The Department of Public Works (DPW) and The Burning Sands Alumni Football Foundation (Burning Sands) invite the community to celebrate the unveiling of three Adopt-A-Street signs on the campus of Virginia Union University at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 26. The ceremony will take place at the corner of Admiral and North Lombardy streets.

The 30-minute service will begin with a presentation by DPW and the unveiling of an Adopt-A-Street sign bearing the organization’s name, and end with a “Panther March” to the corner of North Lombardy Street and Brook Road, where Burning Sands members will uncover two Adopt-A-Street signs honoring VUU legendary football coaches Willard Bailey, the late Jesse Chavis and “Tricky Tom” Harris, and Joe Taylor.

Through a partnership with the Richmond Clean City Commission’s Adopt-A-Street program in 2021, Burning Sands members performed bi-weekly clean-ups of the three streets that form the triangle encompassing Hovey Field – 1200-1300 blocks of Admiral Street, 1500 block of North Lombardy Street, and the 2000 block of Brook Road – in an effort to keep the campus of its beloved alma mater cleared of trash and litter. The organization kicked off its 2022 clean-up campaign on March 5.

The Burning Sands Alumni Football Foundation (Burning Sands) is a nonprofit organization that raises money to support various educational and athletic initiatives of the university’s football department. Membership is comprised of men and women who are either former VUU football players, coaches, athletic trainers, cheerleaders, or just loyal supporters of the university.
Members, many of whom are former Virginia Union University football players, elected to pay tribute to these four coaches because of the indelible imprint they left on their lives. The sign bearing the organization’s name is strategically placed at the Admiral Street site to serve as inspiration to VUU football players as they head to the workout room from the practice field.

Willard Bailey, a 2021 inductee into the National Black College Football Hall of Fame, is the winningest coach in VUU history. Coach Bailey holds a school record of 151 wins between 1971-83 and 1995-2003. His teams won six CIAA conference championships. Jesse “Bad News” Chavis is touted as the best defensive coordinator Virginia Union has ever had. His 1973 defensive line, known as “The Wrecking Crew,” posted six shutouts en route to an undefeated season and the first CIAA Championship in 50 years. “Tricky Tom” Harris coached football, basketball, and track between 1950-1983 at VUU. He won 99 football games during his career. Joe Taylor, another legend in college football, has won four national championships, 14 conference championships, seven bowl games, and has a lifetime win-loss record of 233-96-4. Coach Taylor, current VUU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, was inducted into the National Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2020 and was recently appointed to serve on the national College Football Playoff Selection Committee.

Coaches Willard Bailey and Joe Taylor, Jesse “Skeet” Chavis, son of Coach Chavis, and a representative from the Tom Harris Alumni Chapter will be present as honorary guests. Coach Alvin Parker, along with members of the VUU football team, will attend.

Contacts:    

Angriess Scott, President
(804) 840-4819 • sco04@henrico.us

Jacquelyn Stanley, Secretary
(804) 306-6798 • jacrob@comcast.net

Paige Hairston, Richmond Department of Public Works (804) 385-0409 • Paige.Hairston@rva.gov
 

Have you been boosted yet?

The City of Richmond will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in partnership with the Richmond City Health District for city employees and members of the public at Main Street Station from 9 a.m. -12 p.m. this upcoming Friday!

Walk-ups are welcome, but in order to reserve your vaccine, we recommend that you register below! 

Pfizer 12+

Moderna

J&J

Richmond, VA — Mayor Levar M. Stoney this afternoon delivered a proposed $836 million General Fund budget for the City of Richmond for the coming 2023 fiscal year that does not raise taxes and expands key investments in education, housing, public safety, public services and public servants to improve the quality of life for all residents.

Addressing a virtual meeting of City Council, the mayor said that despite the changes and challenges presented by a second year of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the administration continues to pursue growth and opportunity.

He said the FY23 budget and accompanying $627 million, five-year Capital Improvement Program submitted today is built on the “strength, resilience and initiative” shown by the city workforce, city council, business owners and residents.

“(It) reflects the priorities of a city that believes in high quality public education for its children, the value of investing in the city employees who serve us, the importance of maintaining quality streets and services and the memorialization of our city’s full, true history,” the mayor said. “…From public education to public safety, to public servants and public services, this administration remains committed to “The Fix.’”

Highlights of the Mayor’s plan include:

Workforce Investments and Public Safety Pay Plan

The mayor announced $17.4 million for a first responder step pay plan. Under this plan, 95 percent of police officers and firefighters will receive at least a 10 percent pay increase, and 83 percent of them will receive increases of 15 percent or more. Starting pay for police officers will go from $44,000 a year to over $51,000 per year.

“Our first responder plan not only makes RPD and RFD salaries highly competitive in the region, but puts them among the highest in the commonwealth.…I am committed to our city staying competitive and keeping pace with first responder pay.”

Investments also include a 5% salary increase for all non-sworn city employees and a minimum threshold of $17 an hour for the lowest paid city workers.

“None of the fixes we are bringing as government leaders to meet the challenges of our day are possible without our dedicated public employees who make it happen,” said the mayor. 

Education Investments

The budget includes an additional $15 million for Richmond Public Schools on top of last year’s allocation. This supplemental funding is enough to fully fund teacher’s salaries, cover RPS administrative needs and support efforts to improve learning outcomes. However, because the RPS Board has yet to present a fully-categorized  budget to the city administration, it will be placed in a contingency reserve fund to be appropriated by ordinance through city council.

“The ongoing dysfunction of the majority of the (School Board) will not deter my commitment to putting our children first – or to being a fiscally responsible steward of your taxpayer dollars,” the mayor said. “These investments represent a $51 million increase – or 33 percent – in new funding for RPS since I took office.”

Safety Net Investments

In recognition of the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, the budget also expands investments in several key areas:

• Funding for the city’s Eviction Diversion Program increases by 50 percent to $727,000
• An additional $1.5 million is provided for Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities to continue and expand the city’s after-school programming.
• $500,000 to establish the first-ever Children’s Fund. This fund, to be managed by the Office of Children and Families, will enable the city to respond to the changing landscape of out-of-school time, including summer programs and youth employment.
• Increases the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority budget from $3.4 million to $3.7 million

Transportation and Infrastructure Investments

Continuing the administration’s commitment to improve its transportation and neighborhood infrastructure, the proposed plan includes:

• $17 million in transportation infrastructure funding through the five-year Capital Improvement Program, in addition to $35 million in federal state and regional funding in the CIP
• A $605,000 increase in city funding for the Greater Richmond Transit Corporation

“Our local investments, and regional investments through the Central Virginia Transit Authority, have put GRTC on solid financial footing,” the Mayor said. “As such, it is my strong expectation to see GRTC upgrade its network of bus amenities, such as shelters and benches, in the coming year. Mass transit is a lifeline between homes and jobs for many of our residents. They deserve to have a dignified, sheltered and safe place to wait for the bus.”

City Service Improvements

The proposed budget continues to enhance city services, highlighted by targeted investments that enhance access and enjoyment of city assets to support residents, and ensure better processing of planning documents and enhanced monitoring of compliance with state codes. Highlights include:

• Restoring Richmond Public Libraries  to pre-pandemic funding ($436,000)
• Launching a Park Ranger Pilot Program ($250,000)
• Purchasing new software for the Department of Planning Development and Review to improve submission, processing and tracking of applications
• The addition of four new Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement positions  that will expand our ability to monitor compliance so residents have safe places to live and work.

Fiscal Management

This year’s budget also takes important steps toward implementing financial best practices in how the city pays its fleet of city vehicles and how it strategically plans large capital projects.

The proposal transfers $10 million in the General Fund to the CIP in order to purchase allow the purchase of fleet vehicles with cash. This plan will improved the deferred capital replacement of key municipal vehicles like police, fire, and refuse vehicles.

The city will also establish a $10 million Capital Planning Fund to undertake preliminary architectural, engineering and design work for future major capital projects, such as a new courthouse, public safety complex and a new City Hall.

Telling Richmond’s full history

The city CIP includes $28 million for development of the Shockoe Heritage Campus.

This fiscal year, the city expects to engage the community, design the campus and put the first phase of work out to bid.

The General Fund budget also includes $400,000 to support the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia to assist in its commencement of the monument projects.

“As you know, the museum now has the substantial task of deciding what should be done with the Confederate monuments it has received from the city,” said Mayor Stoney. “We owe not only a debt of gratitude, but also have a responsibility, to ensure it has the financial support to successfully commence  this important project.”

Nearly all of non-departmental grantees in the FY23 budget will be level-funded for the next year -- and some will receive increases in funding. The most notable is the inclusion in the mayor’s budget of a $515,000 salary supplement to the city’s Public Defenders align with the salary supplement the city provides to Richmond’s Commonwealth Attorneys.

Revenues and Costs

This year’s budget is conservatively grounded in the uncertainty of pandemic economics. In reviewing city finances, the mayor said city tax revenue projections are improving and stabilizing thanks to an increase in assessed real estate values and rebounding of consumer driven revenues such as sales and meals taxes.

The city plan is also benefitted enhanced by the $155 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, which is being used to provide $20 million in funding for affordable housing and $78 million to build four new community centers and fund improvements to public housing. 

But city costs have also gone up, in part fueled by a 7.5 percent hike in the Consumer Price Index – the fastest pace of inflation in 40 years. Debt service, health insurance, retirement contributions, contracted services and salaries have also increased.

To close the gap, the administration is proposing modest fee increases, among them: hiking the hourly parking rate from $1.50 to $2 an hour and increasing the fee for municipal solid waste by $1, from $21.45 per month to $22.45 per month.

The costs to provide gas, water, sewer and storm water have also risen. The proposal calls for single-digit percentage increases in those utilities. 

The city is obligated to produce a balanced budget every fiscal year, which begins on July 1. The mayor is obligated to submit a proposal by the first week in March, and the Council has until the end of May to pass a spending plan. Council will be hosting multiple public meetings in the coming weeks to discuss the mayor’s proposal. 

“The City of Richmond is well positioned to continue its upward trajectory thanks to the conservative revenue projections, targeted investments and fiscally responsible management reflected in this balanced budget,” the mayor concluded. “I am confident in, and optimistic for, our city’s future.”

To view the FY23 budget document please visit:

www.rva.gov/budget-and-strategic-planning/budget-home  

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RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Public Works (DPW) is committed to providing a clean, safe and healthy environment for Richmond residents. In addition to bi-weekly bulk and brush collections that coincide with the recycling collection schedule, the Neighborhood Clean-Up Program is another service provided to help residents dispose of bulk items. Residents in each of the designated neighborhood zones across the city will have two additional opportunities during the year to place bulk and brush items out for collection. The program runs on selected Saturdays starting on March 12 and ending November 19. DPW crews will collect items curbside and in alleys (wherever trash is normally placed to be collected) from 8 a.m. until noon on the designated Saturdays.

Examples of acceptable items include: furniture, mattresses, tires (four per household) and appliances. We take everything except: electronics, construction debris, hazardous waste items and broken glass. All brush must be cut into four foot lengths and bundled.

Please see the attached map and the Neighborhood Clean-Up schedule below:

Note: All clean-ups are from 8 a.m. to noon. (rain or shine)

• Zone 1       Bellevue/Ginter Park/Washington Park         
  • • (Clean-Up dates: March 12 & August 6)
• Zone 2       Northside/Highland Park
  • •  (Clean-Up dates: March 19 & August 13)
• Zone 3       Church Hill/Fulton
  • • (Clean-Up dates: March 26 & August 20)
• Zone 4       Newtowne/Carver/Jackson Ward
  • • (Clean-Up dates: April 2 & August 27)
• Zone 5       The Fan/Shaffer
  • • (Clean-Up dates: April 9 & September 10)
• Zone 6       Museum District
  • • (Clean-Up dates: April 23 & September 17)
• Zone 7       Maymont/Byrd Park/Oregon Hill/Carillon
  • • (Clean-Up dates: May 14 & September 24)
• Zone 8       Bellemeade
  • • (Clean-Up dates: May 21 & October 1)
• Zone 9       Westover Hills/Forest Hill/Woodland Heights
  • • (Clean-Up dates: June 4 & October 8)
• Zone 10     Broad Rock/Brookbury
  • • (Clean-Up dates: June 11 & October 15)
• Zone 11     Worthington Farms
  • • (Clean-Up dates: June 25 & October 22)
• Zone 12     Westover Gardens
  • • (Clean-Up dates: July 9 & October 29)
• Zone 13     Stratford Hills/Willow Oaks
  • • (Clean-Up dates: July 16 & November 5)
• Zone 14     Windsor Farms/University of Richmond/Far West End
  • • (Clean-Up dates: July 23 & November 12)
• Zone 15     Stony Point
  • • (Clean-Up dates: July 30 and November 19)

For more information, go to https://www.rva.gov/public-works/neighborhoodcleanups or email us at AskPublicWorks@rva.gov or call 804-646-8325.

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter @DPW_RichmondVA

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 178 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting; graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1.

United WE’s Appointments Project announces expansion to Richmond, Virginia

Office of Mayor Levar Stoney and the National League of Cities, in collaboration with Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR), announce their partnership to increase the number of women on local boards and commissions through United WE’s Appointments Project. Starting in 2014, the Appointments Project has resulted in more than 150 women being placed on boards and commissions.

“I’ve seen first-hand the need to address racial and gender disparities in civic leadership to ensure that we are drawing on the talents and diverse perspectives of our residents.” Myra Goodman Smith, LMR’s President and CEO, said. “Our partnership with the City of Richmond and United WE’s Appointments Project will strengthen the city by increasing the number of women and women of color who are at the decision-making table of their communities.”

United WE’s Appointments Project serves as a talent bank, advisor, and advocate for women seeking opportunities to lead their communities and works to attract diverse applicants for appointed positions on boards and commissions. The award-winning approach guides women through applying for these positions and suggests applicants for appointment.

“Our research showed us that women don’t become civically engaged because they weren’t being asked. As a result, we created the Appointments Project so local boards and commissions could reflect the communities they serve,” said Wendy Doyle, United WE President & CEO. “With the help of partners like Mayor Levar Stoney and Leadership Metro Richmond, we are addressing the gender disparities in local leadership and ability to make significant changes in our communities.” 

Based on a growing number of success stories, the pipeline of women leaders is growing rapidly across the country. The Appointments Project fills a critical need in creating a pathway to work with elected officials and better community representation that leads to better lives for all.  

An Information Session will be held virtually on Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 6:00 pm with United WE, city officials, and LMR. “We encourage and invite everyone to learn more and join us in unlocking women’s potential for civic leadership,” Mayor Stoney said. Click here to learn about the Information Session: https://united-we.org/appointments-project.

About Leadership Metro Richmond 

Leadership Metro Richmond or LMR is a community leadership development and engagement organization. Since 1980, LMR has connected diverse community leaders, broadened their knowledge and perspectives on regional issues, and provided tools to increase their abilities to create impact through leadership. The flagship program, Leadership Quest, has developed over 2000 community leaders, preparing them to serve first, then lead. LMR presents national thought leaders in the Lora M. Robins Speaker Series and workshops to advance nonprofit governance. LMR’s Board Connector events and Board Concierge Services connect leaders and residents to nonprofit board service opportunities. For more information, visit www.lmronline.org and Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

About United WE 

United Women’s Empowerment, or United WE (formerly the Women’s Foundation), is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance all women’s economic and civic leadership. Since 1991, United WE has overcome systemic barriers to women’s economic development and civic leadership by investing in research, advocacy, and policy solutions. We have conducted 19 meaningful research studies, advocated for issues resulting in 37 policy actions, and supported more than 150 civic appointments. Our work positively impacts hundreds of thousands of women and families by commissioning transformative research, scaling our fast-growing Appointments Project, advocating for reforms that honor the legacies of women, and contributing to policy solutions that advance equal pay, paid family leave, affordable childcare and occupational licensing; and aid in fighting against sexual harassment. Unite with us. Visit www.united-we.org and connect with @UnitedWeEmpower on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Appointments Project

United WE’s fast-growing Appointments Project is a research-based, tested and systematic approach that has resulted in more than 150 women being appointed to civic boards and commissions. Through a landmark study, United WE identified the barriers causing women to be underrepresented on civic boards and commissions and established the Appointments Project in 2014. The Appointments Project empowers women and strengthens communities by increasing the gender diversity of civic boards and commissions to better reflect the communities they serve. In addition to increasing gender diversity, the project emphasizes increasing racial equity on civic boards and commissions among women, with women of color representing 34% of applicants. For more information, please visit www.united-we.org/appointments-project or follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram).

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