From Craigslist:

I found a small, male beagle/mix on Blanton Ave between Condie St and Douglasdale Rd. He has no collar, is not in great shape, and is fairly fearful. A picture is below. Please let me know if you know anything about him!

The good folks at the Boulevardizen (formerly, 10 South Boulevard) have a pair of stories up about wintery happenings in and around the lakes of Byrd Park.  On January 11th, they shared the news that a sheet of ice had covered Fountain Lake, causing the geese to disperse to places unknown.  The next day:

An elderly man’s walker tipped causing him to fall into Swan Lake at Byrd Park. Lt. Shawn Jones with the Richmond Fire Department tells Boulevardizen that two Department of Public Works employees came to the rescue after observing the man in the bitter cold water signaling for help.  According to Jones the man is alright and ” was complaining of being cold only.”

The story goes on to mention tips for staying safe near the Byrd Park lakes, including a NBC 12 report that warns against walking out onto the ice, which may be weakened form fluctuating temperatures.

Winthrop Hall Residence

Winthrop Hall, the old John B. Cary West End School that towers over the 2100 blocks of Idlewood and Grayland Avenues, is now up for sale. The unoccupied building has been deteriorating for months. The owner is Stephen J. Staats, a real estate developer who made headlines in 1997 when he bought the property for under $200k and converted it to an assisted living facility.  As recently as 2008, the building has been assessed by the city at $6.5 million and $5.3 million in 2009.

There have been rumors that the site was slated to serve as a mental health facility after the assisted living enterprise folded.  At this point the future is wide open.  There have been calls for a grocery store, an elementary school, and a community center. At the very least, it would be an improvement to see the yard kept, the windows unboarded and without broken glass, and just a tad less random graffiti.

The news of the sale came from news at the CAPS meeting for the Near West
district.  Ward Kuper, our local environmental officer, and the City were both moving on this property to address its upkeep.  During this process, the Kuper came across the contact information for the the sales agent for the property.  If there is any information about a potential buyer, or any other details, please add that information to the comments.

If you would like a REALLY BIG house, the building has over 50k square feet of finished living space and nearly 20k in the basement.  It sits on a parcel that is over two acres of fenced in area.

From the newletter of 5th District Councilman Jewell:

Councilman Marty Jewell will hold a meeting in the Central 5th District which will include information on goals and accomplishments; a topical agenda; and, special guests. The meeting is free and all Central 5th District citizens are invited and encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be served. The Agenda for this meeting will include:
Agenda
• Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts
• 2010 Richmond Real Estate Assessments
• 2010 Richmond Real Estate Tax Abatements
• 2010 United States Census Information

When: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Richmond Public Schools Binford Middle School
1701 Floyd Avenue; Richmond, Virginia 23220

CONTACT: For more information, please contact Francine Young in the office of Councilman Marty Jewell, at 804.646.5724 (office) or by email, at
francine.young@richmondgov.com

Residents of Byrd Park have been on the edge of their seats for some time about the future of the old Bus Barn at Robinson and Cary.  Now that RRHA has control of the property, it is expected that there will be some public and/or governmental deliberation before a private entity purchases it for their own purposes.  Just what those purposes will be is a matter of much speculation.  For anyone interested in the latest details, the next BPCL meeting is the place to be (UPDATE: RRHA rep will not attend BPCL’s meeting until April).  Even if you can’t attend, you can make your voice heard here.  Below, I will post some of the ideas I’ve heard debated.  Please feel free to expound in the comments section.

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