Category Archives: government

Monroe Park Concerns Continue

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From neighbor Todd Woodson:

Ive just been informed there is a “site redesign” from the Monroe Park master plan. It is a substructure in front of the Altria theatre to accomodate the tent that goes up on occasion for corporate events. Ive seen nothing in the planning commission schedule about a hearing and believe it may be an end run. My understanding also is that VCU will be more involved in the day to day management of the park than the conservancy. VCU advocated about ten years ago for cutting down most of the old growth trees in the park. I dont like where all of this is heading and I say the park belongs to the people.

Washington Post: Richmond is ripping off its residents

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Thankfully, Norman Leahy and Paul Goldman pick up on Oregon Hill residents’ long-running campaign for utility reform.

Will we see responses from Mayoral candidates?

From their Washington Post column:

The government in Virginia’s capital, Richmond, has a dirty little secret: It uses a little-known city charter provision to rip off poor residents by adding a phony, non-existent “tax” — including a bogus federal “tax” charge — to their water and certain other utility bills.

Over the years, this unconscionable rip-off has totaled many hundreds of millions of dollars. It stems from a Jim Crow-era state law added to Richmond’s charter at the request of city leaders.

Richmond BikeShare ‘B’ Coming To Oregon Hill?

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From Times Dispatch article:

Trimmed in yellow and black, with a honeycomb motif, the bike unveiled Wednesday at a news conference by Dotson, Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Jakob Helmboldt, the city’s pedestrian, bicycle and trails coordinator, will be among 220 installed at up to 22 docking stations, called hives, starting this fall.
Bike-share systems allow users to check out a bike from one location and return it elsewhere for a fee, filling gaps between trips that are too far to walk but too short for driving, as well as to extend the reach for public transit.
“What we want the B to do is to be used by everyday people for everyday things,” the mayor said. “We want people to use it for working, playing and just an alternative transportation opportunity. … Biking’s just fun, so we encourage all of our citizens to become a part of the biking community and use the B.”
Today, the city’s Urban Design Committee takes up the proposed location and design of the first phase of stations, which will be concentrated in the central business district, Carver, Jackson Ward and the Fan District, with other stations in Carytown, Scott’s Addition and Oregon Hill.

5th District Meeting This Wednesday

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From announcement:

IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED
Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Councilman Parker C. Agelasto to hold a meeting for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District

All Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents invited and encouraged to attend

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) – The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, will hold a meeting for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District. Councilman Agelasto typically holds individual meetings for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District every other month throughout the year that include information on his goals and accomplishments; a topical agenda; and, special guests. These meetings are free and open to the public and all Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents are invited and encouraged to attend. The planned agenda for this meeting includes:

· ”Avoiding Scams & Fraud”
Mr. Tom Veazey, Senior Fraud Specialist
Better Business Bureau – Central Virginia

· “Zika Virus: What You Should Know”
Ms. Dena Cherry-Brown, Public Health Advisor
Virginia Health Department – Richmond City Health District Office

WHEN Wednesday, June 1, 2016
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

WHERE Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
Randolph Community Center
1415 Grayland Avenue
Richmond, Virginia

WHO The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District

CONTACT The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, at 804.646.6050 (tel), or parker.agelasto@richmondgov.com (email)

Request for Bike Share Station

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A neighbor is reiterating his request that the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association request a bike share station. According to the neighbor, there are 20 stations going in around the City but Oregon Hill is being left out, even though it has 11% of the population of the service area. He further suggests a street parking space next to Pleasants Park (corner of Albemarle and S. Laurel).

Click here to learn more about the City’s bike share program planning.

Hydro-Electric Proposal and Future Of James River

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This morning some people were surprised by this headline in the Times Dispatch: “Application filed for hydroelectric project at Bosher’s Dam”.
If they had attended the author’s talk earlier this week, they might not have been. Tredegar Iron Works and other Richmond industry relied and used hydroelectric power well into the last century.
For myself and perhaps other Oregon Hill residents, this recalls earlier conversations and speculation about riverfront development and ambitions.

Hopefully, regardless of whether the hydroelectric proposal happens or not, it adds on pressure to do something to improve the river’s health and accessibility AS WELL AS forcing Dominion Power to do more with distributed, renewable energy.

Was the City’s utility department authorized to oppose this proposal, submitted in February? And if so, by who?

This also figures into a Kanawha Canal restoration goal that ‘public private partnership’ Venture Richmond unofficially announced earlier this month. I guess the local media is still not ready to report or discuss this yet, but the devil will be in the details- including water levels and water use, recreational opportunities, whether Venture Richmond will respect neighbors’ very reasonable concerns going forward, and costs in relation to other priorities. The City’s Department of Public Utilities manages the Kanawha Canal level as well as the City’s river level. Yes, there’s a Richmond Riverfront Plan, but we all know how these plans are pretty subjective- for example, there’s no Tredegar Green amphitheater in the Plan and there was a previous canal restoration plan that has been thrown aside.

Going back to this hydroelectric proposal, it may be that upriver (and more affluent) neighbors are able to ‘NIMBY‘ it, or maybe the environmental issues with even micro-hydro-electric at this site are too large to overcome, or maybe there is even more interest in the longterm in getting rid of Bosher’s Dam altogether. But the point is, this proposal and others should be part of a more open, public conversation over the future of the James River, local energy/water policy, and our local government.

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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This Wednesday is a red Wednesday, which means trash and recycling pickup.

Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.

If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.

In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.

In recycling news, U.S. authorities make arrests in recycling theft cases.

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Locally, with the school year drawing to a close, it is time for student renters and others who are moving to consider how to deal with all of their stuff. With the City budget strained, it is important that stuff is recycled and disposed of properly, without just dumping it on the sidewalk, street, and alley. I am happy to post neighborhood yard sale notices on this site. There are certainly a number of local thrift stores and charities that are willing to receive furniture donations.

Will local recycling become more expensive for residents?
Ord. No

RPS Student Walkout Protest Planned For Monday

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From WRIC television news story:

Students at Open High School are spearheading plans to walk out of class at 2 p.m. on Monday, with students at every high school making plans to participate. The coordinated efforts come as a show of opposition to the potential closing of several Richmond Public Schools.

“We need better,” said Open High School junior Chris Bolling. “We know that we deserve better.”

Bolling and his classmates are ready to fight for the future of Richmond’s Public Schools.

This is not the first time that Open High students have lead this sort of protest. In 2014, Open High students marched on City Hall to bring attention to misplaced public priorities and dilapidated school conditions in other Richmond public schools’ buildings.