Senior Citizens Advisory Committee

Hampton Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Hampton Senior Center, 3501 Kecoughtan Road June 5, 2023 Call to Order and Welcome Chair Linda Kindred opened the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and reminded all that the attendance sheet at the back of the room was to be signed upon arrival. She added that if anyone needed to be absent from future meetings to contact her directly at 757-776-2286. She noted that if anyone had questions, to ask them at the end of the meeting. Opening prayer was then offered. Roll call & Approval of May Minutes Present: Linda H Kindred-Chair, Lewis Dawley III- Vice Chair, Lynda Burke, Martha L. Clark, Camilla Doctor, Cynthia Harris, Phyllis Porter, Cassandra Alston-Townsley Absent: Tonya L. Grant, Martha C. Johnson City/Lead Agency Reps: Mayor Donnie Tuck, Councilman Bowman, David McCauley (HPRLS), Susan Elswick (HPRLS), Shantel Hudgins (HPRLS), Beatrice Sykes (PAA), Julie Savage (PACE) Guests: Audrey Johnson, Mike Schetting, Christine Schetting, Doris Farmer, Gloria Gross, Georgia Scott, Karen Williams, Deborah White, Mary Fugere, Diana Blanchard Gross, Bryan Schmidt Shantel Hudgins conducted the roll call; a quorum was present. The opportunity was given for the advisory board to review the May minutes. A motion to accept the May minutes as written was made, seconded, and unanimously approved. Opening Remarks Director McCauley gave some additional opening remarks and proceeded to discuss informative updates on special current and future events that are to occur in the city in the coming weeks/months. ❖ The 22nd Annual Blackbeard Pirate Festival was held in Downtown Hampton from June 2nd-June 4th to crowds of over 60,000 enjoying three stages of entertainment, visiting ships and sea battles, reenactments, period games, and kid’s activities, mermaids, vendors, cannon fire, and fireworks. 1  ❖ The Virginia Sand Soccer Championship was held at Buckroe Beach on June 3rd-June 4th. This event brought players from across Virginia to Hampton, and featured eight soccer fields, kid’s clinics, a professional player showcase, live music, food trucks, and more. ❖ Groovin’ by the Bay concert series returns to Mill Point Park every Sunday night, 5pm-8pm, June 11th through August 27th. ❖ Crab Town Festival will be held on September 2, 2023 from 11am-7pm at Mill Point Park. ❖ Tour De Fort (bike riding event) will be held on October 1st from 2pm-6pm on the Fort Monroe Streets. ❖ Bluebird Gap Farm Festival will be held on October 21st- October 22nd from 10am-5pm at Bluebird Gap Farm. ❖ The return of the Holly Days Parade will be held on December 8th-December 10th in Downtown Hampton ❖ The Holiday Wonder Walk will be held December 15th-December 25th from 5pm-8pm at the Water Walk Trail near Hampton Coliseum. Director McCauley also shared information in reference to the upcoming Summer Camp programs. ❖ Teen Life Unplugged Camp (ages 11-14) is available at Fort Monroe Community Center, West Hampton Community Center, and Northampton Community Center. The program is available Monday-Friday from 7am-6pm. ❖ Summer Fun Camp (ages 6-10) is available at Fort Monroe Community Center, West Hampton Community Center and Northampton Community Center. The program is available Monday-Friday from 7am-6pm. ❖ Summer Adventure Camp (ages 6-12) is available at YH Thomas Community Center, Little England Cultural Center, and Mary Jackson Neighborhood Center. The program is available Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm. ❖ All City Basketball Camp (ages 8-14) is available at North Phoebus Community Center beginning July 5th-August 26th. Presentations (Hampton Visitors & Convention Bureau, Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center, Hampton Aquaplex) Director McCauley closed out his remarks and introduced the following speakers: Mary Fugere (Director of Hampton Roads Convention Bureau), Diana Blanchard Gross (Visual Arts Center Manager at the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center), and Brian Schmidt (Regional Manager-Eastern Sports Management/ Hampton Aquaplex). Hampton Visitors & Convention Bureau Mary Fugere thanked everyone in attendance for inviting her as the guest speaker for today’s meeting. Mary began the presentation by sharing that nearly forty percent of visitors are visiting family and friends 2 in Hampton. Especially with the military community, there are a lot of visitors that travel to visit others located in Hampton. The Convention & Visitor Bureau is a department under the City of Hampton and their job is to generate revenue for the City through marketing all of the experiences such as meetings, aquatic centers, leisure visitations, sports tourism, and etc. It is all part of creating a destination that generates tax revenue for the citizens of Hampton and all of our residents’ benefits from the quality-of-life experiences which results in the production of tax revenues. She shared that most people are looking for attractions, places to stay, entertainment, and dining when visiting. Most people are looking for great accommodations, museums, and attractions to visit. People are also interested in retail therapy while on vacation. Hampton’s quality of life experiences such as Rosie’s Casino, festivals, and farmer’s market plays a role to a great experience in Hampton. When Hampton is promoted as a destination, it increases the amount of visitors in the city that generates tax revenue, new jobs, and as a result hopefully more revenue to continue promotion. It is a cycle which adds up to good funds for the City of Hampton and the region. Approximately 983,000 visitors came to Hampton this past year. There was a total of 227 million dollars in visitor economic impact. These findings are based on hotel room demand within Hampton. There were 607,000 hotel rooms booked in the city this past year. The lodging revenue is steadily increasing due to the Pandemic. There are multiple teams involved in assisting with increased tourism in Hampton such as the sales team, service team, and leisure team. The sales team is involved in bringing in a variety of groups and marketing the Hampton Roads Convention Center (HRCC) as well as sports tourism venues. The HRCC is constantly looking to bring in new groups. The services team role is servicing the groups that the sales team booked. The leisure team is located where a visitor may go. The leisure team are usually located at the Hampton Visitor Center, Boo Williams Sportsplex, Langley Speedway, Hampton Aquaplex, Fort Monroe Visitor Center, and the Virginia Air & Space Center. Their mission is to go where the visitors are located/visiting. There were nearly 70,000 visitor interactions during these visits. Mary shared information on the return of the Hampton Jazz Festival. There are also accompanying events such as “757 Extravaganza” at the HRCC and the “African American Heritage Festival” at Mill Point Park. There are also attractions available such as the Air & Space Museum, Fort Monroe, Charles H. Taylor Arts Museum, and Hampton University Museum. There is also a wealth of water recreation programs. She shared that the Splash Park at the Hampton Aquaplex has recently opened. There were plenty of creativity and imagination that went into designing the Hampton Aquaplex. There is the new Hampton Queen Harbor Boat Tour that is located near the Hampton Maritime Center. The Hampton Queen Harbor had been delayed but should be available to the public soon. This particular boat tour is unique as it is offered year-round versus the Miss Hampton boat tour that was only opened during specific seasons. The Hampton Queen will be available for all kind of functions such as birthday events and wedding receptions. Another new attraction available in Hampton is the Latitude Climbing Gym located within the Peninsula Town Center. It is a great facility that offers fitness activities for all ages. 3 Mary encouraged everyone to follow their social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. There are tours offered to visit many sites in Hampton such as in Fort Monroe, Phoebus, Downtown, and Hampton University. Historic neighborhoods such as Olde Wythe are also included within the tours. It is a great opportunity to learn about the community such as historic houses and landmarks. Tickets are available through an app where individuals can have access to get “Black History Tours” and “Taste of Hampton” pass which include discounts to restaurants/breweries. The “Sea to the Stars” tickets are offered which include a combo ticket with the Hampton Queen Harbor Tour, Virginia Air & Space Center, and Hampton History Museum. It will also include discounts to gift shops at the Hampton University Museum and Fort Monroe/Casemate Museum. Mary concluded her presentation with information about the cost of the tickets. The tickets are available for purchase at the cost of $45 for adults and $35 for youth where the ticket can be used throughout the year. Hampton Aquaplex Bryan Schmidt introduced himself as the regional manager/eastern sports management of the Hampton Aquaplex. He shared that the Hampton Aquaplex is a brand-new state of the art facility that opened October 2022.The new facility has a lot of tourism aspects to include a competition pool that houses 2,500 spectator seating and 700 seating for the bleachers on deck. The Aquaplex has begun to attract large swim meets due to its competition pool. The Aquaplex also offers a programming pool that offers Learn to Swim programs and private lessons. There are also aquatic programs such as water aerobics available. Bryan shared that not only are there aquatic activities/classes offered but there are dry land classes such as Zumba that is offered. The Aquaplex has meeting spaces for events such as birthday parties which has become very popular. He concluded his presentation with information regarding the membership packages that are available for purchase. Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center Diana Blanchard Gross introduced herself as the Visual Arts Manager at the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center. The Visual Arts Center is a part of Hampton Arts which is also part of the American Theater & Hampton Coliseum. The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center began as a library in the 1920s for several decades. In 1987, the library expanded where a new facility was built on the same property. As a result, the old library became the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center. Exhibitions and collections are displayed and changed throughout the year. Diana also shared the “Sea to the Stars” (Hampton’s motto) has been displayed at the center. She encouraged a lot of local artists to use the City’s motto and interpret it into their artwork. As a result, artists have created glass pieces, photography, sculptures, and paintings. This particular exhibition ran through June 17th. Diana concluded her presentation by sharing the facility is free to the public Tuesday-Saturday from 10am-6pm. There are classes and workshops available to the public ranging from painting to photography. 4  Subcommittee Reports Hospitality: Cassandra Alston-Townsley shared the following information: • A quorum was present for their last meeting that was held on May 2, 2023. • There was discussion of the updated attendance sheet that was created by Camilla Doctor. • Members agreed to be available as hosts for the future Senior Expo. • A motion was made to accept the report as written. City/Lead Agency Updates PAA: Beatrice Sykes spoke on the behalf of Bill Massey and shared the following information: • Veterans Transportation Program is available to veterans on the peninsula who need transportation to the medical center. • PAA submits an area plan every year to the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). A draft executive summary has been created for the area plan this year. The submission is due to DARS by July 2023. Human Services/Foster Grandparent Program: Phyllis Palin shared the following information: • The Foster Grandparent Program held a celebration event for the foster grandparent volunteers on June 2, 2023. The Mayor and City Councilmen were also in attendance. Hampton and Newport News schools presented to the volunteers. Public Comment Linda gave an opportunity for visitors/guests to speak. Gloria Jones from Westhampton Community Center shared an upcoming music bingo program will be held on June 15th from 12:30pm-2pm. The program will also include a representative from JenCare. Susan Elswick from the Senior Center shared an upcoming event titled “Juneteenth Pageant” is a play that will be held at Northampton Community Center on June 16th at 7pm. Adjournment Linda closed the meeting by asking all to remember to be a ray of sunshine in someone’s cloud, adding that you may be the only person someone sees, and your smile or act of kindness will brighten someone’s day. The meeting closed with prayer and adjourned at 11:21am. Minutes submitted by Shantel Hudgins, SCAC Recorder 5