Category Archives: News

Looking Forward to ‘CoffeeBRAKES’ and Run To The River

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Hopefully not at the same time…seriously though, two quick announcements for upcoming events (also don’t forget the Richmond Folk Festival from Oct. 9-11):

The CoffeeBRAKE is a traditional program from Off Campus Student Services with USC&A, that allows sponsors to gather or distribute information to students. This is an excellent opportunity for program promotions, membership drives, and volunteer opportunities. Starting Fall 2009, programs will be weekly, one sponsor at a time in the new Off Campus Student Services office, Room 119, in the Commons. Talk to 75 to 100 students per CoffeeBRAKE. For details on how to sponsor a Commuter CoffeeBRAKE in the University Student Commons, go to our website.

http://www.usca.vcu.edu/offcampus/coffee.php

We look forward to sharing a cup of coffee with you!

Martha Harper
University Student Commons & Activities
Off Campus Student Services Coordinator
Virginia Commonwealth University.
907 Floyd Ave. Room 104b
Richmond Virginia 23284
804-828-6500

FAX 804-828-6182
www.usca.vcu.edu/offcampus
¡Manos a la obra!

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Run to the River is a challenging 10k hill race, 5k community walk and 1k fun run to benefit the Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC). Runners will tackle three hills as they dash over cobblestone streets, through historic neighborhoods, and along the banks of the James River. Enjoy live music, refreshments, a free massage or a health check at the finish line party and health fair. Run to the River is one of the most difficult and scenic races in Richmond – and one of the most rewarding. All event proceeds directly support the NRC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing quality resources to families with limited means in the Greater Fulton community of Richmond, VA. The NRC helps youth achieve academic success through individual tutoring and a sliding-scale Montessori preschool. Art and music programs provide youth creative outlets to express themselves. Parents earn their GED and conduct job searches at the NRC. To register or learn more about the race, visit
www.runtotheriver.org.

Mini-Dukes of Hazard

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As usual, I am usually the last person in the neighborhood to hear about things. The following I heard second-hand and only parts of….

The story begins in the alley behind the 600 blocks of Laurel and Cherry. It forms a ‘T’ with entrances on Laurel, Cherry, and Holly, but not China. For a long time after the old cobblestones were taken out, it was an increasingly hazardous, gravel-but-mostly-dirt alley.
It was eventually paved, which lead to more people speeding through it.
lookingnorthonlaurelalley

Citizens begged for some signage or speed bumps, but the City said it was an alley and not a street and therefore would not get additional signage. I found some novelty/party ‘stop’ and ‘yield’ signs at a thrift store and put those up on the utility poles, but then they were taken down when the power grid was worked on. Speeders go up the alley and skid on the brakes when they realize it does not go all the way through to China Street.

Anyway, sometime last week some young men in a mini-van were speeding up the alley and failed to brake. When my neighbor became incensed at yet another invasion of his backyard, the mini-van pilots panicked and drove between houses. Somehow they drove over an embankment that ended in a three and a half foot drop after a brick retaining wall on the front sidewalk on China Street. In the process they damaged the wall as can be seen in this picture:
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I am not clear on what happened after that. I would love to hear some more details. I do know the alley now has a real stop sign. I am guessing the City put it in, or my neighbors “requisitioned” it.
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OHHIC Gets POD For New Houses On Laurel Street, Including Affordables

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Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council received City approval for its Plan of Development for the 600 block of S. Laurel Street. Two affordable and one market rate house are planned for what is currently a large blank lot.

Because these are modular houses developed by ‘Golden Hammer’ winner Allen Townsend, they will hopefully be in place relatively soon and OHHIC is looking for buyers. If interested, please contact Todd Woodson at 804 644 3812 or candylandmusic@earthlink.net

More details forthcoming…
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Street Resurfacing On Thursday

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For Immediate Release:
August 5, 2009
For more information, contact:
Sharon North – (804) 646-5607
Jemila Woodson – (804) 646-5665

City Begins Slurry Seal Paving Program

WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Works

WHAT: Slurry seal paving program

WHEN: August 2009 through October 2009

WHERE:
Bellevue
Oregon Hill
North Highland Park
Dinwiddie Avenue

BACKGROUND: Slurry seal is a pavement restoration technique that consists of mixed asphalt, aggregate, and additives. The technique effectively preserves and extends roadway life by protecting it from the effects of weathering and normal wear and tear. During the project, there should be minimal interruption to traffic flow.

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 .

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From the posted signs, it looks like Laurel Street will get repaved tomorrow (Thursday, August 6). Parking restricted from 7am to 6pm. Towing Enforced.

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Earlier this week the City repaved Cherry Street. If you look at the photo below you can see where the old trolley tracks still show through.

Cherry Street

Cherry Street

It’s Not The First Time That VCU Disregarded Slave History

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Sadly, the recent repaving of the parking lot at 15th Street is not the first time that Virginia Commonwealth University has disregarded important African American slave history.

Back in the 1990’s, Richmond activists warned President Trani that it was wrong to tear down the Jacob House in order to make room for the VCU Engineering School. So, to mute protests, he decided to have it moved across the street. There were still concerns that this would ruin the historical integrity of the site since it was considered a probable Underground Railroad site. One man, Alan Schintzius, actually got arrested when he laid in front of the bulldozer. Sure enough, a hidden basement room was discovered after the house was moved. Its gone now, filled in and buried by VCU.

You have to wonder what other Richmond history has been buried.

At least the moved Jacob House survives, for now, at the corner of Cary and Pine.

Ambulance on Laurel

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A fire truck, ambulance, and multiple police were parked at mid-block on the 300 block of S. Laurel Street this morning. Although I have not seen a police report, rumor is that a young woman would not wake up.

About 7:45 this morning

About 7:45 this morning

Byrd Market & Nate’s Taco Truck Updates

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http://twitter.com/natestacotruck/status/3103125886

Message from Nate’s Taco Truck

the taco truck will be closed today for mass amounts of cooking food
for tomorrow at vcu and tomorrow night at byrd house market.

Byrd House Market
They’ll be pie for sale at the market this week and plenty of other
slices of life to enjoy. Meet the folks from Art on Wheels helping make a
difference in their communities.
We appreciate our customers’ loyal support in helping us ensure local
providers earn a better-than-living wage. Remember the market opens at 3:30 p.m.
Activities this week include: Make Art Prints with the non-profit
organization Art on Wheels 3:30 to 7 p.m. Story telling from 4 to 5 pm, Face
painting from 5 to 7pm.
—
Byrd House Market
William Byrd Community House
224 South Cherry Street
Richmond, VA 23220
ByrdHouseMarket@gmail.com
(804) 643-2717

Updated DPU TRAFFIC ALERT – Franklin and Belvidere Streets

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RICHMOND, VA— Beginning Monday, August 3 at 9 a.m. and continuing for approximately 18 hours into the early morning hours on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities will be lining a sewer main from the northeast corner of Franklin Street at Belvidere Street to the northwest corner of Franklin Street at Belvidere Street.

During this construction, the left curb lane of Franklin will be closed from approximately Pine Street to the parking entrance of the Apartment Tower located east of Belvidere St. leaving the center and right lanes available for traffic. The right southbound lane of Belvidere will be closed from Grace St. to beyond the intersection of Franklin with Belvidere streets. The right northbound lane of Belvidere will be closed from approximately Main St. to beyond the intersection of Franklin with Belvidere streets.

Motorists should follow all posted detour signs. Motorists are asked to proceed with caution around the construction area.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater and stormwater services to more than 500,000 residential and commercial customers in the metropolitan region. DPU also operates electric street lighting utility, which maintains more than 37,000 streetlights throughout the City. For more information, call DPU’s Customer Care Center at 644-3000 or visit DPU’s Web site at www.richmondgov.com/dpu.

Calling Verizon

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Previously, I have posted on new residential solar power as well as problems with Dominion Power’s service in the neighborhood. One of the benefits of putting grid-tied solar into place, (besides redundant power, besides lower power bills, besides tax credits, besides being able to sell state renewable energy credits (SRECs), not to mention cleaner energy in general), is that it does illuminate grid problems. For example, since taking inverter readings, and contacting the State Corporation Commission (SCC), Dominion Power has put new poles in, added transformers, and increased voltage to proper levels. In other words, if neighborhoods want better energy service, then get solar and create your own energy.
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But that leaves the old utility poles in place, and brings me to my next topic- Verizon actually owns many of the old poles in the neighborhood. Dominion Power has just rented space on them in the past, while it is the City of Richmond that actually does the planning and managing of the right-of-ways. So, getting Verizon to do its part in upgrading service will encourage the City and Dominion Power to do more.

With that in mind, I call on Verizon to bring FiOS to Oregon Hill. For one thing, I have heard that FiOS is already offered north of Cumberland Street. The neighborhood has the residential density. The City has a contract with Verizon for services to its residents. I already have DSL, and Verizon sends me offers for DirecTV every week- why not save the ad money and use it instead to bring FiOS to the neighborhood? The neighborhood is right next to downtown and close to Verizon’s Virginia headquarters. While many residents already have Comcast, many of them would be willing to make the switch to FiOS. Covad and wireless beckon if Verizon cannot keep up with technological advances in the neighborhood.

The newly Council approved Downtown Master Plan recognizes Oregon Hill as a historic neighborhood that deserves Old & Historic status- to the point of offering incentives to residents for the designation. Certainly, getting rid of old utility poles and lines by bringing in buried fiber optic cable with new services would go a long way. After all, Verizon already buries line and offers these services for VCU campus.
Again, these are the sort of services that citizens expect our elected representatives to push for, especially when the service contracts come back up for vote.