City Council - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon and welcome. At this time, I'd like to call our Suffach City Council work session to order. Uh we have one topic for discussion this afternoon uh where we will be receiving an update to our 2025 winter in holiday events. Mr. Manager, please provide an overview. Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor, members of council. Joining us today is Terresa Earles, our tourism development manager, to talk us through the festivities that we will see throughout our city this holiday season. Welcome, Teresa.

Thank you. Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor, honorable council. Mr. manager. I [clears throat] feel like we go straight from trick-or-treating to Santa Claus in about 2.5 seconds. So, please know that we have a lot of events going on from now through the end of the year, but because we're early in the season, there are still events that haven't been announced by outside organizations. So, you'll get the main city events, but just know there's going to be more to come, and you can find that on our website, visits sufficva.com. Right now we have ongoing exhibits and activities such as the art of wine series featuring Barbara Harris to travel is to life. She's a wonderful plane air painter that's at the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts through the 22nd. Also through the 22nd we have our Suffach farmers market every Saturday from 9 to 1. And we will then have a few other things going on. But if you want to go to the traditional farmers market, you want to go before the 22nd through December 4th. The Suffic Art Gallery has their 2025 annual jured show on display. The theme was Dada. Now, starting tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m., the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts is going to be showing their exhibit, a tribute to harvest exhibition. And this is where artists can interpret the agricultural community and how it's fairing against modern technology and climate change and that sort of thing. On November 8th, we have a lot going on. We have the downtown festival park. will be hosting the salute to service 5K and one mileer. That is a partnership between Suffic Parks and Recre and the Tie Water Striders. You can still sign up for the 5K. It starts at 8 a.m. And the one mileer, they're saying will start around 9:15 and it'll return back to the downtown festival park for for fun food and drinks and that sort of thing, but it mainly goes through the Riverview neighborhood from 10:00 to 3 at Bennis Pasture Shops. The Jingle Mingle, it's their annual holiday open house. You can also see the [clears throat] Grinch there typically. And 11 to 3 at the Suffic Art Gallery, the Bosley Artist Market is coming back

for its second year. And this is a curated luxury artisan gift fair. So it's not something you're going to see every day. Um from 12:00 to 6, New Realm Brewing is going to be hosting their harvest festival. They're going to have a variety of harvest themed beers and food and entertainment. So that should be fun as well. 8:00 PM at the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts. They're going to be showing the Four C notes, recreating the music of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons. Tickets are available from $35 to $45. And if you would like, you can add an additional $42 per person for a VIP dinner package. Everybody's favorite time of year, Suffic Restaurant Week. That's going to be starting November 9th and continuing through the 16th. The list that you see to the right is the restaurants that are participating this year. They choose from a deluxe, premiere, or ultimate menu level. So those with deluxe, they're going to have lunch for $10, dinner for 20. Premiier is $15 for lunch, $30 for dinner, and then ultimate is $20 for lunch, and $40 for dinner. We keep all the menus as they come in. We update them throughout week at visitsva.com. You just click on restaurant week and it'll take you to all the information. On November 9th, we also have the stall crawl. It's a salute to veterans. This is a partnership between Liberty Lane Farm and Bridalwood Equestrian Center. And this is something that Suffic Economic Development and Agriculture and Tourism have been working with these folks to create kind of a progressive stall tour. So you can go on barn tours, you can um ride horses, you can learn about how things work on a working farm. You can also watch the drill teams perform. There will be vendors, concessions, and that sort of thing. It is free and open to the public. And if there's a small fee, it will just be for concessions or something like that. November 14th through the 17th, Still Water Tea House at Rose Cottage, they are hosting their

gingerbread tea tasting. So that's a four course meal and four teas paired, which each with each course 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30 seings. You just need to make your reservations in advance. On November 15th, we're going to have a variety of things. Miss Lily's Trading Post in Holland. They're going to be hosting their outdoor open market from 10:00 to 2. From 10:00 to 3, the SuffK Art Gallery will have the Chrysler Museum of Arts mobile glass blowing um unit and they will allow you to make your own Christmas ornaments. It's $40 per person. You do have to make a reservation through the Suffic Art League and it's going to be really fantastic. I would suggest you get on the schedule if that's something you're interested in doing. From 12:00 to 5:00, Sojourn Fermatory is going to be hosting an oyster and flannel fest. They said it's all things cozy and fall. They will be shucking oysters and offering contest winners of who can wear the most flannel, who can dress like their favorite brewer. They even have a um a band live music coming on. I believe it's called something about Pour Me Another something perfect for beer. But it's actually going to be open for the family. Obviously, there's food and alcohol, but it's a lot of fun and you can bring your pets on leashes to Sojier. From 12:00 to 4:00 at Nasman Brewing Station the same day. They're hosting a pickle mania. We've recently learned that pickles are a really big deal around here. And I didn't say dill, so I'm I'm working on that. Um, but they are going to do pickle beer and all things pickle and vendors. And that is from 12:00 to 4. And at 8:00 p.m. at the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts, they're going to be hosting their murder mystery dinner theater. It's called the Three of Hearts. It's going to be in the ballroom downstairs and it's $80 per person, but that includes your meal, the performance, and the gratuitity for your servers on Friday, November 21st. That is our grand illumination. The past couple of

years, we've changed it up a bit, and this year we're going to be hosting our illumination at the downtown festival park. Now, we will still have a tree at the market park next to train station and we will also be lighting various buildings throughout downtown and trees and that sort of thing, but the main event will be at downtown festival park starting at six o'clock and we'll have holiday lights and Santa and carriage rides, live music and puppet shows. And of course, it's free and open to the public. On November 22nd, we will have um the holiday hoops basketball tournament with Parks and Wreck at the Booker T. Washington Rec Center and at 10:00 and 11:30 different seedings at Rick's Valley House Museum for their American Girl program, Summer McKenna, and this a doll giveaway. And then on the 22nd and 23rd, the Suffach Parks and Wreck and the Art League folks are hosting SuffK Sketches. It's a drawing derby at the former Sunrust building. You'll have 40 artists creating multiple pieces of art for four hours both days. And then at the end of it, you get an opportunity to purchase the art. Half of which the proceeds go to four kids and the other half goes to the artists themselves. On the same day, November 22nd at 2 and 5:00 pm, you can catch the TADA players presenting Rudolph Jr. and that's at the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts. Tickets are $20 per person. On November 25th, we are hosting once again our farm-to-table Thanksgiving market for the Suffach Farmers Market. It's a three-hour market and this is a chance for you to come and get your local turkey, your collards, your sweet potatoes, really farmtotable. And like I said, it's from 3:30 to 6:30 under the pavilion. It will get dark, but we'll be there. Um, then of course, Festival of Lights is coming back to Sleepy Hole Park. Multiple dates from 5:00 pm to 900 pm. And of course, to drive through, it's free, open to the public. The dates they'll be open November 28th through the 30th, December 4th through the 7th, 11th through the

19th. December 20th, they'll be closed to vehicular traffic because there's going to be a walkthrough event. And then December 21st and 23rd, they'll be open their normal 5 to 9, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And then we'll reopen for the final weekend, 26th through the 30th of December. Now, November 9th or 29th is Small Business Saturday. We all know about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving where all the big box stores have all their sales. Well, the biggest thing for us is to think big, shop small for the holidays and every day in our small businesses throughout Suffach. So, we are working with economic development and small businesses to create a loyalty program. We will have loyalty cards available at participating businesses and the visitor center. And you will go from business to business from now from November 29th through December 23rd. And every time you go to one of these local businesses, you'll get a punch in your card and you can redeem your card at the visitor center. And we'll be giving away weekly prize packs including lots of fun merchandise from local businesses as well as overnight stays at um our local hotels. Also on Small Business Saturday, we have Darlas downtown. They're actually taking advantage of Black Friday as well for the 20th and 29th from 8 to 4. They will be celebrating small business Saturday weekend with lots of sales and fun stuff. Um the Happy Hour Glass Works, they'll be hosting Driver's Christmas Market from 10:00 to 2 on that Saturday. Miss Lily's Trading Post again will have her outdoor market from 10:00 to 2. And then Still Water Tea House at Rose Cottage, we are working with them, we meaning the Suffach Visitor Center to host a sightseeing and tea tasting. So, you will have a downtown historic tour, a bus tour, and then you will also have a tea tasting following. It's an $85 per person fee. Space is limited. And then if you want to stay after the tour and the tasting, they are creating advent

wreaths as well, and that's an additional $40 fee. You can find more information about what you can do with Shop Small is shops smallsuffic.com. Now going into December 5th through the 7th, we have another tea tasting. This one's a Father Christmas tea tasting at Still Water. And the Suffach Parks and Rec will be hosting the Elf Olympics at the Bennis Creek Rec Center from 6:00 to 8 on the 5th. And that's going to be a fun time. It's free and open to the public. You get to compete in some festive challenges and it's certainly going to be a lot of laughs. And then on the 6th and 7th, Mail Meadows is hosting their sixth annual Christmas market. So, you're going to have hot cider and hot cocoa, a variety of vendors, entertainment, and a chance to do some original shopping, some you get some unique gifts. And then on the 6th, we are hosting our 14th annual Suffach Visitor Center annual artisan gift fair 9 to2. We typically have around 30 vendors and we see a lot of wonderful people come through. It's a it's a great opportunity to purchase from a small business or a local farm. And then on the 6th from 11 to 1, the Macben Rec Center will be hosting Winter Wonderland. This is for ages 1 to 12 and it's free and open to the public. On the 6th, also from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. we have Morgan Memorial Library and they will have their Charmed Life Custom Jewelry Boutique. This is where you're actually making a piece of jewelry. This is for adults. Now, if you're like me, you're glued to Hallmark Movie Channel during the holiday season. And if you've seen enough of them, you can participate in the Hallmark movie trivia contest at the North Library the same day from 2:00 to 3. And we will have Santa at the visitor center from 10:00 to 1 during the artisan gift fair. So you can come just bring your camera, your phone, take pictures with Santa. Decoys will be hosting their third annual candy cane carnival and a lighted boat parade will

actually come through at 6:30, but the entire event is from 4 to 8 and it is open to families. On the 7th, we will have the Southside Ballet Studio presenting the Nutcracker at 3 PM. Tickets are anywhere from $28 to $40 depending on where you sit. Another tea tasting with Stillwater Tea House, Christmas with the Saints tea tasting. This is all based on St. Lucia, um an Italian saint, but they're doing this in the Swedish tradition. Again, you will need to make reservations at $65 per person. And on the 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 at the East Suffic Rec Center, the Whoville Winter Ball will be happening. This is presented by Parks and Rec and it's $20 per family. On the 13th, the Suffach Center for Cultural Arts will host a brunch with Santa at 10:00 a.m. That also requires tickets. It's $7 for kids and $12 for adults. And on the 13th from 2 to 4, the North Suffach Library will be hosting their winter celebration showcase, which is the holidays around the world. is essentially a passport to all the holidays. And then on the 13th as well from 4 to 8, Bridgeport will be hosting their annual holiday market, which is super popular and it's very beautiful lit up. And you can even buy a real Christmas tree there. And on the 13th from 5 to 8, K's Acres will be hosting Light Up the Town with their winter um decorations, horseback riding, that sort of thing. Um marshmallows and photos and that sort of thing is all free. But if you'd like to purchase pony rides or trail rides, that's an additional fee. And of course, everyone's favorite, our downtown parade, our historic downtown Suffach holiday parade will be stepping off on the 13th of December at 7 PM. As you know, we line up in the Lakeside neighborhood and on West Washington before proceeding down Washington to Main Street and concluding at Finey Avenue.

On the 16th from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Suffach Art Gallery, Parks and Recreation will be hosting their adaptive arts and crafts workshop. This is a regular workshop for adults with um learning disabilities or developmental disabilities to do crafts and that sort of thing. Um on the 17th from 10 to 12, the SUFFK Center for Cultural Arts will be hosting and cooperation with local arts groups and parks and w holiday serving tray workshop where they're going to make holiday serving trays. This is for ages 55 and older. On the 18th at the Miltier Rec Center, Rudolph's Reindeer Games is going to be available for a all ages and it's free for children with an unwrapped gift and $5 for adults. Another tea tasting on the 29th, the 19th through the 21st, you can grab Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Tasting at Stillwater Tea House. You can come by the Suffach Visitor Center for Santa photos both Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4. Of course, they're always free. And we specifically encourage you to bring your pets on the Sunday. And we've had dogs, cats, snakes, whatever you want to bring is fine as long as they're well behaved or leashed. And while we don't charge for this, we do accept donations as far as pet food, kitty litter, supplies for animals for the local animal shelter. on the 19th from 12 to 8 and the 12 the Sunday after um from 2 to 8, the SEC Center for Cultural Arts will be hosting their Rudolph Holiday Market where you get a chance to purchase gifts from different vendors. And if you stick around, you can stay there till 8:00 PM and catch the Taiwater Classical Guitar Orchestra. And then the next day, they are hosting the Soulful Christmas at Groovy Musical Review at 8:00 p.m. And all these require tickets with the exception of the holiday market. And I suggest you go to suffoccenter.org org to grab them. And then finishing out the year on December 31st from 11 to 12, both the North Suffach Library and the

Morgan Memorial Library will be hosting their annual Noon Year's Eve party. This is for kids and some of us folks who can't make it till midnight to celebrate the new year. And of course, it's free and open to the public. And there'll be fun gifts for kids to make and take. And any other information that will be coming up, you can find at the libraryies website, the tourism website, or the parks and recck website. And like I said, it's early in the season, so more will be coming. And that concludes my presentation.

Thank you, Teresa. Council, questions, comments? Quiet out there this evening. Well, [clears throat] as usual, you know, I every year in the last several years and having had you do this presentation around holiday time, it just continues to be more impressive one year after the other. The the sheer number of events that we have, which are spread across the city, um really we're offering just about anything to everybody, young, old, or indifferent. So to everyone involved and this is just a matter of tourism but tourism and parks and wreck and economic development, you know, it's it's our entire city staff coming together to coordinate these efforts. And I appreciate uh everything that you do and everything that they do. And sometimes I'm not sure our citizens actually appreciate everything we have or they maybe don't know about it. Uh it just boggles my mind sometimes that someone will come up to me and say, "We really don't have anything to do." and I said, "We have plenty to do. You just got to look. Go to the website, take a look around, and I'm sure we've got something for everybody." So, once again, thank you very much for your presentation.

Thank you. All right, that concludes our work session this afternoon. We do have a need for a closed uh meeting. Madame Clerk, will you please present the motion for consideration

pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711A1? 2-3711A1 the discussion consideration or interviews of prospective candidates for appointment and the assignment appointment and performance of specific public officers or the appointees to the city. Specifically, the appointments as shown on the attached list for vacancies or term expirations for the downtown advisory committee, the Early Childhood Development Commission, the Economic Development Authority, the Historic Landmarks Commission, the Human Services Advisory Board, the Local Board of Building Code Appeals, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, the Suffach Clean Community Commission, the Planning Council, the Tidewater Youth Services Commission, and the Southeastern Public Service Authority. Pursuant to Virginia Code section 2 point, excuse me, item number two, pursuant to Virginia code section 2.2-37 2-37 A5 and 8. The discussion of a prospective business or industry or the expansion of an existing business or industry where no previous announcement has been made of the business or industries's interest in locating or expanding its facilities in the community and consultation with legal council employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. specifically including an EDIP proposal regarding project coil craft.

Council, a motion has been presented for your consideration. Vice Mayor, I'm sorry, Council Member Williams. So move. A motion for approval. Council member Williams. Council member Bennett. Second from Council Member Bennett. Is there any discussion of the motion? Hearing none, council members prepare to vote. Please cast your vote. Madame clerk, please record the vote.

The motion is approved by a vote of 8 to zero. [clears throat] This meeting is closed and we will adjourn and reconvene at 6 pm.

The Pewville area drainage project was designed to improve storm water management and reduce flooding in the Pewville community. Drainage from the area flows through culverts under Townpoint Road, then travels through a series of ditches into the city of Chesapeake. At the east end of John Street, the water enters box culverts beneath Interstate 664 before ultimately discharging into the Elizabeth River. To manage this flow more effectively, the city of Suffach installed new drainage infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve neighborhood access during heavy rain events. Project features included the installation of a closed pipe drainage system along John Street and the construction of a new storm water management facility, a wet pond located between Queen Street and Armstrong Avenue. The project also added a combination [music] of 11 drop inlets and culvert pipes to carry water from roadside ditches into the underground system. The new wet pond helps regulate storm water by temporarily holding runoff and slowly releasing it into the drainage system. This reduces the volume of water entering.

The Pewsville area drainage project was designed to improve storm water management and reduce flooding in the Pewville community. Drainage from the area flows through culverts under Townpoint Road, then travels through a series of ditches into the city of Chesapeake. At the east end of John Street, the water enters box culverts beneath Interstate 664 before ultimately discharging into the Elizabeth River. To manage this flow more effectively, the city of Suffach installed new drainage infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve neighborhood access [music] during heavy rain events. Project features included the installation of a closed pipe drainage system along John Street, and the construction of a new storm water management facility, a wet pond located between Queen Street and Armstrong Avenue. The project also added a combination of 11 drop inlets and culvert pipes The Pewsville area drainage project was designed to improve storm water management and reduce flooding in the Pewville community. Drainage from the area flows through culverts under Townpoint Road, then travels through a series of ditches into the city of Chesapeake. At the east end of John [music] Street, the water enters box culverts beneath Interstate 664 before ultimately discharging into the Elizabeth River. To manage this flow more effectively, the city of Suffach installed new drainage infrastructure to reduce flooding and improve neighborhood access [music] during heavy rain events. Project features included the installation of a closed pipe drainage system along John Street and the construction of a new

storm water management facility, a wet pond located between Queen Street and Armstrong Avenue. The project also added a combination of 11 drop inlets and culvert pipes to carry water from