Mayor Dwight C. Jones issued the following statement today following the initial meeting of the Steering Committee he appointed to advise him on the opening of the Washington Redskins’ Summer Training Camp in the city of Richmond. “Today marks the launching of our review process. The Steering Committee we’ve assembled is tasked with helping us prepare for this world-class opportunity to host the Redskins Summer Training Camp here in Richmond for the next eight years and I was pleased to formally convene the work of the Committee today. “I’ve named Mike Fraizer, owner of the Richmond Raiders, as chair of the Steering Committee. We have designed the work of the Steering Committee to take place in a relatively quick turnaround process as we plan to get this review done inside of three months. Ultimately, we want to produce a top training camp; not only from the player perspective, but also from the fan perspective. “Right now we are using a wide funnel and all sites are unde

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced the transition of the City’s Hispanic Liaison Office to the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), effective July 1, the beginning of the City’s fiscal year. The OMA transition will augment access to city and community-based services, promotes information, education, and civic participation in order to improve the quality of life of the city’s diverse cultural and linguistic communities. The transition also aligns with the City’s Balanced Scorecard key focus area of building unique and inclusive neighborhoods. “Richmond is a global society with new communities enriching the City culturally and economically. The foreign-born population of the city is 7.1%, according to the 2010 census, and 9.6% of city residents speak languages other than English at home. The enhanced OMA will work closely with all City departments to help create a more inclusive environment, and will continue to build an attractive and multicultural image for potential newcom

The Virginia Sustainable Building Network (VSBN) has named the City of Richmond as the Best Green Organization for 2012. Each year, VSBN highlights and awards “green” businesses, organizations, design firms, and community programs that present the best “green” projects or programs in Virginia. Alicia Zatcoff, City Sustainability Manager, accepted the award today on behalf of the City during the VSBN Annual Meeting in Madison County. The Best Green Organization category recognizes an organization for its leadership in promoting and advancing the principles of sustainable design, implementation of sustainable practices, or adoption of sustainable programs or ordinances. Richmond was recognized for its development of the RVAgreen Sustainability Plan and the many accomplishments under the City’s RVAgreen Program.  “We are very pleased to receive this recognition for all the hard work the City Administration has put in to making Richmond more environmentally, economically and soci