Category Archives: government

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

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From City Council press release:

WHAT (Richmond, Virginia U.S.A.) – The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, will hold a district-wide meeting for the Richmond Central 5th Voter District. This is part of regular meetings Councilman Agelasto holds, which include information on his Richmond Central 5th Voter District goals and accomplishments; a thematic agenda of current interest; 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/discussion topics for the upcoming meeting include:

· Introduction of Richmond’s New Chief of Police
Col. Alfred Durham, Chief of Police, Richmond Police Department

· Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Cycling Championships: Richmond 2015
Ms. Monica Callahan, Community Engagement Director, UCI Road World Championships: Richmond 2015

· City Code Enforcement Presentation
Mr. John Walsh, Operations Manager, Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review Division of Property Maintenance Code Enforcement

· Questions, Comments, and Concerns
The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman
Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District

WHEN Wednesday, April 1, 2015
6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE Patrick Henry Elementary School of Science and Arts
3411 Semmes Avenue; Richmond, Virginia 23225

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

CONTACT For more information, please 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)

Councilman Agelasto’s Future Richmond Central 5th Voter District Meetings

Wednesday, June 3, 2015; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
Randolph Community Center
1415 Grayland Avenue, Richmond, Virginia

Wednesday, August 5, 2015; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
BACK TO SCHOOL MEETING
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond – Southside Club
2409 Bainbridge Street, Richmond, Virginia

Updated location:
Wednesday, October 7, 2015; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities
World War 1 Memorial Carillon Bell Tower
Dogwood Dell
0 South Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23221

Wednesday, December 2, 2015; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
HOLIDAY PARTY
Virginia War Memorial
621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia

OHNA Meeting Will Consider Amphitheater Rezoning

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From announcement:

The rezoning of the amphitheater below Oregon Hill will be considered at the meeting of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association Tuesday, March 24th at 7:00 pm at the William Byrd Community House, 224 S. Cherry. This rezoning has the potential to negatively impact the quality of life in Oregon Hill in terms of noise, parking, etc.
Venture Richmond Director Jack Berry, City Planning Director Mark Olinger, City Councilman Parker Agelasto are scheduled to attend this meeting.
Please attend the meeting and share your concerns!
Thanks!

Click here, here, and here for related posts.

VA Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority Meets Tomorrow

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According to Randy Marcus, Senior Advisor for Policy
Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe, the VNECA (VA Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority) Board has rescheduled their Board meeting for Tuesday, March 24 at 10am.
The meeting will be held close by at the VCU East Engineering Hall, 401 West Main Street, Room E3218 (Collaborative Learning Center on Third Floor). This is the same building and room used for recent meetings.

Nuclear opponents are watching carefully and plan to attend this meeting. However, it is unlikely there will be an outside protest like there was on Tredegar Street earlier this month.

Projects & Repairs

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As winter ends, City, VCU, and neighborhood leaders are identifying neighborhood needs and priorities.

The City is working to keep up with pothole repairs on Cumberland and Idlewood. The City’s Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and Department of Public Works (DPW) are also trying to keep with water line and street repairs like the persistent leak on the 300 block of Cherry Street. Note that water mains have priority over services and meters when there are multiple issues being worked.

There are also gravel alleys that once again need attention. Check out this lake on the south end of the 600 block Laurel/Pine alley:
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Or the potholes on the 200 and 300 block Laurel/Cherry alleys:
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Of course, this situation, so close to the river, continues to call out desperately for “green alleys”.

Thanks again to St. Andrew’s Church and RVA Clean Sweep for their recent storm drain marking and cleanup work:
IMG_4117.
RVA Clean Sweep will be back in Oregon Hill later this month on March 28th with VCU’s Green Unity in order to concentrate on the litter around Cumberland.

Unfortunately, despite previous efforts, the entire neighborhood is suffering from two distinct and pervasive forms of litter, cigarette butts and dog feces.
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The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has budgeted money for repairing and replacing dog stations, while RVA Clean Sweep may be doing more on cigarettes.

Some other possible projects/repairs that City/VCU/neighborhood resources may tackle include more public trash/recycling receptacles, repainting and renovating the historic gazebo, graffiti abatement, repairing or replacing street signs.
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There has also been some consideration for beautification of the vacant lot at Belvidere & Idlewood. While it has been confirmed that the City owns the lot, and VCU can help establishing plantings or even a garden, one stumbling block is finding volunteers who can commit to maintaining any plantings. This is where student neighbors might be able to plug into the work that OHNA and VCU Community Engagement are doing.

Community Group Releases 21-point Monroe Park Maintenance Plan to Beautify Park before UCI Race in September

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From email announcement:

A group of Monroe Park community advocates and former members of the now defunct Richmond City Council appointed Monroe Park Advisory Council are requesting to meet with Volunteer Group Coordinators, City staff, VCU, UCI officials and Richmond and VCU Police in order to focus and leverage any and all available resources and volunteers in order to spruce up Monroe Park in anticipation of the UCI Bike races in September. This meeting will be held Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 3:30PM at Monroe Park’s iconic fountain. The upcoming race and associated international media coverage presents the city with an unprecedented and exceptional opportunity to promote Richmond and its wonderful amenities to millions throughout the planet. Monroe Park is located in a prominent position on the UCI Time Trial Circuit, Team Time Trial Circuit and Road Circuit races.
The group, comprised of Elinor Kuhn, James “Turk” Sties and Todd Woodson have assembled a 21 point plan comprised of relatively inexpensive but effective maintenance and beautification suggestions that will help to present the historic park in the best light to the world. A comprehensive historic renovation of the park will occur at some point in the future but these suggestions would be compatible and are designed for a dramatic improvement in appearance for Richmond’s oldest municipal park. The suggested plan is as follows:

1. Restore fountain in appropriate verdigris finish, repaint fountain pool, inspect fountain lights, repair and repaint wrought iron fountain fence, repair supporting masonry, install correct recirculating filtered water pump and feed and mulch fountain plantings.

2. Repair or fill collapsed and non functional drainage inlets.

3. Aerate, fertilize and seed grassy areas.

4. Inspect park irrigation system and replace any broken sprinkler heads.

5. Remove graffiti and paint Checkers house and replace rotted gutters.

6. Level, scrape and paint light poles.

7. Consolidate park signage and remove inappropriate signage.

8. Mulch tree wells and trees in the park.

9. Paint pole of Department of Historic Resources highway marker and prune crepe myrtles to ensure visibility.

10. Install identification marker on rare deciduous Dawn Redwood tree and any other specimen trees.

11.Paint bollards and replace broken ones with any existing attic stock.

12. Establish Checkers House office space as a satellite base for biking Richmond police officers during race week.

13. Install flower beds under Crepe Myrtles and any other appropriate places.

14. Fill in severely rutted areas from past cars and truck mishaps on park grounds.

15. Discuss the city’s public wifi and increase power during race week if necessary.

16. Encourage art installation from VCU School of the Arts during race week.

17. Address any rodent infestation issues in Checkers House.

18. Insure proper removal of trash during community feedings. Ask VCU to stay until 5 on weekends for trash removal and also encourage feeding groups to remove and recycle waste from these events.

19. Suggest better enforcement of existing laws in the park, e.g. no parking inside park, no alcohol or illegal substances and litter control. Encourage police presence in park during race week.

20. Inspect and thoroughly clean bathrooms and monitor during race week.

21. Encourage Richmond City Council to establish a Monroe Park Community Advisory Board comprised of engaged members of surrounding communities and giving them a voice on all future decisions made regarding park policy.

Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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The schedule has been a bit unreliable due to weather, but this Wednesday is a red Wednesday, which means trash and recycling pickup. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night. They do not belong on the sidewalk after tomorrow night.

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

In local recycling news, the City of Richmond will hold an Electronics Recycling and Document Shredding Event on Saturday, March 28, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at Broad Rock Park (4615 Ferguson Lane). For more information call 646-8325.

In state recycling news, it’s getting close to the March 6 deadline to submit a nomination for the 2015 Recycling Awards for Excellence in Waste Reduction, Recycling & Litter Prevention.

The Parker C. Agelasto Trash Can

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Appreciation again for our Councilperson Parker Agelasto and his wonderful assistant Ida Jones. Thanks to them, a new trashcan has been installed at Idlewood Avenue at Belvidere. This was one that Oregon Hill neighbors had been requesting for sometime (See ‘#9’). When the City’s Department of Public Works told them there was no money in the budget to install new trashcans, Parker and Jones transferred money from the 5th District Discretionary funds to pay for them. These funds typically support communication and community outreach efforts such as National Night Out. In this instance they decided it was important to pay for a City operation.

“Kudzu and bamboo and privet! Oh my! New list identifies invasive plants in Virginia”

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A recent press release from Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation:

Kudzu and bamboo and privet! Oh my! New list identifies invasive plants in Virginia

National Invasive Species Awareness Week runs through Saturday.

RICHMOND — Virginians considering adding English ivy, golden bamboo or Japanese barberry to their yards may want to reconsider. These plants — and 87 others — are on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s new list of non-native invasive plants of the state (PDF).

While the list is helpful to land managers and conservationists, home gardeners can use it to make wise decisions about landscaping. The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority.

“Planting anything on this list could affect adjacent natural areas,” said Kevin Heffernan, DCR Natural Heritage stewardship biologist. “Gardeners should think twice about planting anything that might be aggressive in their yard, especially if they live near a park or a forest.”

Invasive plants can displace native plant species, reduce wildlife habitat and alter ecosystems. They threaten natural areas, parks and forests. In the United States, they cost an estimated $34 billion annually in economic loss.

Invasive, non-native plant species typically:
• Grow and mature rapidly.
• Produce seed prolifically.
• Are highly successful at germination and colonization.
• Outcompete native species.
• Are expensive to remove or control.

DCR Natural Heritage scientists used a risk-assessment protocol to determine an invasiveness rank for each species listed. Species were assigned a high, medium or low level of invasiveness in Virginia.

The list also includes species that may not be established in Virginia but are known to be invasive in habitats similar to those found here. These are referred to as “early-detection” species. If they are discovered in Virginia, the goal for these species is eradication to prevent their establishment and spread. People who spot these in Virginia should notify DCR.

One example of an early-detection species is wavyleaf grass (PDF) (Oplismenus hirtellus subspecies undulatifolius). It’s been seen in nine Northern Virginia counties and has the potential to become widespread. A native of southern Europe and Southeast Asia, wavyleaf was first discovered in the United States in 1996 in Maryland. It ranks as highly invasive on DCR’s list.

Monitoring and preventing the spread of invasive plants is a major focus for DCR scientists and land managers. This work is often conducted with the help of volunteers. The Virginia Invasive Species Management Plan (PDF) outlines challenges and strategies associated with combating invasive plants and animals.

Many invasive plant species arrived as packing material or seed contaminants and became established. The spread of plants such as Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), kudzu (Pueraria montana variety lobata) and common reed (Phragmites australis subspecies australis) has wreaked havoc on Virginia natural areas.

Links to more information

Virginia Invasive Species Working Group
www.vainvasivespecies.org
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation – Natural Heritage Program
www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/invspinfo.shtml
National Invasive Species Awareness Week
www.nisaw.org

Contentious Fence Proposal Withdrawn

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According to an official in the City’s Dept. of Planning and Development Review, the Location, Character and Extent item for the Brown’s Island Way fence and gate (UDC #15-02) has been withdrawn from consideration from the Planning Commission. It will appear on the agenda for the meeting on March 2nd as a formality, noting its withdrawal. That agenda should go out later today.

For background on this, please visit the following links:
Fences of Contention III
Fences of Contention II
Fences Of Contention (I)

City Responsibility

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Please note, it has been determined that the City is responsible for snow removal, condition, and maintenance of the 195 bridge overpasses, including pedestrian sidewalks, along Idlewood, Cumberland. Parkwood. No more deceitful ducking of issues by saying that the RMA or VCU is responsible. And if there is any problems with budgeting, I suggest money be cut and repurposed from Vulture Richmond’s “Clean and Safe” program, which currently receives over a quarter of million from the City.