VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A member of Virginia Beach City Council is asking city administrators to look into whether there’s a way to once again allow sledding at Mount Trashmore.
Councilman Rocky Holcomb on Tuesday asked the city manager and city attorney to see if there’s a way to allow sledding at the popular local park.
It’s been 25 years since the activity was banned on at least part of the slopes.
Mount Trashmore was opened in the second half of the 20th century after the city converted a 640,000-ton pile of garbage into the nation’s first landfill park. Whenever it snowed, residents would gather at the hill and sled down using a variety of items.
City officials say nearly 5,000 people headed to Mount Trashmore after 11 inches of snow blanketed the area in 1996.
However, injuries at the hill became commonplace — so much so, Virginia Beach EMS largely remained on scene to treat those with scrapes and broken bones.
In 1997, sledding on the steepest areas was banned. Three years later, in 2000, sledding down the mountain was banned entirely.
“It’s something people really enjoy doing,” Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson said during a Tuesday City Council meeting.
Wilson and some other council members agreed considering allowing sledding could be a good idea.
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