April 18 Newsletter: Uncertain times for nonprofits
Weather: Sunny and 78 to kick off a beautiful Easter weekend.
On this date in 1780, Richmond is officially named the capital city of Virginia, replacing Williamsburg.
Local nonprofits face major cuts in the city’s new budget. They’re warning of potential impacts.
Several area nonprofits are impacted by cuts in the proposed city budget.
- A girls flag football league for RPS students is funded with city money that runs through two local nonprofits.
- The Black History Museum stands to lose a $100,000 programming grant.
- Offender Aid and Restoration of Richmond, an organization providing reentry services, may have its budget halved.
Read about the potential impact of the cuts, and what's next in the process, here.
Survey of Richmond nonprofits shows uncertainty, fear as federal cuts continue
A group of four Richmond-area funders released a survey of local nonprofit organizations, offering some of the first data showing how federal budget cuts are impacting local operations in real time.
In addition to budgetary and planning concerns, 50% of the respondents said they were dealing with staff burnout, as the uncertainty of federal cuts takes its toll.
Read more on the survey's results here.
Veritas tennis court clears divided Planning Commission
A Christian school on the North Side wants to build six tennis courts on a parking lot nearby that was originally intended to be the site of 13 townhouses.
Neighbors opposing the project cited potential noise, but the commission voted 5-2 to recommend City Council approve the project.
The project is allowed by zoning code, but Veritas and its surrounding properties are subject to a "community unit plan," a tool used to regulate large-scale developments that don't match an overall area's zoning. Changes to that plan require Council approval.
Read more on the hearing here.
State drinking water official says problems at Richmond plant went unaddressed for ‘decades’
Formally unveiling its water report, the state blamed a "complacent culture" that contributed to January's crisis.
- But an official acknowledged that state waterworks regulators might have also missed opportunities to more proactively address the risk that the Richmond plant could fail.
In a statement Thursday morning, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said the state’s report largely aligns with the results of an investigation initiated by the city, and changes are being made at the plant to ensure future dependability. Read more here.
In other news
- Gilpin Court lease transfer fails in RRHA board vote (VPM)
- Mayor Avula announces Office of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate city, state and federal efforts (CBS 6)
- Virginia Housing to build new $15M parking deck across from Allianz Amphitheater (BizSense)
The editor's desk
If the marshmallow Peeps were actually good, we'd be eating them year-round.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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