Dear Randolph Neighbors,

The next neighborhood meeting is this coming Monday, September 21st at 6:30PM at the Randolph Community Center (1415 Grayland Ave).

Draft Agenda:

• Police Updates (invites pending)
• National Night Out Review
• General Updates
• 2016 Membership Drive Discussion
• Volunteer Efforts within Randolph

We hope to see you there!

RNA

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Attend DPU Citizens’ Academy!

If you’re a City of Richmond resident and always wondered about the inner-workings of your public utilities department, now’s your opportunity to see what goes on inside!

DPU Citizens’ Academy is four sessions, every Tuesday afternoon in October from 4-6 p.m., and includes tours of various facilities and projects, including the Water Plant near the Carillon, the Wastewater Plant off Maury Street, and the Operations Center at Jefferson Davis and Maury.

Seating is limited, and those who have not attended in the past will get priority seating.

Call 646-5463 for an application or more information. Applications are due Sept. 29!

What is the Citizens’ Academy?

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Citizens’ Academy is a four-week program that provides Richmond citizens an inside look at the operations of DPU. Participants will be introduced to the fiveutilities DPU operates: natural gas, water, wastewater, stormwater, and electric streetlighting. Tours of various DPU facilities and demonstrations of equipment will be conducted. This program will provide citizens an opportunity to ask questions about the department’s operations.

What is the schedule?

The Citizens’ Academy is a four-week program and will take place on Tuesday evenings from 4-6 p.m. beginning Oct. 6 and each subsequent Tuesday. Each week, you’ll meet at a different location. Selected participants will be provided with more details.

Who can participate?

Individuals wishing to participate in the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities Citizens’ Academy must be:

• At least 18 years of age.
• A resident of the City of Richmond.

Note: Class size will be limited to 20 participants and will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Any applications exceeding the class capacity will be carried over to the next academy. First-time attendees will be given priority.

Are there any physical requirements?

There are no physical requirements. You will not be asked to do anything you do not want to do or are incapable of doing. However, a majority of the sessions involve walking tours so you may want to factor this in your decision.

Is there a fee?

This is a community service program of the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities. There is no fee to participate. However, participants are encouraged to commit the time to attend each session.

How do I apply?

For information and/or questions about the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities Citizens’ Academy contact:

City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities Communications Division

Email Rhonda Johnson or call 804-646-5463

Applications are due Sept. 29!

Stretch of Broad Street to be closed starting tonight ahead of bike races

September Festival Guide from WTVR

Get ready to enjoy an indian summer of Richmond festivals with this list of the month’s best festivals. Highlights this weekend include the Armenian Food Festival, the 43rd Street Festival of The Arts, Second Annual Hanover Oktoberfest, Pride 2015, RVA Peace Festival, Food Truck Rodeo, and Shockoe on the Halfshell.  Take a look at the guide here.

With the race fast approaching this week, we compiled a new set of links so you can explore all that Richmond 2015 has to offer. Thanks to Steen Wear’s Guide for the link compilation:

• Richmond2015.com – official site of the RVA 2015 World Championships
• Navigate.Richmond2015.com – schedule of all the events: where to park in Richmond for the World Championships, where you can cross streets in Richmond and transportation options for getting to watch the races.
• Visit Richmond RVA – official website of Richmond’s Tourist Office
• Richmond.com – Richmond 2015 Guide – news articles around the World Championships from the Times Dispatch
• WTVR – articles about the Richmond 2015 World Championships from the local news

This past Saturday neighbors and RVA Clean Sweep volunteers cleaned up along Grayland, Idlewood, Allen and Meadow.

This marked RVA Clean Sweep’s one year anniversary in Randolph. During that time they have conducted 13 cleanups, volunteers ~235 hours, and removed over ~393 pounds of trash from our streets.

The cleanup takes every first Saturday of the month. You can find out more details on meetup, facebook, or twitter.  All supplies provided. Bring out a friend and meet some new ones!

What to Expect:

• Increased travel time for all modes of transit, including GRTC buses, during race events.
• Detour routing during the entire transit day, not just during street closures and race events.
• GRTC expects there to be some form of impact on the transit system from September 5 – 30, 2015.
• Detour routing and alternate bus stops will be available online at the Trip Planner tool on September 5, 2015. This tool will also be available on the GRTC Transit On The Go! mobile app beginning September 19, 2015 when the Worlds begin. The Trip Planner tool uses Google Transit technology to connect customers to their destinations and help them plan their trips.
• GRTC staff and signage will assist riders daily!
• When in doubt, go to the Downtown Transfer Plaza behind Richmond City Hall.
• Generally speaking, buses approaching Downtown from the west will detour onto Harrison and then to Leigh. Buses approaching from the north will utilize Leigh. Buses approaching from the east will utilize the MLK Bridge. Buses approaching from the south will utilize the Manchester Bridge.
• Express Buses:
  • All express buses will depart from Park-and-Rides at their usual times, but will go to Marshall Street between 9th and 10th Streets.
  • For express buses, there will be a temporary bus stop at 10th & Canal.
  • For Southside express buses, there will be a morning temporary bus stop at 9th & Byrd. In the afternoon, there will be a temporary bus stop at 10th & Canal.
  • For Northside and Westside express buses, there will be both AM and PM temporary bus stops at 10th & Marshall and also at 10th & Canal.
  • Regardless of where an express bus goes, if it is not operating on the highway, a customer may pull the cord to request a stop at the next active local bus stop.
• Biggest potential transit delay days are anticipated to be September 25th, 26th and 27th. There may be some noticeable transit delays on September 23rd, as many bus routes must cross the bike race route that day.