CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County Parks Foundation is raising money to extend the Old Mill Trail and improve Free Bridge Park. This week, the foundation is holding an online silent auction.

“Every bid helps bring us one step closer to improving access to outdoor recreation and creating lasting benefits for our community,” the foundation said in a release.

The goal is to raise $75,000 for the Old Mill Trail project, and another $5,000 for Free Bridge Park.

Phase 1 of the Old Mill project includes extending the trail one mile along the Rivanna River to historic Lego Farm. 

Old Mill Trail was selected by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation in September to receive a Recreational Trails Program Grant using funds from the Federal Highway Administration. The total funds for the grant are $210,698.22.

The foundation needs to match 20% of those funds for the project to move forward, according to its release.

“It’s a very exciting project,” Recreational Grants Coordinator for Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Kellie Seaton told Cville Right Now in September. “The degree of the public involvement in establishing the need for this project, the collaboration between different entities, what the benefits would be to the users, both present and future, and then the project’s readiness to proceed, along with the plans to implement, and the likelihood of its success, this application definitely stood out for all those reasons.” 

Phase 1 is the start of a project that would create a 10-mile greenway trail that would connect Darden Towe Park to Milton Landing and Glenmore.

“It’s an amazing property with frontage all along the river, the river bends, the scenery becomes completely natural, the wildlife is all over in the air and water,” Albemarle County Chief of Parks Planning Tim Padalino told Cville Right Now in September. “It’s like being transported to an oasis in the middle of the community.” 

At Free Bridge Park, the foundation is seeking to add new picnic tables, benches and a nature story walk.

The online auction began Saturday at 7 a.m. and runs until Nov. 14 at 10 p.m.

“From unique items and gift cards to services and experiences, our auction will offer something for everyone,” the foundation’s release said. “It’s a great opportunity to find something special while giving back to the parks, trails, and outdoor spaces that make our community such a wonderful place to live.”