The end of July means moving for many people. Unfortunately, for far too many renters and landlords that means pile up your trash on the sidewalk and leave town, and let others deal with their trash. Although I posted before about the problem on Idlewood and Cherry, here is what will greet the Byrd Market attendees this afternoon:
Again, in the Idlewood situation, an easy solution would be to create a trash containment area along the alley which goes north behind the residences just a few yards away, and make sure residents use it. City trash trucks are supposed to be picking up from the back alleys in the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, this is not the only place where this happening, as the following pictures will attest. In every single case, it involves VCU student renters of absentee landlords. All of these places are repeat offenders. While not every Oregon Hill residence has a back alley access due to the way the lots are laid out, all of these places in the pictures have back alley access. There are other trash problems in the neighborhood, but I find these particularly egregious because they block front sidewalks. Personally, I suggest the City increase fines against the landlords, who are easier to identify and locate. I would be in favor of landlord licenses, not unlike what other university towns have implemented.
In the meantime, I will go out this morning since I have the day off from work and try to at least tidy the sidewalk trash on my block. Maybe this will stop the City from fining me for not mowing along my back alley while I was away on vacation.
614, 616 S. Laurel St.
500 block of S. Laurel Street
100 block of S. Cherry Street
800 block of Holly Street
This is a regular occurrence, not just at the beginning of the school year. What ALWAYS happens is the litter on Idlewood and the 200 block Cherry, since it is not secure, blows down further south into Oregon Hill, providing a constant source of trash ending up in front of our houses. Its been going on as long as I can remember.
Scott, have you contacted the City about the trash? I would think the more times we report it, the better the chances are that will take action against the landlords.
I remember a dumpster being parked on Grove that I believe was sponsored by the FDA for the purpose of collecting student garbage in August. It shouldn’t be the neighborhood’s responsibility to dispose of all this trash, but hiring a seasonal roll-off might be a good way to keep the neighborhood clean in moving season.
Googled this from memory, it’s an old press release, but maybe you could arrange something similar for the seasonal moves:
Spring Cleaning
4/25/2006
The Richmond Department of Public Works, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Fan District Association and the Richmond Police Department are sponsoring the Spring Throw It Out! Program from April 28 through June 5. Large-capacity roll-off dumpsters will be placed at four locations (Ryland at Grace, Grove at Morris, Cary at Morris and Grace at Mulberry.)
VCU students and Fan residents may drop off residential furniture, trash and other bulk items. Appliances should be left behind the dumpster. For more information, call the City of Richmond Department of Public Works at 804.646.0999 or visit http://www.richmondgov.com.
Maybe the landlords can work with VCU to take some responsibility and organize a similar effort. To me, this is a simple problem about following City Code.
But speaking of suggestions:
At U of R, the student Sierra Club collects furniture and other castaways and then sells it in one big yard sale. Maybe VCU could do something similar since supposedly they are trying to be more green.
As Todd states in his comment, this is not a seasonal happening but a REGULAR problem with VCU student renters not following City Code and not living up to community standards.
perhaps concerned residents can actually take action instead of merely complaining. Try contacting the VCU Department of Community Engagement or the City’s Department of Community Development to see what has been done in the past or in other neighborhoods and what you can.
Plus
The UR yard sale deal is not logical for VCU. The VCU population(students, facutly, staff, contractors, visitors) living or staying in the Fan/Oregon Hill is easily more the twice the size of UR entire population.
Scott, VCU does have an annual yardsale at this time for students to try and move some of their unwanted items. This year it occurs this Saturday and is called Trash-4-Cash. Anyone can participate including non student, Oregon Hill and other city residents. This is the Facebook Link http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=112043961993&mid=e268fcG1853c6bG3333a21G7
For those who do not have Facebook, they can simply sign up in our Programs Office Room 229 in the Commons. See blurb from facebook below.
“Come our to VCU’s biggest yeardsale! Student can sign up for FREE in the Breakpoint Gamesroom or in the Programs Office, room 229 in the Student Commons to sell their goods. Faculty and Staff are also welcome to sign up for only $5.00, which will guarantee you a space and 6 ft table. Feel free to come shop, enjoy some music and free snacks!”
Also I plan to roll into our Moving On Moving Out program a review of city ordinances about this issue. Have you tried contacting property owners of these places and making sure they clean it up. Ultimately they are responsible and then it is up to them to bill the student from their security deposit.
Hope this helps.
I agree property owners are ultimately responsible, including absentee landlords (as I keep pointing out).
So, Jason, Martha, does VCU logically have a recycling sale, and does this address the reoccurring problem?
How many times do we have to contact the City and VCU about this? Ten, twenty? Both the Executive Director of WBCH and the Principle of St. Andrew’s School are in agreement with the neighborhood association that there is a lack of accountability here.
I just came back from the Byrd Market and its positively gross. Mothers are having to take their strollers all around the mess.
I’m a VCU student and wouldn’t want to live in Oregon Hill in large part due to how dirty it always is. This is just beyond gross. I chose to live on a quiet block in the Fan that is a great mix of students and professionals because quality of life was important to me. There are occasional problems with trash (mainly people mixing up recycling days), but nothing as disgusting as what’s going on in Oregon Hill. Most of the students on my street abide by common decency and if they don’t, swift action is taken either by the landlord or the city.
I think the biggest difference really has to do with absentee landlords. I completely agree that the city should be fining property owners left and right for this. Hopefully, that would force them to check on their properties once in awhile. Absentee landlord plus young, (often immature) students are a terrible mix. Just look at the 1100 block of West Grace! Of course, if you consider how much Oliver Lawrence was able to get away with, going through the city seems kind of hopeless (I look forward to his sentencing August 20th).
It will be interesting to see how the new VCU president handles neighborhood relations, but given VCU’s past performance, I’m not all that hopeful.
Good luck, Oregon Hill.
P.S. Don’t forget that students aren’t always the bad guys- both the student Sierra Club and Green Unity club have cleaned up 1100 West Grace and parts of Oregon Hill before. It just sucks that we’re having to clean up after our peers.
It really is sad that Oregon HIl doesn’t have a council person that cares about the neighborhood. He just basically ignores us, maybe the Idlewood trash will get some attention though because the William Byrd is also involved and it really is a blight against the Byrd market. It would be great if he would attend a neighborhood meeting, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.