This house on the 300 block of S. Cherry Street is having a little work done on it.
Framing Cherry Street Morning
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Category Archives: News
Clean Ups Scheduled
With the Fall season coming soon, neighborhood groups are thankfully recognizing the need to clean up the neighborhood.
SynerGeo will be hosting a work day on Saturday, Sept. 11th at 10am. They will be having about 18 adults. They will split into two teams and one will pick up trash in Oregon Hill, and the other in Holly Street playground. Please get in touch with Bonnie Hofmeyer for more information, at bonniehofmeyer at synergeo.org or 804 648 2287.
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association‘s Holly Street playground committee has a volunteer workday scheduled for the Holly Street Playground on Saturday, September 18th from 10am to 1pm. They are looking for volunteers to help clear brush, pick up trash and just make the playground look better.
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If you are available to help please email Sara Sitkiewicz at sara.sitkiewicz at gmail.com your name and phone number!
Along with the need of volunteers they need equipment. If you have shovels, rakes, brooms, garden shears, or anything you feel could be helpful to their efforts and that you wouldn’t mind loaning for the day it would be greatly appreciated. All equipment will be marked and returned to the owner.
VCU Will Test Sirens This Wednesday
VCU communique:
A full test of the VCU emergency communications system will be conducted Wednesday, Sept. 8 at noon. Full tests of the VCU emergency communications system are conducted twice a year, near the beginning of each semester. These are different from the monthly checks of the siren system that are conducted at noon on the first Wednesday of each month.
The full test of the system will include 10 sirens on both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses along with text messages, digital signs, Alertus devices in classrooms and residence halls, Web site information and social media that are part of a multi-channel system for communicating emergency information to VCU students, employees, parents and neighbors.
The sirens will sound a fast, up-and-down wail for three minutes, and after a one-minute pause, sound a steady wail for one minute to signal “all clear” to end the test.
In a real emergency, sirens will be used when it is imperative to get the attention of everyone outside of VCU buildings because an immediate, life-threatening emergency has occurred or is imminent. People outside but on campus should go to the nearest university building and seek additional information about what is happening. People off-campus should not come to campus but should seek additional information.
Text messaging is a primary communications and information channel because it is fast and reliable. Text messages will be used for notifications about emergencies and closings and delays for inclement weather. There is no cost for enrolling, and you can sign up for text messaging now at www.vcu.edu/notify. Emergency information also is available on the VCU Alert Web site at www.vcu.edu/alert.
We hope you will find that our emergency communications are beneficial to you, and we will continue to work together to provide as safe an environment as possible. As always, we will communicate with our community neighbors when there is any enhancement or change about which you would want to know. And please, do not hesitate to forward this email to your neighbors, to help spread the word about the siren test.
Sincerely,
John M. Bennett
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Flying Brick Library Intro
The Flying Brick put up a nice introduction on Craigslist for those who have not heard of it:
For those of you who don’t know, The Flying Brick Library is a radical lending library in Oregon Hill. We run out of the front room of a house at 506 S Pine Street, and have been around for almost 10 years. We just opened back up after almost 2 years this past November and have been seeing a steady amount of interest. We’d like to see more of you coming! If you are interested in radical and progressive politics, or just want to chat about things, please come see us! Our open hours are Mondays 9-4 and Thursdays 4-9, but with more interest in volunteering we’d really like to expand. We also hold potlucks, film showings, discussions, workshops, and provide a space for organizations to hold meetings. Come and check out a book and say hi!
– The Flying Brick Library
find us on Facebook and Myspace!
Speaking of library stuff, I understand Patty Parks (aka Laptop Librarian) has left the William Byrd Community House to take a position at the Main Library.
City Collection Schedule Changes For Labor Day Holiday -Plus Code On Refuse and Recycling
From City press release:
Labor Day Schedule for
Refuse CollectionIn observance of the Labor Day holiday, city offices will be closed Monday, September 6. Solid Waste Management Division also will be closed. Refuse collection will be delayed by one day and will resume on Tuesday, September 7 through Saturday, September 11.
East Richmond Road Convenience Center and the Hopkins Road Transfer Station also will be closed on Monday.
For more information on city services and schedules, please visit us on line at www.RichmondGov.com.
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Garbage for Oregon Hill is usually on Wednesdays, so I guess garbage pickup will happen on Thursday this coming week due to holiday.
Recycling usually happens for Oregon Hill every other Wednesday. This coming week’s curbside recycling will happen on Thursday, the 9th, according to CVWMA schedule.
And, since we are at it, it seems like as good of time as any to remind residents of City code concerning refuse and recycling; here is a sample:
Sec. 86-44. Times and places of collection; bulk items; brush collection; collection of loose leaves.
(a) Refuse receptacles and recycling bins must be placed out for collection by 6:00 a.m. of the scheduled collection day but not earlier than 4:00 p.m. of the day preceding, except for any special times as deemed necessary by the director of public works. The refuse receptacles and recycling bins must be removed by 7:00 a.m. on the day following collection from city property and right-of-ways to include, but not be limited to, sidewalks, alleys and median strips between sidewalks and roadways. Refuse receptacles and recycling bins shall be placed for collection at a location designated by the director of public works. The public utility account holder of any property to which a refuse receptacle has been assigned shall be responsible for removing the refuse receptacle from city property by 7:00 a.m. on the day following collection. Any account holder who allows a refuse receptacle or recycling bin to remain on city property after 7:00 a.m. on the day following collection shall receive a notice from the Department of Public Works advising of the violation and allowing the account holder an opportunity to remove the refuse receptacle or recycling bin. If the refuse receptacle or recycling bin is not timely removed from city property, the Department of Public Works shall cause the account holder to be assessed a civil penalty in the amount of $50.00 for each and every calendar day that each and every refuse receptacle or recycling bin remains on city property beginning with the date of the most recent past scheduled pick up time from the Department of Public Works. Such civil penalty shall be included on the account holder’s monthly utility statement and shall be subject to collection in the same manner as other utility charges including delinquent charges for utilities.
Article: Finding the Balance Between VCU Student Renter and Oregon Hill Resident
Last year multimedia journalism graduate student Jaclyn O’Laughlin created an article on neighborhood tensions between VCU students and longtime Oregon Hill residents. I have purposely waited to post it here until the semester started.
Here’s an excerpt:
“For many students that are here, they are away from home for the first time and they can go hog wild. It all comes down to the kids being young, which is not a problem, but they don’t have a lot of experience and some of this stuff hasn’t occurred to them,” said Jennifer Hancock, interim president of the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association. “The point of view for some of them is that they are only going to be here for four years and they don’t care.”
The residents of Oregon Hill are not trying to pick on or “dog pile” the students, Hancock said. She believes that students have a different perspective than the long-term residents that live in Oregon Hill, because most students know they will only live in the neighborhood for a few years and eventually move away.
Read the entire article and see online video by clicking here.
Monroe Park plans revealed
NBC12 has a story on the $6 million in renovation/upgrade plans for Monroe Park, thanks to the hard work of the Monroe Park Advisory Council.
There will also be a story in Style Magazine published tomorrow.
‘CarnivOil’ Comes to Monroe Park Tomorrow
From the press release:
‘CarnivOil’ Comes to Richmond, Celebrating the Greatest Addiction on Earth
Big Oil: Keeping America dependent on oil for 150 years and celebrating
victory over
Virginia’s clean energy futureRichmond, Va. – The U.S. Senate’s failure to pass a clean energy and
climate bill this summer, coupled with the continued push to block new
clean air standards, is reason to celebrate if you profit from America’s
oil addiction. Highlighting Big Oil’s stranglehold on Washington, we
present “CarnivOil”: the Greatest Addiction on Earth – a celebration of
America’s addiction to oil with an outdoor midway-style carnival
complete with games, concessions, and some Big Oil-style celebrating.
Step right up! Don’t be afraid. See the world’s biggest polluters – by
looking behind the curtain.Games will include the Petroleum Wheel of Doom, Oil Executive Boxing and
the Big Oil version of the famous Hammer game. The event highlights Big
Oil’s success in pocketing Congress, while blocking progress toward a
clean energy future and threatening to kill American jobs and worsen
public health with the Dirty Air Act.WHAT: CarnivOil: The Greatest Addiction on Earth: complete with games to
celebrate Big Oil’s successWHEN: Tuesday, August 31, 2010
TIME: 11 am – 1 pm ET
WHERE: Monroe Park, 620 W. Main St., Richmond, Va. 23220
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Driscoll, sdriscoll@environmentvirginia.org
Phone: (603) 236-2097
Oregon Hill Street Names A-S
Paraphrased from Thomas F. Mustian’s “Facts and Legends of Richmond Area Streets” (I think I have a second printing):
Albemarle Street was named for William Anne Keppel, second Earl of Albemarle and Governor General of the colony from 1737 to 1754.
Belvidere Street took its name from home of William Byrd III on the crest of what is now Oregon Hill. Originally, part was traversed by railway trackage.
Cary Street was originally laid out by planners to be called “C” Street according to the alphabet being third in order from the North side of the James (River). It was changed later to be called Cary Street in honor of the many Cary’s that held historic bearing in the early beginning of the City- probably Archibald Cary.
Cherry Street is one of the early streets of Oregon Hill named after the fruit tree.
China Street is named after the Chinaberry tree.
Church Street (no longer exists, was east of Belvidere) was located in the Oregon Hill area and for the short distance it covered there were located several churches.
Cumberland Street is named after the Duke of Cumberland, the third son of King George II.
Holly Street was named by developer Ben J. Harris for the trees grown there.
Idlewood Avenue was originally called Beverley Street. It was changed to be compatible with the Avenue of access to the Idlewood Amusement Park and located near the newly formed Byrd Park.
Main Street is the industrial and commercially centered early street, that in it’s beginning only ran from 18th Street to 25th Street.
Pine Street was named as was popular then for the Pine Trees.
Rowe Street (no longer exists, was east of Belvidere) was named after a Millwright who was the builder.
The following were not included in the book:
Beach Street (no longer exists, was just west of Linden Street)
Green Alley was named for was named after Ben Green who was involved in a
fairly high-profile, alleged bank embezzlement case around the mid-1800’s. More importantly, at
least as far as Oregon Hill residents should be concerned, is that Green was
the architect of the first row houses in the neighborhood.
Laurel Street was most likely named for the trees that grew there.
Linden Street was most likely named for the linden trees that grew there.
I am looking for more information on the following:
Beach Street (no longer exists, was just west of Linden Street)
Harrison Street (I am guessing was named after President William Henry Harrison, but I would appreciate it if someone could confirm)
Howard Street (no longer exists, was east of Belvidere)
Howe Street (no longer exists, was east of Belvidere)
Maiden Lane (no longer exists, was east of Belvidere)
Spring Street ( I assume there was a water spring involved.)
WBCH Offers Artery Tour This Tuesday
There is an atherosclerosis simulator that is touring our area from August 19th – 31st; it will be located at the Byrd House Market (Linden Street) on August 31, from 12 -6 pm. It shows a journey through the arteries with plaque build-up and blockages. It only takes about 5 minutes each session and can accommodate 10 people at a time. This is free. See flyer below for more information.