Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Recreational Trails Program now accepting grant applications
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is accepting applications for up to $1.7 million in Recreational Trails Program grants.
The federally funded Recreational Trails Program was established to build and rehabilitate recreational land and water trails and trail-related facilities, according to a news release from the state.
This year, only applications for maintenance, repair and amenity projects on existing land and water trails will be considered. Projects for new trail construction are expected to be eligible again in 2026.
The RTP is an 80%-20% matching reimbursement program. Requests must be for a minimum of $25,000. Eligible applicants include localities, park and recreation authorities, state and federal agencies, tribal governments and nonprofits.
Applications are due via email by 4 p.m. May 6.
A virtual informational session and application workshop will be held at 2:30 p.m. March 25. For more information or to register, visit dcr.virginia.gov/recreational-planning/trailfnd.
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Free septic tank pump-outs available to Roanoke County residents
Qualified Roanoke County residents can have their septic tanks pumped out a no cost.
Households with an annual income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Line are
eligible to apply for this program, which is offered by the county and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, using grant funds from the Virginia Environmental
Endowment.
Residents can attend an educational workshop to apply for a pump-out. Workshops are
scheduled for:
- Thursday at the Bent Mountain Center Gym from 2-4 p.m.
- March 18 at the Hollins Library from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
- April 4 at the Brambleton Center from 2-4 p.m.
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Roanoke County hosts community meeting on Virginia 419 improvements
Roanoke County is hosting an open house-style meeting for the community to review and comment on safety and pedestrian improvements along Virginia 419 between Grandin Road Extension and Brambleton Avenue.
The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Oak Grove Elementary School.
Proposed improvements include sidewalks between Grandin Road Extension and Glen Heather Drive, restricted-crossing U-turns at Glen Heather Drive and Stoneybrook Drive, and pedestrian signals with crosswalks at Virginia 419/Postal Drive and Virginia 419/Brambleton Avenue.
Visit the project webpage for more information or to provide comments by March 28. Construction is anticipated in 2027.
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Roanoke College names administration building for Capp
Roanoke College has named its administration building for Dr. M. Paul Capp, a 1952 graduate of the college.
The building, which was erected in 1847, is the oldest on the Salem campus.
Capp grew up in Yonkers, New York, according to a news release from the school. He came to Roanoke on a baseball and basketball scholarship and was named the school’s athlete of the year in 1951. In 1971, he was named as a charter member of the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Capp studied physics and worked as a laboratory instructor, and he was elected president of his sophomore, junior and senior classes.
Following graduation, Capp signed a professional baseball contract with the Boston Braves, playing for the Welsh West Virginia Miners. He left baseball to study nuclear physics at Duke University, then transferred to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he earned a medical degree.
Capp became radiologist in charge of pediatrics at Duke and later served as an associate professor, chief of pediatric and cardiac radiology, and vice chair of the Duke Department of Radiology. In 1970, he joined the staff of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. When he retired in 1993, he was named professor emeritus.
Since 2002, Capp has been a member of the college’s board of trustees. He has also been a generous benefactor to Roanoke, the release said.
The college will host a naming ceremony at 5 p.m. April 3 on the front quad.