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City Manager’s Update We will begin providing closed captioning for City Council and other live meetings coverage on Tuesday. It uses voice recognition software. This will require some small adaptations for members of Council, staff and presenters. Speaking directly into the microphones and minimizing other sounds/noises near the mics (shuffling paper, opening snacks, etc.) will help with the clarity of the audio. This will enable the software to learn, distinguish normal terms, and continually improve the accuracy of the captioning. In observance of President’s Day on Monday, Feb. 20, the following state offices will be closed: Circuit Court and Clerk’s Office, General District Court and Clerk’s Office, Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court and Clerk’s Office, Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Public Health Department. The Department of Economic Development offers resources and programs designed to help businesses get on the right path for success. Resources include workshops and networking opportunities, business mentoring, outreach events, procurement training, site selection assistance, market research, business license assistance, the annual Small Business Forum and more. Feb. 22, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Economic Development Office. March 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., TCC Student Center. Apr. 19, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., TCC Student Center. June 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., TCC Student Center. Sept. 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sandler Center for the Performing Arts. *Workshop locations vary depending on the number of registrants. Space is limited and registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.yesvirginiabeach.com. Contact: Jeffrey Smith, (757) 385-6464, [email protected]. Members of the Virginia Beach Mayor’s Veterans Committee are now taking orders for brick memorial pavers. Citizens can pay tribute to a veteran by having a brick paver placed in his or her honor at the William L. “Billy” Myers, Sr. Veterans Memorial Park (located behind the Tidewater Veterans Memorial) in time for this year's Memorial Day Ceremony in May. For more information and directions to place orders, visit www.VBgov.com. Contact: Joann Harkins, (757) 467-9367, or Stuart Myers, (757) 481-6513. In the February edition of Governing magazine, an article discussing U.S. cities’ efforts to reduce pedestrian deaths listed Virginia Beach as having the lowest number of pedestrian deaths among the 50 largest cities in the United States. Virginia Beach had less than five deaths based per 100,000 population. To read the article and see the complete list, visit www.governing.com. The Department of Emergency Medical Services held its 17th Basic Life Support (BLS) Academy graduation ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 9. VBEMS Chief Ed Brazle and Deputy Chief Jason Stroud provided remarks and advice to the graduates and were sworn in by Chaplain Ruby Christian. The event welcomed 26 new graduates who completed a 14-week curriculum of Basic Life Support training and will soon begin their field internship time running with one of the 10 volunteer rescue squads. Once requirements are complete, they will be released as Attendants-in-Charge (AIC), ready to staff an ambulance. The ceremony also recognized the promotion of Capt. Tyler Kerr to Brigade Chief. Congratulations to the newly graduated and promoted. Since launching in October 2016, the OpenVB Data portal has proven to be a valuable resource for obtaining city information and fostering transparency throughout the organization. Over the past 90 days, there have been more than 113,800 browser page views. Currently, there are 14 public datasets published in the portal. The top datasets accessed are Employee Salaries, Police Incident Reports and FOIA requests. New datasets for Fire Calls for Service/Incidents, Police Crash Reports, and Purchasing Contracts are scheduled for public release in the coming months. The OpenVB Data portal is the first such portal among municipalities in Hampton Roads, and is part of the national What Works Cities initiative launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The What Works Cities initiative helps municipalities across the country use data and evidence to improve services, inform local decision-makers and engage residents. The City continues to support its commitment to transparency and strives to provide citizens and employees access to as much information as possible. For more information, visit data.VBgov.com. More than 250 students participated in the 10th Annual African American Male Summit held on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Princess Anne High School. Deputy City Manager Ken Chandler was invited to keynote the event, and spoke relative to the theme “I am the Dream,” noting the importance of establishing mentor/mentee relationships as a key to future opportunities. Throughout the five-hour event, students took part in a variety of team building exercises and breakout sessions on various topics that impact today’s youth. Additionally, students had the chance to network with college representatives and local businesses to discuss post-graduation opportunities. The summit was open to young men in grades 8-12 across the school division. Fifth-grade students from elementary schools that feed to Princess Anne High School were also invited to participate. As in years past, parents attended the Parent Institute at the summit, where they had their own breakout sessions covering topics such as college and career readiness and guidance services. A community meeting to discuss park development ideas for Woodbridge Park in the Centerville area of the city (along the newly opened segment of Lynnhaven Parkway) was held on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at Tallwood High School. Conducted by the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Planning, Design and Development staff, Councilmember Bob Dyer and approximately 40 citizens from the Brigadoon, Charlestowne East and Woodbridge neighborhoods attended the meeting. After a brief presentation showing three very preliminary concepts for the park, attendees broke out into four groups to discuss the concepts presented and provide other ideas for amenities within the park. The majority of the park will remain a natural area with only a 2-3 acre area developed with park amenities. All the groups recognized a need to provide activities for older youth and teenagers in addition to a playground for younger children and quiet areas for adults to gather. The majority felt providing a skate-type amenity (a pump track, skate spot or a combination of the two) will be appropriate for older youth. A request was also made for a looped trail with a mulched surface and benches along the path. Using the information and suggestions provided, staff will develop a more finalized plan within the next two months and share with the community. The tentative timeline is to have construction underway in spring of 2018. Who knew applying mock injuries was a thing? And that it has a fancy name? Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services Captain Kathy Budy, along with other moulage instructors, held a moulage class on Thursday, Feb. 9 at Station 8 for a small group of volunteers. Moulage is the art of applying mock injuries for the purpose of training Emergency Response Teams and other medical and military personnel. Organized by Stephanie McKinney from Station 14, the goal of the class is to add to the group of moulage artists to use for EMT classes, state testing, drills, recruitment and more. On Saturday, Feb. 11, 140 adults filled the Central Library for “Cool Nights, Hot Jazz,” an after-hours program funded by a grant from the Friends of the Virginia Beach Public Library. Featuring a jazz ensemble from the US Army TraDoc Band, open mic poetry, local beer tasting from Wasserhund Brewery, art displays and green screen photo opps, the event was free for attendees. The goal of the evening was to provide a social, cultural and educational opportunity, sharing information on the origins of jazz, as well as highlighting local musicians, artists and poets. The Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office will host its quarterly blood drive for the American Red Cross on Thursday, March 2, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center located (Bldg. 7, 2501 James Madison Blvd.). The event is open to the public, who may enter through the Alpha 1 entrance, which faces George Mason Drive. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments will be given priority. For appointments, contact Kathy Heiatt, (757) 385-8446, [email protected] or visit www.redcrossblood.org and use sponsor code VBSheriff. Mermaids return to the Virginia Aquarium on Mondays in April. Happening from 6 to 9 p.m., this after-hours event gives you a chance for face time with a real, live mermaid, as she swims in the Red Sea Tunnel. Don’t worry about the crowds; dated, timed tickets provide a guaranteed sighting without fighting the masses. Tickets are $20 for Aquarium members and $30 for non-members and are on sale now at www.virginiaaquarium.com. ♦ February 17, 2017 – Copy of an inter-office memorandum from Purchasing Agent Taylor V. Adams via Finance Director Patricia A. Phillips regarding the Construction Bid Summary Report for January 2017. ♦ February 7, 2017 – Copy of a letter from Melissa B. Jacobsen, meetings manager for the American Association of School Librarians, regarding a headquarter hotel. ♦ February 6, 2017 – Copy of a letter from Helen J. Westmoreland, most worthy grand matron of the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, to City Clerk Ruth Hodges Fraser, regarding her appointment as Ambassador to New York. ♦ February 15, 2017 – Copy of an article from SB Nation titled, “13 possible NBA expansion cities, ranked.” ♦ February 2017 – Copy of an article from Smart Meetings magazine titled, “Virginia’s Perfect 10.” ♦ Virginia Beach Television (VBTV) Program Schedule | Feb.

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