Visiting Hampton Roads: Bermuda, Jamestown, Virginia and Shakespeare

by Victoria Cash, Director of Leisure at CI TRavel; Cruising Norfolk is the blog devoted entirely to Norfolk Cruises. It is published as a community service by CI Travel to connect travelers going on cruises from Norfolk to share comments, experiences, suggestions and tips for great things to do while on or off the ship.

Did you know that Bermuda was settled 400 years ago (1609) as a result of a shipwreck? Even more interesting, it was that shipwreck which inspired Shakespeare's "The Tempest"!

"Let me live here forever
So rare a wondered father and wife
Makes this place a paradise."

- William Shakespeare, "The Tempest"

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Bermuda's founding, the Department of Community & Cultural Affairs is having a special Jamestown - Bermuda exhibition from May 13 - May 31. the exhibition "...explores governmental, religious and trade connections between England’s second permanent colony in the New World and its first – Jamestown, Virginia founded in 1607.

The exhibition illuminates Bermuda’s unique character: strategic location and historic stone forts; extraordinary importance of sports and recreation; and land and seascapes immortalized by internationally renowned artists, leading to Bermuda’s rise in the 20th century as a premier travel destination." according to the official Bermuda Tourism website.

Enquiries: Department of Community & Cultural Affairs, 81 Court Street, Hamilton HM12, tel 441 292 8990, fax 441 292 2474, email bermuda2009@gov.bm, website www.bermuda2009.bm

Just a unique cultural experience you may want to mosey on over to while in port.

Originally posted on the Cruise Norfolk Blog and reprinted here by permission of the author.

Pungo Strawberry Festival, unique community support in rural Virginia Beach (yes, rural)

Hampton Roads' charities use the annual Pungo Strawberry Festival, the 26th celebrated in 2009, to raise money. The Lions Club sells strawberry shortcakes, money they raise to help kids with diabetes. Breast cancer survivors were raffling a Harley to help raise money to find a cure. Crowds in Pungo this Memorial Day weekend were looking for more they strawberries, they're eager to help their community. All proceeds from our Festival are donated to non-profit community and service organizations.


The festival is a family-oriented, wholesome, alcohol-free event. You'll find all the strawberries you can eat - and drink - offered in over 50 different ways, a pie eating contest, continuous entertainment on three stages, a parade, one of the largest carnivals on the east coast, a livestock show and sale, a multi-million dollar military display, pig races, youth art show, and arts and craft booths.


Thanks to Wayne Carter of WVEC.com for his coverage.

photos by Missy Schmidt, Communication Manager for the Hampton Roads Partnership. Being from the rural western side of Virginia and a relative newcomer to the region, finding a wonderful venue that reminds me of home was a wonderful compliment to all that Hampton Roads has to offer.

Visiting Hampton Roads: The Great American Backyard Barbeque

photos and story by Kaitlyn Fohl

This past weekend (May 22-May 24), the boardwalk at the Virginia Beach oceanfront was bustling with excitement. In honor of Memorial Day and the start of summer, people crowded the area to take part in the Great American Backyard Barbeque.


The Great American Backyard Barbeque is a token to delicious food and soulful music. The event pays respect to the roots of American life – pulled pork, sweet country music, and the blues. It’s an event designed with the whole family in mind. The BBQ is brought to residents and visitors alike by Beach Street USA, the events program presented by the City of Virginia Beach, with concerts, festivals, and activities primarily held at the oceanfront resort area.


This year, local vendors lined the boardwalk near the 31st street and 21st street concert arenas. The sweet, smoky smell of roasted barbeque was impossible to resist while enjoying the musical talents of blues artists like Marcia Ball and Roomful of Blues, and country artists like Keith Anderson, Sammy Kershaw, and Jason Michael Carroll.

In addition to fantastic food and music, the boardwalk was also lined with essays written by Advanced Placement U.S. History students at Salem High School. The essays covered historical military events that our country has been a part of over the years. Each essay was printed on a large banner and the banners lined the boardwalk all the way from 17th street to 31st street. This display of patriotism was called the “Heroes Walk”.


To conclude the eventful weekend, fireworks lit up the night sky at ten o’clock on Sunday evening. This colorful demonstration was the perfect way to top off the American Backyard Barbeque. One can only hope next year’s barbeque bash will be just as successful and fun!


Kaitlyn Fohl is a rising sophomore at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech, Go Hokies!) in International Studies and Art. Kaitlyn is a resident of Virginia Beach and completed the Teen Apprenticeship Program at the Contemporary Art Center in 2008. For Summer 2009, Kaitlyn is an intern with the Hampton Roads Partnership covering Arts, Culture, History and Tourism with her own special flair.

Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement's first e-Newsletter

In practical terms, the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement’s long-term goal is to change the way that public decisions are made in Hampton Roads.

For the Center, there are multiple underlying operating assumptions:

1. First, that the inclusion of citizens in the public choices related to their region’s quality of life and future enhances the quality and sustainability of public decisions and supports accountability and transparency.
   
   
2. And second, that citizens have both rights and duties to participate in the shaping of their community and all public decision making will be improved by the informed engagement of citizens.

To read more and see HRCCE's first issue of their electronic newsletter: http://www.hrcce.org/publications/May2009Newsletter.html

Commonwealth Transportation Board Draft 2015 Six-Year Improvement Program

Download the Draft 2015 Six-Year Improvement Plan HERE

Hampton Roads District Public Hearings will be held Thursday, June 4, at 6pm at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23320.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) presented a draft Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years (FY) 2010-2015 to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). The total proposed program is $7.4 billion, down from $8.9 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 budget approved three months ago.

The FY 2010-2015 budget reflects $650 million in cuts to the highway program and $880 million in reductions to rail and transit. The highway declines are largely a result of continued state and federal revenue shortfalls, while the transit and rail declines are mainly attributed to the transition of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which reduced the program by $776 million.

“The commonwealth is continually challenged to meet federal obligations and state maintenance requirements for our highway system while dealing with drastic declines in state and federal revenues,” said Pierce R. Homer, Virginia secretary of transportation. “We have been able to maintain our rail and transit programs and services.”

Transportation revenue reductions have forced the CTB to significantly reduce the six-year program over the past several years:

• Fiscal years 2008-13 program adopted June 2007: $11 billion ($8.7 billion for highways)
• Fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted June 2008: $10.6 billion ($7.9 billion for highways)
• Revised fiscal years 2009-14 program adopted February 2009: $8.9 billion ($6.0 billion for highways)
• Proposed Fiscal years 2010-2015 program: $7.4 billion ($5.4 billion for highways)

VDOT also applied previously allocated but unused dollars from interstate projects to fund two major ready-to-go projects in order to match federal funds for FY 2009. More than $97 million from projects with phases that were not currently under way was reallocated in order to complete the I-95 bridge rehabilitation and I-64 paving projects in the Richmond District.

“After reducing the highway program by $2 billion in the revised FY 2009-2014 program, VDOT is again faced with more program funding challenges,” said VDOT Commissioner David S. Ekern, P.E. “VDOT is stretching every dollar to ensure federal and state obligations are met, and using available funds to keep projects that can move forward progressing as quickly as possible.”

Funding Reductions for Highway Program from the FY 2009-2014 Revised Program to the Proposed FY 2010-2015 Program

• Interstate: $1.4 billion to $1.3 billion
• Primary: $ 1.3 billion to $1.0 billion
• Secondary: $0.6 billion to $0.5 billion
• Urban: $0.5 billion to $0.4 billion

“While the reduction in available state rail, transit and commuter service funding in the draft FY2010-2015 program is primarily due to the reassignment of the Dulles Metrorail project, the transit and rail programs and services have been spared the drastic reductions of other areas of government,” said DRPT Director Charles M. Badger, P.E.

The Commonwealth of Virginia will host public hearings across the state in June to receive public input on the Fiscal Years 2010-2015 Six-Year Improvement Program for highway, transit, rail and commuter service improvements. CTB members will host the hearings and leaders from VDOT and DRPT will attend and provide information.

Written comments may be submitted to the following locations and must be received by June 12:

Public Information Office
Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
600 E. Main St., Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219
drptpr@drpt.virginia.gov

Programming Director
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 E. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219
six-yearprogram@vdot.virginia.gov

For more information, visit the CTB Web site at www.CTB.Virginia.gov, the VDOT Web site, www.VirginiaDOT.org, or the DRPT Web site at www.drpt.virginia.gov.


CONTACTS:
Jeff Caldwell, Jeffrey.Caldwell@vdot.virginia.gov
Jennifer Pickett, Jennifer.Pickett@drpt.virginia.gov

Salute to the Military on Memorial Day 2009, from The Hampton Roads Flagpole

A weekly compilation of information impacting Hampton Roads military and federal capabilities, from the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance.


Mullen: Drones Future Stalwart of U.S. Force (DefenseNews.com, May 14, 2009) Unmanned aircraft likely represent the future for U.S. military aviation, with next generation bombers and fighter planes operating without pilots onboard, the top U.S. military officer said. “We’re at a real time of transition here in terms of the future of aviation, and the whole issue of what is going to be manned and what is going to be unmanned,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate hearing.

Defense Secy. Gates Repeats Support for Mayport Move (Virginian-Pilot, May 15, 2009) Local congressmen trying to halt the Navy’s plan to move an aircraft carrier from Norfolk, Va., to Mayport, Fla., got a reality check on Capitol Hill this week. Although the decision has been postponed, both Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, made it clear in congressional testimony that they still think the move makes good strategic sense. The Pentagon said last month the issue would be studied as part of its upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, delaying a final decision until 2011. Local members of Congress celebrated that announcement as a signal that Norfolk might be able to hang on to its five locally based carriers and their associated economic benefits. But this week’s testimony made it clear that top Pentagon officials have not changed their minds about the wisdom of the proposed move.

Navy: F-35 Fighter Jets Needed By 2015 Deadline (WSJ.com, May 14, 2009) The chief of naval operations said that on-time delivery of Lockheed Martin’s next-generation Joint Strike Fighter will be critical in closing the gap of the fighter jets needed to match current and future threats. Adm. Gary Roughead told the House Armed Services Committee that the service’s current fleet of legacy F/A-18s from Boeing is rapidly aging and will need to be replaced quickly. Those jets have seen substantial action supporting forces on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

San Antonio To Get AF Cyber Command (San Antonio Express-News, May 15, 2009, Pg. 1) Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio has been selected as the headquarters for a new cyber command, an official close to the process said, bringing an influx of infrastructure, security and 400 staffers. The official announcement was expected today. The headquarters will include the commander’s staff and an operations center that will focus on defending Air Force computers against attack and preventing disruptions.

Marshall, Mattis To Lead QDR 'Red Team' (DefenseNews.com, May 15, 2009) U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced this week he has tapped two prominent defense thinkers to head the team that will challenge the conclusions of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

Mantra at U.S. Navy Budget Hearing: Wait for QDR (DefenseNews.com, May 14, 2009) The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) due to be sent to Congress in February will answer many of today's questions, senior U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders told lawmakers May 14.

Last Manned Aircraft?: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 18, 2009) Despite eliminating the Air Force's next-generation bomber from the 2010 defense budget, Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged it was his personal view that "we probably do need a follow-on bomber." But he told the Senate Armed Services Committee during May 14 testimony that much had changed since the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review directed USAF to field the NGB by 2018. And, he now believes that the outcome of the new QDR and Nuclear Posture Review may provide different insight on that bomber and will question "whether, for example, the follow-on bomber needs to have a pilot in it." Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed, declaring, "There are those that see the JSF [F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter] as the last manned fighter—or fighter bomber or—or jet, and I'm one that's inclined to believe that." (The Air Force is slated to purchase the last of its 1,763 JSFs in 2034.) Mullen said, "We're at a real time of transition here in terms of the future of aviation, and the whole issue of what's going to be manned and what's going to be unmanned, what's going to be stealthy, what isn't, how do we address these threats … it's changing, even from 2006."

Gates Demands Review of U.S. Service Chiefs’ Wish Lists (DefenseNews.com, May 18, 2009, Pg. 1) Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who issued a gag order as the 2010 budget request was being prepared, is now inserting himself into a process designed by Congress to promote candid answers from military leaders, raising members’ fears that they are not receiving enough information on defense spending. In April, Gates ordered the service chiefs to brief him on their unfunded requirements lists before they went to Congress. That briefing was set for May 15. “I have no problem with them putting together a list of unfundeds, but the law requires them to inform me about that list before they send it up here,” Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 14. “What I have tried to do ... is to bring some discipline to a budgetary process that, shall we say, lacked a certain measure of discipline in the past.”

Cash-Strapped Navy Puts Hold on Transfers, Goodwill Visits By Ships $930 Million Funding Backlog May Affect Service’s Readiness (Honolulu Advertiser, May 17, 2009) A cash-strapped Navy has halted 14,000 duty station moves and is reducing by one-third the sailing time of non-deployed ships and cutting back on aviation flight hours and ship visits to U.S. cities to counter a $930 million ship repair and manpower budget shortfall, officials said. That funding backlog is being addressed by Congress; Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Thursday added $190 million to a defense supplemental bill. The mid-year funds are intended to pay for repairs to the Pearl Harbor-based cruiser Port Royal, which ran aground in February off Honolulu airport, as well as to fix the submarine Hartford and amphibious ship New Orleans following their collision in March in the Strait of Hormuz. Inouye also increased Navy personnel funding by $230 million to address a $350 million manpower-cost shortfall, officials said. The Navy expects to recoup about $89 million with the duty station freeze, the Navy Times reported.

140,000 more feds next year (FederalTimes.com, May 18, 2009) by Stephen Losey
The executive branch will grow to more than 2 million civilian employees for the first time in 15 years, under President Barack Obama’s 2010 budget plan. The growing ranks of government employees reflect the ever-growing responsibilities many agencies are taking on and the different priorities President Obama has from his predecessor: The Defense Department’s workforce will grow by about 19,000 full-time equivalent positions, most of which will come from converting — or “insourcing” — about 13,800 contractor jobs to federal employee jobs. This is the largest staffing increase proposed for next year, aside from Commerce.

No Tricare Fee Hike: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 18, 2009) The Fiscal 2010 defense budget does not—repeat does not—contain a provision to increase the Tricare fees for retired military personnel, unlike the past three defense budgets in which the Bush Administration tried to raise fees as one means to offset higher healthcare costs.

Housing Relief: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 18, 2009) The Defense Department has temporarily expanded the Housing Assistance Program with a $555 million boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help military members who have trouble selling their primary residence in the midst of the economic downturn. That means those members at bases undergoing BRAC 2005-directed drawdowns don't have to prove the BRAC action drove the local housing market down.

Congress Will Make Own Shipbuilding Plan: Lawmaker (DefenseNews.com, May 15, 2009) The U.S. Navy's new shipbuilding budget faced a focused round of congressional scrutiny May 15, absent a familiar element: the 30-year fleet plan that generates a central part of the annual debate.

Ex-Gov. Mabus Sworn in as New Navy Secretary (Jackson Clarion-Ledger, May 20, 2009) Former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus has been sworn in as the secretary of the Navy, putting him in a key post in the new administration. “He’s going to be a very good choice,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute, because Mabus has a close relationship with President Obama and a good understanding of global diplomacy. But it is Mabus’ political skills that will be particularly useful in his new role, Thompson said.

Lawmakers Say Air Force Plane Cuts May Be Too Deep (WashingtonPost.com, May 19, 2009) House lawmakers say the Air Force could end up flat-footed if it carries out plans to end big programs like the C-17 cargo plane and retires fighter jets while waiting for new ones that are still being tested. The Air Force’s roughly $115.6 billion 2010 base budget request includes a significant shift in weapons buying, ending some politically popular but expensive programs like the C-17 and the F-22 fighter plane. It calls for retiring roughly 250 fighter jets on an accelerated schedule in anticipation of building up its fleet of F-35s from Lockheed Martin. But members of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday questioned whether that leaves the Air Force with enough planes to perform its mission. They cited other proposed changes, like halving the number of planned C-27 cargo jets and scrapping current plans to build a new long range bomber.

Air Force's "Underfunded" Priorities: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 18, 2009) The Air Force's wish-list of some 20 additional items not included in its Fiscal 2010 budget request landed on Capitol Hill Monday evening. Noteworthy is the fact that the list adds up to slightly more than $1.9 billion, less than a tenth of last year's $20 billion list of unfunded priorities.

Chambliss: Hill Leaders 'Realize 187 F-22s Is Not Enough' (DefenseNews.com, May 20, 2009) Congressional proponents of more F-22 fighters will aim to put extra money for the stealthy jets in the 2010 U.S. defense appropriations bill, a key senator says.

Lest There Be Any Doubt: (InsideDefense.com, May 20, 2009) During a May 19 House Armed Services Committee budget hearing, several lawmakers questioned Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, about curtailment of F-22 production at only 187 aircraft and insistence by DOD officials that those 187 aircraft met military need. In one instance, Schwartz's response was short and sweet: "Two forty-three is the right number and 187 is the affordable force."

Current QDR Will Push Gates' Reshaping: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 20, 2009) Irregular warfare and counterinsurgency capabilities not surprisingly are among key focus areas to be scrutinized in the just-commenced Quadrennial Defense Review, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy told the Defense Writers Group Wednesday morning. Flournoy acknowledged that this QDR will be a "leader driven process" that involves Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn, and other senior leadership. One thing that makes this QDR unique, said Flournoy, is that it is jumping off from an established National Defense Strategy, the one Gates released last year. In fact, she said, there is a "pretty clear consensus internally and interagency" on guidance and priorities and that this QDR will inform program and budget decisions. She added, "This is not some separate process; this is creating a strategic framework to drive that process." Flournoy also acknowledged that the rebalancing Gates started with the Fiscal 2010 budget proposal will move forward under this review. She expects various working groups to complete their work by the end of the summer, making it possible for the QDR insights to help "frame and guide decision making" for the 2011 program objective memorandum.

DoD Official: QDR Will Lead To Further ‘Rebalancing’ of Weapons in FY ‘11 (DefenseDaily.com, May 21, 2009) The Pentagon leadership is “very consciously” moving to implement further program changes in the fiscal year 2011 budget cycle using the latest round of a major weapons portfolio review conducted every four years, a top Defense Department official said. Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, said this year’s Quadrennial Defense Review will have more practical ramifications for the Pentagon’s budget than QDRs of years past have had. “This is not some separate process,” Flournoy told defense reporters. “This is creating the strategic framework that will drive” fiscal 2011 budget priorities.

F-22 Adequate for One, not Two, MCOs: (Airforce-Magazine.com, May 20, 2009) Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)—the Senate's leading defender of the F-22 program and vocal critic of its cancellation—asked Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz during Thursday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Air Force 2010 budget proposal to characterize the amount of risk inherent with a program-of-record for only 183 Raptors. He asked: "What is the level of risk that we are taking at 183? Is it low, is it moderate, or is it high risk?" Schwartz replied, "I would characterize it as moderate to high." However, he added that his analysis was based on a standard two Major Combat Operations scenario set forth in past Quadrennial Defense Reviews. That two-MCO construct may well get thrown out in the new QDR being orchestrated now by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Schwartz continued, "There is no question that the program is adequate for one major combat operation."

Musical Chairs: (ShreveportTimes.com, May 22, 2009) According to a report in the Shreveport Times, Gen. William Fraser III, currently serving as the Vice Chief of Staff, is the likely successor to head Air Combat Command when Gen. John Corley retires this summer.

Washington, DC – House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) delivered remarks during House debate on the conference report to S. 454, the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the conference report on a vote of 411 to 0. (House Armed Services Committee website, May 21, 2009) “In the area of policy, we require DOD to balance its desire for cutting edge capabilities with the limits of its resources in setting military requirements. We require competitive acquisition strategies. We require DOD to get programs right in the early stages, when problems can be solved at low cost. We also require DOD to put intense management focus on problem programs until they are either healed, or terminated. We strengthen the Nunn-McCurdy process. And we ask DOD to eliminate or mitigate organizational conflicts of interests among its contractors.”

Urban League of Hampton Roads on NBC Nightly News

The Portsmouth-based Urban League of Hampton Roads was featured on NBS Nightly News with Brian Williams on Friday, May 22nd.

Ron Allen, an NBC News correspondent based in New York, interviewed Ernest Rolland, Financial Counselor for the Urban League of Hampton Roads, and others about the League's services which are offering a ray of hope for hundreds of hard-pressed families facing foreclosure in the region.

Mr. Rolland shared that approximately 600 families in Hampton Roads have been helped, doubling last year's numbers.

MSNBC Video Link, May 22, 2009

The National Urban League of which the Urban League of Hampton Roads is an affiliate, is one of the oldest community-based civil rights organizations.

ISSUE PAPER Outlying Landing Field (OLF): Impacts of A Worst Case Scenario

PURPOSE

To discuss the impacts of a worst case scenario in which an OLF to support Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana is not located in Virginia or North Carolina.

SUMMARY

The future of NAS Oceana – and to some extent Naval Station Norfolk - is strategically, operationally, and politically tied directly to finding an OLF that meets the Navy’s requirements. Should Navy decision makers not have the benefit of politically and operationally viable sites that meet their mission requirements, they could find themselves in a ‘checkmate’ situation, with no long range alternative other than to find a new east coast master jet base.

Once this situation develops, the ability of the Virginia congressional delegation, the Commonwealth, and the Hampton Roads region to prevent the loss of an aircraft carrier to another homeport and the loss of other capabilities will be seriously hampered – if not fatally neutralized. This IS the worst case scenario.

BACKGROUND

An OLF to augment existing carrier landing practice capabilities at NAS Oceana and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF) Fentress is required to provide the operational robustness necessary to NAS Oceana’s ability to accomplish its mission.

Strong, well-organized public opposition and the eventual political collapse of the Navy’s preferred OLF site (Site C) in Washington County, North Carolina, changed the dynamics of the OLF identification process, allowing the Commonwealth of Virginia to explore opportunities within the state. North Carolina officials began a parallel process and have offered alternative sites, but there is no indication that a solution exists in North Carolina. At least one of these sites is further south than Site C, extending the distance between the OLF and NAS Oceana which makes it less operationally suitable.

The Navy must soon make a decision regarding the OLF situation. That decision will be based on the results of the alternative site identification processes conducted by Virginia and North Carolina, and the existing environmental impact statement (EIS) that resulted in the earlier selection of Site C. There is a chance that the Navy may re-evaluate the original OLF sites in North Carolina should viable alternatives not be found in Virginia or North Carolina, however there is a low likelihood of this possibility. A Herculean effort would be required to pursue this course of action.

DISCUSSION

For the Commonwealth of Virginia the worst case scenario is a failure to identify any politically suitable, operationally viable OLF sites in Virginia or in North Carolina, thereby providing an incentive to the Navy to move aircraft to other locations. In this worst case scenario, the Navy will be driven by necessity to seriously examine the future viability of NAS Oceana as the east coast master jet base if it cannot meet mission requirements. This opens the door to political suitors to invigorate their efforts to attract the Navy away from NAS Oceana (NAS Kingsville, TX; NAS Pensacola, FL; Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; etc.) and establish a new east coast master jet base.

Further, there is an undisputed relationship between carrier aircraft basing and aircraft carrier homeporting; proximity is preferred.

The following considerations are germane:

• While the cost of constructing a new master jet base from scratch with an adequate OLF nearby is on the order of $1.8 billion, the relocation to an existing base – particularly one with a welcoming political and public environment – is less expensive. State or local incentives could make such a move even more attractive to the Navy.
  
  
• While Fleet Forces Command (FFC) has stated that the immediate challenge is an OLF to support NAS Oceana, it is not unreasonable to believe that a more strategic, longer-term view has long considered the idea of establishing a new master jet base to replace NAS Oceana.
  
  
• The newly nominated FFC Commander, Vice Admiral Greenert – assuming he is confirmed – will be the most junior four star in the Navy. He is a submariner whose operational experience is all with the Pacific Fleet and he has no prior affiliation with Hampton Roads.
  
  
• The current Commander Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Rear Admiral Ruehe retires in October. He is being relieved by Rear Admiral Mark S. Boensel, the current Commander Navy Region Southeast – in whose region many of the potential suitor sites for locating a master jet base exist.
  
  
• The EIS for Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is likely very problematic for NAS Oceana given current noise and other issues surrounding NAS Oceana. As the Navy integrates JSF into the force it will need to find more suitable operating bases out of necessity.
  
  
• A second law suit seeking $500 million in damages has just been filed regarding the noise at NAS Oceana; earlier this year the Department of Justice settled a similar law suit for $38 million, setting a potential precedent for the success of a new suit. It is questionable whether or not the settlement of the first suit would support the later basing of JSF at Oceana by precluding a subsequent suit.
  
  
• While Virginia and Hampton Roads are represented on both the Senate and House Committees on Armed Services, and they have thus far been aggressive and effective in protecting existing capabilities, potential opponents both outnumber and outrank our congressional delegation. Further, Hampton Roads is not represented on either the Senate or House Committees on Appropriations. Thus, the Virginia congressional delegation’s ability to continue to protect existing capabilities and advocate for new ones becomes more problematic.

CONCLUSION

Failure to find an operationally viable OLF site in Virginia is the seminal point in characterizing the Navy’s future footprint – and economic and cultural impact of that presence – in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Hampton Roads region. Without an OLF supporting NAS Oceana, the Navy will be pressured to put NAS Oceana on the next Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) list or initiate movement of aircraft to other locations, likely to be accompanied by the relocation of an aircraft carrier. The result will be a dramatically changed military landscape in Hampton Roads in the next 5 to 10 years.

Author: Frank Roberts, Executive Director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance (HRMFFA) whose mission is to proactively protect, preserve and grow military and federal capabilities in Hampton Roads for the common good and welfare of the residents of the Hampton Roads. Through regional advocacy and influence the Alliance acts to retain and attract organizations, capabilities, and investments owned, operated or funded by the Federal government.

NOTE: The original date of this paper is Oct 2007. RADM Boensel has been Navy Mid-Atlantic Commander since Nov 2007. VADM Greenert has been Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command since Sep 2007 and is off to become the new Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO), the second highest ranking officer in the United States Navy, this summer.

VMA Service and Port of Hampton Roads Champion Awards

from David White, Vice President of the Virginia Maritime Association; contact David at (757) 622-2639or at VMA@PortOfHamptonRoads.com.

The Virginia Maritime Association (VMA) has announced the presentation of the following awards:

• "Distinguished Service Award" to Colonel Dionysios “Dan” Anninos, Commander of the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• “Port Champion” to Captain Martin J. Moynihan, Executive Director of the Port of Richmond until his retirement in 2008
• "Port Champion" to Captain Patrick B. Trapp, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads until his promotion in April, 2009

Captain J. William Cofer, President of VMA made the awards presentations in front of an audience of 900 at the Association's 89th Annual Maritime Banquet, held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott hotel on the evening of May 14, 2009. Col. Anninos, Capt. Moynihan and Capt. Trapp were presented with Resolutions of Appreciation for their respective and unique contributions promoting, protecting and encouraging the Port of Hampton Roads.

The Maritime Industry, through the leadership of the Virginia Maritime Association (VMA), continues to be the driving force for the progressive development of the Port of Hampton Roads. VMA was founded in 1920 for the purpose of promoting, protecting and encouraging the interests of commercial shipping through the Port of Hampton Roads. VMA's goals and purpose remain true today with over 500 members and a diverse committee structure prepared to address any subject relating to the overall operations of the Port. From physical harbor improvements to working with various governmental and legislative agencies, the Association strives to improve the great Port of Hampton Roads.

Hampton Roads Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

Hampton Roads Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Project Support


The Hampton Roads Partnership (HRP), a public private organization comprised of the chief elected officials of seventeen local governments, business leaders, college and university presidents, and military commands, seeks a highly qualified contractor to provide support for development of a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Hampton Roads region.

A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), as defined by the U. S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic roadmap to diversify and strengthen regional economies. The CEDS analyzes the regional economy and serves as a guide for establishing regional goals and objectives, developing and implementing a regional plan of action, and identifying investment priorities and funding sources.

A CEDS integrates a region’s human and physical capital planning in the service of economic development. Integrated economic development planning provides the flexibility to adapt to global economic conditions and fully utilize the region’s unique advantages to maximize economic opportunity for its residents by attracting the private investment that creates jobs for the region’s residents.

A CEDS is the result of a continuing economic development planning process developed with broad-based and diverse public and private sector participation and must set forth the goals and objectives necessary to solve the economic development problems of the region and clearly define the metrics of success.

Finally, a CEDS provides a useful benchmark by which a regional economy can evaluate opportunities with other regions in the national economy.

For more information on CEDS: http://www.eda.gov/PDF/CEDSFlyer081706.pdf

The CEDS Support Contractor:

1. Works directly for the Project Manager to oversee and facilitate the CEDS process and to integrate and prioritize Sub-Committee results.
2. Provides support to Strategy Committee and Sub-Committee Leaders.
3. Facilitates public outreach working with appropriate regional entities.
4. Supports the preparation of the final report.

Qualifications:

1. Has detailed and current knowledge of Hampton Roads including its opportunities and issues.
2. Has been involved with the preparation of successful CEDS planning efforts.

Proposals should include how the contractor will support the project, information on key personnel involved, relevant accomplishments, and a budget to include travel, meeting support, and personnel costs. Proposals should be limited to no more than 4 pages, including budget.

Proposals should be sent by Monday, June 7, 2009 to:
E. Dana Dickens, III
President and CEO
Hampton Roads Partnership
430 World Trade Center
Norfolk, VA 23510
ddickens@hrp.org

Building "tribes" and today's leadership

by Missy Schmidt, Communication Manager, Webmaster and Blogmaster for the Hampton Roads Partnership. Contact her at Missy@HRP.org.

Included in this video are good, thoughtful questions for the leaders in Hampton Roads as we often seem to ask "who speaks for Hampton Roads?"

TED conferences gather the world's leading thinkers and doers to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). In just four days of rapid-fire stimulation, unexpected connections are made, extraordinary insights and powerful inspiration abound. TED is about riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world, about ideas worth spreading.

Featured speakers have included Al Gore on 15 ways to avert a climate crisis, Nicholas Negroponte on his One Laptop per Child project, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Sir Kenneth Robinson on whether schools kill creativity, Robin Chase on the world’s biggest car-sharing business and road-pricing schemes that will shake up our driving habits, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts.

Direct Video Link

This TEDTalk is by Seth Godin, a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. In it, Godin argues that the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant (50,000 years) past: "tribes." Founded on shared ideas and values, "tribes" give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. Change derived in the new way ideas are created and spread and implemented. He describes today's new model of leadership; power is no longer in the hands of those who buy the most ads to convince the masses of something.

Thanks to the internet, we have ever more diverse "tribes." Rather than the homogenized social strata that was thought to be the outcome of the internet, we have more and smaller niches of interest. You can find anyone for whom you're looking and connect with them, via the Web.

Godin puts forth that today's leadership is about one simple premise: finding something worth changing, challenging the status quo, and assembling "tribes" that assemble other "tribes" until the change becomes far bigger than ourselves; it becomes a movement.

You need only a few people, perhaps 1,000 true fans, true believers, true evangelists, who will build a culture and organize others around your great ideas.

Godin asks important questions and so do we: Who are we connecting with? Who are we leading?

Good, thoughtful questions for the leaders in Hampton Roads as we seem to often ask "who speaks for Hampton Roads?"

Welcome to SmartRegion.org's newest blogger links

Municipal Reference Library Radar is a current awareness blog brought to the Hampton Roads region by the Virginia Beach Public Library.

Virginia Intelligent Transportation Systems is an informational resource dedicated to the advocation and promotion of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and surrounding region.

SmartRegion.org welcomes other Hampton Roads topical bloggers to link here for the benefit of the entire Hampton Roads region! Please submit to: Contact@HRP.org

Using Hip Hop to Reach Youth in Norfolk

The City of Norfolk's Public Library uses Hip Hop to engage youth and the entire community with the library. Thanks to this program, they know the library exists and it has something to offer them.

Using Hip Hop to Reach Youth in NorfolkView this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

Posted and reprinted by permission of the City of Norfolk Communications Department. Originally seen by the City's residents in the print publication "Norfolk Quarterly," the Communications Department is allowing us to offer this information to the entire region.

SmartRegion.org welcomes other information about local community engagement efforts for the benefit of the entire Hampton Roads region! Please submit to: Contact@HRP.org

Living in Hampton Roads

Welcome to Hampton Roads with the Darden Publishing 2009-2010 edition of Living In Hampton Roads, an annual regional resource guide for Southeastern Virginia's Hampton Roads.

Whether you come for business or pleasure, a short visit or a lifetime, Hampton Roads has something for you.

Hampton Roads is one of the best places to raise a family. It's good for business, too. If you want to learn more, click on the cover page below for a "virtual copy." Or, to order your beautiful "coffee table copy," visit http://DardenPublishing.net.


Inside the back cover (shown below), the region's "new view" website, www.HamptonRoadsPerforms.org, is featured. This website features quality of life performance measurements, tracking our region's progress and providing insight into those aspects of life that will ensure Hampton Roads' competitive position in the global economy.

Whether you live here, you're visiting or considering a move, you can see how the region is doing at www.HamptonRoadsPerforms.org.

The TIDE, Hampton Roads Light Rail begins

What is it? Where is it going? When will it be here?

The City of Norfolk's TIDE is taking the first step toward a regional light rail system envisioned to link to other rail and high speed rail along the East Coast and beyond. Norfolk is our nation's 36th city to embark on light rail development - America's smallest city to take this large step for its region.

The TIDE, Hampton Roads Light Rail beginsView this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

Posted and reprinted by permission of the City of Norfolk Communications Department. Originally seen by the City's residents in the print publication "Norfolk Quarterly," the Communications Department is allowing us to offer this information to the entire region.

SmartRegion.org welcomes other information about local transportation improvement efforts for the benefit of the entire Hampton Roads region! Please submit to: Contact@HRP.org

National Transportation Week: Port, Rail Partnerships Promise a Bright Future for Hampton Roads

by Quintin C. Kendall, CSX Resident Vice President for State Government Affairs

This week is National Transportation Week, which provides us an opportunity to reflect on the significant role the Hampton Roads region plays in our nation’s freight network. In 2008, the amount of freight moved through the Port of Virginia increased nearly 50% over the last decade. The port handled over two million TEUs in 2008, but the future appears even brighter-- APM Terminals can double the existing cargo capacity of the region, and Phase I of Craney Island will add an additional capacity of 1.5 million TEUs by 2020.

View this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

The region’s foresight in developing and supporting these critical transportation assets is vital to Virginia economic well-being, and cements Hampton Roads position as the prime beneficiary of the Panama Canal Expansion Project. When the project is completed in 2014, the canal will accommodate significantly larger vessels (up to 12,000 TEUs), and Hampton Roads will be home to the only ports on the East Coast than can handle these size ships.

But in order to move these goods from the ports to their final destination without overloading the region’s already choked highway system, Hampton Roads requires vibrant and efficient rail connections.

To that end, CSX has proposed the National Gateway, a public-private partnership which will create a state-of-the-art rail corridor linking Virginia’s international ports and population centers with the Midwest’s manufacturing centers through use of double-stack trains.

The National Gateway utilizes unlocks a second competitive double-stack route between Virginia and the Midwest and Southeast—additional rail capacity that will be essential to handle the increased freight volumes of the future and will prove critical to the ensuring the ports’ –and the Hampton Roads region’s--long term growth.

View this presentation in a new browser window; click on "Full" to view full screen; click on "Download" to download the presentation to your own computer.

The National Gateway will bring new construction jobs to our state and help businesses in Virginia be more competitive in the global economy. All told, Virginia will realize over $1.2 billion in public benefits from the National Gateway, including:

• Highway Relief: By creating an additional freight transportation option, the National Gateway will reduce traffic congestion and lower highway maintenance costs. One train can carry the load of more than 280 trucks, clearing space for over 1,100 cars. The National Gateway will shift the freight of nearly 5 million trucks off Virginia’s highways, thereby improving road safety and saving $106 million in highway maintenance costs.
  
  
• Environmental Benefits: Railroads are the most environmentally-friendly way to move goods on land. On average, railroads are three or more times more fuel efficient than alternatives. The National Gateway will use state-of-the-art green technology and improve the flow of freight by rail in Virginia, reducing fuel consumption by 58 million gallons and CO2 emissions by over 650,000 tons.
  
  
• Logistics Savings: By expanding rail access and providing new shipping options, the National Gateway is expected to reduce overall freight shipping costs on goods entering and leaving Virginia by over $690 million.

Under this public-private partnership, CSX has committed to spending $387 million out of the overall $774 million dollars needed to complete the National Gateway by 2015, with the balance being sought from state and federal governments, recognizing that every $1 of public funds invested yields $16 in public benefit.

So as we reflect this week on the integral position Virginia’s ports hold in our nation’s transportation system and the role they have played in the evolution of Hampton Roads, we should also look to ensuring future public policy decisions that will promote continued progress. Taxpayers and businesses should encourage their representatives to support deserving projects such as the National Gateway that will combine state and federal funds with private investment to stimulate our economy, reduce congestion, improve the environment and move the nation forward.

For more information or to support the effort, please visit www.NationalGateway.org.

Calling all Hampton Roads Bloggers!

Are you a "citizen journalist"? Are you willing to link your blog with Hampton Roads SmartRegion.org and gain access to a national / global audience?

If you write at least one post per week, then send us your "blogger resume" ... which consists of a link to your blog and a 1-2 sentence byline.

Not a blogger now, but interested in sharing your local reaction to national news AND local reflections on categories of national interest? Perhaps we can help... read on:



Background: On April 4th, the first Hampton Roads Civic Engagement Summit held by the Hampton Roads Center for Civic Engagement (HRCCE), in cooperation with the Hampton Roads Partnership, WHRO, The Planning Council, and the Future of Hampton Roads, presented us with the beginning of a conversation about where we are, where we want to be, and what will be required to get “there” as a region.

The results of HRCCE’s Batten Survey were released at the Summit and reveal that in Hampton Roads we have:

• Opportunities…civic capital in Hampton Roads is plentiful…our job is to cultivate it and capitalize on it, as a region;
• Disconnectedness…citizens say they are somewhat or very interested in working with others to solve regional issues, yet they don’t feel invited; however, civic leaders say they want citizens to educate themselves, participate more in civic matters when invited, and let their views be known;
• Paradoxes…we agree on major issues such as the economy and transportation and want to solve our regional problems, but as a result of this survey, citizens say we lack a mean by which to come together as a region to work on these problems, together. Furthermore, while citizens follow news about local government and public affair somewhat or very closely, a majority of respondents say there is no reliable source or don’t know if there is a reliable source of information.

Citizens in attendance working in small groups at the Summit had these solutions to recommend for better civic engagement:

• Increase trust, honesty, transparency and the flow of information;
• Provide more regional emphasis by governments and media;
• Decide who/what organization is the regional voice;
• Develop a region-wide blog involving issue experts and citizens;
• Develop a regional website with links to each government agency and organization;
• Use information technology to increase citizen’s access, to educate/improve conversation between citizens and elected officials to make representative democracy work better;
• Provide an information portal, a common shared repository for data, information and opinion, accessible to the public in a variety of ways.

SmartRegion.org could be a means to that end, that ONE reliable source of information, a portal to connect all of Hampton Roads’ organizations, citizens and civic leaders alike, and to present Hampton Roads to a global audience as well.

Hampton Roads’ SmartRegion.org has been selected as the new “Military Bastion” for Patchwork Nation with the upcoming re-launch of the project on the PBS NewsHour’s website. The NewsHour, in partnership with WHRO, joins the Christian Science Monitor's Patchwork Nation project to provide coverage of local economic impacts as a way to build a local-national
collaboration model incorporating citizen journalists (bloggers).

With the pending re-launch as an expanded, multi-faceted, truly regionally-cooperative blog, SmartRegion.org will be the face of Hampton Roads to the nation and beyond.

Expanded Categories:

About Hampton Roads
Arts & Culture
Business Community
Economy
Education & Workforce
Government & Citizens
Hampton Roads History
Military Bastion
Research & Technology
Transportation & Planning

Organizations all over Hampton Roads are being asked to pool valuable resources and join this effort to provide blog articles (i.e. “posts”) and broad distribution of a regional electronic Newsletter, similar to (and replacing) the current HRP e-News.

The idea is NOT to create more work for each organization but to work smarter, not harder, to offer access to citizens and outlets for information like never before, to answer our citizens’ call for ONE regional focus, ONE regional resource.

Next steps? Contact HRP Communication Manager, Missy Schmidt, today at Missy@HRP.org or (757) 625-4696 for more information and/or to be a part of this unprecedented effort.

Hampton Roads Maritime & International Trade Guide

To purchase copies, call 804-649-6999 or email Karen Chenault at kchenault@va-business.com Copies sell for: 1 - 10 copies = $2.00 each 11 - 49 copies = $1.75 each 50 & over copies = $1.50 each plus tax and shipping The 2009 Virginia Business Magazine's annual publication highlighting maritime and international trade in Hampton Roads features:

• Looking to a brighter future/Virginia ports hope economic decline has bottomed out: Interview with Joe Dorto, President and CEO of Virginia International Terminals and Hampton Roads Partnership Board member
  
  
• Riding out the storm/U.S. Navy's $14 billion contract brings job security to Newport News shipyard: Extension of contract with Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics to build Virginia-class submarines, last of which is to be delivered in 2019
  
  
• Colleges help match student skills with employer needs: Old Dominion University (ODU) and Tidewater Community College (TCC) offer courses, majors and clubs to help students interested in maritime and commerce professions
  
  
• Testing your seaworthiness/Maritime academy simulator tests students' preparedness: A distinct level of realism allows bridge and engineering mariners to train and practice together without threatening vessels
  
  
• Reports on: Imports/Protecting consumers; Transportation/New barge service expands port 100 wiles to the west, 200-mile Heartland Rail Corridor opens in 2010, Trucking; Environment/A swimmable and fishable river; Foreign Trade Zones/An Edge to U.S. manufacturers; Port of Virginia statistics and more.
  

StoryCorps, national oral history project coming to Hampton Roads

Since 2003, over 50,000 people have shared life stories with family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share and is preserved at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to StoryCorps' broadcasts on public radio and the web. StoryCorps, a revolutionary initiative to record this nation’s stories, is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind.

And, StoryCorps is coming to HAMPTON ROADS, and we want you to be involved. Help us spread the word!

What is StoryCorps? Sponsored by National Public Radio and affiliated with the Library of Congress, StoryCorps was established to create an oral history of regular citizens, allowing everyday people to preserve personal stories for their own families, and for future generations to hear. Participants reserve an hour-long recording session at our StoryBooth to interview someone they know- loved ones, friends, or members of their community. At the end of the session, the participants receive a CD copy to take home, and, with their permission, another copy will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Please visit www.StoryCorps.org to learn more.

Join host WHRO at the WHRO Studios, Wednesday, May 27th at 6PM for an exciting community meeting and learn how to get involved! Please RSVP by May 20th to WHRO.

by Jan Johnson, WHRO Donor Relations Manager, (757) 889-9358, Jan.Johnson@whro.org

About WHRO…
WHRO is a vibrant public service media company that promotes education, culture and citizenship through a variety of telecommunications services. Every day, thousands of viewers and listeners tune to 89.5 WHRV FM, 90.3 WHRO FM, WHRO HD 15.1, WHRO WORLD, WHRO KIDS, WHRO CREATE, and the WHRO VOICE. Owned by 18 local school divisions, WHRO delivers educational and new media services to 286,000 students and 25,000 educators per month.

LEAD Hampton Roads awarding regional cooperation and progress

The LEAD Hampton Roads Class of 2009 is awarding a "First Citizen" and an "Outstanding Organization" for their contributions to regional cooperation and progress. Nomination Deadline: May 7, 2009

Click on links below to make your nomination online:
First Citizen Nomination
Outstanding Organization Nomination

From the LEAD Hampton Roads Class of 2009:
How can Hampton Roads function as a commercial, educational and cultural region that thrives as a single entity? Can we maximize the use of our facilities and infrastructure to function in concert? Are we able to overcome our differences and commit to a common destiny, or will we merely identify problems and fail to effect change? Will we end up as a disparate collection of communities competing with each other rather than working together to achieve common goals?

Our objective is to salute civic and business leaders who promote progress toward regional growth; to foster effective regional leadership and initiate discussions on the most effective means of achieving cooperation between government and business; and to enhance the inter-regional cooperation of Hampton Roads.

Our hope is that this will result in a better place to live, work, and play.