Category Archives: community

William “Bill” Berry

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For many years Berry was the Director of the Oregon Hill Baptist Center.

A neighbor wrote of Mr. Berry: “He was loved by so many on OH .
He was a cultivator of flowers and friends – he tended to us all . A good apple pie maker. A gentle man that loved the Lord ”

Excerpt from his obituary:

BERRY, Willie “Bill” A. Jr., died peacefully Monday, January 21, 2013 at the age of 94 in his home at Westminster Canterbury. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Evelyn Phillips Berry; children, Bill Berry III (Kathy) of Richmond, Va., and Ellen Looper (Marshall) of Aiken, S.C.; grandchildren, Micah (Mary-Catherine) and Amber Berry, Sarah and Matthew Looper; sisters, Lucille Whitt and Gertrude Stanfield; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Bill was born on September 28, 1918 in Person County, N.C., where he grew up with his nine brothers and sisiters, and his parents, Willie A. Berry Sr. and Fannie Hall Berry. He was a WWII veteran and attended Wake Forest University and Southwestern Seminary. His ministry career in Richmond included serving the staffs of Tabernacle and Pine Street Baptist Churches, and as Director of the Oregon Hill Baptist Center.

Scoop that Poop!

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Sorry to keep bringing this topic up, but it needs to be heeded. From the James River Association’s blog:

by Amber Ellis, JRA’s Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

If you have a dog, then you have a chance every day to take a simple action that will help keep our streams and the James River safe from harmful bacteria. It’s easy…scoop the poop!

Some people think pet waste is natural, so just leave it to fertilize their lawn. Well, it is “natural”, but so is human poop and over the years we have created waste water treatment plants and septic systems to manage it safely.

Over 9,000 miles of our rivers and streams in Virginia are impaired due to bacteria. Pet waste is not the only culprit, but it makes up a big chunk of it and it is something that pet owners can do something about. Other sources of bacteria are agricultural runoff, leaking sanitary and storm sewers, and urban runoff.

Pet waste carries bacteria, such as E. Coli, that is washed into our waterways during rain or snow storms. Even if you cannot see a waterway from your house, that stormwater runoff flows into storm drains where it is then discharged directly into a natural body of water carrying all of that bacteria that it picked up along the way with it. Yuck!

So it’s simple… when you let your dog out to do his or her business, follow these 3 steps. 1) Take a bag with you, 2) use the bag to pick up the waste, and 3) toss it in the trash! This is one of the easiest things that we can all do to help out our waterways.

Keep in mind the City is increasing the fines for not doing this as well.

More Bang For Your Euro

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Richmond Hostel is presenting another event at the Main Street Library this Saturday at 3 pm. From Facebook page:

Learn about travel with the Vicarious Travelers series, a free event with refreshments, hosted by the Richmond Hostel Committee friends and volunteers.

Jan. 19 – Budget Travel: More Bang for Your Euro

These lectures are an opportunity to learn about customs and cultures around the world.

CAPS Meeting Still Happening Tonight

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From email:

Good afternoon everyone,

There have been several questions regarding the status of tonight’s CAPS meeting at Linwood Holton. To clarify, the CAPS meeting will go forward as planned, regardless of weather, or the cancellation of after school programs, at 6 pm. If you feel you can’t make it, feel free to call me, or forward me your issues.

Hope to see you there,

Matthew Toner
4th Precinct MPACT Coordinator
City of Richmond
(804) 646-1062
matthew.toner at richmondgov.com

New Parking Meters On W. Cary and Main

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From a neighbor:

Didn’t know if you’ve seen them yet, but there are now central pay to park kiosks on the 900 blocks, both sides, of main and Cary streets. They sure snuck those in over Christmas break. Students have never had to pay before. Will this drive vcu commuters deeper into Oregon Hill and shouldn’t the revenue benefit our neighborhood?

Of course, a more positive outlook might be that these new parking fees will finally drive VCU students out of their cars altogether, which is something that the City’s former director of the Department of Planning and Development Review, Rachel Flynn, often suggested as a goal in order to relieve overall congestion and pollution.

Let the commenting begin….

Rose Planning

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From Heartwood Roses, a small farm rose nursery from the Fredericksburg area:

The next big project for Hartwood Roses, since I don’t actually sell roses anymore, will be coordinating the renovation and maintenance of the historic rose collection at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. I am super excited about being involved with this! Hollywood Cemetery is one of my favorite places, and the roses that grow there are a treasure.

The first step has been to make a map of the current roses. This is being done by the Grounds Foreman. Next step is to use the map to assess the condition of each rose and make a plan for its maintenance/rejuvenation. This plan will lead to a volunteer work day this spring.

I’m also hunting for anyone who has volunteered or has knowledge of the roses at Hollywood, to create an on site archive of the work that has been done there in the past.

This new project fits perfectly with Hartwood Roses’ initial mission … to promote and preserve, and to educate people about, old garden roses … especially those that are rare and/or endangered.

Once we get a plan in place, and set the date for a work day, a call for volunteers is sure to follow.

(the photo is the beautiful and uber-historic ‘Crenshaw Musk Rose’.)

Renegade Market Today With BikesGoGreen.com

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From Byrd House Market FaceBook page:

Greetings all. Renegade Market will be open on Tuesday, January 8, normal hours of 3pm to 6pm. Byrd Farm will be on vacation. Faith Farm will be present as will Tomten Farm. Check back to see if others will join them for this open air, all temperature, venture!

Also, BikesGoGreen.com will be there today. Come test ride an electric assist bicycle.

Dorothy Jenkins

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Dorothy Jenkins, wife of Earl Jenkins (deceased Oregon Hill historian), died this past Thursday night. She and her husband were well known for their activism in defense of Oregon Hill and are regarded as real heroes for our neighborhood.

According to her obituary, the funeral ceremony will be held 1 p.m. Monday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, where she was a longtime member. Interment Hollywood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 236 S. Laurel St., Richmond, Va. 23220.

Victory Rug SUP at Planning Commission on Monday

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From email:

Please come and register your opposition to the Victory Rug Special Use Permit before the Planning Commission this Monday, Jan. 7 at 1:30 pm on the 5th Floor of City Hall. We thought that we had an agreement, but unfortunately the developer has been unwilling to confirm any agreement so we will need to be present in opposition to the SUP. As it stands now the developer is proposing a 24 bedroom development, in 12 apartments and one townhouse, with only 8 off-street parking spaces.

More background here, here, and here.