12 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 10 Number 10 Around Hampton Roads Dr. Rebecca Adams to Receive


Chesapeake First Citizen Award By Chesapeake Rotary Foundation


Dr. Rebecca C.W. Adams has been named Chesapeake’s First Citizen for 2016 by the Chesapeake Rotary Club. The award will be presented to Adams at a banquet to be held at the Chesapeake Conference Center on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 7 p.m.


Adams currently serves as Administrator of the Chesapeake Public Schools Educational Foundation. An educator in the Chesapeake public school system for over 36 years, Adams has devoted countless hours to numerous charitable causes and community service projects in Chesapeake. She has served as Chairman of the Chesapeake March of Dimes Walk America, and


had leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity, Chesapeake Care Clinic, Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, CHIP/ Healthy Families, Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways History Foundation, Chesapeake Boys and Girls Club, Paint Your Heart Out, Salvation Army, and Oak Grove United Methodist Church.


In many ways, Rebecca Adams has contributed greatly to making her hometown of Chesapeake a better place to live and work, and has exemplified the Rotary motto of “service above self”.


Volunteers Needed for Hampton’s


Boards and Commissions Hampton is looking for volunteers interested in filling vacancies on many of the more than two dozen board and commissions that provide community input and support to the city - including the Wetlands Board, which reviews applications for using or developing any wetlands in the city. Whether they’re promoting the history of the first Africans to land in North America, hearing concerns about property assessments, working with City Council on civic engagement or advising officials on services for the handicapped, our boards and Commissions play a vital role in Hampton. Not sure how you can help? Visit www.hampton.gov/boards to learn about all of the boards and commissions in the city - from the Animal Control Advisory Committee to the Youth Commission, where Hampton’s teenagers get a chance to be heard. Then go ahead and fill out an application online at www.hampton.gov. All board and commission members are appointed by City Council and serve varying terms based on the board or commission they serve on. For more information, go to www. hampton.gov/boards.


Proper Guidelines for Building a


Fence or Shed in Newport News Spring is the perfect time to think about a to-do list which might include getting that fence put up or adding a shed. Before starting, here are a few things Newport News 311 and the Codes Compliance Department wants everyone to know.


First, any neighborhood with an association may have additional regulations besides the City’s so check with them before considering a fence, shed or any home improvement project. When putting up a fence in a backyard, no permit is required as long as the property is not on a corner lot, not being put around a swimming pool and it is not taller than 6 feet. It is a very good idea to ensure where the property lines are to avoid problems with neighbors. Fences can be placed on property lines and there is no regulation as to which side faces neighbors, but barbed wire fences are not allowed. Finally, before digging, always call Miss Utility at 811 at least 3 days prior to construction to ensure the site is clear of utility lines.


For sheds, a zoning permit is required and if the shed is over 256 square feet, a building permit will also be required. The building permit application can be downloaded at Codes Compliance Permit Applications page and the accessory structure/building certification form and plot diagram, which are required for all sheds, can be found on the Codes Compliance Guidelines & Forms site. It does not matter if the shed is pre-built or being built on site, both have to have at least a zoning permit to ensure the placement is according to the setback requirements for the property.


Submit the required forms along with a copy of the property plat (this is the survey that shows your property lines and house) to Codes Compliance, which is located at 2400 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor. They are open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Call 311 Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 6 PM for any city related question or non-emergency service, email us at 311@nnva. gov or go online at www.nnva.gov/311/Contact-Center to submit a service request or to download our app


Simon Breaks Ground on Norfolk Premium Outlets


Project scheduled to open in summer 2017. State to contribute funding to road improvements.


Local government officials and dignitaries celebrated Thursday, June 2 as Simon, a global leader in retail real estate, broke ground on Norfolk Premium Outlets® in Norfolk, Virginia.


Located at the major crossroads of I-64 and Northampton Blvd., Norfolk Premium Outlets will provide the Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Hampton Roads communities with the premier outlet center experience featuring approximately 85 high-quality designer and name-brand retailers at impressive savings of 25 to 65 percent every day.


Norfolk Premium Outlets, slated to open in summer 2017, will offer a mix of product categories found in Simon Premium Outlets around the country, including apparel and shoes, fashion accessories, leather goods, home furnishings and specialty items. There will also be a Market Hall with multiple dining options. In all, there will be 332,000 square feet of leasable space.


“Simon is bringing some great brands in upscale outlet shopping to Norfolk Premium Outlets,” said Mark Silvestri, Chief Operating Officer for Simon Premium Outlets. “The center will be an attraction for residents and the many visitors to the Hampton Roads region, and the multi-million dollar project will also have a significant positive impact on the community, generating more than 500 construction jobs and 800 full-time and part-time jobs upon the center’s completion.”


“Norfolk Premium Outlets represents the next generation of designer shopping and demonstrates the private sector’s recognition of Norfolk as the crossroads of Hampton Roads,” said Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim. “This is the most important retail development in the area in almost 20 years. Norfolk Premium Outlets will also induce additional development in the Northampton Boulevard corridor, which has long been a priority for our city.”


Portsmouth Public Library


Celebrates Local Geek Culture. 2nd Annual Mini-Con to be held at Churchland Branch Library.


Portsmouth, VA – Portsmouth Public Library’s 2nd Annual Mini-Con will host a collection of local vendors, artists and comic and pop culture enthusiasts from the Hampton Roads area. Local stores such as Borderless Comics, OldSkool Video Games, and Atlantis Games and Comics will be sponsoring the event, as well the Friends of the Portsmouth Public Library. Mini-Con will take place at the Churchland Branch Library, 4934 High Street West, Portsmouth, VA, 23703. The event will run from 10am to 5pm on Sunday, June 19th . There will be activities for all ages! Oldskool Video Games will be running a free to play video gaming room with new and retro games. Atlantis Games and Comics is providing amazing prizes for the library wide treasure hunt and Borderless Comics has provided an awesome grand prize for team trivia. With over 700 people in attendance last year, Mini-Con will be the event of the summer for Portsmouth Public Library. Mini-Con is FREE and open to the public of all ages. Portsmouth Public library is always seeking to grow its relationship with the community and hopes that Mini-Con will bring in a new wave of library- goers from all over Hampton Roads. Mini-Con event planner, Angela Jones says “events like these help our locals see what the library really has offer to the community.” Exhibitor and vendor applications and additional event info are available at PPL’s website: www.portsmouth-va-public-library.com/ or at the Churchland Library. For more details or questions, please contact Angela Jones at 757-686-2538 x6619.


Suffolk Hosts Business Appreciation Picnic


Mark your calendars to come out and mingle with your fellow Suffolk businesses and friends at the annual Suffolk Business Appreciation Picnic in recognition of all your hard work. Join us Friday, June 17th, at Constant's Wharf Park & Marina (behind the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront) from 6pm to 9 pm for music, dinner and beverages, courtesy of the Suffolk Economic Development Authority. RSVP to Jennifer Schmack, Jschmack@ suffolkva.us.


Virginia Beach Development Authority Approves Sale of Land to Telefónica for Transoceanic


Fiber Communications Virginia Beach Development Authority approved the sale of a 3.5-acre site in Corporate Landing to Telefónica International Wholesale Services USA, Inc. for $735,000. Telefónica will build a 20,000 to 23,000-square-foot data center that will house the first transoceanic fiber cable station in the Mid-Atlantic. The fiber cables will connect Brazil to North America at the installation planned in Virginia Beach.


Fiber cables transfer signals through colors and pulses of light, which are encoded and decoded at either end by transmitters and converters. The signals are then interpreted by computers. Transoceanic cables receive and transmit signals at regular intervals to avoid distortion and data loss. There are dozens of fiber lines in the ocean, and this will be a significant boost for speed and data transmission for the Hampton Roads region and beyond.


Telefónica officially announced the deployment of BRUSA, a new submarine cable nearly 11,000 km in length linking Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza (Brazil) with San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Virginia Beach (USA) in March. The cable is expected to begin operations in early 2018 reinforcing Telefónica's infrastructure leadership in the Americas.


BRUSA will support ultrafast transmission capacity and increase end-to-end connectivity and the availability of ultrahigh-speed broadband services.


"This project significantly advances Virginia Beach's potential for future projects of this kind," said Virginia Beach Economic Development Director Warren D. Harris. "These companies cluster, and we plan to leverage the Telefónica announcement to bring more data centers to the City. Additionally, we anticipate even more interest because the stronger telecom infrastructure will have great appeal to businesses that require big data."


This new infrastructure will improve communication reliability and deliver enhanced resilience by increasing the number of USA landing points, overall network performance and end-to-end security. BRUSA will also provide one


June 2016


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