Jewish American Heritage Month

Citizens bring transportation concerns to Henrico supervisors – The Henrico Citizen – Henrico Citizen

Posted By admin on June 2, 2022

Henrico Countys Administration building at the western Henrico government center. (Photo by Analise Beres for the Henrico Citizen)

Several Henrico residents brought concerns about public safety and transportation to the Henrico Board of Supervisors during its May 24 meeting.

Lakeside resident Lori Valente Coffey spoke about road safety and drainage issues in the neighborhood. She read a few of the 200 survey responses she got from posting a survey on the Lakeside RVA neighbors Facebook page, many of which referenced the necessity of sidewalk construction in the area.

One response explained that Lakeside Elementary School does not have a sidewalk around its entire perimeter, causing safety issues for students, parents and teachers traveling on foot.

Students walking or biking to school must share the road with school buses, trash trucks, commuters and work vehicles on narrow streets that have no sidewalks and no four way stop signs to get to school, one comment read.

Other responses specifically mentioned Dumbarton and Hermitage Roads as being unsafe for pedestrians and in need of sidewalks and bike lanes.

Hermitage is extremely dangerous for anyone walking and there are always people walking dogs or heading towards Bryan Park. Children, teens, bikers, runners etc., Coffey read, It is a narrow road and with pedestrians it is smaller, especially if they are walking on both sides of the street at the same time.

(The topic of active transportation (biking, walking and other non-motorized forms of travel) has been prominent in Henrico recently, and the Citizen will host a panel discussion webinar June 10 to address it. Among other topics, panel members will discuss: the future of sidewalks and bike lanes in Henrico.)

Resident John Owens gave a presentation called Make Willow Lawn Great Again, during which he proposed the county purchase land currently occupied by Extra Space Storage and redevelop the space as a regional transit hub. Though the Greater Richmond Transit Company has a stop at Willow Lawn, he argued that self storage is not a prime commercial use for the area and should not be located on a major commercial artery like West Broad.

County officials have been seeking property in the area to use as public parking for the GRTC and Pulse stops at Willow Lawn.

Richard Sullivan voiced concerns about the response time of emergency vehicles in certain parts of the county and requested that the board approve additional emergency vehicles for stations 8, 10 and 17.

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In other matters, the Board voted unanimously for all proposed resolutions included on the meeting agenda.

Supervisors voted to proclaim May 2022 as National Drug Court Month, honoring the 19th anniversary of Henrico Countys Drug Court, a program that up to this point has served 265 graduates. Three-Chopt representative Tommy Branin presented the proclamation to Sarah Perkins Smith, drug court administrator and Circuit Court Judge John Marshall.

The board also voted: to award a $315,000 easement clearing contract to G.L. Howard Incorporated that will commence June 1and end May 31, 2023. (The contract will be funded by the countys Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.)

to award InfraMap Corporation with an annual contract for subsurface utility designating and locating services with a $2.5 million spending limit per term.

in favor of an agreement with Virginia Electric and Power Company for the construction of underground electric line facilities across county property at 6007 Morningside Drive. The facilities, according to the resolution, will alleviate load issues and provide more reliable electric service to County facilities and the surrounding area.

Also at the meeting, Deputy County Manager for Community Affairs Monica Smith-Callahan took the mic to acknowledge May as a commemorative month for several diverse communities.

First, Smith-Callahan acknowledged that May is Jewish Heritage Month (celebrating the partnerships between Henrico and the Weinstein Jewish Community Center, the Holocaust Museum and other organizations and synagogues that make up the Jewish community Federation of Richmond) as well as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month. She noted the work of the Asian American Society of Central Virginia, along with the Asian Latino Solidarity Alliances support of the My Henrico academy and the Stop Asian Hate rallies in Henrico.

Lastly, she acknowledged that May also is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Our Henrico Area Mental Health Developmental Services [team] reminds us that if we or someone we know is in need of mental health support they can be reached at 804-727-8484, she said.

Following comments from Smith-Callahan, County Manager John A. Vithoulkas asked that meeting attendees honor the legacy of Diamond Brown-Mosby, a Henrico High School senior fatally shot May 19, with a moment of silence.

This young woman was a kind and talented leader on and off the basketball court with an extremely bright future ahead of her, but it was cut short just weeks before her high school graduation, Vithoulkas said, expressing deep sympathies on behalf of the county for Brown-Mosbys family and friends.

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Citizens bring transportation concerns to Henrico supervisors - The Henrico Citizen - Henrico Citizen