letter on telephone pole on Pine Street

Here are the plans filed with City at the tail end of last week (link goes to large .pdf file which may take time to load).

The proposal calls for the alley to be one way going north.
The building is still nearly 4 stories high on the South West corner.
There will be parking along the alley but no landscaping.

Click here to see earlier post on this subject.

On Monday October 6, 2008 at 1:30 p.m at the 5th floor conference center, the Planning Commission will consider ordinances 2008-199 and 2008-200 approving a spot blight abatement plan for 816 Riverside Park and declaring a public necessity to authorize the acquisition of 816 Riverside Park for the purpose of implementing the spot abatement plan.

It should be noted that this structure has been a nuisance for a while, attracting squatters and curiosity seekers. While rundown and neglected, it is a pre-Civil War house that sits next to Hollywood Cemetery. The neighborhood is against demolition since the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Oregon Hill Historic District. I won’t get into its history of ownership here, but lets just say it has been interesting.

The Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council (OHHIC) is an all-volunteer nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to providing affordable housing for first time home-buyers while restoring Oregon Hill through renovations, protective easements, and sensitive infill construction.

It’s too late to register as a member in order to vote or run in the upcoming election for the Board of Directors, but its never too late to become a member and volunteer. Everyone is welcome to attend the annual meeting on Sunday, September 28th at 4 pm at the Jacob House (619 W. Cary St. (at Pine)).

Topics at this year’s meeting include:
- Voting for new board members
- An update on the development of the 600 block of S. Laurel St.
- Discussion on making the Jacob House more available to local nonprofits
And more!

At last month’s Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting, the membership voted to recognize and reward Marty, Mark, and John for their part in apprehending a robbery suspect this past July. Since then, I have heard that federal officials became interested in the suspect concerning some previous crimes.

The awards were rather meager- restaurant gift certificates, and ceremonial keys to the neighborhood. But as I stated in the letter that accompanied them, neighborhood residents are very thankful for their action. As King, I did offer Marty a knighthood, but he graciously declined.

Last of the current trilogy of planning posts. As mentioned before, Oregon Hill residents are very concerned about Ved Jain’s plans for Belvidere St. It does not help that rezoning has still not gone through. It does not help that greenway plans still need to be settled. Click on this link to see the plans submitted so far (link loads a large .pdf file, may take some time), and then read below for one resident’s written concerns (please feel free to add more in comments):

Read more >

Just a reminder, that this Saturday, September 13th at 2:00 P.M., there will
be a ceremony to dedicate recently placed Confederate soldiers’ markers in
the Confederate Section ofthe cemetery. There will be artillery (cannon)
fire at approximately 2:45 P.M.

Statistically speaking, August was a really good month for Oregon Hill. Overall we
seen a 66% decrease in Major Crimes in your neighborhood. During the month we
had only 3 crimes, one was the theft of a moped and unfortunately 2 were robberies.
The first robbery occurred at 200 S. Cherry on 8/4 at approx. 12:58 am. 2 black
males displayed a revolver, robbed the victim and possibly fled in a dark red older
model Buick. The second robbery occurred at 335 S. Cherry St. on 8/28 at
approximately 9:08 pm. 2 black males displayed a small black handgun with a
silver tip and attempted to rob the victim. The victim was smacked but fortunately
he did not sustain any serious injuries.

Lets work to keep it Open in Oregon Hill.

Thanks,
Scott

For Immediate Release Contact: Charles Pyle
September 10, 2008 Director of Communications
(804) 371-2420
Julie C. Grimes
Communications Manager
(804) 225-2775

Virginia Schools Earn Federal Blue Ribbon Honors

The U.S. Department of Education has designated seven Virginia public schools and three parochial schools as 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private K-12 schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement.

The public schools receiving federal Blue Ribbon School status are as follows:

Edgemont Primary in Covington
Graham Road Elementary in Fairfax County
Ocean View Elementary in Norfolk
Open High in Richmond
Springwoods Elementary in Prince William County
Temperance Elementary in Amherst County
Virginia L. Murray Elementary in Albemarle County

“These schools share a commitment to instruction and accountability that is grounded in the belief that all children can succeed,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr., who nominated the schools for federal recognition.

All of the public 2008 NCLB Blue Ribbon Schools earned awards earlier this year through the Virginia Index of Performance program that recognizes schools and divisions that exceed state and federal accountability standards. Virginia L. Murray Elementary in Albemarle County earned the Governor’s Award for Education Excellence while the others received the Board of Education’s VIP Excellence Award.

Three schools in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Holy Spirit School in Annandale, St. John Academy in McLean and Nativity School in Burke, were also recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools. The Council for American Private Education nominates private and parochial schools for Blue Ribbon awards each year.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program was established in 1982 to spotlight the country’s most successful schools. The program, which allows both elementary and secondary schools to be recognized in the same year, was renamed and modified last year to emphasize the goals of NCLB.

The U.S. Department of Education will honor Virginia’s Blue Ribbon Schools during an awards ceremony in October. Two people from each school, the principal and a teacher, will be invited to the ceremony where the schools will receive a plaque and a flag signifying their Blue Ribbon Status. Since 1982, more than 100 Virginia public and private schools have received federal Blue Ribbon designations.

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Hi Everyone-
We are having our September Oregon Hill Community dinner THIS Monday
at 6pm!!!! Our doors will be open to anyone who wants to come and share
a meal with neighbors and meet our new 2008/2009. We do ask if you can
to bring something to share, even if its small or a paper good
donation. In order to keep these dinners going, we do need help from
the neighborhood! There will be music at the dinner by our new music
director, Bean Weatherford. Some of you may have seen him play at the
Byrd Farmers Market with his childrens band: The Ps and Qs. And it is
going to be his goal to find musicians in the neighborhood to play at
the upcoming dinners(which are every 3rd monday of the month!!)

We all hope to see you on Monday! Please help us by spreading the word
to friends/neighbors.
Have a great night
Katie Cowles

SynerGeo Inc.
349 S. Laurel st.
www.synergeo.org