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DPW jumps on Burton Street after neighbor complaints
Ann on Venable Street sent in this photo and her appreciation for the DPW crew out working in the rain this morning.
After being tipped to the overgrown and neglected condition of Burton Street last night at the Union Hill Civic Association meeting last night, Bobby Vincent, Jr. of the Department of Public Works drove over to check it out for himself. This morning, Vincent sent out an email to UHCA and a crew to Burton Street:
After the meeting yesterday, I was appalled at what I saw when I drove down Burton. With the forecast scheduled for a 100% chance of rain, we decided to take full advantage of that opportunity. I applaud your, and some of your neighbors, efforts in trying to keep Richmond Beautiful. Please keep in contact with regards to any issues that you have and I will do my best to have them addressed. GO 311;-)
Glad they cleaned up Burton. Now if we can have O street as you cross the King Bridge cleaned and cut. Been trying to have someone clean up that area for 6 months.
That area is the gateway to Union Hill from the North and it looks horrible. Mosby Housing Project is NOT the issue. The vacant lots and streets are deplorable. DPW needs to clean those streets and keep them clean in that area and City Inspectors need to have owners of the property to cut down the overgrowth and keep those lots clean and clear. It would not only help maintain an orderly appearance, it would also help provide safer ingress and egress from our community.
Kudos and thanks to Bobby Vincent and his crew! Burton Street, Byrd Street in the 1800’s, is one of the city’s oldest streets and had deteriorated past the point of many alleys. This section of the three-block long cobblestone street has been rife with illegalities for years, and bit by bit the navigable section was reduced by more than half. I wouldn’t call last night’s conversation a ‘tip’ since Bobby’s been listening to me for four years; but as his email points out, he saw it again and reached the same level at which some of us have been for all that time.
Looks so much better. Thanks to those involved!
Wow! nice job DPW. Burton Street deserved some serious TLC. Nice to see those cobblestones again.
I’ve tried to get DPW to maintain Accomac at Bunn for years. It’s so overgrown that the sidewalk is impassable. Same for Government between Jennie Scher and Rawlings. Unsafe to walk because the sidewalk is so overgrown, and it’s very dangerous to walk in the street because of speeding cars and heavy trucks on Government. I hope they read thus and act, because there was no action by repeated See-Click-Fix reports (and calls prior to SCF).
What is Accomac at Bunn? Is it weeds, shrubs ?
Diana, Overgrown weeds over 6 feet tall at this point. You can’t even see the sidewalk anymore, much less walk on it. On the other side of Accomac, the weeds, vines and overgrown trees make it nearly impossible to walk on the sidewalk. Cars speed up and down Accomac, so sidewalks are important. On Government, the problem is kudzu and a too- narrow sidewalk to begin with.
Diana, I assumed you knew that Accomac and Bunn are streets, but upon re-reading your question, I think I should not assume. They are streets in Montrose Heights, a lovely neighborhood east of Church Hill. Please come and visit and enjoy our quiet (mostly) corner of Richmond.
Funny side note to the work DPW did here: two of us began cleaning the right-of-way, now that we can get to it, in anticipation of some planting – and were reported to RPD for ‘illegal dumping.’ Had 2 cars show up. One of the responding officers closed the call and said how nice Burton’s looking. We made a nice big pile of mostly brush that’s already listed for city pick up.