Category Archives: schools

Top Ten Issues For The Neighborhood

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Its been a little over two months since the “Mayor’s Walkthrough”. During that event, I handed each member of City staff and the Mayor a sheet of paper with a list of what I considered the top ten issues for Oregon Hill, in order of priority and importance. I should emphasize that this list represents my personal opinion, though I did present and discuss it at last month’s Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting.

1. Signed, binding agreement that VCU will not encroach into Oregon Hill any further. Note: OHNA has voted for this.

2. Extend urban business district zoning on W.Cary to Belvidere. Note: OHNA has voted for this. Community Development has worked on this.

3. Keep R7 zoning except where urban business (old storefronts) makes sense.

4. Where is the new canal bridge? Note: OHNA raised almost half a million in grant money for greenway.

5. Traffic circle/roundabout on Idlewood off of 195 exit that allows commuters coming off 195 to go west in addition to east on Idlewood, also adding an egress from Oregon Hill to the west on Idlewood (making the street two way again). Note: OHNA has voted for this. VCU said they would support, with financial help. Randolph and other groups attended planning meetings.

6. Noise ordinance needed.

7. Brick sidewalk repairs (Notice how this area, which is in Oregon Hill, is marked as VCU!)

8. Empty tree wells need filling

9. public trash/recycling cans needed on corners- the Fan has them, why not Oregon Hill?

10. Look at 4 way stop signs for some intersections to slow down commuters speeding on Laurel, trying to beat Belvidere lights.

Again, this list is not exhaustive. There are other issues that compete for the top slots. You will notice that I did not mention some of the more controversial ideas of parking permits/tags or going for City Historic District status (Oregon Hill already has federal/state recognition).

You will also note that none of my priorities target any particular residence or deal with property code violations. Although I understand the fear that my lobbying here brings in the CIty inspectors, I refute any insinuation that it is my intention, and I share the concern that officious action may be in retribution for publicizing issues). Please feel free to list some of your ideas in the comments below.

In the next few weeks I will be focusing on each of these issues more and hopefully have news of progress. THE top issue, a permanent land use written accord with VCU, may get an update as soon as this next week since VCU President Michael Rao has asked for neighborhood leaders to come to a “Monroe Park Campus Advisory Council” (not to be confused with MPAC, Monroe Park Advisory Council) meeting this Tuesday. I know OHNA leaders plan to attend.

Lobs & Lessons Tennis Auction

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From announcement:

Lobs & Lessons, out of the Mary and Frances Youth Center, is hosting its
first on-line auction! Although there are only seven items, they are sure
to interest tennis and basketball enthusiasts, along with the most
spirited of VCU Ram fans. Two coveted items include two tickets for the
sold out Davis Cup in Austin, TX July 8-10 and a white VCU basketball
signed by Shaka Smart and all 14 members of the 2010-2011 men?s basketball
team. Other signed basketball items are available. Items can be
previewed now at
http://www.vcuyouthcenter.org/lobs-lessons/serving-aces-slam-dunking-great-cause/
as bidding will close on June 10th. There is a minimum bid set for each
item, and items can either be shipped or picked up. All proceeds will
directly benefit Lobs & Lessons participants and programming.

Lobs & Lessons is an afterschool and summer enrichment program for at-risk
elementary and middle school age youth that focuses on character
development, a path to higher education and the sport of tennis.

Tina Carter
Director
Mary and Frances Youth Center
120 S. Linden Street
804-827-0802

Rising VCU Student Fees

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The Times Dispatch has another article about rising VCU student fees.

Some excerpts:

The board of visitors on Friday approved a $50 increase in the university fee, bringing the charge to $1,637 for full-time students.
….
The university fee, which is assessed on all students but is prorated for those attending part time, supports intercollegiate athletics, recreational sports, the Student Commons and other programs.

The fee will bring VCU $41.5 million in total revenue for the 2011-12 academic year. Nearly $11 million will go to athletics.

…
It also will cover the $10,000 needed for increased fees for game officials, $100,000 for athletic facility maintenance, and $50,000 for the higher cost of inflation and deflation of VCU’s new tennis bubble.

Also covered by the fee increase is $45,000 in higher costs for the GRTC pass program that allows full-time students to ride city buses at no charge. About $158,000 will be used for Cary Street Recreation Center operations, and $80,000 will go to student disability programs.
…
The board of visitors adopted the increase in setting tuition and mandatory fee rates that will cost in-state students 7.9 percent, or $700, more. The university fee was not increased when tuition charges jumped 24 percent for the current year.

Adele McClure, this year’s student government president, said she did not hear from students who were upset by either the tuition or university fee increase. Nor did she hear complaints after Smart’s $1.2 million contract was announced.

U of R *and* VCU Yard Sales This Weekend

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This Saturday, is the BIG YARD SALE at the University of Richmond, which is a way for the local Sierra Club to raise funds and recycle student cast-offs at the same time.

It is great to see a similar effort at VCU get launched. On Sunday…

What: VCU Graduate Students Community Yard Sale
When: Sunday, May 15th 8 am – 2 pm Rain or Shine
Where: 103 S. Jefferson
Conveniently located on campus at VCU’s Brandcenter Main Parking Lot across from Fire Station #6

100 grad students are graduating in a week and moving to all corners of the country – come get their stuff for a steal!
Clothes, furniture, electronics, sports gear, school supplies, etc…

Also, today, I guess:

VCU to sponsor Youth-Violence Prevention Forum

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From the VCU press release:

RICHMOND, Va. – In response to the numerous cases of youth violence reported around the nation, Virginia Commonwealth University will bring together families, educators, mental-health professionals and community and youth leaders to discuss how they can work together to curb the growing problem.

Presented by the VCU Department of Psychiatry’s Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, the 39th annual Child Psychiatry Spring Forum, to be held from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on May 11, will focus on “Exploring Partnerships for Peaceful Communities: Enhancing Positive Youth Choices and Breaking the Cycle of Violence.”

The daylong program will present successful violence-prevention programs, along with ideas for forming partnerships between communities and universities. The forum will highlight the new VCU Center on Youth Violence Prevention, which was recently funded with $1.2 million from the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
….
The forum will include performances by the Richmond Girls’ Choir and “Drums, No Guns!,” a national youth movement for the prevention of handgun violence. Students from Open High School in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood will perform with “Drums, No Guns!”
…
The program will be held at the VCU Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. Registration for the event is $45, which includes lunch and parking. For more information or to register, contact Eunice Seaborn at (804) 828-4393 or at CICFS@vcu.org.

Upcoming…

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Really Really Free Market Saturday
School choice group meets Saturday
Disney’s Beauty and The Beast continues at the Landmark Theater
Pine Street yard/garage sale on Saturday-

May Day Parade…er…Celebration on Sunday
Pescados brunch service starts on Sunday
Monday is City Council budget meeting…perhaps we will see if Patrick Henry School gets more funding.
And don’t forget that Tuesday is the first official Byrd Market of the year!
Also Tuesday, there’s a meeting about Richmond’s transportation policy…I might have a few thoughts on that.

Parental Choice Group Forms in Richmond

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From Richmond Magazine article:

A new organization has emerged from the seemingly perpetual public-policy dust-up surrounding Richmond’s first public charter school and last year’s state law changes that simplify the process of creating new charter schools in Virginia.

The Greater Richmond Education Reform Alliance will hold an organizational and informational meeting this Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the Anointed Worship Center, at 4909 Government Road, located in the Fulton area of Richmond’s East End. The event is open to all, says Keisha Cummings, chairwoman of the board of the newly formed advocacy group.

“What it is is a call to action,” says Cummings, who previously served as the first Parent Teacher Association president at the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, where her daughter attends. “We want to inform people about what we’re talking about … and help them to advocate for whatever it is that they want for their children.”

By focusing its advocacy efforts on the more broad “whatever” that parents may seek, Cummings says, the new group seeks to avoid endorsing a single option — or even to risk appearing to be advocating against more traditional public schools.

“The organization was started to educate parents and to advocate for education reform, and to do that by educating parents in Richmond and the metro area,” she says. “It’s not so much we’re advocating for charter schools, but education options.”

Urgent Request For Patrick Henry School

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I received this request via email:

We Need Parents to come to City Council Monday, May 2nd at 6pm
It is URGENT that families, friends and neighbors show up in support of Patrick Henry at the next City Council meeting. $500,000 hangs in the balance! This money would help so much with renovating the school building on Semmes. Councilman Marty Jewel is requesting $500,000 to go to PHSSA. Not every request is honored, but by showing how much we care about our school we help our chances. Please make every effort to go to City Hall, 2nd floor this Monday night.

PS. Live in Marty Jewel’s district? Get your neighbors involved! A renovated and active school adds to the neighborhood!

For more on the Patrick Henry School, click here.

VCU Earth Day in Monroe Park this Friday

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From the Facebook page:

For the fourth consecutive year VCU will be celebrating Earth Day! This year the event will be held on the Commons Plaza between the Student Commons and Harris Hall.

The focal point of Earth Day this year is will be to showcase the sustainable campus initiatives that have been completed or are currently ongoing. Come learn about what’s going on with transportation, energy, green buildings, resident life, recycling, stormwater management (to protect the James River and Chesapeake Bay), dining and composting, academic programs, procurement, and our Climate Action Plan (CAP), VCU’s plan for to become climate neutral by 2050. Meet the people bringing you these changes and learn from the source!

There will be catered food, herb and vegetable seedling giveaways, informational tables, and potentially a few really exciting surprises we can’t give away just yet!