The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation Receives New Grants to Develop Obstacle Course and Additional Improvements at Plum Point Park Trailhead
NORFOLK, Va. – (October 2019) The Elizabeth River Trail (ERT) Foundation is pleased to announce new grant awards from KOMPAN and REI to fund exciting new projects at the Plum Point Park Trailhead.
The ERT Foundation was awarded a $50,000 matched funding grant from KOMPAN to construct an obstacle course near the Plum Point Park Trailhead.
The Double Turbo Challenge Course by KOMPAN features a circuit of fun and challenging elements to improve agility, muscle tone and strength. Course elements include: custom hurdles and steps, pull-up station, vertical rope net, overhead ladder and balance beams. The durable, TerraSafe surface system is designed to safely cushion falls or stumbles.
Located between historic Fort Norfolk and Chelsea, neighboring working shipyards, the Sentara Healthcare/EVMS Medical Complex and Harbor’s Edge, this section of the ERT sees nearly 1100 users daily. The roughly one-acre site sits on the west side of the trail between Plum Point Park and the midtown tunnel and overlooks a beautifully restored wetland area on the Elizabeth River. Local landscape architect, Ann P. Stokes, is designing additional features that will bring native plants, trees for shade and a stormwater garden to the site.
The Plum Point Park Trailhead is the first of 11 trailheads the ERT Foundation plans to develop, and the inclusion of KOMPAN’s dynamic obstacle course at this mid-point trail location is crucial for ERT's rapidly growing fitness community.
“We are honored to be selected as one of only five national projects to receive this Matched Funding Grant from KOMPAN,” said Cheryl White, executive director of the Elizabeth River Trail Foundation. “This grant, along with the $23,750 grant we received from the SunTrust Foundation in 2018, will help bring a free, healthy and dynamic resource to our community.”
Along with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Bike Norfolk, the ERT was awarded a Loving Your Local Outdoors grant from REI. The $5,000 grant will fund a new bike maintenance station and bike racks at the Plum Point Park Trailhead.
“REI truly understood how crucial bike support amenities are to the trail experience,” explained White. “Knowing there are conveniently located resources to pump your tires or lock up easily will encourage riders to stay longer and ride farther.”
Other amenities planned for the signature trailhead at Plum Point Park include playground equipment, meditative walking labyrinth and an ADA-accessible kayak launch. The Foundation will hold public outreach sessions this fall and begin construction this year.
In 2018, the ERT Foundation launched a $4 million comprehensive capital campaign to raise funds to activate and enhance the current 10.5-mile trail. It has raised just over $3.8 million - that’s 95% of its Phase 1 campaign goal. In addition to these new grant awards, other major sponsors include Sentara Healthcare, City of Norfolk, PRA Group, TowneBank Foundation, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Landmark Foundation, The Patricia and Douglas Perry Foundation, Virginia Maritime Association and Hampton Roads Shipping Association.
To date, ERT has been awarded more than $348,000 in grants and restricted donations for Plum Point Park Trailhead amenities from Virginia Natural Gas, ADS and Port of Virginia.
KOMPAN is a world leader in playground and outdoor sport and fitness solutions. All of their solutions are backed by extensive research, user tested, and manufactured with the highest quality materials. Their products motivate play and movement for users of all ages and abilities.
For more than eighty years, REI has given back in the outdoor community. Last year alone, REI invested $8.8 million in more than 400 nonprofit partners working to create and protect access to the outdoors. Through grants, advocacy and stewardship projects, the co-op impacted more than 1,000 outdoor places across the country.
The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation’s mission is to promote, enhance and transform the Elizabeth River Trail into the most iconic urban riverfront trail in the country. The ERT runs 10.5 miles and connects businesses, historic attractions and 28 neighborhoods within a five-minute walk. The multi-use trail is designed for walking, running and biking. It comprises 11 sections and 11 trailheads from Norfolk State University to NIT Terminals along the Elizabeth River. Highlights include Harbor Park, Downtown Norfolk, Freemason Historic District, Sentara campus, Fort Norfolk, Chelsea, West Ghent, Lambert’s Point, Old Dominion University, Larchmont and Lochhaven. For more information, visit www.elizabethrivertrail.org.