PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth’s City Park is already a popular destination for summer camp kids and families, but the city is preparing to invest even more into the space.
Denise Cartwright with Mt. Carmel Baptist Church frequently brings children from the church’s summer camp to the park to enjoy the outdoors.
“We like to take the kids out so that they can have some fun and run around,” Cartwright said.
From playgrounds to a golf course to picnic shelters, the park offers a variety of well-maintained amenities that make it a go-to for local families.
“It’s very well kept,” Cartwright said. “The city has provided plenty for us to do—the shelters have cooking areas, trash and recycling bins, and the playground equipment is beautiful. They even have clear safety instructions for both kids and parents.”
Portsmouth Parks and Recreation Department Director Mark Palamarchuck has confirmed that the city voted to keep the City Park golf course and move forward with upgrades across several locations.
“We will be renovating current amenities we have while upgrading some additional amenities, such as potential bathroom buildings in various locations and also potentially the shoreline, making sure that we're ready and resilient and able to accommodate any storms that are coming up. So we'll be looking at upgrading the shoreline as well to make sure we're good for that," he says.
He says the city received unanimous approval to move forward with detailed planning for a larger recreational project at the city's sports complex.
“Not just a conceptual plan, but a plan of how we could fit an aquatic center and some other amenities on that location," Palamarchuck said.
For Cartwright and many local families, the idea of a facility similar to Virginia Beach’s Ocean Breeze right in their own city is welcome news.
“If we had our own little Ocean Breeze here in Portsmouth, there would be a lot less travel and a lot more fun," Cartwright said.
Palamarchuck says a price increase for the golf course is under consideration, pending further research into local market rates.
The planned upgrades come after previous modifications were made to the park.
"We have made improvements over the past few years, even while going through the Master Plan process to include the updated playground fencing throughout. We've updated friendship gardens, we replaced the boardwalk railing that goes around and made some improvements to some of the walking paths as well," Palamarchuck said.
For now, though, the summer camp kids are happy with what they have.
As one young camper put it simply: “This is so fun!”
