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Civic organizations in the East End
A list of active civic organizations in the East End, towards fostering better communication and building more cohesive civic representation across the area.
Working from an orphaned page on the city’s site and a cluttered map (PDF), I’ve tried to figure out which civic organizations are active in the East End and current contact information for these organizations. I have described the area represented by the organization as best I can from the city’s map and by the descriptions from the organizations when provided. Please leave any corrections or ommisions in the comments and I will update the list to reflect community input.
There are areas that do not appear to have any civic representation at all, including Eastview and the area of Church Hill North above M Street (roughly). I have not been able to find any contact information for the Eastview Civic League, though they may still be active. The New Birth Civic Association, which represented the area east of 25th Street, has been apparently been dormant for almost a decade. Woodville is represented by the Concerned Citizens Civic Association, though association president Mary Robinson says that there have not been regular meetings in some time and that no meeting is scheduled. Oakwood has no active civic organization, though perhaps not for much longer.
While some of Chimborazo finds representation in the Church Hill Association, a group of neighbors in the eastern end of the area are in the process of setting up the Oakwood Chimborazo Association to more specifically represent the area. No meeting date/location has been announced at this time. Contact David at (804)745.9254 or david@makingamelody.com for more information.
Civic organizations in the East End
| ACTIVE? | ORGANIZATION | MEETINGS | REPRESENTS |
| yes | Admiral Gravely Homeowners Angela Roane (804)226-4175 |
Meet as needed | Along Admiral Gravely Blvd. |
| ? | Asbury Action Community Team | No working contact information available. | |
| no | Bowler-Mason Historic Area Association | Completely defunct | |
| yes | Church Hill Association John Johnson mksm1@msn.com [web] |
3rd Tues 7PM at St.John’s | Claim to represent the entirety of the greater Church Hill area, though actual coverage is approximately St. John’s Church O&H District, Church Hill North to roughly M Street, and Chimborazo south of Leigh Street. |
| no | Church Hill North | Completely defunct, now covered by CHA? | Area bound by Broad, 25th, Q Street, 30th? |
| no | Chimborazo Park Association | The prior organization appears defunct, though the residents are active in the Church Hill Association. The new Oakwood Chimborazo Association will cover south from Leigh Street and east from 31st Street. (See Oakwood Chimborazo for more info.) | |
| no | Concerned Citizens Civic Association Mary Robinson (804)643-4018 |
No regular meetings | Area roughly bound by Fairfield Ave, Peter Paul Blvd., Nine Mile, 29th/30th Street |
| yes | Creighton Tenant Council Marlyn Olds (804)780-0498 |
2nd Mon 5:30PM at 2101 Creighton Road | Creighton Court |
| ? | Eastview Civic League | Area bound by Whitcomb, Fairfield Ave, and Mechanicsville Turnpike | |
| yes | Fairfield Court Tenants Council Delores Robinson (804)782-0906 (804)780-4873 |
4th Wed 5PM 2506 Phaup Street | Fairfield Court |
| yes | Friends of Chimborazo Park Playground info@imaginechimbo.org [web] |
2nd Mon 7PM at EDI | Chimborazo Park Playground (between North 29th and 31st Streets and East Grace Street) |
| yes | Friends of Jefferson Park Bill Conkle (804)649-3764 |
Jefferson Park | |
| yes | Friends of Libby Hill Park Marion Macdonald MacMarion@aol.com (804)644-1347 |
1st Tues 7PM, location varies | Libby Hill Park |
| yes | Fulton Tenant Council | Quarterly 3rd Weds 5:50PM at 1219-A Admiral Gravely Blvd. Community Room |
Fulton Court |
| yes | Greater Fulton Hill Civic Association Juliellen Sarver juliellens@yahoo.com [web] |
2nd Tues of even months 7PM at NRC | Fulton, Fulton Hill, and Montrose Heights |
| yes | Greater Fulton Hill Business Association Joyce Monroe Joyce4hair@aol.com [web] |
1st Mon of Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct 7PM at NRC | Fulton, Fulton Hill, and Montrose Heights |
| ? | Jefferson Mews Civic Association | No working contact information available. | |
| no | Melton Progressive Club Sadie Jones (804)222-7897 |
no meetings in past year | Oakwood area around Melton Avenue |
| yes | Mosby Court Tenant Council Patricia Williford (804)780-4901 |
2nd Mon 5PM at Community Center 1543 Coalter Street | Mosby Court |
| yes | Nathaniel Bacon Civic Association Margie Nelson (804)226-1001 |
3rd Tues at Nathaniel Bacon | Nathaniel Bacon |
| no | New Birth Civic Association | Last active circa 1999. | Area bound by Q, 25th, Nine Mile |
| yes | New Vision Civic League Mary W. Thompson (804)648-7915 |
1st Sat 10AM at East End Library | Area bound by 25th, Carrington, Fairmount, and Mosby excepting Mosby Court |
| no | Oakwood-Chimborazo Civic Organization | The prior organization appears defunct, though a new Oakwood Chimborazo Association is being put together. The OCA will cover south from Leigh Street and east from 31st Street. Contact David at (804)745-9254 or david@makingamelody.com for more info. | |
| yes | Shockoe Bottom Association thecitybar@yahoo.com [web] |
3rd Mon 5:30PM location varies | |
| yes | Unity Civic League William Anderson (804)643-9353 willieand@aol.com |
2nd Thurs 6:30PM at St.Peter’s Development Center | Area bound by Fairmount, 25th, Fairfield, and Mechanicsville Turnpike |
| yes | Union Hill Civic Association Matt Conrad (804)938-7654 matthewconrad@gmail.com [web] |
3rd Wed 7PM at Cedar Street Baptist Church | Area bound by Mosby, Jefferson, 25th, and Carrington |
| yes | Whitcomb Court Tenant Council Annie Giles (804)783-1618 |
3rd Wed 5:30PM Whitcomb Court Rec Center | Whitcomb Court |
General areas of representation
To help visualize this, I’ve mapped the effective boundaries (as best I can tell) of the civic associations in the area. Although the Church Hill Association will not describe a boundary, I’ve mapped what seems to be their on-the-ground area of representation.
John, This is fantastic.
Thanks for putting this together. It is very helpful. Fulton is off your map, but if anyone has any questions about where it is or what we do on the other side of the hill, feel free to contact me (GFHCA).
You’ve forgotten the Friends of Chimborazo Park Association, as well as the Church Hill Dog Park organization… these two groups together are responsible for all the pretty-ing that has happened in the bottom of Chimbo park over the past 1+ years….
Friends of Chimborazo Park can be emailed, oddly enough,at friendsofchimborazo@gmail.com
We are the ones who have been putting on the movies in the park along with other activities.
I’m surprised there is no group representing the Alphabet City area north of M and south of Nine Mile. Isn’t the Robinson Theater in that area? It seems like good things are going on there.
Tricycle gardens?
@ecochick – How could I forget Friends of Chimborazo Park & CHDP?!?? Thanks for reminding me.
@neighbor – There are good things happening in the area, driven by outside organizations. The Robinson Theater, Better Housing Coalition, Bon Secours, & Habitat for Humanity are four that come readily to mind. Where are the voices of the residents, though?
John, this is great. You can remove the ? from Church Hill North Association, for your info is correct. However, in my opinion, this area is most vulnerable because it lacks some type of organization that represents the voice of the residents. If not a civic association, then some other type. Many cities use block clubs to voice opinions or address issues. See web addresses below.
http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/132/blockclubs.html https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/BlockClub
The following statistics were included in an article in the CHA Newsletter of March 2009. They might be interesting here to get a real feel for the membership area covered by CHA. They refer to members as of February 2009.
North of Broad: 95; South of Broad: 118; East of 25th: 161; West of 25th: 52. Location based on the intersection of Broad and 25th: NE: 58; NW: 37; SE: 103; SW: 15.
#8/burton:
I agree wholeheartedly!
#8/burton:
In addition, the Church Hill Neighborhood Watch Block Captain program could be the impetus to launch Block Clubs. Grass roots crime prevention organizations usually lead to better quality of life beyond ridding the community of unlawful activities.
Although some would like to believe that the city is just now asking for Civic Associations input in decision making for future planning, this is not true. Those with that thinking lack community institutional memory. The city has always sought out neighborhood association input, no matter where you are. The difference now is that there is a critical mass of folks on a hyper-local level that want to engage and make a difference where there was much less involvement in years psst.
Neighborhoods are changing and there is a desire from many to help with that change. Areas in our community must be redefined, and better represented. How that plays out, I don’t know, but I know that the old paradigms don’t work anymore, and decentralization is probably the answer.
Just look to the Union Hill Civic Association and the newly formed Chimborazo Civic Association to see that the tide is changing.
Paul #6, thanks for thinking of Tricycle, but it isn’t really a neighborhood association. Rather it is a non-profit with a mission geared around urban gardening throughout Richmond. We are just lucky enough to have the first one and the director here in Church Hill, not to mention the newest one coming to Chimborazo playground park! A few beds still available!
In the months after this was published, 2 civic associations organized out of the void in the middle of the map: Church Hill Central Civic Association and Church Hill North Civic Association. The Church Hill North Civic Association aligns with the boundaries of the Church Hill North Old & Historic District, while the Church Hill Central Civic Association doesn’t really have defined boundaries.