The City’s Department of Public Works will resume vacuum leaf collection service on Monday, Feb. 8, weather permitting.  The program was temporarily suspended during Winter Storm Jonas.  Since the end of the storm, DPW staff has been working to convert its dual-purpose equipment from its snow removal function back to leaf collection.  In addition, the City has launched Pothole-palooza to repair roads damaged during the storm. Residents are encouraged to join in Pothole-palooza by reporting potholes to the city by calling 3-1-1 or on www.Richmondgov.com and clicking the MPACT button. Since Monday, DPW crews have filled approximately 300 potholes. Potholes are repaired year around, but DPW steps up its efforts in the winter and spring due to the impact harsh weather conditions have on City streets. For more information on City services or to view the vacuum leaf collection, please visit www.RichmondGov.com . The schedule also is available at 646-LEAF.

Early on Monday, Feb. 1, Mayor Jones, Aubrey Layne, Secretary of Transportation, John Reinhart, CEO and Director of the Virginia Port Authority, City Council members and other officials gathered to mark the signing of a 40-year lease of the Richmond Marine Terminal. Along with a ribbon cutting to celebrate the occasion, attendees marveled at a new 124-ton capacity crane that is part of the $17 million in upgrades planned for the facility. “This place is all about connections,” said Mayor Jones. “This place is about connecting Richmond, and the entire Commonwealth, to global trade. This place is also about connecting a part of the City with high unemployment to the kind of jobs that are a hand up for residents who live in the neighborhoods around us.” The 350-ton crane is one of the first steps in the port’s effort to reinvest and modernize the Richmond Marine Terminal. The crane will speed the loading and unloading of the container barge that calls RMT three times a week. “What truly