Today at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Richmond was announced as the nation’s 1st Place winner for the Large City Category in the 2016 Mayors’ Climate Protection Awards, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Walmart. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this mayors’ awards program recognizes mayors for their energy and climate protection efforts, selected by an independent panel of judges from a pool of mayoral applicants. New Bedford, MA Mayor Jonathan F. Mitchell won first place in the Small City Category. Click here to watch the live stream of Mayor Jones receiving the award. “Mayors Jon Mitchell and Dwight Jones are both innovators and leaders, showing us how to confront the energy and climate protection challenges before our cities and the nation,” said Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, President of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. “As we witnessed in Paris late last year, it is the mayors who are the first responders in ...

~ East Richmond Road landfill is target location for residents’ debris removal efforts ~ City of Richmond crews reported that a total of 711 tons of debris had been removed from City streets since storm recovery efforts began. With the exception of Willow and 2nd streets, all City streets are now passable.  The City’s arborist has begun to measure the storms impact on the existing tree inventory to determine what additional trees may have to be removed for safety. The City’s recovery effort includes code enforcement work. City officials have surveyed hundreds of properties to ensure public safety and are identifying those properties that will require repair. Byrd Park, which initially had been closed due to downed wires and trees, is now open during regular hours. Bryan Park remains closed as clean-up continues in that area. Battery Park Pool remains closed at this time. At Bellevue and Hermitage roads, the traffic signal remains out. Temporary signalization will be in...

The Richmond City Health District advises residents to take precautions regarding their refrigerated and frozen foods as well as their medications and medical supplies during a power outage. If your electrical power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.  The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4-hours if it is unopened.  A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-full) if the door remains closed. Frozen foods should be kept well below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and refrigerated foods should be kept below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.  If at any point the food in your refrigerator was above 40ºF for 2-hours or more, it is not safe to eat and you must discard it. If you have medicines such as insulin that require refrigeration you should call your pharmacy to talk about what options are available.  According to product labels from U.S. insulin manufa...

As part of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s leadership of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Outside initiative to engage the next generation of outdoor stewards and inspire millions of young adults to play, learn, serve and work in the great outdoors, Mayor Dwight Jones joined Craig Dorsett, Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the Department of the Interior, and Tim Joyce, President & CEO of the YMCA of Greater Richmond today to announce that Richmond has been selected as one of the 50 cities to participate in the nationwide movement. The initiative, funded through a $5 million national commitment by the American Express Foundation, will provide two years of funding for the YMCA of Greater Richmond to help coordinate efforts, facilitate collaboration, grow resources, and increase participation in outdoor programs on all public lands – from local parks to federal lands and waters. “Engaging people of all ages, especially youth, in enjoying...

The James River Park System is the city of Richmond's largest, most unique and best known park. This park system is made up of parks along both sides of the James River as it passes through the city, making Richmond the only urban city in the country with Class IV white water rapids in the middle of downtown. The James River Park System normally receives more than 500,000 visitors a year. As temperatures rise, the City reminds residents and visitors to the park of the many dangers along and within the river as well as those associated with any body of water. Click here or continuing reading below for tips on a safe visit to the park or around any body of water: Ensure that everyone in the family learns to swim well and only swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards. Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone. Never leave a young child unattended in or near water without adult supervision; teach children to always ask permission to go near or in wat...

The City of Richmond received KaBOOM’s designation as a 2016 Playful City USA.  This designation, the first of its kind for the city, is the result of a partnership between the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PCRF), the Capital Region Collaborative, and Active RVA - a program of Sports Backers. KaBOOM’s national recognition program honors cities and towns across the country for making their cities more playful. “This recognition is a great accomplishment as we continue to grow and highlight the abundant recreational opportunities available in Richmond.  Playability adds to the quality of life for all members of our community, and especially families,” said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Playful City USA is a national recognition program that honors cities and towns across the country for taking bold steps to ensure that children in their communities, particularly kids from low income families, obtain the balanced and...

Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced today that Reginald E. Gordon will be the next Director of the Office of Community Wealth Building. Gordon follows the tenure of Dr. Thad Williamson, who was named the first director of the new office two years ago. “We’ve been well-served by Thad Williamson in the post and appreciate the sabbatical he took to work with us during this time,” said Mayor Jones. “Given the great work and good stewardship that Thad has offered, our challenge had been in identifying a viable successor. I’m confident that we’ve identified the right fit for this next phase of our community wealth building efforts in the personality of Reggie Gordon.” Beginning June 13, Gordon will serve as the central point of contact for the Office of Community Wealth Building (OCW). OCW initially grew out of the work of the Mayor’s Anti-Poverty Commission, now known as the Maggie L. Walker Initiative for Expanding Opportunity and Fighting Poverty. Jones successfully worked to make the office...