Trash/Recycling Pickup Tomorrow

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This Wednesday is a “Red Wednesday”, which means trash and recycling pickup. 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, read the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority’s June 2017 Waste Reduction News e-newsletter by clicking here.

Don’t forget to sign up for the Oregon Hill & Randolph Neighborhood 5th District Cleanup on June 17th.

From the FaceBook event page:

We will be partnering with neighbors, HandsOn, and RVA Clean Sweep.

Each neighborhood will have its own city waste truck to clear alleys. The Richmond Tree Stewards are going to come out and help with developmental pruning of the trees planted on Harrison/Colorado. Activites will range from litter pick up to beautification projects.

If you have something in mind contact amy.robins@richmondgov.com.

Please wear closed toed shoes, dress according to the weather, and bring a water bottle. We will meet inbetween Grayland & Idlewood at Harrison.

Chesterfield County’s Water

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Why is the Oregon Hill community news site posting about Chesterfield County’s water?

You probably still need to read this week’s Richmond Free Press. As with last week’s article on Monroe Park, reporter Jeremy Lazarus is supplying some valuable insight to how this area (dys)functions. For some mysterious reason, the following front-page article does not appear on the newspaper’s website, but here are photos of the printed version:

Please take the the time to read the second page, which includes hard-hitting quotes from former Sierra Club leader Dr. Charles Price on this attempted usurping of a public park as well as from Laurel Street neighbor Charles Pool on the City’s regressive water utility fees.

Although the Richmond Free Press article does not mention it, some neighbors are also speculating about how Chesterfield County might resell their ‘bargain’ on City water to Niagra Bottling LLC. Is City of Richmond not only forced to provide Chesterfield Co. water at a fifth the cost that Richmond customers must pay, but also subsidizing cheap water for the Niagara Bottling LLC? Are we really going to be damaging a Richmond city park to build a water facility so that Niagara Bottling Company can have cheap water?!

While Oregon Hill is not in Chesterfield County, our neighbors continue to keep an eye on local water issues and hope more media like the Richmond Free Press does the same.

The Boss At Monroe Park

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Re-post from neighbor Todd Woodson in the Fans of Monroe Park FaceBook group:

There was a free show in Monroe Park on June 1, 1969 including the Richmond debut of the band Child featuring a young Bruce Springsteen. They did 3 songs before, as I recall, they got shut down by police at the urging of the residents of the Prestwould. The songs played were Voodoo Child, Jennifer and Crown Liquor. This photo, courtesy of BruceBase was supposedly taken of the Boss at Monroe Park at the 1969 show. They would return to Monroe Park on July 18, 1971 as the Bruce Springsteen Band…

Open High Fundraiser Thursday

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From a parent:

At Open High, students are grouped into families. As a school, we will be hosting an Art and Talent Show, to be held on from 5:30-8 pm on Thursday, June 1, at Clark Springs Elementary School.
We will have food, art work for sale, a fashion show, a hair show, dancing , spoken word, a taco bar and dessert for sale… all wrapped up into one evening with musical accompaniment.
PROCEEDS FROM THE AUCTION GO TO SUPPLIES FOR THE ART DEPT. AND PROCEEDS FROM THE FOOD GO TO THE OPEN HIGH PTSA.

61st Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony

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From the Virginia War Memorial website:

Monday, May 29, 2017 – 10:00am to 11:00am
VWM Grounds
Join us as we honor and remember all veterans who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts. Guest speaker will be Major General Timothy P. Williams, The Adjutant General, Virginia National Guard. Co-hosted with the 11th District American Legion. The Galanti Education Center will be open extended hours Memorial Day until 7 pm.

The “Never Forget Memorial Run” is a 1.4 mile silent run from VCU and finishes at the Virginia War Memorial just past noon on Memorial Day. The run is hosted by the VCU Police Department to honor fallen U.S. armed service members.

The Thomas Jefferson High School Alumni Cadet Corps and Friends Band will play patriotic tunes in the Shrine of Memory at 2 pm on Memorial Day. Bring your own chairs and set up in the Virginia War Memorial’s Shrine to be a part of this invigorating program!

As always parking and admission is free of charge.

Editorial: Free Press Article On Monroe Park Both Vindicates and Condemns City Council

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There was a great piece of reporting this week from the Richmond Free Press on Monroe Park financial wrangling. From reporter Jeremy Lazarus:

After telling City Council in December that the projected $6 million Monroe Park project — half to be paid by private donations — had adequate funding, the city’s chief administrative officer, Selena Cuffee-Glenn, quietly shifted $833,569 to the project in recent months from reportedly unused capital funds.

The shift was made without notice to City Council and was disclosed as the result of queries from Councilman Parker C. Agelasto, 5th District, and the council’s budget staff.

Mr. Agelasto also was surprised to learn that nearly half of the money shifted, $394,000, was listed as coming from two paving projects in his district that already had been completed and paid for — one involving Allen Avenue and the other involving paving at Meadow Street, Colorado Avenue and Harrison Street.

As the article mentions, this vindicates City Council’s amendment to Mayor Levar M. Stoney’s proposed budget that requires the administration to seek council approval before shifting funds between programs in major departments. Despite some previous editorials’ characterizations, City Council is not ‘overreaching’ by trying to get a handle on the City’s finances. (Special appreciation to 5th District Councilperson Agelasto for his dogged questioning.)

On the other hand, these revelations reflect City Council’s poor judgement in turning historic Monroe Park over to the Monroe Park Conservancy in the first place. Many citizens and the Sierra Club Falls of the James have previously called for a termination of the Conservancy’s lease and a return to public investment and public oversight of renovations of this public park. Many are questioning why corporations seem to have special tent rights for park use. While it’s too late to save many park trees, it’s not too late for City Council to do the right thing.

Yard Sale Tomorrow

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From Craigslist ad:

Yard Sale!!! Saturday May 27th at 502 S Laurel St. 10am-4pm (or until it rains). We made 8 signs (that’s the most we’ve ever made)…if you find Oregon Hill you will find us. We have a barbers chair, records, old timey photo stuff, an excersize ball, and several other things for ownership consideration.