Do you want to be more environmentally friendly?

Now is your chance. Stop by the Friends of Forest Hill Park‘s table at the South of the James Market on Saturday, July 11 and buy a raffle ticket ($1.00 or 6/$5.00) to win a Solarcone composter. This composter is an easy-to-use tool which helps dispose of household food waste in an environmentally responsible way.

“The primary function of the Green Cone System is to accelerate the natural decomposition process by raising temperatures, maintaining aerobic conditions, and encouraging the growth of micro-organisms. The system takes all household food waste, including vegetable scraps, raw and cooked meat or fish, bones, dairy products and other organic food waste such as bread and pasta. Because of its state-of-the-art design, The Green Cone System does this while:

• Containing food waste to prevent dispersion and eliminate odors.
• Creating a secure barrier to human, farm animal, wild animal, pet and bird
  activity.
• Preventing surface and top soil contamination.
• Meeting all relevant health, safety and environmental legislation.”

For more information about the Solarcone visit this website:

http://solarcone.net/system/in_depth.php

The Solarcone composter was donated by Central Virginia Waste Management and proceeds will help the Friends of Forest Hill Park sponsor activities such as improved landscaping and other special events.

The Friends of Forest Hill Park will have a meeting on Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Stone House. We will discuss ongoing landscaping projects, introduce opportunities for volunteering, meet the new Junior Board, and hear all about Sunday in the Park.

The Friends of Forest Hill Park Facebook page has been busy with the updates. We have already reported on the trail closures and the Harvey Memorial Bridge. There are two items we haven’t covered yet.

Update on new lights around lake: the old lights have all been removed. Work is underway installing new cable. The target completion date is late March.

and

Friends of Forest Hill Park is pleased to announce our 2010-2011 Board Members: Curry Nelms, Debra McClane, Val Murphey, David Hathcock, Wilhelmina Bourne, Liz Jordan, Keith Ashley, and Sally Kannemeyer. 2010-2011 Officers: Curry Nelms, President; Dena Fultz, Vice President; Lillian Peters, Treasurer; Robin Ruth, Cor…responding Secretary; and Michele Virts, Recording Secretary.

Congrats and thanks to all the board members for working to make Forest Hill Park the best public park in the city.

A jam packed agenda with something for everyone. The meeting is tomorrow Tuesday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park.

The next regular meeting of the Friends of Forest Hill Park will be Tuesday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park .

Items that will be on the agenda for this meeting include:

• Update on Lake Restoration Project
• Final Report on 2009 Sunday in the Park with Friends
• Update on application for non-profit status with IRS
• Fall planting schedule
• Plans for printing newsletter
• Open positions on Board and Officers (vote in January)
• Report from Tom Flynn, City of Richmond Transportation Engineer , on a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Roanoke Street and Forest Hill Avenue
• Report from Nathan Burrell on trail maintenance progress and request for trailhead sign funding
• Report from Nathan on proposed Reedy Creek Greenway (which traverses Forest Hill Park )

We will try to run through the administrative business as quickly as possible since I think that Nathan’s and Tom’s reports will be of great interest to the membership.

The next regular meeting of the Friends of Forest Hill Park will be held Tuesday, June 30, at 7 p.m., in the Stone House. Come find out more about what’s going on and how you can participate. Here’s a little about what’s going on in the park:

• The old Stone House is getting improvements, including new curtains in the main meeting areas and a kitchen update.
• Thanks to Robin Ruth for her work at updating FFHP’s website. Check it out for news, meeting dates, and other items of interest.
• Nathan Burell with the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation is working on maintaining and improving the bike trails in the park. He and his crews have reclaimed 395 feet of unsustainable trail and have rebuilt 284 feet of new trail. If you’re interested in volunteering to work on the crew, please contact Nathan at 357-8897 or by emailThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
• Many non-native plant species have invaded the park and FFHP supporter Suzette Lyon has been spearheading an effort to eradicate these invasives in the old Azalea Garden. The garden, located near Forest Hill Avenue and Roanoke Street, was planted with azaleas in the 1930s and provided plant stock for the azaleas in Bryan Park. The area is already taking on a new look with the removal of ivy from around tree trunks and healthy native plants. More information can be found on the FFHP website. If you are interested in assisting with this project, please contact Suzette.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The next meeting of the Friends of Forest Hill Park will be held on Tuesday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m. at the Stone House. Topics will include the Reedy Creek Coalition’s watershed project, the Patrick Henry Charter School and its planned use of the park, and the lake restoration project. We will also be signing up volunteers for help with the Reedy Creek project, trails maintenance, invasive plant eradication, and an April 18 park clean up! Light refreshments!

On Tuesday, March 31 the Friends of Forest Hill Park will meet to discuss some of the exciting events that are happening at the park. I say some because this is the tip of the iceberg. On the agenda we have the Reedy Creek project, Patrick Henry Charter School and its use of the park, and the lake restoration project. The Reedy Creek project is part of a larger study that takes a look at the run off from our neighborhoods into the watershed system. I over simplify the study but I honestly don’t know some of the finer details.

The meetings are held at the Stone House and start at 7 p.m. and I would encourage anyone that uses the park to attend. At the meeting you will learn what is going on and perhaps more importantly find opportunities to help. I will post another reminder as we get closer to the date.

Tomorrow’s Style Weekly again features the controversy over the Forest Hill Park sign. As of December 17th, the sign had been “repaired and returned, and fences between two neighborhood booster groups [Forest Hill Neighborhood Association and Friends of Forest Hill Park] have been mended.”

On a similar note, I understand one of the topics being discussed at next week’s FHNA meeting is the elusive white whale: restoration of the lake in the park.

A couple weeks ago, a brief discussion about the Forest Hill Park sign came up in the comments to another post. Today’s Style Weekly takes a look at the ongoing saga involving Friends of Forest Hill Park, the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association and Custom Ornamental Iron.