Category Archives: parks

Really Really Free Market Tomorrow

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From the The Wingnut page:

November’s Really Really Free Market – an excellent alternative to holiday consumerism- will be happening tomorrow from Noon until 3pm in Monroe Park at the corner of Main and Laurel.

The weather looks great- sunny and 65- so come hang out!

Bring your excess belongings to give away- books, clothes, movies, food, appliances, music, and more! Come discover the treasures of community events and maybe a knick knack you like.

Also, letter writing at the Really Really Free Market:

Come join the Anarchist Black Cross at the monthly Really Really Free Market (on the last Saturday of every month) to write letters to prisoners who will be celebrating their birthdays the following month. We will have a table set up with instructions, addresses and descriptions, envelopes, and people to help answer any questions. rvaabc@gmail.com to get in touch!

We will be using the prisoners’ birthdays posters created monthly by the Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective, and will also have additional prisoner addresses available.
This is a monthly event that will repeat every last saturday of each month.

Holly Street Park Improvements Coming

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The City’s Parks and Rec Dept. is moving forward on new playground plans for Holly Street Park. As agreed by Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association‘s Holly Street Park committee, the first step will be removing the large overhang attached to the playground house. This will open up the area visually and prevent folks from hiding/sleeping in the area. The old playground equipment will be removed and new equipment installed beginning the week of December 1st. The sand will be replaced with engineered wood fiber.

Click here for a pdf of the new playground plan.

After this portion is completed, the committee can look at locations for new tree plantings.

Nov. 11 Community Food Drive

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From announcement:

November 11, 2011
Community Food Drive
Every week the Oregon Hill Baptist Center and
Pine Street Baptist Church provide food items for
households and homeless individuals in need.
This weekly food program is only made possible
through donations from people like you!
Join your neighbors on
Friday, November 11
5:00 – 7:00 pm • Pleasants Park
for a community food gathering at the corner of
Laurel and Albemarle Streets.
Drop off staple food items and enjoy a FREE
grilled beef or veggie hot dog and beverage.
Help support this important food ministry.
Questions: Call Jennifer Turner @ 804 648-1353

New Canal Bridge Bought

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C. Wayne Taylor alerted me that the City has finally bought the new canal bridge. Oregon Hill has been waiting for roughly 8 years for this, since the awarding of state grants. The idea is to replace the current bridge that was built by volunteers.

Midtown to Midriver Greenway Enhancement
North Bank Trail over Kanawha Canal
Pedestrian Bridge Replacement
CIP No. 0401308908-8915
September 20, 2010
Procurement number IFB J11114-1
$259,450.00
http://richmondvaprocurementawards.blogspot.com/2011/10/ifb-j11114-1-mid-town-to-mid-river.html

The city of Richmond has selected a contractor to construct a pedestrian bridge across Kanawha Canal. The pedestrian bridge will be located underneath the Lee Bridge. The cost of the bridge is $259,450.00.

He goes on to say:

If the Kanawha Canal is ever restored and used, the pedestrian bridge will restrict overhead access on the canal. Allowing two feet for the depth of water, the overhead clearance in the center of the canal will be approximately 5.8 feet.

The question is, what will it mean for future riverfront development? OHNA originally asked for a rounded bridge that would allow canal boats to eventually return. We were told that type bridge would be too expensive, but our concerns would be taken into consideration. The fact that we are getting a flat bridge should not be a surprise (even if it is disappointing).

https://www.oregonhill.net/2009/09/14/canal-bridge-plans/

excerpt from the Sept 19, 2009 post link above:

Officially the project is called the “North Bank Trail Pedestrian Bridge Replacement”, and what its really about is a new bridge that will cross the historic Kanawha Canal near the Lee Bridge and enable pedestrians to make their way to the James River Park. The flat bridge will be placed so that it can be raised easily later to accommodate canal development and possibly the return of canal boats. The money for this is coming from greenway grants that the neighborhood association previously applied for and won.

Kollatz Reports On OHNA/City/Dominion Meeting

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Harry Kollatz is doing his best to add more in depth coverage of planning meetings regarding the Richmond riverfront on his blog for Richmond Magazine. In the latest post (click here), he reports on a meeting yesterday that included representatives from the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA), Dominion Power, and City of Richmond.

At this week’s meeting, the concerns as expressed by OHNA through Pool and its president, Jennifer Hancock, included the possibility of the new and longer Second Street wiping away remnants of the canal; resulting traffic and noise; the special-use permit that Dominion still carries on its property, which allows open-ended construction (Pool was greatly concerned that construction of a once-planned 160-foot tower might go forward as a result); and the matter of what’s been referred to as an “amphitheater” for Venture Richmond to complement the Folk Festival site, on property that may be gifted to the organization by NewMarket.

Discussion ensued over the ramifications of a possible new street coming off 2nd that would connect to the riverfront. Oregon Hill neighbors are concerned that this would encourage more cars speeding down Idlewood off the expressway in order to get to 2nd Street.

From Kollatz’s post:

Hancock later reminded city engineers that they’d pushed for a roundabout at Idlewood, where the Downtown Expressway connects, and it’s mentioned in the Downtown Master Plan’s Transportation Analysis (p. 18). Transportation engineer Thomas Flynn said the excellent idea for a roundabout isn’t forgotten, it just needs $400,000 to be completed.

(Please see Issue #5).

Recycling Tomorrow/Really Really Free Market On Saturday

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Its “Red Wednesday” tomorrow which means curbside recycling pickup as well as trash pickup in the neighborhood. And don’t forget what Ms. Friedman wrote.

If you have items that you think are reusable by others, such as furniture or books, you might want to consider donating to the Really Really Free Market in Monroe Park this Saturday. According to organizers, anything left at the end of the day will be taken to Diversity Thrift.

9/11 Volunteer Opportunities In Our Area

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This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Join millions of volunteers across the country in remembrance of the victims and heroes of 9/11. From NASCAR to the Richmond Fire Department, there are a variety of tribute projects to choose from. See below for a list of projects in your area. Visit www.handsonRVA.org for more details and to register.

– Farmlet Fun (William Byrd Community House) at 224 South Cherry Street
– James River Park Cleanup (Belle Isle) at 500 Tredegar Street

Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD) Workshop For Tree Stewards

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TCD workshop on Sept 27. This workshop is for the public, but registration is required.

From the Tree Stewards website:

On of July 21, 2011 the Richmond area was placed under a temporary quarantine due to thousand cankers disease (TCD) which is lethal to black walnut trees. The quarantine limits the movement of all walnut plants and plant parts, including logs, stumps, firewood, roots, branches, mulch and chips out of the quarantined area.

The City of Richmond’s Urban Forestry Division and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is offering education for Richmond residents. This workshop is limited to 50 participants.

Thousand Cankers Disease Workshop
September 27, 2011 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Round House in Byrd Park

For more information and registration, please go to the website.