South Pine Street neighbors are not about to let Laurel Street have all the fun. The judging for the Halloween decoration contest took place last weekend and the award announcement should happen tomorrow at the ‘Hocus Locus’ neighborhood party.
…If you want to enter the contest for Best Decorated House at the first annual Oregon Hill Fall Festival, coming Saturday, October 23rd. In order to be eligible, please enter by 10/15 via email to ohnarva@gmail.com with the subject line “Haunted House Entry.” Please include your address (Must live in Oregon Hill to enter).
Laurel Street is getting pretty scary-looking…
Former Councilperson Chuck Richardson, who once represented Oregon Hill on City Council, is releasing an autobiography this Saturday at the Black History Museum. (Registration is required – see details at this link: https://chuckrichardson.EventBrite.com). Its entitled “Cease Fire! Cease Fire!: Councilman Chuck, A Hero (In) Addiction” (click title to go the book website).
Henry W. “Chuck” Richardson tells his life story in his own words with his brother Monte Richardson. With a foreword by Dr. Raymond P. Hylton,
Chair of the Department of History at Virginia Union University, Cease fire! Cease fire! includes dozens of personal pictures and historic events in
Richmond, Virginia.
This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which hopefully means trash and recycling pickup. I say hopefully, because the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority has struggled to maintain its schedule due to a shortage of workers and has missed some pickups recently and had to reschedule. That said, as neighbors, we should do our best to help.
One tool that might help ameliorate the situation if pickup does not come is this online form:
https://cvwma.com/programs/residential-recycling/recycling-service-request-form/
Please go over what can be recycled. Ideally, rolling recycling containers are stored and deployed in the back alleys along with trash cans. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup tomorrow night.
If you have not done so already, don’t forget to sign up for your Recycling Perks.
In order to take your recycling to the next level, read this: 10 ways to improve your recycling.
In recycling news, more and more people are recognizing the problem of plastics.
From a recent Politico article that is part of a special report, The Recycling Myth:
Most experts agree that recycling is an important way to reduce waste and to recover valuable materials, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving significant amounts of energy and water. And yet, of the 2.3 billion tons of waste generated in the EU each year, only 37 percent gets recycled.
Some materials, such as aluminum cans, glass and paper, are relatively easy to repurpose (Nearly three-quarters of this type of waste sees a new life as a consumer product.)
But plastic poses a particular problem. Of the 29 million tons of plastic waste collected in the EU (European Union) in 2018, less than a third was recycled. About a quarter went into landfills, and about 43 percent was burned in incineration plants.
“Plastic recycling is largely a fraud,” said Jim Puckett, the executive director of the Basel Action Network, an NGO (non-governmental organization) in the U.S. that works to end illegal waste trade. “It’s been sold to us as being the answer to all the plastic waste and consumption, but in fact it really has some fundamental aspects of non-circularity that are going to plague that myth and dream forever.”
That’s not what the plastics industry wants to hear. With growing public concern about plastics — fueled by stories about garbage patches in the middle of oceans, bottle-strewn beaches and animals choking on plastic pellets — the industry is worried their product could end up as a taboo, like tobacco.
With beautiful weather, the festival season is here in Richmond, VA.
Many people are looking forward to fun events after a tragic pandemic year, and the Folk Festival is a Richmond favorite. It’s taking place this coming weekend and it’s noteworthy that it is free admission (though they do ask for donations).
Although it is celebrating its 17th year, this Folk Festival will be a bit more national artist-based than past years, which is understandable given the difficulty traveling with pandemic concerns.
It does not look like they are checking vaccination records for attendees, but they are taking some COVID-19 precautions.
From announcement:
There will be a contest for Best Decorated House at the first annual Oregon Hill Fall Festival, coming Saturday, October 23rd. In order to be eligible, please enter by 10/15 via email, with the subject line “Haunted House Entry.” Please include your address. There are going to be some amazing prizes! More info soon.
(Must live in Oregon Hill to enter)
From email announcement:
Good morning OHNA members,
I look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday at 7pm for our monthly OHNA meeting.
We will be meeting again at the Holly Street Playground, as there is not yet an indoor location within the neighborhood that is ready to host meetings. Please bring a chair, and if you can’t, a couple of picnic tables will be available.
We are also providing a Zoom link provided for those who wish to join remotely. This should allow for remote participation, including the ability to ask questions remotely — those in person won’t be able to see remote participants, but we should be able to hear them.
I have attached to this email
1. the agenda for the 27 September meeting (also pasted in below),
2. the minutes for the August meeting,We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow evening.
Thanks,
Bryan
Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 28 September 2021
7:00PM
Location: Holly Street Playground
(Editor’s note: please contact OHNA through their email, OHNARva@gmail.com, if you would like the Zoom link).
We ask that invited guests limit their presentations to no more than 5 minutes.
We ask that questions, comments, and suggestions be kept to no more than 3 minutes.
This meeting will be recorded.
Welcome
· Treasurer’s Report
Community Updates:
1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Mr. Tito Luna, VCU Liaison
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney
Updates
1. Proposed all-way stops on South Pine Street at its intersection with China Street (at Open High School) and South Pine Street at its intersection with Albemarle Street
· A survey has been posted and a link sent. If you would like to participate, the link is: https://forms.gle/UaA6n1jaVdN47MWg6
· Flyers were recently placed around the two intersections to alert neighbors to the proposed change.
2. Proposed Amendments to the Richmond 300 Land Use Plan/Neighborhood Coalition Update
· Move Oregon Hill from Neighborhood Mixed Use to Residential land use category (Randolph is in this category).
· If Planning will not move Oregon Hill to Residential, then change the maximum height in the Neighborhood Mixed Use category from four stories to two stories.
· Remove the clause that allows taller buildings along major streets.
o Idlewood and South Laurel between VCU and Idlewood are designated major streets
o The amendments were continued by Land Use Committee. City Planning staff have recommended that no amendments be adopted.
o The most recent hearing is scheduled for noon on Tuesday 21 September 2021. It was continued, yet again, to 3pm Tuesday 19 October.
3. Holly Street )Playground Cleanup
· Saturday 11 September cleanup at Holly Street Playground (grant funded) was a success. We are planning a follow-up cleanup day to complete the removal of invasive growth around the south and west fence lines.
Continued Business
1. Neighborhood fall festival.
· Scheduled for the afternoon and early evening of Saturday 23 October (one week before Halloween) in Pleasant’s Park.
· Will include events for neighbors of all ages – pumpkin carving, kid’s costume contest, house decorating contest, etc.
· Will also have a fundraising component for neighborhood projects, including an auction of donated items from local businesses and individuals.
· May conclude with a movie in the park.
· A park cleanup being planned for the week before the Fall Festival event, Saturday 16 October.
· Any new volunteers?
3. St. Andrew’s Association has listed 200-202 S. Linden St. and 912-924 Cumberland Street for sale
· All 18 units (19,625 ft. sq.) and 13 parking spaces are for sale. The lot is zoned R-7.
· The asking price is $2,750,000.
· It appears that the property has been sold; the purchaser appears to be the same developer who came before us with the SUP for 116 South Laurel Street.
New Business
4. Updates on 105 and 116 South Laurel SUP Applications
· Both applications will be heard at the Planning Commission on Monday 4 October
· The applicant for 116 South Laurel Street has not submitted in writing a commitment to placing a preservation easement on 103 South Laurel, as was agreed to as a condition of the neighborhood supporting the SUP.
2. VCU student party issues
· There have been several large, loud parties in the last few weeks. There are problematic, repeat issues in the 200 block of South Laurel, and the intersection of South Laurel and China streets.
· Report issues to both RPD and VCU. Keep track of: date, time, location, fraternity / sorority affiliation, names of individuals involved, names of landlords, etc.
· OHNA is setting up an online form to track problem party locations, so that we may follow up with RPD and VCU. We will keep a spreadsheet of problematic locations and fraternity / sorority locations, and regularly report this information to VCU.
3. Folk Festival update
· The Folk Festival will be held this year.
· “Resident Parking Only” signs will be posted at entrances to the neighborhood.
· RPD will be patrolling adjacent neighborhoods; they will directly monitor non-emergency calls for faster response. Call non-emergency numbers for issues such as alleys being blocked by parked cars, etc.
4. Potential sculpture for Pleasant’s Park, by local artist Mickael Broth
The Next OHNA meeting is scheduled for 7:00pm Tuesday 26 October 2021. That meeting will be held in person with a Zoom option; the location will be announced later, and a link will be sent separately.
Bryan Clark Green, President
David Cary, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Chris Hughes, Co-Vice-President
Harrison Moenich, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer
