NORTH
…$21 million to rebuild a relatively new facility in better condition than the vast majority of Richmond’s public schools…
Now, City Council has gotten in on the act by funding a new school in Highland Park over the reservations of at least four School Board members. Link
In an April 15 letter from Marshall to Superintendent Yvonne W. Brandon and School Board Chairman Jeff M. Bourne, of the 3rd District, also obtained Monday, Marshall shared details of the offer and said a planned move of school functions away from the Boulevard “was well underway.”
“Please advise me of the timeline for the property being declared surplus,” he wrote.
The thought that the process was underway did not sit well with several School Board members.
Three council members had initially sought to pull varying amounts of money from the estimated $21.5 million project to replace Overby-Sheppard Elementary, arguing that it was not among the school system’s most pressing needs and has not been coordinated with the Richmond School Board. Link
Since the new School Board was seated in January, the nine members have been called into individual, private meetings to discuss the project with leaders from the city and the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, though there has been no public meeting on the school, which is envisioned as a specialized Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, facility.
Several School Board members say the need to replace Overby-Sheppard is greatly overstated at best and nonexistent at worst. Link
If you’re planning on adopting an animal in the City of Richmond, you’ll soon see a completely different shelter. The city has awarded $2.3 million contract to a construction firm to expand and renovate the Animal Care and Control Center.
Richmond city leaders are moving forward with plans to clear extra space along the Boulevard to remove old city buildings and make way for private investment.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels say a proposed new lease on The Diamond buys more time for public decisions on a new minor-league baseball stadium, but that doesn’t mean they don’t expect action on a new ballpark soon.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels and the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA) have tentatively agreed to change the minor league baseball team’s existing lease agreement at The Diamond. The new agreement would keep the team at the Diamond through 2015, with extension options in thru 2017, according to an email from the RMA.
Mayor Dwight C. Jones is treading lightly around a challenge from his rival, recently certified mayoral candidate Michael Ryan, that calls on him to condemn Richmond Public Schools for its controversial decision to reopen A.V. Norrell Elementary.
A change of heart leads a Richmond couple to claim the city is giving them the run around. City officials said they would remove a tree that was damaged by a storm then mysteriously butchered on private property – but Monday there was an about-face. The homeowner says the city now says it will not take down the tree.