Laura Burns President's Circle: March 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:

1. 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 regarding this project for additional information. We are so excited to beautify our neighborhood and bring our community together!
2. Columbus and LaValette: The city has installed a 4-way stop sign at this intersection after the civic league voted in favor of this.
3. 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!
4. Sinkhole on the 600 Block of Delaware Ave: A sinkhole developed on the 600 block of Delaware Ave due to a collapsed pipe. Residents reported it via Norfolk Cares, but it continued to get worse. I contacted the Director of Public Works, who worked with the Department of Public Utilities to remedy the problem and ensure our community’s safety.
5. 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! More information here.
6. Councilwoman Courtney Doyle: Our Councilwoman Courtney Doyle spoke at our last civic league meeting. She told us about some updates in our area, and residents could ask questions. Courtney was asked what recourse residents have when they submit a request to Norfolk Cares with seemingly no response. Courtney asked that we email her those correspondences so she can follow up and resolve them. 
7. LeGrand Kitchen: LeGrand Kitchen is moving from Colley Ave to Riverview! The restaurant plans to occupy the space where Crackers currently resides.
8. Advertising: With the launch of our new website and e-newsletter, Media Chair, Shannon Bowman has put together 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 email her 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 the back of the newsletter).