Numerous recreation, sports projects on tap for 2021 in Henrico

From planning for a new 100-acre park, to expanding amenities at several others and launching a new countywide celebration, 2021 is shaping up to be another busy one for Henrico’s Recreation and Parks department.

In June, Henrico officials and their partners at The First Tee of Greater Richmond will reopen Belmont Golf Course, into which First Tee has invested more than $5 million to re-design the course into a 12-hole venue, Recreation and Parks Director Neil Luther told the Henrico Board of Supervisors Friday during the first day of its two-day retreat at Richmond Raceway. First Tee will manage and operate Belmont for the next 20 years.

Renovation of the course is mostly complete, Luther said, but crews are working on some additional amenities.

Elsewhere, demolition efforts began earlier this week at Virginia Center Commons mall, where Henrico is building an indoor sports arena and convocation center, which it expects to open in time for high school seniors from the county to graduate in June 2023, Luther said.

Henrico officials view the arena as a way to attract dozens of indoor basketball, volleyball and other tournaments year-round. The county is funding construction of the arena but handing over management of it to The Rebekee Co., which in turn will contract with a facility operator to run it on a day-to-day basis.

The arena is the latest step in Henrico’s growing commitment to sports tourism – an effort that has paid off economically in recent years. The industry generated about $66.2 million in economic impact for Henrico in 2019 and $47.3 million even despite the pandemic in 2020, Luther said.

This graphic shows how much the county would have collected had its proposed 3% fee for sports tournaments been in effect in November during the Jefferson Cup soccer tournament. (Courtesy Henrico County)

Friday, he proposed implementation of a flat fee for all future sports tournaments in the county – an amount that would be calculated by multiplying the total number of teams in a tournament by the registration fee for each one, then taking 3% of that amount. During a typical post-pandemic year, such a fee could generate $130,000 to $150,000 for the county to help offset costs, he said.

Henrico is the only locality in the region that doesn’t already charge a fee, Luther said, and others typically charge more than what Henrico is proposing. The move wouldn’t require authorization from supervisors to be implemented in the coming fiscal year, County Manager John Vithoulkas said.

Three Chopt District Supervisor Tommy Branin questioned whether implementation of the fee could cause some tournaments to look elsewhere, but Luther said his conversations with tournament officials had convinced him that it wouldn’t.

Projects planned in Glen Allen, Varina, Sandston, Tuckahoe

The second phase of Glover Park in Glen Allen is beginning and will be completed by spring of 2023, Luther said. It will include baseball fields, a trail system, a dog park, playground complex and community park features. Currently, the park has four synthetic turf fields.

Elsewhere in the West End, the county is planning to build a fitness trail through Deep Run Park and add a fitness center and stand-alone restroom complex, Luther said. It’s also planning another baseball renovation project (at the Tuckahoe Little League site), which should be complete by the spring of 2023, he said.

This county graphic shows a rendering of the renovated baseball stadium at Dorey Park, which will reopen next year, and a new spray park, which will open this summer near the recreation center. (Courtesy Henrico County)

In Varina, county officials have several projects planned or underway at Dorey Park. An extension of the Capital Trail through the park is ongoing, and should be open by sometime this spring, Luther said. A new spray ground splash park is being built near the recreation center; it also is expected to be open by summer, he said.

And, the county is planning a Juneteenth celebration – featuring concerts and fireworks – at the park this summer, if CDC guidelines allow it. Work will begin this summer to expand the existing full-size baseball field at Dorey into a full stadium, with concrete stands and expanded seating, similar to RF&P Park in Glen Allen. It’s expected to open for play next year, Luther said. Officials will be soliciting bids for the project shortly.

Perhaps as soon at the board's next meeting later this month, it will receive a design contract for approval to start work on Taylor Park in Sandston, a planned 100-acre park that will include sports uses to be determined in large part through coming discussions and input from the community.

The intent would be to open the new park by June 2023, Luther told supervisors.