On Thursday, March 21, the city is adding 20 new battery operated pedelec bikes to its RVA Bike Share fleet. These electric-assist e-bikes are designed to make it easier to climb hills and endure long rides. This will enable those who were previously unable to use the current 8-speed bikes to also use the bike share service.

The pedelec bikes will be docked at current RVA Bike Share stations, but are identified by a yellow lightning bolt. Riders will be able to unlock the bikes using their RVA Bike Share key fob or from the RVA Bikes application. The motor automatically turns on once the rider starts pedaling. The bikes can reach speeds up to a safe 12 mph. The motor stops when the rider stops pedaling or uses the brake.

RVA Bike Share was implemented in summer 2017. It currently has 220 bikes at 16 docking stations. In February the city began electrifying docking stations and converting the existing 8-speed bikes to make them pedal-assist. Eventually the entire fleet will have pedal assist capability.

To learn more about RVA Bike Share and the app, visit RVABikes.com 
We’re social! For updates on DPW-related projects, activities and events visit us on Twitter @DPW_RichmondVA 

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will discuss how local leaders can tackle critical social issues including racism and racial disparities, the history and symbolism of monuments and how to chart a path toward dismantling inequities. Julian Hayter, historian, author and associate professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, will serve as moderator.

The event will be held Tuesday, March 19, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, located at 428 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220. Doors will open at 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Members of the public can rsvp to info@unumfund.org.

“It’s imperative we have the tough conversations about the history of racism and systemic inequities that continue to harm our communities,” said Mayor Stoney. “Historically marginalized communities — primarily low-income neighborhoods and communities of color —continue to feel the burden of a Jim Crow-era system in every facet of society, including in education, housing, transportation, economic development and health. Each of us share in the responsibility to speak honestly and work boldly to undo historic wrongs and give our children, families, and communities their due opportunity to thrive. I am excited to welcome former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to Richmond to engage in this critical dialogue with our community.”

Landrieu will be visiting Richmond with his E Pluribus Unum initiative, which is bringing people together across the American South around issues of race, equity and economic opportunity.

“As Virginia honors the four hundredth anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans, the country must reckon with its tumultuous past and the institutional racism that shapes us today,” said former Mayor Landrieu. “Growing up in the South and having dealt with the issues of equity, poverty, and violence in New Orleans, I strongly believe the time has come for America to have a national conversation about race. I’m honored to be coming to Richmond and excited to speak with Mayor Stoney about how our two cities can learn from each other as we seek to improve our communities.”

Landrieu and his team are traveling across the South with the goal of listening to local leaders and residents in order to learn about their concerns, hopes and efforts around the movement to create more equitable communities. They are convening community members in nearly a dozen cities and towns, visiting each state across the south to listen and learn, exploring how these issues are playing out in these communities and how local organizations are working together to address them. Following this phase, E Pluribus Unum will develop programs and initiatives seeking to bring people of different races and backgrounds together around their shared values.

For more information about this mayor-to-mayor initiative, please contact Osita Iroegbu at Osita.Iroegbu@richmondgov.com or (804) 646-4336.

The City of Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building is accepting applications for the Mayor’s Youth Academy 2019 Summer Employment Program through April 1, 2019. The Mayor’s Youth Academy is open to all City of Richmond youth, ages 14-19, who are enrolled in either a secondary or post-secondary educational institution. Eligible participants must be registered as full-time students during the preceding academic year. Youth are not required to have previous work experience to apply, but they must meet the program’s eligibility criteria.

Interested youth may apply here for one of the following areas:

Counselor In Training (CIT), youth ages 14 – 16:
This program is designed to give youth an opportunity to develop skills related to recreational and educational careers. CITs will be responsible for assisting the counselors in daily administration of the Summer Camp Program, including ensuring the well-being and safety of all participants, administering games and activities, maintaining a fun and safe environment for the participants, keeping the camp room clean and assisting with signing campers in and out each day.

Beginning in April, counselor candidates will participate in a six-week training program that will meet on Wednesdays from 6 – 8 p.m. Training sessions will include customer service, dressing for success, First Aid & CPR certification, health and nutrition, ethics, leadership skills, arts & crafts, and group game facilitation. Upon successful completion of all required training, candidates will be assigned to a recreation facility and serve as counselors for nine weeks.

Summer Work Experience, youth ages 16 – 19:
Interns participating in this program are provided with diverse employment placements and introduced to a variety of industries and career paths including: higher education, non-profits, library sciences, entrepreneurships, human/social services, state government, law, healthcare and information technology. Mayor's Youth Academy Work Experience interns are prepared to enhance productivity and contribute to a positive work environment with enthusiasm and professionalism. Mayor's Youth Academy Work Experience interns will be certified “Job Ready” and receive four weeks of pre-employment training designed to strengthen the skills needed to succeed in the workplace.

King’s Dominion, youth ages 16 – 19:
The Mayor’s Youth Academy offers summer employment opportunities for city youth through Kings Dominion Amusement Park located in Doswell, Virginia. Transportation by bus is available for selected program participants.

For more information, please call (804) 646-7480 or email MayorsYouthAcademy@richmondgov.com.

The Richmond City Health District and Henrico County Health Department are reminding residents of Richmond and Henrico to take precautions to reduce the risk of people or pets contracting rabies from domestic and woodland animals.   

Recently, a stray cat (Adult female, Domestic Shorthair, black fur with white paws and chin) that was a popular fixture at Bryan Park tested positive for rabies. Richmond Animal Care and Control took custody of the cat on February 19th after a park visitor was bitten while interacting with the usually friendly feline. The bite victim is a Henrico resident whose Post Exposure Prophylactic (PEP) treatment is being supervised by the Henrico County Health Department.

Visitors to Bryan Park who may have been exposed to this cat between the dates of February 9th to 19th are at possible risk for rabies and are advised to contact their public health department. Richmond residents should call the Richmond City Health District at 804-482-8020.  Persons who live in Henrico should call the Henrico County Health Department at 804-501-4656.

Exposure is defined as any bite, scratch or other situation where saliva or central nervous tissue of a potentially rabid animal enters an open, fresh wound or comes into contact with a mucus membrane by entering the eye, nose or mouth.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Once symptoms in humans develop, the infection is usually fatal. Administering preventive treatment following an exposure and before symptoms develop is critical in preventing the disease. It is important to seek medical attention promptly after a possible exposure.

The public is advised not to approach wild or stray animals either in urban or wooded areas or if they wander onto your property, especially if the animal is acting strangely.  Take the following steps to prevent family members and pets from being exposed to rabies:

•    Don’t attract wild animals into your yard by leaving out pet food or uncontained garbage
•    Vaccinate all cats, dogs and ferrets against rabies and keep their shots up to date
•    Don’t allow your pets to roam freely through the neighborhood; keep them on a leash when walking them
•    Report stray animals to your local animal control agency

If you or your pet is attacked or bitten, report it to the health department or animal control authorities. Get a good description of the animal that you can provide to authorities.

For more information about rabies and animal bites, talk to your veterinarian, health department, or visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Rabies/

Mayor Levar M. Stoney is being tapped by the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) to develop a “proactive, strategic agenda” as the new chairman of the USCM’s Children, Health and Human Services Standing Committee.
 
“Mayor Stoney has demonstrated leadership, commitment and a collaborative approach to meeting the needs of children and families in the City of Richmond,” said USCM president Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. “We’re grateful for his willingness to chair this important committee, and are excited for him to share Richmond’s recipe for success with USCM cities and localities across the country.”

Over the last two years, the Stoney administration has brought national attention to Richmond with numerous successful initiatives to benefit children and families.

Working with private, community and nonprofit partners, the administration implemented a critically important expansion of after-school programs for city school children and formed a partnership to provide tablets and internet access to incoming public high school freshmen. The administration also created a free ride program on the city bus system for students, and launched the successful “Change for RVA Schools” initiative, which generated $150 million to finance the construction of three new schools.

Focusing on the welfare of residents and working families, the Stoney administration is well on its way toward meeting the promise of building 1,500 affordable housing units by 2023, and just weeks ago announced the first eviction diversion program in the Commonwealth of Virginia, designed to help vulnerable residents avoid the devastating impact of losing their home.
 
This year, the administration also achieved the highest Municipal Equality Index (MEI) score in Virginia, a program sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign that measures the support for LGBTQIA+ communities within American localities. 

Richmond’s nationally recognized Office of Community Wealth Building has expanded its Center for Workforce Innovation to improve the city’s workforce development programs. And in 2017, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded Richmond its Culture of Health Prize, in recognition of the city’s initiatives to build a culture of health throughout the city.
 
“I thank Mayor Benjamin for this opportunity,” said Mayor Stoney. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in Richmond, and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow mayors to advance our successful initiatives nationwide.”

More information about the US Conference of Mayors can be found here.
 
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