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Information sent out ahead of the meeting via email:

Please join our Facebook group “Maymont Civic League” or email

info@maymontcivicleague.org to be added to the email list and stay up to date! 

Select topics for the meeting:

Speed limits and what we can do 

Halloween

Sidewalk updates

Local representative reports – police, City Council, state representatives

Neighborhood concerns will be addressed

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Meeting Notes:

• Welcome and Introductions
  • Joy welcomed everyone to the meeting, and a few new faces at the meeting introduced themselves.

• Police Report – no police staff at meeting
  • Neighbors mentioned one car was stolen in the neighborhood recently; a couple of cars were rifled through recently.

• Staff from Maymont were guests at the meeting: Krista Weatherford, Kathy Garrett-Cox, and Parke Richeson
  • Maymont got a $10 million grant and working with the U.S. Economic Development Administration to plan out how to use the money. Goals for the project:
    • preservation (of the Dooley Mansion – updating roof, HVAC system, fire suppression system)
    • education (building out different spaces for wildlife engagement – expanding bobcat exhibit; fox is getting new holding area; reconstructing rapture valley to prevent it from being slick; adding a behind the scenes area to view the bears; two new species coming – porcupine exhibit across from the fox in a new habitat (porcupines used to be native to VA) and coyote exhibit, highlighting why they are found in VA now; DWR naturalized coyotes in VA a few years ago)
    • accessibility around Maymont (connecting different parts of Maymont that will be more ADA compliant – less steep and better for kids and strollers)
  • Start date is when EDA signs off on Maymont’s proposal and then the work will be contracted out.
  • Not losing any species to make room for the new ones.
  • Not doing an energy audit at this time but looking into grants to evaluate energy Maymont-wide.
  • Most of Maymont animals came from animal rehabbers and Department of Wildlife Resources and are no longer releasable.
  • 100th Anniversary of Maymont will be 2025-2026. As part of the celebration, Maymont is conducting an oral history project – looking for stories of how folks engaged with the estate over the years; photos and stories would be great; hoping to inform future exhibitions; would love to talk to long-time residents of our neighborhood.
  • Maymont is supportive of the city improving safety at the Shirley Street entrance, but no specific improvements are planned right now.

• City of Richmond guests: Torrence Robinson and Carla Childs (employees from City of Richmond Dept. of Public Works)
  • Starting October 1st – leaf collection of bags can be placed at the curb (10 bags or less); the city is requesting residents use biodegradable bags; in November, you can pay $30 for the city to vacuum up leaves along your curb and this is available until March; the city encourages composting to dispose of leaves; in November and December there will be unlimited leaf bag collection from the curb; the city is preparing now for snow season, the goal is always to clear the roads within 48 hours.
  • Sidewalks updates:
    • Maymont Neighborhood Sidewalks Phase 1 project is completed
    • Phase 2 project is under design – installing sidewalks on Colorado (Hampton to Georgia; Greenville to Carter); working with city arborist to impact as few trees as possible – neighborhood side streets are on hold due to impacts to existing trees
    • Phase 3 is in the funding stage right now; may be able to install rubberized sidewalk that would work better with tree roots
  • Trees – large limbs have fallen on Georgia recently; City said they are still in clean-up mode from the storm a few weeks ago, 240+ trees in the city were damaged from the recent storm; the 311 app is helpful to report large brush piles that the city needs to remove.
  • Speed tables in the neighborhood are expected to be installed by June 2024, including two on Hampton Street; neighborhood has requested one on Texas Avenue leaving Texas Beach parking lot.
  • Riverview Park – adjacent field is future home for a playground; neighborhood has requested regular mowing next to community garden and moving of boulders to make room for playground.
  • DPW cleanup for Zone 7 will be rescheduled because of recent storm; date TBA.

• 5th District updates from Stephanie Lynch (5th District Councilmember) and Amy Robins (5th District Councilmember liaison)
  • Keep cars locked. If you have a Kia or Hyundai, consider a wheel lock.
  • Thanks for coming out to Ms. Ida Cheatham’s honorary street naming in the 1800 block of South Meadow Street over the summer, it was well attended by current and previous neighborhood residents. 
  • Looking to strength senior (65+) tax assessment abatement – putting measures in place to keep folks in their home; Stephanie requested that enrollment in elderly tax relief be extended year-round rather than just a 3 month window; Stephanie is hoping a new law will go into effect allowing retroactive enrollment in senior tax credit; also working to make leaf collection for seniors free rather than paying the $30 fee
  • E-cycle biodegradable bags will be given out 9/30 from 10am-2pm on Robinhood Road; can recycle household hazardous waste, printers, etc; 
  • There is also a service for seniors where the city will come to your back door to take the trash rather than from the alley. You can enroll online.
  • October 2nd is last day to contest your 2024 tax assessment – forms are easy to access online.
  • Big focus for Stephanie is homeless services – working on sustainability and homeless in Carytown; this Thursday there is a 5th District meeting in the Byrd Park roundhouse to discuss anything and everything related to the 5th District.
  • Texas Beach bridge update – the plywood blocking access is continuously removed/cut; cameras at the gate have been installed at the bridge by RPD; the contract to redesign the bridge has been put out for construction companies to bid on with goal to start construction in spring 2024; $2.1 million has been secured to repair the bridge.

• Neighborhood speed limits:
  • There is state legislation where localities can lower speed limits below 25 mph
  • The city does not have the police resources to enforce speed limits outside of the high injury network, which does not include our neighborhood
  • Richmond DPW said it would cost $2.3 million to install new speed limit signs on every block because the statutory speed unposted for neighborhoods is 25 mph, and that will not be funded due to high cost; our state delegate will try again for localities to request lowering statutory speed limit below 25 mph
  • You can request a speed limit sign change in the 311 app from 25 mph to 20 mph
  • A neighbor requested a flashing pedestrian crossing light at Kansas Avenue and Texas Avenue.
  • As a neighborhood, we need to decide if we want to request lowering speed limit to 20 mph and then we can send that to Stephanie and our state delegate; could also say we want to expand photo speed ticketing in addition to speed zones and construction zones (currently tied up in procurement for that ticketing); we will vote on this at the November Civic League Meeting

• Neighborhood business:
  • Garden Glow is starting up soon, running from October 19th to November 12th Wednesday-Sunday; Maymont is providing free tickets to neighborhood residents; be prepared for more folks in the neighborhood.
  • A few neighbors have passed away recently. If you hear someone has passed away, please contact the Civic League board, and we will send the family a card.
  • Halloween is coming up – planning to pass out orange door tags to indicate your house is passing out candy; there is a small but dedicated group of trick or treaters in the neighborhood.
  • A neighbor mentioned that Meals on Wheels through Feed More is looking for delivery drivers if anyone has some spare time.
  • A neighbor said she prefers meeting at the Westover Building because there is better lighting in the parking lot.
  • Our January civic league meeting is traditionally on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since that is a holiday for city employees, we have decided to change the date of the meeting. New date TBA.
  • A neighbor asked about the new meeting signs saying Maymont Neighborhood Meeting instead of Maymont Civic League Meeting. Joy said that sometimes there is confusion calling it a civic league meeting, but we are still officially the Maymont Civic League.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm

Maymont Civic League Meeting

Maymont Garden Hall

7pm

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Information sent out ahead of the meeting via email:

Maymont Civic League Meeting Today! Monday the 15 at 7pm
We will meet at the Maymont Garden Hall, which is down the walkway from the Hampton gates of Maymont. Please join our Facebook group “Maymont Civic League” or email
info@maymontcivicleague.org to be added to the email list and stay up to date!

Agenda Items are: 

• Fire Department will talk about safety in older homes
• 3rd Precinct police updates  – there was some turnover which is why we didn’t have someone at the last meeting
• 5th district updates from Amy Robins
• Speed Limit discussion – option to go down to 20mph
• Loud Concert at Maymont – how to address?
• Sidewalks going in!
• Any other concerns 

We hope you will join us!

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Minutes taken at the meeting:

Attendees: Joy Rogers (President), Leah Hopper (Vice President), Gayle Goldberg (Treasurer), Jan Hatchard (Membership Coordinator), Kirk Millikan (Secretary), Rebecca Fischer, Michael Glass, Joe Goldberg, Kim Griffin, Tony Halsey, Art Hatchard, Lily Jones, Debbie Ladd, Alexander Lawson, Elisabeth Linka, Stephanie Lynch (5th District Councilmember), Lieutenant Marvin Marsh (Richmond Police Department), Hugo Mendoza, Emily Morris, Parke Richeson (Maymont Executive Director), Ethan Smith, Hannah Stewart, Lee Williams

• Joy opened the meeting with introductions of the board.

• Lt. Marvin Marsh from the 3rd Precinct (which includes our neighborhood) provided updates. Lt. Marsh has been with the Richmond Police since 2000. He graduated from Armstrong High School and Virginia State University.
  • For the Maymont neighborhood, there have been no violent crimes year to date; no theft from motor vehicles reported this year; one stolen vehicle this year. 
  • For the sector as a whole (which also includes the Fan and Randolph), statistics are not as good as our neighborhood, but they are not bad overall. Shoplifting has increased a lot, specifically at the ABC Store on Broad Street. Breaking and entering reports have increased from 5 to 10 year-to-date. There has been an uptick in catalytic converter thefts again. The illegal dumping on Texas Avenue is an on-going investigation; the dumping was identified as a hair product. Fraud alert – starting to see an uptick in fraud phone calls, particularly calling elderly folks with fake “ghosting” numbers. 
  • Elisabeth Linka introduced herself and provided her contact information (804-646-2905, elisabeth.linka@rva.gov). Elisabeth is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Richmond, and she is the 3rd Precinct prosecutor. She provided updates on the illegal towing in Richmond. The substantial investigation is on-going with fraud in addition to property crimes. On-Time Towing and No Limit Towing are the towing companies being investigated. $175/day is the maximum cap for a tow company charging per day, and these companies are charging $400+ per day. If you think you are a victim of illegal towing, you should call the police non-emergency number – the most important thing is to provide pictures of where you parked, any towing signs put up, and any other documentation. 
  • Can call or email Elisabeth to check on the status of crime cases if you have been the victim of a crime.
  • It was asked if the No Parking signs on Westover Road can be removed per current codes and with some Byrd Park streets closing on the weekends. Lt. Marsh said he would look into it.

• Steve Brown, one of the fire marshals in Richmond, provided fire safety updates. He has been a firefighter for 29 years.
  • Working smoke detectors are extremely important. On www.rva.gov, there is a fire marshal’s page where you can request free smoke detectors. The smoke detectors will be installed by the Richmond Fire Department in your house, and they now have a battery life of 10 years. After 10 years, the smoke detector needs to be thrown away. Recommend testing smoke detectors once a month.
  • Cooking is the number one cause of house fires. Mr. Brown recommends having a mat in front of the stove where only one person is allowed to stand. If you are cooking, he recommends you do not leave the stove mat while the stove is on. If the cook needs to walk away from the stove, the stove should be turned off. Cooking with oil is the most dangerous thing.
  • EDITH: Exit Drills In The Home. The most important thing is having an evacuation plan to exit your house. You should have two paths out and a designated location outside to meet. Everyone leaves the house once. Get out and stay out, never go back in (especially never go back in for pets). Call 911 as soon as possible, and the fire department will arrive quickly.

• Parke Richeson provided an update about Maymont.
  • Year to date, Maymont has served 10,000 students, including teaching the Jim Crow and Gilded Age history of the estate. Year to date, the nature center has seen 32,000 visitors, and the mansion has seen 15,000 visitors. Overall Maymont is on track to see 750,000 visitors in 2023. This is down from a record 876,000 visitors in 2021 when more people visited local outdoor parks due to covid.
  • The mansion’s audio tours have recently been recorded in Spanish, and Maymont is working on making signs in the park dual language (Spanish and English). 
  • In September, Maymont’s curator will be speaking about the park’s 100 year anniversary in 2025. Maymont would love to hear stories of folks growing up in our neighborhood over the years.
  • Recent loud music at Maymont was from a fundraising event that had a DJ playing music. Parke apologized for the noise and has noted it for future events. The fundraising event raised over $400,000 for Maymont.
  • Maymont’s Summer Kick-Off Concerts are June 16th and 17th. Maymont provides some concert tickets to neighborhood residents. You must be a member of the civic league to apply for tickets, and you can apply by contacting info@maymontcivicleague.org.

• Stephanie Lynch provided updates about the 5th District and city council.
  • The city budget was recently passed. Money towards affordable housing and homeless services were highlights of the budget. There are currently 91 families living on the street in Richmond. $1.75 million was allocated for homeless services. $50 million was allocated for affordable housing. $12 million was allocated for park maintenance, but there is $35 million in deferred maintenance. $21 million was allocated for Vision Zero traffic calming. There is a Family Crisis Fund now available that can provide $2,500 per family to avoid evictions. Negotiations on the budget started before the mayor’s budget was released, and that helped to keep the budget process on schedule. 
  • Paving is resuming in the neighborhood next week.
  • There is a “20 is Plenty” campaign for 20 mph speed limits. The locations and timeframe for implementing 20 mph speed limits is to be determined.
  • Regarding repairing the pedestrian bridge to Texas Beach, the Request for Proposal (RFP) for contractors to repair the bridge is going out this week. CSX negotiation is on-going. Hopefully, the project to fix the bridge will finish in one year.
    • Joy mentioned there is an increase in trash and spray painting down at Texas Beach. Stephanie said that the city may be able to put cameras in the Texas Beach parking lot to help deter crime.
  • The city was able to hire two park rangers. One will be stationed at Belle Isle, and the other will be stationed at Shiplock Park.
  • A neighbor asked why it seems like more people are working in city hall now with fewer police and park staff. Stephanie said that allocation is done by the mayor, his administration, and his budget.
  • You can break up your property tax bill into quarterly payments if desired.
  • A neighbor asked about striping Maymont’s parking lot to fit in more cars. Parke and Stephanie said they would look into it.
  • A neighbor asked about replacing trees that have recently been cut down. Stephanie said there is an “adopt a tree” program if folks are interested in that. With the current sidewalk project, the neighborhood should get new trees planted.
  • Regarding the potential neighborhood playground next to the skate park, Stephanie said that Lincoln Saunders (the city’s Chief Administrative Officer) is willing to do a walking tour of the proposed site. Currently, there is an issue with an easement on the property. There is potential funding for the playground in the budget.
    • Joy said there is approval for the playground but no funding has been secured. Grant funding may also be available.
    • Joy mentioned that neighborhood kids cannot safely cross Colorado Avenue by themselves to reach playgrounds behind Amelia Street School or Maymont Preschool.
  • Neighborhood resident Ida Cheatham recently turned 103, and an honorary street sign will be placed for her on her 1800 block of South Meadow Street this summer. Ida is one of the original residents of the neighborhood, and she used to work in real estate. She negotiated the real estate lots in Byrd Park.

• Joy mentioned that the civic league will vote on whether or not to request 20 mph speed limits in our neighborhood at our September meeting. 
• Joy said that weekly walks are on-going, meeting on Wednesdays at 7pm at the corner of Greenville Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm

Maymont Civic League Meeting

Maymont Garden Hall

7pm

—

Information sent out ahead of the meeting via email:

We will meet at the Maymont Garden Hall, which is down the walkway from the Hampton gates of Maymont.

Please join our Facebook group “Maymont Civic League” or email

info@maymontcivicleague.org to be added to the email list and stay up to date!

Tonight we will get neighborhood updates, take $10 membership dues (we have the official membership cards to hand out), introduce the official new board members, and hear neighborhood business. 

We hope you will join us!

—

Minutes taken at the meeting:

Attendees: Mark Brandon, Ann Condon, Elise Corliss, Gayle Goldberg, Joe Goldberg, Jan Hatchard, Cindy Higgins, Leah Hopper, Lily Jones, Hugo Mendoza, Kirk Millikan, Elizabeth Reed, Amy Robins, Joy Rogers, Ethan Smith, Lee Williams

• Joy introduced the new board members.
  • President: Joy Rogers
  • Vice President: Leah Hopper
  • Treasurer: Gayle Goldberg
  • Secretary: Kirk Millikan
  • Membership Coordinator: Jan Hatchard

• Jan reviewed a Google Form she developed to compile a neighborhood directory. The form can be accessed at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewSwffhgwlVNdtfIsgnE8P51otZpZ_giNXh8pValWO2FJV9w/viewform

• Joy provided a few general updates:
  • Moving forward, the plan is to not drop off fliers for meeting notifications and instead use signs at neighborhood entrances as well as notifications via email and social media.
  • In April, we will be restarting weekly Wednesday neighborhood walks at 7pm meeting at the intersection of Greenville Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.

• Amy Robins (liaison for Stephanie Lynch, city councilmember for the 5th district) provided updates:
  • Overall, crime statistics are down in our sector of the city.
  • Texas Beach bridge update:
    • Dollars have been allocated to the repair of the bridge.
    • Repair is likely now rather than replacement that was previously discussed.
    • The city is currently working on getting an estimate for the repair.
  • Improvements will also be coming to the Potterfield Bridge from Brown’s Island to Manchester to reduce any bouncing.
  • The city is in budget season now. The proposed playground next to the community garden was not funded.
  • Stephanie, Amy, and their team are putting together senior bags, which will be delivered to seniors in our neighborhood in late April.
  • Ida Cheatham will have an honorary block named after her on South Meadow Street. She recently celebrated her 103rd birthday and will be honored in May. She was a founding member of the Maymont Civic League and still lives in the neighborhood.
  • Regarding spray painting, the city will likely be installing walls in a public space to encourage spray painting in designated areas.
  • Monday March 27th at 6pm is public comment for the budget for FY24, which starts July 1st.
  • Speed humps are proposed in the neighborhood when paving comes through the neighborhood this year. Proposed locations in and near the neighborhood are:
    • On S Meadow Street between Amelia Street and Colorado Avenue
    • On Hampton Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and New York Avenue
    • On Hampton Street between Dakota Avenue and Nevada Avenue
    • On Colorado Avenue between Sumpter Street and S Lombardy Street
    • On Colorado Avenue between Randolph Street and Meade Street
  • Amy discussed the possibility of changing neighborhood speed limits from 25 mph to 20 mph. A bill from Betsy Carr (the state delegate who represents the neighborhood) to make the statutory speed limit 20 mph did not pass the House of Delegates this year.
  • Neighborhood sidewalks – For Phase 1 of the Maymont sidewalk project, the contractor should be working on installation this spring.
  • Photo speed ticketing will be taking place out front of Fox Elementary (in the old Clark Springs Elementary building) in the near future.
  • Amy reviewed 3 policy changes going through city hall right now: eliminating minimum parking requirements; allowing ADUs (accessory dwelling units) by right; and updates to Airbnb regulations in the city.
  • Amy mentioned that bike lanes will be installed on Colorado Avenue and S Allen Avenue when those streets are repaved this year.

• Joy reviewed upcoming events at Maymont:
  • April 8th – Family Easter (free but needs tickets)
  • April 29th – Herbs Galore ($7/person, free for members)

• Joy opened up the meeting for general comments
  • A car was stolen at night from the Maymont parking lot recently.
  • A neighbor brought up concerns regarding 1404 George Avenue. Amy mentioned that by code, a house can have a maximum of 3 unrelated adult tenants. The house is currently vacant.
  • Jan reiterated that a neighborhood directory would be very helpful to stay in touch. Information will not be shared outside of the neighborhood.
  • A neighbor asked if Maymont had any plans for Sundial Park after the recent tree removal. The Maymont executive director was not in attendance to provide an update.

Meeting adjourned at 7:50pm