June 19, 2023

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/JTtCIGz1G7Y

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 June 19, 2023, the DNCL had a balance of $1,776.88, 91 residential members, and 21 business members.

IV. Crime Report – May 2023 crime statistics for the Downtown Planning district were displayed.

V. Downtown Norfolk Council Report – Mary Miller, President and CEO of DNC. Mary noted that the Downtown Norfolk Community Garden was honored as the volunteer of the year at the DNC annual meeting held on June 15. She also noted that there are a few street closures coming up and urged members to review the weekly Fast Facts and Street Smarts for details.

A. Audrey Fussell, DNC Operations Manager, presented the DNC Operations Report for May 2023. The DNC Operations staff have had to remove a lot of graffiti lately. They’ve also been busy with the increase of crowds downtown due to the cruises and Harborfest at Town Point.

VI. Guest Speaker – Chief Mark Talbot, NPD. Chief Talbot addressed some of the questions that had been sent to him before the meeting. Q1—Why did you want to become the police chief and what makes you the right person for the job? A1—Chief Talbot is in his 30th year in policing with 15 years at the executive level as either the number one or number two position as well as having taught police leadership classes at several universities. Q2—What is the status of the NPD regarding staffing? A2—Not counting recruits, there are 280 vacancies which is slightly higher than the 250 at this time last year. Recruitment and retention are a high priority. Q3—Does Norfolk have a gang issue? A3—People naturally surround themselves with others including those who wish to commit crimes together. By that definition, Norfolk has a gang problem as do all urban environments. The key to making and keeping Norfolk safe is to focus on the problematic behaviors that gang members organize around. Q4—What are some new and innovative ideas that you have for the Norfolk Police Department? A4—What we need to understand to make our city safer is based on what the evidence base says works. The approach that works in urban spaces can be customized for our city. Rather than trying new and innovative ideas, it is most important to execute those ideas that the evidence says will work. Everyone needs to do their jobs.

Chief Talbot’s vision is to transform the level of safety in the City of Norfolk. Some of the critical steps needed to do that include: 1) Develop a performance culture. 2) Work to fully staff the organization. 3) Build the NPD’s capacity and capability for leadership. Leadership and good policing make a difference. 4) Elevate morale, motivation, and wellness. 5) Adopt and implement an effective crime reduction strategy. 6) Employ a process for learning and development. 7) Understand and meet the complexity of the policing challenge. 8) Acquire and use the right equipment and technology that supports NPD’s strategy. 9) Need to institute methods for assessing and evaluating NPD’s work. 10) Become highly skilled at solving crime and quality of life problems. 11) Prioritize great relationships with all of NPD’s stakeholders. 12) Systematically collaborate with private and public actors who impact public health and safety.

VII. City Planning Commission Projects/Architecture Review Board – Preston Carraway, DNCL VP.

A. CUP: The Norfolk Grille at Nauticus presented by Elizabeth Miller and Ted Papafil.

B. ARB: Headwaters Resort & Casino update presented by Britany Gore and Darren Andrus with HKS Architects and John Thompson, representing the Pamunkey Tribe. The current renderings and plans call for two phases to the development of the Headwaters Resort. The first phase is just a casino with a sports bar while the second phase expands the casino and adds a hotel and other amenities. The goal is to have the first phase up and running by the end of 2024.

C. Informational update: The Brick Anchor presented by Phil Smith, Chapman Walsh, and Dan Mainor.

VIII. Announcements

A. DNCL June Social: Outside at 456 Fish (weather permitting) on June 20 at 5pm.

B. DNCL July Zoom Meeting: No meeting, just a social.

C. DNCL July Social: Dockside social aboard the American Rover on Tuesday, July 18 starting at 5 pm. Plus, the 2-hour Sunset Cruise starts at 7:30 pm. Use $5 discount code: DNCL23.

D. DNCL August Zoom Meeting guest: Patrick Roberts/Deputy City Manager

IX. Adjourn – The meeting was adjourned at 7:35 pm.