This Funding Will Help Update Greene County Community Park’s Facilities & Allow the Greene County Sheriff’s Office to Purchase a Virtual Reality Training System

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Biden on Saturday signed into law U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s legislation that will provide $820,000 for community-focused projects in Greene County — including improvements to Greene County Community Park and a new virtual reality training system for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

This investment — which Spanberger secured as part of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed fiscal year (FY)2024 appropriations package — includes $750,000 to make safety, security, and access improvements to Greene County Community Park. These improvements will include building an overflow parking lot, paving the main parking lot, lighting both parking lots, bringing public water to the park’s concession stand and restroom building, winterizing the concession stand and restroom building for year-round access, installing a programmable electronic gate at the entrance, and installing lighting at the playground.

“Greene County Parks and Recreation is proud to be the recipient of the Community Project Funding for improvements at the Greene County Community Park. The park serves as a place for the community to come together, its home to several of our sports leagues, and is utilized by various public, private, and civic groups throughout Greene,” said Justin L. Bullock, MA, CPRP, Director, Greene County Parks and Recreation. “Usage at the park and its services has grown exponentially in the past few years — I’m excited to continue investing in the infrastructure to support this growth. Not only will this enhance the safety, security, and overall experience as visitors utilize the park; but this support will help position parks and recreation to continue working toward phases outlined in the park master plan. Many thanks to Greene County staff and Rep. Spanberger’s office for their support to enhance the park.”

Spanberger also secured $70,000 for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office to acquire a new virtual reality training system. The new system will provide deputies the ability to experience realistic simulations that increase proficiency in de-escalation and crisis intervention skills. This investment will improve safety for law enforcement and the community while reducing use-of-force incidents.

“We are very excited to receive this Virtual Reality Training System, as it will provide realistic scenarios that the deputies encounter on a day-to-day basis,” said Sheriff Steven S. Smith, Greene County Sheriff’s Office. “Some scenarios that they rarely respond to give them training in the best and safest ways to respond to them.”

“Thank you to the Greene County officials and leaders who recognized how to make Greene’s outdoor spaces more accessible — and who worked with my office to successfully secure this funding. Greene County is known across our Commonwealth and across our country for its outdoor recreation and striking natural beauty, and these federal dollars will make sure Virginians across the region can appreciate Greene County Community Park,” said Spanberger. “I’m also grateful to Sheriff Smith and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for working with me to make purchasing a new virtual reality training system possible. This investment will help deputies prepare for an array of calls, de-escalate situations on the job, and protect themselves and their neighbors from harm.”

BACKGROUND

For FY2024, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2023. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in localities across Virginia’s Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

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