The Tri-Cities Area

[calwinston]

A serious fire, still smoldering at this moment, has heavily damaged the Brown & Williamson factory at Wythe and Perry Streets in downtown Petersburg. The building has been undergoing conversion to residential uses.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...-pet-ar-317422/

This is horrible news. Hopefully they can restart construction soon. Looks like they have to replace a whole wall that caved in one side.

[burt]

This is horrible news. Hopefully they can restart construction soon. Looks like they have to replace a whole wall that caved in one side.

Here is an update on the Brown Williamson fire in Petersburg.

Arson is not suspected.

Hopefully, insurance coverage will help get the project back on track.

From Sunday's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/18/fire181-ar-317729/

[burt]

Time line pushed back, but conversion of a former Brown & Williamson tobacco factory to residential use will continue despite heavy fire damage, say owners.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/19/FIRE19-ar-318223/

[burt]

Time line pushed back, but conversion of a former Brown & Williamson tobacco factory to residential use will continue despite heavy fire damage, say owners.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jul/19/FIRE19-ar-318223/

[calwinston]

Time line pushed back, but conversion of a former Brown & Williamson tobacco factory to residential use will continue despite heavy fire damage, say owners.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...RE19-ar-318223/

Here is a video of the fire from the Progress-Index

http://progress-index.com/videopopup.jsp?playerid=21821735001&bctid=142427217001&name=Fire%20Strikes%20Brown%20and%20Williamson

[calwinston]

More jobs maybe in the works for the tri-cities?!

'In Europe, McDonnell courts Rolls Royce suppliers'

The British company, which is making an investment of at least $170 million at the plant, is also working with state colleges and universities to develop a research and training partnership through the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

McDonnell, in Germany today, said on a conference call with reporters that he hopes that what happened in Sheffield, England will happen in Prince George.

"Many companies located around that center because they wanted to engage in that intellectual knowledge that came out of the center's research and testing but they also wanted to be close to their major customer, Rolls Royce," McDonnell said.

"So I think that's going to be a magnet for aerospace business and several of our hottest prospects are in that area."

He said he hopes to make several announcements in the next 60 or 90 days as a result of the trip "that will be very profitable."

McDonnell, who is scheduled to return Saturday from the trip that included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, was accompanied at various points on the trip by Secretary of Commerce and Trade James Cheng, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd P. Haymore, many economic development officials and first lady Maureen McDonnell.

http://www2.timesdis...at22-ar-347195/

Edited July 23, 2010 by calwinston

[calwinston]

More jobs maybe in the works for the tri-cities?!

'In Europe, McDonnell courts Rolls Royce suppliers'

The British company, which is making an investment of at least $170 million at the plant, is also working with state colleges and universities to develop a research and training partnership through the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

McDonnell, in Germany today, said on a conference call with reporters that he hopes that what happened in Sheffield, England will happen in Prince George.

"Many companies located around that center because they wanted to engage in that intellectual knowledge that came out of the center's research and testing but they also wanted to be close to their major customer, Rolls Royce," McDonnell said.

"So I think that's going to be a magnet for aerospace business and several of our hottest prospects are in that area."

He said he hopes to make several announcements in the next 60 or 90 days as a result of the trip "that will be very profitable."

McDonnell, who is scheduled to return Saturday from the trip that included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, was accompanied at various points on the trip by Secretary of Commerce and Trade James Cheng, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd P. Haymore, many economic development officials and first lady Maureen McDonnell.

http://www2.timesdis...at22-ar-347195/

Audio Exercpts of Gov McDonnell in Europe talking about the trip and prospects of companies doing business in Virginia

http://static.mgnetwork.com/rtd/audio/20100722_mcdonnell.mp3

[calwinston]

"Crews busy tearing things up"

Work crews are busy in the upper portion of Old Towne Petersburg tearing things up.

First, the former Virginia Employment Commission building at the corner of East Washington and North Jefferson streets is in the midst of its death knell. Crews are demolishing the long-vacant building that involved years of effort by city officials to acquire.......

City officials expect the property will be key in the city's efforts to improve the gateways to the city and to spur economic development.

Meanwhile, crews are busy removing crosswalks on Sycamore Street ahead of a repaving project. Traffic around Old Towne may be affected until the project is completed in mid-August. The sound of jackhammers and heavy equipment has been reverberating up Sycamore Street during parts of the day yesterday.....

Money for the project will come from federal stimulus funds. Once finalized, it may take one or two days to pave Sycamore Street from Washington Street to Old Street and Bank Street from Crater Road to Market Street.

http://progress-index.com/news/crews-busy-tearing-things-up-1.908797

Hope the gateway project doesnt take a decade like it took to demolish the state building!

[calwinston]

A new Miffin Hall was dedicated on Fort Lee yesterday! This is part of the BRAC relocation construction which the base is seeing $1.5 billion of construction and an increase of population from 17,000 to 48,000!

http://progress-index.com/news/military/a-new-mifflin-hall-1.917053

[burt]

A new Miffin Hall was dedicated on Fort Lee yesterday! This is part of the BRAC relocation construction which the base is seeing $1.5 billion of construction and an increase of population from 17,000 to 48,000!

http://progress-inde...n-hall-1.917053

Here's a neat website about Fort Lee that I found on the Richmond International Airport thread:

http://www.lee.army.mil/

Though it's not mentioned on the website, do you suppose the thousand-room hotel that's planned will accept civilian guests?

Edited August 3, 2010 by burt

[calwinston]

This a true testament to the population influx of the Tri-Cities!

"Dinwiddie's first county fair opens today"

Now, however, things have come together. "This year, we were finally able to hook up with the company that does our carnival amusements and get them to come in August," Mancini said. "We also applied for membership with the Virginia Association of Fairs."What opens today certainly qualifies as a full-fledged county fair with all the traditional trimmings. It will feature:

- Carnival rides provided by Cole Shows Amusement Co. If you find those too tame, there will be a paintless paintball arena, mechanical bull riding, helicopter rides and drag races.

- In the agricultural and home economics field, a petting zoo and pony rides; exhibits of field crops, fruits and vegetables by 4-H; a chocolate cake baking contest; and horticulture displays by master gardeners from the Virginia Tech Extension Service.

- Exhibits and information booths from more than 30 government agencies, nonprofits, churches and businesses.

- Eleven vendors offering food choices ranging from traditional fair food such as corn dogs and funnel cakes to more exotic fare like frog legs and fried Oreos.

- Musical performances by the Antiques, the Glory Bound Singers, EZGO Band, Casper, the Venture Rays and the Wrest.

- A fireworks show on Friday night.

- A truck and tractor pull on Saturday ($10 for adults or $5 with fair admission; children 12 and under free).

The fair will be open today, Thursday and Friday from 5-11 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. All-day admission is $5 per carload. An all-day wristband for unlimited carnival rides is $20; the helicopter rides are $20 per person; and a ride on the mechanical bull is $5.

Mancini said he is hoping the inaugural event will draw at least 15,000-20,000 people, but much depends on the weather. "The first year we only had music and some blow-up things, jump castles, for the kids, and we got 4,000 people," he noted. "If we don't get a lot of heavy rain or just super-high heat, we could see 15,000 just on Saturday."

And the numbers could be even higher, based on what Mancini said he has been hearing. "The buzz seems to be going around the town," he said.

http://progress-index.com/news/dinwiddie-s-first-county-fair-opens-today-1.921120

[calwinston]

"New Bridge connects Fort Lee"

Fort Lee's flyover bridge is now open to traffic. The bridge connects two portions of Fort Lee that is split by state Route 36. The 332-foot bridge, built by D.W. Lyle Corporation of Clarksville, cost $4.5 million. It includes two traffic lanes and an eight foot wide pedestrian crossing

http://progress-index.com/news/new-bridge-connects-fort-lee-1.924004

[burt]

A new NBC drama called "The Event" will have its premier in Petersburg. The star of the show is Blair Underwood who grew up as an Army kid in Petersburg and polished his acting skills on Richmond area stages.

Petersburg came out on top in an online vote to host the premier which will be in March. A venue for the event has not been named.

Blair plays the President of the US in the series.

From The Progress-Index:

http://progress-inde...erwood-1.992912

Edited September 7, 2010 by burt

[burt]

Construction is underway on the 1,000-room hotel at Ft. Lee.

I believe it will be the largest hotel in Virginia, but whether or not civilians will be allowed to check in has not been discussed in the press. Nor has an affiliation with a National hotel chain been identified.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/oct/22/leegat22-ar-579596/

[burt]

I sure do miss calwinston's contributions! He always kept us abreast of activities in the Tri-cities area as well as elsewhere in the region. And writing as an out-of-towner, that's no easy feat for calwinston who is based in Santa Monica, California.

The Rolls Royce project in Prince George County is well underway.

From todaay's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/2010/oct/21/b-roll21-ar-576355/

[burt]

Fort Lee is half-way there.

An official said: "By mid summer, expansion brought by the 2005 federal BRAC act should be complete and raise the base's total population to 44,598 people."

From Jeremy Slayton in today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/nov/14/flee14-ar-651810/

[burt]

Virginia's two Democratic Senators urge expansion of Petersburg National Battlefield Park.

From today's RTD:

http://virginiapolitics.tumblr.com/post/4259120596/webb-wants-petersburg-national-battlefield-to-be

[burt]

Conversion of old tobacco warehouses into apartments continues in downtown Petersburg.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/apr/04/tdmbiz10-project-rises-from-the-ashes-ar-947519/

[burt]

BRAC expansion is nearly complete at Ft. Lee off of Rt. 36 in Prince George County between Petersburg and Hopewell.

The base population is now 44,600.

Today's excellent story by Jeremy Slayton did not mention the status of a new 1,000-room hotel at Ft. Lee.

Also, some months ago it was announced that troop trains would replace buses as transport between Ft. Lee and Fort A. P. Hill in Caroline Count where soldiers do much of their combat training.  That issue is not addressed in the story.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...one-ar-1285948/

[burt]

Petersburg and Virginia State University which is across the Appomattox River in Etrick are discussing a proposal for a hotel and convention center near Bollingbrook and Bank Streets in downtown Petersburg.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...nti-ar-1606690/

[burt]

Petersburg and Virginia State University which is across the Appomattox River in Etrick are discussing a proposal for a hotel and convention center near Bollingbrook and Bank Streets in downtown Petersburg.

From today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...nti-ar-1606690/

An update on the Petersburg hotel/convention center project from today's RTD:

http://www2.timesdis...f-h-ar-1607864/

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

After reading the 2012 Sourcebook, it seems Petersburg's downtown is being transformed from blighted abandoned suburb of RVA to a live/work/play concept similiar to Richmond's, but on somewhat of a smaller scale. But I have read about plans for a new city hall and library, both of which seem like very high potential projects... in fact, here is the website for the library foundation. So far they are two-thirds of the way there, raising $8 million out of the $12 million needed. If someone pledges $4 million, then Petersburg could see a new landmark signature library anchoring the redevelopment of downtown Petersburg.

http://www.petersburglibraryfoundation.org/

About the new city hall, all I could find so far was an article from last August from the Progress-Index about city council members contemplating it. But it is better than nothing, after all....

http://progress-index.com/news/op-ed/a-new-city-hall-for-petersburg-1.1190956

[RVA-Is-The-Best]

Apartment owners aren't very happy with the Army's Fort Lee troops taking refuge in local hotels and the way it's being handled....

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2012/02/29/a-business-blockade/

Of course, in the midst of the commotion, is a massive 1,000 room hotel being constructed in Fort Lee.

The Army is spending nearly a million bucks to house the soldiers in their temporary hotel refuge.

[burt]

The Army cancels plans to transport soldiers between Ft. Lee and Fort A. P. Hill by rail. Time and costs are factors.

From Peter Bacque in toiday's RTD:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/business/business/2012/mar/16/tdbiz01-army-cancels-program-to-move-fort-lee-sold-ar-1769705/

[burt]

Downtown Petersburg (about 25 miles south of Downtown Richmond) wants to spruce itself up.

 

An upscale 200-room hotel and a conference center are on the wish list.  (Note that a major hotel mogul is quoted as saying Richmond also wants a new downtown hotel.)

 

From yesterday's Richmond Biz Sense:

 

http://www.richmondbizsense.com/2013/01/07/petersburg-wants-to-pump-up-its-downtown/