Feb. 12 Newsletter: Henrico's water takeaways
Weather: Temperatures will stay just above freezing, with more rain on the way this evening.
On this date in 1969, Virginia Transit Company drivers begin requiring exact change in response to 32 bus driver robberies the previous year. Four years later, the city of Richmond purchases the company and renames it GRTC.
Today's newsletter sponsored by VCU. Virginia Commonwealth University is a powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. We attack challenges as opportunities to do what others can’t or won’t. VCU is truly unlike any university you’ve ever seen.
Henrico report on water outage faults Richmond for not communicating ‘severity’ of situation sooner
The report, released yesterday, was perhaps the most detailed public analysis of the water crisis released yet.
- Richmond DPU Director April Bingham attempted to send text messages to the landline phone of Henrico DPU Director Bentley Chan.
- As the situation unfolded, the estimated timelines Henrico was getting about water restoration were “almost always wrong,” the report's author said.
- The county gave the group compiling the report full access to personnel, and editorial control. It is unclear if Richmond has done the same for its report.
Henrico weighs choice between breaking off from Richmond water system or pursuing more regional cooperation
A consulting group laid out six options they had analyzed for how Henrico could better distribute water to residents in the coming years.
- Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas even floated the idea of Henrico purchasing Richmond’s water plant outright, although he acknowledged that “would be a very complicated transaction.”
Building out transmission lines to pipe water from the western to eastern parts of the county came with price tags ranging from $20 million for an immediate but limited solution to a $583 million buildout that would meet current and long-term projected demand.
Read more on the options here.
Window displays in Shockoe Bottom celebrate Black history
An outdoor art exhibit entitled “Portals” is on display in the windows of 20 Shockoe Bottom businesses, all located in or around the 17th Street Market, in celebration of Black History Month.
Shockoe Bottom was chosen because of its abundance of empty windows and its rich history around the African American community, the installer said.
Read more about how to catch the exhibit here.
Also today in The Richmonder
More rain will follow this winter storm: Meterologist Sean Sublette says most of the area just missed the line for substantial snow yesterday, and now is in for a rainy Wednesday, with cold here to stay through March.
RPS puts chief talent officer on leave while it investigates complaints: An independent third party will investigate roughly a dozen complaints from employees that she created a “hostile” work environment, discriminated against workers of color and violated policies and laws.
Today's sponsor:
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An independent survey of 400 Richmond-area residents finds that Virginia Commonwealth University is viewed as the employer with the most significant economic impact in the Richmond region, outranking major corporations and state government agencies. The Public Opinion Strategies survey finds 92% of respondents say VCU is producing important innovations in science, technology and health care that improve people’s lives; 88% believe VCU’s continued growth and success are important to Richmond’s future and 79% say VCU is a good neighbor and a trusted partner in the community that makes the Richmond area a better place to live. Read more.
In other news
- Richmond Schools fraud and abuse tip line was not checked for over a year, 700 unopened emails (CBS 6)
- List of pharmacy deserts in Virginia includes Manchester (South Richmond News)
- Cyberattack disrupts publication of Lee newspapers across the U.S. (New York Times)
The editor's desk
Monday was an exciting day at The Richmonder, as we moved into our first office space. We're downtown at 7th and Franklin, and we'll share pictures as we start to build out the space to create better collaboration among our team. Of course, we opened the office the day before snowstorm, so work-from-home isn't entirely done yet.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
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