City of Virginia Beach November 20, 2009
An Unexpected Visitor Departs
Last Wednesday proved to be the beginning of a very long windy and wet week with the first storm of the season. Who would have guessed that a 3-story 570-foot guest would be coming ashore on one of our beaches?
The “November Nor’easter” brought more than 10 inches of rainfall in less than three days, and our city experienced extensive beach erosion and coastal flooding. The visitor was a 75,000-ton barge owned by Crowley Shipping based in Jacksonville Florida. The barge was separated off the coast of Delaware near the mouth of the Delaware Bay and drifted for several hours to its final resting place at Little Island Park only 120 yards from the Little Island Pier.
The Fire Department’s Haz-Mat Team boarded the vessel with the United States Coast Guard and performed the initial visual inspections as well as atmospheric monitoring to ensure none of the cargo was leaking. Once the vessel was deemed safe, the Fire Department participated in a Unified Command Post with the Coast Guard, Crowley Shipping and Titian Marine Salvage Company. The barge was freed on Wednesday morning, November 18, at 7:48 with the high tide. Thanks to everyone involved in assisting with the salvage operation and “Special Thanks” to staff from Little Island Park and the Department of Parks and Recreation for the use of the Little Island Park’s Office to serve as the command post for the 5-day operation. It was ironic to have the Little Island Life Saving Station serve in a ship rescue 45 years after it was officially retired.
Thanks for a Job Well Done
Mayor Sessoms sent out an email thanking all City employees for their part in helping the organization weather the assault of the November Nor'easter. I would like to add my thanks to his and to commend all of our members for their performance during the event.
Manager for the Bureau of Animal Control Selected
Chief A. M. Jacocks, Jr. has announced the appointment of Juleen E. Balance to the position of Animal Care Shelter Manager effective November 16. Juleen began her career in the animal services field at the age of sixteen when she was employed by a local veterinarian’s practice and later at an emergency veterinary hospital. At eighteen, she began her work serving the community’s animals as an Animal Caretaker for the Norfolk Animal Management Center.
Since her entry into the animal care and control field, Juleen has served as an Animal Control Officer, Kennel Manager, Animal Services Team Leader, and Animal Control Shelter Supervisor. She has provided valuable service to three different Hampton Roads communities, including Norfolk, Hampton, and Virginia Beach.
Juleen holds an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science from Tidewater Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, including industrial/organizational concentrations with a minor in Business Management from Old Dominion University, and is near completion of her Masters Degree in Community Leadership from Duquesne University. She is also a West Point Leadership graduate and holds certificates of completion in many field specific courses.
Committed to the humane care for all animals, Juleen has devoted her career to animal welfare. As Animal Care Shelter Manager she will continue to work to serve both animals and the Virginia Beach community. Please join me in congratulating Juleen.
New CEO Welcome
Wednesday morning, Councilmember Bob Dyer, City Clerk Ruth Hodges Fraser and I had the pleasure of attending the annual New CEO Welcome Breakfast organized by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce. This year's event at the Founders Inn, welcomed 28 new CEO's to Hampton Roads. Included was our own Captain Mark Rich, Commanding Officer of NAS Oceana. In these difficult times, it was great to meet the newest members/leaders of the diverse Hampton Roads economic engines.
Oceana Energy Saving Project
On Thursday, Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr., Deputy City Manager Steve Herbert and I attended the ground breaking for the $44 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) project at NAS Oceana. The project is a public-private partnership to realize the replacement of the steam plant and other equipment with state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems including ground source heat pumps.
In addition, the project will install other energy saving measures such as solar hot water, high efficiency lighting in 71 buildings and more efficient voter fixtures and a web-based digital facility management system. The new equipment will allow the removal of the 1940's vintage above ground steam piping system and save $4.5 million in energy costs. Congratulations to all involved.
Aquarium Volunteer Named One of Ten Who Care
Marian Childress, a dedicated volunteer at the Virginia Aquarium was recognized at the WAVY-TV10 Ten Who Care luncheon yesterday. For twelve years, Marian has volunteered at the Virginia Aquarium, racking up 10,125 hours in service to the Bird Care/Quarantine area and the stranding response team. She has responded to hundreds of dead or stranded sea turtles and marine mammals.
Marian travels to other states to pick up or deliver injured sea turtles and marine mammals. She is a dedicated member of the Avian team, and works in outreach to teach the community about Virginia’s endangered marine animals and does the dirty work, too! Cleaning cages and roaming the beach before dawn during sea turtle nesting season looking for new nests to protect. Please join me in congratulating Marian – and expressing our thanks for her service – and for the service of all our volunteers to our community.
Small Business Revitalization Summit and Expo
Earlier this month, the Minority Business Council (MBC) hosted its’ 11th annual Conference and Expo at the Westin Hotel-Town Center from 2:00 until 7:00 p m. Prior to the Conference and Expo, the MBC and the Department of Economic Development, in partnership with the Hampton Roads Committee of 200+ Men, Inc. held a roundtable discussion with the guest speaker for the Expo, Dr. Dennis P. Kimbro. Members of the Hampton Roads minority business community had an opportunity to gain knowledge and insight from Dr. Kimbro on relevant issues affecting minority-owned businesses operating within the Hampton Roads region.
The Conference and Expo had an attendance of 291 guests with 60 exhibitor booths. Attendees included small, woman, minority and service disabled veteran owned businesses seeking to learn more about doing businesses with the local cities. For the first time, other Hampton Roads cities participated in the various procurement-training sessions for vendors to learn more about procurement opportunities in each of the cities, as well as the basic procurement processes used by each city. Exhibit booths were hosted by City of Virginia Beach departments and the other regional cities as well as various federal, state and local entities. The procurement training sessions and Expo successfully demonstrated the MBC’s vision of “…Connecting contractor resources with city opportunities.”
Participants on the program included Mayor William D. Sessoms, Jr. who delivered the welcome address, and Councilmember Ron Villanueva, who gave remarks. Also in attendance were Samuel Hayes, Director of the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise and Special Assistant to the Governor for Supplier Diversity, Patti Phillips, Director of Finance, Al Hutchinson, Vice President for Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, Director of Public Works Jason Cosby, and Director of Public Utilities Tom Leahy.
Exceptional Achievement awards were given to city employees/department that were recognized for their outstanding outreach, advocacy and technical support of the City’s efforts to increase small, woman, minority and service disabled veteran-owned businesses. The recipients’ of this recognition were Pat Cook, Libraries, Molly Riley and William Carr, Fire Department, Dorothy Ruiz, Parks & Recreation/Landscape Services and the Public Works Department. Congratulations to everyone who participated in making the event a success.
2009 Virginia Beach Stewardship Development Award
The Green Ribbon Committee has announced the Virginia Beach Stewardship Development Program and is accepting applications for the inaugural year award. The program honors residential, commercial and public development projects in Virginia Beach that demonstrate outstanding environmental stewardship in the protection, conservation, improvement and awareness of our natural resources.
Primary emphasis is placed on Site Inventory and Development Plan, Water Quality Protection, Green Building, Wetland Riparian Preservation/Restoration, Habitat Protection/Improvement, Vegetation Protection/Enhancement, Natural Project Amenities, Long-term Management and Maintenance, Community Stewardship, Public Education, and Re-use/Revitalization of Existing Site. Two levels of distinction have been established:
• Outstanding Recognition is the highest level of distinction available. This honor is only bestowed upon projects that have achieved high marks in all applicable criteria.
• Significant Achievement is the next level of achievement. If a project falls short on one or more criteria, specific aspects of the project may be highlighted at this award level.
For program application, criteria, submittal process and award information, visit www.VBgov.com/stewardshipdevelopmentaward.
Virginia Beach Launches Second Web Site to Use SharePoint
The Virginia Aquarium has a new exhibit called “Restless Planet,” but did you know that the aquarium’s online visitors are also being treated to a new experience? On Tuesday, November 17, the Department of Museums and the Department of Communications and Information Technology (ComIT) launched the second city Web site to be built and managed using Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint, which is scheduled for an enterprise launch in 2010, will replace Vignette as the city’s Web site content management system.
The redesigned www.VirginiaAquarium.com showcases a new look and feel with a more user intuitive site navigation. The home page features a rotating banner that highlights featured aquarium exhibits and events, the day’s IMAX schedule, and a direct link to live habitat Web cams. A calendar of scheduled events and activities allows users to see all events or select a category (or categories) of interest to have only those items displayed on the calendar. IMAX movie trailers add an exciting new multimedia feature for users, and a media gallery showcases live and archived videos and photos. A new content sharing feature enables users to share content from the site with others via a host of options such as email or social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, and many more, making it possible for the aquarium to expand its reach through social networking.
Traffic Affected by Sanitary Sewer Repair on Edinburgh Drive
Beginning November 24, Edinburgh Drive will be closed between Caren Drive and Gotham Road while the Department of Public Utilities replaces sanitary sewer lines in that section of the Birchwood subdivision. During the road closure, motorists traveling on Edinburgh Drive will be directed to use Little Neck Road, Virginia Beach Boulevard, and Lynn Shores Drive as an alternate route. Warning signs will be posted in advance. The work is expected to be completed by December 11, weather permitting.
America Recycles Day at Mount Trashmore Park on Sunday
The "America Recycles Day" event sponsored by Public Works/Waste Management and Tidewater Fibre Corporation, originally scheduled for last Sunday, has been rescheduled for this Sunday, November 22, from 12 noon until 4:00 p.m. at Mount Trashmore Park. It will be a day of exciting activities and events. There will be games, great prizes, family activities, food, music as well as a chance to win gift certificates to local "Green" restaurants. The event celebrates America Recycles Day which is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products. Celebrating its twelfth year, it has grown to include millions of Americans pledging to increase their recycling habits at home and at work and to buy products made with recycled materials.
Thought of the Week
"The best way out is always through."
~ Robert Frost
| Contact Information: |
| City Manager's Office |
| Municipal Center, Bldg 1 |
| 2401 Courthouse Drive, Suite 234 |
| Virginia Beach, VA 23456 |
| CMOffice@vbgov.com |
| Direct: (757) 385-4242 |
| Fax: (757) 427-5626 |
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