This morning Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced that Luck Stone Corporation has signed on as the presenting sponsor for this year’s XTERRA East Championship June 11-12 in Richmond, VA. Amid concerns that the XTERRA East Championship might not take place in Richmond this year without a local sponsor, Luck Stone saw an opportunity to partner with the City of Richmond to bring world-class athletes to Richmond and bring world-class athletes out of Richmonders. Luck Stone’s sponsorship of XTERRA is just the beginning of a long-term partnership with the City of Richmond and support for the local community. Mayor Jones stated, “We are pleased that the XTERRA East Championship will again take place in Richmond, Virginia, and we are grateful to Luck Stone for making this possible. The City has shown great support for this event with the maintenance of our trails and logistical support. Now that we have a sponsor to provide XTERRA with the financial support, we finally have all the element

Mayor's Order #2011-1 WHEREAS by the authority vested in me as Mayor of the City of Richmond I do hereby create the Tourism Commission ; and WHEREAS under this authority, the Tourism Commission is hereby established to give my Administration advice on ways to improve and capitalize on the varied tourist opportunities that abound in the City of Richmond; and WHEREAS the City has a wealth of tourist destinations, including our many unique cultural and historic attractions, indoor and outdoor activities, professional sports venues and events, and world-class museums and art galleries; and WHEREAS the City of Richmond seeks to support the businesses that support the tourism market, including hospitality services, restaurants, hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts; and WHEREAS there is much that the City could do to enhance Richmond as a tourist destination through targeted marketing and other efforts; and WHEREAS the Richmond region attracts 5.75 million visitors every year, r

Chief Administrative Officer Byron C. Marshall announced that Robert Steidel has been selected to serve as director of Public Utilities, effective Monday, March 07, 2011. Steidel had served as interim director for the department since Saturday, July 31, 2010, replacing Chris Beschler who had served as director of Public Utilities while serving as deputy chief administrative officer of Operations. Steidel previously served as the deputy director for the Department of Public Utilities for more than seven years. Prior to beginning city service, he served as the environmental manager for the city of Hopewell’s Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility; industrial surveillance supervisor for the Rock River Water Reclamation District in Rockford, IL; environmental health sanitarian for Winnebago County Department of Public Health in Rockford, IL; and biologist for Winona State University, MN. “Bob Stiedel has proven to be a valuable asset to the Department of Public Utilities and has provided