Wards Corner Civic League

The September 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 16th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.

We will have a presentation by Karen Rudd of the Norfolk Public Arts Commission on planned public art in Wards Corner.  We also will have an update on the pump station and sewer repairs.

Here is President Jim English’s message for September 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,

It is hard to believe that the summer of 2013 is rapidly coming to a close. I hope your summer was great and you are now ready to begin the fall activities. With fall fast approaching, school is in session and the Wards Corner Civic League will begin holding its regular meetings again beginning with our meeting on September 16^th to be held at the new Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center beginning at 645PM. While we have not had a meeting in two months the board members and members of our civic league have been busy working on issues to make our area better.

Improvements to the Business District continue and the Harris Teeter grocery store as well as the connected out parcels are now well out of the ground.  Although in its infancy, I am impressed with the appearance of the Harris Teeter. Soon the construction of the bank on that property will begin. All of this is a very positive sign for the Wards Corner area.

Over the summer we continued to see several major projects keep moving along. Soon these will be finished and add more positive visibility to the revitalization of Wards Corner that impacts all of us. These projects include but are not necessarily limited to:

• DePaul Hospital renovation
• Perry Property/Harris Teeter
• Dallis Property facelift
• Denby Park demolitions
• Burying Power lines
• Sewer Project on Newport Ave and adjacent streets

We will be discussing these projects as well as others over the course of the next several months. We will also have informative speakers on timely city topics for you to hear. Therefore, I want to welcome you back to another year of good productive civic league meetings. If you regularly attend our meetings please bring a neighbor. If you have never been to a meeting or you are new to the area please join us. A strong active civic league like ours gives us good and continued political clout, which we have built with our council representatives to this area. The Wards Corner Civic League is recognized as one of the strongest civic leagues in Norfolk.

Please enjoy this newsletter. Please join your civic league. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you on the 16^th of September at the Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center. This month we will be presenting a bylaws change to add two new members to our executive committee. We will present it this at this meeting and vote on it in October.

Sincerely,

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The June 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 17th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.
We will have a update from Chris Perry on the Harris Teeter anchored shopping center that he is constructing as well as an update from Councilman Andy Protogyrou

Here is President Jim English’s message for June 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,
I am writing this message to you on Sunday morning June 1st. A Police Officer Sergeant friend of mine has just stopped by my house to advise me that a robbery had just taken place in the area of Restmere and W. Little Creek Road. If you saw about eight police units and an equal number of officers in that area at that time, they were looking for the suspect. Hopefully that individual will be apprehended soon. This is a reminder that we should be ever vigilant to what is going on around us and to keep all of our doors locked at all times. If you don’t have one, consider getting a home security system. It’s worth it. Another neighborhood alert option that we are publishing and encouraging all of you to sign up for is an email listserv. This notification system will allow you to send a message to all of those members on the listserv if you have an alert that you wish to put out to everyone. You can sign up for it by going to http://www.wardscorner.com and clicking on the WCCL Listserv link on the right hand column of the webpage. From there, simply follow the directions to sign up. The more folks we have on the listserv, the more we can get a message out to all in a timely manner. This system was encouraged by our Police Officers.

As summer is just around the corner and schools will be out, hopefully we will all enjoy some vacation time. We also hope that this summer’s weather will be great and we will once again be spared any major hurricanes as like last year. However, make sure you are prepared just in case. Over the summer, please continue to enjoy the Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center. There are over 7000 members now. If you are not a member, please consider joining and taking advantage of this great facility in our back yard. As I drive through Wards Corner every day, I am excited to see that the building is coming out of the ground on the Suburban Park Shopping Center. By September it should be completely up and we will have a good idea what the property will look like. To date the following have signed leases for that property:
• Harris Teeter
• Towne Bank
• Sleepy’s Mattress
• Albano Cleaners
• Subway
• Starbucks
• MOE’s Southwest Grill
In addition, you probably noticed that the parking lot has been resurfaced at the Midtown Shopping Center property, giving it a fresh look. We also know that a Dollar General is moving into where the #1 Chinese Buffet was in the Wards Corner Shopping Center. Also the new sewer pump station should be finished and operational this summer. Our efforts are really starting to pay off in the Business District. But let’s not forget that continued focus and efforts are needed in the
Denby Park area which still needs much attention and funding to uplift that neighborhood.

Since our June meeting is the last meeting until September, it also means that this is the last newsletter until then as well. We will not have a meeting in July and August unless it is warranted.  I wish to once again thank Barbara Ross for her dedicated service as our newsletter editor. She has done an excellent job of preparing the newsletter each month. This takes a significant amount of time to complete and Barbara’s newsletters are informative and always on time. Barbara, we thank you for your service and look forward to your newsletters again in the fall. Enjoy your two months of newsletter free time. Speaking of keeping us informed, a hearty thanks goes to Martin Thomas Jr. for keeping our website http://www.wardscorner.com as well as http://www.wardscornernow.com up to date and informative.

We also thank Martin for the good work he is doing on the Planning Commission for our area and the city. Also a special thanks to Joan Griffey and Ray Duron for keeping the records of our meetings and ensuring that our finances are in order. Joan, also thank you for your continued efforts as Chair of the Beautification Committee with the Greater Wards Corner Task Force. Joan is now also the Secretary of the Norfolk Federation of Civic Leagues. A thank you also goes to our 2nd VP Sue Classick for her tireless efforts in organizing the delivery of our newsletters each month with our many
newsletter carriers. Thanks also to our many newsletter carriers for their time in delivering our newsletters to you. This also is no small task. It is yet another valuable service that we are providing to all of the residents of the Wards Corner Civic League area residents. It is also the envy of many of the civic leagues in the Greater Wards Corner area as well as citywide. Thanks also to Betty and Ray Duron for organizing and conducting our adopt-a-spot cleanups over the last several years. Thanks also to the members of our civic league who help in each of these cleanups. Thank you all for your service.

Finally, I extend a very grateful thanks to all of our paid members for your continuing support and attendance at our monthly meetings. Your presence and input at our meetings is much appreciated. Please tell your neighbors to join us in attendance and membership as more numbers mean a bigger voice at city hall. One thing is for sure. The dedication and
commitment of the membership of the Greater Wards Task Force and area Civic Leagues (including and especially ours) will continue the push with our city elected officials and senior city management staff to help us correct and develop the area and rid it of the dysfunctional and criminal element that resides here. We will not be taking the summer off but will continue our fight. Please join us in that fight as numbers speak to elected officials.

Please have a safe, relaxing and enjoyable summer. We hope to see you again in June and then in the fall at our September meeting.
Thanks,

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The May 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 20th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.

We will have a candidates forum. Invited:  Sharon McDonald, Commissioner of Revenue, Robert McCabe, Sheriff, Greg Underwood, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Anthony Burfoot, City Treasurer.

Here is President Jim English’s message for May 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,
For over 15 years now, many of us have been working to revitalize the Greater Wards Corner area. For the past three to four years we have been making very good progress in that effort. However this year the City Manager has proposed cutting the funding for Wards Corner. The below two articles were in the Virginian Pilot in April. Many of you may already know about this but I bring it to your attention in case you do not. While we hope our City Council representatives will be able to convince the City Manager to restore funding to Wards Corner at the 2013 level, it may mean slower progress if we do not see those funds. If that happens then we will have to fight city hall again for more funding. While the city budget will most likely be approved prior to your receiving this newsletter or before the next civic league meeting, please keep your attention tuned for the latest developments in the city funding of Wards Corner. I will do my best to keep you informed as I hear of those developments. Please also visit us on www.wardscorner.com and http://www.wardscornernow.com and get the latest news about this as well as other civic league and Wards Corner issues.

“City Manager proposes less money for Wards Corner Neighborhood Plan

April 17, 2013
The City of Norfolk has posted its proposed 2014 fiscal year budget to the City of Norfolk website.  Disappointingly the City Manager has only proposed allocating $750,000 to the Wards Corner Neighborhood Plan. That is the least amount of funding allocated to the Wards Corner Plan since 2007. Year Allocation for Implementation of the W. C. Plan
2014 750,000 (proposed)
2013 2,000,000
2012 1,000,000
2011 1,767,500
2010 1,010,000
2009 2,121,000
2008 1,010,000
2007 505,000
Wards Corner Now, the Wards Corner Task Force, and the various civic leagues in the Wards Corner area have
been resolute in their request that neighborhood plan funding be used to purchase and demolish the blighted
and crime inducing properties in the Texas streets section of Denby Park. In recent years the City has been
successful in purchasing 37 units in 2013 and 68 units in 2011/2012.
Additionally, the proposed 2014 budget includes $500,000 to provide for the design and construction of
improvements to the Granby Street and Louisiana Drive intersection. This is a part of the intersection
improvements required by Harris Teeter for the new shopping center in the business district.
NORFOLK — For years the City of Norfolk would allocate millions of dollars to revitalizing the Wards Corner area, but this year the funds are getting slashed.

City spokeswoman Lori Crouch says the City Manager was able to scrape and provide $750,000 for the proposed FY 2014 budget.

“The city is fiscally stressed,” said Crouch. Here’s how the numbers break down:
Year Allocation for Implementation of the Wards
Corner Plan
2014 $750,000 (proposed)
2013 $2,000,000
2012 $1,000,000
2011 $1,767,500
Less money being allocated to the neighborhood isn’t sitting well with residents, businesses owners or patrons
of Wards Corner.  Martin Thomas Jr. says less money coming in now could jeopardize overall progress.
Previous funds were used to purchase and demolish blighted and crime-inducing properties in sections of
Denby Park. The City purchased 68 units in 2011 and demolished them in 2012. In addition, 37 apartment
units were bought in 2013. Once the tenants are relocated the units will be demolished.

Next year, a new shopping plaza featuring Harris Teeter is scheduled to open in Wards Corner.  Thomas is concerned if there is no effort in ridding blighted properties around the shopping center, it will have a negative impression on investors.
“If we can show those businesses that this is a nice place to open and you are going to get a good clientele,
that effect will cause more and more redevelopment in the Wards Corner area,” Thomas said.
Finally, as we close out the first half of our civic league year, please join us at our May and June meetings. The
program is announced in this newsletter as it will be in the June newsletter.

Sincerely, Jim English

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The April 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 15th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.

Here is President Jim English’s message for April 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

            It is springtime and the trees are budding and the flowers are starting to show. Soon the azaleas will be in full bloom. This is a great time of the year. With it we see the signs of renewal at the Wards Corner business district. The Perry Property is being readied for construction of the Harris Teeter Grocery Store and its out parcels, Farm Fresh has just had its grand reopening after its extensive renovation and the Dalis Property continues to show its new faceover. In addition the new sewer pump station at the Wellness center entrance is beginning to spring up and the sewer lines on the connecting streets are almost completed. Repaving on those streets should start soon.

            Spring also marks the half-way point of the first six months of our civic league year. The next three months will have interesting programs. In April and May we will have an election forum for the Commissioner of the Revenue with a Democratic Primary set for June 11th; and an update of this year’s General Assembly initiatives by Senator Ralph Northam and Delegate Linwood Lewis. In June we hope to have Sergeant Avery of the Norfolk Police Department return to give us a demonstration of crime view and crime mapper since she was unable to get the internet connection at our March meeting. Typically we don’t meet in July and August and we will stay that way this year unless an urgent need arises for us to meet. Of course, we will keep you informed of all area updates as best we can over that time on our website http://www.wardscorner.com and via our email list. If you would like to join our civic league and be listed on our email list, please contact me or one of the officers listed in this newsletter.

            At our April meeting, Sergeant Avery discussed some important crime prevention tips with us that we should take advantage of. They include:

 •           Signing up for crime alerts on the Norfolk Police website. See http://www.norfolk.gov/?nid=310

•           Being a good witness

•           Having a home security survey done by the Police. For more info on this, call the crime prevention unit at 664-6901

 It is sad to say that we must take all of these tips and more to protect ourselves and our property today. As recently as last week, a home in my neighborhood had a break-in when the residents were not home, and the thieves did away with a lot of very expensive high end electronics. Unfortunately, these military men were out to sea and discovered this when they returned home. Some homecoming! The police responded quickly and the police forensic unit has done their investigation, but who knows if they will get their items back. Let’s hope they catch these criminals. Let’s all be vigilant to our surroundings in our neighborhood! It is absolutely necessary.

 I hope to see you at our April 15th meeting.

 Thanks,

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The following Newport Ave road closings are planned in connection with the utility and pump station work being done near the Fitness and Wellness Center:

Monday, 4/1/13 through Friday, 4/12/13

Gaston Brothers Utilities, contractor for project, will set up traffic control and begin detouring traffic onto Granby Street.

This will be for work involving a small portion of sewer main to be installed from the middle of Newport Avenue towards the pump station site.

Monday, 4/15/13 through Saturday 5/4/13

Contractor will begin demolition of the temporary paving along Newport Avenue from the station heading north and including the intersection of Newport and North Shore Road.  Permanent paving will then occur along Newport Avenue.

Permanent roadway markings will finalize the paving which will then open the road back up.

Pending weather, Newport should be permanently paved and re-opened to traffic on 5/4/13.

Access to residences and to the Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center will remain at all times.

It will be similar to last year’s road closure on Newport Avenue, but not as long.

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The March 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 18th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.
The Agenda includes: Sergeant Avery, Norfolk Police Department, Crime Prevention, and Rick Dempsey, Engineer, Norfolk Department of Utilities – Update on Pump Station, Neighborhood Sewer Repairs.

Here is President Jim English’s message for March 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Jim’s message will return next month.

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The February 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 25th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.
The Agenda includes:  DePaul Update,  Home Crime Prevention, and Rick Dempsey, Engineer, Norfolk Department of Utilities  – Update on Pump Station, Neighborhood Sewer Repairs.
Here is President Jim English’s message for February 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,

Each year I try to give you a summary of the previous year’s activities in our civic league. We had an interesting and productive year. Below are highlights from our meetings:

1. January. Martin Thomas Jr. exhibited a sample of the wardscorner.com signage that would be purchased for all of the neighborhood signs in our civic league area at a cost of 73.00 per sign. We learned that Councilman Andy Protogyrou had requested that the power lines be buried in the area of the Perry Property reconstruction.
2. February. Councilman Andy Protogyrou updated us on Denby Park land acquisitions, crime increases, search for the new police chief and the Community Service Board. Chris Perry and his associates presented their site plan for the renovation of the SE corner of the business district where the new Harris Teeter grocery store will be built.
3. March. Delegate Kenny Alexander gave us a summary of the legislative action taken at this year’s Va. General Assembly. Delegate Linwood Lewis and Senator Ralph Northam were unable to attend this year. Martin Thomas gave updates on the Perry Property. Rick Dempsey from the department of Utilities presented an update of the sewer project and pump station construction. It was announced that the Dalis/Martone property was planning a 1.5 million dollar facelift of that property at the NE corner of the business district. Farm Fresh has also announced a two million dollar renovation of their store. Both are scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2012.
4. April. We held a candidate forum for City Council Super Ward 6. In attendance and speaking were. Councilman Barclay Winn, opponents Marcus Calabrese, John Amiral and Jesse Scaccia.
5. May. Senator Northam and Delegate Lewis were present and spoke to their activities in the Virginia General Assembly. We also heard updates from the Utilities Department regarding the sewer and pump station project.
6. June. We recognized our civic league members who faithfully keep our adopt-a- spot location cleaned up four times a year. They are: Ray Duron, Shawn and Stephanie Gallagher, Robert Lester, Steve and Pat Yaros and Sue Classick.
7. July. By vote of the membership we held a July meeting and heard updates on the various projects that were occurring in the neighborhood and business district.
8. August. No meeting
9. September. Dr. Brad Robinson, School Board Vice Chairman gave us a presentation on the activities of the Norfolk School Board.
10. October. We held a candidate forum for the seat vacated by delegate Kenny Alexander who moved to the Virginia Senate following election, replacing Senator Yvonne Miller. While the three candidates were invited, only Yvonne Allmond of the Towne Bank showed up for the forum. She presented her platform and answered questions. Martin Thomas Jr. also gave updates on development in the Business District.
11. November. Councilman Andy Protogyrou gave us several updates on city council actions and discussion regarding Wards Corner. Linda Bryant, Deputy Common-wealth Attorney, discussed her role as the lead attorney of the new satellite office of the Commonwealth Attorney in the Workforce Development Center.
12. December. We were pleased to have Dr. Samuel King, new Superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools, attend our meeting to speak on his vision for the Norfolk School System. Delegate Linwood Lewis also was present and spoke briefly about the upcoming 2013 Va. General Assembly session.

Finally, throughout the year our community police resource officer, Odell Davis, has attended all of our meetings and given us updates on crime in our area and how we can protect ourselves and prevent crime from happening to us. As a result of an apparent increase in crime in our area, particularly residential burglary, we and our police representatives are discussing how we can do more to stop this crime. Programs mentioned include neighborhood watch programs, increasing communication with the police via electronic media, and increased communication among ourselves when we see suspicious activity and/or crimes occurring. No one program may fit our needs but a combination may. If you are interested in learning more please come to our February meeting.

As the New Year begins we will be once again providing you with speakers on timely and relevant issues at our civic league meetings. We also want you to attend and bring your issues and concerns to us so that we may help address and/or rectify those issues and problems. You may keep track of the civic league happenings in this monthly newsletter, but your presence at the meetings is greatly appreciated. Please consider attending. Please also visit us at http://www.wardscorner.com.

Please note that our meeting date for February has changed due to the holiday. The February meeting will be the 25th at 6:45PM at the Wellness Center.

Thanks for allowing us to continue to serve you as officers of the Wards Corner Civic League

Happy New Year to all and wishes for a prosperous and healthy year.

Sincerely,

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The January 2013 civic league meeting will be held on the 28th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.

The Agenda includes: Michael Goldsmith, Norfolk Chief of Police, and Rick Dempsey, Engineer Norfolk Department of Utilities.

Here is President Jim English’s message for January 2013:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,

Happy New Year and here is wishing you a prosperous 2013. For my message in January of 2012, I discussed my wish list for Christmas 2011 and wondered what the year would bring and how many of the items listed would come true. Well, below is that list again with an update of items that in fact did come true or were addressed. What will the New Year 2013 bring to Wards Corner and the city of Norfolk? My wishes for 2012 were for:

• The city of Norfolk to continue to purchase blighted property in Denby Park. This is continuing with more monies appropriated for acquisition and demolition.
• The city of Norfolk to continue to make Wards Corner a higher priority. Yes, and we are on the radar screen now more than ever.
• The redevelopment of the Perry Property. The old site is now completely razed and construction will begin soon.
• The redevelopment of the Dalis Property. Refacing completed. Tenants needed.
• The redevelopment of the Farm Fresh Property. Completed. Drive-up pharmacy almost completed.
• The redevelopment of the Kroger shopping center. Not much activity although the Commonwealth Attorney’s office has located a satellite office there.
• A permanent Police Chief. Yes. Mike Goldsmith is the new Chief
• A new Superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools. Yes. Dr. Samuel King is the new Superintendent.
• A permanent Development Director. Not yet
• A permanent Human Services Director Not yet.
• No robberies and larcenies in our neighborhood. This is a continuing problem that we are working with the police to address.
• No transvestites and prostitutes walking the streets in our area selling themselves. This is a continuing problem that we are working with the police to address.
• A new sewer pump station and sewer lines. Progress continues on this project.
• A beautiful revitalized Wards Corner Business District that blends with our neighborhood. It is getting better with work still to do.

Many of us have been at this task for the revitalization of Wards Corner for over 12+ years and have seen improvements, although they have been slow in coming. I will track my wish list to see how many of these are addressed this year.

As the New Year begins we will once again provide you with speakers on timely and relevant issues at our civic league meetings. We also want you to attend and bring your issues and concerns to us so that we may address and/or rectify those issues. You may keep track of our civic league progress in this monthly newsletter, but your presence at the meetings is greatly appreciated. Please consider attending. Also visit us at www.wardscorner.com.

Please note that our meeting dates for January and February have changed. The January meeting will be on the 28^th at 645PM and the February meeting will be the 25^th at 645PM. Both meetings will be at the Wellness Center.

Thanks for allowing us to continue to serve you as officers of the Wards Corner Civic League.

Finally, I am sharing with you excerpts from the minutes of the January 10th Wards Corner Task Force meeting.

Thanks, as always, to Karen Mayne for the following minutes.

Greater Wards Corner Task Force Meeting – January 10, 2013

The meeting was led by Councilman Andy Protogyrou. Council representatives Terry Whibley and Barclay Winn were also present.

Suburban Park Shopping Center Presentation

Chris Perry of Suburban Asset Management (SAM) provided an overview of the status of the redevelopment of the shopping center. Site demolition is complete and they will start on infrastructure construction very soon. Due to the good weather, the project is ahead of schedule. SAM plans to turn over the concrete “pads” to Harris Teeter and Towne Point Bank in April 2013, who will then use their own contractors to construct their portions of the shopping center. SAM will use Hoy Construction to build the remainder of the shopping center, which will include space for 9 to eleven retailers. If the weather remains cooperative, SAM hopes construction will be completed in 9 to 10 months from April.

SAM would like to find a restaurant to fill in the southern-most space in the shopping center, where outside seating would be possible. They encouraged task force members to spread the word and make recommendations on the names of any restaurateurs who might be interested in locating there.

Department of Public Works Updates – John Kiefer

The City will undertake a major reconstruction of the underpass and adjacent ramps at the junction of Tidewater Drive and Little Creek Road at Southern Shopping Center. They considered changing to an at-grade intersection, but that cost would be several million dollars more than maintaining the underpass. The project is planned to start in January 2014, will take 8 to 10 months to complete, will require major road closures for about 4 to 5 months, and detours for the four on/off ramps for about 10 to 14 weeks. While the road work is under construction, the Department of Utilities will also replace underground utilities along the section of Tidewater Drive south to Thole Street. DPW is planning to make presentations to the civic leagues in the area to explain the plans and detours.

Department of Development Updates – Mike Cutter

The owner of Mid-Towne Shopping Center has hired a new real estate broker and is negotiating leases, although no names were given. There are plans to renovate the parking lot during warmer weather in the spring.

The City is considering extending the grant program for business façade improvements to the Wards Corner area. This would allow this corridor to be eligible for matching grants.

A question was asked as to whether there will be a Dollar Tree store in the Wards Corner area. There will not be one in the new Suburban Park Shopping Center, but there is a possibility that there could be a Dollar Tree in one of the other two shopping centers on the north side.

Sincerely,

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The November 2012 civic league meeting will be held on the 19th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.
The Agenda includes:  Linda Bryant, DeputyCommonwealth Attorney & Rick Dempsey, Engineer Norfolk Department of Utilities – Update on Pump Station, Neighborhood Sewer Repairs.

Here is President Jim English’s message for November 2012:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,

As you read this message we will have elected a President, a Vice President, a US Senator for Virginia and an array of other offices and amendments to the State Constitution. Perhaps your candidate/s won, perhaps they didn’t.  Nonetheless, we are all going to have to recognize that they are our elected officials, and while we may or may not agree with them, they will be with us for four more years (at least). We will and should make our voices heard to our congressmen and elected officials if we do not agree with the policy/s that are being proposed. This is our right and obligation as a free and democratic society.  To sit idly by in apathy as decisions are made without our input or voice oftentimes (or should I say many times) allows poor policies to be put in place that don’t represent the best interest of the majority of us. It allows the few and vocal to get what they want. Exercise your free speech right and speak up to your congressmen or elected officials if you disagree with them. Also let them know if you do agree with them. It works both ways. I know I like to be vocal (sometimes to the point of being borderline obnoxious, I suppose) if what I see happening isn’t right or makes no sense. I challenge you to do the same – but civilly.

Thanksgiving is coming soon and I think we all have much to be thankful for this year.  I am very thankful that the Superstorm known as Sandy-while a strong storm here – did minimal damage to our immediate area. As I drove around our neighborhoods on Monday and Tuesday after the storm was passing through, I was very thankful to see that we suffered only minimal damage to the properties in our civil league area. I know some of you lost power, myself included, but that was probably only for a few hours as it was in my case. All in all, I was very grateful and thankful that we were spared the ravages of the storm that so devastated New Jersey and New York City. There but for the grace of God go us. Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those in New Jersey and New York City and the other northeastern states that are still suffering and offer them help if we are able.

Finally, you may have heard that the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office is opening a Community Collaboration Center (CCC) in the Workforce Development Center at Wards Corner.  The CCC supports the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the City by having a small group of prosecutors evaluate and integrate specialized resources and programs into the daily prosecution of cases. The prosecutors are responsible for representing the Commonwealth in Norfolk Circuit Court’s Drug Court, Mental Health Court, and Offender Re-Entry Court programs. In addition, the CCC follows the guidelines of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys for community prosecution – a philosophy that encourages collaboration between prosecutors, criminal justice partners, and the community to develop safer neighborhoods and enhance the quality of life of citizens.

Linda Bryant is a Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and the Director of the CCC. With 15+ years of prosecutorial experience here in Norfolk, she has the knowledge base and perspective to carry out the work of the CCC. Greg Underwood, Commonwealth’s Attorney, firmly believes the CCC is an important extension of the Office – enabling his office to remain deeply committed to their duty of criminal prosecution while fully recognizing the importance of crime prevention initiatives in Norfolk. Physically being located outside of downtown in a satellite office of sorts will increase their accessibility to citizens with public safety/criminal justice needs. Another connectivity goal of the CCC is to recognize citizens who may not need their assistance, but for whom they can facilitate contact with the correct department/agency.

According to Greg Underwood, Norfolk’s Commonwealth Attorney, “We want the community to know their prosecutors are here, handling cases that are in their area code. Placing the office in Wards Corner between the redevelopment under way at the intersection of Granby Street and Little Creek Road and the continued crime problems in Denby Park makes sense. It increases the likelihood of continued change for good.” Underwood called it “complementing the transition.”

“We wanted a place where we could make an impact,” Underwood said. “This was near the Texas streets, where they continue to have some drug issues, high crime.”

If you want to hear more about this office please attend our November civic league meeting as Linda Bryant, Deputy Commonwealth Attorney will be discussing the Community Collaboration Center. We will also have updates on the various projects in the Wards Corner area.

I hope to see you at our next meeting on the 19^th of November.

Sincerely,

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The October 2012 civic league meeting will be held on the 15th at 6:45pm at the Fitness and Wellness Center.

The Agenda includes:

Candidate Forum for the 89^th Virginia General Assembly Election.  Candidates invited: Yvonne Allmond, Daun Hester, Lionell Spruill, Jr.

Rick Dempsey, Engineer with the Norfolk Department of Utilities with an update on Pump Station and Neighborhood Sewer Repairs.

Here is President Jim English’s message for October 2012:

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Neighbors,

There are several important elections coming up in November and December that affect us all. I am sure you have heard about a couple of the races and candidates but may not have heard about the third. Therefore I want to take a moment and discuss the importance of voting in these elections.
Of course we have a National election for President and Vice President in November. This is probably one of the most important Presidential elections of our time. As much is at stake, please make sure you listen carefully to the candidates and try to make an informed choice as possible for the President. We have been bombarded with a lot of rhetoric over the past several months with more to come and it is clear that making a choice may be very difficult for some. Hopefully the debates will or have helped your decision making.
Secondly, we have a State election for a Senator to the US Congress. Both of the candidates are former Governors who are vying for the Senate seat. This too is an important election and the choice may also be difficult to make. Listen to their campaign issues and try to evaluate it and select who you think will be the best candidate to represent Virginia in the US Senate.
A third and equally important election is that to fill the seat vacated by Kenneth Alexander in the 89th Virginia congressional district. As you may recall State Senator Yvonne Miller died this past summer and Delegate Kenneth Alexander was elected in August to fill her unfinished term. We therefore are voting to fill his vacant seat. There are three candidates who are running for the 89th congressional district. They are: Towne Bank Senior Vice President Yvonne Allmond; Former Norfolk City Councilwoman Daun Hester; and Lionell Spruill Jr., the son of Chesapeake Del. Lionell Spruill.

This election will take place on December 18th, 2012. However, prior to that the Democratic Caucus will meet on October 17th at the Masonic Temple on Granby Street and vote on one of these candidates who will then be placed on the ballot in December. At our civic league meeting in October, we will host a candidate forum so that you may become familiar with each of these candidates. Please see the meeting agenda announcement in this newsletter. You may vote in the Democratic caucus at the Masonic Temple on October 17th for one of these candidates should you wish. At this time there are no Republican candidates running for this seat.
Because of these important elections and our responsibility as a US citizen to vote in every election I am including a short piece the reasons we should vote. I hope you enjoy it.

The following is from the website of Essortment.com and I thought I would share it with you.
“Voting in a local, state, or national election is an exciting opportunity provided by democratic nations to their citizens.
There are many good reasons to vote, including the following:

1. Casting a vote allows an individual to express a choice among candidates who wish to become government leaders. It’s up to each voter to locate available information about each candidate and to make an informed decision about how to vote. Rather than allowing potential leaders to hide weaknesses and wrong-doing from public awareness, a democratic voting process urges citizens to get involved and to share viewpoints about who should lead. Failing to register a vote is tantamount to saying you don’t care. Few people truly remain oblivious to government leadership. Most have opinions about the way things should go, and they should use the voting process to express their preferences.
2. Voting provides a medium for citizens to support the democratic structure. If a majority of citizens chose not to vote, democracy might become a thing of the past, replaced by another form of government that might prove more elitist in nature. Registering to vote means that you believe in the democratic process and will participate in it to represent your right to freedom of speech.
3. Supporting the electoral process helps to reinforce your regional government. Showing that you care with your vote tells candidates that they must be accountable to the public. It also suggests that those who introduce issues for a vote must provide adequate information to answer citizens’ questions and address their concerns rather than attempt to foist a half-baked idea onto the general public.
4. Showing up at the poll on voting day sets a good example to others. Remember, your children observe all that you do and will learn from your example, right or wrong as it may be. Civic awareness is an important part of their training and one of the early steps on the road to maturity. Discuss the candidates with your family and make a point of mentioning your vote, or wearing the pin distributed at many polls that reads “I voted today.” Voting also sets a positive example to neighbors, friends, and family who may be uninterested in or unfamiliar with the electoral system.
5. Finally, taking time to vote reflects pride in your nation and its government. The country becomes a beacon of liberty for the rest of the world who will be watching. Let everyone know that you care enough about your homeland and its leaders to have a say in the election’s outcome. Never surrender your right to speak your mind via the vote on Election Day.
If you are not currently registered to vote, call or stop in at the electoral office in Norfolk City Hall to get signed up. It only takes a few minutes, and even that step is likely to get noticed by those who are watching.”
Finally, I hope to see you at the next civic league meeting on October 15th. Please enjoy this edition of the Wards Corner Civic League newsletter. Our newsletter editor puts a lot of effort into producing our great newsletters.

Thanks,

Sincerely,

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