After a series of fights and the sudden resignation of its principal, George Wythe has a small bit of good news coming its way. Doug Wilder is ending a freeze on $1.4 million in maintenance funds; roughly half of that would go towards a new ventilation system at Wythe. Additional funds would go towards accessible parking at Westover Hills Elementary.

On Monday March 24, City Council will consider the amended Special Use Permit for the controversial Springhill development that has gone by various names (Manchester on the James, City View Towers, etc). The Springhill Neighborhood would love to see a full house that evening, and encourage all with concerns about increased rentals and traffic to attend.

Elizabeth D. Redd Elementary School will celebrate the school’s cultural diversity with its annual “Multicultural Night” March 20 from 6–7:30 p.m.

The event will feature guest appearances by two acclaimed dance troupes: La Mezcla Que Bailo of the Acociacion Hispano Americano de Richmond and the West-End Academy of Dance. The program also will feature art activities and food from three different continents.

Redd’s “Multicultural Night” celebration is free and open to the public. The school is located at 5601 Jahnke Rd.

The new regulations & fines associated with trash can removal have prompted a fair amount of controversy and confusion. Acting Director of the Department of Public Works Rosemary Green discusses the new situation in more detail.

The Patrick Henry School Initiative gets a nice writeup in Today’s Style. PHSI President Richard Day:

My sense is there’s a good chance [the School Board] will shoot it down, but they won’t probably give us any solid, supportive reason.

Seeing the way RPS works, I fear he’s probably right, but either way, they’ve led a remarkable effort and I think they’re to be commended for their efforts. It’s a shame the entire school system can’t manage to work as hard as this group has.

Last week was the deadline to appeal city real estate assessments. If you challenged yours, we’re curious to hear from you. Did the city contact you promptly? Did they offer to send someone to do a walk-through of the property? If you’d like to share your experiences, feel free to leave comments or email us.

Improvements to the Reedy Creek drainage system kick off Monday, March 10, and will result in the closure of West German School Road between Midlothian Turnpike and Deter Road for approximately four months. The full Dept. of Public Works press release and map of the recommended detour appear below the fold.

Read more >

Recent rains and additional grading have caused some delays on the Reedy Creek project. As a result, the 4-month closure of German School Rd will be postponed 2 weeks, ’til Monday March 24.

This one slipped through the cracks on Saturday, between the high winds, power outages and whatnot. Two armed men shot at and robbed two men on Boroughbridge Rd ; one man received a gunshot wound in the leg.

We saw the police cars en route but, as it was roughly the same time that the Belt Blvd gas station canopy collapsed, assumed they were headed to Chevron.

From the Office of the Press Secretary:

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder announced today the beginning of a month-long “Give Us the 4-1-1” campaign to help the City improve its new 311 Call Center to handle citizen requests for municipal services.

The campaign, which will run from March 11 through mid-April, is an invitation for City residents who have used the phone system and encountered problems to let the City know what those problems were so they can be corrected and the system improved.

The campaign is also an invitation for residents who have not used the system to try it and let the City know what needs to be addressed in their neighborhoods. Residents can dial 311 to report potholes, downed trees, utility issues, request social services, and other City matters.

“Now is the perfect time for a campaign of citizen feedback,” the Mayor said. “The 311 Call Center has been up and running for just over 60 days. It was officially launched January 2 and we intend to step back and see where it works and where it does not.”

“There are bugs to be worked out in the system and feedback from residents will help us improve the system and make it more efficient.”

Residents can use a special email address (311comments@RichmondGov.com) or call 311 and let the operator know they have feedback about the system.

The City plans to analyze the feedback and integrate it into the system by this summer.

…the big white tent in front of O’Tooles. Their annual St. Patrick’s celebration runs tonight through Monday with all sorts of live entertainment, Irish and otherwise.

At least 2 of us in Forest View were repeatedly harassed tonight by an incomprehensible gentleman banging on our front doors. If you happen to see an erratic-acting, intoxicated dark-skinned man wearing a hat and riding a woman’s bicycle, keep an eye on him. I suspect he’s just a random crackhead, but who knows anymore.

The railroad tracks roughly between Forest Hill and the Powhite saw several small brush fires this morning. The T-D suggests that the fire department had a rough time reaching the sites of the fires, but everything seemed normal as far as I could see by around 7:45.

Style has published its annual Favorite 50 Restaurants list and, rather surprisingly, the Forest Hill corridor is completely shut out. In fact, it’s the only area of town, as best I can tell, that didn’t land at least one mention. A couple of curious inclusions make me really wonder, but in the end, I don’t imagine local restaurateurs are losing too much sleep over it.

Really they do. So on the heels of the Powhite ramp closure, which has made drive-time trips through the interchange area resemble a suburban take on The Road Warrior, the RMA hopes you’ll still love them now that they’re raising tolls. In September, tolls at the Powhite Pkwy and Downtown Expressway main plazas will increase to 70 cents. The RMA has suggested ramp prices will increase, but hasn’t provided any details, nor have they mentioned increases at the Boulevard Bridge.

Gas prices rising, toll plaza increases…too bad I can’t take a GRTC bus to Carytown without going downtown first. But that’s another story…

When your School Board rep just happens to be the Chair of the most-scrutinized quasi-government body in recent memory, there’s never a dull moment for your district. The latest round of George Braxton vs. Keith West flared up this week, with Braxton removing West from his position as chair of the Finance committee. Braxton’s resistance to any sort of criticism combined with West’s abandonment and dismissal of the school system as a parent suggests the ugliness has only just begun.

Full Disclosure: The author’s significant other is a RPS teacher. Neither of us have much faith in the school board or RPS administration.

The 2 week reprieve for German School Rd ends today. See the (linked) previous post for detour information.

Today’s retail column has a nice feature on the folks behind Once Upon A Vine South.

From a reader:
Lost(?) Dog: Is anyone missing a pit bull looking dog, brown and white male with a harness, in the area? I would classify him as friendly (tail up and wagging when approaching my dog) but skittish of people. He was spotted today at 12:30 between W. 45th St. and Taylor.

A new-ish feature over at Richmond.com has recently included some items of local interest, including some answers regarding traffic patterns at WH Blvd and Forest Hill and an inquiry about the Patrick Henry School Initiative.

Today’s T-D is reporting on a shooting in the vicinity of Semmes & 34th last night. It was apparently the culmination of an argument, but not many other details are out yet.

We’ve received a couple of reports that there’s a person threatening to jump off the city side of the Huguenot Bridge, and that RPD water rescue is involved…

From a reader:

I live on Pineway, one of the last streets before the Powhite & Forest Hill intersection. Every morning and evening, I have to dodge illegal u-turns, drivers flying down my street, and even people using my driveway to turn around, all because of the Powhite on-ramp closure. I’ve seen several walkers almost get hit by speeders and I’m tired of it. I called the police and they said they’d monitor the situation, but I’m not convinced they will. So I ask everyone reading to PLEASE take care when driving through here. Please consider leaving 5 minutes earlier and using Chippenham or the Nickel Bridge rather than running over my neighbors! Thanks for your time.

For the record, I second the u-turn plea. I’ve yet to pass through during morning rush when I wasn’t nearly hit by someone in an SUV with the turning radius of an aircraft carrier trying an illegal U.

(This story comes to us from Marc LaFountain with Richmond DPW. We’ve been meaning to post it for a couple weeks now)

On January 23, a Department of Public Works sanitation crew working in the Oxford area of southwest Richmond came upon an elderly woman lying in her driveway. They immediately helped her home and offered medical assistance. They also arranged for her to have special door service so that she will not have to bring her trash can down to the street in the future.

Read more >

During a rainy and nasty evening rush, a Jeep hit a house on Westover Hills Blvd, near Evelyn Byrd Rd. It looked to be a pretty nasty wreck, but everyone involved seems to be OK. At least 2 TV stations should have the story tonight.