State unveils 'partnership' with Petersburg on improving city life across underserved areas
PETERSBURG — Virginia unveiled what Gov. Glenn Youngkin referred to as a "pilot program" Monday for helping underserved localities get on, and remain on, their feet, and Petersburg will lead the way.
Youngkin and several of his Cabinet secretaries joined Petersburg leaders Monday morning to present "Partnership for Petersburg," a 42-initiative plan involving 61 local and state agencies. The goal is to beef up Petersburg's infrastructure in six key areas — public safety, public education, transportation, healthcare, economic development and a bond between community and faith leaders.
"There's a ton of work to do," Youngkin, who was also joined at the Petersburg Library by Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and state Attorney General Jason Miyares, told reporters after the two-hour presentation. "This is a lot more than words. There are a lot of actions that need to accompany this, but I feel incredibly encouraged by the coming together in the way that we can in fact set a standards for how cooperation can work not just in Petersburg but hopefully across the commonwealth."
Over two hours Monday morning, the 300-member audience heard cabinet secretaries and other administration officials touch on the goals in those six areas. At the end of each presentation, those officials and others who joined them on stage took time to sign a covenant pledging their support to achieving the specific goals in each area.
Some, like a surge in Virginia State Police presence in Petersburg, are already occurring and bearing fruit. State Secretary of Public Safety Bob Mosier told the audience that since April, violent crimes are significantly down. Before, Petersburg had a 344% higher crime rate than the Virginia average, but since the VSP were added, murders in the last four months are down 56%, aggravated assaults are down 48% and shootings have dropped 12%. The state attorney general's office also plans to assign two assistant attorneys general to help local and federal prosecutors in Petersburg and Richmond.
Miyares told reporters after the event that the two assistant AGs are "gonna be focused like a laser in Petersburg and Richmond going after" repeat offenders and pulling illegally used guns off the streets.
"What you're seeing is a totality of government approach with our community partners and with our faith partners that has never been done before in the history of Petersburg," Miyares said.
In the area of public education, state Education Secretary Aimee Guidera pointed to the upcoming establishment of a "lab school" in Petersburg developed through Virginia State University and Richard Bland College. The Youngkin administration has said it wants to establish as many as 15 of these schools statewide, which are run through a partnership with the state Department of Education and universities.
The city will pay for Petersburg Family YMCA plans to offer both before- and after-school programs in each Petersburg school, while the state will pick up the tab for YMCA programs at Westview Early Childhood Education Center.
"It's a safe place for our students. It keeps our kids off the streets," Petersburg School Board chairman Kenneth Pritchett said. "It's a win-win for our parents and also for our city."
In healthcare, state Secretary of Health and Human Services John Littel said hours and services at the Petersburg Health Department will be expanded, and more mobile clinics will be offered to increase access to important screenings and overall health maintenance. Over the past decade, Petersburg has been consistently ranked as the unhealthiest locality in Virginia by the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute.
Littel cited statistics noting that Petersburg's average life expectancy is almost 13 years lower than the state average, and rates for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other significant illnesses are higher. Infant mortality and low-birth rates are also higher, and Littel said the state was "especially troubled" by that.
"We know that a vibrant Petersburg community must be a healthy one," Littel said, "and to do that, we must work in collaboration and with urgency."
Other health-related initiatives include the establishment of health literacy "hubs" through Bon Secours Southside Medical Center in Petersburg, Central Virginia Health Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services' managed-care organizations, and other healthcare partners; and the improvements to water and wastewater quality through $29 million in state funds for the Poor Creek water station in south Petersburg.
In the other initiative areas:
Transportation:
The state noted the $8 million for upgrades to the Petersburg Multimodal Center downtown and the planned $10 million for improvements at the Amtrak station in Ettrick, as well as the $58 million in overall rail improvements between Richmond and Raleigh, North Carolina that includes Petersburg. The state also plans to increase the number of daily trains through Petersburg from 10 to 14, and include a new line from Norfolk to Washington, D.C. that will also run through Petersburg.
Infrastructure improvements are also planned for the Petersburg interchanges off both Interstate 95 and Interstate 85, including the Washington Street-Wythe Street exit. The state will also work with Petersburg on innovations for non-emergency medical transportation that will free up the city's EMS ambulances.
Business growth:
Revitalize Petersburg's existing assets to improve job opportunities for citizens.
Foster an "entrepreneurial culture" to encourage more local start-up businesses.
Expand access to housing options and access to city-wide broadband.
Continue to promote Petersburg's growing cluster of pharmaceutical industry.
Engage Petersburg's employers more in developing workforces.
Relationship among community and faith-based leaders:
Identify and eliminate barriers to the full participation of community groups and faith participants.
Maximize public and private partnerships for addressing community challenges by inventorying services, funding, and finding solutions for needs gaps.
Host community summits to encourage collaboration, networking, and identification and implementation of best practices.
Educate faith and community groups on opportunities while increasing accessibility of resources and local, state, and federal funding
The event at the library was held just before Petersburg scheduled a news conference at the former Ramada Inn site to announce the start of demolition of the 49-year-old abandoned hotel. In the 2023-24 state budget, the state earmarked $2.6 million for demolition and renovation of the East Washington Street property. Even though he did not attend that news conference, Youngkin mentioned in his remarks that the city "was getting ready to take a sledgehammer" to the blighted property. That comment drew a standing ovation.
Goodbye. good riddance:Chipping away at the 'granddaddy of blight': Petersburg starts Ramada Inn demolition
After the event, Youngkin told reporters that both he and Petersburg's mayor will be asking for accountability by each of the groups that signed the partnership pact.
"This is not a state-run initiative that is being imposed on Petersburg," the governor said. "It's the exact opposite. We are working to fully empower our local partners to lead these initiatives with full support from the commonwealth.
"Not every single initiative will fully hit its objectives, But the reason why we have such a comprehensive approach, the reason why we have brought such an overwhelming force is to recognize that some initiatives will be more successful than others, but we must make progress in education, in health outcomes, fighting crime, and economic development and job growth. It will be the collection of that progress that makes the biggest impact."
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Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia creates 'partnership' with Petersburg for essential services
