A former member of Charlottesville City Council who now runs a nonprofit advocacy group for disabled individuals appeared before the elected body on April 7 to ask Council to invest in infrastructures to make a war memorial in the center of the city more accessible.
Tom Vandever served on Council for two terms in the 80’s and 90’s and is the executive director of the Independence Resource Center
“We are particularly concerned about problems with appropriate access for the Dogwood Vietnam Memorial Plaza and access to the eastern portions of McIntire Park,” Vandever said.
The Dogwood Vietnam Memorial was installed in 1966 at the southern edge of McIntire Park. The memorial is considered to be the first in the United States and for many years could be accessed via a parking lot for the former golf course and wading pool.
The City of Charlottesville took many years to support construction of what is now known as the John Warner Parkway but was known for many years as the Meadowcreek Parkway. City Council adopted a master plan for the eastern side of McIntire Park in September 2012 that eliminated the wading pool and the golf course in anticipation of a skate park and a future botanical garden. (read my story from back then)
The creation of that master plan came after Council had decided to proceed with the parkway which would travel along the eastern edge. The roadway was finally completed in 2015 and official parking for the memorial was to be located at the Charlottesville Area Rescue Squad Parking lot or on the western site of the park. An asphalt pathway currently exists.
Vandever told Council that is not enough for people who are mobility challenged, including many veterans and those who want to travel to the memorial to pay their respects.
“Since 2015 completion of the John Warner Parkway, these citizens have been the victims of city decisions that minimize the importance of full access and instead say basically, it’s not up to standards, but it’s good enough for you,” Vandever said.
Vandever said at one point there was to have been a pedestrian bridge connecting the high ground where the memorial stands with the other side of the parkway. That was eliminated from the final design in favor of the asphalt pathway which requires people to cross the parkway and its access roads.
In May 2019, City Council appointed a task force to study solutions and Vandever was a member. The group met five times and presented a report to Council in November 2019 when Tarron Richardson was City Manager. Here’s a link to the group’s final report.
“Since then, the Dogwood Memorial has repeatedly urged and its foundation has repeatedly urged the city to include this project in our [Capital Improvement Program] budget and to make a sincere effort to provide true and easy access,” Vandever said.
Afton Schneider, the city’s director of communications and public engagement said Council is set to approve $100,000 toward a project in the capital improvement program.
“The City is preparing a [public private partnership] to find a builder and determine scope and budget at which time they will be able to consider any additional funds to be given,” Schneider said.
Schneider added that the Council approved a resolution on December 5, 2022 reaffirming support for the project. She added Albemarle County will also be part of the discussion.
Before you go: This story was originally posted in the April 9, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. To support this work, consider a paid subscription to the newsletter or support through Patreon. Checks are also welcome!
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