Laura Burns

Laura Burns President's Circle: April 2023

In an effort to show our community what the Civic League does, here is what I have been up to the past few months on behalf of our residents:


Asphalt Art: Colonial Place resident Melissa Seek presented her proposal regarding installing asphalt art in Colonial Place and Riverview at our February meeting and it was approved by the Civic League! Please see the article on our website regarding this project for additional information. We are so excited to beautify our neighborhood and bring our community together!

Membership Committee Chair: Harris Laughrey has been serving as our Membership Committee Chair and has been of great value to the Civic League. Unfortunately, the Navy has called upon him for bigger and better things, so he is leaving Norfolk. I am pleased to announce that Jay Jenkins, Colonial Place resident, will take over for Harris. Thanks, Jay!


Advertising Subcommittee Chair: With the launch of our new website, e-newsletter, and Facebook page, we have lots of opportunities for advertisers, and the Civic League is looking for a volunteer to help manage them. We have a media kit and business contact list already prepared; we need someone to execute and manage. This is not a board position, so you do not have to attend regular meetings. Having experience with Microsoft Excel and email would be beneficial. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved with lots of flexibility! If you are interested in volunteering, please get in touch with Shannon at media@cprv.net.


Riverview Commercial Corridor Pilot Program: Riverview Village has been identified by the Department of Economic Development as one of two areas they are piloting a commercial corridor program. Funding will be provided for façade updates and placemaking. Pooya Mohit (VP) and I attended a meeting with the consulting group Anderson + Bohlander; the city hired to help drive this effort. Along with a few Riverview Village stakeholders, we helped the consultants understand what makes Riverview Village special, its history, and what improvements we would like to see in the area. The city will start accepting applications from business owners soon! For more information, please visit: https://cprv.net/commercial-corridor-pilot/

Annual Civic League Officer Elections: Our annual election for Civic League officers is held in June. We have assembled a nominating committee that is accepting nominations for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Neighborhood Representative. If you or someone you know is interested in running, please get in touch with Stephanie at crime_prevention@cprv.net by the end of April. A list of those running will be published in our May newsletter, with elections to be held in June.


Advertising: With the launch of our new website and e-newsletter, Media Chair, Shannon Bowman has assembled a media kit for folks interested in advertising with the civic league. If you or someone you know would like to advertise with us, please get in touch with advertising@cprv.net for more information.

The Civic League is here to serve the community. If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me (president@cprv.net, 804-690-5047) and anyone from the Board (contact information is on our website).

News & Resources

General Members Meeting | January 8, 2024

Ramin Fatehi, the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, delivered a comprehensive update on national crime trends and the macro factors influencing them. He also highlighted our local deviations from these national trends, providing valuable insights into the successes of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office in 2023 and sharing upcoming initiatives for 2024. Following Ramin’s engaging presentation, a brief Q&A session allowed for further discussion. Watch the entire meeting below.

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Porchella 2023 | Dec 30th from 6-9 PM

Porchella is a free, neighborhood jam that will take place in Colonial Place this year, Dec. 30 from 6-9pm. Neighbors offer up their porches to musicians for 30 min concerts by musicians of all types that offer up their talent! It’s basically reverse caroling. 🙂 Bring cash to tip your musicians as they are donating their time and skills! We will also have Venmo QR codes on the porches to make it easier to tip!

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