I. Lelia Vann, DNCL President, called the meeting to order at 6 pm. The recording of this meeting is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VvKt5tZ3AHY

II. A motion to approve the minutes from last month’s meeting was made and seconded. The minutes were approved without change.

III. Financial/Membership Report-- As of May 31, 2022, the DNCL had a balance of $1,350.20, 105 individual members, and 35 business members.

IV. Crime Report – Alan Driskell, CRO, Norfolk Police Dept. Officer Driskell was delayed and could not attend.

V. Downtown Norfolk Council (DNC) Report – Mary Miller, President & CEO. The Corporate 5K will start at 6:30 pm tomorrow (June 21) with downtown street closures beginning at 4 pm.

A. Audrey Fussell, DNC Ops Manager, had technical issues with her microphone so Mary Miller gave the Operations Report for May 2022. FRED passengers saw a sizable increase until FRED had operational issues and had to stop running. Many of the other statistics show that foot traffic in downtown has increased as well.

VI. Guest Speaker– Raymond Stoner, Director of Parking Division. Ray explained that the Parking Division is an Enterprise Fund and, therefore, receives no funding from the City’s General Fund. For fiscal year 2023 which begins in July 2022, the Parking Division will have a $28.7 million expense budget split between Bond Debt ($10.5M), Operating Expenses ($6.2M), Personnel Costs ($4.2M), and a Capital Improvement Program ($7.8M). The Division has updated their website and made it a little more user-friendly. A quarterly newsletter is being published to inform parking users of the Division’s operations. The Division invested in cleaning equipment last year and is using that equipment to clean the garages.

A contract has been awarded for a license plate recognition system which will be used to enhance the efficiency of parking enforcement. With the new system, the parking enforcement team will be able to cover 5 to 7 times more territory than using just a foot patrol. A new parking access/revenue control system is also being reviewed currently.

The Capital Improvement Program will help modernize the Town Point and Main Street Garage elevators. The Boush Street garage elevator upgrades are nearing completion. For fiscal year 2023 improvements will be made to the Fountain Park, Scope, and MacArthur garages. Security cameras are scheduled to be replaced by the end of 2022 and they are currently on schedule to meet that deadline.

Ray answered questions submitted through the Zoom chat. He also answered the questions that were submitted prior to the meeting. He also suggested that questions, concerns, or complaints can be submitted to Norfolk Cares so the issues can be quickly addressed.

VII. City Planning Commission Projects/ARB – Preston Carraway, DNCL VP. Preston introduced Mel Price with WPA. She and Thom White presented the plans for the Chrysler Museum of Art Perry Glass Studio renovation and new addition.

VIII. Old/ New Business

A. Norfolk Coastal Storm Risk Management Project – Kevin Curran, US Army Corps of Engineers. Richard Klein and Kristin Mazur joined Kevin. Kevin showed a map of the roadways and critical infrastructure that would be inundated in the event of a large coastal storm in 2075 if the work being undertaken in the project is not completed. The city is divided into four sectors: Area 1 is Ghent-Downtown-Harbor Park, Area 2 is Pretty Lake, Area 3 is Lafayette, and Area 4 is Broad Creek. Phase 1A of the project is focused on Downtown from the Berkely Bridge east to the Compostella off ramp. Phase 1B is from the end of existing floodwall in Town Point Park to the Berkley Bridge. Several types of flood protection will be deployed: I-Walls, T-Walls, Bin Walls, and Levees.

IX. Special Announcement

A. Volunteers needed for Norfolk CASA: Marissa Adams, Outreach Assistant. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is a volunteer-based organization that advocates for children in foster care due to abuse or neglect. There are two training sessions each year for volunteers preceded by an information session. The next two information sessions are July 9 from 1 – 2 pm and Aug 9 from 6 – 7 pm. Both information sessions are virtual. Go to www.norfolkcasa.com for more information.

X. Announcements

A. DNCL Social: 456 Fish Outside Patio on Tuesday, June 21, 5 pm

B. No DNCL Monthly Meeting for July 2022 – Summer Break. July social TBD

. Adjourn – The meeting was adjourned at 7:11 pm.