City Manager Weekly Update May 24, 2019 Norfolk Public Library Employee Retires After 60 Years of Service: This week, we would like to offer congratulations to Ms. Doris Johnson. Doris is retiring from the Norfolk Public Library with more than 60 years of service. Doris began her employment with the City of Norfolk in 1959 driving the Bookmobile and is the longest serving employee in the City. We wish you all the best in your retirement, Doris! St. Paul’s Advisory Committee Meeting: Councilwoman Angelia Williams Graves led the St. Paul's Advisory Committee Meeting this week. This was the first meeting since the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the $30M Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) Grant award to the City of Norfolk and Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority (NRHA). NRHA staff provided an update on the award requirements as well as communications to residents in the phase one area. City staff discussed continued city funding for People First, capital improvement projects in the St. Paul’s area and funding that has been budgeted to start a Community Development Corporation. City staff also provided information on the award of the People First contract to Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI). Committee members expressed approval of the selection based on USI’s wealth of experience and strong community-first approach. USI expects to be on the ground in Tidewater Gardens within thirty days. Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads (HRT): The HRT Board met this week in the City of Hampton. Commissioners approved a number of operating contracts and purchase orders amounting to $1.8 million for the maintenance and repair of rolling stock, including parts supply and inventory management. Commissioners also approved a contract renewal award of $1.1 million to M.K. Taylor Jr. Contractors, Inc. to perform a variety of general commercial site and repair work over a three-year period to bus stops and other HRT facilities. Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA) Update: At their May 22nd Board meeting, SPSA reported that new scales were installed at the Norfolk transfer station in April and they are helping to expedite the truck weighing process. SPSA also reported that municipal waste tons have increased 14% over the past year, mainly because the new Use & Support Agreement requires localities to bring their bulk waste to SPSA. Beginning July 2nd, the drop off location for household hazardous wastes (HHW) for Norfolk residents will be moved to SPSA’s Norfolk transfer station located at 3136 Woodland Avenue. Hours of operation will be Tuesdays and Saturdays, noon to 4:00 p.m. Residents will not be charged when they drop off HHW. Public Works is coordinating other city departments to notify residents of this change and to install signs. The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission’s (HRPDC) Coastal Resilience Subcommittee: HRPDC’s Coastal Resilience Subcommittee, chaired by Councilwoman McClellan, met last Friday with state and federal elected officials and representatives from the Commonwealth Transportation Board. The subcommittee is focused on identifying strategies to prevent disruption to the regional transportation network and economic activity in the face of more frequent and disruptive flooding events. The purpose of the meeting was to better define the region’s strategy for identifying and funding projects that support a resilient transportation network in Hampton Roads. Virginia Municipal League (VML) Regional Dinner and Legislative Briefing: Councilman and President-Elect of VML Tommy Smigiel and staff attended the VML Regional Dinner and Legislative Briefing on Tuesday. Local elected officials from throughout the region and representatives from our federal delegation networked and received a General Assembly Legislative Recap from Senator Louise Lucas and Delegate Steve Heretick. The Secretary of Veteran Affairs for the Commonwealth of Virginia was a featured speaker and shared the Governor’s priorities for supporting veterans and the various initiatives underway throughout the Commonwealth. The meeting also included a briefing from US Census on their efforts and partnerships with our localities to ensure all individuals are counted. Engaging Local Government Leaders Conference: Several City of Norfolk employees recently attended the Engaging Local Government Leaders Conference, held May 15th-17th in Durham, NC. The conference featured trainings by local government officials from all over the country who are on t he cutting edge of innovation in government. Sessions were broken into four separate tracks: Strategy and Performance; Equity and Economic Inclusion; Innovation and Process Improvement; and Workforce of the Future. Attendees noted that they found the conference to be energizing, inspiring, and challenging, and are excited to apply some of the best ideas right here in Norfolk. Norfolk Happening Now! Upcoming Events for Your Awareness May 24 (9am-2pm) Military Mermaid Classic Tournament @Sewells Point Golf Course We invite you to help us celebrate the unique and continuous partnership between the City of Norfolk and the Navy. Please join us in a round of golf on the beautiful, historic manicured greens at Sewells Point Golf Course May 24 (5:30-7:30pm) Recreation, Parks & Open Space: Night of the Arts @The Plot Live musical and dance performances. Artwork, jewelry, pottery and crafts from Norfolk residents on display and for purchase. Food truck onsite May 25 (11am-1pm) Community Beach Park Beach Blast @Community Beach Park Have fun in the sun as we celebrate the opening of our beaches for the summer! Z104.5 FM Live Radio Remote Food Truck Giveaways Water Safety Tips Free Kayak Lessons Jet Skis and Water Sports May 25 (10:30am-2:30pm) Granby Street Bike Corridor Ride @Lafayette Park Come join us as we celebrate bike month with the Granby Street Bike Corridor Ride May 27 (All Day) City of Norfolk Offices Closed in Observance of Memorial Day May 27 (10:30am) Mt. Olive Negro Cemetery Commemoration @Berkley The Berkley Historical Society presents a commemoration and guided tour of Mt. Olive Negro Cemetery. Event is open to the public. Participants can bring a flower, flag or chair May 27 (2-4pm) Norfolk's Memorial Day Ceremony @Wisconsin Square Speaker: U.S Representative Elaine Luria 2nd Congressional District Video highlights of the latest happenings in Norfolk! Norfolk Alert - Your Norfolk. Your Life. Bay Oaks Park Ribbon Cutting 2 Council Interests School Board Meetings, 05/15/2019 Office of Budget & Strategic Planning Advisory Committee Discussion – School Board Vice-Chair Carlos Clanton and Member Rodney Jordan presented draft changes and standardization for advisory committee policies. They plan to return with an edited version based on the School Board’s discussion so that the School Board can vote to implement the changes at the June business meeting. VRS Program – At the Business Meeting, the School Board unanimously approved a new Virginia Retirement System (VRS) Long Term Insurance Program as discussed at the evening’s Workshop session. This is in addition to the Norfolk Health Consortium’s program. Personnel Item – A personnel item to approve a position in the NPS Central Office was held over from the Closed Session was approved in a 4-3 vote with Campsen, Clanton, and Gabriel dissenting on the basis of wanting to “put money in the schoolhouse.” FY 2020 Budget – The School Board’s Approved FY 2020 Budget was unanimously passed despite some members’ expressed concerns about the process. Citizen Comment – The Citizen Comment period included 20 speakers, with advocacy for more recess and protest of NPS’s high suspension rate dominating the topics. 3 SIXTY-DAY TENTATIVE SCHEDULE COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS AND MEETING TOPICS June 4, 2019 WORKSESSION BRIEFINGS: • Harborfest 2019 Celebration • Planning Updates UPCOMING ITEMS FROM APRIL 25 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING: • City Planning Commission (Applicant) text amendment to improve the consistency of development certificate requirements, replacement zoning certificates for new restaurants, minimum first-floor elevations of single-family dwellings, and parking requirements in BC districts, to correct clerical errors, and to remove unnecessary provisions. • City Planning Commission (Applicant) text amendment to create a new Neighborhood Resilience Overlay (NRO) zoning district, the Colonial Place, Cruser Place, Riverview Neighborhood Resilience Overlay (CPRV- NRO) district • City Planning Commission (Applicant) zoning map amendment to apply the Colonial Place, Cruser Place, Riverview Neighborhood Resilience Overlay (CPRV-NRO) district • City Planning Commission (Applicant) text amendment to allow tattoo parlor as a principal use by Conditional Use Permit in the PCO-Colley and PCO-21st Street Districts • City Planning Commission (Applicant) text amendment to allow Permanent Cosmetic Tattooing as an accessory use to full-service beauty salons • Christopher Clark (Applicant) rezoning to accommodate a mixed-use living with one dwelling unit at 840 45th St • Brinshore Development (Applicant) rezoning to allow the construction of a multi-family apartment community development with 70 dwelling units at 501 Wood Str • Brinshore Development (Applicant) conditional use permit to allow the construction of a multi-family apartment community development with 70 dwelling units at 501 Wood St • Brinshore Development (Applicant) development certificate to allow the construction of a multi-family apartment community development with 70 dwelling