Announcement:
Hello everyone
Just a reminder that OHNA will be holding its monthly meeting tonight, Tuesday, June 28th, at 7 PM at WBCH.
Hope to see everyone there
Jennifer
Reminder: Tomorrow morning is the scheduled date for the City’s trash and recycling pickup.
In regard to Issue #1, at a meeting last week between the Virginia Commonwealth University administration and Monroe Park campus community and neighborhood leaders, VCU President Michael Rao dismissed calls for lasting compacts for the university’s physical expansion and instead suggested that input be given in the next VCU Master Plan process.
The problems with that are numerous:
Oregon Hill residents in particular have no reason to trust VCU’s Master Plan process, simply because VCU now has a history of abruptly changing it’s Master Plan at any point to serve its own purposes. Add VCU’s assumed powers and history of encroachment on top of that, and there is even more reason for nearby neighborhoods to feel threatened. There’s no “community partnership” in that!
Another reason to look askance at the VCU Master Plan process is that Richmond in general has always discounted any citizen input into planning, including it’s own Downtown Master Plan. This city has a bad history of patrician rule that is not above playing racial politics with whole neighborhoods. It’s again worth noting that the initial draft of the City’s Downtown Master Plan asks for more protection of Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
One thing that I conveyed to President Rao was how the administration’s willingness to disregard community concerns about VCU encroachment in turn fosters a disrespectful attitude from some VCU students and boosters. And it’s not just Oregon Hill that bears the brunt of this arrogance, especially in discussions over possible football stadium locations.
In the end, the VCU Public Relations Department can keep acquiring awards, but until the VCU administration takes the positive step of making a lasting, reliable border agreement with its neighbors who have been asking for one for years, then there can be no true “community partnership”. The thirty+ year siege of Oregon Hill continues.
From announcement:
June 28 will be the 3rd Byrd House Market day that EBT purchases are possible for our shoppers received SNAP benefits – thanks to a Federal grant through Va Dept Social Services. The first day, $4 in EBT sales were made and last week $47! An exponential increase! We knew this was a good idea. So spread the word. Better food for all, Better business for our food producers. Win. WinWin.
Our featured vendors this week? ALL of them! and Bill & Joyce Heath (in photo there)
Appearing in this week’s rotation: You! and the Richmond Public Library and Triple Stamp Press
Bernie’s Baked Goods returns for the summer.
Storyteller: Richmond Public Library brings books! (and voice)
Frank deAlto plays and sings under the Mulberry Tree, sharing the shady venue with Thea and/or Nadine on violin
Visitors: You! and Project Burning Bush Summer Institute
Coming soon:
July 5: First Tuesday Wine Down with Byrd Cellars
July 12: St. Andrew’s Church returns with their special canned yummies…
July 16: Cooking as a 2nd Language: Holiday Jewish Cuisine – What’s it All Mean? (and how to make it!) with Rabbi Andrew GoodmanKeep up with the good stuff!
ByrdHouseMarket.blogspot.com
and
EatGoodGrowGreat.blogspot.com
From announcement:
There will be a celebration today for Reverend Philip Turner’s 20th. anniversary at Pine St. Baptist Church. There will be a program and reception to follow at 4pm at 400 Pine St. at the church. All are invited and child care is available.
(Ed.’s note- I apologize for the late post, though I did forward to the neighborhood Yahoo email list as soon as I received notice. Rev. Turner deserves much thanks for everything he does for the community.)
I have posted Oregon Hill t-shirts before, but I thought I would bring some attention to more recent fashion forays-
I still have a Mamma Zu’s t-shirt, and now Pescados China Street is hosting a t-shirt design contest.
“pescados china street t shirt design contest” ~ we are having a t shirt design contest for our restaurant t shirt ~ seeking something cool, fresh, maybe caribbean inspired or fishy, but certainly unique. all things considered ~ if your design is the winner & used on our shirts, you score a $500 pescados china street gift card ~ winner must provide camera ready artwork ~ bob@pescadoschinstreet.com
I will also remind you that the Oregon Hill Zazzle online store features all types of apparel, and due to material cost increases, prices may go up this next week, so order now. Take advantage of their sale.
Announcement from Nancy Stutts of ConnectRichmond:
All –
I’d like to thank our board, Connect members, donors, colleagues and
community partners for supporting ConnectNetwork’s mission to build stronger
local communities over the past 10 years. Some of you were there when we met
in Ebenezer Baptist Church in 2000, when many nonprofits did not even have
email addresses, to invent what became known as ConnectRichmond and later,
ConnectRappahannock and ConnectSouthside. The Network will close its doors
at the end of June; however, the three local networks will continue to serve
their communities and are currently in the process of rebuilding their
technology platforms (see contacts below for questions).It’s been a privilege to work with you and the many volunteers, staff and
students who worked to build the first social network for good. I am
especially grateful to the donors who took a chance on me, my poster board
of circles that represented the Connect vision and what was then a pretty
radical idea for a Web-based community for information and knowledge to
promote civic action. I thank the Network communities who have driven our
work and the academic institutions that have housed and supported the vision
of a web-based portal: the University of Richmond (the original host) and,
for the last five years, Virginia Commonwealth University.Though we will no longer staff ConnectNetwork, Liana Kleeman and I will
continue to work in the community through the Wilder School at VCU. I will
serve as Interim Chair for the Master in Public Administration Program,
teach and continue research and Liana will continue our recent work
exploring the local digital divide and digital equity, an issue that emerged
as a key local concern in Richmond’s 2010 Community Summit and was recently
declared a human rights issue by the United Nations. In the last several
months, we have worked with VCU MPA students, a UR Business School class and
those of you in the trenches overcoming inadequate access to information and
knowledge for many in our community.We hope you will join us for a meeting in conjunction with this work on June
30, from 3:30-5:00 PM, at Richmond Public Library’s main branch to review
what we know about the digital divide in the Richmond region and learn from
those in attendance where the community might go from here. Thank you to the
many individuals who have taken surveys and attended meetings; per your
suggestions to map local assets, we have completed a preliminary map of
computer/Internet access centers in the Richmond region:
http://bit.ly/iD6kFZ If we are missing locations, please email us and we
will add your information.
from the event’s FaceBook page:
Lunch from 11:30 – 2:00
Dinner from 5:00 – closingPescados China Street will be donating fifteen per cent (15%) of the day’s take on June 27th to “Team Pain Cave” (John Hauserman, Danny Royce and Travis Deckert) to help fundraising efforts for Connor’s Heroes Foundation (www.connorsheroes.com). Come out for lunch or dinner (or both!!) and support the cause. The more that come out to eat and drink throughout the day, the more we can raise!
Connor’s Heroes Foundation is a group of volunteers, parents of children with cancer, and other caring individuals and companies who want to conquer childhood cancer through direct assistance, awareness, and research. They strive to help others be heroes in the lives of children with cancer and their families. Currently, they provide assistance to children and their families who are being treated for cancer in Richmond, Virginia at the Children’s Medical Center of VCU Health System, including the ASK Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic and the VCU Massey Cancer Center Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
With your support on June 27th, you can join us in the “pain cave” as we train for Ironman Louisville and log mega-miles of swimming, biking and running for this great cause. Your support for this wonderful organization will make training all the more meaningful for us and most importantly, will make a difference in the lives of many families dealing with childhood cancer.
We still have a long way to go with fundraising efforts…please forward this to all your friends and family! We look forward to seeing you on June 27th!
From announcement:
No Chocolate and no Greenhouse Bus this week, but we have the 3rd Tuesday Acoustic Jam with Sunny Gardener and maybe Thea or Nadine…and besides the fruit and vegetable and garden plant offerings are getting lusher every week. TOMATOES are beginning to crop up, the tipping point approaches. The KIDS last day of school is TODAY! What will they do? Come to the market with you! Make dinner once a week with good stuff from Byrd House Market, eh?
Last Saturday’s Cooking as a 2nd Language class was fantastic! Raidah conducted her students like an orchestra leader and we were seated and eating in record time. Oh, it smelled so good in the WBCH lobby – you had to be there. Recipes and photos will be posted this week. Next class is July 16 (3rd Saturday) – Traditional Holiday Jewish Dishes with Rabbi Andrew Goodman.
Here’s a fun site: Useful Weeds
See you at the market!
Its been a little over two months since the “Mayor’s Walkthrough”. During that event, I handed each member of City staff and the Mayor a sheet of paper with a list of what I considered the top ten issues for Oregon Hill, in order of priority and importance. I should emphasize that this list represents my personal opinion, though I did present and discuss it at last month’s Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting.
3. Keep R7 zoning except where urban business (old storefronts) makes sense.
4. Where is the new canal bridge? Note: OHNA raised almost half a million in grant money for greenway.
7. Brick sidewalk repairs (Notice how this area, which is in Oregon Hill, is marked as VCU!)
8. Empty tree wells need filling
9. public trash/recycling cans needed on corners- the Fan has them, why not Oregon Hill?
10. Look at 4 way stop signs for some intersections to slow down commuters speeding on Laurel, trying to beat Belvidere lights.
Again, this list is not exhaustive. There are other issues that compete for the top slots. You will notice that I did not mention some of the more controversial ideas of parking permits/tags or going for City Historic District status (Oregon Hill already has federal/state recognition).
You will also note that none of my priorities target any particular residence or deal with property code violations. Although I understand the fear that my lobbying here brings in the CIty inspectors, I refute any insinuation that it is my intention, and I share the concern that officious action may be in retribution for publicizing issues). Please feel free to list some of your ideas in the comments below.
In the next few weeks I will be focusing on each of these issues more and hopefully have news of progress. THE top issue, a permanent land use written accord with VCU, may get an update as soon as this next week since VCU President Michael Rao has asked for neighborhood leaders to come to a “Monroe Park Campus Advisory Council” (not to be confused with MPAC, Monroe Park Advisory Council) meeting this Tuesday. I know OHNA leaders plan to attend.
From the event’s FaceBook page:
Stop by Pescados China Street after 5pm on June 20, 2011 and help us celebrate SCAN’s work to protect area children! 15% of all dinner and drink purchases will be donated to SCAN to help continue our vital child abuse prevention and treatment services in Richmond. Pescados China Street is located at 626 China Street, Richmond, VA.