Arbor Day: A holiday celebrating the tree. Why is there a special day dedicated to trees? The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. One large tree can provide a supply of oxygen for two people. For every five percent of tree cover added to a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by approximately two percent. Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction.  Houses with mature trees or located on a tree-lined street have an average wholesale value of 10-15% higher than those that have no trees.  The very existence of hundreds of animals and insects species depend entirely on trees. For example, the common English Oak can support hundreds of different species, including 284 species of insect and 324 taxa of lichens living directly on one tree.
 This Arbor Day, Enrichmond is honored to announce the award of $20,000 from the Dominion Foundation for...

Motorists who frequent neighborhoods that have traffic calming circles will notice new signage that gives traffic in the circle the right-of-way over cars approaching the circle from side streets. Additional yield signs are being erected at each of the more than 40 calming circles in the city. The modification comes as a result of changes in the Code of Virginia that mandate the same treatment for roundabouts, traffic circles and rotaries, which the code collectively refers to as “circular intersections.” Once the changes are implemented over the next several months, all drivers will know to yield to the circulating traffic, whether in a roundabout or a traffic circle. The change will make the smaller circles, designed to reduce speed, operate in a similar fashion as the larger roundabouts, designed to replace traffic signals.  All drivers are encouraged to take extra caution at all circular intersections, as it generally takes two to four weeks to adjust to the new traffic patter...