RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)—It might be a day for making or breaking hearts, and it will be a day when ground is broken and the relationship advanced between Redskins and the River City.
On Thursday, Feb. 14, Governor Bob McDonnell, Mayor Dwight Jones, Peter Bernard of Bon Secours and Bruce Allen will break ground on the Washington Redskins Training Center.
It was last summer when Richmond scored a touchdown after the Redskins inked a deal to move their summer training camp to the River City. For three weeks during the summer, the football players and other Redskins staff will call Richmond home.
The plan to bring the training camp to the Metro has been clouded in some controversy, surrounding the state incentives topping $6 million and the approval of $4 million in performance-based state grants.
But Richmond City Councilman Charles Samuels said the payoff from bringing the Redskins training camp to Richmond can be long-lasting and far-reaching.
"This isn't just about three weeks when the Redskins will actually be here and the economic impact them being here can have on the local businesses, restaurants, hotels, etc., but also a sense of civic pride the Redskins are coming," Samuels said. "This is something that helps keep Richmond, Virginia, at the forefront of people's minds when they think about a destination. It's not just the capital of Virginia or where VCU is, it's truly a world class city."
The event takes place at 2 p.m. behind the Science Museum of Virginia at D.M.V. Drive and Leigh Street.
