Monday Night Is Horror Movie Trivia and Wing Night at Mojo’s!

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Scott

Monday March 3rd is Horror Movie Trivia and Wing Night at Mojo’s! 45 cent wings and pitcher specials start at 7. Trivia starts at 8ish. Free to play. prizes each round!

Riverfront Development ‘Community Conversation’ Tuesday

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Scott

V.45.28.229a
Richmond, VA and Its Vicinity engraving
1863

The Valentine Richmond History Center collaborates with Richmond Magazine, TMI Consulting Inc. and the Future of Richmond’s Past to present this year’s Community Conversations series, conceived to engage the community in a dialogue about the region’s past and how that past can positively shape our collective future. Featured are a series of monthly discussions about various Richmond localities, from Shockoe Bottom to the Boulevard. A Richmond Magazine moderator will lead each discussion, illuminating historical and current-day perspectives that shape our understanding and experience of each location.

Riverfront Development with Jack Cooksey
Tuesday, March 4, 6-8 pm
F.W. Sullivan’s Canal Bar & Grill (Plaza Room), 1001 Haxall Point

VCU Drone Warfare Event On Wednesday

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Scott

From the FaceBook event page:

The Arab Student Association at VCU is hosting an event to raise awareness regarding the illegal use of drone strikes still taking place in countries such as Yemen, Pakistan,Somalia etc. We have guest speakers coming to inform you of the reality of these drone strikes that continue to happen until today. It will be in the form of a discussion panel. You all get to engage and ask our guest speakers all the questions you have. Admission is free. The event will be in the Richmond Salons located upstairs in the student commons.

“RVA and Rapid Transit: Where Are We? Where Do We Need to Be?”

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Scott

From Richmond.com:

With an international bicycle race coming to town next year(!), Richmond needs to seriously get to work a bus rapid transit system to make sure all the spectators can get from point A to point B quickly and safely – and hopefully do a lot of dining and shopping while they’re here. – D.W.

GRTC held a public meeting in August 2013 to present a plan for Bus Rapid Transit in the Broad Street corridor. “GRTC and its partners in the plan, including the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, presented the plan for the rapid transit between Rocketts Landing and Willow Lawn and talked about economic and environmental impact studies of the service,” according to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
If BRT ever happened, clearly it won’t be ready in time for the UCI World Cycling Championships in September 2015. I do know that Richmond 2015 is working with regional planners on shuttle services and transportation to move the fans around during the two-week cycling event, but that is not part of the BRT proposal.
“The plan calls for creating a 7.6-mile dedicated bus route from Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn, mostly along Broad Street. For most of the route, the service would operate in a newly created bus-only lane in the middle of Broad Street. It would offer service as frequently as once every five minutes and use on-board technology to control traffic signals at intersections, allowing it to proceed with a minimum number of stops. The service would be in addition to regular local route service,” according to the Times-Dispatch report.
“If constructed as proposed, the new service would decrease travel time for riders by up to 65 percent and increase ridership by more than a third, to about 5,000 passengers a day. It would have 14 stops. The project would cost about $68 million in capital improvements and require about $4 million in annual operating costs. About half the capital costs could be covered by federal grants, with the state and local governments making up the other half.”

Meanwhile, this Thursday, at U of R downtown…

Thursday, February 20, 12:30-1 p.m.
RVA and Rapid Transit: Where Are We? Where Do We Need to Be?
Andrew Terry, Assistant Pastor at Richmond Hill

TAKE 30 is a 30-minute lunchtime series, led by University of Richmond professors and community leaders, to consider questions in the arts, humanities, sciences, business, and law. Each TAKE 30 is free and open to the public.

Monroe Park VCU Sign Removed (Again)

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Scott

This is all that’s left, after all the earlier controversy (see here, here, here, here, and here.

There is speculation that this is in anticipation of more controversy in regard to Monroe Park.

City Council’s Land Use Committee will hear the presentation for the proposed Monroe Park lease on Tuesday, in Council chambers in City Hall at 3PM.

Since the proposed Monroe Park lease is for more than 5 years, according to City code, it must be advertised for bids 2 weeks before going to City Council for vote. It is scheduled for Council on February 24 yet no ads have been out. A FOIA request by a neighbor revealed the ads would run on Feb 27, 3 days after it was scheduled for a vote. It’s unclear how this will be resolved.

The 5th district meeting that was cancelled on Feb. 12 due to inclement weather has been rescheduled for Feb 20th. The proposed Monroe Park lease plan will be presented then- 6:30 at the Byrd Park roundhouse.

Tonight’s Meetings Cancelled Due to Impending Snowstorm

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Scott

From Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s office:

Dear Neighbors:

Due to the predicted weather forecast for tonight our 5th District meeting will be CANCELLED tonight. It is rescheduled for Thursday, February 20th at 6:30 p.m. at Byrd Park Roundhouse. The meeting will serve as an update on several ongoing projects within the 5th district including: an update on Richmond Public Schools from Mamie Taylor, a city stadium update, a Monroe Park discussion and an open discussion on the Shockoe Bottom Revitalization Plan. Please join us to discuss these very important issues.

Also, the MPACT meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 13th will be rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19th at 6:00 p.m. at Byrd Park Roundhouse. The Mayor’s Participation Action Communication Team (MPACT) will be meeting with representatives from code enforcement to discuss resident responsibilities in maintaining your property and alleys. They will also be sharing information on the city right of ways and easements. The Department of Public Works will also be in attendance to discuss alleyway maintenance and paving schedules. If you have any questions regarding the MPACT meetings please call Zane Robinson at 804-646-0275.

Across much of Central Virginia, total snow accumulations of 6-12 inches are most likely, while some mixed precipitation will keep amounts lower toward the east. Winds on Thursday will become 10-20 mph during the day. Additional light snow will be possible later Friday into Saturday and again on Sunday. This heavy, wet snow could knock trees and limbs into power lines and create outages. Plans and preparations are underway with the City of Richmond and Dominion Virginia Power crews are ready to respond. Please stay away from fallen wires and debris. Treat all fallen wires and anything touching them as though they are energized.

Dominion customers can use a computer or any mobile device to report power outages via the company’s website, www.dom.com. Customers also can call toll free 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to report outages or downed lines.

Sincerely,

Ida Jones
5th District Liaison

Upcoming Meetings

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Scott

On Monday, February 10th, City Council will meet. Venture Richmond’s proposed tax exemption for its Tredegar Green property is supposed to be on the agenda.

On Wednesday, February 12, Councilperson Parker Agelasto will hold a 5th District meeting.

From announcement:

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) – The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council Central 5th Voter District will hold a district-wide meeting in the Richmond Central 5th Voter District. This is part of regular meetings he holds, which include information on his Richmond Central 5th Voter District goals and accomplishments; a thematic agenda of current interest; and, special guests. This meeting is free and open to the public and all Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents are invited and encouraged to attend.
The planned agenda/discussion topics for the upcoming meeting include:
· Richmond Public Schools Update
The Honorable Mamie L. Taylor, Trustee, Richmond Public Schools Board of Trustees Central 5th Voter District
· Monroe Park Discussion
Ms. Alice Massie, President, Monroe Park Conversancy
· Updates: The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council Central 5th Voter District
– Richmond City Stadium
– Mayor’s Economic Development Plan for Shockoe Bottom and the Boulevard
· Questions, comments, ideas, suggestions and concerns

WHEN Wednesday, February 12, 2014; 6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE Richmond Department of Parks Recreation and Community Facilities Byrd Park Round House
600 S. Boulevard; Richmond, Virginia

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, The Public Forum on the Richmond Riverfront Plan and updates on projects such as Brown’s Island Dam Walk and Chapel Island Trail will be held, 7:00 pm at the Virginia War Memorial. This is after being snowed-out last month.

RiverfrontFeb18PublicMeeting

J.E.B. Stuart Ceremony Will Include Gunfire

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Scott

From Hollywood Cemetery management:

We are having a ceremony on 2/8/2014 for JEB Stuart at Noon and believe there will be rifle volley and/or cannon fire. We wanted to let you know so the neighborhood can be notified of the plans.

From Wikipedia entry on JEB Stuart:

Although he enjoyed the civil engineering curriculum at the academy (West Point) and did well in mathematics, his poor drawing skills hampered his engineering studies, and he finished 29th in that discipline. A Stuart family tradition says he deliberately degraded his academic performance in his final year to avoid service in the elite, but dull, Corps of Engineers.

Community Discussions On Monroe Park and Idlewood Traffic Tomorrow Evening

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Scott

If you didn’t catch Friday’s Open Source RVA on 97.3 FM and http://wrir.org/, check out the podcast! Oregon Hill neighbor Charles Woodson of the Monroe Park Advisory Council talks about a controversial lease agreement that would give Richmond’s oldest park over to a private conservancy.

This should be required listening prior to attending the “Community Conversation” happening tomorrow evening at 6 pm at the Nile.

Join us as we collaborate with Richmond Magazine, TMI Consulting Inc., the Future of Richmond’s Past and local restaurants to offer our next series of “Community Conversations.” Each month we will discuss a locale in the city spanning from Shockoe Bottom to the Boulevard. Attendees will participate in a discussion with Harry Kollatz, Jr., senior writer with Richmond Magazine and author of two books on Richmond history: Richmond Ragtime and True Richmond Stories, who will facilitate a conversation on the significant events and changes that have occured in Monroe Park over time. By the end of the evening attendees will have a comprehensive view of the history of Monroe Park and how it has become the locality that we see today.

I know some neighbors will be missing this due to a conflicting meeting about the Idlewood roundabout project at the Randolph Community Center.

From Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s newsletter:

At 7:30 pm, the City’s Traffic Engineer, Tom Flynn, along with consultants from Kimley-Horn and Associates will meet with a task force of Randolph and Oregon Hill residents to discuss the problems and solutions in crafting a design for the a proposed roundabout along Idlewood Avenue.

The proposed roundabout has been a recommendation of the City Traffic Engineer with the City for about 10 years and was codified in the long-range Richmond Connects Multimodal Transportation Plan. In 2012, this had a series of public work sessions to make recommendations and included several modifications in March 2013 before being finalized in July 2013. The complete document is available at www.yesrichmondva.com/sites/default/files/documents/RichmondConnects.pdf.

The roundabout project was spearheaded by a coalition from Oregon Hill, William Byrd Community House, Byrd House Market, St. Andrew’s School, St. Andrew’s Church, and VCU. Due to the nature of the Downtown Expressway exit ramp and the traffic intersection at S. Cherry Street, this section of Idlewood Avenue is dangerous and poses a safety concern. VCU offered to contribute half of the cost of the project if the City contributed the remainder. These funds are currently in the budget and the City leveraged its share to receive matching funds from the State (meaning the City’s cost is only 1/4 of the entire project). That said, the concept is fully funded and a consultant has been hired to begin the design process with public input.

Renegade Market Invites You (Tuesday)