The city has hired Petula Burks to lead the Office of Public Information and Engagement (PIE), a new communications and community engagement office founded by Mayor Stoney in 2021.

The office’s founding mission is to connect communities with city government through accessible public information, meaningful engagement, and compelling storytelling. The hiring of Ms. Burks is a significant step toward ensuring PIE is a lasting, useful, and change-making force within the City of Richmond government.

Ms. Burks brings two decades of public information and management experience to the new office. She has served as the Director of the Center of Public Affairs for the Washington State Department of Health, the Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and Director of Civic Engagement and Chief of Staff to Mayor Oliver Gilbert at City of Miami Gardens, Florida. Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff to Augusta-Richmond County Mayor Hardle Davis, Jr.

The Office of Public Information and Engagement is part of the Department of Citizen Service and Response. Said Department Director Peter Breil: “I couldn’t be more excited to have Petula on the City of Richmond team. She brings a wealth of experience that will be incredibly valuable as we establish the Office of Public Information and Engagement, enabling us to communicate more accessibly, equitably and frequently both publicly and internally.”

“When communications and engagement marry, it is truly the beginning of something powerful for communities; when the communications and engagement are intentional, the outcomes empower communities,” said Ms. Burks. “The launch of the Office of Public Information and Engagement in the City of Richmond is a marriage made in heaven and looks to cultivate a city built on transparency, commitment to listening, and activation around a shared mission and vision. I am excited to join this team and help promote purposeful communication and engagement with our internal and external partners and the community at large.”

Ms. Burks begins her employment with the city on January 4, 2022. She leads a team of four dedicated employees.

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City offices will open at 11 A.M. on Tuesday, January 4, due to inclement weather

City of Richmond government offices will open at 11 A.M. on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, due to inclement weather. 

All Virginia Department of Health Community Vaccination Centers will be closed on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, due to inclement weather.

As always, emergency services will not be interrupted.

For timely information on closures and other updates, please follow the City of Richmond on Twitter (@CityRichmondVA).

The City of Richmond is officially inviting development teams to submit information to be considered for the city’s Diamond District Project.

Just three miles from the historic James River and four miles to downtown, the Diamond District is a prime redevelopment site, ideally located at the crossroads of I-64/I-95 and North Arthur Ashe Boulevard. Its location offers unparalleled access to the region and the entire East Coast by road, rail and air. It borders the fast-growing Scott’s Addition neighborhood and is the home of the MiLB Richmond Flying Squirrels.

“Richmond offers so many of the things people and businesses are seeking – location, diversity, authenticity and affordability,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “Richmond is the place to be, and the Diamond District is positioned to be a crown jewel in our economically thriving city.”

“We’re proud that Richmond keeps showing up on lists of America’s coolest, best and most livable cities, and our economic development momentum continues with the Diamond District redevelopment,” said Leonard Sledge, Director of Economic Development for the City of Richmond. “We’re excited to invite potential partners to step up now to help fully unleash the potential of the Diamond District and create great opportunities for the people and businesses of Richmond.”

For the Request for Interest (RFI) document, please visit www.rvadiamond.com. Submissions are due on February 15, 2022 at 3 p.m.

About the Diamond District project

The Diamond District project is just one aspect of Richmond 300: A Plan for Growth, which has been awarded the 2021 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan for the American Planning Association. The plan provides a detailed roadmap to ensure “Richmond is a welcoming, inclusive, diverse, innovative, sustainable, and equitable city of thriving neighborhoods, ensuring a high quality of life for all.”

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City of Richmond government offices, including City Hall, will be closed Thursday, December 23 – Monday, December 27, in observance of the winter holidays. Additionally, in observance of the New Year’s holiday, city offices will also be closed on Friday, December 31.

All city community centers will close Monday, December 23 and reopen Monday, January 3, 2022.

All city libraries will close at 5 p.m., Wednesday, December 22 and reopen Tuesday, December 28.

Richmond Animal Care and Control will be closed Saturday, December 25, and Saturday, January 1, 2022. RACC will remain open to the public by appointment only for adoptions.

Refuse collection will be collected as scheduled on Thursday, December 23. There will be NO residential trash collection on Monday, December 27. Trash will be delayed by one day. Trash scheduled for pick up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday, December 28 and Tuesday’s trash pickup will be on Wednesday and so on through Friday, December 31.

The East Richmond Road Convenience Center (ERRCC) will be open on Friday, December 31. The ERRCC will be closed Saturday, January 1, 2022, and will reopen on Monday, January 3, 2022.

~ The event also includes document shredding, and the collection of electronics and household hazardous waste items ~

WHO:   Department of Public Works, Clean City Commission and the Department of Public Utilities
 
WHAT: 13th Annual Bring One for the Chipper Christmas Tree Recycling Event
Christmas Tree Recycling 

• Remove all decorations and lights

Paper Document Shredding
Up to five (5) boxes of documents. Be sure to remove all binders, staples and clips

Electronics (various fees apply)

• Computer systems (hard drive or CPU) and accessories (cables, wires, keyboards, mice, speakers, etc.) VCRs, camcorders, stereos and all phones
• Televisions, computer monitors and printers 

Household Hazardous Waste Items (HHW) - Pesticides, Herbicides and Oil-based Paints

• Bug spray, rodent poison and herbicides (Roundup, Weed B Gon etc.)
• Note: Latex and water based paints will not be collected. These items can be left in open paint cans until they have dried out and then put in with regular curbside trash pick-up. 

WHEN:  Saturday, January 8, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE:  1710 Robin Hood Road (northeast corner of Robin Hood Road and North Arthur Ashe Boulevard) 

BACKGROUND:  The City of Richmond’s E-Cycle Day offers City residents an efficient option to recycle paper and electronics to help keep hazardous waste materials out of city waterways, streams and rivers. Recycling Christmas trees keeps them out of the landfill and allows them to be re-purposed and used as mulch. This free event is available to city residents – proof of residency is required. 

Residents can drop off their trees to 1710 Robin Hood Road the day of the event or take them to the East Richmond Road Convenience Center (ERRCC), located at 3800 East Richmond Road starting on Tuesday, December 28. The hours of operation at the ERRCC are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Note: No trees will be accepted at 1710 Robin Hood Road after event ends at 2 p.m. on January 8.

Curbside collection will be handled by the department’s Bulk and Brush team. They will collect Christmas trees curbside from Tuesday, December 28 through Friday, January 7, 2022. All trees collected curbside or dropped off at the ERRCC will be recycled. Please place your Christmas tree (with no lights or decorations) beside your recycle bin and it will be picked up on your regular recycle collection day by the bulk and brush team. 

For more information on recycling, please visit us online at www.rva.gov/public-works/clean-city-commission or email us at AskDPW@rva.gov 

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

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The City of Richmond Department of Public Works (DPW) is one of only 178 currently accredited public works agencies in the United States. DPW’s portfolio comprises a wide array of services to include leaf collection; street, sidewalk and alley maintenance; trash collection; recycling; grass cutting;  graffiti removal; parking enforcement; urban forestry; street signs; traffic signals and pavement markings and civil engineering. In addition, DPW maintains upkeep on most city buildings; issues permits for working in the city’s right-of-way; manages the RVA Bike Share program and maintains the fleet of city vehicles. DPW’s operating budget comes from the general fund of the City of Richmond.  For more information about DPW services, click here or call 3-1-1