From the office of Gov. Kaine: Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced today that Virginia’s official state portal Web site, www.virginia.gov, has been named first in the nation among the 50 states in the Center for Digital Government’s annual Best of the Web program. This prestigious honor follows an extensive redesign of the Web portal, which uses colorful imagery to invite participation in online services and features new “Web 2.0” functionality to enhance the user experience. The new Web site design went live in June of this year.

Read more >

1) Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 7 pm: Forum on Affordable Housing & Historic Districts with Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll, AIA
2) Saturday, September 20, 2008, 10 am: Maintenance Workshop with Bryan Blundell

Read more >

Here’s a website with more details about the apartments and commercial space to be available, contact info, etc.

Read more >

N. Sycamore St. is seeing quite a bit of transformation these days. Here’s a few before/today images of 19-21 N Sycamore St.

Today:

Read more >

From Gov. Kaine’s office: ~ State agency spending reductions total $49 million. Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced state agency spending reductions for fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010 totaling $49 million. The General Assembly this year passed a biennial budget that required the Governor to make $35 million in spending reductions for fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

Read more >

Today’s RTD features a story on the region’s newest independent bookseller, Minerva Books — “Trading in ideas, coffee and comfortable seating since May, 2008.” And on the ‘ideas’ note, Minerva Books will host a poetry reading event in September. More on that in the next post.

From the office of Gov. Kaine: Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced a telework initiative for gubernatorial appointees, which includes about 120 employees in the Cabinet and Governor’s Office. Governor Kaine also announced an improved State Telework Policy – published late last week – directing all state agencies to consider ways to improve and expand agency telework and alternate work schedule programs. “Rising fuel prices, the escalating cost of commuting to work, worsening traffic congestion and reduced air quality compel a change in the business culture of state agencies,” Governor Kaine said. “Telework reduces energy consumption, both in the amount of gasoline used for daily commuting and in office building energy costs. This policy provides a timely opportunity to create a culture of conservation within the state workforce, which can serve as an example for Virginia businesses in the private sector.”

Read more >

Per yesterday’s P-I, the Dept. of Historic Resources has expanded the Old Towne historic district east along Bank St., and listed a new historic district around the Commerce St. and Dunlop St. area. I’ll give a shout when I’ve posted an updated map of the historic districts’ footprints.

The Hearts of Gold Campaign welcomes your unwanted or broken gold items during our June fundraiser for The James House. Call 804-458-2704 for more information on this program to help create escape, safety, healing and support for people who have experienced domestic or sexual violence.  The James House serves lower Chesterfield county south to Emporia. From that area, over 1,000 abused children and women were helped in 2007. Believe in a brighter day. Share your unwanted gold.

Minerva’s Owl Club (the kids’ book club) will meet the third Saturday of every month — starting this very Saturday!! — at 11am at Minerva Books. Designed for children 8-12 years old, there will be reading, discussion, and fun reading-related activities. Participation is free and books for the club are discounted 10%. The book for July’s discussion is Betsy Byars’ The Summer of the Swans, available for purchase now at Minerva Books’ online and regular stores.

The small-town neighborhood feel, for many, is the American Dream. But for residents of the Historic Poplar Lawn neighborhood in Petersburg, Virginia, it’s a dream come true.

Read more >

Thirty undergraduate and graduate students from throughout Virginia arrive in Petersburg this week for the start of the Phoenix Project’s 2008 Nonprofit Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program (NLP). The students will live and work in Petersburg for the next six weeks and gain the knowledge, skills and connections to succeed as the next generation of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs for Virginia.

Read more >

Today’s RTD features an article that tells the story of Beverly Rivers (of Better Homes and Gardens and Petersburg’s River’s Edge) and Jeff Abugel’s relocation to Petersburg, and includes both a slideshow of their home and helpful design tips from Beverly in the article side bar.

Are you a board or senior staff member of a nonprofit/community organization?  If so, do you:

Read more >

Battersea, Inc is seeking a college-level individual interested in archeology to work on a supervised archeology survey in Petersburg, from mid June to early July, 2008.  Previous experience desired but not required.  Pay to be about $10/hour. For more details, read the flyer here.

Read more >

We’ve all heard of monetary incentives offered to realtors to encourage the sale of houses… but an offer to the general public? In this failing housing market, people are going to new lengths to sell homes.

Read more >

This event will provide matchmaking sessions with General Contractors, the Dept. of Minority Business Enterprise, Crater Procurement Assistance Center, Virginia Community College System, New Visions New Ventures, Inc., just to name a few. The guest speaker will be Bill Cooper, Director of Supplier Diversity at University of Virginia. The event will be June 27, 9am-noon, at the Bank of America building, 1111 E. Main St., Richmond, Floor 18 Reception Room. The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Click here for a copy of the flyer with more details.

From the office of Gov. Kaine: “Governor Timothy M. Kaine today issued an Executive Order to grant a temporary waiver allowing gasoline retailers to use the practice called half-pricing on older analog pumps which are technically unable to register a price above $3.99 per gallon.”

Read more >

The Richmond Outreach Center (ROC) has a new affiliate, in Petersburg. Per the P-I, the Petersburg Reach Out Center thrift store and ministry has opened at 22 W. Washington St.

The latest on oil and gasoline prices. Now might be a good time to remind folks of Gasbuddy.com, which hosts RichmondGasPrices.com (which I’ve linked to the Petersburg details). This tool can be found in this site’s directory, under ‘Web-based tools’.

The Cameron Foundation has announced that it is soliciting nominations for its two annual recognition award programs. The awards total $80,000 for nonprofit organizations within the Foundation’s service area of Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the counties of Dinwiddie, Prince George, Sussex and the portion of Chesterfield County lying south of Rt. 10. The awards will be presented annually at The Cameron Foundation’s October Grants Award Ceremony.

Read more >

The above comes from Zillow’s Home Value Trends in Petersburg. Not bad in a context of the 7.5% national decrease cited for single-family homes.

Another interesting page on their site: Zillow’s Quarterly Home Value Reports. The map gives a color-coded sense of how different areas in Richmond are doing — look for more details by hovering your mouse over the various diamonds on the map. To cite a few numbers, looks like the Fan has observed a 2.7% decline in values, while Mechanicsville has witnesed a 5.7% increase over the same period.

The National Association of Letter Carriers (the folks at the post office) will collect food donations as part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday May 10. To help, just leave a bag of nonperishable food items next to your mailbox.

Last week, the P-I ran an article noting that People’s Memorial Cemetery - a historic African American cemetery - has been approved to be on the National Register. The registration form is available here.

Read more >

Dinwiddie resident and historian Ronald Seagrave, PhD is currently writing a book to be entitled The Early Artisans & Mechanics of Petersburg Virginia, 1752-1860: Building of a Multicultural Maritime Community. In conducting research on the early Scottish influence on Petersburg’s literary base, he has found that the General Assembly granted Petersburg’s Speculative Society - a library association formed in 1793 - a charter in 1795. Per conversations with folks at the Library of Virginia, this appears to be “the earliest now known” library company in Virginia.

Read more >