~City building first fire station in more than 20 years~ Mayor Dwight Jones joined State Senator Henry Marsh, Chief Administrative Officer Byron Marshall and Fire Chief Robert Creecy today in breaking ground on a new Fire Station No. 17 in the city’s Southside. “We want this and every city fire station to be part of your neighborhood. Fire protection is a community interest, and this fire station is going to be a community station, a gathering place for the community,” said Mayor Jones. “I’ve stated on numerous occasions that I want Richmond to grow by design and not by default. Within the past year, we have broken ground on two new schools with two more to come, agreed to build a new City Justice Center, and now we are building a new fire station.” Funding for the new fire station includes $1.4 million from the City’s Capital Improvement Plan and an additional $3.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The new 3-bay, single story facility will have 11,35...

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...

The City of Richmond responded today to allegations concerning a Department of Social Services employee and the intake process utilized for Medicaid benefits. An undercover video released on yesterday raised what the City Administration has called "serious concerns" and the City will be joining forces with the Attorney General's office for the Commonwealth of Virginia to conduct a review of this matter. "At the departmental level, personnel actions have been taken and will remain in effect until this investigation is complete," said Chief Administrative Officer Byron Marshall. "More broadly, we will be working closely with the Attorney General to review this matter to determine the validity of the information and what, if any, other controls may need to be implemented. Additionally, other Departments that will be working with us as a part of our own investigation include the Department of Information Technology and the Richmond Police Department....

The city of Richmond and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities is committed to helping our youth stay healthy this summer. In partnership with the USDA Summer Meals for Kids (SM4K) Program, the city is proud to offer this FREE program that provides children and teens (up to 18 years old) nutritious breakfasts and lunches during the summer months. Even if your child does not participate in the department's summer camps, your child can still participate in the USDA Summer Meals for Kids Program. Breakfast is served 9 to 10 a.m., lunch from Noon to 1 p.m, and some suppers. The Kids Eat Free program, now through September 2, is serving food at over 120 locations, including community centers, playgrounds, and other locations within and outside of Richmond. All meals locations are below. For more information, call 646-5752. Kids Eat Free Summer Program Meals Locations

At the Mayor's Redistricting Task Group Meeting, Wednesday, July 6, 2011,the Redistricting Committee presented their final report to Mayor Dwight Jones. The committee made recommendations, including three plans for redistrict in the City to address in light of the high poverty rates and concentrations of poverty in the East End and South Side. Under state law, City Council must adopt a redistricting plan by December 31, 2011 to accommodate population shifts reflected in last year's census. Click Here to view the Redistricting Task Group presentation to the Mayor.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today accepted the Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) magazine Best Small American City of the Future award for the city of Richmond, during the fDi American Cities of the Future 2011/12 awards ceremony in Washington, DC. Joining the Mayor in accepting the award was city’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Economic and Community Development Peter Chapman, city’s Director of Economic and Community Development Lee Downey and the President and CEO of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce Kim Scheeler. Mayor Jones said, “This is a timely award as it not only reassures us that we are moving in the right direction, it also validates the recent CNBC ranking of Virginia being the top state in the nation to do business. It is a reflection of the dynamic local economy of Virginia’s capital city, as we have embraced economic development as a core foundational service and we are committed to maintaining an international focus.” “It also bears emphasis that our urba...