There's good reason to believe that this Tuesday's Evening at Morton's live/online discussion will be among the best yet in the discussion series that celebrates its first full year this month.
For starters, we're talking about Richmond's neighborhoods and the title is a mouthful – "Richmond Neighborhoods: The Changing Character of the Places We Call Home."
And we've got some solidly opinionated talent at the table – folks like Richmond's Director of Community Development, Rachel Flynn, and School Board member Don Coleman, as well as a city councilperson, two realtors and a curator from the Virginia Historical Society with a passion for Richmond.
Richmond.com has the skinny on the event, which will happen in three places – around a small dining room table at Morton's the Steakhouse, where the participants will eat and chat; online where the discussion will be live-blogged on the Richmond.com website; and on Twitter, where folks can submit questions and comment along with the live blog feed as the discussion happens (using hashtag #steakchat). (I'll be facilitating/moderating the conversation.)
Here's some of the detail from Karri Peifer's recent story:
Essentially the topic is about Richmond neighborhoods – anything about neighborhoods – the schools, development, river life, dining, community involvement, crime – it's up to you. And thanks to this exciting panel, which includes a School Board member, the city's Director of Community Development, a council member, a historian and a realtor, it's sure to be a great discussion.
You can learn more about the panelists in their bios below, but in the meantime Richmond, start thinking about your city and your neighborhood. We've got a lot to talk about.
And some nuggets on the folks at the table:
- Don Coleman, Richmond School Board: Don Coleman is a community leader who passionately cares for the City of Richmond. He has a reputation of building vital connections within the City.
- Rachel Flynn, Director of Community Development, City of Richmond: Rachel Flynn joined the city of Richmond in March 2006 as Director of Community Development. She is a licensed architect and has practiced both architecture and urban planning for over 20 years.
- Chris Hilbert, Richmond City Council: Chris Hilbert is the 3rd District Northside Representative for the Richmond City Council. In November 2004, Chris was elected to a two-year term on Richmond City Council representing the 3rd District which covers the Northside...
- Rick Jarvis, One South Realty: Rick Jarvis was born in Henrico, raised in Bon Air and educated at both the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Rick has spent all of his life in and around Richmond, having lived in the City, Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover.
- Jeffrey Ruggles, Virginia Historical Society: Although not born in Richmond, Jeffrey Ruggles has lived in the Richmond area since high school. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.F.A. in design/photography from Virginia Commonwealth University. In the 1980s, Ruggles worked as a photographer for the 1708 Gallery and Anderson Gallery and assisted with text, illustrations, and the design of 32 Canal Walk Historical Marker panels installed between downtown Richmond and Brown’s Island.
- Chris Small, Small & Associates: Growing up in Suffolk, Chris Small had visited Richmond many times as a child. Chris decided to attend VCU and he hasn’t moved more than a few blocks since the first day he arrived on campus more than 25 years ago. Always one to give back to the community he loves, Chris has been instrumental in many historic preservation and renovation projects, served as Vice President of the Historic Richmond Foundation and been a member of the architecture review board (CAR).
