March 2005
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March 31, 2005 Henrico County is seeking the input of residents as it prepares the 2026 Comprehensive Plan, a key document that will guide the county's planning process over the next two decades. Henrico mailed a community survey to 3,100 households on March 11, asking residents for their opinions on a variety of quality-of-life and growth-related issues such as housing, parks and recreation, traffic, transportation, industry and zoning. The county will use residents' input to help update the comprehensive plan, which serves as a blueprint to direct development and new growth countywide. As of March 30, residents had completed and returned approximately 450 surveys. The county has mailed the survey a second time to non-respondents, requesting their return by Wednesday, April 13. Officials said residents can play an important role in the development of the comprehensive plan. "The comprehensive plan is a 20-year picture of how our community should develop, and we want it to reflect the wishes, desires and concerns of the community," said Assistant Director of Planning Joe Emerson. "We encourage residents to give us their input by participating in this survey. " The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete; familiarity with the comprehensive plan or the planning process isn't needed to answer the questions. Survey responses are completely confidential. For more information, call 501-4229 or log on to the Planning Department Web site at www.co.henrico.va.us/planning and follow the link for the 2026 Comprehensive Plan. March 30, 2005
Henrico students pay tribute to fathers: As part of the third annual Henrico Fatherhood Celebration, held recently by the Department of Social Services' Fatherhood Initiative, students from throughout the county participated in drawing and poetry contests. Students created original works based on the theme "The Many Faces of Fatherhood." Winning entries are currently on display in the Department of Social Services. Contest winners, pictured above in no particular order, are: Drawing, Elementary Schools: first place, Shakia Robertson, 11, Varina; second place, Chasity Bertrand, 11, Johnson; third place, Alex Austin, 11, Varina. Drawing, Middle Schools: first place, Jenae Bailey, 12, John Rolfe; second place, Drayshaun Cameron, 12, John Rolfe; third place, Greg May, 11, John Rolfe. Drawing, High Schools: first place, Stanley Rayfield, 17, Henrico; second place, Te'yon Hopkins, 17, Henrico. Poetry, High Schools: first place, Jessica Wilkerson, 15, Henrico; second place, Brittany Davis, 16, Hermitage. March 25, 2005 The Henrico County Division of Fire will host an awards/promotional ceremony on Tuesday, April 5, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Hermitage High School Auditorium. This year's event will honor approximately 70 award recipients for extraordinary actions during 2004, including events surrounding Tropical Storm Gaston. Contact the Division of Fire Public Information Officer Gary Hutchison for directions or additional information. March 16, 2005 The next constituent meeting of Henrico County Board Chairman and Fairfield District Supervisor Frank Thornton will take a closer look at the county's broad and varied history. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 21 at the Henrico Training Facility, 7701 E. Parham Road. "Historic Henrico--More than Battlefields" will feature a presentation by Patty Kruszewski, managing editor of The Henrico Citizen. She will join Thornton for a question-and-answer period as well. Fairfield constituent meetings are open to the public. Call 501-4208 for more information. March 16, 2005 In conjunction with national Extension Living Well Week March 13-19, the Henrico County Extension Office is offering educational materials and resources to provide residents information on a variety of health and consumer topics. The goal of the campaign is to help Henrico families and individuals maintain a positive, healthy lifestyle, and to encourage residents to take advantage of the free resources available through the office. "Henrico Extension offers an array of information that will help residents learn to 'live well' and make good decisions for their families and households," said Extension Agent Kim Edmonds. "We want residents to become better acquainted with the many resources Extension can provide them." Henrico Extension offers information on a broad range of family and consumer subjects, including nutrition, healthy eating and exercise; managing diabetes and other health care topics; credit management andretirement planning; effective parenting techniques; acquiring insurance and buying a home; and maintaining indoor air quality. For more information about Extension Living Well Week or the services available through Henrico Extension, call 501-5160 or log on to www.ext.vt.edu. March 16, 2005 Burn Building Dedication Henrico County Division of Fire is hosting a dedication ceremony on Thursday, March 24 at 2:30 p.m. to celebrate the opening of this addition to the fire training facility, located at 10403 Woodman Road. The 4,000 square-foot burn building has three levels featuring both residential and commercial layouts. It is equipped with high-temperature tiles throughout allowing "live fire" evolutions anywhere in the building. A live fire evolution is planned to demonstrate the capabilities of the new building. Outside, a new 18,000-gallon drafting pit will provide on-site pump testing capabilities and enhance the pump-operator training program. Grant-funded equipment acquired for Fire's specialty teams will also be on display. Teams displaying equipment will include Heavy Technical Rescue, Search Rescue and Hazardous Materials. For additional information or directions to the facility, contact Division of Fire Public Information Officer Lt. Gary Hutchison. March 10, 2005 The next town meeting of Tuckahoe District Supervisor Patricia S. O'Bannon will examine the key role Henrico County's battlefields played in the Civil War. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at Gayton Branch Library, 10600 Gayton Road. "Henrico 1861--1865: Revisiting our County's Civil War Battlefields" will feature a presentation by Civil War historian Dr. Louis H. Manarin, author of the recently published history "Henrico County--Field of Honor." Dr. Manarin's two-volume study provides new analysis of Henrico's numerous battlefields and offers fresh insight into their significance to the Civil War. He will join O'Bannon for a question-and-answer period as well. Signed copies of "Henrico County--Field of Honor" will be available for purchase at the meeting. Tuckahoe town meetings are open to the public. For more information, call 501-4318 or log on to www.patobannon.com. March 9, 2005 Residents can dig into the gardening season and learn about composting at Henrico County's "Spring Composting Workshop" on Saturday, April 2. The free workshop is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon at Lavender Fields Farm, 11300 Winfrey Road in Glen Allen. The Spring Composting Workshop will teach residents how to recycle their leaves, lawn clippings and other organic yard waste in their own backyard compost heap and save valuable landfill space in the process. The workshop is sponsored by the Henrico Extension Office, Keep Henrico Beautiful and Lavender Fields Farm. The free workshop is open to the public, but space is limited and advance registration is required. Call 501-5160 to register or to obtain additional information. Disabled persons who would like assistance or other accommodations to participate should contact the Henrico Extension Office at least 10 days before the workshop. March 1, 2005 Henrico Area Mental Health and Retardation Services (MH/MR) announces the launch of a specialized Web site that streamlines access to behavioral health information, resources and services for residents of Henrico, New Kent and Charles City counties. The Web site, "Network of Care," was unveiled today as part of a regional campaign. The Chesterfield Community Services Board and Richmond Behavioral Health Authority participated in the effort and have launched similar Web sites. The MH/MR site can be found on the World Wide Web at www.henrico.va.networkofcare.org. Network of Care offers key information--in a single online location--for individuals, families and agencies on a variety of behavioral health issues, such as mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse. Designed to help users more easily navigate the array of services related to behavioral health, the site is intended for a broad audience, regardless of literacy or income levels, and is available in multiple languages. Network of Care provides a comprehensive directory of the close to 300 providers in the MH/MR service area. It also includes information about specific disorders, pending legislation, advocacy efforts and news stories on behavioral health issues. "For families and individuals to be full partners in recovery and rehabilitation, they must have timely access to information," said MH/MR Board of Directors Chair Nita Grignol. "Network of Care is an important new tool and resource for our residents." MH/MR provides comprehensive community mental health, retardation and substance abuse services to individuals and families in Henrico, Charles City and New Kent counties.
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