Mayor Jones issued the following statement concerning the anticipated vote on the Shockoe Bottom Development Ordinance:   “I was disappointed to read in the news media that certain Council members plan to vote against new jobs, tax revenue, and a Slavery Heritage site in Richmond. Doing that would hurt Richmond by leaving money on the table.   “That’s because keeping the ballpark on the Boulevard would restrict the revenue-producing potential of our most valuable piece of under-utilized land. That’s a bad business decision, and it demonstrates a failure to consider the needs of the city as a whole.   “This decision is surprising since they’ve chosen to vote against something without learning about it first. At no point have all City Council members been briefed on the most up-to-date information about all aspects of the plan. Council members are receiving the detailed information they requested, but most briefings have taken place in committee meetings or in lightly-a...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced the appointments of Norman D. Butts as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Finance and Debra D. Gardner as Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services. Norman Butts , previously Director of Finance for the Town of Leesburg, will begin his tenure with the City on June 23. Butts is a lawyer, accountant, educator, public administrator, and a former elected official. He has been an Inspector General, Auditor, Chief Finance Officer, Debt Manager, and a City Manager. His decade of service as Director of Finance for the Town of Leesburg has positioned Leesburg for a Triple A bond rating, up from an A1 standing when he started. His career includes being named the first Inspector General for Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the most diverse and complex jurisdictions in America. He was also an auditor in Concord, New Hampshire, where he served three terms on the City Council. In that elected office, he served as a member of the fiscal po...

On Tuesday, May 20, the City’s Office on Aging and Persons with Disabilities and Anthem’s CareMore Medical Centers will sponsor a Senior Health and Wellness Fair for older adults, caregivers to seniors and providers of senior services. The Senior Health and Wellness Fair is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the grounds of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which is located at 2015 Staples Mill Road, at the corner of West Broad Street and Staples Mill Road. This outdoor fair is designed to provide attendees with information from more than 40 vendors offering programs and services to seniors, along with health screenings, food and fitness demonstrations, makeovers, door prizes and great entertainment by Richmond’s oldies vocal group Bak N Da Day. Event attendees will also be able to obtain information on Virginia’s new Commonwealth Coordinated Care program, which is scheduled for statewide implementation on August 1. This new program will affect all recipients of full Medicare and Medicaid...

~ Mayor and Superintendent agree on emergency needs ~   Following a meeting between Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Dana T. Bedden, the Mayor committed to providing an additional $732,000 in emergency funding for schools’ capital projects. Dr. Bedden issued the Emergency Funding request at the School Board’s direction on Friday, May 9, 2014. The Mayor met with Dr. Bedden today to address the emergency request. “Our first order of business was to reach our budget agreement with City Council, which we announced on Monday,” said Mayor Jones. “I’m very pleased that the compromise with City Council led to an additional $2 million being added to the $5 million in my budget for new funding for capital needs in our schools. This represents nearly a 700% increase in capital funding. The additional $732,000 requested is to be added to those funds, and I’ve committed to identifying those funds for the schools’ use.” Mayor Jones and Dr. Bedden agreed that ...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond City Council President Charles R. Samuels issued the following joint statement today: “We have reached an agreement to move the City’s budget forward. This compromise adds:     •    $2.05 million in new funding for additional capital needs for Richmond Public Schools. Added to the $5 million provided in the Mayor’s original budget, this represents a one-year increase of nearly 700% in capital funding for schools.     •    $1.5 million for bicycle infrastructure     •    $100,000 for the Oliver Hill Courts Building     •    $250,000 for blighted properties These measures will be funded by a $3.9 million reduction in capital funding for the proposed E-911 Center, while retaining funding to plan the facility. The agreement adds $3 million in funding for the Riverfront. This will be funded by the city’s anticipated FY14 revenue surplus. T...

~ Project completion targeted for end of 2014 ~ The City of Richmond today announced that ExxonMobil is submitting plans for the remediation and improvement of historic Ancarrow’s Landing, part of the James River Park System.  Before 1865, the site had supported transportation for local merchants; from the mid-1920s to 1962 it housed a Virginia Carolina Chemical Corporation (VCC) facility that mixed fertilizer, which resulted in soil contamination from lead and arsenic. Current conditions pose no risk to current receptors. Exxon Mobil Oil Corporation, a successor company to VCC through a merger, has voluntarily committed to the site’s cleanup and improvement efforts. “The City has been in talks with ExxonMobil about what we’d like to see happen in this important, historic area that is a key feature in our overall Riverfront Plan,” said Norman Merrifield, director of the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community . “As a result of this planned remediation and ExxonMobil’...

~Grant funding provided for marketing, murals and façade improvement~   Mayor Dwight C. Jones today announced a $200,000 grant from Altria for the City’s Arts and Cultural District. The grant will support marketing, murals and façade improvements within the designated district, with the bulk of the funds focused on façade improvements. The Arts and Cultural District was officially designated as such in the spring of 2011. The area is a vibrant center of artistic, cultural, civic, and commercial activity and the region’s center of creativity and entertainment. The District is home to five of Richmond’s most significant entertainment venues including Richmond CenterStage, the National Theater, the Virginia Repertory Theatre and the Hippodrome. There is a burgeoning restaurant scene and a concentration of art galleries. “The Broad Street downtown corridor is the art and cultural hub of Richmond,” said Mayor Jones. “The revitalization of Broad Street is a top priority and this investm...