Town and Gown Committee

TOWN AND GOWN COMMITTEE MEETING 12:00pm TUESDAY – FEBRUARY 13, 2024 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ROOM MINUTES I. Call to Order Chairman Steve Mallon welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 12:10p.m. II. Roll Call Chair Mallon asked the Clerk to call the roll: Members Present: Tracy Ashley, Tina Banks-Gray, Brian DeProfio, Nicole Clark, Dominique DeBose, Beth Dickens, Novelle Dickenson, Mary Fugere, Carolene Goodwyn-Harris, Kellie Goral, Eric Harrell, Veronica Hurd, Steve Mallon, Robin McCormick, Bob McKenna, Glenn Oder, Jennifer Oliver, Richelle Payne, Pam Richardson, Raymond Tripp Guests Present: Angela Haywood (Bryant & Stratton); Sariyyah Johnson, Zaniyah Herring, Ke’Haree Shuler, Andrew Crosby (OYYAO) Staff Present: Shu Mohammad, Annette Oakley III. Approval of Minutes Chair Mallon stated the January 9, 2024 minutes were distributed for review and if there are no changes, called for a motion to approve the minutes. Robin McCormick made the motion and Novelle Dickenson seconded. A vote was taken and motion passed. Chair Mallon welcomed newest member Assistant City Manager, Brian DeProfio, who was appointed by the City Manager to serve on the committee. IV. Election of Vice Chairman Mary Fugere reported there is a potential nominee who is still considering, but needs a little time before making a commitment. Chair Mallon stated we will seek to elect a Vice Chair next month and noted if there is any interest in serving as Vice Chair to please let Mary know. V. Briefing: ‘Hope After Dark’ – Sariyyah Johnson Chair Mallon introduced and welcomed Sariyyah Johnson, who is a Criminal Justice major at Hampton University and an intern for the Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities. Ms. Johnson gave an overview of the ‘Hope After Dark’ event, which will take place during Youth Violence Prevention week in April. The event increases awareness of gun violence and addresses policy issues. The event creates a safe place for students and community partners to engage in discussions. There will also be several activities, panel discussions, open-mic opportunities, etc. They are working with Norfolk State University and Hampton University to engage more students  and maximize awareness on campus. She asked the committee if they had any feedback or guidance for promoting and managing the event. Question & Answer/Discussion Opportunity: Q-Where is the event being held? A-Access 2.0 off of Cunningham Drive in Hampton Q-When is the event? A-April 24, 2024 from 5:00-8:00pm Q-Have you considered partnering with Hampton high schools? A-Mainly engaging colleges, but will consider the suggestion. Q-How can VPCC students get involved? A-Conversations started last week and they want to get all involved. She will connect with VPCC. VI. Key Updates: ➢ Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) – Beth Dickens reported 12-week classes start today and registration is until Friday. ➢ Bryant & Stratton – Eric Harrell/Carolene Goodwin-Harris • Eric reported a special women’s history panel will be held on March 21st at the Hampton campus at Peninsula Town Center. He asked Angela Haywood to give additional detail. • Angela stated the event will be the 3rd Annual Women’s History Symposium and they have secured three panelists; Captain Janet Days (Commanding Officer at Norfolk Naval Base), Michele Ellis Young, President of YWCA, and Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting. The event will be from 5:30pm-7:00pm and is open to the public. ➢ City Manager’s Office – Brian DeProfio/Shu Mohammad • Brian reported on the following: o Steven Bond, who served on this committee, is now serving as the Interim City Attorney and Brian will now serve in his place. o The City is currently in the annual budget process and City Council will have their Budget Retreat meeting on February 28 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center (HRCC). During the meeting, staff reviews key budget issues and gets feedback from Council on their key priorities, which helps develop the budget. The process includes input from the public and there are several sessions scheduled for the community to attend and give input. He will be happy to talk to members or answer any questions. • Shu also mentioned the upcoming budget sessions and encouraged all to attend as they will come away with a better understanding of the budget process. ➢ Coliseum Central BID – Raymond reported February 21 is the CCBID Annual Meeting, which will be held at HRCC at 8:00a.m. They will have Allison Moore as the MC to assist with the meeting. The theme this year is ‘Connectivity’; with several speakers (Mayor Tuck, Police Chief, CVB, etc.) participating. They will also have ‘The Best Of in the District’ nominations, where the community voted on their favorite restaurants, shopping centers, etc. They’ve had over 1,000 people submit their votes. ➢ Human Resources: Nicole Clark reported the City of Hampton has launched the centralized internship program and the website has gone live. Seventeen applications have been submitted thus far and the deadline to submit applications for the summer is March 3, 2024. She asked higher education to share with their students. She mentioned they are limiting the number for the summer to eight participants. Nicole provided a flier regarding partnership opportunities for offering discounts to City employees (copy on file). This is a formal process to highlight and promote partnerships to help create a comprehensive list. She encouraged businesses to submit a bid if they would like to provide discounts to employees. ➢ Marketing – Robin McCormick noted the budget process is very important and encouraged all to attend the input sessions. If members have mailing lists they want to provide, she will be glad to help get the word out. She mentioned the community input sessions will be held on March 7th and 9th, and March 12th is an online Facebook session. ➢ Hampton City Schools (HCS) - (Tina Banks-Gray/Jennifer Oliver/Kellie Goral/Veronica Hurd): • Tina reported on the following: o February 16 – Early Release (Elementary & Middle) o February 19 – Closed for President’s Day o February 29 – Progress Report o February is School Board Appreciation Month; she encouraged all to show support for school board members! • Kellie Goral reported on the following: o The December issue of Virginia Business Magazine, featured Hampton City Schools and it is a great article. o HCS held a ‘Hollywood Hall of Fame’ theme event to celebrate the Hampton School Board. It was a fun evening! o Two named academies/pathway were announced; Virginia Ship Repair Association of Maritime Academy and Hampton Police Department Law Enforcement Academy of Law and Public Safety. o HCS is also in their budget season, with School Board meetings every Wednesday during this time. • Veronica Hurd reported on the following: o The FORD Next Generation Learning were here in January to help review and move efforts forward; one portion of the review was a deeper dive into business partner integration efforts. From that, they brought together a cohort of business partners to help strengthen efforts. She mentioned and shared appreciation that Dominique DeBose was one of those participants to help with this effort. o Working on and celebrating a new initiative, ‘Community Hub’ to engage with families in community spaces and have conversations. Various engagement sessions will be held each month, the first one was held at Sweet Bean. They will have childcare available and provide transportation if needed. They will also provide certificates of appreciation for participants. ➢ Phoebus Partnership – Dominique DeBose reported on the following: • Phoebus Partnership is partnering with Phoebus Academy of Cyber Security to collect plastics to process and mold into various products to sell. They are organizing a clean-up to collect plastics. Public Works and Hampton Clean City Commission will be assisting. She  noted they are in need of plastics and encouraged members to contribute any extra recyclables. • She noted April 20th is the Mosaic Festival at Mill Point Park in Downtown Hampton and suggested the OYYAO staff could probably have a Youth Violence Prevention booth at the event to help promote awareness. ➢ Hampton Conventions and Visitor’s Bureau – Mary Fugere reported on the following: • Exciting programs for Black History Month – to include tours at Fort Monroe, special promotions featuring several sites in Hampton, with special recorded videos, a drawing at end of the month for a gift basket, etc. • Smart Phone Tours available – VisitHampton.com for information. • Hampton Restaurant Week is March 3-17 (two weeks), with many restaurants participating. • Several upcoming events (Swim meets and championships at The Aquaplex, Drum Corp band competitions at The Hampton Coliseum, several conventions at HRCC). • The VA250 Committee, established by Hampton City Council, was announced and the first meeting is February 22nd at OPNB. They are brainstorming and planning for the 250th Celebration of the Declaration of Independence. There will also be a Sail250 focused on OpSail, with tall ships and activities. The event will be July 2026. ➢ Fort Monroe Authority (FMA): Glenn Oder reported on the following: • The water tower at Fort Monroe will be coming down in the next two weeks. The tower is not usable, nor historic, and therefore not a violation of the National Landmark designation. There will also be building construction taking place on the property. A couple buildings will be turned into apartments; one and two bedrooms. • As previously mentioned, the FMA State budget request includes $50M and they are hopeful it will remain in the budget for Fort Monroe. • August 22 - Groundbreaking Ceremony for African Landing Memorial. FMA has confirmation that the Ambassador of Angola will be attending the event and wants it to be a very meaningful partnership. Glenn reminded all that the sculptures will not be complete. ➢ Hampton University - (Pam Richardson/Richelle Payne/Novelle Dickenson): • Pam reported they started a ‘Super Scholars’ program, recognizing various local schools at their sports games. They provided entertainment, face painting, bounce-house, etc., and plan to do it again this coming weekend. They also have the Kids Club Program, which is $10.00 to join and they give away T-shirts. The breast cancer awareness game has been moved to February 23, which is women’s basketball. • Richelle reported PBS will be taping a show called Dangerous Acts. It is a one-act play and is open to the public (by invitation). February 23-25 is the Virginia Black Film Festival; with screening of fifty films. Executives from Paramount Pictures and former executives from ‘In Living Color’ will be there for workshops, screenings and an awards program. March 20-22 is the Annual Conference on the Black Family. HU is also preparing for ‘100 Days’ party, which celebrates 100 days until commencement. Howard John Wesley will be the guest speaker. Richelle provided a copy of The Presidents Annual Report and reviewed some of the highlights, noting the report touches on the Strategic Plan.  ➢ Downtown Hampton Development Partnership – Steve Mallon reported on the following: • Upcoming Events: o April 20 – Mosaic Festival o May 31-June 2 – Blackbeard Festival o Block Parties – In the planning process • Chair Mallon mentioned he and Mary Fugere are researching the International Town & Gown Association. He will have more information at the next meeting. VII. Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for March 12, 2024 Chair Mallon requested committee members be sure to please RSVP their attendance to the Clerk prior to each meeting. VIII. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.