A 100-acre park is proposed for New Kent County that would include more than a dozen sports fields, an area for horse competitions and possibly an amphitheater.

Funding options under consideration for the park -- which would be on Criss Cross Road off state Route 155 north of Interstate 64 -- include state grants and a bond referendum to supplement local funds.

Officials estimate that the park would cost between $4.5 million and $6 million. The Board of Supervisors is expected to make funding recommendations at a work session next week.

Supervisor W.R. "Ray" Davis Jr., a liaison between the board and a county parks-and-recreation commission, said plans are moving slowly because of bigger funding priorities, such as public-safety services and schools.

Davis said the rural county hasn't put a lot of money into parks and recreation but is starting to recognize a growing need. The county has one park, Quinton Community Park in western New Kent, along with the Wahrani Nature Trails.

"We will probably phase it in," he said. "We can't build it all at one time."

The county's proposed Capital Improvement Plan would allocate spending on the park of $185,000 for fiscal year 2009 and another $250,000 for each of the following four fiscal years, said County Administrator John A. Budesky.

The developer of New Kent Vineyards proffered the 100-acre proposed park property to the county. New Kent Vineyards will include about 2,400 homes, 1 million square feet of commercial space, a vineyard and a golf course in the Talleysville area.

Parks and recreation officials based their preliminary design for the park on ideas generated during several community-input sessions since October, said Kimberly Turner, New Kent's parks and recreation manager.

The park would include 13 sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, pavilions, parking areas and walking trails.

It tentatively has been dubbed Criss Cross Park, but Turner said a community contest would likely be held to come up with a permanent name.

Youth soccer teams play on school fields and need more room, Turner said.

"There's definitely a demand for our facilities," she said. "We're bursting at the seams."
Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or rwilliams@timesdispatch.com.