump house was built near the river to pump water up to the reservoir. It served as the local waterworks until 1924. The Gothic Revival structure was also used as a dance hall in those days.

Originally known as New Reservoir Park, by 1904 the name William Byrd Park was in use. What became known as Boat Lake, with its bandstand on a peninsula, was open to the public. A tree nursery was well established on the park’s grounds. The last parcels of the land for the park were acquired by 1910.

Byrd Park now consists of 274 acres of publicly-owned land, according the Friends of William Byrd Park. The City says it’s 287 acres. My money is on the Friends being right, but I could be wrong.

By 1920, Swan Lake and Shields Lake had been created by damming up a stream. Swan Lake had an island in its center. Shields Lake was a public swimming hole with a bathhouse; there were even diving boards.

In 1932, the Carillon, with a 200 foot bell tower, was dedicated as Virginia’s first substantial memorial to the veterans of World War I.

In 1955, Dogwood Dell was constructed. Since 1956, the city has presented its summertime "Festival of Arts" at that 2,400-seat amphitheater. Throughout each festival its stage has offered music and theater to the public with free admission.

In the mid-‘70s, the Downtown Expressway gobbled up approximately 12.6 of the park’s hallowed acres. Baseball took a hit. Boat Lake, with its fountain, was reduced in size to allow for the new highway. While the ghost of Wilfred Cutshaw may have flinched, and there were some loud objections raised, at least the expressway was designed to be a boon to the entire community.

The land for Byrd Park was acquired in a time when visionary public officials could resist hopping aboard every development plan’s bandwagon. And, when significant changes have been made, sometimes there was much public discussion over it before ground was broken. That was true for the Carillon. Apparently, it took nearly 10 years to get it done.

After watching Ken Burns’ documentary about the creation of America’s national parks, "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea," it became clear to me that if those natural wonders hadn’t been set aside as public property when it was done, it probably wouldn’t have ever happened.

The same goes for Byrd Park.

On Friday, Nov. 12, an informal meeting had some city officials listening to questions from some of Flippen’s neighbors about the Go Ape plan, which is now awaiting approval from Richmond’s planning commission. So, communication between City Hall and those who want the park to be left as it is has finally been established.

An open-to-the-public meeting to discuss the ropes course project is set for Thursday, Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m. at the Carillon. City officials will be on hand. Go Ape will have a representative there. No doubt, some of the park’s neighbors will be there. Flippen is circulating a petition to protest the installation of the ropes course.

In a perhaps unrelated development J.R. Pope, who headed up The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Development for the last five years was fired yesterday. At this point it’s unclear how this news will impact the meeting mentioned above. However, Pope has been a major booster for the Go Ape plan.

Now we are the stewards of the publicly-owned parkland the good Mr. Cutshaw saved for us. As Flippen points out, there remains today one small quiet section of Byrd Park that still answers only to nature’s whim. Some in town may view that landscape Flippen wants to protect as a patch of weeds with a creek that’s just begging to be developed.

Flippen calls it, "A forest treasure."

Today children who live near Carytown or in the Fan are a few minutes bike ride from that "treasure," a refuge from modernity in which to play and learn firsthand about nature. Maybe they can catch a glimpse of the eagles and deer that call that part of town home.

Richmonders should take careful look at what Go Ape wants to do with their land, before we all have to take the leap.

Ropes Course Good for Byrd Park?

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