Evelyn Tucker, right, walks with her granddaughter Lauren Wheeler on the trail that bears her name.

“There are few places where the residents of Ettrick can safely walk. A walking path in Ettrick Park will benefit residents of all ages. We, the undersigned, support the construction of a walking path in Ettrick Park where residents will have a safe place to walk.”
-  Evelyn Tucker

Over 300 people around the Ettrick community signed the above petition when it was circulated in 2006, the effort of an avid walker and dedicated local resident. “There are very few places in Ettrick to walk,” says Tucker, a South Richmond native who’s called Ettrick home for over 50 years. “Streets are narrow, roads have small shoulders, and we’re always in competition with the cars.” Mindful of the struggles she and other walkers faced, Tucker began formulating plans to create a walking trail at Ettrick Park, a goal that came to fruition on June 27 when the Evelyn S. Tucker Walking Trail was officially unveiled.

Tucker got the ball rolling when she attended a 2006 Parks & Recreation meeting and voiced her idea for the trail. “They said it was a good idea, but one person couldn’t do it,” she recalls. “They said there had to be evidence of need and support for a trail. I got the endorsement of the Civic and Progressive Action Association for the Matoaca Magisterial District and the Ettrick Youth Association.” The endorsement of those two groups, as well as the support of the College Park Neighborhood Watch, the Ettrick Neighborhood and Business Foundation, and the Hickory Hill Estate Council, lent the petition Tucker began circulating extra weight. Renny Humphrey and Bill Hastings, then members of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, also voiced their support.

In March 2007, Tucker attended a Board of Supervisors meeting to ask for their support and additional funding for the trail. “I asked for a particular type of trail,” she says. “A lot of trails in Chesterfield County aren’t paved, so I requested a hard-surface and self-sustaining trail that would lend itself to walkers of all types and health requirements. I sought a trail that would be suitable for healthy walkers as well as those who at risk for chronic diseases.”

Initially, Tucker had only planned for a half-mile trail, but luck was with her: bids and extra funding came in, so that the trail could be extended to a mile-long loop around the perimeter of the park and through a wooded area. (Of the trail’s length, only the wooded area is not paved with asphalt.)

Although she’d been the main driving force behind the establishment of the trail, Tucker was completely shocked when she discovered at the opening ceremony that she was to be its namesake. “Shocked and very pleasantly surprised!” she says. “I thought it was just going to be the Ettrick Park Walking Trail.” Usually, Tucker explains, she’s a behind-the-scenes worker, which rendered her surprise even greater. She downplays her efforts, however. “I wanted a trail here and I was waiting for it to happen, but it never happened, so I just went on ahead and got the ball rolling,” she says.

Now that the trail is open for walkers, Tucker already has her eye on a number of other improvements for the future. “I would like to get some benches out here and encourage youth to form walking clubs,” she says. “I’d like to get walking activity centered around the trails here.” The benches may not be far off, thanks to a local Eagle Scout who’s expressed interest in handling the project.

As health is one of Tucker’s big concerns, she’d also like to establish health-related programs and blood pressure machines at the Ettrick Community Building, which the trail runs in front of; and by the benches, distance markers for walkers with medical concerns so that they can avoid walking too far and overexerting themselves. “I’ve consulted with a doctor to see how far certain individuals should be walking,” says Tucker. Ideally, she says, benches would be placed a certain number of feet from the beginning of the trail so that walkers could reach that point and get to the next station in small increments.

“Ettrick has an aging population,” Tucker says. “There are lots of older adults around here who need a healthy outlet.” Statistics show that 60 percent of Virginia adults are overweight or obese, and Tucker believes that taking a walk on Ettrick Park’s newest trail can be a healthy, low-impact solution.

“Walking helps blood pressures and brings down cholesterol,” she says. “It has all kinds of health benefits.”

And as for Tucker’s immediate plans for the new trail? She grins: “I’m going to make good use of it!”

ereel@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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