New Kent County

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia Inc., and the city of Richmond will co-sponsor a clinic for homeowners who may be at risk of foreclosure. Free foreclosure and fraud-prevention counseling will be offered, and homeowners will get to meet with a HUD-approved counseling agency to work on solutions to help them stay in their homes.

According to February data from McDash Analytics, 5.85% of the loans in Richmond area were more than 90 days past due. The average for Virginia is 4.92%.

Read more in the Richmond Times-Dispatch....

New Kent, a partly suburban but mainly rural county thus far, is slowly changing shape. Within the last two years, the County has seen increasing residential and commercial development. Next on the list is a project that will include both businesses and homes in the style of an English village.  The new project is expected to bring $500,000 in real estate, personal, business, sales and meals taxes in five years. Residential units -- with prices ranging from the low $200,000s to the mid-$300,000s -- reflect the architecture of the English countryside. They include carriage houses, cottages, flats and town homes.

Read the full Richmond Times-Dispatch story...

Want to update your home? Two upcoming events can help you get a great deal on materials and home decor.

Two upcoming Richmond-area events will benefit homeowners and the local Habitat for Humanity, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Contractor Sale

"Hanover Habitat for Humanity and the central Virginia chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry will hold a contractor yard sale Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hanover Habitat for Humanity office at 8177 Mechanicsville Turnpike.

Area contractors are invited to drop off priced items -- such as windows, doors, countertops, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, lighting and flooring --Tuesday through Thursday. Items will be stored until the sale. On the day of the sale, contractors should bring tables, cash for change, a tent in case of inclement weather and business cards. There is no cost to participate, but you may donate a portion of your proceeds to NARI or Habitat for Humanity.

To sign up, e-mail info@naricentralva.org or call (804) 641-1438. The groups are also looking for sponsors to help with advertising costs. Sponsors will be recognized on a banner at the sale."

Rug for a Rug

"Capel Rugs, located at 3995 Deep Rock Road in Henrico County, has partnered with Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity for its "Trade In, Trade Up" event today through Oct. 31. Shoppers who bring gently used rugs to the store will receive savings on new area rugs. Donations benefit the Richmond Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

For each rug donated, shoppers will receive 25 percent off their purchase of a new area rug and a tax donation receipt from the Richmond Habitat ReStore if the rug is reuseable. The store's staff will be available to help customers unload used rugs Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m"

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Last week federal officials released parts of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, according to NewsDay.com.

The report focuses on expanding regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff. Although details of the expanded regulations have not been decided, the report did mention that federal leadership and "muscle" would be used when necessary to enforce the new regulations.

This report, along with others wll be used to develop a bay restoration strategy scheduled for release on Novemeber 9th.

Because many of the Virginia localities in the Chesapeake Watershed are heavily farmed areas, many Virginia property owners could be affected. Property owners will need to ensure that their rights are protected in the process of restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

"Federal officials on Thursday began revealing the building blocks of a strategy to restore the Chesapeake Bay, using federal leadership to encourage states to cut pollution and federal muscle, when necessary, to ensure it happens.

Among recommendations in draft reports from federal agencies: expanded regulation of large-scale animal farms and municipal stormwater runoff, and requirements that increases in pollution be offset by reductions from other sources.

The details, such as how many more animal feeding operations would be regulated, have not been decided, but 'the message here is that there will be, there is a commitment at EPA to increased enforcement and increased oversight of state programs,' EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Thursday.

The reports will be used to develop a bay restoration strategy, scheduled for release Nov. 9, that was mandated by an executive order issued earlier this year by President Obama.

The EPA said it was working with Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia to establish limits for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments. States would have to develop detailed plans on how to reduce levels of those pollutants from sources such as farms, highways and lawns. The EPA said it would step in if states don't take sufficient action.

While large operations such as industrial chicken farms would be regulated, the EPA said it would also expand regulation of municipal stormwater programs to include high-growth areas.

Jackson said the goal was to use federal leadership, and 'federal muscle when necessary.'

Agriculture is responsible for about half the pollution entering the bay, but Jackson noted there is more turf grass in the bay watershed than corn acreage and the region is much different from when bay restoration efforts began decades ago."

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A free service offered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service, and the Virginia Pesticide Control Board will dispose of harmful pesticides at no cost to residents and businesses in their southside service area, according to a recent article in the Progress-Index.

The program assists agricultural producers, licensed pesticide dealers and pest control firms, golf courses and homeowners with the proper disposal of unwanted pesticides. The program is available at no cost to eligible participants. 

To administer the Pesticide Disposal Program, Virginia is subdivided into 5 regions. A pesticide disposal program is conducted annually in localities within each of the regions. Once all 5 regions have been served, the program will start another cycle. The Southside region is being serviced by the program for the remainder of 2009.

Participants should complete a pesticide disposal registration form ahead of time and return the completed form to VDACS, PO Box 1163, Richmond VA 23218. The form is available online, or by contacting Pesticide Disposal Program at (804) 786-3798.

"The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Pesticide Control Board invite farmers, pesticide dealers, pest control firms, homeowners and golf courses to participate in the 2009 pesticide disposal program, which collects unwanted, outdated, or banned pesticides and disposes of them in a safe manner. VDACS, through its Office of Pesticide Services, provides this service at no cost to participants in the designated localities.

The program is funded through pesticide product registration fees collected by OPS.

Since its inception, Virginia's Pesticide Disposal Program has collected and destroyed nearly 1.5 million pounds of outdated and unwanted pesticides, completely eliminating the environmental threat they could have posed."

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