THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412200140
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SERIES: OUTDOORS PLAN
SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
People can exercise at home, in the office, at a gym or recreation center. But more and more residents are taking their fitness routines outdoors.
Walking, playing golf, biking, running, canoeing and hiking all represent ways people can huff and puff their way to better health while enjoying a little fresh air.
Walking for pleasure, in fact, is the No. 1 activity in Virginia, according to the 1992 Virginia Outdoors Survey. Biking, boating, swimming, picnicking and freshwater fishing also made the survey's top 10.
Recognizing this trend, the city's Department of Parks and Recreation has identified in the Outdoors Plan a need to provide a wider range of amenities for different interests.
Children, for example, prefer playgrounds and ball fields - what the department calls ``active'' recreation areas. Adults, especially those entering their golden years, like ``passive'' recreation such as walking trails, picnic sites and nature areas.
``People are very interested in walking and leisure activities,'' said J. Barry Frankenfield, a city parks planner. ``Health and wellness is a trend - it's a big issue.''
Frankenfield said that the department's priorities as outlined in the Outdoors Plan is to renovate Mount Trashmore Park, expand Princess Anne Park by adding a soccer complex, construct City View Park at Mount Trashmore II, develop more neighborhood/community parks (especially in the Bayside and Holland areas) and develop the proposed West Neck Creek District Park.
The 14 golf courses in Virginia Beach are thought to be adequate for its citizens, but the department is recommending that the developing of more public-private golf courses be encouraged in ``appropriate locations.''
Mount Trashmore's facelift will include the development of an ``accessible'' pedestrian and bicycle network. The park also will have a new sign system, a cleaned-up lake, additional trees and vegetation and bank stabilizers.
The proposed West Neck Creek Park will integrate waterways and trails for biking and walking and feature canoe access, nature areas and ``active recreation areas.'' This new park, said Frankenfield, is ``one that exemplifies the outdoors.'' It is considered a future project, one that will be constructed within six years.
The plan also addresses the fact that some areas of Virginia Beach have fewer parks or open space within easy reach of residents.
Mount Trashmore Park and the proposed park at West Neck Creek are district parks, which include 50 or more acres and serve residents living within a five-mile radius. Community parks are smaller, ranging from 20 to 49 acres. They serve those living within a mile and a half of the park. Neighborhood parks are the smallest and serve residents within a half mile.
The city currently has eight district parks, 27 community parks and 307 neighborhood parks. The highest surplus of parks are found in Kempsville and Courthouse/Sandbridge planning areas. The highest deficit areas are Holland and Bayside.
One of the Outdoors Plan's immediate concerns is the construction of the Pecan Gardens Neighborhood Park off Holland Road. Pecan Gardens is a lower-income neighborhood of townhouses and condominiums built in the early 1970s, before open space easement was a requirement for new communities. The park is scheduled to be built next spring.
``Pecan Gardens is considered a high priority deficit area, because of the timing when it was developed,'' said Frankenfield. ``It has a 60-foot by 1,000-foot right of way that was never developed - it's the line between residential and commercial property.
``The park will provide active and passive recreation areas, lighting, a safety watch,'' he continued. ``This was an opportunity where the property was there, unused, and we can develop the park for under $100,000.''
The purpose of all of these projects, Frankenfield said, is to offer more amenities to the citizens of Virginia Beach, to help them achieve wellness and to create more of a sense of community.
``People also want to be connected to their community,'' he added. ``That need is there.'' MEMO: [ALSO SEE: Related stories ran in The Beacon on pages 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, and 15 for this date.]
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Barry Frankenfield, a city parks plannner, says West Neck Creek Park
would integrate waterways, biking and hiking trails, canoe access,
nature areas and ``active recreation areas.''
PARKS
These are the priorities for the citywide parks network:
Pecan Gardens Neighborhood Park - to be built in spring 1995.
Development of West Neck Creek District Park, within six years.
Continued development of existing park projects, including
renovations to Mount Trashmore and expansion of Princess Anne Park.
Focus on two recreational deficit areas - Holland and Bayside -
with development of neighborhood/community parks.
KEYWORDS: OUTDOORS PLAN by CNB