The Richmond City Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a grant for a drug collection unit from CVS’ Safer Communities Program. This unit will be located at the Richmond City Justice Center front lobby area and will provide Richmond residents with a safe and responsible way to dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medications. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Virginia had more than 1,000 overdose deaths due to opioids last year. This epidemic affects not only the individual but their families. The Richmond City Sheriff’s Office wants to reduce the amount of unneeded medicine in residents’ homes and decrease the potential for prescription drug abuse by providing the new drug disposal unit. In addition, this proper drug disposal will help to prevent the contamination of local landfills and water supplies from unused medications. The Richmond City Sheriff’s Office is proud to partner with CVS’ Safer Communities Program to help communities address and prevent drug abuse. Th

Richmond, VA – Mayor Levar M. Stoney is pleased to announce that the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities (PRCF) has expanded the operating hours of five city community centers. The expanded operating hours for the five community centers are from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. This change in operational hours began on July 14. City community centers had been closed on weekends unless they were being used for special events. The five community centers affected by this change are: ·         Bellemeade Community Center, 1800 Lynhaven Avenue ·         Hotchkiss Community Center, 701 Brookland Park Boulevard ·         Powhatan Community Center, 5051 Northampton Street ·         Randolph Community Center, 1415 Grayland Avenue ·         Southside Community Center, 6255 Old Warwick Road As a result of this operational change, the indoor pool at Bellemeade Community Center is open to the public on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to

City will receive $25,000 plus other assistance and support to help fight blight Cities of Service today announced Richmond as a winner of its Cities of Service City Hall AmeriCorps VISTA Love Your Block competition. Love Your Block enables local governments to engage communities in neighborhood revitalization efforts benefiting low-income communities. In Richmond, the city will provide mini-grants to collaborative community organizations and other groups to address blight associated with derelict houses and businesses, graffiti, illegal dumping and trash in the public right-of-way. The Love Your Block investments will be made where economically, racially and culturally disadvantaged residents are concentrated, as well as where there is a diminished voice in influencing policy and investment.  Removing blight from the city is a top priority for Mayor Levar Stoney, who understands the adverse impacts of blight on individuals, families and communities in areas of health, employment,

On Saturday, July 14, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site and the city of Richmond invite the public to celebrate the life and legacy of Maggie L. Walker and the Jackson Ward community in which she lived. In honor of the 154th anniversary of Mrs. Walker’s birthday, public events will be held at the historic site and in the area of the Maggie Walker statue. These events will feature a variety of activities to include a community engagement fair, open-house tours, special program, children’s activities, entertainment and refreshments. The national historic site will host a special event on July 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The festivities begin at 11 a.m. with the site’s Common Good Fair, which features children’s activities and community engagement groups highlighting ways individuals can take action and make a difference in the community. A recognition ceremony honoring the Maggie L. Walker Summer Youth Leadership Institute Class of 2018 will be held at 11:30 a.m., followed by ligh

Mayor Levar M. Stoney is pleased to announce an expanded Parental Leave Policy for City of Richmond employees. The expanded policy, which took effect July 7, provides: 8 weeks of paid maternity leave for birth mothers, 8 weeks of paid bonding leave for the non-birthing parent, 8 weeks of paid parental leave for the adoption/foster care placement of a child (City of Richmond employees), 4 weeks of paid sick parent leave to care for a sick parent with a serious health condition. 
 To be eligible for Paid Parental leave, city employees must meet the eligibility criteria for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and meet one of the FMLA criteria for these four Paid Parental leave categories. The City of Richmond was among the first localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide paid parental leave. The latest expansion of the city’s benefit from four to eight weeks is in line with the recent paid parental leave policy announced by Gov. Ralph S. Northam covering qualifying state emp