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April 16 Newsletter: Faulty batteries cited in state water report

Weather: Two more days in the 60s before late-spring warmth arrives. Read a full forecast from Sean Sublette here.

On this date in 1941, Mayor Gordon Ambler appoints a "rodent-control officer" to combat the city's increasing rat problem.

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State will put Richmond water plant on corrective plan after review finds faulty batteries caused January crisis

The Richmonder has obtained the state-initiated investigation into the water crisis, and it has more details on what went wrong than the city's version.

  • State regulators found 12 "significant deficiencies," and will put the city on a corrective action plan.
  • The report identified nearly $64 million in upgrades that could be made throughout the water system.

One major takeaway is that an uninterruptible power supply intended to close valves and prevent flooding didn't work. The report cites a "lack of testing and verification."

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“This aspect of the failure could have been avoided with adequate preventative maintenance and testing,” the report said.

The report also takes aim at PILOT payments, which divert some utility bill revenues to the city's general fund. Read more from Graham Moomaw here.

VMFA removes front-lawn sculpture due to structural instability

A prominent sculpture was removed from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in late March after an inspection by conservation staff revealed "structural instability caused by rust," according to the museum.

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"Arches and Column," by Lee Kelly, has been returned to the estate of the artist.

Read more here.

Mobile homes, housing fund and schools top list of concerns at budget hearing

Sarah Vogelsong has the latest on the city's budget process after more than 70 residents gave public comments on Monday night.

  • While Mayor Danny Avula has removed funding for mobile home repairs from this year's budget, there remains an $800,000 fund to pay for repairs that was allocated in a previous budget.
  • Members of RISC believe the city is not properly funding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. A 2021 City Council ordinance was intended to provide a reliable stream of money for the fund but has never been followed.

Read more on the budget here.

DPU officials say inflation, reserve needs are driving monthly rate increases

Rising operational costs are behind rate increases proposed in this year's city budget, utility officials said.

  • Increases would amount to about $12 extra on the average residential customer’s monthly bill. 

Read a breakdown of the increases for gas, water, wastewater and stormwater services here.

‘Candlelight Concerts’ ads are plastered all over Richmond social media. So we checked it out.

If you spend much time on social media, you've probably seen an ad that looks like the one above. What happens at Candlelight Concerts?

  • A ticket was $25.20 after fees for a Thursday night performance of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons.
  • The venue was the Bolling Haxall House downtown, home to the Woman's Club.
  • Musicians were local, including a teacher and two members of the Richmond Symphony.

Read more about the experience here.

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In other news

The editor's desk

The state water report cost about $358,000, while Richmond's version was about $234,000. Sometimes, you get what you pay for.

Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org

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