The Rotary Club of Church Hill has been approved for a community and environmental benefit grant through the Rotary Foundation! On Monday, 09 September 2024, club members began initial work efforts to enhance the front gardens of Chimborazo Park in the Richmond neighborhood of Church Hill.
The grant will cover planting of 4 trees for shade, 2 perennial beds and introduction of additional seating in order to increase use from the local community. We are partnering with Chimborazo Park Conservancy for sustainable maintenance, ultimately creating a legacy project for the Rotary Club of Church Hill.
Chimborazo Park is a historic land site in the Church Hill Neighborhood of Richmond, VA. Created in 1874, the park was previously the site of Chimborazo Hospital, one of the world’s largest military hospitals. After the Civil War, the Freedmen’s Bureau established the Freedmen’s Community from 1865-1866. This was the site of a refugee camp for over 2500 former slaves providing food, shelter, clothing, education and support. This was a very confrontational period in Richmond’s history leading to all but 200 members to vacate the community in April 1866. On October 26, 1874, Richmond’s Board of Alderman purchased 35 acres on Richmond’s Chimborazo Hill at a cost of $35,000. Today, the park sits on 27.9 acres owned by the City of Richmond and 5.6 acres owned by the federal government.
In the center of the park sits a vacant circle where an iron fountain once stood. Drawing water from a spring beneath the park, the Chimborazo Fountain was built in the middle of the park’s central circle in 1909. By 1956, however, the fountain had deteriorated beyond repair. The fountain was finally removed from Chimborazo Park, leaving the park’s central circle vacant.
The objective of our project is to revitalize the front gardens of the park (including the circle where the old fountain stood) in order to increase visitors to the park and use of this previously unused space. In order to do this, we will complete the following:
– Edge all garden beds, weed and put down protective weed barrier
– Plant 2 Redbud Trees and 2 Weeping Cherry Trees
– Introduce 2 bulb gardens
– Install a rain barrel water system in the front garden bed behind the park sign
– Install a stone path in between the 2 front garden beds
– Plant 2 Climbing Rose bushes with a Rose Arbor
– Install a park bench (Approved by the City) with a Rotary Club of Church Hill Plaque
– Plant 18 Boxwood Bushes where previous bushes have died in the fountain circle
– Mulch all garden beds
At least 90% of labor will be done by the members of the Rotary Club of Church Hill as well as some support from the volunteers at the Chimborazo Park Conservancy and Friends of Chimborazo Park.
As a club, we want to make this a Legacy Project where in future years, we continue to raise funds for the upkeep of the Chimborazo Park front gardens and help maintain the area going forward. This grant will help us get started and make a quick impact on an underfunded area of the city.
All 54,000 citizens of Church Hill will benefit from this revitalization of Chimborazo Park. This will enhance community engagement and use of more areas of the park. For example, Blue Sky Fund, a non-profit that connects Richmond Youth to the outdoors through resilience, leadership and science education utilizes the center circle for student activities. Additionally, this introduces picnic spots and enhances walking, jogging and stroller trails.
Lastly, we hope to bring awareness to the park’s potential as well as highlight its historic value through the publicity this project will gain during its completion. Through this project’s marketing, we not only want to show what good Rotary can bring to the community but also spotlight the true historical value of the park to the Church Hill community.
