The T-D asks if the Springhill/Semmes development is a “good fit or sore thumb.” Unsurprisingly, the line seems to be pretty much split between residents on one side and city officials & developers on the other.

Overshadowed by the recent furor over, um, other things, City Council gave a tentative nod to the much-debated Cowardin/Semmes development (referred to as City View Towers, Manchester on the James, among others). The SUP vote will go before council as a whole at its June 9 session, a meeting which will doubtless see a sizable turnout from Springhill and Woodland Heights residents

Gray brought this up comments to another post, but I thought it warranted a more prominent mention. The school board discussion on the Patrick Henry charter school initiative is scheduled for the 4:30 portion of today’s meeting, with a closed meeting to follow. It’s likely too late to do anything about it, but contacting your board rep today might be therapeutic, if not exactly productive.

The Patrick Henry Charter School is open to any Richmond City elementary student and the upcoming School Board vote, likely to occur on 5/5/08, will impact every child and district within the city limits. They’re asking for your help. See their mailing for all the details: PDF here, Word doc here.

The National Duathlon Festival hits Richmond this weekend. This two day festival of on- and off-road running/biking events is centered mainly around the 2nd & Byrd St area, but there will be some road closures affecting us. On Sunday

• The curb lane of the Lee Bridge closed in both directions, 7AM - 1PM
• Riverside Drive closed from Lee Bridge access ramps to 42nd Street, 7AM - 1PM
• 42nd Street from Riverside Drive to Springhill Avenue partially closed, police present to monitor and control, 7AM - 1PM
• Parking on both sides of 42nd Street prohibited, 7AM - 1PM

Channel 8 has a feature story* on building tensions between Woodland Heights residents and Park cyclists. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve not ridden on the park trails since moving to the neighborhood, but I’d love to see some closure to this before I start!

*Windows Media link…Sorry Mac-types.

At last night’s school board meeting, the PH Charter group had their proposal returned pending more information. Meetings with the school board to provide that information should occur soon, with a tentative vote scheduled by the board for May 5.

Today’s T-D is reporting on a shooting in the vicinity of Semmes & 34th last night. It was apparently the culmination of an argument, but not many other details are out yet.

This morning’s water main failure along Semmes is still under repair, but Richmond DPU says that water service will be restored soon, if it’s not back on already. Additionally, the permanent fix should be in place by this evening, but not likely in time to open all lanes of Semmes back up for the evening commute.

The folks at the Patrick Henry School Initiative are making progress with their efforts….

We have submitted our application for 501-3C status (thank you for your donations!) and are raising funds now for PR “get the word out” costs and other incidentals. We will have a fundraising campaign for school related projects once we have charter approval. Please send your donations, large and small, to:

The Patrick Henry School Initiative
P.O. Box 2459
Richmond, VA 23218

We need your calls, e-mails and letters!

The application for the Patrick Henry School Initiative was submitted to the School Board clerk on October 7th.

As the School Board reviews the proposed charter, now is the critical time for the public to voice support of this project. The more calls and letters our school board members receive, the clearer it will be to them how important this initiative is for the community.

If you support the Patrick Henry School Initiative, please take five minutes to call or e-mail your School Board Rep. Contact info is listed below.

A few talking points:

- An innovative curriculum in the city.
- Will keep you from leaving for the county.
- Puts to good use a school asset.
- Outdoor classrooms and a green education are incredible opportunities.
- Promotes diversity, because any city resident can attend.
- I hear that parents must be involved, and I like that.

Additionally, yard signs bearing the slogan “Patrick Henry CHARTER SCHOOL NOW” should be available from the group. Contact them for more details.

The holidays and general in-over-our-head-edness has caused a couple of events to sneak up on us without the proper mention, so:

Justin from Westover Baptist Church alerted us to a newly-formed group of area ministers, tentatively calling themselves the Hills & Heights Minister’s Association (the notion that other groups would incorporate H&H into their names is quite flattering!). They will be meeting today, 1:00 PM at Forest Hill Presbyterian, and have invited ministers from all over the general area to attend.

Switching gears, the Woodland Heights Artists in Residence Holiday Show takes place Friday Dec. 7th, 6-9 PM and Saturday Dec. 8th, 10 AM - 3 PM at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park. Friday night sees a neighborhood celebration with local artists & musicians, refreshments and lots of holiday cheer. Saturday is open for shopping to the general public. From 1-3pm there will be children’s crafts and face painting by Fluffy the clown and a visit from Santa and his Elf. The event is intended to showcase our local talent, bring neighboring residents together and raise funds for the Woodland Heights Community Association.

This year’s Woodland Heights Holiday House Tour will take place on December 9, 1-6PM, starting at Woodland Heights Baptist Church, and will benefit the Patrick Henry School Initiative. Tickets are $12 in advance, $10 each for a block of 10 or more or $15.00 day of the tour. Tickets are available starting this weekend from all Private Stock stores, Seven Hills Market, Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream (both locations), Once Upon A Vine (both locations*), Wild Orchids Antiques, Williams and Sherrill, Greenhouse II, Strawberry Street Vineyard, Carytown Wine & Beer, Salon 23.

*Stratford Hills still doesn’t appear to be open.

This coming weekend sees the return of the Richmond Marathon. Once again, the CVS parking lot will host a “Party Zone” with musical entertainment by Worn Glory. Other musical spots include the intersection of Scottview & Longview in Stratford Hills, the entrance to Willow Oaks Country Club, Forest Hill Ave. & Leicester, Forest Hill Park, Forest Hill & Semmes, Semmes & 22nd and the south end of the Lee Bridge.

Traffic changes abound too:

• Riverside Dr. closed b/w Huguenot Bridge & Scottview Drive 6AM-Noon
• Forest Hill Ave. westbound closed b/w Roanoke St. & W. 47th 8AM-11:30 AM
• Huguenot Bridge closed to northbound traffic 8 AM-11 AM
• The southbound exit ramp from the Powhite Parkway to Forest Hill and the northbound entrance ramp from westbound Forest Hill onto the Powhite closed 8 AM-11 AM.

Susanna from the Patrick Henry School Initiative passes along the following:

The Patrick Henry School Initiative submitted its charter school application to the Richmond City School Board in the beginning of October (YEAH!!!)

The proposed charter school would be open to any elementary school aged child in the city.

Read more >

Channel 6 and the T-D are reporting the theft of various pieces of equipment, including 24 LCD TVs, from the PH/Norrell Elementary building. The official word from RPS is that “significant action” has been taken, but no names or details have yet been released.

Jess from the PH School Initiative passes along an update:

We are now in the process of editing our charter application! It looks like all is going according to our timeline of submitting it to the school board by mid September.

We have an exciting announcement for those of you who thought you might live too far out of our proposed radius of 1 mile from the school. According to the law, we have to offer admission to all Richmond residents if we do not fill to capacity. While we will strive to keep Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts a neighborhood school, we are gratified to know that many of our friends in surrounding neighborhoods will not be excluded from Richmond’s first true charter school.

So, what’s stopping you from getting involved? Your child could be in our first class of 2008! Come to our next meeting at the Berryman Center(W. 32ND /McDonough) every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

The S&K Mini Mart wants to sell beer between 9PM & Midnight and has support from a City Councilman, but a group of residents from Woodland Heights & Swansboro isn’t crazy about the idea of late-night sales of singles. The T-D has the details, as an ABC decision looms.

Jess from the Patrick Henry Initiative passed along some updates on the group’s progress…

The Woodland Heights Civic Association and the Patrick Henry School Initiative are teaming up to present the Patrick Henry Festival on June 16, celebrating 85 years of school at the AV Norrell/Patrick Henry Building.

More details below the fold…

Read more >

Your favorite neighborhood foodies, Seven Hills Market, are having a wine tasting tomorrow evening, 4:30-7:00.
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Gina from the Patrick Henry School Initiative wants to get the word out about their effort to establish a charter school in the Patrick Henry (aka Norrell) Elementary building. Their Mission, per their website:

Our mission is to provide a K-5 community-based school with meaningful involvement by parents and community. The school endeavors to provide our diverse socio-economic neighborhood community a traditional, academically-rigorous curriculum with high standards, focusing on the sciences and arts. Students will achieve academic excellence, develop personal values, foster an appreciation for the arts, and internalize scientific core understandings necessary to become effective citizens in an evolving natural and technological world. The school’s focus on community will include mandatory parental involvement, interactive experiences with the natural learning environment of Forest Hill Park, and extensive partnering with the local science and art museums and centers. The school seeks to provide a traditional neighborhood community atmosphere within the larger city limits. Patrick Henry Charter School will foster an environment where students, parents, staff, and the community are necessary partners in the educational process and achievement of all children.

To support their efforts, the group is having a yard sale @ the school this Saturday, 8 AM.

For more information, visit their website or take a look at their talking points (Flash Player required to view).