A change to Victoria’s meals tax allocation means the town will be able to put more money into park improvements.

Victoria increased the portion of the meals tax going to the town’s park from 1 percent to 1.5 percent in July. The increase is for one year.

Interim Town Manager Rodney Newton said this will translate to $7,900 in revenue.

“It’s to do some maintenance work in the park, Newton said.

Victoria and Kenbridge are trying to use walking trails to increase tourism.

Victoria’s 21-acre railroad park is located near the downtown and central business district, and has pavilions, playground equipment, restroom facilities, volleyball sand court, horseshoe pits, paved walking trails, gravel walking trails and geo-caches to find and historical Virginian Railroad cars caboose and equipment.

Mayor Carol R. Watson has called the park “one of the town’s biggest accessories and we have to take care of it.”

Meanwhile, Kenbridge has long been trying to develop its own walking trail, but the work has been going slowly as the town lined up easements from landowners before moving forward and seeking grant money for the project.

The town would like to see the trail run along the old railroad bed on Broad Street to Barnes Street and have it go from Victoria to the community of Dundas. Area leaders have been working with three landowners to get easements, and is now looking at “a dog leg around a little bit” of property they hope will satisfy concerns and allow momentum on the project to pick up.

The course would be part of the Tobacco Heritage walking trail, which meanders through much of Southside Virginia.