April 27 Newsletter: New roof for Pump House
Weather: A beautiful week begins with a high of 70.
On this date in 1974, rioters damaged 11 police cars when the Cherry Blossom Music Festival went horribly wrong. (more)
After more than a century, Richmond’s historic Pump House is getting a new roof
There will still be a long road ahead to make the Pump House watertight. But one major milestone is in sight: a new roof. Tonight, the City Council is poised to accept a $500,000 federal grant that will pair with city money to cover a $1 million roof replacement.
After being decommissioned in 1924, the Pump House was for decades little more than a splendid relic perched between two lines of equally obsolete canals.
Over the past 10 years, however, efforts have gained momentum, spurred on by both the Friends of Pump House group and the city. Read more, and see photos, here.
Anne Holton will run for her Richmond School Board seat in November’s special election
Anne Holton has been involved in campaigns since she was 5 years old. But this is the first time she’s on the ballot herself.
After nearly three months of serving on the Richmond School Board as an interim, she told The Richmonder that she will be running for her 6th District seat in the upcoming special election in November.
She discussed her priorities, campaign and her votes so far as a Board member, including on the Virtual Academy. Read more here.
En garde! More than 2,000 fencers are competing in Richmond at the national championships
The national fencing championships are in Richmond this year, and will wrap up today, with free admission for spectators at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
The results will determine who represents Team USA at the 2026 Fencing World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, this July. See a photo gallery of the event here.
Investigation leads to firing of RPS director of facilities
The dismissal follows an investigation into alleged improprieties in spending school district money and personal use of RPS property.
Bobby Hathaway, who worked for the division for more than 10 years, allegedly both made and approved purchases using an RPS credit card, and used equipment outside of schools.
Hathaway previously was critiqued for his role leading up to a 2022 fire at Fox Elementary School. Read more here.
Avula administration says deferral program would cost city millions, require 20 new Finance staffers
Mayor Danny Avula’s administration is opposing a proposal to create a tax deferral program, saying it would require the Finance Department to hire 20 new analysts.
Four city councilors have backed the proposal from Councilwoman Sarah Abubaker (4th District) to create a program that would allow some Richmonders to defer payment of part of their real estate taxes if their bill is more than 105% of what they paid in the prior year.
Abubaker and Avula disagree on how many people would take advantage of the program, and how long it would take the department to process their requests. Read more here.
In other news
- The City of Richmond is offering to reimburse business owners up to $7,500 for new security camera systems (CBS 6)
- VCU will raise tuition 3.9% next year, as military waivers and salary increases mount (Times-Dispatch)
- Move away from 12-month model could leave Bellwood ES teachers without pay in July (VPM)
The editor's desk
Fencing ranks extremely high on the list of Olympic sports I wouldn't want to be a part of. (The skeleton is an easy No. 1 in that category.)
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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