Waterwheel repair at Mabry Mill, trail work at the Peaks of Otter and mountain music concerts at the Blue Ridge Music Center are some of the projects that could receive money from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in 2013.

The nonprofit foundation, which raises money to support the 469-mile parkway, announced Tuesday that it will distribute more than $740,000 to fund several projects and programs in both Virginia and North Carolina.

More than $600,000 of that money is already committed to current projects, some of them in Virginia.

A fishing and viewing platform will be built on the trail around Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter, which will complete an upgrade that began last year when the trail was upgraded to meet requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The foundation also will take over the music programs at the Blue Ridge Music Center, where it will schedule, fund and promote weekend concerts and will oversee the daily mountain music performances during the summer and fall.

One project that must first obtain additional funding before it receives foundation money is the job at Mabry Mill. The historic mill's waterwheel will be removed and repaired at the parkway's historic preservation workshop in Blowing Rock, N.C., then will be reattached to the mill. However, the mill must get grant money or private or corporate donations to help offset the costs of that project.

"The Parkway has given us an important list of needs this year, but we cannot accomplish them all without the help of our community of stewards," Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, said in a news release. "We will be working hard to find the funds to make all of these projects a reality, and hope that those who love the Parkway will step up to help."

To see the full list of projects online: http://brpfoundation.org/CurrentProjects

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