Editor’s note: Welcome to the L’Affair Pétanque Liveblog, The Lookout’s breaking-news blotter for the ongoing land-use controversy at Chimborazo Playground. If you haven’t yet, please consider upgrading to keep independent journalism about your neighborhood free for all to read. Here’s how to submit tips, documents, correspondence, etc. with The Lookout for editorial consideration.—Dave.

6pm: Ryan Rinn and Nissa Richardson present DPR’s findings from its belated community outreach efforts to an audience of around 30 people at the Powhatan Community Center. The deck can be found in The Lookout’s share drive.

“We have half a million dollars committed to this process,” says Rinn, outlining three options for how to put that money to work in Chimborazo Playground based on feedback from June community meetings and a corresponding online survey.

DPR officials at the meeting encourage attendees at the meeting to vote either by affixing dots to paper posters on the wall labeled with their preferred option, or via an online survey that will remain open until Friday, August 29th at 11:59pm.

Full report to come at The Lookout.

3:35pm: A tipster reaches out to note that DPR’s Ryan Rinn had stated in his June 29th email that he would “make [the new] survey available the week prior to the meeting,” but that no survey has since been circulated. (You can read copies of Rinn’s June 29th and July 24th messages below.) In an email to the Lookout, Rinn confirms that the survey is not active yet, contra his earlier aim:

11:25am: Ryan Rinn of DPR sends an email blast to select neighborhood organizations and individuals with information about the department’s upcoming meeting on July 29th. It reads:

8:30am: A crew with DPR and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation begin building out a pre-planned pollinator habitat by the Chimborazo Playground tennis court, not far from the concrete channel that funnels water from the northeast corner of the park to a drain in the alley on its northern edge.

Raven Larcom, a pollinator conservation specialist & administrator with the nonprofit, tells The Lookout that the native species have all been “selected specifically to benefit bees, butterflies, beetles, anything that's beneficial and an invertebrate,” and that with their deep root structures, they may even help a bit with some of the ongoing flooding issues in the park and alley. (This is not their primary purpose, however.)

3:30pm: The Lookout’s weekly column spotlights the ongoing flooding issues in the alley by Chimborazo Playground:

Residents Sarah Sahlaney and Windsor Bisbee, whose home backs onto the alley, tell The Lookout that flooding in late 2023 caused over $70,000 in damage to their home and vehicles. The situation has only gotten worse since DPR’s construction began, they say.

11:30am: DPU spokesperson Rhonda Johnson tells The Lookout via email that (emphasis added):

Johnson also provides the warning letter that DPU sent on June 29th to DPR regarding its ongoing failure to maintain the silt fencing around the construction site for much of that month. Read it in full on The Lookout’s share drive.

9am: Following weeks of flooding documented on video by The Lookout and presented to Richmond DPU for comment, a crew from the department begins doing maintenance on the alley directly to the north of Chimborazo Playground. Tipsters send photos of the work, which is ongoing as of 10:30am:

The work appears to be concentrated on removing the significant build-up of silt and debris at the eastern corner of the terminus of N. 30th St., as well as digging out the same along the retaining wall on the south side of the alley:

After multiple requests, DPU agreed to provide comment on the flooding to The Lookout by 12pm today—an extended deadline that falls just hours after this work began.

In response to an inquiry about the failed silt fence, a spokesperson for DPU, Rhonda Johnson, tells The Lookout that it has issued a “warning letter” to DPR due the latter department’s 12-day delay in making site repairs. Via email, Johnson writes (emphasis mine throughout):

5pm: DPR’s Ryan Rinn emails an assorted list of neighborhood organizations and individuals with an update on the department’s belated work soliciting public comment on the project. It reads:

8:30am: The Lookout observes a high watermark from the storm approximately halfway up the replaced silt fencing on the northeastern corner of the site:

6:30pm Resident Erika Stanley, a co-organizer of Community for Chimborazo Playground (CFCP), films footage of flooding in Chimborazo Playground and corresponding runoff in the alley directly to the north of the park:

2:30pm: A tipster tells The Lookout that workers are in the process of repairing the silt fence on the northeastern corner of the site. It failed June 14th.

Irina Calos, a spokespeson for VA DEQ, tells The Lookout that “The VESMP Authority is responsible for conducting periodic inspections of the site,” and that “The Responsible Land Disturber would be completing these inspections” outlined in the department’s stormwater handbook. Those parties are Richmond’s DPU and DPR, respectively.

11am: A photo from late 2023 shows the extent to which the alley on the northern edge of Chimborazo Playground was already flooding roughly 2.5 years before the construction began:

The function of the drain at the low point of the alley has been a source of concern for residents whose homes abut the park, some of whom have lost vehicles and sustained water damage to their basements in floods like this.

7pm: The Lookout films the effects of a summer rainstorm in process at Chimborazo Playground, observing deep pooling in the park itself and runoff into the alley, which has previously flooded and damaged houses that abut it. A walk around the construction site during the deluge reveals standing and running water at depths of 1-6”:

The silt fence remains unfixed seven days after The Lookout first reported its failure.

3pm: The weekly edition of The Lookout cites the VA DEQ Stormwater Handbook’s guidance on silt fencing maintenance (emphasis added):

This guidance has not been followed at Chimborazo Playground, where the silt fencing has remained unfixed for a full workweek.

8am: In the aftermath of Sunday evening’s storm, the silt fencing that DPR’s contractor hastily installed in mid-May appears to have failed at the northeastern corner of the paused construction site:

7pm: Sarah Sahlaney, a Church Hill resident who lives across the alley from Chimborazo Playground, films the park flooding during a summer rainstorm:

Stormwater management has been a major flashpoint for the project ever since The Lookout confirmed in mid-May that DPR’s construction did not comply with state permitting requirements.

3pm: The Lookout publishes its eighth story on l‘affair pétanque:

12:00pm: Ryan Rinn, a capital projects planner for DPR, sends an email to various individuals and groups in Church Hill in advance of the first city-organized community meeting about the project, which takes place tonight from 6-8pm at Powhatan Community Center. His email, which was reviewed by The Lookout, contains a link to this survey created by the city, details about the meetings’ agenda, and a presentation that will be given at both. That presentation, which has been uploaded to The Lookout’s share drive, includes the first official breakout of costs on the now-paused Chimborazo Playground project:

The “current (and anticipated) total for the project, $67,911, is dramatically more money than any figure previously known to the public. It is roughly eight times more than the $8,000 sum referenced by DPR Director Christopher Frelke at the CHA meeting on May 19th; $50,000 more than the estimate outlined in the layout document circulated by Les Boulefrogs Pétanque Club of Virginia that a city official later described to me as “final”; and almost double the figure in the city purchase order I obtained in mid-May.

The new total is much more in line with the estimate provided to The Lookout earlier this week by Church Hill resident Evan Branosky, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s former chief of stormwater policy.

5:30pm: The Lookout publishes its seventh story on l‘affair pétanque:

6:30pm: In response to follow-up questions from The Lookout, OSC’s Jenkins provides more information on the provenance of the poster about the meetings that DPR generated with artificial intelligence. (See liveblog entry for 6/1.) The poster was produced by ChatGPT, and “was not” intended to be distributed publicly. Circulating it publicly, Jenkins tells The Lookout, “was not in line with the City’s Administrative Regulation 2.13,” referencing Mayor Avula’s “transparency” principle meant to guide City Hall’s AI use.

“The City is currently drafting a more focused policy guiding the use of Generative AI by staff and will be releasing it in the coming months,” she adds. DPR staff have also “been reminded of Administrative Regulation 2.13’s guidelines on the transparent use of AI.”

Because the second poster was created by a human designer using Adobe Express, it did not violate Regulation 2.13, Jenkins says.

10:30am: OSC’s Tamara Jenkins responded to The Lookout’s inquiry about whether generative artificial intelligence was used to produce either of the flyers announcing the upcoming community meetings. In an emailed statement, she said:

For reference, “Chimborazo Playground Flyer #1” is the image in the entry directly below on the left. “7th District June Community Meetings” is the one on the right.

The Lookout has followed up to clarify whether the first poster was meant to be distributed at all and whether its distribution violates Mayor Avula’s AI “transparency” principle.

9am: Sam Patterson, the full-time council liaison for longtime 7th District councilmember Cynthia Newbille, sends an email to various individuals and groups in the neighborhood with two flyers announcing follow-up meetings about the now-paused pétanque project in Chimborazo Park. The meetings are:

The flyers can be found in The Lookout’s share drive, or below:

Several tipsters reach out to The Lookout suggesting that portions of one or both of these flyers were created using generative artificial intelligence, a controversial and wildly unpopular technology of which Mayor Danny Avula has been an outspoken fan. A warning on a post about the documents on a local Facebook page, when viewed on the platform’s mobile app, reads:

One of Avula’s five “ethical principles” for official use of AI is “transparency,” stipulating that “Citizens shall be advised when they are interacting with AI.” The principles took effect in June 2025, nearly a year ago. Neither flyer contains a visible disclosure that it was generated using such a technology.

A neighborhood resident, Mary Stafford, snaps a photo of the southwestern-most pétanque court, the one now occupied by the “surprise hoop.” Since its construction in 2012, according to contemporaneous coverage by the now-defunct Church Hill People’s News, that court has flooded when it rains. The more things change, the more they stay the same:

2pm: The Lookout updates its coverage of the ongoing confusion around the cost of the project with a statement from OSC’s Jenkins. The update reads:

5:45pm: The Lookout publishes its sixth story on l‘affair pétanque:

7:45pm: After the conclusion of the Church Hill Association’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting, president Jake Naugle cedes the floor to the director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities (DPR), and Richmond City Council President and longtime 7th District representative Cynthia Newbille, to discuss the city’s perspective on l’affair pétanque.

The packed room was hot, the mood was hotter. Full report to come at The Lookout.

6:30pm: The Lookout publishes its fifth story on l‘affair pétanque:

12:50pm: Mayor Avula’s press secretary, confirms to The Lookout via email that he will not be in attendance at the CHA’s Tuesday evening meeting, citing a preexisting conflict. “The Mayor has had the Virginia Asian Advisory Board on his calendar for quite some time so he will be there and unable to attend the Church Hill Association meeting but is aware that Chris [Frelke, DPR director] is going,” Mira Signer said. According to that group’s flyer, that event will take place from 5-7pm at a hotel in downtown Richmond.

12:45pm: A tipster surfaces an old schematic dated to 2009 showcasing a vision for Chimborazo Playground that included two basketball courts, two tennis courts, four pétanque courts, and a skate park:

A footer on the document indicates it was drafted by BAM Architects, a local firm that merged with the larger Baskervill in 2013. View the whole schematic on The Lookout’s share drive.

12:20pm: The Lookout publishes its fourth story on l’affair pétanque:

4:20pm: Avula’s press secretary Mira Signer provides a statement on l’affair pétanque. It’s the first official statement attributed to the mayor himself:

12:30pm: John Pole, Church Hill’s resident map maniac, surfaces a couple archival photos of Chimborazo Playground on Yesterdays, the extremely slick, Richmond-specific geolocation/visual history platform from the all-volunteer geospatial whizzes at MapRVA:

A contention of Les Boulefrogs Pétanque Club of Virginia and their supporters throughout 2026’s l’affair pétanque is that they’ve been instrumental in helping to transform the park since local enthusiasts of the niche French bowling game founded the club here some two decades ago. One thing is for sure: the park certainly looked different even 30 years back.

6pm: The Lookout updates Sunday’s coverage with new information from Avula’s press secretary, Mira Signer. The dated clarification reads:

4pm: A tipster forwards The Lookout an email from Frelke, DPR’s director and the primary pressure target of CCP’s pause campaign, that was sent around 1pm today. In it, Frelke reiterates many of the same points contained in the statement provided by Tamara Jenkins, acting deputy director, public affairs in the Office of Strategic Communications & Civic Engagement, to The Lookout on Friday (5/8).

However, Frelke also wrote (emphasis added; all sic):

This statement—which can be read in full here—confirms the halt in construction first reported by The Lookout yesterday.

12:15pm: A tipster surfaces Facebook comments from 2012 that describe the neighborhood’s previously pitched pétanque-court clash in uncannily similar terms to the contemporary contentiousness some 14 years later. On a now-defunct schism group called “The New Friends of Church Hill,” a user commented on July 30th, 2012:

3:50pm: The Lookout sends a breaking-news bulletin, a first-ever addition to its regular weekly email schedule:

3:20pm: The Lookout publishes its third story on l‘affair pétanque:

3:00pm: CHA president Jake Naugle confirms to The Lookout that Newbille called him this morning and relayed that the project had been halted “until further notice.” He also said Newbille agreed to attend the organization’s upcoming membership meeting on May 19th.

1:40pm: In lieu of addressing specific follow-up questions, Patterson contacted The Lookout saying the project had been halted. He wrote:

10:35am: Asked for clarification on whether Council President Newbille had any views of her own about the situation beyond the basic information presented in Jenkins’ statement, Patterson replied [sic]: “We just received an invite to the Church Hill Association meeting on the 19^th. She has talked to Rec and parks. More information is forth coming-”

He did not address a request for confirmation that CCP organizers had made contact with Newbille on the street on Friday, at which point they say she told them she’d look into the matter.

He did not address a request for comment on the disappointment attendees of Sunday’s meeting expressed over Newbille’s lack of attendance, despite being invited by CCP organizers. (The Lookout has reviewed an email sent midday Saturday extending that invitation to both Newbille and longtime East Ender Mayor Danny Avula.)

10:20am: Sam Patterson, the Council Liaison to City Council President and longtime 7th District member Cynthia Newbille, responds to The Lookout’s multiple requests for comment by forwarding a statement previously provided to The Lookout by Tamara Jenkins, acting deputy director, public affairs in the Office of Strategic Communications & Civic Engagement.

“[O]n behalf of Councilwoman Newbille, she would like to thank you for your email regarding your concerns on Chimborazo Park,” wrote Patterson. “Please see the letter regarding the Petanque Courts.”

8:50am: A tipster notes that somebody has filed a report with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality about the project. It reads:

The most recent Land Disturbance - Erosion & Sediment Control permit listed in the city’s online permit portal was issued in October 2025. A review of every permit issued in 2025 revealed none that pertain to work at Chimborazo Playground.

6:20pm: The Lookout publishes a report on Sunday’s meeting, its second story on l‘affair pétanque:

5:45pm: The Lookout publishes a video of Sunday’s meeting

3pm: The Lookout publishes its initial report on the situation:

This has been a Lookout special report. Regular programming resumes next week. Please submit tips, photos, etc. about the East End for editorial consideration.