Category Archives: News

GRTC Task Force To Meet Thursday

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From City Council announcement:

First meeting of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force to be held

First meeting of this important Task Force

WHAT The first meeting of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force will be held. The purpose of the Task Force is to make recommendations to Richmond City Council with regard to enhancing mass transit in the Metro-Richmond area and the efficiency and effectiveness of the GRTC Transit System. This first meeting will serve as an organizational and planning session to develop a work plan for the Task Force. The meeting is free and open to the public and all citizens are invited and encouraged to attend.

WHEN Thursday, 12 January 2012
4:00-6:00 p.m.

WHERE Richmond Police Academy
1202 W. Graham Road, Room 247
Richmond, Virginia 23220 (In Richmond’s Northside)
Free Parking is located in front of the building.

WHO Members of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force

CONTACT For more information, please contact The Honorable Bruce W. Tyler, Councilman, Richmond City Council, West End 1st District,
at 804.357.6007; or bruce.tyler@richmondgov.com.

Background ____________________________________________________________________________

Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force
Richmond City Council established the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force on September 27, 2010 by Richmond City Council Ordinance No. 2010-173-166.

The objective of the Richmond City Council GRTC and Transit Study Task Force is to provide a report to Council within in a year of its first meeting which recommends the following:

1. Any legislation, plans, policies, and programs that promote efficient mass transit in the city;

2. Economic development, economic growth, employment and tourism strategies that include public transportation; and,

3. Public relations and education programs to increase public use of mass transit.
The Task Force shall also work with interested private organizations to improve the service and efficiency of the GRTC.
– E N D –

A few other points of information-

Oregon Hill’s bus route that came down to China Street was eliminated over a year ago, though you may still see bus stop signs in the neighborhood.

According to transportation application Abogo, the transportation cost for an average household in Oregon Hill is $629/month vs. a regional average of $844. While transportation CO2 impact for an average Oregon Hill household is 0.29 metric tons/month vs. a regional average of 0.78 metric tons.

The RVA Green roadmap for Sustainability, updated as of last month, has some recommendations for GRTC on its last few pages.

Historic Canal Area Controversy Continues

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The Times Dispatch had a report on a recent Planning Commission meeting about the proposed 2nd Street Connector. It did not mention Oregon Hill citizens’ troubles with the project, but it did focus on concerns about what the road might mean for future use of the historic Kanawha Canal.

Excerpt:

The Richmond Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a final design for the estimated $1.3 million Second Street Connector despite concerns that the culvert may be too small to allow boats to pass if water flow could someday be restored to the canal.

“The purpose of the canal is to float boats. If we’re going to float boats on this canal, they’ve got to be able to pass this constriction,” said Jack Pearsall, who is trying to reignite interest in restoring a functional canal system stretching from Great Shiplock Park to Maymont.

Pearsall, who served on a Historic Richmond Foundation committee that studied the idea more than 20 years ago, estimated that the culvert would be about 12 feet high with only about 6 feet of clearance if water flow were restored. That means typical canal boats wouldn’t be able to pass, he said.

Meanwhile, C. Wayne Taylor has compiled some very interesting images of the canal area on his blog. They are well worth checking out. If nothing else, they give some perspective on how important this area has been to Richmond’s identity over the decades.

Which vision will City Council and City government ultimately align with, the citizens’ desire for a working, refurbished canal or another corporate driveway? Who does the City work for?

Mamma ‘Zu in Saveur

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From the short article:

In this year’s SAVEUR 100, we take stock of our favorite things: recipes, people, places. We consider every last one a new classic.
By The Editors…

We didn’t expect to find honest-to-god Italian food in Richmond, Virginia. But among the low-slung buildings in the Oregon Hill neighborhood, we discovered Mamma ‘Zu. Ed Vasaio’s candlelit restaurant is part trattoria, part neighborhood clubhouse. And the food! Penne all’amatriciana. Garlicky dandelion greens. Bold, bright antipasti like roasted red peppers with anchovies served in huge family-style portions. A hit when it opened in 1993, it’s now a legend.

Also includes a recipe for roasted red pepper and anchovies.

Volunteers and Pet Foster Homes Needed

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From press release:

RICHMOND, VA (Jan. 5, 2012) . . . Richmond Animal Care & Control, the city of Richmond public animal shelter, welcomes the new year with an all‐out effort to find more loving homes for shelter pets than ever before! Volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of activities including cat and dog adoptions held on Saturdays throughout the city. Foster homes for cats and dogs are also needed. All volunteers must be at least 18 years old. For details, please contact Paula Ritter, outreach coordinator, at Paula.ritter@richmondgov.com.
Adoption hours are Tuesday – Friday, 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, noon until 4:00 p.m. The shelter is located at 1600 Chamberlayne Avenue in northside/ downtown Richmond. All pets are spayed and vaccinated. Pets available for adoption may be seen online at www.richmondgov.com/animals. The shelter adoption phone number is 804‐646‐5575.
Donations of blankets, towels, pet beds, kitten food, baby food, peanut butter and toys for cats and dogs are always needed.

Patrick Henry Enrollment and Open High Award

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Press release:

Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, (PHSSA), the State’s first elementary charter school and a Richmond Public School, is accepting new kindergarten and first grade applications for mid-year enrollment as it moves into its permanent location at 3411 Semmes Avenue, Richmond, VA.
PHSSA has an academically challenging integrated curriculum based on a SOL framework that demonstrates an environmental science focus that integrates the Arts, Language, Math, and Social Studies. The students tested 94% in English and 97% in math on the spring, 2011 SOL assessments. The new location of the school provides additional square footage that allows PHSSA to open up more spots for enrollment.
The school currently has 185 students and is proud of its very involved and diverse community. One parent offered up some thoughts on their experience with PHSSA.
“We have lived in Richmond for eight years, and we made the decision to enroll our child in PHSSA mainly because of the integrated curriculum and the focus on science, art, and environmental studies,” said PHSSA kindergarten parent, Matthew Warner. “I witness this as I talk to my child about what he has learned, and I look at the work that he has done at the school. In addition, my kindergartner can apply these things in his daily life. The ideas that he expresses, while we are on our family activities are a direct result of the lessons and the curriculum from PHSSA.”
Interested families can visit the PHSSA website at www.patrickhenrycharter.org to download an application or can pick up an application at any of the Richmond City Branch Libraries. Families will need to complete the application and mail it to P.O. Box 2459, Richmond, VA, 23218.
Applications must be postmarked by Monday, January 9th to be considered for enrollment. No preference will be given to families who get their applications in early. If applications exceed space, a lottery will be performed. Families will be notified of enrollment by January 17, 2012.
Patrick Henry School is the first elementary charter school in Virginia. The school’s charter was approved in October 2008. The school started its second year of school on August 10, 2011.

In other news, Open High School won a 2012 Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award.

From the announcement:

The Board of Education Competence to Excellence Award was earned by 171 schools (ed. across the state) that met all state and federal benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and made progress toward the goals of the governor and the board.

Congratulations Open High!

Man Shoots Dog On Cherry Street

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From Times Dispatch article:

Richmond police are investigating the apparent shooting of a dog in the 600 block of South Cherry Street this morning.

A police spokesman said that at around 10:30 a.m. a neighbor heard a gunshot, looked out the window and spotted a white male in his 60s leaving the area on foot.

A dog that had left its owner’s property was discovered with a non life-threatening wound and was taken for medical treatment.

Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.