The City’s East End Vision Charrette was recently awarded the 2011 Public Outreach and Engagement Award during the American Planning Association Virginia Chapter’s annual conference in Wintergreen, Virginia. The East End Vision Charrette was formed by a unique public/private partnership of the City of Richmond, Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital in the spring of 2010 to engage in a dynamic community planning process. The Awards Committee noted the effort of the East End Vision Charrette as it engaged a diverse group of community members, along with the success of drawing a large number of participants to the events as admirable and worthy of recognition. Additionally, the effort garnered an impressive amount of media coverage, bringing the planning process to the attention of as many potential participants as possible. “This award is a positive indication of our collaborated efforts to revitalize our city’s East End,” said Ma...

~City Council scheduled to vote today~ Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Sheriff C.T. Woody today urged approval of the Richmond City Jail Project which is scheduled for a vote before City Council tonight. Addressing many of the concerns that have been raised, Mayor Jones went through each item one by one and gave the Administration's response. Key in this matter is the degree of flexibility allowed in the state-established PPEA (Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act) process. Mayor Jones emphasized that PPEAs are competitive negotiation procurements and are more flexible than a competitive sealed bidding procurement. Richard Sliwoski, Director of General Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia explained that, "The PPEA process was set up specifically to be outside of the public procurement act. We want the private sector to bring its creativity and experience to address public needs. There is nothing that prevents a public entity from re-evaluating a req...