Zip Line and Rope Bridge Course Coming to Byrd Park

RichmondBizSense.com reports that there are plans to add a zip line and rope bridge course to Byrd Park.

Governor Kaine to Visit Byrd House Market Tomorrow (June 16)

From the Byrd House Market:

Gov. Tim Kaine will be visiting the Byrd House Market from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday June 16, to see how the market works with other WBCH programs to enrich the community. Come and greet the governor and show him how much you love your market!

Get more information on the Byrd House Market Blog.

Traffic Alert: Cary & Thompson

From the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities:

DPU TRAFFIC ALERT – W Cary Street & S Thompson Street

RICHMOND, VA— On Wednesday, June 3, 2009 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities will be removing natural gas piping from the road for a future road improvement project at the intersection of W. Cary Street and S. Thompson Street

Motorists coming into Carytown from the I-95 exit ramp will only have the ability to turn east on Cary Street.   There will be one east bound lane open on Cary Street for thru traffic.  Turns onto Thompson Street from Cary Street will be restricted.

Construction area will be clearly marked with cones and signage.  Motorists should follow all posted detour signs.  Moderate traffic disruption is expected.  Motorists are asked to proceed with caution around the construction area.

The City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities provides natural gas, water, wastewater and stormwater services to more than 500,000 residential and commercial customers in the metropolitan region.  DPU also operates electric street lighting utility, which maintains more than 37,000 streetlights throughout the City.  For more information, call DPU’s Customer Care Center at 644-3000 or visit DPU’s Web site at www.richmondgov.com/dpu.

Bye-bye BP

Looks like Mr. Eck is at it again, and I personally applaud him for this one. Ed Eck and the West Cary Street Planning Committee have proposed a new mixed-use development at the corner of Cary Street and Meadow Street. The development would take over the property where the BP station currently stands, and would be across the street from the Lofts at Cary Place. Apparently Mr. Eck has already spoken to the owner and he is open to selling.

Richmondbizsense.com has the full story.

In my opinion, this is great news for the area, but only if the development provides affordable residential and retail space. Over priced development has started to pop up on Cary Street (Townes at Cary Place) and other areas of Richmond. I think we can all agree that today we need to provide options to everyone – not just the top 5 to 10%.

Friday Cheers 2009

Friday Cheers is back, starting May 8! For the few of you who don’t know what Friday Cheers is all about – it’s a free concert series held every summer. From Venture Richmond: “The series kicks off Friday, May 8, and continues every Friday through June 26, from 6-9:30 p.m. All events are on Brown’s Island along downtown Richmond’s historic riverfront.”

No Carbon Leaf this year, but I recommend everyone go to the May 22 show to see the Zac Brown Band.

2009 Friday Cheers Lineup

• May 8: Melvin Seals and JGB
• May 15: Rusted Root
• May 22: Zac Brown Band
• May 29: The Lee Boys
• June 5: Jerry Douglas
• June 12: Old School Freight Train
• June 19: Lucero
• June 26: Toubab Krewe

Byrd Park Pedal-Boats Coming Back

If you’ve been to Byrd Park lately you’ve noticed that the boats are gone and there is construction in progress. By July 4, the boats will be back and a new building will be in place to serve up refreshments. Find out more at Richmond Magazine.