City Manager’s Update Absentee voting for the June 12 primary elections is currently available. Registered voters must meet one of the 20 eligibility requirements to vote absentee. The list of requirements can be found on the Virginia Absentee Ballot Application or at the Virginia Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal vote.virginia.gov. Virginia citizens who wish to vote absentee must be registered to vote. The last day to register or make any voter registration status updates for the June 12 primary elections must be made by Monday, May 21. Registered voters who need to vote absentee in-person may do so at the Voter Registration & Elections – Building 14 at the Municipal Center (2449 Princess Anne Road). Voters can come in Monday through Friday during regular office hours and on Saturday, June 9, the last day for in-person absentee voting. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 5. Absentee ballot applications returned by mail must be received by 7 p.m., on Election Day. Voters can request an absentee ballot online using the Department’s online Citizen Portal. Voters that do not have an acceptable form of identification may contact the Voter Registrar's Office for a free voter photo ID. Contact: (757) 385-8683. As part of National Police Week, local law enforcement agencies will hold a Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, to remember officers who have died in the line of duty. The Virginia Beach Fraternal Order of Police hosts this annual memorial service at the Law Enforcement Memorial at the oceanfront (35th Street and the boardwalk) as a tribute to all local law enforcement officers. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as National Police Week. The community is invited and encouraged to attend this public ceremony honoring our local officers. The Office of Volunteer Resources is assisting with recruiting volunteers for the following positions/events: The Department of Housing & Neighborhood Preservation is seeking volunteers for positions (HRC Ambassador, HRC Front Desk Receptionist, Homeless Services Program Support) at the soon-to-be open Housing Resource Center. Apply online. Contact: Diane Hotaling, (757) 385-1278, [email protected]. May 16, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., Virginia Beach Field House. Volunteers are needed to role play as a shelteree, family member or caregiver. Sign up here. Contact: Office of Emergency Management, (757) 385-8412. June 2, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help clean the bay at normal locations, challenging sites (ages 18+) and for water-based cleanups. Register with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation on their website. Contact: [email protected]. Please contact the Office of Volunteer Resources at (757) 385-4722 or [email protected] for questions and more information. The City of Virginia Beach has been named a recipient of the 2018 CIO 100 award by IDG's CIO. Now in its 31st year, the annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology. The city's StormSense project was acknowledged as a standout initiative for its innovative use of Internet-of-things (IoT) sensors, artificial intelligence and voice assistance integration. IoT sensors, strategically placed in flood-prone areas throughout the city, collect massive amounts of data for historic, current and future analysis. The project's ultimate goals include reducing flooding impacts, building more resilient communities, improving emergency preparedness and strengthening disaster recovery efforts. The Virginia Beach Fire Academy (formerly known as the Tidewater Regional Fire Academy) celebrated the graduation of its first class, VBFA #1, on Monday, April 30. After six long months of training, 28 fire recruits crossed the stage to have their Virginia Beach Fire Department badges pinned to their uniforms. Mayor Will Sessoms served as the keynote speaker as his last official act as mayor of Virginia Beach and the graduates were sworn in by Chief Magistrate Ronald Batliner. The graduates will spend the next 15 months as probationary firefighters, wearing red helmets. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, they will don yellow helmets and officially become members of the VBFD. Congratulations to the newly graduated. Mayor Will Sessoms held the final Manufacturing Roundtable of his term at the offices of Economic Development on Tuesday, April 24. Facilitated by Director of Economic Development Warren D. Harris, Mayor Sessoms reviewed successes during the past seven years that included connecting Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Tidewater Community College, Old Dominion University and ECPI with industry partners to address career and training opportunities with the Virginia Beach manufacturers. Mayor Sessoms started this manufacturing focus in 2011 by convening a diverse group of Virginia Beach manufacturers together. The group’s initial focus consisted of workforce challenges in the industry. On Friday, April 27, Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation officially celebrated a historic departmental milestone by dedicating its new administration building with a tree planting ceremony coinciding with Arbor Day. The new 27,000-square-foot facility is now home to 115 staff members who were previously spread out at four sites across the city, and is already proving to provide tremendous opportunity for collaboration amongst staff and increased efficiencies for delivering high quality customer service and experiences for citizens. The open, bright, and modern-looking building is expected to be LEED-certified with features that include: Natural daylighting with glass curtain walls and windows. LED lighting throughout and motion-sensing/automatic shutoff. A geothermal well system to assist with heating and cooling. Use of sustainable and local materials. Low flow and touchless water fixtures. 176 parking spaces, with 9 designated for low-emitting fuel efficient vehicles. The most recent citizen satisfaction survey showed that 90 percent of citizens are satisfied with the services by Parks & Recreation, and the department strives to grow this positive sentiment as team members collaborate and work side-by-side in their new space. The annual Arbor Day Celebration took place at Kempsville Recreation Center on Friday, April 27. This is the 38th consecutive year that Virginia Beach received a Tree City USA designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The City also received its fifth Tree City USA Growth Award for initiating new projects that go above and beyond standard Tree City USA requirements. Virginia Beach first became a Tree City USA community in 1980, and the second community in Virginia to receive the designation. In order to become a Tree City USA community, the City must meet high standards with regard to tree planting and maintenance. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a ‘Teddy Bear’ magnolia tree donated by the Virginia Beach Beautification Commission was planted. Mayor Louis Jones, Vice Mayor Jim Wood, Deputy City Managers Ken Chandler and Steve Cover, City leadership, staff and I celebrated 40 years of the City’s volunteer program and honored the City’s outstanding Volunteer Resource Managers (VRM) and Volgistics Database Operators at the Office of Volunteer Resources’ Annual Recognition Day on Wednesday, May 2. Ellen Burns, a VRM of 40 years, served as mistress of ceremonies and Vice Mayor Jim Wood spoke on the value of volunteerism. I had the pleasure of presenting the 2017 Mary C. Russo Volunteer Resource Manager of the Year to JoAnn Weger (Police) and recognizing 46 certified Volunteer Resource Managers, thanking them for their commitment to putting nearly 14,000 volunteers in local government. The annual Earth Day Celebration, presented by Parks and Recreation and the Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission, was held Saturday, April 21 at Mount Trashmore Park. More than 5,000 people came to participate in children’s activities and explore vendors who demonstrated and educated guests on how to make a positive impact on their environment. The Recycling Zone, sponsored by Beach Municipal, ran concurrently and offered citizens the opportunity to recycle electronics, hazardous household waste, metals and lumber. This year’s Earth Day was a designated a Virginia Green Event by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Thanks to public relations efforts by the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Virginia Beach was recently featured as a top affordable summer travel destination on Forbes.com (Impressions: 36 million). Highlights include biking in Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, primitive hiking in False Cape State Park, paddling to Blue Pete’s and camping at North Bay Shore Campground. Read the full article at www.forbes.com. Virginia Beach Public Library hosted a ceremony in partnership with Norfolk Public Library on Sunday, April 22 for graduates of the Career Online High School program, which enables adults to earn accredited high school diplomas and career certificates through their public libraries. The joint graduation celebration was held at Slover Library in Norfolk. Director of Libraries Eva Poole was among the speakers during the event, which was attended by four of six Virginia Beach graduates, six Norfolk graduates and their families and friends. In a note to Workforce Reference Librarian Dotsy Harland, Virginia Beach graduate Naquann Bynum said, “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a life changing program. My family was very proud to see me finally accomplish something that has always been my dream.” Naquann Bynum and family. Virginia Beach was the first library in the region to launch the program in Fall 2016 and celebrated its first two graduates in October 2017. Norfolk began offering the program in Fall 2017 and this celebration recognizes its first graduating cohort. The public was invited to join the Office of Cultural Affairs on Wednesday, May 2 at the Rudee Walkway to celebrate the completion of “Seashore Cathedral,” a mural by Giuseppe Percivati.