Green Run, Virginia

Green Run is a residential and commercial community covering nearly six square miles in the center of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Built between 1968 and 1986, Green Run was the first Planned Unit Development (PUD) built in the South Hampton Roads region and contains 36 neighborhoods, including 4200 single-family homes, townhouses, three condominium projects, and three apartment communities with roughly 900 apartments. According to 2005 census figures, over 15,000 residents live within Green Run.

Homes Association

Homeowners automatically become members of the Green Run Homes Association when they purchase. The Association's mission is to promote the recreation, health, safety and welfare of the residents through ownership, improvements, operation and maintenance of common areas and facilities. The Association sponsors over a dozen youth recreational sports programs in swimming, tackle and flag football, and basketball as well as a senior citizens group and numerous scouting type activities. In addition, the Green Run Athletic Complex has been home, for over 27 years, to Green Run Little League.

Beginning with a 2005 change to its governing documents, Green Run Homes Association also assumed responsibility for enforcing building maintenance codes within the community to ensure that properties are properly maintained by their owners.

Community leadership

Green Run Homes Association is run by a nine-member governing Board which serves as its legislative body. Board members are elected to staggered three-year terms, and three of the nine Board members are elected each year. The Board then appoints the President who acts as the Association's Chief Executive Officer. The President acts as the Board's liaison to Association staff to ensures that policies enacted by the Board are carried out. The President also acts as the Association's representative to City Council.

Day-to-day operations of the Association are carried out by the Executive Director who is appointed by the governing Board and acts as Chief Operating Officer. The Executive Director supervises the Association's 47 employees and serves as a principal contact for residents.

Facilities and amenities

The Association maintains a community center, four recreation centers with swimming pools and tennis courts, 14 parks and playgrounds, an athletic complex, and roughly convert|200|acre|km2 of common area or "green belt" including convert|5.5|mi|km of canals with convert|11|mi|km of shoreline.

Programs and events

Green Run has a wide array of programs and events for residents of all ages. These include quarterly seniors dinners, youth sports programs, annual Easter Egg Hunt, pool parties. In 2006, the Association partnered with State Delegate Sal Iaquinto and Attorney General Bob McDonnell to create "Safe Kids Day", an annual event that promotes child safety for residents. A Teen Council was started in 2006 to enable youths to participates in community volunteer activities, and Green Run has the largest Neighborhood Watch program in Virginia Beach.

The annual Fall Cook-Out, begun in 2005, has quickly become a popular tradition and has an annual attendance of nearly 800 residents. The annual event give residents an opportunity to eat, listen to great local music, and connect with neighbors from across the community. Residents are also able to network with Association leaders and staff along with city, state, and federal officials. Attendees often include the Mayor, members of City Council, Fire Chief, Chief of Police, representatives from city departments, Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and Congresswoman Thelma Drake.

To encourage civic involvement, Green Run's Association hold periodic town hall meetings with city and state officials on topics of interest to residents, and has begun sponsoring a voter registration initiative.

Volunteers

Green Run's governing board regularly meets with residents to determine how to better meet the needs to the community, and it actively recruit volunteers with diverse points of view, to ensure that minority opinions are represented. Green Run has a thriving volunteer community.

In 2007, volunteers planted over 50 trees throughout the community on Arbor Day. Green Run has adopted several streets and parks within the community through the city's "adopt-a-street" and "adopt-a-spot" programs. Volunteers clean these areas at least one every month, rather than once-every-six-months as required by the program. Green Run also serves as "Partners in Education" with three local elementary schools and regularly sends volunteers to assist these schools.

Media coverage

Green Run has received a very positive attention to its many programs, both from residents and the press. During 2006, WTKR-TV 3 ran a series of stories on Green Run, and during 2007, the "Virginian-Pilot"’s "At Home Section" ran a very positive profile on the neighborhood.

chools

The community is served by three elementary schools: Green Run Elementary School, Rosemont Elementary School, and Parkway Elementary School; two middle schools: Landstown Middle School and Larkspur Middle School; and two high schools: Green Run High School and Landstown High School, and Tidewater Community College.

Elected officials

Green Run's representative to City Council is Reba McClanan who is elected from the Rose Hall District. Green Run is represented in the Virginia General Assembly by Delegate Sal Iaquinto, Delegate Bobby Mathieson, and Senator Harry Blevins. Green Run is represented in the United States Congress by Congresswoman Thelma Drake.

External links

* [http://www.greenrun.org/ Official Community Website]
* [http://www.vbgov.com/ Official City Website]
* [http://www.greenrunlittleleague.com/ Green Run Little League]
* [http://www.vbschools.com/ Virginia Beach Public Schools]