Yearly Archives: 2009

Byrd Market & Nate’s Taco Truck Updates

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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

Updated DPU TRAFFIC ALERT – Franklin and Belvidere Streets

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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.

Calling Verizon

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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.
IMG_0108

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.

Positions Available At William Byrd Community House

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Early Childhood Lead Teacher (1): To direct and promote a
developmentally appropriate group experience for children 3-5 that
promotes their cognitive, social emotional and physical growth.

BS in Early Childhood required – plus three years experience working
with 3-5 year old children and their families; must possess VA driver’s
license and experience driving a passenger van or mini bus

Early Childhood Assistant Teacher (1): Assist Lead Teacher in providing
a developmentally appropriate early childhood group experience to 3-5
year olds and their families.

CDA with 3rd or 4th year college currently enrolled in BA or BS early
childhood education degree program; Must possess VA drivers license and
experience driving passenger van or mini bus.

Early Childhood Teacher Extended Day (1): To implement and provide a
developmentally appropriate preschool group experience to 3-5 year olds.

CDA or AA in Early Childhood with 3rd or 4th year college currently
enrolled in BA or BS early childhood education degree program; Must
possess VA drivers license and experience driving passenger van or min
bus

After school Child Care Worker (2): To implement and provide appropriate
after school care to 5 – 12 year olds.

Associates degree required in child development, elementary education,
social sciences or recreation and 3 years experience working with groups
of elementary children; must possess VA driver’s license/ CDL preferred
and experience driving a bus or passenger van.

After school Child Care Worker (1): To implement and provide appropriate
after school care to 5 – 12 year olds.

Associates degree required in child development, elementary education,
social sciences or recreation and 3 years experience working with groups
of elementary children.

After school Child Care Worker/ Coordinator (1): To implement and
provide appropriate after school care to 5 – 12 year olds.

Associates degree required in child development, elementary education,
social sciences or recreation and 3 years experience working with groups
of elementary children; must possess VA driver’s license/ CDL preferred
and experience driving a bus or passenger van

To apply for these positions please e-mail your cover letter and resume
to Shelia Givens by 5:00 pm August 10, 2009 sgivens@wbch.org

Councilperson Jewell’s “Rippin'” Fundraiser

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Word on the street is that, following the passing of the Downtown Master Plan, 5th District Councilperson Marty Jewell will be holding a fundraising party this Wednesday, hosted by the Ripp family.

Some background here, here, and here.

Hopefully the Downtown Master Plan will be one topic of discussion at tonight’s Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting.

July Smallpox Scare of 1905

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From the newspaper archives of the Times Dispatch:

Two guards were yesterday ordered to patrol that section of the City south of Spring Street and east of Belvidere Street, where citizens have been exposed to the disease.

Dr. W.T. Oppenheimer, President of the Board of Health, and Mayor McCarthy held a conference yesterday morning and decided that it was imperative to have the guards placed on the infected section of Oregon Hill to see that no one entered the houses that were quarantined.

At the risk of being alarmist, history does tend to repeat itself, and citizens should be prepared.

Trash Problem on Idlewood

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From this past Tuesday

From this past Tuesday


From this past Saturday

From this past Saturday

Despite multiple communications over the past year with the City’s Public Works and Community Development, as well as letters to the property owner, this trash pile remains a sore spot. Its right along the sidewalk and its one of the first things people see when they enter into the neighborhood from the west. Visitors to the Tuesday Byrd House Market often have to walk around it. Despite City Code violations, the trash cans are hardly ever taken away from the street back to the residents’ yards. Really, one 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. The owner of these row houses which face the 200 block of S. Cherry, is a man named Hugh Edmunds. He continues to rent to VCU students while he lives over in the Windsor Farms neighborhood.

There have also been multiple noise complaints about these houses over the past few years, with at least one being on the Richmond police CAPS list. Sadly, some of the longtime residents on the 300 block of S. Cherry have moved away in part to the ongoing nuisances.

Years ago, I used to attend parties at 238 S. Cherry when Mike Gangloff lived there. Mike ran his own record label, Radioactive Rat, from that house. Sometimes he would even have bands play there. He made a point of warning neighbors a few days before and making sure the loudness was over before midnight. Then we would QUIETLY hang out while enjoying a few of Mike’s excellent homebrew pumpkin ales.

Franklin St between Laurel and Belvidere will be partially closed Thursday

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DPU TRAFFIC ALERT
Franklin Street between Pine & Belvidere Streets
 
RICHMOND, VA— Beginning Thursday, July 23, 2009 through Friday, July 24, 2009 at 7 a.m. the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities will be lining a sewer main along Franklin Street from E Pine Street to the intersection with Belvidere Street.

During construction the right and left lanes of Franklin will need to be closed from approximately Laurel to Belvidere, leaving the center lane available for traffic. The right southbound lane of Belvidere Street will also be closed from Grace Street to beyond the intersection of Franklin and 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.

Remembering George Rice

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From the newspaper archives of the Times Dispatch:

July 22, 1905, Page 2, Image 2

GEORGE RICE DROWNED
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Was Bathing In The Canal Near Hollywood – Body Recovered
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George Rice, the thirteen-year-old son of Dick Rice, of Oregon Hill, was drowned in the Canal, near Hollywood Cemetery while in bathing yesterday morning.

The body was recovered by Pat Woods, who dived for it.