Introduction
 The Coal Mining Heritage
Park represents the first node on the Montgomery County’s Heritage Parks
and Trails System, a system that includes the Huckleberry Trail and is designed
to provide alternative recreational opportunities and transportation routes to
county residents and visitors while celebrating the heritage that defines the
character of Montgomery County. The history of Montgomery County is rich with
pioneer, mining, agriculture, and railroad experience, all of which is threatened
with extinction as the nature of the county’s population and landuse necessarily
changes. Because history represents the soul of communities and regions, it is
essential to the long-range health of the county to preserve the past while planning
for future growth and change.
In the fall of 1999, Dr. Mary LaLone and her Applied Anthropology students from
Radford University, in conjunction with Montgomery County, the Coal Mining Heritage
Association, and the state archaeologist from the Department of Historic Resources
Roanoke Regional Preservation Office, developed a study, plan, and a series of recommendations
for the county’s property at Merrimac. The park represents a chance for Montgomery
County to develop and implement a new approach to park funding and construction
that relies on user/community participation and funding in the all phases of park
development.While the final plan for the park retains many of the original recommendations
by Dr. LaLone and her students, the environment of the park property and funding
limitations have necessitated a revision of the sequencing of development and the
range of facilities being provided.
Conceptual Basis for the Development of the Coal Mining
Heritage Park
 The development of the Coal Mining Heritage
Park started with the creation of a working master plan for the park by Dr. Mary
LaLone and her Anthropology students from Radford University. However, the actual
development of the park relies on a far more incremental approach which divides
the park into development zones and divides the projects within each zone into those
suitable for community/volunteer development and those that require public funding.
In general, the majority of “large scale” projects, including construction
of major facilities, will require funding from the county and other grant sources
(federal, state, and corporate grants).
Traditionally, parks have been funded almost solely by the county government, with
additional funds occasionally supplied by outside agencies, most notably at the
state level. While this approach gets parks built in a far shorter time frame than
is anticipated for the Coal Mining Heritage Park, it either precludes or excludes
community involvement in the actual planning and construction of park facilities.
The very nature of the Coal Mining Heritage Park and the communities it is intended
to serve suggest trying a different approach to park development, an approach that
involves three key features: 1) active community involvement, 2) zone phasing and
small scale project development, and 3) the use of a combination of public and private
funding sources, including material grants.
Community Involvement
In her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs suggested
that communities give a boon to parks by their connection to and their involvement
in defining the direction, growth, and long term health and use of the park land.
Although Jacobs was no great supporter of public parks, her point is well taken.
The Coal Mining Heritage Park is only as useful and as vibrant as the users and
the county are willing to make it. Through the integration of the local and state
government, community organizations, and university groups, as well as individuals,
in the long term development and maintenance of the park, it is hoped that the park
will enjoy a longer and stronger connection to the communities and constituencies
it is being designed to serve. Indeed, community involvement is a key cornerstone
to the establishment of the Coal Mining Heritage Park, and, like the proverbial
three-legged stool, the loss of support by any one of the three groups threatens
to undermine the long-term successful development of the park.
Community involvement, in this case, extends far beyond the initial planning
stages to include physical construction and maintenance of park facilities. The
Radford University project that led to the original plan for the park was based,
in large part, on input provided by representatives of the various constituencies
served by the park and by members of the Merrimac and coal mining communities
at a series of public meetings held at the Merrimac Pentecostal Holiness Church,
October 21 and October 23, 1999. The Radford University Anthropology students
used a variety of participatory activities, including surveys and focus groups,
to determine what members of the various communities wanted in the park. The results
of the surveys and focus groups, detailed in the Appendix of the Radford University
Study (Figure 1).
In most cases, this is where public involvement in the development would end. In the case of the Coal Mining Heritage Park, public involvement has been extended
well into the physical development, construction, and maintenance phases. A partial
list of projects and participants includes:
- Construction of the Coal Mining Heritage Park Sign: Fred Lawson, Coal
Mining Heritage Association, and random trail users.
- Construction and Installation of the Place Signs: Hall Construction,
Fred Lawson, Dale Huff and Draper-Aden Associates, Jimmie Lee Price, CMHA, Reed
Lumber, and Lowes.
- Construction of the Tipple Flower Beds: Lowes, Stacy's Greenhouses,
Virginia Tech Geology Club, YMCA Community Garden Project, Terrace View Apartments,
CMHA, Draper -Aden and Associates, Consuella Rapp, Radford University--University
100 Program, Dedication Festival participants, and Montgomery County Parks and
Recreation (Kemvia).
- Entry Garden: Coal Mining Heritage Association, Beagle Landscaping,
Radford University, Virginia Tech Geology Student Association, Radford University--University
100 Program, and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation (Kemvia).
- Reforestation of Slope behind Collections Facility: Virginia Department
of Forestry, and Virginia Tech Forestry Student Association.
- Garden Maintenance: Fred Lawson, RSVP, YMCA Community Garden Project,
CMHA, Lowes, Stacy's Greenhouses, Jimmie Lee and Betty Price, Susan Parker,
Consuella Rapp, Radford University--University 100 Program, Dedication Festival
participants, and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation (Kemvia).
- Installation of Mining Exhibits (Coal Car and Winch/Hoist): CMHA, Kenneth
McCoy and McCoy Funeral Homes.
- Park and Trail Cleanup: Virginia Tech Geology Club, Radford University,
CMHA, Montgomery County Planning Department, Montgomery County Public Facilities
and Building and Grounds Department, Virginia Tech Graduate Urban Affairs and
Planning Association (GUAPA), Girl Scouts, Spradlin Farms, Inc., Waste Policy
Institute (WPI), Radford University--University 100 Program, and Montgomery
County Parks and Recreation (Kemvia).
- Slope Cleanup: Students from Radford University and Virginia Tech,
CMHA, Draper -Aden and Associates, Montgomery County employees, Fairview Community
Church, and Merrimac Pentecostal Holiness Church
- Bench Installation: Students from Radford University and Virginia Tech,
Emmett Long, CMHA, Draper -Aden and Associates, Fairview Community Church, Montgomery
County, Radford University--University 100 Program.
- Save Our Stream Program: Natural History Museum, Montgomery County
Public Schools, Ecology Class at Christiansburg High School.
- Field Restoration: Radford University, University 100 Program; CMHA;
Planning Department, Draper -Aden.
- Hoist House Trail, Preliminary Trail Clearing: Radford University,
University 100 Program.
It should be noted that all of the projects listed above are either ongoing
or have been completed since August, 2000. The participant list includes individuals
unconnected to organizations, members of both the for-profit and non-profit sectors,
participants from both universities, and multiple Montgomery County departments.
The range of participants indicates the importance of community involvement and,
currently, the depth of community involvement in the development and long-term
health of the park.
Zone Phasing and Small Project Development
The development of the Coal Mining Heritage Park is based on
two central assumptions: 1) that the phasing of the park should be based on
zones (small development areas), and 2) that the development of each zone should
be broken down into two categories (small community projects and projects requiring
public investment). (See Figure 2 for a more comprehensive view of the zones
and the projects related to each zone).
Ideally, public parks should reflect both public and private
investment in order to build and maintain a sufficient user base. Investment,
however, in not always monetary in nature, and should include significant contributions
in time and expertise (see Figure 3) from members of the different park constituencies.
The use of a small project incremental development approach encourages the latter
type of investment, and creates significant coalitions which, in the long run,
guarantee the park’s long term health and usefulness.
The small project development approach requires planning the
park’s development by zoned area: small, contained areas of development.
In designing a park based on the incremental zoned development approach, park
planners need to look at the overall development plans for a park, divide the
park into areas which would support both public and private projects, and, finally,
determine which projects in each zone could realistically be completed with
donated materials and labor and which projects will require a financial investment
on the part of Montgomery County or significant grant monies. The Coal Mining
Heritage Park has 11 development zones, each requiring both public and private
investment. In some cases, like the playground area, public, private, and corporate
support will be required to complete development.
In addition, there are collateral projects that involve the
development of the educational mission of the Coal Mining Heritage Park. These
projects include: the development of the historical and scientific exhibits
for the park, the development of the park, in partnership with the Virginia
Natural Science Museum and the Montgomery County Public Schools, as Globe site
for earth science and ecology students in Montgomery County schools, and the
development of print and online educational materials to support the scientific
and historical education missions of the park property.
To date, the front entrance zone is nearly complete, the tipple
area is roughly 50% completed, and the hoist house zone is just beginning development.
The Montgomery County Public Schools and the Virginia Natural History Museum
have started the process of accessing the park as a Globe site; and the Planning
Department has started development of the historical signage, the historical
walking-tour brochure, and the park education web site.
The Coal Mining Heritage Park education web will provide a clearinghouse
location for long-range scientific data on the park. Provision of the data will
allow longitudinal comparative studies by science students in the Montgomery
County school system. Because of the emphasis on science education, much of
the park land will remain in its current natural state, thus not requiring extensive
maintenance. The emphasis does, however, mean that the grassy areas in the recreational
and public garden areas should not be treated with chemical fertilizers currently
or in the future.
Public and Private Investment
Funding for the park will come from a variety of arenas: local,
state, and federal grants, private donations, corporate sponsorship through
direct grants and material grants, and donated labor. In the cases where materials
donations and outside agency grants are used, acknowledgement signage needs
to be installed near or on the donated facility.
Some projects, like the Merrimac Link Trail, must be built by
trained artisans, precluding the use of volunteer labor. However, the cost of
projects requiring the use of construction specialists can be mitigated by seeking
housing grants (donated or subsidized hotel costs) in order to lower the estimated
construction costs, and by applying for state and federal grants to help augment
the cost of the project. The National Park Service, through the Virginia Department
of Conservation and Recreation, has already awarded Montgomery County a $31,500
grant for the construction of the Merrimac Link Trail, a $147,842.00 ADA accessible
boardwalk trail connecting the proposed parking area at the collections facility
to the Huckleberry Trail near the midpoint of the park.
The Capital Improvements Project request of 17.4 million dollars (see Appendix
A) reflects the full cost of the park if no time or materials were donate, nor
grants applied for and received. However, the reality is the park will not cost
the county the full amount (see Figure 5). Some projects, like the tipple bridge,
the picnic pavilion, and the stage are slated to be built by other organizations.
A combination of public funds, private funds (through a Home Depot grant), and
donated labor will be used to create the playground. Materials grants from Lowes,
Home Depot, and Reed Lumber, as well as donated labor by members of the Boy Scouts,
Radford University, Virginia Tech, and the Coal Mining Heritage Association will
be used to build the majority of the low impact trails. Most of the benches and
picnic tables slated for installation in the park are being donated by the families
of Merrimac miners. Although the county is covering the cost of the signage, Hall
Construction has donated the metal bases for the six placement signs already in
the park. The materials for the front entrance sign and kiosk were donated by
Lowes and Reed Lumber, and the sign was built and installed by Fred Lawson, a
member of the Merrimac Community, and by members of the Coal Mining Heritage Association.
The upper Merrimac Trail, a .7 mile paved trail is slated to be constructed using
a trails grant from the DCR, a grant which requires a 20% match on the part of
the county, with the remaining 80% coming from state and federal resources. In
addition, the Coal Mining Heritage Association, a 501(c)(3) organization, has
agreed to apply for corporate grants to help in the construction of park facilities,
most notably the proposed museum. The first of these grants is slated to be applied
for this winter, as is the DCR trail grant.
The Montgomery County Heritage Parks and
Trails System
The use of public/private partnerships in the funding and construction of the park
facilities reflects a broader-based investment in the park, in the Merrimac community,
and in Montgomery County. The approach being used in the development of the Coal
Mining Heritage Park should work with other nodes and trails slated for inclusion
in the Montgomery County Heritage Parks and Trails System.
The Heritage Parks and Trails System (HPTS) provides a combination of bikeways,
walkways, and shared roads connecting the public and private recreational and cultural
facilities (Figure 6) in Montgomery County, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg, while
providing safe alternative transportation routes for county citizens and visitors.
The cornerstone to the system would be a series of four parks, one located in each
of the four magisterial districts, including the Coal Mining Heritage Park at Merrimac,
celebrating the diverse history and culture of Montgomery County. Portions of the
trail system connecting the resources will be ADA accessible, while other portions
will be either low impact hiking trails or shared roadways for bicycles. Some of
the shared roadway facilities have already been developed and are in use, as is
the Huckleberry Trail (the first of the ADA accessible trails).
Other possible trail locations include a trail extending from Shawsville to Lafayette
which will offer residents safe access to the schools, the proposed library, and
the Elliston/Lafayette park; a trail connecting Christiansburg and Riner, and
a trail extending up Catawba Valley, as well as a trail spur linking the Huckleberry
Trail to Whitethorne. While shared roadways work reasonably well for cyclists,
they are not particularly safe for walkers or disabled users and do not qualify
as ADA accessible trails. In addition, a combination of shared roadway along facilities
between Blacksburg and Christiansburg.
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