City Council Recap
Capital Improvements Plan Approved
Last night Newport News City Council approved the City Manager’s
Recommended Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) for fiscal years 2018 – 2022. The CIP is the City’s five-year plan that establishes both a schedule and a funding strategy for high-priority capital projects and equipment purchases. The total recommended CIP across all funds (General Fund and the user-fee funds) for the five-year period totals $577.8 million. The adopted CIP serves as a schedule of capital spending commitments for the initial year (FY 2018) and a plan for capital investments for the subsequent four years (FY 2019 - 2022).
Day Service Center for the Homeless
City Council approved a resolution in support of the City Manager applying to utilize the former Marine Corps Center at 7401 Warwick Boulevard as a Day Service Center for homeless individuals. The application will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and will propose using the facility to help gain self-sufficiency and transition to stable housing. A Day Service Center would provide access to basic human needs like showers and laundry facilities, health services, training opportunities, housing assistance, and more. The City would contract with an operator to run the center.
Transportation Related Grants
Five separate federal grants totaling nearly $3.6 million have been awarded to the City of Newport News for various transportation related projects. Council appropriated the funds as follows at yesterday’s Council meeting:
- $300,000 through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program for the Citywide Intelligent Transportation System Upgrades project. The funds will be used to improve the City’s traffic signal information systems to maintain efficient movement of people and goods throughout the City.
- $400,000 in Federal Transportation Alternatives Program funds for the Washington Avenue Pedestrian Improvements and Streetscape project. The project includes sidewalk, crosswalk and lighting improvements from 30th Street to 34th Street and are the second phase of a larger pedestrian plan for downtown Newport News. The first phase of improvement was constructed in conjunction with the new Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School.
- $755,000 through the Highway Safety Improvement Program for the Warwick Boulevard at Harpersville Road Intersection Improvements Project. Project elements include replacing the existing span wire traffic signal with a more visible mast arm, construction of a northbound left turn lane, and pedestrian improvements.
- $900,000 in additional CMAQ funds for improvements to signal timings that will ensure the traffic signal system operates in an efficient manners as traffic patterns on City streets change over time.
- $1,240,076 through the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Smart SCALE grant program for the Warwick Boulevard over Lake Maury Bridge Replacement project. The bridge was built in 1931 and widened in 1960. The bridge is in poor condition and is in need of replacement as it is reaching the end of its useful life. This $8.2 million project will be funded through a combination of State Revenue Sharing Program funds, City matching funds, and Smart SCALE Program funds.
Other Actions
All other
agenda items were approved by City Council, and the entire Council meeting can be viewed
on-demand.
Next Meeting
The December 27, 2016 City Council meeting has been canceled due to the holidays. The next regular meeting of the Newport News City Council will be Tuesday, January 10, 2017. City Council typically meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 pm in City Council Chambers, 2400 Washington Avenue. Meetings are shown live on the City’s Cable Channel NNTV (Cox Ch 48/Verizon Ch 19) and are streamed live on
www.nnva.gov/nntv. City Council meetings are also available to be watched on-demand the day following the meeting at
www.nnva.gov/nntv.