Doswell Limited Partnership, an LS Power affiliate, awards $50,000 Grant to the MidAtlantic Railroad Park
Artist rendering of a planned MidAtlantic Railroad Park exhibit at Ashland Town Center on England Street in Ashland, Virginia.
ASHLAND, VA – Downtown Ashland Association is proud to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the Doswell Limited Partnership (DLP) to help fund the development of Ashland’s MidAtlantic Railroad Park. The grant makes DLP the Park’s largest sponsor to date.
The proposed walking-tour park will feature numerous exhibits that highlight Ashland’s rich railroad history. Exhibits will include kiosk signage for existing assets like the train station, the train mural, and the Red Caboose, as well as new exhibits featuring railroad innovations like the Janney coupler. The park is a placemaking initiative to drive tourism and economic activity in downtown Ashland.
“This grant brings our organization significantly closer to reaching our goal of raising $180,000 for the park,” said Executive Director Maggie Longest. “We very much appreciate the generosity of Doswell Limited Partnership for investing in the economic potential the Park can bring to Ashland and Hanover County.”
“DLP Grant funding is awarded to non-profit organizations for projects that benefit the greater Hanover community” said Noreen Hill, DLP Business Manager. “With the installation of the VDOT-approved brown signs at Exit 92, we expect the park to draw many visitors off the interstate and have a positive economic impact on the entire region.”
The MidAtlantic Railroad Park is a joint project of Downtown Ashland Association, Ashland Museum, Hanover County Black Heritage Society, and the Town of Ashland. A Railroad Park Community Committee has been established to oversee development of the park. The committee includes members of all the supporting organizations as well as interested stakeholders.
To date, more than one hundred individuals and businesses have donated $60,000 for the Park. The DLP grant, along with a similar-sized grant from the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, brings the total amount raised to $160,000.
“We’ve had extraordinary public support for this project,” remarked Tom Wulf, who heads up the Community Committee. “We’ve had a significant number of park development ideas submitted through public input sessions and online surveys. The concept of the railroad park originated with local artist Dan Bartges, and it is being strengthened by the public input process.”
Exhibit site selection and kiosk design have been approved by the Community Committee and the Town of Ashland. Kiosk construction and site preparation is due to begin within the next few months.
For more information about the MidAtlantic Railroad Park, visit AshlandVirginia.com/railroad.
BACKGROUND
Doswell Limited Partnership is an affiliate of LS Power and owns the Doswell natural gas power generation facility located in Ashland, Virginia. Built in 1992 and expanded in 2018 to 1,292 MW by LS Power, the Doswell plant employs 29 individuals and is capable of providing energy to meet the needs of more than 1.2 million area homes in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Downtown Ashland Association is a community non-profit organization that works toward a strong and vibrant future for Ashland, Virginia. Through marketing initiatives, special events, business engagement, historic preservation and more, the Association contributes to Ashland’s vitality by deploying our time, funding, and voice on behalf of the community. For more information, visit ashlandvirginia.com.