Huguenot Neighborhood Team meeting; Shockoe Center Development Presentation; James River Outdoor Coalition Meeting; Patrick Henry Charter Intiative Meeting; Westover Hills Library Advisory Group Meeting; MORE…

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I have seen Lee’s Beauty Salon nearly everyday for the past 5 years but it wasn’t until today that I realized that the Lee’s are done differently, specifically the L. No great insight, just thought it was odd and wonder if there is a story behind the dueling Ls.

This L is the alley L

This L is the front L.

Church Hill People’s News has an excellent post highlighting two points of view in the ongoing Shockoe Center development debate. The post has statements from supporters in the form of the Shockoe Bottom Neighborhood Association and the online group I Support Baseball In Shockoe Bottom. The post also has a statement from a group opposed ACORN. Please go here to read the post.

The Falls of the James Group Blog (part of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club) has this to say.

Of course, the greenest thing to do is simply use what is already built, but since Richmond leaders insist on talking baseball, here are some links for thought:

http://www.izzitgreen.com/buzz/item/lone-star-carbon-crater-boys-new-stadium

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/green/sns-mets-newshea-green,0,1580283.story

http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/09/08/phoenix-suns-follow-green-stadium-trend/

This activity may have been spurred by the House Finance Committee vote of 19-2 today in favor of allowing the use of part of the sales taxes generated by the stadium and surronding area. via RTD

For the folks in the Hills and Heights neighborhoods you have a golden opportunity to learn more tomorrow night. Council President Kathy Graziano and Huguenot Neighborhood Team are cosponsoring a presentation on the proposed Shockoe Center development at St. Luke Lutheran Church located at 7757 Chippenham Parkway at 6 p.m.

RTD is reporting on the public meeting held last night to discuss the 2009 budget for Richmond Public Schools. As expected the main topic was the $16 million shortfall and how the school system was going to make up the difference. One bit of news that I find particulary distressing is the increased turnover that has ocurred. This year 44% of the staff was new up 13% from the previous year.

Among other things, cuts could include staff, after-school programs and athletics. They could also result in larger class sizes and longer walks to school for some students.

The threat to teachers was the predominant theme during the public portion of the hearing. Thirty people spoke. Most were city teachers; none spoke in favor of the cuts.

RichmondBizSense.com is reporting that Jackson Hewitt Tax preparer is giving 50% off to Circuit City employees.  The article states that the fee usually costs between $100 and $150.

The H&H Dopper40® was able to capture these stunning images of the Richmond February Blizzard of 2009. Metrologists around the world are calling the latest weather event to hit Richmond as almost consequential but in the end a big nothing.

Brave drivers of crucial supplies managed to fight the storms to ensure that Richmond will not be without it's baked goods this morning.

Richmond Planning Commission yesterday unanimously endorsed the proposed conservation easement for the James River Park system.
Calling the vote a “no-brainer”, the commission moved the proposed ordinance forward to the City Council Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee meeting February 17.

The easement is the project of Council President Kathy Graziano, who has worked for almost four years to obtain protection for the park from development pressures. The ordinance guarantees that no portion of the park can be sold at any time in the future, and prohibits commercial, industrial or residential development in the park.

If approved by City Council, the easement would be the first on an undeveloped urban park in Virginia and possibly the United States. The document maintains city ownership of the park, and allows the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community facilities to continue to manage the park. City infrastructure is also protected, and the city retains the ability to meet any future state or federal mandate that would require infrastructure work in the park.

Hills and Heights received the good news earlier today that Happy Lucky Combo will be continuing their Wednesday night performances at O’Toole’s for the next two months. The music starts at 8. If you aren’t familiar with the group take a listen to one of their songs here.

If you are already a fan make sure and check out their blog Happy Lucky Commuique.

Today’s Style Weekly has a story on Kelly Walker, owner of Chocolates by Kelly which operates out of the Blanchard’s Coffee at 5047 Forest Hill Avenue. The entrance is off the back alley and you will find both coffee and chocolate upstairs.

Unlike some artisans, Walker doesn’t mind sharing her secrets, and teaches monthly classes on the art of confection-making. She hand tempers single-origin Venezuelan chocolate and occasionally Belgian or American chocolates and constantly experiments with new flavor combinations such as balsamic-strawberry chocolate or lemon-mint.

“If there were ever a magical food, it would be chocolate. It’s the food of gods and has been used as currency,” she says. “The way it crosses over class lines is what I find to be so fascinating about it. Everybody loves chocolate or knows someone who does.”

I can speak from experience when I say how awesome the chocolate tastes. For Super Bowl Kelly did a mix of carmel popcorn, chocolate covered pretzels, marshmellows and peanuts that was “kick-rhymes with bass”. If you want to impress someone on Valentines Day you can’t go wrong with Chocolates by Kelly.

Robin Ryder’s exhibit, /Shades of Light and Shadow/, will open this week on Friday, February 6, at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch, 101 East Franklin Street. The show consists of large and small mixed media works on paper and canvas. These pieces explore the relationship between past and present, seen and not-quite-seen, light and shadow. These works will hang in both the Dooley Foyer and in the large Dooley Hall at the library.

The opening reception is part of the First Fridays art celebration and will run from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.

Tree Steward Program begins Spring Semester for Richmond residents interested in learning about proper tree care. The classes will take place on Monday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., beginning February 9 at Round House in Byrd Park

The City of Richmond boasts one of the top urban forests in the country, and the Tree Steward Program is the perfect opportunity for residents to learn more about the trees in our community. Courses will cover a variety of topics, including tree biology, planting and pruning, and tree evaluation.

Registration is $95 for City residents, and each participant is asked to commit to 20 hours of community service upon program completion. Download a registration form here (Tree Steward Registration) or call 646-6785 for more information.

An email forwarded from Shannon Taylor, Neighborhood Watch coordinator:

A neighbor has reported that there is a pit bull mix wandering loose in the vicinity of Forest Hill Park. The animal is a male, with butterscotch colored fur and has a red collar which lacks tags. The animal appears to be friendly but please exercise caution if he approaches you. If you have any information about a possible owner of the dog please contact that person immediately.

ed note: any loose dog should be approached with caution, whether it’s a chihuahua or a golden retriever.

The James River Outdoor Coalition (JROC) is holding their monthly meeting tonight at the Reedy Creek Nature Center in James River Park at 6pm. Tonight’s agenda includes planning for the annual Earth Day Gear Swap, an update on the Pump House Park wheelchair ramp project, and membership renewal.

The Westovers Hills Library Advisory Group is holding their monthly meeting this coming Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Westover Hill Branch Library located at 1408 Westover Hills Blvd.

The Westover Hills Library Advisory Group is a volunteer 501 (c )(3) organization of dedicated individuals which helps promote wider use of the library’s literary and lifelong learning resources. We invite your ideas and suggestions, and hope you’ll share your time and talents with us. Any level of involvement is welcome.

The meeting this Saturday will cover:

• Donation News
• Winterfest Recap
• Term limits and Group roles
• Yuri’s Night
• 50th Anniversary
• Open Section
• Staff Appreciation
• Treasurer’s Report

The Patrick Henry School initiative meets every Thursdays at 8 p.m. and now they are meeting at Patrick Henry.  Previously all meeting had been held at the Berryman Center. The meetings are always open to the public, but once a month (first Thursday of the month) is a more informal update meeting to answer questions and socialize. The  first such informal meeting is tonight Feb 5th at 8 p.m.

The meeting will provide snacks and a very quick status update. Additionally the group is doing canned food and baby item drive for the Berryman Center’s Garden of Gethsemane food pantry, to thank them for allowing them to meet at the Berryman Center for about 2 years. Donations of nutritious canned food and baby items baby formula or diapers) will be accepted.

Any questions, call Susan at 938-6687.

Have you wanted to start compost but always thought bins were too expensive? Well get ready to start returning those nutrients to the earth because the Central Virgina Management has partnered with two companies to provide a discount on home composting bins. This information was brought to my attention by Church Hill Peoples News who heard it from Apartment Therapy Re-Nest who sends you to the Central Virginia Waste Management site.

CVWMA has partnered with two compost bin suppliers – Solarcone and Covered Bridge Organic – to help citizens compost at home. To get started, learn about the four home composting bins available at reduced rates only to residents of the 13 communities served by CVWMA, and select the one best suited for your needs.

Both the Solarcone and Covered Bridge Organic links will give you the details on which composter would be right  for your needs. For more general information on composting go here.

The debate on development in Shockoe Bottom continues. The latest salvo comes from the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club is against the development on the “principles of conservation and smart growth”. Full statement here.

The Sierra Club Falls of the James Group opposes the Shockoe Center baseball stadium proposal based on principles of conservation and smart growth. We preface our statement by saying we are not opposed to baseball or urban redevelopment. Rather, we wish to join the Richmond baseball discussion by imparting some basic environmental tenets that need to be recognized.

From the Patrick Henry School meeting last night:

The Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, along with VCU and the Alliance for Chesapeake Bay, is applying for a stewardship fund for the Watershed Education Partnership Project. The scope of the project is still to be determined, based on grant allocated, but may include things like: a green roof, a terraced and vegetated forest-garden, and underground cistern. Please see abstract below. In order to qualify for the fund we need a dollar for dollar match from businesses and individuals in the community. This match can be in the form of dollars, in kind materials or in kind labor and volunteer hours. It can be all in kind or all cash. The scope of our grant application is $200, 000. We are actively seeking partners for this project before February 14th, 2009 – the deadline for applying.

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Lt. Scott Booth has released the January Sector 312 Newsletter and it contained good news. Violent crime declined 22%, property crime was down 27% which lead to a 26% decline in overall crime. It isn’t all good news as there was an increase by 1 incident in both individual robberies and residential burglary.

“Mayor Jones and Chief Norwood presented Sector 312 with the 2008 Sector of the Year Award at the Richmond Police Department’s Fourth Quarter Awards Ceremony on January 27th. The prestgious award was given to the sector in recognition of outstanding police work, support and commitment to the reduction of crime and the building of community partnerships in 2008. Great job 312!”

We would also like to recognize Officer Harry Brown who was named Richmond Police Department Officer of the Month for the month of December. Great job Officer Brown and thank you.

The full report can be found here: community-report-sector-312-january-2009.pdf

I enjoy beer. I enjoy music. I enjoy Anniversary Parties. I will be at Legend on Sunday.

I found the details of the event at one of my new favorite blogs MMMM….Beer. Logically you should find these information at the Legend website but as usual Legend falls a little short on execution of the details. The beer is good and to me that is all that really matters in a craft brewer.

The Legend Brewing Company 15th Anniversary Party will be Sunday, February 8th from 3:00 PM till 10:00 PM. Beer, Buffet and 3 bands and The Pipers

Band schedule:
3:00 to 5:00         Remnants
5:30 to 7:30         Rylo
8:00 to 10:00      Cyrus McCormick & The Reapers
In between sets   Greater Richmond Pipes and Drums

21 and over – Admission is $20.00.  Must have an ID to get in!   Wrist band & three tickets (food or beer) & bands.
20 and under – Admission is $10.00.  No wrist band.   One ticket (for food)
Children under the age of 12 – Free.   No wrist band.   One ticket (for food)
Each beer or plate of food is one ticket.
Soft drinks are free
Additional beer tickets are available for $5.00 each.
A ticket will also cover 1 glass of wine.
For more info call Legend (804) 232-3446

Forrest Hill Neighborhood Association meeting; Fourth District Meeting; Happy Lucky Combo at O’Tooles; Patrick Henry Charter Intiative Meeting; Forest Hill 5k Run; Southampton Citizens Association meeting; MORE…

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This is not directly Hills and Heights related but I am sure I am not the only one interested in some more details on the movie theater that is opening up. This was posted on the “Why Richmond Why?!?” section of Richmond.com. I can’t wait for the theater to open.

What’s the deal with the new Movieland theater? When does it open and what’s the big deal.
– Cathy

In my opinion, the big deal is that there hasn’t been a first-run theater within the city limits in over a decade. Remember Willow Lawn and its sad two-theater operation? It’s slated to open on February 27 with 17 screens. But I spoke to Lindsay Grant, who’s helping with the launch of Movieland, to get more details:

City-dwellers have been waiting for a move theater, and Bow Tie is delivering a state-of-the-art theater in a restored historic property that will be unlike any theater in the region. For example, no commercials (ever!), wine and beer will be served, no arcade games, event rooms available, digital and 3-D projection and more.

Bow Tie Cinemas has been in business for more than 100 years as a family-owned and operated business. They got their start with street side nickelodeons and ventured in to the cinema business during the 1930s—commonly known as “the golden age of Hollywood”. Because their history dates back to this time period they focus on returning style and elegance to the movie-going experience.

Movieland Website.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on the Shockoe Center development. It is becoming simplified to a debate on Baseball in Shockoe Bottom. I wanted to post a links to some recent posts.

Church Hill People’s News has run two polls one back in October and a second poll this month. In October support was 64% were in favor. This month 75% were in favor. Read the results and the many comments here to get an idea of the debate.
Melissa Savenko’s Richmond Real Estate Review blog voices some concerns and breaks them down nicely. Her post can be found here. I pulled out two of her 8 points she has against baseball.

1. All of the development is located in the flood plain.  Does anyone else remember Gaston and Isabelle?  The developers have said the baseball stadium itself “solves” the flood plain issue, but I don’t know how.  Please explain.
2. There is substantial community opposition to the Shockoe Bottom location.  [NOTE:  I just had to find somewhere in this post to link this article.  HI-larious.  Club Velvet, the cheesiest strip club in all the land, had a giant banner opposing baseball in the Bottom on its building.  I love it.].

Brick Weekly posted an article in January discussing the power of the drum in a band. The article then goes on to highlight 8 great drummers in Richmond.  At the top of the list is Pippin Barnett local Hills and Heights resident and member of The Happy Lucky Combo.

Richmond has spawned many great drummers over the years. Here are but some of them.

1. PIPPIN BARNETT: Pippin is the Art Blakey of Richmond and probably the most influential drummer the capital city has ever known. His forward moving approach to percussion is similar to the wide-open styles of Bill Bruford and Billy Higgins with 1970’s No Wave sensibilities. He is one of the few drummers that I have seen perform that plays his drums as a lead instrument without sounding smugly pretentious.
Suggested listening: The Orthotonics: “Luminous Bipeds” (Cuneiform Records)

The Happy Lucky Combo will be playing at O’Toole’s tonight at 8:00.

Take a three and a half mile tour of Forest Hill. Starting at the Stone House, winding down around Riverside Drive, back up to the south side of Forest Hill, and back. Run it, walk it, or come out to cheer. This will be a fun neighborhood event for all!

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 9:00AM Registration Form, 5k-map

For additional information or if you are interested in volunteering on Race Day, contact ihearttree5k@gmail.com