The City’s Department of Justice Services received notification on Tuesday, January 7, that the City’s Juvenile Detention Center, 1700 Oliver Hill Way, has been certified for a period of three years. The certification was issued by the Director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, Mark Gooch following two 2013 State audits, performed in June and October, that found the City’s Juvenile Detention Center to be completely compliant. This certification follows the Virginia Board of Juvenile Justice’s six-month certification that was issued on June 12, 2013. The new three year certification is in effect until June 12, 2016. In April of 2012, Mayor Dwight C. Jones closed the City’s Juvenile Detention Center and relinquished the facility’s license citing a loss of confidence in its management and operation. The June 2013 six-month certification allowed the facility to reopen following the successful completion of the state audit. “My primary focus for this facility has a

The City of Richmond and the City of Richmond Economic Development Authority are pleased to announce the start of the Façade Improvement Program (FIP) in the City’s Arts and Cultural District. This new program, one of several recent City initiatives designed for the District, has a total funding of $450,000 to assist business in the defined area. The purpose of the Program is to increase business activity and vibrancy of the District by funding historic rehabilitation and thoughtful design improvements of storefronts. Projects include uncovering and restoring historical façades, removing existing façade materials and replacing them with more appropriate and attractive designs and materials, architectural lighting of the façade, and other detailing which leads to a substantially enhanced appearance of the building. Projects meeting these objectives are eligible for a reimbursement grant for up to one-half of eligible costs, up to a maximum of $40,000 dependent upon building size. “The

The City of Richmond today released the results of a study conducted by the Center for Sport Leadership at VCU and Richmond Region Tourism regarding the economic impact of the 2013 Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Camp (Training Camp). The City also released an analysis of tax data related to the same. In all, Training Camp had a total estimated economic impact of $10.5 million on the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Training camp was held over three weeks in July and August 2013 and attracted a total of 165,571 visits to the facility with attendees from all 50 states over the course of the three weeks. “The tax data that we’ve collected along with this survey information shows that the Training Camp’s impact on the city of Richmond and the surrounding area surpassed our early estimates,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Coupled with the tremendous earned media exposure for the city’s brand – valued in the tens of millions – we had a tremendous first year that we