Mayor Dwight C. Jones joined the Director of Richmond Public Library Harriet Coalter in a ribbon cutting ceremony today to reopen the newly renovated Belmont Library at 3100 Ellwood Avenue. “I take pride in celebrating the new renovations, additions and exciting features of Belmont Library,” said the Mayor. “Investing in our City’s future through infrastructure upgrades and enhancing educational enrichment opportunities, such as those offered in our City libraries, is vital to the success of our City’s future generations.” New library features include lighting, carpet, furniture, computers, an enlarged meeting room, teen area, and a new parking lot entrance. Renovations also included a Green Building Council approved roof system and new heating and cooling system to reduce the building’s carbon footprint. The library was originally constructed in 1956 with recent renovations beginning in the winter of 2010. Mayor Jones first announced the library renovations in March 2009 during his bi...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) has recently been awarded a three-year grant to utilize community approaches to reduce sexually transmitted diseases (STD), one of only four grants awarded nationwide. The RCHD will receive over $360,000 per year as part of the CDC’s Approaches to Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases (CARS) Initiative. “I commend the Richmond City Health District and the Virginia Department of Health for pursuing resources that will address the health concerns in the City,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. In December 2010, Richmond City Health District Deputy Director Dr. Danny Avula and CDC Prevention Specialist Ashley Halbritter collaborated with local organizations and city agencies to form the City-wide STD Coalition to work on the STD issues in Richmond. With help from over 30 coalition members, a grant proposal was submitted to the CDC, showing how the City of Richmond STD interv...

~Broad Rock and Oak Grove Elementary to have 44% MBE participation~ Mayor Dwight C. Jones to advised Richmond City Council that Martin Brothers Contractors, Inc. of Roanoke, Virginia has won the reissued bid for the construction of Broad Rock Elementary and Oak Grove Elementary. Earlier bids were canceled in May of this year when the administration decided to scale back on noncritical features to reduce costs. The current bids have come in $5 million less and have achieved 44% minority business enterprise participation. "Saving more than $5 million on these schools is precisely the outcome we were looking for," said Mayor Jones. "We are serious about building schools, but we're also serious about getting the best deals for the City of Richmond. I congratulate Martin Brothers Contractors on their successful pursuit of this opportunity and congratulate all the minority businesses that will be involved in the construction of these much needed schools for our city."...