LYNCHBURG, Va. – Maintenance efforts are underway to spruce up the site of the old Riverside Pool inside Riverside Park.
On Wednesday, Lynchburg Parks and Recreation announced that it has partnered with the Department of Public Works to perform maintenance and clean up the abandoned pool area in response to drainage and safety issues. During the maintenance work, a large amount of dirt, trees and vegetation were removed.
According to the Riverside Master Plan, a public planning process that John Milner Associates completed in 2009, the space is expected to be repurposed to be a part of a larger outdoor interpretive space “reimagined both as a commemorative area and a performance space.”
Once the drainage and safety repairs are completed, work will continue to remodify the space.
The site was once one of three segregated pools during the Civil Rights Movement. When the longtime tradition was challenged in the 1960s, the city decided to shut the facilities instead of opening them to everyone.
It has since been destroyed, filled in and abandoned.
Chris Higgins with Parks & Rec said the current condition is an eyesore and safety hazard. Planning is in the early stages, but ideas include historical markers and a place to hold events.
“The masterplan actually calls for an amphitheater up on the hill here. So, we’re hoping to create a beautiful place here, but we’re trying to be extremely sensitive because it’s a very dark part of history,” said Higgins.
Both departments hope to improve interpretation and signage and add more historical markers, educational devices, oral history recordings, seating, landscaping and more.
As plans advance further, the Lynchburg Parks & Recreation Department will want to hear from the public before finalizing anything.
If you would like to reach out to be part of the public process, contact Susannah B. Smith, Construction Coordinator, Lynchburg Parks & Recreation Department at 434-455-5787, or email susannah.smith@lynchburgva.gov.