Isle of Wight County could potentially accept a bid for the first phase of Bradby Park by this summer, according to Parks and Recreation Director Mike Frickanisce.

The latest proposal for the 52-acre Rushmere-centric park on the county’s drawing board since 2008 calls for phased construction. The first phase would include a parking lot, picnic shelter, playground, basketball court and a 1-mile walking trail.

It would also include a maintenance shed that would house equipment for Bradby Park, Fort Huger and Tyler’s Beach. All three parks are located in Rushmere.

Frickanisce told county supervisors on April 17 that the Phase I site plan is undergoing review by other county departments and has received input from the Virginia Department of Transportation and state Department of Environmental Quality.

“Once we have the 100% site plan then we’ll work with the engineers to put together a bid package,” Frickanisce said.

The proposed park is named for Henry H. Bradby, who represented the former Hardy District, now District 3, as a supervisor for many years and was the first African American to be elected to the board and to serve as its chairman.

“This park will be a destination that you’ll be able to spend several hours at for a family and much of it is going to be dictated and designed by the area itself,” Frickanisce said. “Right now it’s completely primitive. It’s all wooded so we’re going to carve out some of that to create a park. It’s what we call a neighborhood park. Inputs for this have come from the Bradby Park master plan that happened in 2008 and several input meetings that happened after that as well as Parks and Recreation Department comprehensive master plan.”

The park entrance would be located off Woodmere Drive, roughly a half-mile from Tyler’s Beach, 1.7 miles from Fort Huger and just over a mile north of Route 10.

“The idea is you can come here, park in the parking lot, the family can use the picnic shelter for lunch or just to relax and from that shelter you can see your whole family playing on either the playground or on the basketball court and you can get to the nature trail right there from the parking lot or from the shelter and walk around,” Frickanisce said.

A prior conceptual plan for the entire park had called for the construction of an indoor recreation center and community meeting room, gymnasium with fitness equipment, library, museum and an outdoor swimming pool, as well as multipurpose sports fields, a walking trail and an amphitheater. The county began the process of updating the plan in 2020 by surveying Rushmere residents on their preferences for amenities the park should offer.

Frickanisce, during a prior update in October, said the cost for the entire park was estimated at $16 million in 2008. The current cost estimate for Phase I is $1.5 million, he told the supervisors on April 17.

Isle of Wight County’s 2024-25 budget and capital improvements plan includes just over $812,000 for the project, of which just under $90,000 is intended to fund the project’s pre-construction engineering phase.

“That has been carrying over for a couple years now,” Frickanisce said.

Frickanisce said he’s soliciting alternative funding sources for roughly $766,000 balance, including having recently submitted a request to U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., for congressionally directed community project funding for the federal 2026 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

County Administrator Randy Keaton said in the event Bradby Park is not approved for federal funding, he’s included funding for the remaining Phase I cost in the $1.1 million allocated for Parks and Recreation in his proposed 2025-26 budget. The supervisors have scheduled an April 24 public hearing on the county budget and are tentatively scheduled to vote on it and the 2025-26 capital improvements plan on May 15.

The supervisors also discussed whether cash proffers from developers could be used to fund the remainder.

“As we grow and as we try to have planned growth part of our goal is to be family-friendly and that includes developing park and recreational areas for our citizens,” Board Chairman Don Rosie said.