Henrico officials name Tuckahoe Creek Park boardwalk and trail for O’Bannon

Henrico County officials surprised longtime Tuckahoe District Supervisor Pat O’Bannon Wednesday afternoon by naming the boardwalk and trail at Tuckahoe Creek Park for her. O’Bannon is retiring at the end of the year following seven terms and 28 years on the board.

O’Bannon helped hatch the idea for the park, which first opened in 2016 along a section of the creek adjacent to Ridgefield Parkway, later expanded in 2020 and will expand again in a significant way in the years ahead.

“A community amenity like Tuckahoe Creek Park does not happen without political leadership,” Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas said during the dedication ceremony of “O’Bannon Way” at the park. “Tuckahoe Creek Park would not exist without the incredible vision and steady leadership of Mrs. Pat O’Bannon.”

O’Bannon credited local nature artist Dan Bartges with helping her imagine the potential of the creek. Two of Bartges’ paintings hang behind the checkout desk at the Tuckahoe Library.

“He introduced me to the idea that there’s gotta be something we can do with this beautiful land,” O’Bannon recalled. “When he first talked about this and I came out here and looked at it, I knew there had to be something that everybody could enjoy, because too many places have beautiful waterfronts, beautiful lakefronts, and beautiful creeks like this, and the people who live near them can’t even get at them. That was the idea behind this, was to allow the people in this area to have this beautiful amenity.”

Between 1980 and 1991, the county slowly acquired land along the creek (often in donated form) in preparation for the park’s birth. The first phase opened in 2016 with 500 feet or boardwalk, and the second phase four years later added another 1,000 feet.

Wednesday’s dedication ceremony came two days after county officials held the second of two public meetings to discuss the future of the park, which they plan eventually to expand north from Patterson Avenue to West Broad Street along an area encompassing the 240 acres of county-owned land. Henrico also is in negotiations to acquire additional land parcels from Virginia Farm Bureau (just south of the park’s main entrance off Ridgefield Parkway near Lauderdale Drive) and from Greengate (land that would comprise the northern terminus of the park alongside that shopping center on West Broad Street).

In last year’s bond referendum, voters approved $5 million that will help fund the park’s expansion.

Henrico officials currently are working on Phase A of the expansion – creation of a master plan for the park, a process that involves taking an inventory of existing physical, environmental and cultural conditions in the site and receiving input from citizens.

Phase B will involve designing, acquiring permits for and building amenities within the growing park, such as an expanded boardwalk, restrooms, shelters, utilities, access points and additional parking.

Plans for the expansion include opportunities for creek access for those who want to fish, paddle or experience nature in other ways, according to literature from the county’s Recreation and Parks department.

O’Bannon’s colleague on the board for the entirety of her seven terms, current chair and Fairfield District Supervisor Frank Thornton, said it was fitting for a portion of the park to bear her name.

“As I look around this beautiful park, I see the work of Pat O’Bannon and her brand of public service,” Thornton said. “I see a park that was beautifully planned and executed and excellent use of precious county resources. I see a place that is open to nature.

“There is a definite Pat O’Bannon way of leadership and service. It’s about openness and transparency in everything that we do. It’s about going the extra mile to encourage public participation and input in the decisions that impact the community. And of course, it’s about outstanding financial stewardship and excellence in all that you do.”

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To learn more about the expansion of Tuckahoe Creek Park or submit comments, click here.