Christiansburg Parks and Recreation Director Brad Epperley called it “a very very exciting day” that has been “a dream for the last eight years,” “a game-changer,” and “a huge accomplishment for everyone involved.”
Ed Stelter, vice president of procurement for Falconer Construction Company, described the day as “incredibly exciting for me and everyone else. Nothing is more exciting than a park.” He said, “It takes guts, courage, and boldness to make the investment” that Christiansburg’s town leaders did that led to this day.
Christiansburg Mayor Michael Barber said it was “a momentous occasion” and that “recreation has helped to put Christiansburg on the map.”
“It” was the official groundbreaking ceremony Saturday afternoon for Christiansburg’s new Signature Park at the construction access point at 300 Peppers Ferry Rd. NW. The 63-acre park will include many new amenities for residents to enjoy including four full-sized rectangular fields for football, soccer, and lacrosse; a large scenic pavilion with picnic shelters; a splash pad; a small and a large dog park; an inclusive playground; an adult fitness zone; a challenge course with outdoor fitness equipment; nearly 1.5 miles of trails; and green space for passive recreation.
The park’s trails will provide connectivity to the Huckleberry Trail, the Christiansburg Recreation Center, the Christiansburg Aquatic Center, and downtown Christiansburg. Users of the trails will be able to reach Virginia Tech and the national forests.
In 2013, the Town of Christiansburg paid $2.5 million for 63 acres of former farmland off Peppers Ferry Road, with the intent of ultimately building a park in the location. The property is known by the name of its late owner Truman Wilson, who lived, farmed and operated a saw mill there.
In 2018, the town received an unsolicited Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act (PPEA) design and construction proposal to build the park. This legislation was passed in 2002 by the Virginia General Assembly to allow localities to form partnerships with the private sector. Through these partnerships, the public and private sectors work together to complete major projects like building new schools and parks.
After Christiansburg’s Vice-Mayor Samuel Bishop began the celebration with remarks of welcome, Cord Hall, the town’s PPEA committee chairman and a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, reviewed how the town arrived at this day.
Epperley offered the assembled crowd a vision of the completed park at which residents of Christiansburg and the surrounding area can enjoy picnics, walks, reading in a place of quiet as an outlet for the community’s mental health, and active recreation with free play, league play, and tournament play. He envisioned the park as the new community hub and a venue for weddings, races, walks, concerts, festivals, and fireworks and said the park “will better the physical and mental health of our people.”
Epperley said it was important to remember that the new Signature Park is not just a place for now, but is “a park for generations to enjoy. No obstacle has been too great” in the town’s determination to make the park a reality.
Stelter said, “Kids’ dreams will come true at this site. By November of 2022, this place will be rocking and rolling. I am blessed to have been your contractor for this project, and I thank you for your vision.”
Mayor Michael Barber called the park “an extravagant greenspace” and told the audience, “What we are doing today will change the lives of our citizens for years to come. Not just the lives of our citizens will be enriched, but his 63-yard park will enrich the lives of people up to 200 miles away. It will also increase local revenue with restaurant and lodging taxes.”
