Early on Tuesday, September 20, Mayor Dwight C. Jones, along with the City's Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities, in association with Enrichmond, helped kick off the Grand Reopening Celebration for Kanawha Plaza. The renovation process of the public space began in July of 2015, and the ribbon cutting event marked the completion of the first phase of the renovations. The City invested $2.9 million in the renovations. Kelso & Easter, Inc., of Richmond was the contracted designer and the Contractor was Southwood Building Systems, Inc. of Virginia. The renovations that were undertaken include the retention and repair of the plaza's fountain, the parks most prominent feature. There were also landscaping improvements, a new food truck area, and improved lighting. The City welcomes this improved public green space and thanks everyone that helped achieve the enhancements.

On Tuesday, September 6, the Department of Public Works will begin construction of the Belmont Road Roundabout at the intersection of Belmont, South Belmont and West Belmont roads. The roundabout will enhance the gateway corridor into the city of Richmond.  The project will include landscaped islands, pedestrian crosswalk markings, handicap ramps and new signage. The $700,000 project has received state and City funding. Work is expected to last three to four months, depending on weather. The improvements will decrease operating speeds for motorists and shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians. In addition to reducing the number of vehicle and pedestrian accidents, experts say roundabouts can reduce fatal accidents by as much as 90 percent. There will be occasional lane closures during construction. Motorists are encouraged to follow work zone signage.  For more information on City services, please visit www.RichmondGov.com .

On August 23, at the corner of East Brookland Park Avenue and Dill Avenue, Mayor Jones, Councilwoman Ellen Robertson and others celebrated the newly constructed Six Points Roundabout with a ribbon cutting. “As we stand here today at this roundabout, I want our residents to know that getting to this point took a lot of hard work, championed by Ellen Robertson along with the Department of Public Works Transportation Engineering Division, who initially applied for the federal grant back in 2009,” said Mayor Jones. “Together, they demonstrated true perseverance with this project, staying in it for the long-haul to make sure this got done.” “Mayor Jones has been a strong supporter of what goes on in Highland Park in a huge way ever since he became Mayor, and we would like to thank you for that,” said Councilwoman Ellen Robertson, 6th District. “This roundabout is such a wonderful addition to our community in providing safety for both drivers and pedestrians.” The newly devloped traff...

Fire Station 20, 4715 Forest Hill Avenue, is currently closed for extensive building renovations. As a result, all station operations have moved to Fire Station 17, 2211 Semmes Avenue. This action will have minimal effect on service delivery to the fire district serviced. The building renovations are projected for completion in April 2017 at which time normal operations will resume.
 
 A few of the Fire Station 20 renovation highlights include:
 Exterior wall, window and concrete ramp repair
 Addition of public access area and bathroom
 Safety storage area for firefighter turnout gear
 Employee health and fitness area
 Added privacy in employee bathrooms
 New fire alarm notification system
 The total renovation budget for Fire Station 20 is $1,309,169.  This fire station renovation will be the third undertaken during Mayor Dwight Jones’ Administration, as part of the multiyear station renovation and replacement plan. The renovation of Fire Station 13 was completed in De...

The city of Richmond and the Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP) are pleased to announce that ICMA-RC, one of the top financial service corporations, has chosen to expand into Richmond. The non-profit individual financial services corporation, headquartered in Washington D.C., provides retirement plans and related services to more than a million participants in the U.S. The company plans to hire roughly 100 new employees and bring more than 100 employees from their Washington, D.C., headquarters to Riverfront Plaza, in the city of Richmond’s Central Business District. “We are so pleased to have worked closely with GRP on this great project for the city and are thrilled that ICMA-RC has chosen the city's vibrant and growing downtown as its new location,” said Mayor Jones. “They will be a valuable addition to the vibrant and growing downtown business community.” ICMA-RC conducted an extensive search for their second location, narrowing the list of prospective cities to seven, inc...

The City’s Electoral Board voted on July 20 to offer 97 different classes, representing almost 300 hours of training, this fall for its officers of election. The first classes for new election officer training begin August 20 and September 19. The majority of the classes will begin the week of September 22, and conclude the week of October 31. Residents must be an officer of election in order to enroll in any of the offered classes. Persons interested in becoming an officer of election for the City of Richmond can apply online at www.elections.virginia.gov or call (804) 646-5950 to request an application.  The Electoral Board is planning to recruit 200 more individuals in the coming weeks, bringing the total amount of sworn officers close to 1,200. Once accepted as an officer, individuals will be informed of the basic training calendar. Upon completion of basic training, the full calendar of training options will be made available.

Mayor Dwight C. Jones and Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham issued the following statement today: We should all be deeply troubled by the shocking events of the last few days, to include the questionable killings of two black men by police officers and the subsequent killings of five police officers in Dallas, Texas. The community and police grieve together this morning. We offer our condolences to all of the families and communities and to law enforcement professionals that have been impacted by these tragic events. There is simply no excuse and no justification for what we’ve all seen transpire. And it is up to all of us to speak up and to come together to make sure events like these do not occur in any community. Everyone, including police, has a right to feel valued and respected. Community protest in the face of injustice is understandable. But police should not be the target. Rather, we must target bad policing where it exists and work to bring about change in that regard....