Granite structure at 21st Street expected to be torn down

During the recent James River Outdoor Coalition meeting, members discussed improvements and projects for the James River Park. One spot that came up was the granite structure at the 21st Street area off Riverside Drive at the tower to the South Side rocks at Belle Isle.  The members want to knock down the wall, at least to a level where the park abusers cannot hide from view from the street or the dwellings across the street.

RIVER RANT: Bike trails closed, wait 24 hours per inch of rain?

The James River Park trails and most Richmond area off-road trails are closed after a period of rain. Richmond has gotten at least two inches this week alone. The accepted rule of thumb is to wait 24 hours per every inch of rain. This should give most trails time to dry out, especially ones maintained as well as the Richmond trails (thanks to the JRPS staff and Richmond Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts).

James River Park lovers checking to make sure parks are still there

A Conservation Easement was placed on right parcels of the James River Park System in May of 2009. The Virginia Department of Conservation, the Capitol Region Land Conservancy and the EnRichmond Foundation (formerly the Richmond Recreation and Parks Foundation) are the conservation easement holders.  This open space and conservation easement, in general, restricts all future development in each parcel, although it does allow for regular maintenance and replacement in kind by the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities.

Celebrate Winter Solstice at Belle Isle with James River Park

From the Friends of the James River Park:

For the third year in a row, the Friends of the James River Park is marking the Winter Solstice with a low-key yet heartwarming gathering on Belle Isle. Meet at the Tredegar side of the Belle Isle Pedestrian Bridge at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 21 to walk across the river as the sun sets. We’ll warm ourselves up with togetherness, perhaps a poem or two and by giving gifts to the amazingly devoted James River Park System staff. Bring your own hot chocolate (and a flashlight).

Open letter to Mayor Dwight Jones on J.R. Pope’s resignation

This is the email that I, Phil Riggan, submitted to Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, city council, Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities interim director Dr. Carolyn Graham and deputy director Roslyn Johnson (among others) in reference to the resignation of J.R. Pope:

I am saddened by the resignation of J.R. Pope as Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. My knowledge of his work, leadership and vision through many encounters with the man lead me to believe that he was one of the few department heads in the city that worked efficiently and competently.

I cannot ignore the findings of the report by the city auditor. They are an indicator that improprieties were happening under Pope’s watch and that he should have had better control. However, I don’t find these incidents to have been severe enough for Pope to resign.

The Mayor should not have accepted his resignation. Someone close to the situation has benefitted by Pope’s departure and it is at the citizen’s expense.

J.R. Pope may have been flawed — as the audit seems to illustrate — but the community and volunteer groups are not served by Pope’s absence as parks director.

The citizens of Richmond and the many volunteers that donate their time to help maintain and build trails, facilities, access points, clean trash and guide the future of the parks do not benefit from Pope’s departure. The work we provide to the city is a free community service, one that Pope helped to grow in his short five years as director. It would be a shame to think that inside politics would jeopardize the good work happening outside of the imperfect walls of City Hall. 

My knowledge of J.R. Pope’s time in Richmond has been nothing but positive. I became a volunteer for many “Friends” groups in Richmond in part because people like J.R. Pope and parks department mainstays Ralph White and Nathan Burrell convinced me that the parks were worthy of my time. I have bonded with many wonderful, caring people who together dedicate their free time doing work that would never have been accomplished if left to the City of Richmond.

I hope the City was right in allowing Pope to leave and that after a thorough and successful search we can all be happy with the next director. Please do not allow misguided inside politics or hidden personal agendas to dictate what should happen to our parks, our playgrounds and our river.

-Phil Riggan

I encourage you to send your own emails:

Dwight.Jones@RichmondGov.com
Kathy.Graziano@RichmondGov.com
Ellen.Robertson@RichmondGov.com
Bruce.Tyler@Richmondgov.com
Charles.Samuels@RichmondGov.com
Chris.Hilbert@RichmondGov.com
Marty.Jewell@Richmondgov.com
Cynthia.Newbille@RichmondGov.com
Reva.Trammell@RichmondGov.com
Douglas.Conner@RichmondGov.com
Roslyn.Johnson@RichmondGov.com
Carolyn.Graham@RichmondGov.com