Let's make sure Richmond's gem doesn't lose its luster

By my estimation, there are two things unique to Richmond -- its history and the James River. I'm not alone in this thinking, I know, because each was identified as one of seven "foundations" for the downtown master plan.

I live where I do -- the Woodland Heights section of Richmond -- because of the proximity to the river and the parks all around me. I love mountain biking the Buttermilk Trail in the James River Park System and walking by the lake in Forest Hill Park. My dogs love swimming in the river. I love canoeing it; fishing it and watching it slide by.

No other river that I know of in the heart of a large urban area invites outdoor lovers of so many kinds down to its banks, into its waters, atop its bluffs, etc.

And I know I'm not alone in my park usage. Surveys suggest the JRPS receives more than half a million visits a year, making it one of the city's biggest draws. But, as J.R. Pope, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, said recently: "The park is just being loved to death. That's a good thing, but the amount of traffic -- foot traffic, vehicular traffic -- it's just overwhelming the facilities and the staff."

It's true. I see it every day, and I've never understood why we as a city allow it. Why do we stand for the year-round junking of our greatest natural asset? If the James and its surrounding green spaces offer something to residents and visitors that no other city does -- if it's our "great, wet Central Park," as the downtown master plans describes it -- why don't we treat it like the gem we say it is?

Pick a day in the summer, and I'll show you game violations and overflowing trashcans at Pony Pasture Rapids and fistfights and broken bottles on Belle Isle. As Pope hinted, this is more than the JRPS and its three full-time employees, some of the most dedicated people I know, can reasonably be expected to handle.

So I was excited to open Monday's Times-Dispatch and see a report from Michael Martz that the City Council had allocated $100,000 to the James River Park to hire six seasonal workers to help with park maintenance.

According to park director Ralph White, two of those six will work with trails manager Nathan Burrell, the other four will aid White and head of maintenance Peter Bruce with things such as graffiti cleanup, bridge building and painting outbuildings.

This is welcome news for all who love the park, not least of all White, Burrell and Bruce, all of whom, White said, have been working 14-hour days, six days a week since the start of the spring season. Add in the efforts of volunteer groups such as the James River Outdoor Coalition, the Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (mountain biking advocates) and the Friends of the James River Park and you have an army of dedicated park lovers who go well beyond the call of duty for the place where they and others spend so much time.

But the $100,000 City Council allocated to the parks highlights the need for a new approach. It's like throwing a dog a bone to ease one's conscience when what Fido really needs is a couple of square meals a day, a roof over his head and someone to pet him behind the ears every now and then.

Am I looking a gift horse in the mouth? Absolutely not. But let's be honest: 100 grand is a not going to solve the park problems indefinitely.

As White told me, "If I could take these six positions and drop them into two permanent positions, I would be very happy."

Resources are the first step in a new approach to how we view the James River and the park system on its banks. Yes, times are tough. Money is scarce, but this is no frivolous expenditure. This is an investment in an aspect of Richmond that is one-of-a-kind, an investment in what makes us different from Raleigh, Charleston, and all the other cities we hear Richmond compared to.

The second step is policing. The James River Park needs a park police. At the very least, it needs regular patrols, bike patrols, preferably, from officers capable of riding the trails between the Nickel Bridge and Belle Isle.

White had high praise for the current police effort and presence in the park but agreed that the current approach is often inefficient.

"We would do much better if we had a couple of officers who really knew their stuff. Who really knew all the back trails, became familiar with where the crimes were, who were the criminals, just like a cop on the beat. There's no reason we couldn't do that. They might get special training. They might learn something about wildlife, river safety, fishing rules, so they would function at a higher level."

Resources and law and order. Those are the keys to unlock the James River Park's potential. Right now, we don't give the park enough of either. Yes, $100,000 is a step in the right direction, but that's all it is.

In the downtown master plan, Richmonders made it clear how valuable the James River is to them. Now, we need the politicians and leaders with the will to turn that plan into a reality.

Contact Andy Thompson at outdoors@timesdispatch.com.