Parent Pages
Sibling Pages
Child Pages
Florenz Sterling stepped in to help edit the April issue of the Newsletter. That issue begins with a notice of the general meeting on April 18 and remarks from Tim Pfohl, Vice President of the Association. We have notices of the Plant Swap, a history project on the web page, the garden walk, and a tax break available for folks who renovate.
Also we have news of the Arch Fund, crime news, news from the summer arts school, and news from the Library. Also news of new owners at MacArthur Apts and the former MacArthurs restaurant.
Join us at Christ Ascension Church Tuesday April 18 for free pizza and soda at 6:00 PM and a BCA general meeting at 6:30 PM. We plan to invite our City Council candidates to address campaign issues affecting Bellevue. The new commander of the Third Police Precinct, Captain Paul Kiniry, will be introduced, and you'll get updates on upcoming events and committee activities.
New Year, New Resolve
by Tim Pfohl, BCA Vice PresidentAs the new millennium dawned this January, the lights didn't flicker in Bellevue (that didn't happen until just before the Super Bowl), ATMs didn't spew cash that would have put our Arch Fund over the top, and (happily) life in our neighborhood has carried on much as normal (until the snow and ice came). One thing we can count on in the new year is the continuing array of challenges and opportunities that confront Bellevue.
We are truly in a good position to have so many active and effective committees and their dedicated volunteers working hard to make our neighborhood a safe and pleasant place to live. Bellevue is a wonderfully diverse community of longtime residents and "come-heres," seniors and young families, etc. The demands on our time are many, and we all can testify to how the rush to accomplish work and the responsibilities of being a homeowner and spouse/parent leave precious little time for family, friends, and hobbies. That makes it all the more incredible that our Association has accomplished so much solely with volunteer resources.
WE NEED YOU!
But consider this your call to action! We are still unacceptably besieged with crime in our neighborhood. The flier distributed to your doorstep in early February outlined the facts and issued the call for volunteers for Neighborhood Watch Block Captains and for the Security Patrol. We still have several blocks with no Neighborhood Watch captain, which means that critical crime alerts aren't being passed along to neighbors via phone trees. Security patrol training is held periodically. Contact info is listed inside for both, so please get involved or we run the risk of losing the war with the criminals.
The Bellevue Civic Association board has met to schedule events and general meetings for the year, but we need to hear your concerns and have your participation if we are going to be effective. We can be assured that the new year will bring questions regarding Richmond International Raceway expansion and its effects on Laburnum Avenue and a wide variety of issues regarding crime, traffic, zoning, land use, etc., and may bring revised design concepts from the possible prospective new owners of the Azalea Mall property (a contract for sale has not been completed as of yet). Read on here for more updates, follow the action on our website (the new address is https://members.tripod.com/johnrbutcher) and crime hotline (257-9507), call us with questions or to volunteer, and join us for the next general meeting April 18 at Christ Ascension Church. Best wishes for a happy, healthy new year.
So you remember the little airfield just off Laburnum at the railroad, do you? And you played baseball on the meadow that now is the MacArthur Apartments? And you remember the dirt road to Bryan's quarry (only now you know the road as Fauquier Ave.)? Well, we have a deal for you. If you'll write down your recollections and mail them to Elizabeth Kambourian (1216 W. Laburnum, Richmond, VA 23227) or email them to her (Cannthrax@aol.com) or telephone them to her (264-9531), we will assemble them and put them on the Bellevue history pages at https://members.tripod.com/johnrbutcher/history/history_pages.htm
Civic Association Meeting April 18
Spring Clean-Up May 6 (Tentative Date)
Plant Swap May 6
Plant Swap Rain Date May 7
Garden Walk June 11Our crime rate dropped 29% from 1998 to 1999, despite the rash of car break-ins in December. See the web pages for details:
https://members.tripod.com/johnrbutcher/fighting_crime/crimenow.htmGood News at the MacArthur Apartments
You may recall the problems with the MacArthur Apartments. We had a drug dealer there until late '98, and the Safety Committee later had an ongoing conversation with the owners about the large numbers of police calls. See the web pages for the details: https://members.tripod.com/johnrbutcher/fighting_crime/macarthur_apts.htm
Around the end of last year, Donald Seelmann of Varina bought the complex. On February 1, he sent a notice to the tenants. It says, in part: "I have obtained a record of past complaints and police responses for a partial time during 1999. The results of this record are disgustingly outrageous. Starting immediately, this type of conduct will not be tolerated at the MacArthur Apts. Complex." From all reports, Mr. Seelmann is following up. You probably have noticed the improvement in the parking lot. It looks like we now have a good neighbor at the MacArthur Apartments. Mr. Seelmann has joined the BCA. We expect him to attend the meeting on April 18. Please shake his hand and welcome him to Bellevue.
Welcome
We welcome some new business owners on MacArthur Avenue.
Allen and Joan Davis are the new owners of Shenanigans in the former Cock & Bull/MacArthur's restaurant location. Stop in for their pot roast dinner and some Slack Family bluegrass, see how their improvements are progressing, and we guarantee you'll come back again for more! Welcome also to Gerald Seelman, the new owner of the MacArthur Apartments. Improvements are also underway there. We wish both operations a vibrant future.
In happier news, thanks to your contributions, the Arch Fund is reaching a level where we feel confident moving ahead with soliciting firm cost estimates (this scaled-down version of the Bellevue Arch will be built in the Fauquier median at Laburnum). Past President Chuck Epes has agreed to steer this project to completion, but he could use help. If you have an interest in public art or are aware of stonemasons who would be interested in providing designs and cost estimates for construction, please give Chuck a call at 264-7123.
As the weather improves and construction projects get jump-started, remember that the City of Richmond's real estate tax abatement ordinance remains in effect only through the end of next year. This is arguably the single most effective incentive the City offers to encourage renovation of older homes and commercial buildings. When a building is renovated and its value increases by at least 20%, the property owner is eligible for a tax abatement where the property is assessed at its pre-renovation value for up to 15 years! Taxes on the value of the improvements are fully abated for 10 years and phased in over the last five years. For more info on how to qualify for the program (you must apply before beginning construction, to establish the pre-renovation value), contact the City Assessor's office.
AZALEA MALL ? IT SOUNDED GOOD, BUT...
Since the following article was written, the Civic Association has learned that negotiations between the buyer and seller of Azalea Mall have taken a serious turn for the worse, and the deal described below may be dead. Stay tuned..."
Azalea Mall's New Owners Discuss Plans Over Lunch With Northside Groups
As was reported recently by the news media, Azalea Mall will soon change hands again. Two Florida developers have agreed to purchase the former mall property from the Dewberry Corporation of Atlanta, Georgia. The Floridians, Ken Morin of Tampa and Joe Boan of Miami, hope to close the deal by spring and begin redeveloping the site into a retail shopping center before the year is out.
On February 3, Morin and Boan came to Richmond to discuss their plans with representatives from nearby neighborhoods and county and city officials. Joining them over lunch were Mike McClaughlin, owner of Azalea Garden Center (who plans to remain at his current location at the mall); Chuck Epes and Bob Almond representing Bellevue Civic Association; Norma Murdoch-Kitt, president of Ginter Park Residents Association; and Theresa McMullin, representing Sherwood Park Civic Association.
Morin and Boan explained they own separate development companies but are partnering on the Azalea Mall property. Their specialty is commercial development, not apartments or offices as was the case with Dewberry. They said the reason the old mall failed was because of the kind of stores there? Ames, Woolco, and similar stores were stale, "stuck in the '70s," and did not change with the times. They also said the mall structure itself was old and outdated, and that management must have been really bad for failing to make structural changes earlier. They said similar kinds of malls with similar kinds of stores have failed all over the country. Some from the neighborhood group asked Morin and Boan about the feasibility of a discount outlet mall at the site, but the developers said such malls will not work unless they are huge, and this property is not nearly big enough. What they envision is a shopping center with stores such as Barnes and Noble, Borders, Old Navy, Office Depot, Bed-Bath-and-Beyond, Staples, and Steinmart. They said the stores would be arranged in clusters on the site (rather than in traditional "strip" shopping center fashion) with a couple of restaurants or service-type stores as satellites on the perimeter. They are not planning any movie theaters. Morin said he has built lots of theaters, and they do not work unless as a megaplex with12 to 14 screens or more and nothing smaller, and even many of the megaplexes do not make much money.
Both men were very interested in ideas the group suggested, such as including stores that cater to senior citizens at nearby Westminster-Canterbury and Imperial Plaza and to families with young children; to making the development pedestrian and bicycle friendly; to maintaining a green, park-like buffer along Westbrook Avenue (they said the Bellevue Library stays? it is not a part of their deal); to setting back the planned restaurants on Bellevue and Azalea Avenues so they do not hug the street; to keeping car traffic and entrances and exits away from Westbrook Avenue; and to developing a new interstate exit on Dumbarton Avenue.
The two men said they are amazed that this type of development wasn't done years ago at this site; that what they plan is definitely supported by the number of nearby homes, demographics, and market demand; and they are hopeful they can close the deal by summer and break ground in September. They also agreed to return to Richmond in another few months for a community meeting to present more details, show drawings, and answer questions. In general, the developers seemed willing to work with the community to produce a plan that will be good for the community and good for the developers. Later that day, they met with Third District Councilman Bill Johnson and Henrico County Board Chairman Frank Thornton. It remains to be seen whether any of this will come to pass. The community has heard various developers announce big plans for Azalea Mall before, only for nothing to happen. Nonetheless, Bellevue Civic Association will keep the neighborhood apprised of developments and will announce the community meeting with Morin and Boan when a date, time, and place are established. Stay tuned.
TWELFTH ANNUAL BELLEVUE
GARDEN WALK - JUNE 11, 2000CALLING ALL BELLEVUE GARDENERS!
The twelfth annual Bellevue Garden Walk will be held on June 11, 2000, from 2:00-6:00 PM. The Garden Walk Committee is anxious to recruit you and your garden for the occasion! The Bellevue Garden Walk is a fun neighborhood tradition sponsored by your Bellevue Civic Association and supported by the Azalea Mall Garden Center. The Garden Walk Committee wants to invite any interested Bellevue resident to have his or her garden on the Garden Walk. We hope that gardeners who have participated in the past will agree to do so again, and we encourage "new" gardeners to sign up as well. It's a great way to meet some neighbors, show off your hard work, get some new gardening ideas, and enjoy yourself.Call the Garden Walk's co-chairs Michele Banalett (264-8276) or Florenz Sterling (264-8704) today to sign-up your garden. The deadline for registration is May 7. Please also consider joining the Garden Walk Committee or calling to share your ideas to improve the event. Any participating gardener will receive a 20% discount (excluding mulch) at Azalea Mall Garden Center. Weather permitting, the owners of Azalea Mall Garden Center will host a "post walk" reception from 6:00-7:30 PM. following the Garden Walk. The Garden Walk Committee plans to again deliver the Garden Walk information door-to-door this year. However, if you do not receive the information, you can pick up a garden description and map at the Azalea Mall Garden Center on or shortly before June 11.
Mark June 11 on your calendar now for Bellevue's twelfth annual Garden Walk, and please consider having your garden on the tour.
HELP NEEDED
Please don't bait the neighborhood for criminals. Take that cell phone off the car seat and lock that bicycle in the shed. Half of our crime is theft from cars and yards. YOU can stop it.
-- BCA Safety CommitteeAT THE LIBRARY
ANONYMOUS DONOR TO MATCH MARTINELLI CHILDREN'S FUNDFor every dollar contributed to the Marie Martinelli Children's Fund, an anonymous donor has come forward and offered to match the amount raised dollar for dollar (max $2,500) between now and June 30, 2000, with the understanding that the match dollars will be used for an endowment fund, the interest of which will be used to purchase "things" for the Ginter Park Branch Library. So far we have more than $865 in donations. The new Marie Martinelli Children's Fund - honoring our neighborhood's beloved librarian - supports children's programs and materials. Money raised will be used only at the Ginter Park Branch Library. Gifts of any amount are greatly appreciated, and you will receive a letter for tax purposes. Stop by the Ginter Park Library to contribute to the fund or mail your check to RPL Foundation - Martinelli Children's Fund, 1200 Westbrook Avenue, Richmond VA 23227. For more information, please call 646-1236 or visit our website at http://www.cydom.com/ginterparklibrary.
The Advisory Committee will hold a Yard Sale to benefit the Martinelli Children's Fund on Saturday, May 6, from 7 AM - Noon. This will be a multifamily yard sale so the selection is expected to be diverse. If you would like to contribute child-oriented items to the Yard Sale, please drop them off at the library starting April 15. Examples include toys, books, clothes, strollers, and children's furniture. If you would like to help with the Yard Sale, please call the Chair of the Advisory Committee at 266-9447.
Supporters and staff of the Ginter Park Branch would like to thank City Councilman Bill Johnson for the four additional computers. There are now four computers available for connection to the Internet. Two printers are available for homework or word processing use. If times are busy, you may be expected to use the sign-up sheets. Internet classes by cydom.com limited company were made available in March if you contributed $25 to the Martinelli Children's Fund. Other professionals are expected to donate similar classes throughout the summer. Topics include Keyboarding, School Reports, and Word Processing. If you have a topic you would like to learn, please let them know at the library or send email via the library's website. If you are a professional and would like to donate a few hours of your time to a good cause, please email mariquita@cydom.com. For class availability, call or visit the library. Preschoolers are invited to create their own square for the library's Preschool Patchwork Mural on Saturday, April 8, from 10 AM to Noon. The mural will be hung in the picture books section of the library, and an Official Mural Opening will be scheduled. If you ever thought of replacing a well-loved book at the library or just retiring an outdated one, you can! Just take that book to the library and give it to the friendly people behind the front desk. If it is already in the system, they will tag it. If it is not, they send it downtown to be processed accordingly.
The current Artist in Residence is Mary Ellen Thomas. Some of her art in the exhibit is for sale, and 10% of the proceeds benefit the Ginter Park Branch. A sample of her work can be seen at http://www.cydom.com/ginterparklibrary/artists.
The Book Club continues to meet on the fourth Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 PM. The Book Club celebrates its One Year Anniversary in April with Jack London's Iron Heel.
The Kids' Movie Club meets every Wednesday at 3:30 PM. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Join us every third Tuesday of the month as the Film Forum discusses its latest movie. The movie will be shown after the library closes at 6:00 PM, so please get there beforehand. Popcorn will be provided. Pillows and folding chairs are encouraged. The Minutes of the Ginter Park Library Advisory Committee are publicly available. Just ask for them at the front desk. You are also invited to attend Advisory Committee meetings, which are held every second Wednesday of the month at 9:30 AM For the most recent news and events, please visit our website at http://www.cydom.com/ginterparklibrary or stop by the library and pickup our newly instituted monthly branch bookmark.
Our local branch library has some special activities planned for the coming year. Watch for more new programs, classes, exhibits, and Book Club meetings as the Ginter Park Branch Library works hard to meet the needs of the community. All programs are free and open to the public. If you would like to be a part of the group of volunteers making good things happen at our library, please contact Marie Martinelli, Librarian, at 646-1236 or mariemartinelli@yahoo.com.
Bellevue Civic Association
Please return to Bellevue Civic Association
P.O. Box 9282, Richmond, VA 23227-9282
Name:
Street Address:
ZIP
Phone
Number in Family
1 year $6. Amount enclosed: ___________________
Would you like to serve on a Civic Association Committee? (Please check.)
* Membership
* Fundraising/Finance
* Newsletter
* Programs
* Neighborhood Watch
* Education
* Neighborhood
Preservation
* Garden Walk
* Neighborhood Clean Up
Suggestions/comments? _______________________________________
NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS TO EXPAND SUMMER PROGRAMS IN 2000
Since 1995, Neighborhood School of the Arts Summer Sessions (NSA) have consisted of half-day camps with classes in art, music, and theatre. This summer, NSA will now offer two separate Sessions on two sites with full-day two-week fine arts programs for rising Grade 2 through Grade 8. Half-day programs for ages 4 1/2 through rising Grade 1 will once again be offered. Session I for rising 2nd graders through rising 8th graders will begin June 26 and run through July 7; Session II will begin July 17 and run through July 28. Both will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Extended care will be available for these full-day programs from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM and from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM for those who may need to come earlier or stay later. Both will once again take place at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church. During Summer Session I, classes in art, music, and theatre will be conducted in the mornings through early afternoons (9:00 AM ? 2:00 PM, with a lunch break). In the late afternoons (from 2:00 PM ? 5:00 PM), there will be weeklong options for children to choose from including Choir Camp with City Singers Director Tracia Austin, Dance, Puppetry, Instrument Making, and Creative Games. The Fourth of July will be observed with a Family Fun Day. Classes will not be conducted that day. Instead, there will be games, a cookout, special surprises, and old-fashioned fun for students and their families who opt to attend. During Summer Session II, the classes in art, music, and theatre will collaborate to produce a musical. This innovative approach was taken last summer for the first time when the musical The Village of Hope was performed at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church to the delight of parents and neighborhood residents. This year, Taryn S.Young, Artistic Director for Richmond Theatre Company for Children, will direct the production and conduct the theatre classes. Kathleen Gambill, a certified Orff specialist, will be the musical director. The same schedule as the first session will be followed, with art, music, and theatre classes held in the mornings through early afternoons. In the late afternoons during the first week of the two-week Session, there will be visiting artists and workshops in related subjects such as mime, costume design, choreography, and stage lighting. During the second week of Summer Session I, afternoons will be utilized for rehearsals. The performance date and time will be announced well in advance so all may make plans to attend!
For ages 4 1/2 through rising Grade 1, half-day sessions will
again be offered while the full day programs are being conducted.
Traditionally held at the Newbury Center of the Presbyterian School of Christian
Education, this year the Sessions for ages 4 1/2 through riding Grade 1 will
take place at Ginter Park Baptist Church. Each day will begin at 9:10 AM
and end at 12:10 PM in case big brother or big sister is being dropped off at
Ginter Park Presbyterian Church first. Sarah Lien, actress and stand-up
comedian, will be Director for both Sessions I and II. Guest appearances
by a naturalist, puppeteer, and storyteller are
planned, along with fine arts programs concentrating on theatre, dance, and art.
For registration information for Neighborhood School of the Arts Summer Sessions
2000, contact Theodora Anne Merry, Executive Director, at 804-743-4587.
Don't throw out your plants! Thin out and trade! Thin out your overcrowded hostas, vinca, lilies, lambs ears, etc. Trade them for your neighbor's overcrowded liriope, iris, ajuga, daffodils, etc. Find a home for that houseplant that's not happy, that rose that won't bloom, or those baby nandinas and Japanese maples that seem to multiply overnight. Find perennials to turn your backyard from "ho-hum" to an "urban oasis."
Come to the next Bellevue plant swap on Saturday, May 6, 2000, from noon to 2:00 PM at 4000 MacArthur Avenue (in front of Tradewinds Electrical, Inc., and across from Nuttall's Market). Bring your labeled plants in disposable containers to the swap by noon. You will receive 1 token for each container brought to the swap (regardless of type). Plants can be bought for 1 token or $1. Any proceeds generated will be donated to the Bellevue Civic Association and any remaining plants will be donated to Holton Elementary School. Holton is organizing a school/community garden, and they would appreciate any donations of plants, used garden equipment, potting soil, etc. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please drop off your donations at the plant swap.
Come to the plant swap on Saturday, May 6, from noon to 2:00
p.m. The rain date is
May 7. Questions? Call Jan at 262-5469 or Kath at 262-6835.
BCA Newsletter Ad Rates
Advertising in the Bellevue Civic Association Newsletter is sold at the following per-issue rates:
Full page $150
Half page $80
1/4 page $45
1/8 page (business card size) $25
For more information, contact Florenz Sterling at 264-8704.
1999 Bellevue Civic Association
Officers and Board Members
President Vacant
Vice President Tim Pfohl 264-1362
Secretary Kath Sadler
Treasurer Ed Parks
Past President/Arch Committee Chuck Epes
Education Committee Cliona Robb
Preservation Committee Anne Dervishian
Neighborhood Cleanup John Fisher
Safety Committee John Butcher
Diana Presson
Security Patrol Mauri Shaw
Neighborhood Watch Libby Clark (Co-Chair)
Kath Sadler (Co-Chair)
George Hubbs
Garden Walk Michele Banalett (Co-Chair)
Florenz Sterling (Co-Chair)
Lagniappe Vacant
Last updated 02/24/02
Please send questions or comments to John Butcher