4 minute read
Message from the director
BY JOSH STONE, CAPP
The weather is beginning to warm up, and the sun is shining later into the day. We are planning for our annual construction projects and reviewing parking rates. That can only mean one thing– spring is here, and we are quickly approaching the end of the semester. It has been nice to see our facilities increase in utilization and the campus bustling with activity throughout the past several months.
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The hiring update entails us having filled (or are about to fill) several roles. Kate Tkach joined us in January as our new special events manager. She has hit the ground running and is doing excellent work within our special events team. Danyel Derricott joined us about a month ago as our new office administrator, is quickly learning the ropes, and has taken a lot of stress off the management team.
’ ve also had three prospective employees accept our offer of employment, so we should have two new enforcement and safety officers and one operations controller join us. We will have two positions posting soon, as Stacy Marzec, MPC operations manager, has handed in her resignation, effective April 23. We will miss Stacy and thank her for all her contributions during her years with us. In addition, we have created a special event supervisor position that was recently posted.
We continue to pursue accreditation through IPMI, and you may recall that I set a January 2022 deadline to determine how close we are to meeting the application requirements. After we reviewed all of the unit’ s comments, we have determined that we meet all required criteria, along with nearly 84% of the remaining criteria, which means we can apply! This is fantastic news, and I will be submitting our application in the coming weeks. Once we apply, we will have one year to submit all documentation demonstrating how we meet the criteria. This is a big step for VCU. If we pass, we will be in the top 30% of parking operations worldwide.
Summer construction is right around the corner, and our package should go out to bid within the next few weeks with the following locations being included: Eighth Street Deck, N Deck, Bowe Street Deck, West Broad Street Deck, and West Cary Street Deck. The repairs being done this summer are from our 2018 deck assessments and will complete the recommended work. The anticipated cost is $1.9M, and the project will address things such as joint sealant repair, concrete spalling, and crack repair. The scope and number of decks impacted could change depending on bid pricing once it returns. All MCV Campus repairs have to be completed between May and July, and Monroe Park Campus repairs can proceed into the fall semester.
We continue to work on the following: deck cameras, credit cards for special events, T2 enhancements, LED cameras, LPR technology, and policy updates. As we approach May and June, we will be looking to revise our rules and regulations for the upcoming year. If you have a policy or procedure you ’d like to see altered, please let your supervisor know.
As always, I appreciate everything you do for VCU P&T and VCU as a whole. My door is always open if you need me.
BROAD & BELVIDERE DECK CLOSES FOR CONSTRUCTION
An extensive repair project at Broad & Belvidere requires the temporary closure of this facility through summer 2022, starting April 1. The contractor will address concrete spalling, stair restoration, and structural maintenance issues, among other essential repairs to promote the long-term safety and sustainability of the deck.
During the closure, subscribers are relocating to West Broad St. Deck or the Henry St. Decks-East & West.
The city of Richmond is embarking on a Broad St. gateway and corridor improvements project, which started on Monday, April 11. This project will include streetscape installations with construction along Broad St. from Hamilton St. to Laurel St. and paving from 3rd St. to the city/county line west of Staples Mill Rd. Work will be completed in phases, with the project concluding in fall 2023, weather permitting.
There are intermittent travel lane, parking lane, and sidewalk closures during the project. Paving is a 24-hour operation, starting at 6 p.m. on Sunday and ending at 6 p.m. on Friday, with lane closures limited during morning and evening peak hours. At least one lane of traffic will remain open in each direction.
Additionally, many GRTC buses, including the Pulse, will be detoured off Broad Street. You can view the GRTC impacts at ridegrtc.com/news-initiatives/newsupdates/broadrepaving.
While impacts to VCU parking facilities and RamRide are not expected, please alert customers to be mindful of lane closures and potential delays related to on-street construction. You can view additional information related to this project online at www.richmondgov.com/public-works/broad-street-project.
