Wednesday Volunteers

Posted on August 17, 2016 by Scott

A volunteer cleanup effort took place this Wednesday morning, spreading over parts of Oregon Hill, Monroe Park, and Randolph. Graffiti removal/cover up and litter pick up were part of the tasks.

VCU students made a big part of the volunteer workforce. Here’s a photo of some of them on S. Laurel Street.

Amy Robins, Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s liaison, helped coordinate some donated gravel that volunteers spread in the 300 block alley between S. Laurel and S. Pine. Much thanks to the Luck Stone corporation‘s Rockville office for their generosity.

Oregon Hill’s alleys overall are still a mess (could use about 25 more truckloads and a good grader) and, of course, other neighborhoods need attention as well, but with the City strapped for cash, volunteers and donations are very much appreciated.

Community Emergency Response Team Training Offered by the Office of Emergency Management

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Scott

From announcement:

CERT Basic Recruit Training is a FREE 20 hour course taught over three days.The CERT program educates citizens about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and train them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. The last course for this year is:
Saturday, Aug. 13th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 20th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 27th from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
*You must attend ALL 3 days of training to receive certification!*

Richmond residents can register to receive free training in basic survival skills during an emergency.

Sign up here: http://www.richmondgov.com/fire/documents/CERT2016RegistrationForm.pdf

For more information, please email askemergencymgmt@richmondgov.com or call (804)646-2504.

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Reminder: PLEASE MOVE YOUR CARS For Street Cleaning

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Scott

It’s a street cleaning week.

From a neighbor:

***PLEASE MOVE YOUR CARS*** On One Block Alone, I See 13 Cars About to Get Towed. Please TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS to move their cars. Street Cleaning begins today (Monday 8/1). (The illegally parked cars are residents, not commuters).

Also, Cherry Street neighbor Jimmy Blackford requests help-

Who’d Like to Help Me Augment the City Street Sweepers this Monday & Tuesday Morning? . . . Great opportunity to sweep the dead vegetation off the sidewalks & scrape the grass from around the storm drains (thus preventing thunderstorm drainage backups). Plus other tasks you might recommend. . . . . I’ll try to start @ 8:30 or 9:30 am each day. I have some heavy duty scrapers, shovels, rakes & push brooms, but could use more. . . . You may not be joining those mornings. Still, before the sweepers come along, I ask you to sweep the sidewalk in front of your homes (and beyond???). . . . . . Message me at prairiegates@hotmail.com.

5th District Meeting This Thursday

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Scott

Fire and Safety Bulletin

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Scott

FLSB August 2016 FLSB August 2016 p2

Street Cleaning This Week

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Scott

Look for the signs!

Robbery In Monroe Park Raises Concerns

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Scott

From VCU Alert:

On July 19th, at 01:52 hours, a robbery was reported to the Richmond and VCU Police Departments as having occurred in Monroe Park.

Brief description of how the crime took place: The victim was in Monroe Park playing “Pokemon Go” with a friend when approached by two men. A brief conversation ensued which ended in one of the men grabbing the cell phone from the victim and fleeing eastbound on Main Street. The Richmond Police Department is classifying the crime as a Grand Larceny.

Suspects:

Suspect #1: Dark-skinned male, approximately 6’ tall, wearing a blue shirt, blue pants and a white bandana with a stripe on it.

Suspect #2: Dark-skinned male, approximately 6’ tall, wearing a dark-colored shirt.

Cherry Street neighbor Todd Woodson fired more questions towards City leadership and the Monroe Park Conservancy about broken lighting, police presence, and overall liability for the park. He again asked for an update from the Conservancy on the state of their fundraising for renovation.

In addition, requests have been made from this community news site to 2nd District City Council candidates for statements about their thoughts on Monroe Park and what they would do if elected to Council.

Another Editorial From Goldman On Utility Reform

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Scott

Paul Goldman has yet another Washington Post editorial that follows up on the long-running water utility reform campaign by neighborhood residents. In this one, he gets down to numbers and compares to food tax.

From editorial:

The food tax bill is now about $80 dollars a year for the average low-income family – and it’s still considered too high by such groups as the NAACP and Democratic liberals. We agree.

But in Richmond, the average poor family is paying $150 to $200 a year for regressive, non-existent taxes embedded within their utility bills.

City leaders, aware of these facts, refuse to take action.

…
Based on Richmond’s new budget, DPU will likely collect between about $30 million of such revenue. Of that, roughly $7 million will be fleeced from the poor.

And again, the real question is how will Council and Mayoral candidates acknowledge and confront this and other financial issues?

Brick Sidewalk Work Celebrated

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Scott

Many neighbors along S. Laurel Street are very excited and appreciative about the brick sidewalk work that is being done.

Neighbor Kathy Talley had this to day:

I am especially pleased at how the handicapped accessible corners were done at Laurel and Spring: as much brick as possible was preserved. It is a huge improvement over what was done at Pine and Spring a couple of years ago: just using all concrete. The new method should become the city standard.