Last Updated: 2009-12-10


  • Massive volunteer cleanup of Cannon Creek Greenway, undertaken with an eye toward creating a bicycle and pedestrian trail to link to the East Coast Greenway and the Virginia Capital Trail, removes 20 tons of debris - January 2009
  • In an effort to offer non-traditional programming, the Department's first Orienteering Meet attracts 32 teams of local and out-of-state participants to Chimborazo Park - February 2009
  • Guided Slave Trail Walk and an African-American art exhibit held in celebration of Black History Month - February 2009
  • Partnership with the Richmond Dental Smiles Program brings Dental Health Fair with free screenings and information to Hotchkiss Community Center - February 2009
  • Teen Focus Groups held to provide feedback and new suggestions for teen programs - February 2009
  • The Department's City Dance Theatre wins 22 awards (14 first place, seven second place, and one third place) in the DanceAmerica competition held in Portsmouth - February 2009
  • Installed vintage-style street signs in Bryan Park - February 2009
  • Replaced aging playground equipment at Moore Street Playground - March 2009
  • Cemetery Division completes spring cleanup - March 2009
  • Community ribbon-cutting celebrates $125,000 in upgrades to Blackwell and Hotchkiss football fields which will help grow youth football program - March 2009
  • Public forum on the roles of African-American art and artists in history and creating change held at Pine Camp - March 2009
  • Tourist Camp House at Bryan Park restored and put into use as a small conference room - Spring 2009
  • Department partners with Richmond Tree Stewards to hold Celebrate Trees! in Byrd Park featuring seminars, entertainment and games related to Arbor Day - April 2009
  • Two four-day camps provide activities for children during Spring Break - April 2009
  • Gigantic free egg hunt for children with 12,000 eggs held at Pine Camp - April 2009
  • Department hosts the Junior Olympics Skill Competitions for youth in soccer, basketball, tennis, track and field and baseball - April 2009
  • The James River Fish Festival held in conjunction with Earth Day - April 2009
  • Community garden with 29 plots built at Humphrey Calder Community Center - April 2009
  • Children in Department's After School Program raise $2,000 for the purchase of honey bees and bee hives that are donated to help sustain needy families - April 2009
  • Department wins $5,000 Youth Football Grant to purchase safety equipment and field markers for its youth football program - May 2009
  • Historic conservation easement passed and signed, forever preserving the James River Park System as a natural area - May 2009
  • Senior Prom held at Landmark Theatre for senior citizens 55 and older - May 2009
  • Mother's Day Concert and Memorial Day Concert held at the Carillon - May 2009
  • Raised $18,000 raised to send 80 city children to summer camp - May 2009
  • Partnership with Hands On Greater Richmond provides 120 volunteers for major cleanup, repairs and improvements at Powhatan Hill Community Center and playground - June 2009
  • Open House held at Linwood Robinson Senior Center to introduce the public to staff and programs - June 2009
  • Ribbon-cutting celebration marks re-opening of Battery Park with new tennis courts, basketball courts, lighting, playground and other improvements after flooding submerged and destroyed most of the park - June 2009
  • Department's City Dance Theatre performs annual recital at the Landmark Theater - June 2009
  • James River Park Day celebrates the park with activities for all ages - June 2009
  • $35,000 CarMax grant provides support for the Department's CarMax Youth Basketball League - June 2009
  • Department's After School programs provide supervised activities for 630 children during the 2008-2009 school year
  • Department's 53rd Festival of the Arts provides free outdoor entertainment at Dogwood Dell throughout the summer, including the annual Fourth of July fireworks - June-August 2009
  • New program of free outdoor movies for families offered at parks and community centers throughout the summer - June-August 2009
  • Department successfully operates eight free outdoor swimming pools throughout the summer without incident - June-September 2009
  • Department lifeguard Latifah Neblett-Burrell recognized as Youth Female Diver of the Year by the National Association of Black Scuba Divers - June 2009
  • Summer camps provide supervised activities for 1,300 children - June-August 2009
  • The Department serves 305,008 free meals to children through its 2009 USDA Summer Meals Program and 93,637 free meals through its 2008-2009 After School Meals Program
  • Department conducts National Arts Program for 11th year, including two public art exhibits with openings and more than $3,000 in prize money awarded to encourage undiscovered artistic talent in the community - July 2009
  • Leaking roof at Hickory Hill Community Center replaced - Summer 2009
  • New HVAC units installed at Hotchkiss and Bellemeade community centers - Summer 2009
  • Replaced aging playground equipment at Mashore Playground - Summer 2009
  • Paradise Park, a small pocket park in the Fan designed in the 1960s to address urban blight, is revamped and revitalized with help from the community, local volunteers and a local mural artist - August 2009
  • Department partners with Mayor's Office and Richmond Health District to hold 50 Million Pound Challenge to encourage weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.- September 2009
  • City Dance Theatre performs at Center Stage as part of the Grand Opening - September 2009
  • Department presents three Jessie Reynolds Awards to recognize contributions to parks and recreation. They go to CarMax for support of youth basketball; to Wyatt Kingston, an employee, for his personal efforts to help to develop Gillies Creek Park; and to Dr. Charles Price for his work on the development of the James River Park Conservation Easement - September 2009
  • New playground built at Chimborazo with grant from KaBoom! and help from the Friends of Chimborazo Playground and volunteers - September 2009
  • The Department's second community garden built at Chimborazo Playground in conjunction with construction of new playground - September 2009
  • Work begins in Bryan Park to rebuild the lower Young's Pond lake wall and restore the lake - September 2009
  • Department holds Carillon service to commemorate 9/11 - September 2009
  • Richmond nationally recognized as one of the "Best in Dirt" by TrailRunner magazine for James River Park trails - October 2009
  • Department partners with The Virginia Home on a community service project in Byrd Park giving severely disabled a chance to contribute by planting trees - October 2009
  • After years of neglect, Forest Hill Lake is restored to its former glory with dredging, construction and planting completed ahead of schedule and under budget - October 2009
  • Neglected Azalea Garden Pond in Bryan Park dredged and restored - October 2009
  • Concession building constructed at Fountain Lake in Byrd Park - November 2009
  • Volunteers provide 28,000 hours of their time to the department - January - October 2009
  • 6,550 children participate in department's athletic programs during fiscal 2009
  • Installed energy-saving push button lights at Westhampton ball field, Fonticello tennis courts, Broad Rock Complex ball fields and tennis courts, Parker Field, Pine Camp playground and ball field, Thompson ball field, Bellemeade ball field and playground, Blackwell football fields and tennis courts, Summer Hill ball field, T. B Smith playground and ball field, and Horace Edwards ball field - 2009
  • Teen Program curriculum featured at the 2009 National Recreation and Parks Association conference in Salt Lake City -October 2009
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