To view a copy of the mayor’s remarks, click here. For plan details, visit www.rva.gov/arp.

At today’s informal meeting of Richmond City Council, the draft spending plan for roughly $155 million from the federal government was presented.

The draft plan incorporates the feedback of roughly 2,000 survey respondents and the unique insights of Richmond City Council members, who shared the core priorities and concerns of each of their districts.

The mayor called the plan, “a blueprint for building back better and stronger through strategic, intentional and equitable investments that deliver on the promise of a quality of life our residents want, need and deserve.”

The following are some highlights from the plan. Full plan details can be found at www.rva.gov/arp:

It includes $32 million to build back affordable and healthy homes. This includes $20 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, meeting the goal established in the Equity Agenda and supported by City Council four years ahead of schedule.

The plan proposes the creation of a $5 million Health Equity fund, managed by the Richmond City Health District through an MOU with the city. The fund would support ongoing COVID-19 response, maternal and infant health, food access, mental and behavioral health, and more.

Says Jackie Lawrence, Director of Health Equity for the Richmond City Health District, “"We know that an individual's and a family's access to food, mental health services, and preventative services has a massive impact on their health... we've seen this play out during the pandemic, but this is not unique COVID-19. A financial investment for public health services that is inclusive of those that address the social determinants of health will have long lasting benefits to our community."

$2 million is directed toward childcare and $78 million in parks and community centers, totaling $80 million invested in children and families, residents’ top priority in the first round of public engagement. The funded community centers include:

• TB Smith Community Center
• Southside Community Center
• Calhoun Center
• A new center on the current site of Lucks Field.

With funding in the plan, the community centers will become opportunity centers - neighborhood hubs that can provide residents with assistance and access to financial and housing assistance and benefits, senior services, food access, healthcare, wellness education, youth programming and workforce development and training.

Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Chris Frelke says of the investment, “This is the largest investment in Parks and Recreation in generations and a monumental movement to prioritize Richmond’s most often overlooked communities.”

The plan also includes $23.3 million in total to plan for and address climate and environmental challenges in the city, an $8.5 million investment in public safety, and $5.9 million in economic supports. For full details, visit www.rva.gov/arp.

Tomorrow, the city will launch the second phase of our engagement on the proposed plan, which will include both digital and in-person opportunities to provide feedback.

The mayor set a goal to approve the plan before the end of October, emphasizing the need to, “get to work and continue to improve the lives of our residents.”

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The 10^th Annual Richmond 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb will be held at a new location, to properly adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. Hundreds of participants are registered to climb the stairs at the City Stadium (Address: 3201 Maplewood Avenue) on Saturday, September 11, 2021. The event honors and remembers the 343 FDNY firefighters who selflessly gave their lives on September 11, 2001, so that others may live. Each participant will pay tribute to a FDNY firefighter by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center.

Here is an outline of the event schedule:

7-8 a.m. Walk-up registration

8:30 a.m. Ceremony begins

9 a.m. Stair Climb begins

Anyone still interested in participating can sign up for $40 during the walk-up registration period. Cash, card, check and payments via Venmo will be accepted.

This year’s ceremony will feature remarks from several individuals including Mayor Levar Stoney and Fire Chief Melvin Carter. They will also participate in the Memorial Stair Climb. The guest speaker will be retired Deputy Chief of DC Fire and EMS Michael Donlon.

September 11, 2021 marks the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the City of Richmond will also hold a Public Safety Fair at the City Stadium – while the Memorial Stair Climb is taking place. Participating agencies include the Richmond Police Department, the Richmond Office of Emergency Management, the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the Richmond City Health District, the Richmond Sheriff’s Office, and the Richmond Department of Emergency Communications.

The Public Safety Fair will feature a variety of demonstrations and safety information for attendees of all ages. There will be plenty of parking, several food trucks on-site, and drink concessions available.

In addition to the Memorial Stair Climb and Public Safety Fair, the City of Richmond has also planned several volunteer projects for the public to engage. Please go to the following link to learn more and register to serve – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Sept11-2021.

RICHMOND, VA — The Richmond Fire Investigations Unit has identified the two victims of this morning’s fatal house fire in the city’s East End as:

1. Clara Humphrey, 84 years old
2. Ray Humphrey, 84 years old

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records confirm the married couple was deaf.

“I ask that you pray for the families, their loved ones, their community where they resided, and our city in that we will continue to embrace fire safety education, the importance of smoke alarms, and exercising proper safety protocols,” said Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services Chief Melvin Carter. “These deaths, like most fire deaths, were preventable.”

At approximately 7:59 a.m., crews responded to 1413 Vinton Street for the report of a house fire with individuals still possibly inside. Once on scene, they found smoke coming from the structure.

The first arriving crews performed a search and located Clara Humphrey. They removed her from the home and went back inside, as there were reports of two occupants. Crews then located Ray Humphrey and removed him from the home. CPR was performed on both victims, but neither survived. They were pronounced dead by Richmond Ambulance Authority (RAA) crews on scene.

RFD crews focused on fire attack had made entry and found fire in the living room. They quickly worked to put it out. The fire was marked under control at 8:13 a.m.

Investigators have determined the fire originated on a sofa in the living room and was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. They also discovered there were no working smoke alarms in the home.

This incident marks the 11th fire fatality in the City of Richmond so far this year.

The Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services wants to remind residents of the “Fire Safety Five to Stay Alive”:

1. Get out and stay out of a house on fire. Make and practice a fire escape plan.
2. Clear the clutter, as it can become an obstacle to escape. Have a clear path to your exits.
3. Do not overload extension cords and power strips. Major appliances should be plugged directly into a wall outlet.
4. Have working smoke alarms and test them once a month. Replace your alarms after 10 years.
5. Always smoke outside. Never smoke in bed. Make sure cigarettes and ashes are put out completely.

The Richmond Department of Fire and Emergency Services will also install smoke alarms for free. Residents can call our Fire Prevention Office at (804) 646-6640 or our Smoke Alarm Request Line at (804) 646-1526 to schedule an appointment. The Fire Prevention Office also has a limited supply of smoke alarms specifically for residents with hearing impairments.

According to the Department of Procurement Services, vendor registration will be down from August 31 at 5 p.m. to September 7, 2021 at 5 p.m. Thank you for your patience. 

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RICHMOND, VA – Starting on Friday, September 3, the Hopkins Road Transfer Station, located at 3520 North Hopkins Road, will be closed to make asphalt repairs at the station. The transfer station will resume regular hours of operation on Tuesday, September 7.

For information on the Department of Public Works, please visit us online at https://www.rva.gov/public-works or email us at askpublicworks@rva.gov

We’re Social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter @DPW_RichmondVA

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