Appendix C: Online Survey Results ....................................................................A.15 - A

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Appendix D

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM ONLINE SURVEY

Other Comments

Lynchburg, VA Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment and Master Plan Forum

What are your priorities for:

• Recreation facilities (ex. aquatics facility, athletic fields, blueways, obstacle courses, greenway trails, community center, tennis/pickleball, etc.) • Recreation programs (ex. summer camps, youth sports, adult sports, activities for seniors, art classes, hunter/boater safety, swim lessons, etc.) • Recreation activities (ex. hiking, mountain biking, off-road vehicles, fishing, disc golf, orienteering, golf, etc.)

Be BOLD! We want to hear your BIG ideas.

Your recommendations will be cataloged and considered by the planning team in their recommendations to the city.

Comments for this forum are now closed.

View Comments (29)

1. I would appreciate more access points (walking or bicycling) to Peaksview Park

2. Lynchburg needs a "real" Waterpark. The closest thing we have would be Massanutten, which is expensive.

Roanoke has a small facility, but I would love to see a "true" water park that is subsidized by the city. Examples would include Lazy River, 6 - 12 Slides of different types, water structure playground, resort-style pool, possible wave pool. In addition to serving the local community a "real" and affordable waterpark would be a huge attraction for the area. Possible revenue generation.

3. I wish we had an amazing sports complex with turf fields like Williamsburg’s Warhill Sports Complex.

4. Build another community swimming pool in Riverside Park (Rivermont). Add park managers to supervise behavior at community parks especially where equipment and activities are intended for young children but are soon taken over by older kids who are too loud and rough for the little ones, frightening them away.

Consider community gardens in parks with follow up cooking/nutrition activities for kids and adults. Creat community blog about the garden/cooking classes for sharing recipes and pics

5. I would like to see a footbridge under the Carter Glass Bridge connecting the dead end Riveredge trail to

Percivals Island (Stage1). Then a similar footbridge connection under CG bridge from Percivals Island to the Percivals parking lot (Phase 2). The structure foundations are already in place using the CG bridge supports. This would create looping options for users that may want a shorter walk or may not want to backtrack their walk/ride. This also creates another view overlooking the James

6. Would love to see more nature programs offered for younger children. There were not many for this spring.

More recurring one-day-a-week classes for children rather than week-long camps or one-day events. Loved.

Loved LOVED preschool ballet with Miss Taylor!! She is amazing! Wish she could teach dance classes all the time! My kids love her. If she enjoys teaching, please ask her to offer more! My kids would love a weekly nature class. Also hoping for swim lessons offered by parks and rec.

7. A park where all abilities could use, including a swing with a harness for kids that cannot use a regular swing. The park should be fenced in to give parents of special needs kids confidence that it would be harder for kids to run off - such as kids with Autism. There also needs to be more picnic tables and benches at the big park at Peaksview park (ones that are not in a reserved picnic shelter) almost all the time I go the picnic tables are in use.

8. More disc golf courses

9. Bike trails connecting everything!!!!!

10. Recreational programs! Kids classes during the summer, camps, youth sports

11. I would love to see an expansion of the Jackson Art studio. The pottery classes have become so popular & wonderful that they’re struggling to keep up with all the fantastic art being created. They need a third kiln, more full time staff & basically more space. I’ve attended for 5 yrs now & am thrilled with what Rachel

Smith has done with the program & hope to see it continue to grow & flourish!

12. Jackson Heights was revived when Miller Center was upgraded. It would be nice to be able to have more room in this classroom for Stained Glass and Pottery. We have run out of room with full classes even with

Covid reduced numbers.

13. Establish a swim team at Miller Park Pool that includes swim safety, stroke development, and team competition with an academic component in combination with Lynchburg City Schools. Swimming in a team setting instills discipline, goal setting, individual achievement, team camaraderie, as well as mutual respect and support. I sent an email to Jenny Jone and Avery Watkins about this idea and my offer to help in the potential team's research, development, and success. Thank you, Ellen Agnew

14. I would love to see a sewing class offered. I would also like to see more art programs or camps for younger children. I enjoyed a parent/child ceramic class with my 5 year old and would love to have some more opportunities like that.

15. Rebuild the pool at Riverside park, perhaps make it an indoor facility, for year round, affordable swimming.

16. A longer and more difficult disc golf course would add to the expanding calibre of courses in the area. I think that Lynchburg is outclassed by neighboring Bedford county and as such, many people who play in the area travel there and spend money in Bedford instead of in Lynchburg. With a 5 time world champion living right next door the growth of the sport is measurable in the area. A course designed for the intermediate to advanced player would fill a need in our expanding disc golf community.

17. Hello, I’m pleased to hear that Lynchburg is updating its Needs Assessment and Comprehensive Park Master Plan. Please consider adding an area to play Chess / Checkers like larger cities have in their parks. This sitting area could also be used for picnics. I’m a huge fan of chess and checkers and would love to have a space designated for such purposes.

18. More blue ways/water trails please. We have a great demand for water sports secondary to James River recreation, and a lot of us like to explore smaller waterways. This may require more access spots.

19. Blueways- black water creek and James River More greenways/ interconnected bikeways Pickle ball

20. As a family, we would love more mini- parks! Fun playgrounds and picnic spaces for families to enjoy.

21. City should more than one public pool and all parks should have a water feature for kids like in other cities.

22. A man made surf wave in the James like this: http://coloradoriversurfing.org/ Connect Percivals Island and River Edge trails Outdoor Rock Climbing wall under the bridge by the skatepark. Pump track for bikes

Richmond is a great example of an outdoor adventure city with climbing walls and a pump track right off the walking/biking trails

23. Would LOVE to see longer trails - thought the idea for a system that connects all of the parks was really cool! Peaks view would be nice to update so the trails form a loop rather than an out and back situation. I would also like to see the pottery program expanded - classes fill up so quickly it’s hard to invite friends to join! Plus the price has gone up - it seems that expanding the number of classes available would help with funding and increase participation

24. One of the great things about Lynchburg Parks & Rec is the wide variety of affordable activities. I suggest making public access to free activities a priority when planning anything for the city. Some great examples have been parks, trails, little free libraries, and free classes or talks. I think one of the greatest strengths a city can possess is what it can offer those of its citizens who have the hardest struggles. Thank you for all you do for this city!

25. How about an outside amphitheater? Also improvements to the City Market.

26. An inclusive playground for everyone - not an add-on to an additional playground, but a playground built from the ground up, from the perspective of a child in a wheelchair or with other special needs. ALL kids will play on a cool play space, but not all kids can play on a traditional playground. And yes - expand and interconnect the trail system! More art - more pottery! And sculpture, other media. Photography classes - could tie in wildlife viewing, astrophotography, etc.

a. This!! And don’t forget ADA changing tables ... everyone who needs one can use it; infant, child, teen, adult! I do think that adapting some of the parks already in existence would be nice as well. But definitely creating an entirely ADA inclusive park!

27. I love visiting our parks and hiking trails. I think they’re kept up and I feel very safe visiting them. However, I think our dog park is extremely lacking. I I love to visit dog parks in other towns but the one in Lynchburg is very uninviting and I do not feel safe at all going to that park. Matter of fact , I would never go alone which is a shame. I feel like a dog park should be part of a regular park where a lot of people can enjoy watching dogs play.

28. Boardwalk along James River along with benches, viewing/fishing pier, beach area (on Percival Island), extensive paved city trails, covered pavilions, picnic tables, and swings on Percival Island.

29. This city has wonderful amenities from a recreation standpoint (new resident)'s perspective, but it is far too large to only have one, small dedicated dog park. My previous city had a pop. of 21,000 and had two dedicated dog parks. This city has the infrastructure and topographic ability for something great like the fencedin trail system dog park in Minneapolis, MN (check out: Bryant Lake Dog Park). At a bare minimum, this city needs another dog park. But we could do so much more!

a. I agree but I also think the dog park needs to be better regulated. I know MANY people who have had their dogs bitten at the park and nothing was done about it. We have stopped going because there are so many owners who simply don’t care if their dog is a bully and won’t attempt to control them. It’s awful when the big dog park is closed too because then the big dogs are trampling the little dogs too. Our vet even advised us not to take our dog there anymore because of things they’d heard

b. I agree that Lynchburg is very much in need of a good dog park. I love to visit the dog parks at Virginia Beach because they are so well maintained and are in open areas. I do not feel safe going to the dog park in Lynchburg. It is too isolated.