Questions For The Chief

Dear Police Chief Tarasovic,

I would like to know who hired the contractor that destroyed the pre-Civil War Tredegar wall on city property, and the public would like to know if the entity that hired the contractor be held responsible. The reasonable citizens of Richmond assume that the laws against destruction of public property will be applied equally and that this destruction of public property will not be “swept under the rug.”

I would greatly appreciate it if you applied transparency to the case of the destruction of the Tredegar wall on city property.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Scott Burger

Email sent March 23 (An earlier, similar email was sent by a neighbor in February and an even earlier email was sent last year to predecessor Chief Norwood). No responses received as of yet. I am hoping that Chief Tarasovic will be willing to speak to this issue tomorrow evening at the 5th District meeting.

From a February Times Dispatch article:

“I’m a transparent person,” Tarasovic said Tuesday after joining Mayor Dwight C. Jones in congratulating dozens of officers for winning awards. “I’ll tell you how I feel. I’m telling you how I feel now.”
“I believe in sunshine, and I think we will shine in the sun,” Tarasovic added, referring to transparency.

Williams Profiles WBCH

Richmond Times Dispatch columnist Michael Paul Williams has a profile of the William Byrd Community House in advance of its Byrd House Bash fundraiser on Saturday.

More than a century after nurses and social workers introduced the resettlement concept to Richmond, William Byrd provides essential resources to Richmond’s most vulnerable families. That’s an achievement worth celebrating and perpetuating.

Parking Parking Parking

Not as important as Transportation Transportation Transportation, but still on folks’ minds…

I am not sure what’s going on, but evidently no parking on west side of Laurel Street 195 overpass tomorrow…

In contrast, this sign is more explanatory…some celebrity cook guy is coming to the Landmark tomorrow and needs parking

But then there is this VCU news… (click for Commonwealth Times link)

Proposal Would Raise Parking Costs

Perhaps some of this will be discussed at the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting tomorrow evening…or maybe the 5th District meeting on Wednesday evening

Eat Oregon Hill/Pescados Hosts St. Andrew’s School Fundraiser Monday

From the FaceBook event page:

Please join St. Andrew’s School for a fundraiser at Eat by Pescado’s on April 22nd from 5 pm to 10 pm. Eat will donate a portion of the entire day’s sales to St. Andrew’s!!

Eat by Pescado’s is located at 626 China Street, right in our own Oregon Hill neighborhood!

www.eatoregonhill.com

www.st-andrews-school.org

Traffic Advisory: Lane Closure on the Robert E. Lee Bridge

From City press release:

For Immediate Release
April 19, 2013
For more information, contact:
Sharon North – (804) 646-5607

Lane Closure – Robert E. Lee Bridge
WHO: City of Richmond Department of Public Works

WHAT: Lane Closure

WHEN: Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHERE: Robert E. Lee Bridge

BACKGROUND: There will be intermittent alternating right lane closures in the northbound and southbound lanes to allow for a bridge inspection.

###

Traffic Blocking Intersection

From SeeClickFix.com report:

Hello – During evening rush-hour traffic, the intersection of Belvidere Street and Main Street is a mess. Due to back-ups along Belvidere, travelers on Belvidere frequently block the intersection, causing traffic on Main Street to not be able to proceed during a green light. I witness this and sit through this everyday. Cars on Belvidere get stuck in the middle of the intersection on a green light and are stuck when their light turns red. This causes cars on Main Street to not be able to proceed. When the cars on Belvidere are finally able to proceed, the cars stuck on Main Street must quickly run through the intersection (and at this point a red light) in order to avoid getting hit by the Belvidere traffic. Is there anyway the intersection ca n be painted and “No Blocking the Intersection” signs be erected. Thanks!

Local History Includes Streetcar Bombing

This past week has seen a lot of local anxiety due to the bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday, especially since the Monument 10K in Richmond was held just before it.

WTVR’s reporter Mark Holmberg recently did a piece on the history of local bombings.

One that he did not include was the 1903 bombing of a Laurel Street streetcar. Click here for the old Times Dispatch newspaper story about that. In that case, the incident was suspected to be related to the labor strife of competing trolley lines.

It’s not always easy to sort out the motivations for such acts. As we wait to learn more about the Boston Marathon suspects, its hard not to wonder what would drive people to do such things.

“The last public bath in the city”

From a neighbor:

There is an interesting photo in the Times Dispatch today of the Grace Arents public baths on the 500 block of Belvidere.

Click here for photo.

Caption: In May 1952, the Richmond City Council ended a longtime city service: the Grace Arents public baths, in the 500 block of South Belvidere Street. As a Times-Dispatch story noted: “The last public bath in the city … finally bowed to old age and the home bathtub and shower.” Arents, who lived from 1848 to 1926, was a local philanthropist and niece of Lewis Ginter.