Welcome back to Lynchburg Field Notes, a column that arrives in your inbox on Wednesdays with quick news updates from the past week and previews of what’s coming up next in the Hill City and surrounding communities.
A summer community staple, the Miller Park Pool, is closed for renovations until 2027. Plans for the redesign were released last week; you’ll get a peek at those, and details about alternate ways to stay cool in Lynchburg this summer, in this edition.
Also in this roundup, learn about the city’s new tree initiative, an ongoing effort to improve the safety of Breezewood Drive and Centra’s upcoming event to announce plans to reimagine Virginia Baptist Hospital. And, as always, feel free to reach me at emma@cardinalnews.org with your questions about or ideas for Cardinal’s coverage.
What’s next for Miller Park Pool?
Lynchburg’s only public pool, the Miller Park Pool, is closed for the summer while it’s being renovated. Demolition of the pool began this winter, and now that the space is cleared, the city is seeking bids from construction companies that can build the new pool and complete the necessary landscaping.
Bids are due by July 22, and the city plans to select a contractor and start construction by late summer. The pool is scheduled to reopen in summer 2027, according to the project webpage.
The Timmons Group designed the new pool to include multiple water slides, a children’s play area with water features, a sloped entry point for improved accessibility and 50-meter swim lanes. Surrounding the pool, the blueprint calls for features that include a shaded seating area under a pavilion, cabanas, and a graded seating lawn.
The pool was built in 1986 and was facing significant problems with leaks, said Wyatt Woody, the city’s parks and recreation director, and Clay Simmons, the deputy public works director, at a media briefing earlier this month. The pool leaked about 1.2 million gallons — enough to fill three Miller Park Pools — in the three years leading up to its demolition. The leaks could not be properly fixed with Band-Aid repairs, the city officials said, and demolition was necessary to ensure there weren’t issues under the surface, like water springs or sinkholes that would threaten the structural integrity of a new pool.
The new pool will have about the same footprint as the old pool, but will take about half as much water to fill because it won’t be as deep. The shallower water saves the city money in pool chemicals, the city officials said, and makes it more family-friendly.
The project is expected to cost more than $10 million, based on what the city appropriated in its 2026 capital improvement program, but the final cost will be determined once construction bids come in.
In the meantime, the pool, which averaged 300 visitors per day last summer, isn’t an option to cool off this year.
Instead, the city is hosting a series of events to beat the heat, including ICEE treat giveaways at Miller Park, indoor movies at the Miller Center and cooling center pop-ups during extreme heat events. A full list of activities and schedules is available online.
Centra to announce plans for reuse of Virginia Baptist Hospital
As part of a plan to modernize healthcare in the Lynchburg region, Centra will be phasing out medical services at Virginia Baptist over the next three years and moving them to new locations around town. By the end of 2028, the hospital’s nearly 30-acre campus, which has served Lynchburg with medical care for more than a century, will be vacant or close to it.
Since December, Centra officials have led community engagement initiatives to gather ideas for what the next use of the campus could be.
Centra will present a final design for the reuse of the campus that will help guide future developers on Thursday, in an open house at Oakwood Country Club on Rivermont Avenue. The event runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with brief presentations scheduled for 4, 5 and 6 p.m.
“We’ve spent a lot of time listening to the community to make sure whatever comes next honors VBH’s long history while continuing to be something meaningful for Lynchburg,” said Denise Woernle, vice president of communications, marketing and community relations for Centra, in a news release. “It’s been encouraging to see how closely the community’s ideas aligned with the recommendations of our consultants and development experts, and we feel good about the direction we’re heading.”
Use your green thumb in a community survey
Lynchburg’s Trees Tomorrow Initiative recently launched in an effort to expand the city’s tree canopy, according to a city news release.
As part of the planning process for the initiative, residents can complete an online survey to share their ideas about where trees should be planted in the city. The survey is open until Sept. 1 and asks residents to identify which streets and sidewalks need more shade and other prompts by location.
“Trees provide far-reaching benefits for our community,” said Nicholas Meyer, urban forester for the city, in the news release. “A healthy tree canopy helps improve air quality, reduce urban heat, manage stormwater, and create more inviting outdoor spaces. We’re encouraging residents to share their ideas and help us identify locations where additional trees can have the greatest impact.”
Weigh in on Breezewood Drive improvements
A project on Breezewood Drive, spanning about 3,000 feet, aims to improve safety for vehicle and pedestrian traffic by widening existing lanes, adding curbs and gutters, and constructing a sidewalk and grass buffer.
Lynchburg is hosting a public hearing for the planned improvements from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, in the gym at Heritage Baptist Church on Breezewood Drive. At the event, residents can interact with the project team, review preliminary designs and provide comments, according to a city news release.
For those who can’t attend in person, comments can be submitted via email to Bret.McMillan@lynchburgva.gov or in the mail to the city of Lynchburg, Attn: Bret McMillan.
