By Taylor Boyd
Envision Critz, a local nonprofit organization that’s working to establish a community center in Critz across the street from Hardin Reynolds Memorial School (HRMS), is looking to raise the remaining $70,000 needed to fully purchase the property.
Envision Critz President Tom Steele said the group had a three-year window to raise the money needed to pay off the property owner’s purchase note.
“I got the paperwork out, and we’re quickly approaching that deadline, the beginning of April,” he said.
While the group has some money in the bank it can apply towards the $70,000, Steele said some of it is earmarked for specific purposes like purchasing playground equipment.
“Basically, if we got around $70,000, then we would have enough with what we have and leave us a nice buffer to pay for incidentals and some of the things we needed,” he said.
Over the last few years, Steele said the group has raised between $6,500-$7,000 from various fundraisers.
Reynolds Homestead Director Julie Walters Steele added that individual donations have also been used to pay the monthly payment on the payment note.
“We’ve been getting money. It’s just really kind of sneaking up on us that it’s time to pay and get that note taken care of,” Steele said.
While she knows $70,000 is a lot of money, Walters Steele said the funds can be used to bring so much to the Critz community, including walking trails, nature trails, outdoor environmental classrooms, picnic shelters, a gathering place, and more.
“We can’t apply for the grants until we have the title on the house. Once we get the house restored, there’s a real desire among the Envision Critz membership to not only inside the house but on the trails to tell the history of Critz and its people,” she said.
Inside the house will be exhibits, displays, photographs, and other materials, while interpretative signage focusing on different aspects of the community, like its stores and businesses, the Dick & Willie Railroad, and notable residents, will be along the trails.
“Critz is such a great community, but it has not really received much love from the county. The county hasn’t supported building a park in this area, and so that’s one of the reasons why we’re so interested in getting a playground, picnic shelters, and gathering spaces like the other communities have, so the Critz community can enjoy that same privilege,” Walters Steele said.
In the future, Steele said the group also wants to recreate a doctor’s office in the brick house on the corner of the property to tell the story of Critz’s first doctor’s office and surgery.
“And have other exhibits there to tell the story of the history of Critz,” he said.
Steele said the group plans to soon discuss potentially offering naming opportunities for parts of the property, like the picnic shelter or the playground area as a fundraiser.
“If folks would be willing to help us out with that in exchange for the opportunity to have the name of a loved one or someone who’s important to the county or community there,” he said.
As paved trails are installed, Walter Steele noted there’s also the possibility of offering inscribed bricks in memory or in honor of someone in exchange for donations.
“We’ve got a lot of ideas, it’s just time factors and getting things moving on our end,” Steele said.
Noting the organization has some contingency plans in place if it doesn’t raise the $70,000, Steele said it would be nice if it could get support to fully pay off the purchase note.
“Then we could start applying for grants. One of the big holdups we’ve had with getting grant opportunities to do improvements on the property is the fact that we don’t own the land and the buildings. We’re very hopeful that once we get this taken care of one way or the other, we can finally start applying for grants and finally get this thing moving forward,” he said.
Steele said Envision Critz hasn’t talked to the property owner about potentially extending the deadline on the purchase note.
“I’m sure she probably wants to get this taken care of. What we may end up doing is getting a bank note and paying her off, maybe, and she may be open to doing some more time,” he said.
If push came to shove, Steele believes the organization would be fine because it has enough money in the bank, so it wouldn’t be leveraging itself if a loan were needed.
“Plus, the value of the property is much more than what we’d be asking for on a loan. We’re really not panicked. It would just really, really be nice if we could get this taken care of so we could start moving forward to having a community center,” he said.
Donations can be mailed to Envision Critz, P.O. Box 156, Critz, VA 24082.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/Envision Critz or email Tom Steele at envisioncrtiz@gmail.com.
