| Sharla Bardin

sharla.bardin@roanoke.com, 381-1669

CHRISTIANSBURG -- A donation of about $1 million from a Christiansburg resident who died in 2007 will allow the town to construct a pedestrian bridge for the Huckleberry Trail across Peppers Ferry Road.

The town council approved Monday using the funds donated by Renva Weeks Knowles for the project. Knowles was a Floyd County native who lived her later years in Christiansburg, officials said. She died Nov. 22, 2007, at age 95.

Knowles also donated of $15,000 each to the town's fire department, rescue squad and police department, town officials said.

The council also approved naming the bridge after Knowles and authorized town staff to work with Knowles' lawyers on an agreement.

Town leaders said they are grateful and excited about what the donation can do for the trail project.

The town's ultimate goal has been to construct a bridge over Peppers Ferry Road for those biking or walking the trail to cross safely and extend the trail from its current end at the New River Valley Mall past the Christiansburg Recreation Center and into downtown Christiansburg. But funds haven't been available for the bridge.

Work is under way now to extend the trail from the back of the mall to Peppers Ferry Road. The work is expected to be completed this summer.

The trail expansion is seen as a way to increase recreational opportunities for residents, as well another means of alternative transportation, project supporters have said.

Town Manager Lance Terpenny said Joe Simmons, executor of the Knowles estate, told town officials several months ago that Knowles' will stated that the bequest shall be used for streets, sidewalks or walkways.

There's still some expenses to be finalized with her estate, and the gift to the town is thought to be about $1 million, town officials said.

Simmons could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The pedestrian bridge has been determined by Simmons to be consistent with Knowles' wishes, and Terpenny said work could start on the bridge later this year.

Knowles also left donations to area churches, cemeteries and hospitals, officials said.

Some of that generosity was directed to her church, St. Paul United Methodist in Christiansburg.

The donation there will go into the endowment fund for the church, said the Rev. Doug Kanney.

Kanney described Knowles as a very kind and quiet woman who attended the church for more than 20 years.

"I think she was well-respected and well-appreciated," he said.

Kanney said Knowles' donations indicate "that where she lived and the people around her were important to her."

At Monday's meeting, the council also approved enhancing the donation by applying to a revenue-sharing program with VDOT. The program provides state funds to match local funds for the construction or improvement of roadways in the locality, according to the application.

The deadline to apply to the program is June 18.

Terpenny said if the town receives revenue-sharing money, officials would have to decide whether to use that toward extending the trail or for another transportation project.

The trail expansion work now under way is being funded through support from the nonprofit Friends of the Huckleberry, while the town's contribution is equipment and labor, Terpenny said.

The project also was awarded a $165,000 transportation enhancement grant through the Virginia Department of Transportation to use toward the expansion, he said.

The town has also applied for a $212,000 grant through the same program for the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Councilman Brad Stipes, who has been a key supporter of the trail expansion, said the council has supported the project without reservation and he also believes residents support an expanded trail.