Construction under way on Midlothian amphitheater

Local developer Tom Garner envisions a historical centerpiece for Midlothian Village. Courtesy of Charles Batchelor The construction of an amphitheater is under way near Mid-Lothian Mines Park, and it’s just one of many improvements envisioned for Midlothian.

Local developer and philanthropist Tom Garner is building an amphitheater and a model headstock in his privately owned park on North Woolridge Road. The amphitheater, planned to seat 400 to 450 people, will feature lectures and other programming arranged by the county parks department.

On one end of the amphitheater will be the headstock, a reproduction of the wooden support structure used for mining back when the area harvested coal. The amphitheater and headstock will be located next to the lake known as Loch Lothian.

Garner envisions that his park, which is open to the public, and Mid-Lothian Mines Park across the street will eventually serve as the historical centerpiece of his company’s planned project, The Green at The Village of Midlothian.

The architectural drawing depicts the triangular amphitheater, the lake, pedestrian walkways and landscaping that includes crape myrtles and Japanese cedars. Photo courtesy of E.D. Lewis & Associates Mid-Lothian Mines Park opened in 2004, and features nature walks and ruins of old mining shafts. The area was donated to the county in 2000 by Garner and is a public park that connects to Garner’s private park by a pedestrian walkway underneath North Woolridge Road.

Garner’s company Tak Tent LP donated $500,000 for the amphitheater and headstock to help tell the story of the Richmond coal basin, and how coal mining was once a large piece of life in Central Virginia. To aid in the telling of this story, Garner is trying to raise funds for a visitors’ center that would feature electronic exhibits and serve as a repository for mining artifacts.

“We’re putting the pieces together to make this a compelling project,” Garner said. “It’s historically significant, and we want to tell its story.”

Mid-Lothian Mines Park will see some additions as well. According to Stuart Connock Jr., chief of parks, design and construction for the county, a three-year improvement project is about to begin at the park.

Connock estimates that a new trail, a reconstruction of a railroad trestle bridge and a wider replacement for an existing bridge will be in place by mid-fall. New safety measures, such as fixing sinking areas around mine shafts and permanently closing off mines, should take place by fall of 2013. New signage around the park should be installed by fall of 2014.

Connock hopes that the new walkways, high-tech placards and artifacts like railroad cars and large pulley wheels will inform people about the park’s historical attributes.

“Right now we have a walking park,” Connock said. “[Visitors] just pass by history. Hopefully by the end of this, we’ll have a historical park.”

Funding for park improvements will come from the county and the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.

Mid-Lothian Mines Park will also have a draw for environmentalists. The county is funding a program that will demonstrate various ways that streams can be rehabilitated.

“We want to turn a stream that has issues … back into a productive stream,” said Dick McElfish, county director of environmental engineering.

McElfish says that the educational program will show different techniques of stream restoration, and that it will probably get started in the next year-and-a-half.

Garner wants to eventually donate his park to the county, as he did with Mid-Lothian Mines Park. He acted as a steward of the mines for 30 years, and has given tours of the area since the ’70s. Other philanthropic endeavors by Garner’s company include the donation of the land on which the nearby Midlothian library and the Midlothian Family YMCA now sit.

In November, Tak Tent LP cut the ribbon on its $30 million new-urbanist office park, The MillWorks, just up the road. The MillWorks, built in partnership with Woolfolk Construction, is one part of The Green at The Village of Midlothian. Three parcels near the lake, totaling 31.05 acres, have been approved for retail use, though Garner says it will be at least a year before he looks at developing those parcels.

“The problem is the market,” Garner said. “Right now, retail on the north end of the lake is just not feasible.”

Also in the plan is a 74,888-square-foot office development between The MillWorks and the retail parcels. Garner sees the lake area serving as a Central Park for Midlothian.

“We’re trying to make The Village a special place,” Garner said. “We’re not going to clear-cut the trees. … It’s going to be well-landscaped.”

Gerry Mancuso, homeowners’ association board president for the nearby development The Grove, approves of Garner’s efforts.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Mancuso said. “[Garner’s] got a great vision, and as long as he’s able to build it out and fill it, I think it’s great for the surrounding area,” she said, adding that the new additions could help property values. “We’re really lucky to have that in our backyard.”

But Mancuso also said some residents who have property close to the proposed developments are concerned about privacy, and that she is concerned about additional traffic.

“We already have an issue with that, and it will only get worse,” she said.

Charles Batchelor, a member of The Village of Midlothian Volunteer Coalition, calls Garner a “leader” and a “pacesetter.”

“All of Tom’s development fits in perfectly with the community area plan,” Batchelor said. “It’s going to be a key component of the Village of Midlothian.”

All of these plans mean big changes are in store for Midlothian.

“I think people are excited about it,” said Grove resident Mancuso. “Some are sad to see the trees go down, but that’s progress.”

Mid-Lothian Mines Park is located at 13301 N. Woolridge Road, Midlothian, 23114. The park is closed after dark. For more information visit midlomines.org.

For more information on The Green at The Village of Midlothian, visit thegreenatmidlothian.com.