The night before the ribbon cutting, Altavista Mayor Reggie Bennett walked the new trail at English Park. "There were a lot of young families pushing their kids, people walking dogs," he said at the October 1 ceremony, according to the Altavista Journal. The one-mile Jenks River Trail Loop follows the Staunton River past the park's existing Eagle Trail. It is open to walkers, joggers, bicyclists and pets.
Six days earlier, the Town of Altavista changed the other end of the park. Because traffic from multiple sports had increased, the front loop beside the river opened to vehicles as a one-way exit from the back of the park. In one week, English Park gave more room to cars at the front and more room to people on foot at the lower end. The two changes have different causes and were years in the making.
The Front of the Park Filled Up First
The Town's traffic notice is short and direct. The front loop next to the river is now a one-way vehicle exit toward the boat ramp. The speed limit everywhere in English Park is 10 mph, and parking on the grass is not allowed at any time. The fall sports calendar shows who is coming through the gate.
The Altavista Area YMCA's fall soccer program covers ages 4 through 18. Every U6 game is played at English Park, and the U8 division is expected to stay entirely in-house there, depending on registration. Teams from U10 through U18 play their home games at the park and travel elsewhere in Campbell County, and possibly Appomattox, for away games. This fall the YMCA also added a U10 Academy program alongside its U11 and U12 club teams. On Thursday, September 24, English Park hosted a Dogwood District cross-country meet with middle school, JV and varsity runners from Altavista, Gretna, William Campbell, Appomattox, Chatham, Dan River, Nelson County and Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy, as the Altavista Journal reported.
The pressure has been building for a while. In 2021, the Town's Recreation Committee noted that little-league football and soccer teams were already using English Park's fields, and it backed a YMCA request for another ballfield. In 2022, the committee reported that more soccer teams had increased demand on the front field and suggested using the back fields for practice. More teams practicing at the back of the park means more cars that eventually need a way out. This September's one-way exit gives them one.
The same committee raised a safety concern about this kind of change in 2021, when it objected to extending a road along Eagle Trail because of conflicts between walkers and vehicles. Town Council records from that year also called a paved stretch in the front part of the park a trail. That stretch along the river now serves as both a walking route and an exit lane, which is why the 10 mph limit matters.
The Lower End Started With One Estate Gift
The new trail opened the same week, but the reasons behind it go back years. The late Roberta Jenks left an estate gift to the Town to develop the lower end of English Park, according to the Town's opening announcement. The Altavista Journal put the gift at $292,000. Council records trace the trail from its naming in 2021 to its opening this month.
- June 8, 2021. Town Council approved naming the passive English Park trail the "Jenks River Trail."
- August 2021. Council approved $32,500 from the Jenks Fund to remove dead and falling trees near Eagle Trail Overlook, the Green Hill Connector and the Jenks River Trail.
- October 2021. Council described the route as an extension of Eagle Trail that would run parallel to the river and connect by pedestrian bridge. It authorized a second bridge and asked for prices on gravel and crushed concrete. It also split the route into a six-foot segment along the river's edge and a ten-foot segment across the field.
- Bridge delivery. The Town reported that a pedestrian bridge for the trail had arrived from Contech Engineered Solutions in Abingdon. It has a metal frame and a wooden walking surface. At that point, the Jenks River Trail was still a mowed natural path running parallel to Eagle Trail.
- August 2022. Council records show the second bridge had been purchased for $27,500, with a $55,000 installation bid recommended. A planned bathroom project in the floodplain was dropped from the capital plan, and money set aside for it and for ballfields was redirected to help fund the Jenks trail and wayfinding work, adding Town money to the estate gift.
- October 1, 2026. Council members and residents opened the trail with a ribbon cutting at English Park.
The trail did not wait until the fields were full. The gift came with a specific purpose, and by 2021 Council had named the trail after its donor, which set aside the lower end of English Park for walking. "Her generosity will allow the community to enjoy this stretch of riverfront for generations," the Town wrote in its announcement.
How the Two Ends Fit Together This Fall
English Park sits at 206 Pittsylvania Avenue. Its amenities include soccer fields, a motorized boat ramp, a splash pad, basketball courts, a playground, pavilions and walking trails. The park is open daily from dawn until dark, according to the Altavista Journal. Here's what changed at each end since late September:
| Part of the park | What changed | When |
|---|---|---|
| Front loop by the river | Open to vehicles as a one-way exit toward the boat ramp | Town notice, September 25, 2026 |
| Whole park | 10 mph speed limit and no parking on the grass, restated with the new pattern | Same notice |
| Lower end, past Eagle Trail | One-mile Jenks River Trail Loop opened to the public | Ribbon cutting, October 1, 2026 |
| Jenks trail surface | Bike-ready, with paving scheduled "in the near future," per Altavista Public Works | Reported at the opening |
On a soccer afternoon, the front of the park and the river loop serve departing traffic, and the trail past Eagle Trail is the place to walk. The mayor said at the ceremony that the park has "probably four-plus miles of trails," and that "the number one request in parks is trails, and we try to fulfill that." The Jenks loop is the newest mile of that total, and it starts beyond the area the traffic notice covers.
The Rest of the Fall Calendar Happens Downtown
The park's lower end is for everyday walking. Most of the community events between now and the holidays are downtown, along Broad and Main Streets and at the Booker Building. For the 4th Annual Rivertown Fest on October 3, Altavista On Track listed the location as English Park / Booker Building. Here's what's still ahead:
- Scarecrow Stroll, through November 1. Altavista On Track lists scarecrow displays throughout downtown from 10/01 to 11/01.
- Trick-or-Treat, Saturday, October 31, at 3 p.m. The time comes from the Town of Altavista calendar.
- Acton Children's Business Fair, Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair takes place at the Booker Building, 400 Broad St., and has room for up to 50 young entrepreneurs' businesses. The fair's Altavista page lists the booth application deadline as October 23.
- Deck the Heels 5K Night Run, Saturday, December 12, at 5 p.m. The race starts and finishes at Broad and Main Streets, followed by a holiday gathering with Santa, food, hot chocolate and music, according to the race registration page.
On a Saturday this fall, the front fields at English Park can be busy with games while the scarecrows line downtown and the Jenks loop is open at the lower end for anyone who wants a quieter mile along the Staunton River. Go in through 206 Pittsylvania Avenue, keep it under 10 mph, park off the grass, and walk past Eagle Trail to reach the new loop.
I've lived in Virginia for more than 40 years, and I like seeing one resident's gift turn into a riverside mile her neighbors can walk. If the new loop has you thinking about where your next home should sit in Altavista, Amy Carter (VA) is glad to talk it over with you. Schedule a free consultation.
