Get ready to get active..in your community! 9th District Councilman Doug Conner is hosting a Civic Association Workshop on Saturday, July 9 from 10:00am-2:00pm as a way to help encourage more Richmond residents to get active in their local neighborhoods. So whether you’re already helping to run a civic association or want to learn more about getting involved in your area, plan to attend this important upcoming meeting.

Civic Association Workshop
Saturday, July 9, 2011
10:00am – 2:00pm
Southside Services Center, 4100 Hull Street Rd
Free parking available next to the building

RSVP by Friday, July 1 to: 804.646.8325 or 804.869.0215

Please see the city’s website for more information on current City of Richmond Civic Associations.

“To establish and enhance associations in our communities that are board-driven, all-volunteer, member supported organizations whose goals are to promote and sustain vital, livable neighborhoods. Help us to help you!”

Meeting Agenda:

5:00pm-5:30pm – 9th District Police Report
5:30-6:30pm – Updates on new city jail, community gardens, civic association workshop  pre-introduction
6:30pm – Community Dinner provided

Meeting Location:

WHEN: Thursday, March 17, 2011 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm

WHERE Richmond City Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall, 2nd Floor
900 E. Broad Street, 3^rd Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23219

This meeting is free and open to the public and all members of the Greater-Richmond community are invited and encouraged to attend.

WHAT: The Richmond City Council Career and Technical Education Commission will host William E. (Bill) Strickland, Jr., Founder, President and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, for a discussion on career and technical education. Considered to be an expert in the field of career and technical education, Mr. Strickland was recently selected by U. S. President Barack H. Obama to serve on the White House Council for Community Solutions and the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. Mr. Strickland is a MacArthur Fellowship Genus Award winner and the three-time subject of Harvard Business School case studies.

WHO The Honorable Doug Conner, Councilman, Richmond City Council, South Central 9th District; and Chairman, Richmond City Council Career and Technical Education Commission. For more information, please contact The Honorable Doug Conner, Councilman, Richmond City Council, South Central 9th District, at 804.233.8288, or doug.conner@richmondgov.com.

Background on William E. Strickland, Jr.

William E. (Bill) Strickland, Jr. is the Founder, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG) and Bidwell Training Center (BTC), founded in 1968 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Strickland was recently selected by U. S. President Barack H. Obama to serve on the White House Council for Community Solutions and the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts. Mr. Strickland is a MacArthur Fellowship Genus Award winner and the three-time subject of Harvard Business School case studies.  Mr. Strickland has completed the development of a new 40,000 sq. ft. production greenhouse, created for the development of Phalaenopsis orchids and hydroponics vegetables; a 70,000 sq. ft. medical technology complex, which has exceeded eight million dollars in value; and a 62,000 sq. ft. facility as a mortgage free asset for both MCG and BTC.  The facilities include a 350-seat music/lecture hall, library, arts studios and labs, dining and meeting rooms, state-of-the-art award winning audio and video recording studios, serve as a demonstration site for Hewlett Packard and Steelcase equipment and are home to 25,000 Phalaenopsis orchids that are cultivated for wholesale distribution.

Please find the following video of Mr. Strickland at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lSduJYbLo&feature=player_embedded

Background on the Richmond City Council Career and Technical Education Commission

Established by Richmond City Council on December 14, 2009 by Council Resolution number 2009-R166-194, the Richmond City Council Career and Technical Education Commission was born out of a Career and Technical Education Task Force organized in 2007 by Councilman Doug Conner. On November 28, 2007, Richmond City Council held a Richmond Regional Forum on Career and Technical Education that included presentations and discussions on model schools from around the country. Since that time the members of the Task Force and Commission have been holding regular organizational and planning meetings.

The goal of the Commission is to explore the development of career and technical education options for K-12^th grade students, young adults, displaced workers and those reentering the workforce and to identify and review various existing career and technical education providers to determine which are employing “best practices” educational and training techniques and which might be the best model for Richmond. The Commission is to provide Richmond Public Schools with its final recommendations concerning the provision of career and technical education within 12 months of the final member being appointed to the Commission. Members of the Commission are still being appointed.

The Richmond City Council Career and Technical Education Commission includes the following 21 members:

• A Member of the Richmond City Council Health, Human Services and Education Standing Committee, who shall serve as Chairman;
• A member of the Richmond Public Schools Board of Trustees;
• A representative from the Richmond Public Schools Administration;
• A representative from the Richmond Public Schools Richmond Technical Center Advisory Board
• A representative from the Richmond Department of Economic Development
• A representative from the Greater Richmond Partnership;
• A representative from the Richmond Capital Regional Workforce Investment Board;
• A representative from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), a federation of international labor unions.
• A representative from the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce;
• Ten at-large members who shall either be Richmond residents or operated businesses in the city; and
• Two members appointed by the Mayor by letter to the Richmond City Council Office of the City Clerk.

Richmond City Council has previously appropriated $75,000 to assist a study on the ways to enhance vocational and technical education options within the city of Richmond.

*This information has been provided by Councilman Doug Conner.

Join Councilman Doug Conner on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 for February’s 9th District Community Meeting.

DATE:
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

LOCATION:
Southside Baptist Christian School
5515 Bryce Lane (Off Hull Street Road)
Richmond, VA 23224

MEETING AGENDA:
5:00pm-6:30pm – Report from Richmond Police Department; Mayor’s Participation and Communication Corps (MPACC)
6:30pm-7:00pm – 9th District Community Dinner

Concerning the meeting’s major topic of discussion (Mayor’s Participation and Communication Corps) below is a statement from the City of Richmond about the Mayor’s initiative to improve communications between neighborhoods and the City.

Dear Community Leader:

As you are aware, the Mayor is dedicated to collaboration, communication and cooperation between Richmond ’s citizens and his administration.  Mayor Jones knows that citizens expect and deserve a responsive government.

Many of you may know about the old “neighborhood teams” process. In an effort to improve upon service delivery and include residents and business owners in the decisions that affect them, Mayor Jones has created the Mayor’s Participation and Communication Corps (MPACC). MPACC is an integral enhancement to the sharing of information and increased community involvement.

MPACC has two major components:

1)       Proactive, service driven initiatives including but not limited to matters relating to land use, public safety, parks and recreation, all of which will strive to improve services and conditions; and

2)       Rapid, courteous responses to your requests for services such as fixing potholes, removing abandoned cars, addressing blighted properties, and cleaning up illegal dump sites.

To make sure services are close to you, MPACC has been organized around the four Richmond Police Department Precinct structure. Each sector within a precinct will have a MPACC Sector Team. Mayor Jones has selected co-chairs from each sector to lead these MPACC Sector teams.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
5:00pm – 7:00pm

Southside Baptist Christian School
5515 Bryce Lane
Richmond, VA 23224

Agenda:
5:00pm – 6:30pm - Midlothian Turnpike Improvement Projects
6:30pm—7:00pm - 9th District Community Dinner

For More Information, please call Councilman Doug Conner at 804-363-3443

The Richmond Police Department email advisory notes another shooting in the south eastern part of the City, in Blackwell, on Saturday, November 27, 2010. Hopefully 8th District Councilwoman, Reva Trammell, is on top of this horrible rash of violence in her district this holiday week.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., the Richmond Police Department received a call for a person down in a residence in the 3400 block of Decatur Street. Officers arrived within minutes, entered the home and found a male unresponsive with a gunshot wound.

The victim, a black male in his late 40’s, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.

Detectives working this investigation canvassed the area and asked neighbors for assistance and information regarding this incident.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

Where? Why the 2nd Police Precinct at 177 Belt Blvd. at 3pm this Wednesday (tomorrow). Meet the ever popular Cpt. Steve Drew and his excellent team of officers as well as great people like Mr. Conner who has been helping develop the Rails and Trails initiative as well as cleaning up the district, championing career and technical education and many other issues.

Invited attendees include representatives and leaders from: Beaufont Hills Civic Association, Broad Rock Merchant’s Association, Midlothian Business Association, Chesterfield Square Tenants Association, Endicott Community Association, Take-A-Stand Association, Fawnbrook Neighborhood Association, Hollendale Subdivision Civic Association, McGuire Manor Civic Association, South Central Roundtable, Swansboro Business Association, Swanson Woods Association, Town & Country Seniors Association, Warwick Road Neighborhood Watch, Westover South and Woods, Worthington Farms Civic Association.

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 3:00PM – 4:30PM at the Richmond Police Second Precinct 177 E. Belt Blvd Richmond, VA 23224

For more information, please contact

Doug Conner at 804-363-3443 or email eli.wong@richmondgov.com

The South Richmond Community Cleanup is a volunteer event. All individuals, community groups, businesses, families, friends, neighbors, and organizations are invited to come out and help.

Community volunteers and participants include: Southside Baptist Christian School, Richmond Outreach Center, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

WHEN             SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009
8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
WHERE          Meet-up at Southside Baptist Christian School
5515 Bryce Lane, Richmond, Virginia 23224

More information: Eli Wong at 804.233.8288 or eli.wong@richmondgov.com

Check out these images from previous cleanups:

Councilman Conner allowed me to tag along as he travelled from party to party on National Night Out. In total we attended 12 parties. Although some were larger than others, the spirit of community was present at every event.

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night Tuesday, July 28 for a great presentation on potential Greenways project in South Richmond!

Join us on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 5:00pm as we hear from Sheila Sheppard, Director of Partnership for Smarter Growth, on how trails can transform urban communities, plus learn about the Rails to Trails Conservancy and its efforts around the country.

Show your support for smart growth for Southside ~ This is a not-to-be-missed meeting!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Southside Baptist Christian School

5515 Bryce Lane RVA 23224

(Bryce Lane is located off the 5500 block of Hull Street Road, near the Food Lion)

5:00-7:00pm

• 5:00pm Sign-in
• 5:15pm Welcome and Trail Overview
• 5:45pm How Trails Transform Communities & Urban Trail Case Studies
• 6:15pm The Community’s Vision for Southside Richmond Rail to Trail
• 6:45pm The Community’s role & Next Steps

Refreshments provided and ample parking available.

Invited attendees include representatives and leaders from:  Beaufont Hills Civic Association, Broad Rock Merchant’s Association, Midlothian Business Association, Chesterfield Square Tenants Association, Endicott Community Association, Fawnbrook Neighborhood Association, Hollendale Subdivision Civic Association, McGuire Manor Civic Association, South Central Roundtable, Swansboro Business Association, Swanson Woods Association, Town & Country Seniors Association, Warwick Road Neighborhood Watch, Westover South and Woods, Worthington Farms Civic Association

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

3:00PM – 4:30PM

Richmond Police Second Precinct

177 E. Belt Blvd

Richmond, VA 23224

For more information, please contact Doug Conner at 804-363-3443 or email eli.wong@richmondgov.com

Topics:

• Establishing Civic and Neighborhood Watch Associations
• Finance Department Billing
• Parks and Recreation Plans
• Police, Community, and Schools Updates

For more information contact: Councilman Doug Conner 804.233.8288 or Clean City Commissioner Thomas Barnes 804.869.0215

Click the read more link to continue!

Members of City Council:

The City Assessor Staff Appraisers are beginning to conduct field work for the 2010 Reassessment.  It will take several months of analysis to determine where the market is headed for the next year; and I will keep you updated of significant trends as the year progresses.  If you have any specific areas of concern within your district, please forward these to me.  It will help as we establish priorities for the coming year.

Appeals and land book certification have dominated our time since January; this is an overview of the January-March activities:

Office Reviews

This is the first step of the assessment appeal process; we completed 1,577 reviews.  In each case, contact is made with the property owner and a discussion was held to identify the specific issue(s).  Based on information supplied by the owner, the assigned appraiser conducted the appropriate analysis, corrected or adjusted the assessment, if necessary, and sent a follow-up letter to the owner describing any action taken.  Of the 1,577 properties appealed, 741 changes were made and 846 assessments were upheld.

Board of Review

This is the second step of the assessment appeal process. Property owners have until June 30^th to file an application to this circuit court appointed board.  Hearings are generally held twice a week during the July-December period, during which a property owner must present substantiated evidence that their assessment is inequitable or over-valued on January 1.  As of April 28^th, there are 42 cases filed before the Board of Review.

Circuit Court Cases

Appeals before the bench are the third step of the assessment appeal process.  There are currently nine (9) cases filed involving approximately 25 tax parcels of low-income multi-family units.  One (1) filed case involves the Rehab Credit process for the Troutman Sanders Office Building at Haxall Point.  One (1) filed case involves the assessment of Retreat Hospital.

Land Book Certification

State law requires that I certify all land book values.  I certified the land book on April 14^th and sent all information to the Department of Finance to begin the creation of tax bills.  This process must be coordinated with due dates related to the annual budget, assessment appeal process and the rehab assessment credits.  Any adjustments to the land book after April 14^th requires a specific procedure (called roll correction) be followed for auditing purposes.

James D. Hester, CAE, RES, MAI, SRA
Richmond  City Assessor
Rm 802-City Hall 900 E. Broad St .
Richmond, VA 23219
Ph: (804) 646-5304

The meeting to be held April 28, will begin at 5:00 and continue until 7:00.

This is a great opportunity for citizens to chat with their representative regarding the GRTC Main Street Transfer Station and other issues.

WHEN: Saturday, February 21, 2009 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Meet up at Southside Baptist Christian School, 5515 Bryce Lane,
Richmond, VA 23224
WHO: The Honorable Doug Conner, Councilman, South Central District 9
CONTACT: For more information, please contact Eli Wong at 804.363.3443
or email eli.wong@richmondgov.com

FINAL 9th DISTRICT MEETING OF THE YEAR!

The 9th District Meeting will be held Tuesday, December 2nd at 5:00PM – 7:00PM

Location: Southside Baptist Christian School
5515 Bryce Lane, Richmond , VA 23224

Agenda:

2008 9th District Highlights and 2009 9th District goals.

A free dinner will be served!

For more information, please call Councilman Doug Conner at 804-233-8288.

Crime , public health, schools, infrastructure, and blight continue to be primary issues Richmond and the Southside endure. What will new mayor-elect Dwight Jones bring to the table? Will his experience as a delegate and preacher be enough to pull the fractured city back together?

Since the terms have been stretched to four years, it seems likely that each of our representatives will have plenty of time to accomplish projects without the distraction of campaigning.

Now is a time of great transition in the city of Richmond. Let us hope that our representatives will seize the momentum Barack Obama has developed nationally and utilize the spirit of change locally.

Drum roll please!

For the fourth district:

School board: Adria Graham Scott

For the fifth district:

School board: Otis Mallory

For the sixth district:

City council: Ellen Robertson

School board: Chandra Smith

For the eighth district:

City Council: Reva Trammell

School Board: Charles Willis

For the ninth district:

City Council: Eugene Mason

School Board: Evette Wilson

Now if you’re scratching your head and wondering if I forgot to add some names, the answer is no. These are all of the endorsements by the REA for City Council and School Board for Southside candidates.

Now, you’re probably just going nuts, wondering when we’ll tell you who the REA endorsed for mayor, but first a word from our editor. . .

Although this publication is posting information regarding candidates, we make no official endorsements. Yes, we have our likes and dislikes, but all editors of this community news blog have agreed to not use this site as a place for political grandstanding as we value the need for community development in the Southside. Although, this site is sponsored by councilman Doug Conner as an effort to build community in the Southside, he is not a writer or editor for this community site. We do thank him wholeheartedly for the contribution he has made to the community by sponsoring this site and we do post his banners as a humble thanks for the contribution. All information posted regarding any current and future politicians are solely posted for the benefit of informing the community about happenings within the Southside. Thanks for your understanding and we hope you will write or call councilman Doug Conner and thank him for his contribution in founding a voice for the Southside.

Now, for the mayor: Del. Dwight Jones

Issues facing our city’s public schools include the closing of additional schools, continuing implementation of the City of the Future Plan to renovate and build new schools, addressing student discipline and truancy, providing for an increasing ESL population, and obtaining sufficient funding from the city that actually reflects the true needs of the system. The officials we elect will be challenged with making crucial decisions for the next 4 years that affect the daily lives of our employees and our children as well as the future of public education in Richmond. With that in mind, the REA-Political Action Committee recommends candidates in this election that we view as friends of public education.

A press conference with the recommended candidates will be held on the steps of the Virginia Education Association building at 116 South Third Street, on Monday, September 15, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.

At that time, we will answer questions about our endorsement process, the reasons for our selections, and other questions posed by the media.