Category Archives: government

This Week

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Coal Ash Stories film screening tonight.
(***Group Bicycle Ride to Event!***, Meet at Oregon Hill Overlook at 6:45, Enjoy Gorgeous Views of James River, Arrive at 7:00 to Rag & Bones Bicycle Co-op)

VCU-Community Meeting on the Gladding Residence Center Capital Project tomorrow evening.

Community Conversations: ReRVA – Public Spaces
Tuesday, April 5, 6-8 p.m., The Valentine, 1015 E. Clay St., Richmond, VA
Continue the conversation.
Part of the Community Conversations series on revitalizing, recycling and re-imagining Richmond, find out how Public Spaces are being redefined throughout the city. Whether for recreation, environmental initiatives or reflection, public spaces are shaping why people move to and remain in Richmond. Event is free.

Mayoral candidate forum on Wednesday at VUU.

5th District meeting this Thursday.

Power Dialogue Friday, April 8, 8:30-noon at VCU, 2-5pm at UR Robins Center
The VA Power Dialog will engage college and university students from across the Commonwealth of Virginia in meaningful conversation with state regulators, officials, and peers on how our state will help meet the U.S. climate commitment of 30% cuts in global warming emissions by 2030. The day’s events will conclude with an interactive poster session and tabling. A collaborative network of twelve colleges and universities will host the event at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond. Registration is free. For more information and to register: BLOG.RICHMOND.EDU/VAPOWERDIALOG

Don’t forget about the Ukrop’s Monument Ave 10k this Saturday. There will be associated traffic closings.

The Tredegar book talk that was scheduled for last month and had to be canceled due to tornado warnings is being rescheduled for April 19th.

Volunteer Opportunity: Que Pasa Festival Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Canal Walk in Historic Downtown Richmond
Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (VAHCC) hosts the annual Que Pasa Festival as a celebration and showcase of Virginia’s diverse Latino community and businesses. The festival will include food, drinks, music, and a variety of games and activities for people and families of all ages. VAHCC is looking for volunteers to help us make this a successful and memorable event. Volunteers will provide assistance in a variety of tasks, including setting up and breaking down, admissions, and beverage sales, and volunteer shifts are available throughout the day from 6:00am until 9:00pm. Volunteers who stay for 4 or more hours get a free meal! If you are interested in volunteering at the event, please register here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form?EQBCT=9ff305896f8547e88f3dbb0352c9c50a

City Offers CERT Training In April

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From City press release:

The City’s Office of Emergency Management is hosting an April Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Basic Recruit Training session. The free 20-hour CERT session is scheduled for April 9, April 16, and April 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. All training sessions will be held at the Richmond Fire and Emergency Service Headquarters, 201 East Franklin Street. Participants must attend all three days of training to receive certification.

In the aftermath of a disaster when people feel compelled to help their community and neighbors, the skills that the CERT program teaches become invaluable. The City’s Office of Emergency Management maintains a robust CERT program, which has many active members that assist during non-emergency events. The 20 hour CERT training program educates participants about disaster preparedness and hazards that may impact their area. The program trains individuals in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Participants train alongside members of their community who will be part of their CERT Team, as well as with participants from other communities. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT sessions are taught by the Office of Emergency Management, Richmond Fire Department and the Richmond Police Department.

To register for the April CERT training session, call (804) 646-2504 or visit www.RichmondGov.com/fire/EM_Cert.aspx. The registration form may be downloaded at http://www.richmondgov.com/fire/documents/CERT2016RegistrationForm.pdf.

A fall 2016 CERT training session is scheduled for Aug. 13, Aug. 20, and Aug. 27.

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4th Precinct MPACT Meeting Tonight

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The monthly 4th Precinct MPACT (Mayor’s Participation, Action & Communication Team) meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the library of Linwood Holton Elementary School (1600 West Laburnum Avenue).

From email announcement:

This month we invite you to attend a MPACT conversation with special guest speakers, Sector 412 Lieutenant Keyshawn Manns and 4th Precinct Personnel. Officer Paul Lewis, Richmond Police Department, will discuss the Neighborhood Watch Program. Sarah Henrikson, with the Department of Public Utilities will discuss the Wastewater Division, Pretreatment Department. Join us at this meeting to hear from your neighbors, share your ideas, and identify solutions we can implement together to build a better Richmond!

Public Meeting Wednesday to Detail Main and Franklin Streets Separated Bike Lane Project

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From City press release:

Public Meeting to Detail Main and Franklin Streets
Separated Bike Lane Project
~Community meeting scheduled to obtain resident input ~

Richmond, VA – The initial design details for the proposed Separated Bike Lane Project, also known as a Cycle Track, will be available at a public informational meeting next week. The bike lanes start at Ninth Street on both Main and Franklin streets and end at Laurel Street. A separated bike lane is a path with the on-street infrastructure of a conventional bike lane however, it is physically separated from motor traffic and distinct from the sidewalk.

The meeting to review the plans will be on Wednesday, March 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Richmond Main Library, 101 East Franklin Street. Residents are invited to attend this meeting to learn more about the project, the roadway analysis and to review the designs as well as provide feedback and recommendations.

The City’s Department of Public Works and Department of Planning and Development Review will be joined by VHB, the consultant, to address questions and concerns during the community meeting.

This project was first proposed in the Strategic Multimodal Transportation Plan known as Richmond Connects and it was also included in the Bike Master Plan. Federal funds will cover 80% of the project’s $300,000 cost with the city providing $60,000 in funding.

Once completed, this cycle track will provide a continuous east/west route along with a connection to the Floyd Avenue Bike Boulevard.

For more information on City services, please visit www.RichmondGov.com.

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Riverfront Plan Meeting Thursday

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From City announcement:

Mayor Dwight C. Jones, and the Richmond Department of Planning & Development Review, will host a meeting on the next round of improvements for the Richmond Riverfront on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Virginia War Memorial Auditorium, 601 S. Belvidere St.

Hargreaves Associates will provide a concise overview of the original Riverfront Plan recommendations for the area surrounding the former Lehigh cement plant, and observations on proposed improvements to the greater East Riverfront Area. The objective of the meeting is to collectively identify opportunities to evolve that vision. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. with the balance of the meeting open to questions and comments from the audience.

For questions or more information, contact Mark Olinger, Director of Planning & Development Review, 804-646-6305 or Mark.Olinger@richmondgov.com

Riverfront Plan Flyer

Riverfront Public Art Community Meeting Saturday

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From the FaceBook event page:

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Come give your input on the Riverfront Project that will be done in tandem with the T. Tyler Potterfield Bridge. There will be a conversation with the artist and then if weather permits we will walk the project site!

http://richmondvaannouncements.blogspot.com/2016/02/city-names-artist-for-riverfront-art.html

Meeting On Homeless and Monroe Park

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There was a forum meeting yesterday in part of the downstairs ballroom of the Altria Theater about the homeless and the future of Monroe Park. It became very crowded and more chairs were brought in. It was kind of weird as lots of loud laughter was heard on the other side of the partition where I guess there was another gathering of some sort.

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After an introduction by Debra D. Gardner, Richmond’s deputy chief administrative officer for human services, the director of Homeward, the planning and coordinating organization for homeless services in the greater Richmond region, presented some statistics and polling data.

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After a few questions were asked about this presentation, the meeting moved into a panel by the leaders or representatives of several area homeless service providers.

One question that was not given a definitive answer was whether homeless service providers would be allowed in Monroe Park after renovations were done. The Monroe Park Conservancy was there, as was the Mayor’s representative, VCU representatives, and Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facities Norman Merifield, yet they all stayed mum on what protocol will be after the renovation.