Neighbors and friends gather on a porch on the 700 block of S. Laurel in this old photograph from William Pickett.
The 700 Club
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Author Archives: Scott
Plan For Pine Street Baptist Yard Sale On April 21
The church will be having a yard sale on April 21 in Pleasants Park. Community members are invited to set up their personal yard sale alongside the church for their own individual profits.
Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow
This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.
If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.
In recycling news, a lot of Virginia recyclers are still figuring out what current Chinese import policies mean for them.
Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has advised that local governments keep up with information coming from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Local operations such as TFC Recycling and Butler Paper Recycling have previously reported a significant reduction in market value, and an ongoing issue with “wishful recycling,” as reported by The Virginian-Pilot. TFC recently told the Richmond Free Press that it’s having trouble meeting new quality standards because 15-20% of the residential material it receives is contaminated. Though the company is still finding markets for fiber in Vietnam, South Korea, India and domestically.
Recently, van der Linde Recycling announced plans to close its mixed waste processing operation in the Zion Crossroads area, due in part to low commodity prices. The MRF has been taken over by County Waste and will essentially be used as a transfer station to send material to another facility in Chester, as reported by The Daily Progress. This has had ripple effects in Albemarle County and as far away as Harrisonburg, where the city was temporarily landfilling material.
Update On Monroe Park
From Cherry Street neighbor Todd Woodson:
The Urban Design Committee discussed the character, extent and location of the signage proposal by the Monroe Park “Conservancy” and recommended approval with 3 conditions: First that they consider an alternate form and location for the “donor” sign and not attach it to the Checkers House and that the impact on the Checkers House be minimized. Second that they change the typeface on the secondary and tertiary signs to match the logo “old typeface” font and third that “less is more” and that they minimize the quantity and size of the signs in the park. All great suggestions but keep in mind they had previously requested the “Conservancy” seek alternatives to destroying the beautiful Magnolia and Maple near the Checkers House. They destroyed them anyway. If you would like to hear the UDC discussion, here is the link to the audio:
http://richmondva.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=1293
A recent email from Julie Langan, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, confirms that the work the “Conservancy” is doing to the Checkers House does not appear to meet Secretary of the Interior standards which would exclude them from getting Federal and State tax credits. Meanwhile, the “Conservancy” announced at the UDC meeting that the end of June opening date for the park is no longer viable and no completion date has been given. Remember that Councilperson Kimberly Gray and Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s chief of staff Lincoln Saunders are sitting Board members for the Monroe Park Conservancy.
It’s also worth considering that citizens and Sierra Club have already asked that the Conservancy’s lease on Monroe Park be terminated.
Utility Area Cleanup
This morning a group of volunteers worked to clean invasive plants, brush, debris, and litter from a ‘utility area’ behind Holly Street Playground.
The group consisted of neighbors Stephenie Harrington, Jimmy Blackford, Chris Milk, and some VCU students organized by coordinator Nicole Patterson.
Afterwords, they enjoyed a delicious lunch from Peddler on Pine.
They found hundreds of bottles and cans going back 20 years+ by the labels. They also found a Viewfinder, toy trucks, school chair seats, and a tire.
The Show That Never Happened
Governor Northam Signs The Bill – Put Schools First
From the Times Dispatch:
Gov. Ralph Northam has signed Senate Bill 750 from Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Richmond, which requires Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney to present a fully funded school facilities modernization plan to City Council by Jan. 1, 2019, or say it can’t be done.
The bill — structured as a change to the city’s charter — passed both the Senate and the House of Delegates without a single vote in opposition.
Like other pieces of signed legislation, the charter change takes effect July 1. That gives Stoney six months to present a plan. If the mayor presents a plan, City Council would have 90 days to take action on the plan.
This is a welcome result for the 85 percent of Richmonders who voted for the referendum this past November.
Oregon Hill’s State Senator Sturtevant deserves credit for bring the bill forward and nursing it through the General Assembly.
Friends Of RPL Book Sale On April 6-7
‘Survivor Game’ Both Entertains and ‘Weirds Out’ Laurel Street Neighbors
A residence on Laurel Street has been using toy super hero figurines to act out an imaginary game of ‘Survivor’ in their small front yard. No real violence has been involved, though some of the figures are left in what looks like obvious distress.
While some of the children who live across the street are enthralled and look every day to see the latest happenings in the yard, their parents are still making up their own minds about what these games represent.
“Some of these figures look just so lost and forlorn,” said one parent named Teresa.
Indeed, this one, was evidently ‘voted off the island’ and did not even make it:
“If this is how the college kids want to entertain themselves these days, and they don’t hurt anyone else, I am ok with it,” stated a neighbor named Becky (ed. note: neighbors declined to give last names for this post).
No Easter eggs have been seen with the toy figures… yet.
North Trail Rabbit Sightings Raise Rabies Concerns
While many people have been enjoying animal wildlife sightings in Hollywood Cemetery and along the Richmond riverfront, other neighbors have been expressing mounting alarm at a warren of rabbits living beneath the Robert Lee Bridge along the North Bank Trail. While no one has witnessed an actual attack, the rabbits have been seen acting strangely and somewhat threatening towards pedestrians and their pets walking along the park trail. Many neighbors remember the attack a few years ago by a rabid red fox in the same area.
VCU Professor Ann Wright urges residents not to panic, that although this rabbit behavior is somewhat novel, it should not necessarily be seen as dangerous. “These urbanized, European rabbits may just be protecting their eggs,” she explained. She further noted that in older times, people would try to steal the multi-colored eggs as quasi-religious icons, which may have lead to this species’ response. “The sad reality is that we may see many animal behaviors change as they desperately try to adapt to a diminishing natural environment. One in five species on Earth now faces extinction, and that will rise to 50% by the end of the century unless urgent action is taken to stabilize their environment.”
That said, James River Park management and VCU Life Sciences are moving their night vision cameras to see if they can observe these rabbits first-hand and will be looking for more signs of rabies in park animals.