Category Archives: community

Traffic Pattern Changes, Street Closings
for Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K

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From Richmond Police Department Press Release:

The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The 10K events begin 8 a.m. Saturday, March 28, with the First Market Mile Kids Run. The first wave of the 10K steps off 8:30 a.m. near Broad and Harrison streets. The 10K’s finish line is on Franklin Street next to Monroe Park.

Logistics of the 10K will require numerous street closings and traffic pattern changes throughout the city. Following are the Richmond Police closings and changes scheduled from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday:

Broad Street from Belvidere Street to Lombardy Street will be closed from 5 a.m. to noon. The recommended detour for westbound traffic on Broad is right on Belvidere, left on Leigh Street and left on Allen Avenue. The recommended detour for eastbound traffic on Broad is left on Allen, right on Leigh and right on Belividere.
Laurel Street will be closed from Main to Grace streets from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Franklin Street will be closed from Shafer to Belvidere streets from 5 a.m. to 
2 p.m. and from Lombardy to Shafer from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
Lombardy Street will be closed from Broad to Park Avenue from 7:30 to 11 a.m.
Grace Street will be closed from Belvidere to Allen from 7:45 to 11 a.m.
Monument Avenue and Franklin Street will be closed from Staples Mill Road to Stuart Circle (Lombardy Street) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The recommended detour for eastbound traffic is left on Staples Mill, right on Broad, left on Allen, right on Leigh and right on Belvidere. The recommended detour for westbound traffic is right on Belvidere, left on Leigh, left on Allen and right on Broad.
The Boulevard will be closed at Monument Avenue from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The recommended detour for northbound traffic is left on Park Avenue, right on Thompson Street to I-195. The recommended detour for southbound traffic is right on Grace Street, right on Thompson Street, left on Broad Street, left on Hamilton Street to I-195.
Park Avenue will be close from Cherry Street to Lombardy from 7:45 to 8:15 a.m.

There will be many street closings for all north and south streets intersecting Monument Avenue and Franklin Street from Staples Mill Road to Belvidere Street. Motorists are strongly encouraged to use I-95 and I-195 to travel around the city.

In addition to the street closings, parking will be prohibited prior to and during the 10K on the following streets:

3 p.m. Friday, March 27, to noon Saturday
Both sides of Broad Street from Belvidere to Lombardy
Both sides of Franklin Street from Belvidere to Shafer
Both sides of Laurel Street from Grace to Cathedral

5 a.m. to noon Saturday
Both sides of Monument Avenue from Stuart Circle to Staples Mill
Both sides of Franklin Street from Stuart Circle to Shafer
Both sides of Laurel Street from Cathedral to Main
Both sides of Park Avenue from Harrison to Linden
Both sides of Lombardy from Park to Monument

5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
Both sides of Chantilly Street from Monument to Monumental
Both sides of Kent Street from Wythe to Monument

In addition, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Lombardy from Broad to Stuart Circle from 5 to 10 a.m. Saturday and both sides of Grace from Belvidere to Allen from 5 to 10:30 a.m.

Richmond Police reminds all 10K event participants and attendees to take advantage of parking in the decks near the start and finish lines and to not leave any items that may tempt would-be thieves in plain view in your vehicle, regardless of where you park.

Edict: Oregon Hill To Participate In Earth Hour

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As King, at tonight’s Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting, I will be commanding my subjects to take part in Earth Hour 2009.

voteearth

I also demand, yet again, that Dominion Power completely turn off the lights in its trading floor at the foot of Oregon Hill so that neighbors can enjoy more of the night view of the river and sky.

Of course, I also ask VCU, the City of Richmond, and other entities to also take part.

“Musical Free-for-All” at Main Library

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Saturday, March 28th

Musical Activities: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Richmond Symphony Concert: 4 p.m.

Richmond Public MAIN Library

101 East Franklin Street (Downtown)

The Richmond Symphony is partnering with the Richmond Public Library to present a free day of youth oriented musical activities, performances and classes culminating in a free Richmond Symphony Community Concert

Free performances also by:

Richmond Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion, the Happy Lucky Combo

Plus great free activities, such as:

• An “Instrument Petting Zoo” for all ages

• Have your head-shot picture taken playing a musical instrument

• Musical demonstrations and youth performances

• Storytelling & Art Activities

• Youth Computer Composition Classes

• Instrument care & tuning sessions

• Suzuki Violin Classes – Violins provided!

For details, visit www.richmondsymphony.com

Day’s activities sponsored in part by Friends of the Richmond Public Library – celebrating its 50th anniversary!

Storyteller Anndrena Belcher at WBCH

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Storyteller, singer, songwriter, dancer, and oral history performer
Anndrena Belcher
Discover Your Own Story!
Using folk tales, personal story, songs, poetry, and original writing and movement in a way that reflects both her eastern Kentucky, coalfields roots, and her “multi-ethnic, port of entry, Uptown, Chicago” migration experience, Ms. Belcher reveals how “everybody has a story that counts in the making of history.” Anndrena’s workshops focus on finding the pieces of the story puzzle using traditional games, rhythms, songs, a and most important of all, acknowledging the treasure each and every one of us possess, the “living memory”. Come ready to play. There is no way to make a mistake in this workshop.
Saturday, March 14
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
William Byrd Community House
224 South Cherry Street
Richmond, VA 23220

Historian Studs Terkel calls Anndrena Belcher “a national treasure,” so don’t miss this opportunity to meet her in person, see her perform, and learn!

The workshop is free to the public and will fill up fast.
To RSVP your spot, call (804) 643-2717 or email librarian@wbch.org
This workshop is sponsored by
William Byrd Community House, Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and Chicago’s Uptown People’s Law Center Oral History Project.

“Street Beat” (Traffic Along Cherry and Idlewood)

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It would almost be funny if it was not so damn sad.

As VCU has continued to bulldoze and expand into the neighborhood despite protest, Oregon Hill residents warned VCU and City officials that increasing commuter traffic was becoming more and more of a concern on Cherry and Idlewood. And its not just VCU, more riverfront development such as the Dominion trading floor and MeadWestVaco has put a lot of strain on Idlewood, where VCU and young St. Andrew’s students walk.

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association even championed a plan to create a traffic circle on Idlewood near Hollywood Cemetery that would slow down traffic coming of the Expressway and allow it to have a choice between east or west. It would make it safer and easier for Oregon Hill residents (yes, remember us?) and commuters alike. VCU President Trani ‘promised’ to contribute to this plan.

But, nothing has happened with it. And we continue to see stuff like this, in columns like this Sunday’s Times Dispatch’s Street Beat, that only partly answer questions:

Q:I frequently drive through Virginia Commonwealth University by way of Oregon Hill. There is a light at the intersection of Cherry and Main streets — where you can go only left or straight. When school is in session, it is hard to make a left turn because of all the pedestrian traffic. I often have to wait through several light cycles to get through. Please see if they will consider putting a left-turn signal for people turning left to Main from Cherry. — A reader

Answer: Sometimes you can’t catch a break.

Here is what Jemila M. Woodson of the Department of Public Works said about this intersection:

“Pedestrians crossing West Main Street at this intersection are crossing simultaneously with northbound traffic on Cherry Street.” Therefore, an additional traffic phase to accommodate Cherry Street traffic would not improve traffic flow and would increase delays for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, she said.

“To improve pedestrian safety at this intersection, crews will install a ‘Turning Traffic Must Yield To Pedestrians’ sign for northbound traffic turning left on Cherry Street. They will also repaint the faded pedestrian crosswalk. These improvements will be completed within 30 days.”