“For future generations, the Richmond History Center preserves history…the Greenway preserves a natural environment.”
— Napi Ippolito
Honoree: Napi Ippolito Circle School Cooperative
Combining innovative solutions with persistence and persuasion, Napi Ippolito has made the Richmond region a better place to live, work and visit.
More than a decade ago, Ippolito noted that Richmonders lacked safe and legal access to James River Park and Belle Isle from the north side of the river. In that area, dangerous railroad tracks and murky waters in an abandoned portion of the Kanawha Canal precluded visitation of one of the nation’s largest inner city wilderness areas.
Ippolito, who is a grandmother and school principal, became determined to provide a safe and scenic passage not only for the children in her care, but also for neighborhood residents, VCU students and Richmond tourists. She envisioned an inviting, natural pathway that would be enhanced with educational interpretations of the richly historic area. The history along this route includes all three of the significant landmarks of this area’s long-neglected abolitionist and free black heritage.
By building a coalition of civic associations, politicians, historians, educators and environmental advocates, Ippolito spearheaded creation and endowment of one of Richmond ‘s first Greenway Parks: a connector between Monroe Park and the James River Park system. Ippolito successfully raised funds exceeding a half million dollars, including significant grants secured from the Virginia Recreational Trails Fund Program and the Virginia Department of Transportation. In addition, Ippolito’s enthusiasm and spirit of volunteerism enticed many residents to provide labor for related construction projects and clean-up work parties.
Today, bicyclists, hikers, mothers with strollers and city visitors benefit daily from Ippolito’s significant initiative. Ippolito has earned the honor as a Richmond History Maker.
“Napi is an inspiration for her vision and persistence in uniting VCU, Oregon Hill, environmental organizations, and historians in finding an elegant and educational solution to a serious problem,” states Charles Pool. “Lives will be saved…and the quality of life enhanced by a well-funded Greenway path with historical interpretation and scenic beauty.”
For being ramped up to the entrance & built only a couple yards
higher, the bridge would fulfill the multi-modal transportation
enhancement of the blue-way that was part of the original
Transportation Enhancement Grant. The proposed effort to provide
alternative transportation won the grant that is now being used to
build the *wrong* bridge. For the minimal cost of ramping up to the
bridge another six feet we could still maintain that segment of the
canal as a valid (& eventually needed) form of transportation for
sizable, loaded bateaux, & comfortably occupied, touring water-taxis &
working craft.
Today, while the heavy equipment is *already* down there, we could do
that right thing for Virginia’s heritage, begun in 1785, conceived,
planned & surveyed personally by George Washington, as a brilliant
solution to getting up-river past the Hollywood Rapids, & at its
fullest extension in 1851, taking travellers 196.5 miles west of
Richmond.
Somehow at this same time, only a little further up the canal, we have
George Washington’s own contribution to our neighborhood being
destroyed by Marty Jewell, who said it would be “ridiculous” to
preserve it now (…so lay it to ruin now & what? preserve it
later???) as if the economy is going to get better to correct the
foolish, preventable mistake.
Jewell dismisses preservation of the canal for a driveway so that
Dominion commuters can route their own rush hours. He speaks as
though he really believes that there will on some other day be more
funding for historic rehab of an irreplaceable treasure which the
short-sighted administration did not have sense enough to protect. It
is staring them in the face that they could EASILY fulfill the spirit
of the Complete Streets mandate to include bike lanes on the side of
the new street (since they say that the purpose of the street is for
outdoorsy recreational riverfront access, right?), *and* at the same
time get blessings from future generations who will have access
through the blue-way passage below.
Would it be too impolitic to post some of this as a comment?
You know how wrong it is, Scott, & I know that you cannot always be
the one who harshly calls out the short-sightedness.
Many thanks to Napi Ippolito for raising funds for many park improvements, including this walk bridge:
http://richmondhistorymakers.com/past-honorees2005.htm
Richmond History Makers
Category: Demonstrating Innovative Solutions
“For future generations, the Richmond History Center preserves history…the Greenway preserves a natural environment.”
— Napi Ippolito
Honoree: Napi Ippolito Circle School Cooperative
Combining innovative solutions with persistence and persuasion, Napi Ippolito has made the Richmond region a better place to live, work and visit.
More than a decade ago, Ippolito noted that Richmonders lacked safe and legal access to James River Park and Belle Isle from the north side of the river. In that area, dangerous railroad tracks and murky waters in an abandoned portion of the Kanawha Canal precluded visitation of one of the nation’s largest inner city wilderness areas.
Ippolito, who is a grandmother and school principal, became determined to provide a safe and scenic passage not only for the children in her care, but also for neighborhood residents, VCU students and Richmond tourists. She envisioned an inviting, natural pathway that would be enhanced with educational interpretations of the richly historic area. The history along this route includes all three of the significant landmarks of this area’s long-neglected abolitionist and free black heritage.
By building a coalition of civic associations, politicians, historians, educators and environmental advocates, Ippolito spearheaded creation and endowment of one of Richmond ‘s first Greenway Parks: a connector between Monroe Park and the James River Park system. Ippolito successfully raised funds exceeding a half million dollars, including significant grants secured from the Virginia Recreational Trails Fund Program and the Virginia Department of Transportation. In addition, Ippolito’s enthusiasm and spirit of volunteerism enticed many residents to provide labor for related construction projects and clean-up work parties.
Today, bicyclists, hikers, mothers with strollers and city visitors benefit daily from Ippolito’s significant initiative. Ippolito has earned the honor as a Richmond History Maker.
“Napi is an inspiration for her vision and persistence in uniting VCU, Oregon Hill, environmental organizations, and historians in finding an elegant and educational solution to a serious problem,” states Charles Pool. “Lives will be saved…and the quality of life enhanced by a well-funded Greenway path with historical interpretation and scenic beauty.”
http://www2.richmond.com/lifestyles/2012/feb/28/where-am-i-rva-bridge-oregon-hill-ar-1719976/
From Napi:
For being ramped up to the entrance & built only a couple yards
higher, the bridge would fulfill the multi-modal transportation
enhancement of the blue-way that was part of the original
Transportation Enhancement Grant. The proposed effort to provide
alternative transportation won the grant that is now being used to
build the *wrong* bridge. For the minimal cost of ramping up to the
bridge another six feet we could still maintain that segment of the
canal as a valid (& eventually needed) form of transportation for
sizable, loaded bateaux, & comfortably occupied, touring water-taxis &
working craft.
Today, while the heavy equipment is *already* down there, we could do
that right thing for Virginia’s heritage, begun in 1785, conceived,
planned & surveyed personally by George Washington, as a brilliant
solution to getting up-river past the Hollywood Rapids, & at its
fullest extension in 1851, taking travellers 196.5 miles west of
Richmond.
Somehow at this same time, only a little further up the canal, we have
George Washington’s own contribution to our neighborhood being
destroyed by Marty Jewell, who said it would be “ridiculous” to
preserve it now (…so lay it to ruin now & what? preserve it
later???) as if the economy is going to get better to correct the
foolish, preventable mistake.
Jewell dismisses preservation of the canal for a driveway so that
Dominion commuters can route their own rush hours. He speaks as
though he really believes that there will on some other day be more
funding for historic rehab of an irreplaceable treasure which the
short-sighted administration did not have sense enough to protect. It
is staring them in the face that they could EASILY fulfill the spirit
of the Complete Streets mandate to include bike lanes on the side of
the new street (since they say that the purpose of the street is for
outdoorsy recreational riverfront access, right?), *and* at the same
time get blessings from future generations who will have access
through the blue-way passage below.
Would it be too impolitic to post some of this as a comment?
You know how wrong it is, Scott, & I know that you cannot always be
the one who harshly calls out the short-sightedness.
Peace & truth,
N