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Crisis Pregnancy hearing at Council February 25
The public hearing and scheduled Council vote on Crisis Pregnancy Center’s request to use 4100 Brook Road for social service delivery is at the top of the news and issues that your civic association has been tracking recently. Here are the highlights:
Council hears CPC use permit Feb. 25
City Council is scheduled to make a decision at its meeting on Monday, February 25, regarding Crisis Pregnancy Center’s application to provide “social service delivery” at 4100 Brook Road. As we’ve notified you in several meetings and newsletters, CPC hopes to offer evening and weekend classes for two dozen participants, “material goods collection and distribution,” and other activities at the site, but a large majority of Bellevue and Ginter Park residents have voted to oppose the use permit, and the Richmond Planning Commission concurred on November 5th ? voting unanimously to recommend denial of CPC’s application. Third District Councilman Bill Johnson backed the residents in opposing the CPC plan at Planning Commission, but our concerns must be shared with all nine City Council members who will decide this issue. Please contact as many Council members as possible, and plan to be at Council at 6:00 p.m. on February 25th to express your position.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Civic Association Meeting
Delegate Viola Baskerville to Provide a Summary of the General Assembly Session
March 12
6:30 PM at Christ Ascension Episcopal ChurchMarch 16 - Holton PTA 5K Fun Run/Walk and Family Festival. www.holtonpta.org/5k/ or call Ron Hickman at 204-1535 for information March 16 Neighborhood Watch Meeting March 26 (Flier Inside) Neighborhood Cleanup April Date to Be Announced General Meeting (Location to Be Announced) June 11 14th Bellevue Garden Walk June Date to Be Announced
North District Neighborhoods Team
(646-726 for information)
Third Thursday at 7:00 PM
RECRUITING GARDENERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The Bellevue Civic Association will sponsor the 14th Bellevue Garden Walk this year. Details are very preliminary at this time, but the Garden Walk will happen sometime this summer. Always a treat, the Committee looks forward to the continued participation of gardeners from previous years so that we can watch the gardens as they progress from year to year. In addition, the Garden Walk Committee is seeking new Committee members and gardeners who would like to share their gardens with their fellow Bellevue neighbors.
Work on the 14th Bellevue Garden Walk will begin with a Committee planning meeting and the initiation of the related activities. If you are interested in being on the Garden Walk Committee or participating on the Garden Walk itself, please call Florenz Sterling at 264-8704.
This will be the 14th Bellevue Garden Walk and is certain to be another great success, especially if you agree to show your garden, participate on the committee and/or join in the walk itself. Look for more details in a future newsletter and call Florenz soon.
Bylaws update ? let’s try again!
Our Bellevue Civic Association bylaws outline the purpose, structure, and function of our organization. Ours have served us well, but are very specific about a number of aspects of how we are organized. Over time this specificity has become less appropriate and applicable to what we are and what we do. For instance, dues have been specifically set at $6 annually since the early 1980s, the five months that we are obligated to meet are specifically listed, and the seven specified standing committees do not reflect our current committee structure that is effectively meeting most of our needs.
We’re also not entirely sure what version of the bylaws is currently in effect, because we’re not sure what changes may have been made to the bylaws over time. Therefore, the board proposes to bring the matter of bylaw amendments before the membership at the March 12th general meeting. The bylaws state that amendments may be made “at any regular meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of the members present; notice having been submitted in writing to the members prior to the meeting.”
Rather than printing the entire three pages of bylaws, the principal changes proposed by the board are summarized below. Anyone wishing to see the entire bylaws as (we think) they currently exist, can contact Tim Pfohl at 264-1362 and let us know if you’d like a copy by fax, e-mail, or mail. Copies of proposed changes will be available for review at the March 12th meeting.
Dues - remove the reference to $6 dues and state that dues shall be recommended by the board and approved by the membership at an annual meeting. Change the start of the membership year from September 1 to January 1.
Meetings - remove references to the five specific months when meetings shall be held and state that at least three meetings of the general membership shall be held, including an annual meeting, with notification of members in writing prior to each meeting.
Committees - remove the reference to the seven specific standing committees and state that committees shall be created as determined by the board and consistent with the objective of the Association (“to promote community welfare, education, safety, preservation, social and recreational activities”).
The board feels these changes will make the bylaws a more flexible and effective tool for managing the organization, and remove any doubt about what they currently call for!
Tim Pfohl
JOIN US AT THE NEXT MEETING MARCH 12
The new year brings the call for new leadership, and adopting a slate of officers will be one item of business at our next general meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 12 at Christ Ascension Episcopal Church. The following slate of officers is proposed, and additional nominations will be taken from the floor:
President - Tim Pfohl (Bellevue Ave)
VP - Ed Parks (Crestwood Ave)
Treasurer - Lee Householder (Nottoway Ave)
Secretary - Amy Harr (Monticello Ave)Join us for pizza, soda, business, news, and socializing at the meeting, and help us say a special thanks to outgoing secretary Kathy Sadler and Treasurer Paul Johnson as they complete their service to Bellevue. Delegate Viola Baskerville will provide a summary of this year’s General Assembly session. We will also take another crack at streamlining our outdated bylaws (see related article in this issue) so they more accurately reflect how our Association functions.
That’s it for now ? keep involved and in the know, because it’s what makes Bellevue great! Use the Security hotline (257-9705) and Bellevue listserv (sign up on the website https://members.tripod.com/johnrbutcher) for regular updates.
IN BELLEVUE AND BEYOND
Councilman Bill Johnson reports that he has secured major funding to resolve the long-standing sewage problems in Princeton Creek, and design concepts have been floated that would address erosion and flooding while creating a natural-looking stream. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that revenue shortages don’t delay this long overdue project.
The City has alerted us that they plan to rebuild Boulevard from Broad Street to Westwood Avenue this summer, including new sidewalks, streetlights, trees, signals and so forth. The disruption will be significant, but the end result will hopefully justify the short-term pain.
Bellevue joined fellow Northside civic associations in expressing opposition to the closing of Lombardy Street when City Council faced that issue this past fall, and we’ll be poised to restate that position if the issue resurfaces this year. In fact, our suggestion to consider narrowing the road to two lanes is one of the compromise solutions Council is weighing.
Bellevue is justifiably getting recognition as a model of neighborhood organization and involvement in the City’s North District Team. Thanks to all of you who volunteer in so many ways that benefit Bellevue; our newsletter, security patrol, neighborhood watch, and crime prevention efforts are all serving as models for our Northside neighbors. Vice President Ed Parks is our designated representative to North Team, which hosts meetings the third Thursday of every month for more than 30 Northside associations and organizations. At the annual North Team retreat in January, the issues of safety, education, and blight removal were identified as the three areas of principal focus for the coming year.
Welcome to the Bellevue’s wonderful new restaurant, Café Belle, and its owners Mike Fox and Beth Blake. The food, atmosphere and service are outstanding, so please stop by, give it a try, and help make this new addition to our neighborhood the rousing success it deserves to be. Welcome also to McMichael Auctions in the former Bellevue Hardware space. We are all watching with great anticipation the renovations to Dot’s Back Inn, and can’t wait for the return of Cookie and her gang in their beloved Bellevue institution! And the music has been better than ever lately at Shenanigans, where Allen and Joan are continuing the former Main Street Grill’s Old Time Music Jam on Wednesdays, provide the venue for Steve “Mr. Beach” Leonard on Sundays, and serve up great food, bluegrass, folk, rock, blues and beverages throughout the week.
GIVE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD 1.5 HOURS A MONTH
JOIN THE BELLEVUE SECURITY PATROL AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE
On January 29, in his first State of the Union address, President Bush called on every American to commit to the “service of your neighbors and your nation.”
A terrific opportunity to get involved exists right here in Bellevue. You’ve all seen the flashing yellow light as your fellow neighbors volunteer one-and-a-half hours each month to serve on the Bellevue Security Patrol. It’s a small contribution of time that makes a big difference in the quality of life we enjoy in our neighborhood.
Crime Happens
Bellevue is a great place to live, but the reality is that we experience a fair number of vehicle thefts and break-ins, as well as home and shed burglaries. Our local businesses have been robbed multiple times, and, on occasion, muggings have occurred.
The Bellevue Security Patrol was set up several years ago by a number of concerned citizens who were determined to make our community a safer place to live. The premise was to alert would-be criminals that Bellevue citizens were keeping close watch over the neighborhood and their neighbors. Neighborhood patrols are an effective crime deterrent in communities across America.
Through the years, the patrol has worked in close cooperation with the Richmond City Police Department, which assists with patrol member training and provides guidance on operating a successful neighborhood patrol program.
The Security Patrol also collaborates with the Bellevue Neighborhood Watch program, which coordinates neighborhood crime alerts through a network of block captains.
Westminster-Canterbury graciously allows the patrol to use its guardhouse to store equipment and serve as the starting point for each patrol. A number of neighborhood businesses provide monetary support and services to help keep the patrol up and running. We also receive financial support from the Bellevue Civic Association and individual donors, which helps the patrol foot the bill for its cell phones, beepers, flashing lights, and voice mail service. But we rely on volunteers to get the job done!
We Need Your Help
As with every volunteer organization, the more hands on board, the more successful we will be. Our wonderful volunteers on the patrol—many who’ve been onboard since the patrol’s inception—invite you to join them. More patrols are needed each day and night of the week. We operate four rotating teams (A, B, C, D), allowing new members to choose the time that suits their schedule best. If you have a partner (friend, spouse, significant other), you’re welcome to patrol together. If you want to make a new friend in the neighborhood, we’ll find you a partner. Typically, partners take turns volunteering their car and gas for the 1.5-hour patrol each month.
We ask all new members to attend one orientation session conducted by patrol leaders and the Richmond police. Your patrol captains will also provide “on-the-road” training as needed.
Join Us!
Through the years, Bellevue Security patrol members have helped deter car break-ins, alerted police to suspicious individuals loitering in the neighborhood, ousted a known drug dealer, ensured that broken streetlights were replaced and that potholes were repaired. Last Halloween, our patrollers reunited a lost child with his father. In addition, we operate a community voice mail box (257-9705) to keep our neighbors abreast of recent crime activity.
These are but a few examples of the excellent results we know about—just think about the number of crimes we likely have deterred by being a visible presence in the neighborhood. For more information about joining the patrol, call patrol chairman Chris Sterling at 266?7496, or vice chairman Winnie Cobb at 264-0959.
You’ll be making a difference in the most important place—your neighborhood!
February 9, 2002
Dear Ginter Park and neighboring associations’ residents:
As you may know, recently our community has been plagued by loose dogs, endangering themselves, humans, and pets left outdoors in our neighborhood. Please take a moment to ensure your animals are securely contained in their backyards and that all pets have identification on them, even if they are “indoors only.”
It is the law, and it is for your pet’s safety. Individuals often try to return stray pets to their owners, only to be thwarted by a lack of identification. The only recourse previously was to surrender the stray to the SPCA or other humane organizations. However, the Richmond SPCA and City Animal Shelter are in the midst of a transition in regards to processing animals.
(Information culled from a letter from Robin Starr, Executive Director of the Richmond SPCA dated January 2, 2002.)
Beginning January 7, 2002, the Richmond SPCA and City Animal Shelter, in partnership with the Richmond Animal League and FURS, began the transition to have animals processed at the City Animal Shelter. From this moment on, surrenders to the Richmond SPCA will be by appointment only.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, staff members from the Richmond SPCA will bring processed animals, after temperament testing, to the Richmond SPCA to be available for adoption. Other humane groups will have access to the City Shelter on Mondays and Thursdays for their adoptions.
The letter further states:
“We also take seriously the responsibility of every pet owner to treat his pet’s life as a precious thing, not something to be cast aside lightly. To that end, we are beginning a program with our partners called Project Safety Net. This program will provide owners with an array of resources to address problems with their pets in a responsible manner. These resources will include professionally managed behavioral retraining assistance and behavior hotline, information on pet friendly housing, information on spaying and neutering for both owned pets and feral animals and assistance in re-homing their pets themselves. Project Safety Net will be an essential part of our efforts to shape more appropriate behavior on the part of pet owners and other community members with respect to caring for our animal companions.”
The City Animal Shelter, Richmond SPCA, and other humane groups in the area are joining together to better cohesively address the problems brought on by unsprayed and neutered animals and other issues that ultimately, are the owners responsibility.
As these groups further concentrate on bettering the lives of the animals in the community, please take a moment to assess whether there is anything you, as a responsible pet owner who cares deeply for their animal(s), can do to best ensure the safety and protection of yourself (as you are liable for your pet) and your community. Information pertaining to pet adoption, behavioral issues, Frequently Asked Questions and more can be found at:
www.343pets.com Addresses common questions and issues regarding
animal care
www.richmondspca.org Web site for the Richmond SPCA www.richmondspca.org/index/projectsafetynet.htm Project Safety Net information www.operationcatnip.net/ Operation Catnip www.petfinder.org/shelters/VA126.html Richmond Animal Shelter’s adoption page
Sincerely yours, Copeland Casati
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Last updated 02/24/02
Please send questions or comments to John Butcher