Rockwood Park renovations underway for its 50th anniversary

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Rockwood Park, Chesterfield County's oldest and busiest park, is turning 50 years old in July, with renovations officially underway.

The 171-acre property, known as Rockwood Park, is the oldest and most visited park in the county. It features several amenities, including walking trails, picnic areas, basketball and tennis courts, baseball fields, pickleball courts, archery and more.

To celebrate the site's 50th anniversary on Saturday, July 12, the park is currently undergoing new renovations, which are scheduled to be completed by the end of this summer.

According to the Chesterfield County website, as part of the renovations, the seven diamond fields will be converted to hybrids with turf infields -- which improves drainage and speeds drying time -- and grass outfields. The upgrade will also include fencing and backstop replacements.

“The hybrid model gives us the best of both worlds in maximizing usage for our residents and reducing maintenance time, which is both a staffing and operating cost,” said Neil Luther, director of Chesterfield’s Department of Parks and Recreation. “It still gives you that natural grass surface in the outfield, but you don’t have to deal with a dirt infield when it rains and isn’t playable.”

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“It’s purposeful on our part to diversify our sports tourism model with diamond sports,” said J.C. Poma, director of the county’s Sports, Visitation and Entertainment Department. “We’re growing in this space because of our strong, resident-based leagues and associations, and being able to monetize the fields on open weekends through tournaments."

The county said the park also includes two sections of garden plots for the community, which have been renovated and will reopen following a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, April 1, while Chesterfield's Latino Farmers Market is set to return for its second season on Saturday, April 5.

Residents can continue to use the park fields during seasonal league plays, with plans to host baseball and softball tournaments there over the weekends.

While visitors can continue to access a Nature Center, the Ruff House Dog Park, an archery range, picnic shelters, basketball and tennis courts, an orienteering course, an extensive trail system, a playground and the Scott Pickleball Center, the renovated diamond fields are not expected to reopen until next spring.

For more information about the new upgrades at Rockwood Park, visit Chesterfield County’s website.