City Councilperson Marty Jewell Arrested For DUI

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Scott

More coverage of the story here and here.

Good News/Bad News On Planning Front

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Scott

First, from Fans of Monroe Park Facebook Group:

Good news, friends- the Monroe Park Master plan/document was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission on Monday, Oct 19th. Now the City needs to come up with some major dollars to make this park the historic jewel the City deserves!

While Oregon Hill neighbors continue to ask for a traffic circle for Idlewood Avenue, other neighborhoods receive…the lack of action is disturbing. I will continue to give voice for my neighbors’ concerns:

Thank you for your work on this issue.

There were several distinct reasons to support the roundabout. Others
have made the same observations; just making the notes below to
refresh some of the local experience.

During the building of the Grace Arents Community Garden (GACG),
workers saw numerous cars going the wrong way down Idlewood after
passing through the traffic light at Cherry Street. There were close
calls with cars coming off the exit ramp, including one screeching
moment long enough for garden workers to look up & take in the whole
thing, conscious of the split second swerve that avoided what could
have been a fatal head-on crash. Even that incident, & certainly none
of the other times cars went the wrong way down the street, never made
it into a police accident report, because near-misses are not
recorded. The heart-pounding of the witnesses could not have been a
fraction of the terror of those in the vehicles; too bad none of their
voices were raised in an official appeal to traffic designers to never
let it happen to anyone else.

The William Byrd Community House had a persuasive point that the
property on which the GACG & Byrd House Market currently operate might
someday be used for much needed subsidized elder housing under
auspices of WBCH. Adding residents, staff & visitors of an elder
housing establishment into the current limited access to the site
would add even more traffic confusion.

If the long-term proposal for elder housing does not happen anytime
soon, then the GACG & market may continue to grow in importance as
local food security infrastructure. The one-way traffic pattern
effectively reduces awareness & participation, especially by Randolph
neighborhood.

If the elder housing does come to pass, then the community garden &
market might be moved further down the Garden Mile, possibly nearer
Clark Springs school. At that time, our neighborhood might be in the
position that Randolph is now with regard to being uninvited to
participate by the one-way traffic design.

Rush hour coming off of the RMA, with a good chunk of it being VCU
traffic, tries impatiently to get through the bottleneck of our
neighborhood at a time most dangerous for children & elders attending
WBCH programs, for students attending St.Andrews school, & even for
walkers to Open High School. The confusion, irritation & danger would
be reduced considerably by splitting off all the traffic that is
actually west-bound before it has to come through the light at Cherry
Street.

One other element of the discussion is the roundabout itself.
Statistics prove that it increases safety at intersections. It
reduces gridlock by being designed for almost continuous flow.

City Electronic Recycling Day

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Scott

From the press release:

WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Works

WHAT: Electronic Recycling Day (E-cycle Day)

WHEN: Saturday, October 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: 2720 Hermitage Rd. (Division of Solid Waste parking lot)

BACKGROUND: The Department of Public Works and the Clean City
Commission are sponsoring an electronic recycling day for city residents.
Items such as computer monitors, televisions and fluorescent light bulbs
will be accepted for fees ranging from .25 to $10.00. There is no charge to
dispose of computer systems and accessories, printers, scanners and copiers,
fax machines, VCRs, camcorders, stereos and microwaves. Those dropping
off items will be asked to show identification to prove they live within the city limits.

From refuse collection to pothole reports, Customer Care Center representatives
are available at 3-1-1 to assist citizens with all of their Public Works needs.
For more information on the City of Richmond, visit www.RichmondGov.com .

Richmond Times Dispatch: Stimulus money to help make schools energy efficient

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Scott

From article cum press release:

Virginia is offering $119 million in federal stimulus money to help localities make school buildings more energy efficient.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said today that localities will compete for the money, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act adopted by Congress this year to stimulate the ailing economy.

“Today’s announcement will advance two of the Commonwealth’s top priorities–education and energy efficiency,” Kaine said in a statement today. “When school divisions lower their energy consumption, they can lower their energy costs and direct more resources to the classroom, all while reducing their environmental impact.’

School divisions and local governments can submit project applications through November 11, 2009 using an application now available on the Department of Education website. Project proposals will be evaluated and selected by a team of experts from the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, Department of Education, and Department of Treasury. Project announcements are expected by mid-December.

What will this mean for Open High and other Richmond public school buildings?

Will we see solar schools like in NJ and other states?

And how does this intersect with the latest Goldman plan?

Monroe Park Planning Article

Posted on October 9, 2009 by Scott

From the City’s Department of Community Development October Update:

Monroe Park Master Plan Moving Ahead

Richmond acquired the original 11 acres for Monroe Park in 1851 when the park still lay outside city limits. It was envisioned as a place that would provide opportunities to partake of “invigorating air” and to participate in the “interchange of social affections.”

It has been the home to the State Fair, served as a training ground for Civil War troops, and played host to a Bruce Springsteen concert in the late 1960s, and its history, location and character have made it one of the City’s landmark public spaces.

The Monroe Park Master Plan was begun in 2006 and adopted last year to serve as a guide to reinvigorate the park and integrate historic preservation with
modern recreation needs.

Over time, it plans for the restoration of the Checkers Building, improvements to park entrances and lighting, uniform tree plantings with a variety of species, and other improvements.

The plan is expected to be presented to the Urban Design Committee in October.

You can review the Monroe Park Master Plan here (a large 66MB file – may take a moment to open).

Click here to view some vintage postcards of Monroe Park from the VCU Library.

Fourth Precinct CAPS Meeting Scheduled

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Scott

Fourth Precinct Community Assisted Public Safety (CAPS) meeting will be held:

. Date: Thursday, October 15, 2009

Time: 6:00 p.m.

Place: Linwood Holton Elementary School

1600 W Laburnum Avenue

Please bring your concerns, comments and suggestions to this meeting in order that we may address them properly.

Thank you

Jacki Page

Sr. Customer Services Representative

804-646-4150

Fire Scare on Spring Street Last Night

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Scott

Around 7:45 last night a bunch of emergency vehicles arrived on Spring Street last night to investigate a burning smell from one of the houses. Unofficial word is that it was a malfunctioning fridge. Also, see related Style story from this week.

Sector 413 October Newsletter

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Scott

Don’t you just love the fall? The nights are getting cooler which means we can turn the air conditioner off and crack the windows. If you chose to do this please do not leave them up when you are at work and never open the windows on the first floor, you are only inviting trouble. Unfortunately, we have to always think defensively.
The same crimes are still plaguing our Sector. During the month of September we had 29 thefts from motor vehicles in Jackson Ward and Monroe Ward. The items being stolen are still electronic equipment,(GPS, iPods, laptops). If anyone sees or hears of these types of items being sold on the street, call me so I can forward that information to a Detective.
There were 8 robberies to individuals in Sector 413 last month. Three were cleared with arrests. There were also 2 aggravated assaults in Sector 413; an arrest was made on one of them.
Here is a breakdown on the crimes reported:
VIOLENT CRIME:
8 Robberies
100 W. Franklin Street, 9-5-09, unknown b/m robbed at this location of money.
16 E. Grace Street, 9-8-09, unknown b/m attempted to rob the victim of his money.
100 S. Cherry Street, 9-11-09, 3 unknown b/m suspects robbed 3 victims. ARRESTED: Jayquan Perry, 6/22/90; Brian Walker,12/19/90; Dennis Loney, 8/21/86
800 E. Marshall Street, 9-13-09, 3 unknown 2 b/f, 1 b/m suspects robbed the victim.
100 E. Leigh Street, 9-14-09, unknown b-m robbed the victims of money.
800 Cumberland Street, 9-19-09, 3 unknown suspects robbed the victim of his wallet. ARRESTED: Jayquan Perry, 6/22/90; Brian Walker,12/19/90; Dennis Loney, 8/21/86
100 E. Leigh Street, 9-24-09, unknown b/m stole money from victim.
0100 N. 4th Street, 9-26-09, 5 unknown b-m’s robbed 3 victims of money. ARRESTED: Roger August, 6/29/67; Delroy Dixon, 8/5/87, Everett Evans, 8/23/87; Roy Battle, 7/13/89; Lamine Ndour, 8/15/85.
2 Aggravated Assaults-
312 W. Grace Street, 9-9-09, Individual assaulted by a known party- ARREST MADE
15 N. 5th Street, 9-27-09, a male was shot in the 00 block of 5th Street. Result of a fight inside of the “Cotton Club”.
PROPERTY CRIMES
As I already mentioned there were 29 thefts from motor vehicles in Sector 413 with the majority being in the Jackson Ward and Monroe Ward neighborhoods. The police will continue to patrol and monitor these areas but we need your help by securing valuables in the trunk and locking all doors.
October 24, 2009, is clean up day in the Jackson Ward neighborhood, come out and support this good cause!
If interested, the Richmond Police Department has an account on FACEBOOK and we are interested in your comments.
Please continue to report suspicious persons or activities to the police as soon as possible. The non emergency number is 646-5100.
During the month of September, Sector 413 officers answered 1769 radio calls and conducted 154 field interviews.
I want to thank the officers, detectives and community for their continued support in combating the crime in Sector 413.
Sincerely,
Lt. Yvonne Baltz– Fourth Precinct – Sector 413 – (o) 646-4239

Also, you can get to the newsletter from links on this page:
http://www.ci.richmond.va.us/departments/police/fields/4thPrecinct/S413.aspx

The Busy Season- a partial calendar of events

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Scott

Sept. 26- St. Andrew’s Oregon Hill Art Show

Sept. 26- Jerry Seinfeld at the Landmark Theater

Sept. 27- St. Andrew’s Community Fair

Sept. 27- OHHIC annual meeting

Sept. 28- Richmond City Council meeting

Sept. 28- Lady Gaga at the Landmark Theater

Sept. 29- Blood Drive at the Byrd House Market

Sept. 30- VCU Commuter CoffeeBRAKE

Sept. 30- VCU’s Green Unity’s E-Cycling Drive

Oct. 1- Adopt-A-Tree deadline
Continue reading →

Police Announce SkyWatch