OHNA Meeting Tomorrow Night

From email announcement:

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 28 November 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be held by Zoom, at the link below.
Topic: November OHNA Meeting
Time: Nov 28, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

(Editor’s note: Meeting information redacted but please email ohnarva@gmail.com if you would like to receive it)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney

Updates:

1. Pleasant’s Park upgrades
· Thank you to all of the volunteers who came to the two Saturday workdays to help construct the new fence in the park, paint new picnic benches, and otherwise clean up the park. Thank you also for Parks & Recreation for bringing out the heavy equipment and staff to remove the old chain -link fence and to dig the holes for the new posts.
· Thank you to everyone who sawed boards, dug holes, broke up brick in the holes (ugh), set the posts in concrete, attached the new boards, and did all the many other tasks it took to complete this project.
· Parks & Recreation provided the heavy equipment and knowledgeable staff; OHNA purchased the new materials, and the neighborhood provided many volunteers to see the job through.
· Once the new wood has been able to age a bit, we will return to apply a protective stain to the fence.

2. Infrastructure walk held 4pm – 5:30 Friday Oct 27.
· Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped out.

Continued Business

3. A volunteer has agreed to head up a committee looking into locations for a dedicated dog park in Oregon Hill and addressing the various city requirements for such an undertaking.
· A Friends of Oregon Hill Parks has been created to plan park improvements, plantings, and to e investigate a location for a dog park

New Business

4. OHNA elections
· Anyone interested in running?
5. Any other new items?

Bryan Clark Green, President
Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Mike Matthews, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer

Second Pleasants Park Workday This Saturday

Neighborhood volunteers will be hard at work this Saturday and invite others to join them-

Please join Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association and Parks and Rec in overhauling Robert Pleasant’s Park! We will arrive at 9am and work until we finish the remaining two sections of fence in the park. We will also move some pavers to make a designated area for a pollinator section of bushes and native wildflowers (to be planted in the Spring). Refreshments will be provided for breakfast and lunch, as well as plenty of water. Please come dressed appropriately for the weather, with work gloves! If you can bring shovels (flat and trench) that would be helpful!

Please see link here:
https://www.meetup.com/rva-clean-city-sweep/events/297194814/

Two Meetings

Councilperson Stephanie Lynch has highlighted two meetings this week in her 5th District newsletter:

We have two big meeting this week! The first will the virtual Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) tomorrow – Wednesday, November 15 (flyer below).

The second meeting will be the last 5th District Town Hall for the year on Thursday, November 16 at 6pm at Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts (3411 Semmes Ave). We will have DPW Director Bobby Vincent and Police Chief Rick Edwards (flyer below). Please note that we will not have access to the building until 6pm.

Pleasants Park Volunteer Workday This Saturday

From announcement:

Pleasant’s Park makeover! Sign up here! Two shifts! 9am-1pm, 1pm-5pm. Coffee, water, snacks, and lunch provided! Parks and Rec will be there to help! Come out and hang with your neighbors and help make this park shine!

From Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association:

We are partnering with Parks and Rec to host a two day event to revitalize Pleasant’s Park. The first two years of the block party we raised funds for beautification projects in our parks. This is a direct result of that fundraising. Please join us in helping to make this park shine! The link is in our bio to sign up. We will provide food and drinks! Hope you can make it out, Nov 4th & 11th, 9am-1pm and 1pm-5pm.

Contact OHNA through this email address: ohnarva@gmail.com

Why is it called Pleasants Park?

From the Richmond Friends website (click here for link):

Robert Pleasants, who was born at Curles in Henrico County, Virginia in 1723 and died in 1801, was one Virginia’s most noted Quaker abolitionists. As one of the founders of the Virginia Abolition Society in 1790, he served as president. In 1782 he successfully lobbied for the Manumission Act, which, within one decade, was responsible for freeing over ten thousand slaves in Virginia. In 1792 Mr. Pleasants submitted a petition to the U.S. Congress from the Virginia Abolition Society calling for the end of the slave trade. Mr. Pleasants went to court repeatedly to free hundreds of slaves. He wrote to Virginia leaders such as George Washington and Patrick Henry, asking that slavery be abolished.
Several of these documents are contained on this website.

In 1784, two years after manumitting his slaves, Mr. Pleasants founded the Gravelly Hill School, the first school for free blacks in Virginia, and set aside 350 acres of land to maintain the schools. Henrico Parks and Recreation will dedicate a historic maker on the Gravelly Hill Site in 2003.

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association successfully petitioned the Richmond City Council in 2003 to name Pleasants Park at 401 South Laurel Street for Robert Pleasants.

This is history that is not part of the City’s Liberty Trail.

Free Popcorn and…

…a reminder that the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association is holding its Annual Block Party in conjunction with Open High’s Fall Festival this Saturday!

From announcement:

Thanks so much to our friends at Pine St. Baptist for supplying popcorn and snow cones! Later in the evening they will also be screening our annual Block Party sunset movie! This year is CASPER, and they’ll be providing hot dogs, sides, and drinks! Free!!

Oregon Hill/Open High Fall Festival This Coming Saturday

Other than some illegal parking, this past Saturday’s Richmond Folk Festival passed without incident. Thousands of people were able to enjoy music from all over the world just down the Hill.

Now, neighborhood residents and Open High are looking forward to this Saturday. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has combined its neighborhood’s fall celebration with Open High’s Annual Fall Festival (Reminder that the proceeds of this years event will be going toward scholarships for @openhighrva students to study abroad!)

Among vendors and games, t-shirts will be for sale.

And many residents are looking forward to taking part in the raffle…

Save The Date- Oregon Hill Fall Festival on October 21st

Folks who attended the OHNA meeting Zoom call got to hear about planning for this year’s Oregon Hill Fall Festival, scheduled for October 21.

Paraphrasing…
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) is cosponsoring the festival with Open High this year, so it will be on China St. There will still be a movie in the evening over in Pleasants Park (vs the parking lot) with Pine St Baptist.
There will be a few raffles going on.
Money raised will go towards Open High scholarships for students for international educational trips.
There are 3 costume contests at the festival: kids, YA, and adult. There is also a best decorated Halloween house contest. Judging for the house contest takes place before the festival and the winner is announced at the festival. Costume contests are judged at the Festival and winners announced shortly after the judging.

OHNA Meeting Tomorrow Night

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) will be holding its monthly meeting tomorrow night online on Zoom only.

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 26 September 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be held by Zoom, at the link below.

Topic: OHNA Monthly Meeting – September
Time: Sep 26, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
(Editor’s note: Meeting information has been redacted. Please email ohnarva@gmail.com in order to request this information)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney (Nathan Hittle)

Updates:

1. Amphitheater planned for Tredegar Green.
· It is slated to seat 5,000 people and accommodate and additional 2,500 standing, as per our meeting with the developer’s representative. No additional parking is planned.
· When the previous amphitheater plan was proposed, the neighborhood raised questions about hours of operation, noise levels, and parking, none of which were ever answered.
· A meeting was held for Oregon Hill neighbors by the project representatives on Tuesday 13 June at 6pm.
· Preston Lloyd was invited to this meeting, but not confirmed.
· At the end of the meeting, we will have a 30-minute block for discussion of the Amphitheater project.

2. The SUP application has been filed with the City of Richmond for the new building on the site of the demolished of 708 China Street, was passed on the consent agenda at the 11 September Council meeting.
· Two neighbors spoke in opposition; no Council member acknowledged the opposition.

3. An SUP application has been filed with the City of Richmond for 601 ½ South Pine Street.
· The applicant is proposing to divide the parcel and to construct a new, two-story, two-family detached dwelling which will face China Street.
· The applicant had a first meeting with the zoning committee. A presentation and recommendation will be brought to an upcoming OHNA meeting. The item is not yet scheduled for the Planning Commission.

Continued Business

4. Speeding / traffic issues on Idlewood.
· A letter was sent on 25 April 2023 to Councilmember Lynch (as the resolution passed at the 24 April 2023 OHNA meeting) asking for a variety of speed control measures on Idlewood, including speed tables.
· Ask Councilmember Lynch for an update.

5. A volunteer has agreed to head up a committee looking into locations for a dedicated dog park in Oregon Hill and addressing the various city requirements for such an undertaking.
· Any other volunteers?

New Business

6. Fall Festival
· The festival will be on 21 October, 11am to 3pm, at Open High.
· There will be food trucks, print making, activities for kids, a costume contest, etc.
· There will be a sunset movie screening to be held in the evening in Pleasant’s Park.

7. We would like a motion to make donation to All the Saints for $200 to help support the Halloween parade through the neighborhood.

8. Looking for infrastructure walk volunteers.

9. Noise issues from Brown’s Island / neighborhood parties on Saturday night September 16
· It was a very loud night in the neighborhood.
· As a result of Council changing the infraction from a criminal one to a civil one, and the RPD ticket tablets do not contain a category for this, no tickets for noise ordinance violations are being issued. How will this be addressed going forward?

10. Holly Street Playground cleanup
· We will poll attendees of the meeting for potential dates.
· Open High School has offered volunteer time with students needing volunteer hours (to be undertaken during school hours– the playground might be a good opportunity.

11. Any new items?

Amphitheater Discussion
12. Amphitheater discussion. Ideas that have been suggested by neighbors and raised during our June meeting include:
· Regular meeting with neighborhoods and owner/operator to discuss ongoing issues and developments.
· Dedicated number to contact during events in the event of noise issues.
· Five drop-off lanes for Uber *
· Use East entrance *
· Add a bus / shuttle stop for the amphitheater at the East entrance.
· Formal, signed MOUs with parking decks in area for use during events.*
· Events cut off at 10:00pm as does Brown’s Island (6-9:30pm).
· No fireworks, or low-noise fireworks , or drone displays.
· The amphitheater operations could fund, through on-going donations to an Oregon Hill park fund
· The City should fund parking study during first season of events to verify parking performance (collect license plate number, verify where they come from) data collection.
· Ask amphitheater operations to provide tickets to raffle off for neighbors to attend events.
· Reorient the stage to the west, point stage uphill towards Ethyl building.
· Revisit noise ordinance, increase fine for large commercial venues.
· Add trash cans in neighborhood to head off additional litter after events; there are no public trash cans left in the neighborhood.
· Added bus stop / Pulse stop on Belvidere
· Could we request moving along new LED street lights or maybe they’d be interested in helping move the Belvidere mural idea along
· Restrooms – what is plan for public restrooms not just at facility, but around it.
· What is security plan for concert nights?
· Fines for noise ordinance
o In the present form of the noise ordinance fines start at $100.
o Are fines the only consequence of the noise ordinance?
o Is it true that because the Council changed the infraction from a criminal one to a civil one, and the RPD ticket tablets do not contain a category for this, no tickets for noise ordinance violations are being issued?
· Items marked with an asterisk (*) have already been raised by Councilmember Lynch with the project proponents.

Bryan Clark Green, President
Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Mike Matthews, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer

Online Workshop for Identification of Invasive Plants

Blue Ridge PRISM Inc is sponsoring a 2-hour online workshop this Tuesday for identifying invasive plants.

Plants take on different appearances throughout the year. Our October 24 online workshop will provide an introduction to invasive plants and will help you to confidently identify them in the fall and winter.

Cost: $10
Workshop will take place via Zoom.
This virtual session will be recorded. Those who register will receive access to the recording.
Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/721810784487