Previously, I have posted on new residential solar power as well as problems with Dominion Power’s service in the neighborhood. One of the benefits of putting grid-tied solar into place, (besides redundant power, besides lower power bills, besides tax credits, besides being able to sell state renewable energy credits (SRECs), not to mention cleaner energy in general), is that it does illuminate grid problems. For example, since taking inverter readings, and contacting the State Corporation Commission (SCC), Dominion Power has put new poles in, added transformers, and increased voltage to proper levels. In other words, if neighborhoods want better energy service, then get solar and create your own energy.

But that leaves the old utility poles in place, and brings me to my next topic- Verizon actually owns many of the old poles in the neighborhood. Dominion Power has just rented space on them in the past, while it is the City of Richmond that actually does the planning and managing of the right-of-ways. So, getting Verizon to do its part in upgrading service will encourage the City and Dominion Power to do more.

With that in mind, I call on Verizon to bring FiOS to Oregon Hill. For one thing, I have heard that FiOS is already offered north of Cumberland Street. The neighborhood has the residential density. The City has a contract with Verizon for services to its residents. I already have DSL, and Verizon sends me offers for DirecTV every week- why not save the ad money and use it instead to bring FiOS to the neighborhood? The neighborhood is right next to downtown and close to Verizon’s Virginia headquarters. While many residents already have Comcast, many of them would be willing to make the switch to FiOS. Covad and wireless beckon if Verizon cannot keep up with technological advances in the neighborhood.

The newly Council approved Downtown Master Plan recognizes Oregon Hill as a historic neighborhood that deserves Old & Historic status- to the point of offering incentives to residents for the designation. Certainly, getting rid of old utility poles and lines by bringing in buried fiber optic cable with new services would go a long way. After all, Verizon already buries line and offers these services for VCU campus.
Again, these are the sort of services that citizens expect our elected representatives to push for, especially when the service contracts come back up for vote.

RICHMOND, VA— Beginning Monday, August 3 at 9 a.m. and continuing for approximately 18 hours into the early morning hours on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities will be lining a sewer main from the northeast corner of Franklin Street at Belvidere Street to the northwest corner of Franklin Street at Belvidere Street.

During this construction, the left curb lane of Franklin will be closed from approximately Pine Street to the parking entrance of the Apartment Tower located east of Belvidere St. leaving the center and right lanes available for traffic. The right southbound lane of Belvidere will be closed from Grace St. to beyond the intersection of Franklin with Belvidere streets. The right northbound lane of Belvidere will be closed from approximately Main St. to beyond the intersection of Franklin with Belvidere streets.

Motorists should follow all posted detour signs. Motorists are asked to proceed with caution around the construction area.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater and stormwater services to more than 500,000 residential and commercial customers in the metropolitan region. DPU also operates electric street lighting utility, which maintains more than 37,000 streetlights throughout the City. For more information, call DPU’s Customer Care Center at 644-3000 or visit DPU’s Web site at www.richmondgov.com/dpu.

http://twitter.com/natestacotruck/status/3103125886

Message from Nate’s Taco Truck

the taco truck will be closed today for mass amounts of cooking food
for tomorrow at vcu and tomorrow night at byrd house market.

Byrd House Market
They’ll be pie for sale at the market this week and plenty of other
slices of life to enjoy. Meet the folks from Art on Wheels helping make a
difference in their communities.
We appreciate our customers’ loyal support in helping us ensure local
providers earn a better-than-living wage. Remember the market opens at 3:30 p.m.
Activities this week include: Make Art Prints with the non-profit
organization Art on Wheels 3:30 to 7 p.m. Story telling from 4 to 5 pm, Face
painting from 5 to 7pm.
–
Byrd House Market
William Byrd Community House
224 South Cherry Street
Richmond, VA 23220
ByrdHouseMarket@gmail.com
(804) 643-2717

Tuesday, 8:30 pm
Pleasants Park
Refreshments served: hotdogs, snowcones, and more

A fire truck, ambulance, and multiple police were parked at mid-block on the 300 block of S. Laurel Street this morning. Although I have not seen a police report, rumor is that a young woman would not wake up.

About 7:45 this morning

The end of July means moving for many people. Unfortunately, for far too many renters and landlords that means pile up your trash on the sidewalk and leave town, and let others deal with their trash. Although I posted before about the problem on Idlewood and Cherry, here is what will greet the Byrd Market attendees this afternoon:

Again, in the Idlewood situation, an easy solution would be to create a trash containment area along the alley which goes north behind the residences just a few yards away, and make sure residents use it. City trash trucks are supposed to be picking up from the back alleys in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, this is not the only place where this happening, as the following pictures will attest. In every single case, it involves VCU student renters of absentee landlords. All of these places are repeat offenders. While not every Oregon Hill residence has a back alley access due to the way the lots are laid out, all of these places in the pictures have back alley access. There are other trash problems in the neighborhood, but I find these particularly egregious because they block front sidewalks. Personally, I suggest the City increase fines against the landlords, who are easier to identify and locate. I would be in favor of landlord licenses, not unlike what other university towns have implemented.

In the meantime, I will go out this morning since I have the day off from work and try to at least tidy the sidewalk trash on my block. Maybe this will stop the City from fining me for not mowing along my back alley while I was away on vacation.

614, 616 S. Laurel St.

500 block of S. Laurel Street

100 block of S. Cherry Street

800 block of Holly Street

One thing that I would like to post more about is Oregon Hill’s rich musical history. Thankfully, Don Harrison is doing a remarkable job of covering Virginia’s in general.

Here are just one of Oregon Hill’s claims to fame, The Rock-A-Teens:
Woo Hoo

Would this be allowed to happen in Windsor Farms? In the Fan? On the VCU campus? In another City Councilperson’s District?

Again, this trash situation is something that myself and others have brought up time and time again.

Sadly, the recent repaving of the parking lot at 15th Street is not the first time that Virginia Commonwealth University has disregarded important African American slave history.

Back in the 1990′s, Richmond activists warned President Trani that it was wrong to tear down the Jacob House in order to make room for the VCU Engineering School. So, to mute protests, he decided to have it moved across the street. There were still concerns that this would ruin the historical integrity of the site since it was considered a probable Underground Railroad site. One man, Alan Schintzius, actually got arrested when he laid in front of the bulldozer. Sure enough, a hidden basement room was discovered after the house was moved. Its gone now, filled in and buried by VCU.

You have to wonder what other Richmond history has been buried.

At least the moved Jacob House survives, for now, at the corner of Cary and Pine.

For Immediate Release:
August 5, 2009
For more information, contact:
Sharon North – (804) 646-5607
Jemila Woodson – (804) 646-5665

City Begins Slurry Seal Paving Program

WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Works

WHAT: Slurry seal paving program

WHEN: August 2009 through October 2009

WHERE:
Bellevue
Oregon Hill
North Highland Park
Dinwiddie Avenue

BACKGROUND: Slurry seal is a pavement restoration technique that consists of mixed asphalt, aggregate, and additives. The technique effectively preserves and extends roadway life by protecting it from the effects of weathering and normal wear and tear. During the project, there should be minimal interruption to traffic flow.

From refuse collection to pothole reports, Customer Care Center representatives are available at 3-1-1 to assist citizens with all of their Public Works needs. For more information on the City of Richmond, visit www.RichmondGov.com .

###

From the posted signs, it looks like Laurel Street will get repaved tomorrow (Thursday, August 6). Parking restricted from 7am to 6pm. Towing Enforced.

Earlier this week the City repaved Cherry Street. If you look at the photo below you can see where the old trolley tracks still show through.

Cherry Street