Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 31, 1994 TAG: 9405310127
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRISTIAN TOTO SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
A winter filled with brutal ice storms has slowed volunteers trying to give Wildwood Park a face lift.
But they're still making progress.
"We're about halfway there," said Richard McWhorter, associate professor of recreation and leisure services at Radford University.
Renovations began on the 35-acre park last summer. Officials had hoped to see it completed by this year - as soon as April or as late as this fall.
Now, one city official says, it may be another year before the project is completed.
The preserve, across from Bisset Park and a short walk from Radford's business district, serves only a "handful of people," said McWhorter, a major force behind the renovation process. He organized student workers and outlined key programs, such as erecting an access gate to Adams Cave.
"The ice storms set us back quite a ways," said Ken Goodyear, city recreation director. "We're a year from finishing the project."
The joint venture between Radford city and Radford University involves students and members of the community. Robert Asbury, Radford city manager, called the effort a "unique arrangement" in which the two groups are helping convert the park into a viable alternative for nature lovers.
The students' contributions can be seen by anyone visiting the park. Fallen branches are stacked together, waiting to be carted away. Trees dabbed with spray paint or stapled with yellow markers line the narrow trails which at one time were overgrown and ignored.
The renovation never was considered to be a quick fix. Even at the start of the project, "we were looking at 18 months," McWhorter said. Previous efforts to restore the park were initially successful, only to later stumble over a lack of recreational funds, most of which went to the more popular Bisset Park.
The cruel winter was predictably destructive. Eight big trees fell on Connelly's Run, the main trail. Other trees block a stream that runs through the park.
Larry Amy, an environmental engineer for Radford, is helping coordinate their removal and hiring contractors to do some of the work.
Not all of the damage came from Mother Nature. "Last September, vandals tore down trail markers set up by students," Goodyear said. After the incident, student workers went back and blazed new trails that couldn't be vandalized.
With the spring thaw came more progress.
"A lot of the trails on the university side are pretty much done, though they still need some step work," McWhorter said. "By the high school side we've relocated several trails."
The additions planned for Wildwood's remodeling include a bird tower, courtesy of the Radford Rotary Club, and the Adam's Cave gate, allowing experienced cavers access. McWhorter is coordinating construction of the gate and it should be completed within several weeks.
The New River Valley birdwatchers' group has donated $100 toward birdhouses, which they also plan to assemble.
Of the $4,600 in federal grant money allocated to the project, $2,600 has been spent so far, mostly going for tools and equipment.
"All the work hasn't cost us a thing," McWhorter said.
But if new bridges are required, additional funds will be needed. McWhorter said an application for a grant from DuPont was filed, but it was one of many; the request was denied.
The park sits short of its goal. Few people can be seen hiking through its winding trails unmarred by soda cans or other signs of contemporary life. The gentle rush of the stream goes mostly unheard, as do the urgent bird calls puncturing the air.
When the refurbishment is complete, word of mouth should increase the number of visitors, McWhorter said. He hopes that this time, the freshly-blazed trails are kept up.
"I'd like to see different groups taking ownership in the park after it's complete. Those groups could maintain the trails," he said.
The Radford professor sees the preserve as a change of pace from local parks.
"It's a park for the person who likes to hike and look at the flowers. There's not another park of this nature in the area."
by CNB