Category Archives: schools

Volunteers Needed For Upcoming Cleanup

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The next neighborhood “Project Clean Move’ cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, June 28. In order for Oregon Hill to be included as one of the neighborhoods, it needs to recruit at least four community volunteers, at least one of whom would be the project manager. The project manager provides direction on the starting point, route and directs other volunteers. Resident volunteers know where the “stuff” is.

The City’s Department of Public Works needs to know by Thursday, June 26 at 9 AM whether its truck will be there or not. The truck is scheduled from 8-12 but Oregon Hill’s truck’s arrival time depends on whether Randolph is participating.

Clean City Commission and VCU are the principle organizers for ‘Project Clean Move’ and they would like it to become an annual occurrence–one that the communities will find beneficial and worthy of owning as a community effort. If there are not volunteers for this Saturday, Oregon Hill can hopefully join other neighborhoods surrounding VCU on August 2 for what may be the biggest one yet with respect to the amount of trash in the alleys.

If you can volunteer, please get in touch before Wednesday evening. You can also sign up at the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association meeting this Tuesday evening at 7 pm at the William Byrd Community House.

Scenes From Sierra Club Tour Of VCU Green Facilities

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Wednesday night, the Sierra Club Falls James group did a walking tour of green projects on the Monroe Park campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. It was lead by longtime SCFOJ member and VCU Sustainability Program Coordinator Steven Heintz.

Thermal Solar on top of the Shafer Court Dining Hall:
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Vegetated Roof on top of Pollak Building:
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Solar PV Dual Axis Tracker behind Institute for Engineering and Medicine:
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It was great to see some of the steps that VCU has taken over the years to improve their environmental rankings. Its good to see progress with promises of more to come. It is notable that VCU plans to build its new Institute For Contemporary Art as ‘LEED Platinum’.

VCU’s new Director of Sustainability, Erin Stanforth, also took part in the tour. She is new to Richmond and she is excited to be here. She is particularly interested in doing more with recycling and composting.

Councilperson Agelasto’s Meeting/Sierra Club Tour Of VCU On Wednesday

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There are two events on Wednesday evening that may be of interest.

From City Council press release:

The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District will hold a district-wide meeting in the Richmond Central 5th Voter District. This is part of regular meetings Councilman Agelasto holds, which include information on his Richmond Central 5th Voter District goals and accomplishments; a thematic agenda of current interest; and, special guests. This meeting is free and open to the public and all Richmond Central 5th Voter District residents are invited and encouraged to attend. The planned agenda/discussion topics for the upcoming meeting include:

· “Richmond Grows Gardens Program” Presentation
Ms. Victoria Campbell, Community Garden Coordinator
Richmond Department of Parks Recreation and Community Facilities

· Richmond Government Procurement Presentation
Ms. Tillie Jackson, Deputy Director
Richmond Department of Procurement Services

· “Richmond Alley Blitz Program” Presentation
Mr. Bobby Vincent, Deputy Director of Operations
Richmond Department of Public Works

· New Richmond Public Utilities Bill Design and Water
Drainage/Standing Water Presentation
Mr. Robert Steidel, Director
Richmond Department of Public Utilities

· Updates from The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman,
Richmond City Council Richmond Central 5th Voter District

WHEN Wednesday, June 11, 2014
6:30-8:00 p.m.

WHERE Maymont Park – Maymont Stone Barn
1700 Hampton Street; Richmond, Virginia

WHO The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman
Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District

CONTACT For more information, please contact The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, at 804.646.6050 (tel), or parker.agelasto@richmondgov.com (email)

Councilman Agelasto’s Upcoming Richmond Central 5th Voter District Meetings ___

Wednesday, August 13, 2014; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Randolph Community Center; 1425 Grayland Avenue; Richmond, VA

Wednesday, October 8, 2014; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Richmond Public Schools – Swansboro Elementary School
3160 Midlothian Turnpike; Richmond, Virginia

Wednesday, December 10, 2014; 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Virginia War Memorial; 621 South Belvidere Street; Richmond, Virginia

And then from the Sierra Club Falls of the James:

Walking Tour of VCU’s Green Initiatives (click here for link)

Wednesday, June 11, 2014
7:00 PM

Shafer Court Dining Hall (VCU)
810 Cathedral Place, Richmond, VA

Steve Heinitz, with VCU’s Office of Sustainability, will lead us on a tour of several of VCU’s greening initiatives on campus: a green roof, a roof-mounted wind turbine, solar collectors integrated into the design of a parking deck, and more! Wear comfortable shoes and bring your water bottle. Parking on street or the Laurel St. parking deck at the corner of Laurel and W. Grace Streets.

Project Clean Move Makes A Dent In Student Tenant Trash Problem

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This past Saturday, Project Clean Move went into action, cleaning up several piles of student trash. Again, what is significant about this VCU-lead effort is that it proactively makes a point of contacting landlords and tenants and tries to get them involved in solutions.

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This past Saturday, several volunteers helped sort through tenant leftovers and identify furniture and other objects for pickup by charities, as well as work with City trash crew to pick up garbage. The process could have benefited from more volunteers and there were still some problem areas leftover from the weekend. They were noted for enforcement. In some cases, furniture marked for charities was taken and new trashed furniture was left.

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But overall Project Clean Move had a good start. It will need to improve with the next iteration next month. The hope is that this will lead to a change in culture.

Sierra Club Asks For Monroe Park Pledge

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The Sierra Club Falls of the James Executive Committee sent this public request today (Disclosure: I am a member of the SCFOJ Executive Committee and actually wrote the following):

The Sierra Club Falls of the James Executive Committee, recognizing VCU’s representation on the Monroe Park Conservancy board, respectfully asks for a public pledge to keep, at the very least, the same amount of mature trees and natural shade canopy as what is currently in Monroe Park. Given some past Monroe Park proposals, we believe this public pledge is necessary. We also request a careful inventory of the current mature trees, and ask to be notified before any are removed. While it is understandable that dead and dying trees may need removal and replacement, it is vital that Richmond retain valuable urban green resources. City trees, and groups of trees, are extremely important to offsetting downtown’s heat island effect, creating a habitat for birds, supplying a calming presence on human beings, and offsetting climate change caused by global warming.

We also note that Monroe Park has been a historic place of public gathering and political protest, and we request that the Monroe Park Conservancy continue to allow these important civic activities. The ACLU of Virginia recently sent a letter that raises questions on these points in regard to the City’s Monroe Park lease.

Lastly, it is also worth noting City Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s resolution, adopted by City Council, to work with the Conservancy to expand the board, and consider requesting an increase in the membership of the board to include a.) the Director of the city Parks Dept.; b.) a representative from the city’s Urban Forestry Division; c.) a representative of the Falls of the James Sierra Club; d.) representatives of the neighborhoods near the park that rely on the park as a fundamental community resource.

Trash/Recycling Pickup Thursday/Project Clean Move Saturday

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Normally, this Wednesday is a red Wednesday, which means trash and recycling pickup. But because of the Memorial Day holiday, pickup has been pushed back a day to Thursday. Please make sure you pick up containers after pickup. They do not belong on the sidewalk after Thursday night.

Also, get ready for VCU’s Project Clean Move. In addition to trash cleanups, volunteers will load reusable items to give to nonprofits this Saturday, May 31, from 8 a.m – 12 p.m. Separate your trash and reusable items and leave them out before 8 a.m. The Randolph/Oregon Hill truck will likely handle Randolph from 8-10 and Oregon Hill from 10-12.

Student Protest Continues Online

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Style magazine follows up on the student walkout.

Excerpt:

About 200 students from Open High School and other city schools walked out April 28 to draw attention to the lack of funding for the school district’s many pressing maintenance needs. Mayor Dwight Jones invited them into City Council chambers for a discussion.

But students say the discussion led to more buck passing. The mayor suggested that students take their complaints to the School Board, which receives its funding from the city.

Another walkout is possible, Open High School senior Levi Bane says. But for now he and fellow senior Isabella Arias are running two Facebook pages to keep the protest going online. One, dubbed Presence RPS, will serve as a place for students to document conditions at schools. The other will collect news about the district.

A couple of days after the walkout, City Council voted 5-4 to reallocate $12.6 million of the $13.6 million slated for the mayor’s Shockoe Bottom redevelopment plan. Of that reallocated money, $3.25 million will go toward schools.

But Jones has said he will veto the changes, a move Arias says proves her point: “It just shows that he cares more about commercial development than school development.”

…And They March!

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Keeping to their word, Open High School students, some of Richmond’s best and brightest, walked out of the former Grace Arents school today to march on City Hall. Their message? Something that many of my neighbors and I have been saying for years- PUBLIC priorities, such as schools, should come before private special interests like the Redskins. Hopefully the Mayor and City Council will listen to these young citizens.

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“Project Clean Move” On The Move

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As with the recent VCU event Paint The Town Green, VCU should be commended for redoubling its efforts with the City to address public dumping by student renters at the end of school year and lease time. Hopefully messy trash sites will not happen so often in the future. VCU policeman Greg Felton deserves a lot of credit for also getting the word to local landlords.

Oregon Hill may or may not get a dumpster like the one pictured below. If we do, it will likely be on Albemarle Street between S. Cherry and S. Laurel.

From Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s FaceBook page:

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Project Clean Move is operational. On Friday, dumpsters were placed at 4 locations near VCU to facilitate with the significant trash and bulk items resulting from students moving out of their residences. The dumpsters will remain until June 2. Please note that these will be emptied by the City’s Department of Public Works.

Dumpster Locations:
1) N. Plum Street between W. Main Street and Floyd Avenue
2) S. Morris Street between W. Main Street and W. Cary Street
3) N. Morris Street at the corner of Grove Avenue
4) Ryland Street at the corner of Grace Street

All residents are encouraged to use these dumpsters between April 25 and June 2. DPW will still respond to individual bulk pick-up requests as they are received. To report bulk pick-up, please call 311 or use SeeClickFix. If you have items in good condition, please also contact CARITAS Furniture Bank or Goodwill to donate them rather than adding to a land fill.

That last part is important. For VCU to continue to improve its sustainability efforts, it needs to get more students’ belongings recycled. The Sierra Club Falls of the James has helped University of Richmond do this through its Big Yard Sale (coming up this year on May 17th), but its understand able that VCU (and Virginia Union and other schools) may need to come up with its own model.

Open High Students Lead RPS Walkout On Monday

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From Times Dispatch article:

A group of students from Open High School is planning to lead a march on City Hall on Monday to protest the physical condition of school facilities in the city of Richmond.
The students plan to walk out of class at 8:30 a.m. and begin the mile-plus march from Oregon Hill toward downtown. They should reach City Hall by 9 a.m. and plan to hold a peaceful demonstration.

“It’s a way for the public to see the faces of students of Richmond Public Schools,” said Isabella Arias, a senior at Open.
She said the idea came up early this month after media reports of several particularly decrepit school buildings.
In a Facebook event called “RPS Walkout,” Arias and other organizers cited several specific problems, including roof failures at Fairfield Court Elementary and Thompson Middle schools and rodent problems at Carver Elementary and Armstrong High schools.
“When we read that, we were really horrified at how terrible the conditions are,” she said.
“These conditions continue to worsen as time passes and are simply disregarded by school officials, City Hall, the mayor and many others,” the organizers say on Facebook.
“Funds could be allocated to repair our dilapidated schools (as was done for the Redskins training camp) if those in charge saw it as a priority. Instead however, the officials of Richmond brush off the needs of RPS students.
“We are not their priority. They fail to see the value in our education or even our general well-being. They must be reminded of our numbers so that they may see our value.”