Resolution of Approval for Newport News Redevelopment & Housing Authority and Berkley Apartments
City Council last night granted approval to the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority to issue Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds not to exceed $43 million to Berkley Preservation, L. P. The bonds will be used to finance the acquisition, rehabilitation, and equipping of Berkley West and Berkley Village affordable rental apartment complexes. The 30 year old complexes consist of 373 one and two bedroom units and are located on Daphia Circle off Saunders Road. The complexes currently house seniors and disabled persons only and are under contract to remain at their current affordability lever for the next 30 years. Statutory provisions require the highest elected governmental unit of a locality to approve the issuance of the bonds.
Appropriations
Over $7.9 million was appropriated by City Council last night for parks improvements, new vehicles, transportation safety improvement initiatives, stormwater management projects and sanitary sewer rehabilitation. The appropriations are broken down as follows:
- $365,010 for the King-Lincoln Park Trails project. In partnership with the Lambda Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the City competed for and has been awarded two grants from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. $26,255 from the Open Space Recreation and Conservation Fund grant will be used along with a local match of $26,255 for new signage, benches and lighting in the park. A $250,000 grant from the Federal Recreational Trails Program with a required local match of $88,755 will be used to rehabilitate pedestrian walking trails at the park. The City’s match for the grants is coming from the current Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), Parks and Recreation Category.
- $511,000 for the purchase of 17 new vehicles. The money was appropriated from the Vehicle Services Fund and will allow for the purchase of 16 public safety vehicles and one public works vehicle.
- $515,000 for citywide drainage projects. These funds from the Stormwater Drainage Category of this year’s CIP will allow the departments of Engineering and Public Works to address small localized and/or emergency drainage projects that are not otherwise programmed in the CIP.
- $1,367,102 for Transportation Safety Improvement programs. These funds will support enhancement and/or installation projects throughout the City relating to pedestrian, bicycle and road safety, streetlights, neighborhood projects, traffic signals, and road projects. $1,149,057 was appropriated from the Streets and Bridges category of the current year’s CIP, while $218,045 is a grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation Urban Construction Initiative.
- $5,150,000 for the Annual Citywide Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation program. These funds, from the Sewer Rehabilitation category of this year’s CIP, will be used to improve aging sanitary sewer infrastructure including pipes and manholes, as well as pump station upgrades at various locations throughout the City.
Other Actions
All other
agenda items were approved by City Council, and the entire Council meeting can be viewed
on-demand.
Next Meeting
The next regular meeting of the Newport News City Council will be Tuesday, March 14th. City Council typically meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month at 7:00 PM in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 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. Oftentimes City Council holds work sessions in the 10th floor conference room of City Hall in the afternoon before the regular meetings. Work sessions are open to the public. Agendas for work sessions and regular meetings are
available online in the Agenda Center the Friday before the meeting.