6.4 – Comparison of Localities – Parks and Recreation

Six (6) Rockingham County towns have Parks and Recreation Departments. They each have various levels of funding dependent largely on their sources of funding — some are solely funded by town taxes, some receive assistance from Rockingham County, and some receive direct state funding assistance.

The table below compares the parks and recreation facilities along with associated state and federal grants for the six (6) towns in Rockingham County. MPOA parks and recreational facilities are also included in the table. The number and type of parks and recreational facilities differ slightly from town to town. All towns have parks, but only the Town of Bridgewater and Massanutten have arboretums. The Town of Bridgewater has the largest number of parks, although their ten (10) parks include «pocket parks» in subdivision neighborhoods. All towns have tennis courts and most have a swimming pool. The towns of Bridgewater, Broadway, Elkton and Timberville all have indoor community centers. Timberville’s Community Center construction and maintenance is funded by Rockingham County and Elkton’s Community Center is partially funded by Rockingham County.

The grants noted in the table below are those one-time grants received over the last two to three years. It should be noted that the towns of Bridgewater and Grottoes received a one-time VA grant from the Department of Forestry to improve the tree canopies in their parks.

Virginia Locality	Population (2010 Census)	Parks			Recreation			Grants
		Parks	Arboretums	Trails	Pool	Tennis Courts	Community Center
Town of Bridgewater	5,644	10	yes	yes	no	2 (indoor)	yes	$44,000
Town of Broadway	3,691	2	no	yes	1	1	yes	$200,000
Town of Dayton	1,530	3	no	no	no	2	no	$0
Town of Elkton	2,726	2	no	yes	no	4	yes	yes
Town of Grottoes	2,668	2	no	yes	1	2	no	$50,000
Town of Timberville	2,522	1	no	no	1	2	yes	$0
Massanutten (CDP)	2,291	3	yes	yes	1	2	no	$0