RAC November 4, 2010

Virginia Beach's Resort Advisory Commission (RAC) met on Thursday afternoon for about an hour.

The RAC approved the TPPC's earlier endorsement for a change in Virginia Beach's surrey ordinance. The amendment would add relocation to the criteria under which a business west of Atlantic Avenue would lose it's ability to rent surreys.

A private car collector is looking to open an auto museum in the 400th block of 18th Street. The property has a warehouse that formerly was used by Princess Anne Plumbing & Heating.

The possibility of RAC programming on VBTV is being looked into.

The GREEN Committee brought forward a motion to advocate that Virginia move to California's standard on the operation of pool water pumps, on the grounds that it would mean energy savings. It passed with CCO representative Henry Ryto the lone "No" vote. Ryto, himself a former Certified Pool Operator, was concerned about the impact on pool water quality.

The Oceanfront Enhancement Committee (OEC) decided to name a task force comprising all stakeholders to examine the issue of food & beverage sales at Resort Area events.

A link has been added to the Gift of Tourism website to take Internet surfers to the Resort Area projects landing page.

Oceanfront residents have begun a phone calling campaign over the parking impact of the proposed new Eden restaurant on 32nd Street.

Finally, Commissioners were given a presentation on the Mayor's Alternative Energy Task Force's final report.

2010 Hospitality Industry Candidates Forum

The Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association (VBHMA) and the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA) held a joint Forum for Virginia Beach City Council candidates on Thursday afternoon.

QUESTIONS LIST

What's an issue in the hospitality industry? There was a list of 9 questions, with the grammar and capitalization errors from their sheet:

1. In terms of economic drivers in Virginia Beach, where do you consider tourism with respect to the other major industries?

2. Do you favor the City supporting the Post-Labor Day School Opening Bill in its legislative agenda, as they are currently doing?

3. The "Dome Site" project will in all likelihood require a public-private partnership. Will you support this if the return on investment scenario is a positive one for the city?

4. Other than the Dome project, what specific programs or projects do you foresee as possibilities in the future so that the tourism industry can continue not only to remain competitive, but grow? (Do you support the possibility of a Headquarters Hotel project?)

5. The Tourism Growth and Investment Fund (TGIF), the Tourism Advertising Promotion fund (TAP), and Event funds have been approved by ordinance by previous councils to support the continued growth of the tourism industry. Do you support the continuation of these funding programs in their current form, and would you work to protect their integrity?

6. What are your solutions to the traffic issues and lack of public transportation in Hampton Roads? What are your thoughts on Light Rail?

7. How important do you think it is to listen to your constituents, and how do you plan to do so?

8. With Virginia Beach marketing itself as a "Green Destination," with nearly 200 Virginia Beach hospitality businesses joining the VA Green program and our Convention Center recently being certified as a Gold LEED building, what are other new green initiatives you think our city could champion to reduce our environmental impact with our waste, water, or energy.

9. What are your thoughts for exploring for alternative energy off Virginia's coast?

THE CANDIDATES

I had to leave early to make it to another event (which I'll blog on later), but I have 2 1/2 pages of notes from what I heard. From those notes:

1. Dave Redmond opened with a challenge to those candidates who had been bad-mouthing the hospitality industry elsewhere to make those same remarks at this forum.

2. With Toni Hedrick pretending to support the hospitality industry and Wally Erb trying to sound centerist, it was up to John Moss to be the bad boy of the Forum. Moss was anti-Dome site redevelopment, anti-light rail, and anti-public-private partnerships.

3. Speaking of Erb, some of the answers he gave Thursday afternoon (and previously at Thalia) were pretty good. The problem is that Wally Erb is the messenger, so he doesn't have a snowball's chance of winning. (Thank God: maybe a light rail referendum becomes a non-issue when he tanks.)

4. Bill DeSteph supports "460 all the way to Richmond." Uh...Bill...460 goes to Petersburg, not Richmond.

Also on transportation, DeSteph advocates a local Gasoline Tax that would be lock boxed for roads and could only be used in the locality where it was collected.

5. George Furman finally showed up to campaign...and dumped a couple turds. (Louis, Bayside is yours to lose.)

6. Toni Hedrick's clown act continued. Under transportation, she favors "telecomputing". Jim Wood pointed out to the assembled that their hotel staffs can't telecommute.

She repeatedly called for more attractions in the Resort Area. (Attractions her VBTA handlers would oppose.) She wants a casino (wonderful for our family-oriented resort) and called the failure to land the Dixie Stampede a "terrific loss."

Sorry, but Hedrick's candidacy is going right up there with Mike Mitchell in 2002 and Al Wallace in 2004.

Don't Mess With The Concessions

You unanimously voted against curbing food and beverage sales at Resort Area events. I have a couple problems with the logic of the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA). First, it assumes that all or nearly all the reduced sales would go to Resort Area restauranters. No, locals may either stop somewhere west of Birdneck Road on the way home or wait until they get home for something. Second, it overlooks the convenience factor. You may buy something in front of you, but you might not walk 2-3 blocks for it.

The new poll question is on Mayor Will Sessoms' intervention in this year Virginia Beach City Council races. Are you more likely to vote for a candidate due to Sessoms' endorsement, less likely, or do you ignore it?

Some Form of Regionalism

Our latest poll question was on what to do in terms of regional consolidations. 45% want to consolidate both cities and services, 13% want to consolidate services alone, while 42% want no consolidations.

As our cities become more homogeneous, I believe having separate cities side by side will make as much sense as two Germanys after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As Karl Marx would say, consolidation is a "historic inevitability".

The new question is on the VBRA request to curb food & beverage sales at Resort Area events. Do you support or oppose it? Why or why not?

RAC October 7, 2010

Yesterday afternoon Virginia Beach's Resort Advisory Commission (RAC) held it's October meeting.

Mark Schnaufer gave a Briefing on the Virginia Beach Transit Extension Study (VBTES). Of primary interest to Commissioners were the route alternatives between Birdneck Road and the Convention Center.

A letter from the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA) to Resort Administrator Mike Eason was presented to the RAC. The VBRA wants food and beverage sales curbed at Resort Area events, believing they are taking away business from restaurants there. The RAC sent the matter to it's Oceanfront Enhancement Committee (OEC) for study and a possible action plan.

A landing page of Resort Area projects for the City's vbgov.com website was shown. It would give residents online information about ongoing initiatives. The RAC approved going live with it, provided an easier gateway can be established so people can find the information.

Of top interest in the Plan/Design Review Committee's (PDCR) report was that planning for the third tower of the Ocean Beach Club is underway.

Finally, on October 15 Phase I of the Laskin Gateway Project will be completed, with Phase III beginning that day. Closure of Laskin Road for work there has now been delayed until January, so as to not interfere with Christmas shopping at businesses there.

2010 Restaurant Week in Virginia Beach

Restaurant Week in Virginia Beach for 2010 will be held January 17-24. 52 restaurants will be participating this year, offering specials during the week.

The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA) is partnering with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia to provide help for those struggling during the recession. At participating restaurants during the week, donation envelopes will be available, you may add a donation to your check, or simply bring non-perishables when you come.

For more information, try http://www.vbra.com

2009 ISOP Student Orientation

On Thursday afternoon , there was the first of three orientation programs for international students working in the Resort Area for the Summer. It was cosponsored by the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association (VBHMA), the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association (VBRA), and the Resort Retailers Association (RRA). The meeting was held at Virginia Beach Baptist.

After poor turnouts when this was tried in 2008, over 40 students attended yesterday's session. There were Presentations on safety (by VBPD), bank accounts (by Bank of America), Internet access, two on English classes, where they can purchase bikes, housing, Visitors Information resources, bus riding (by me), then general questions from the students.

A great turnout. I was warmed when I noticed two girls taking notes during my talk on buses. If you're a student or know one, meetings will be held the next two Thursdays (June 18 and 25) at 3 P.M. at Virginia Beach Baptist.

RAC May 7, 2009

This afternoon Virginia Beach's Resort Advisory Commission (RAC) held it's May meeting.

It was announced that funds have been found to complete the repainting of the Resort Area trolleys. To underline that the remaining trolleys and the new hybrid buses serve the same purpose, the trolleys are being repainted in a blue color scheme similar to the hybrids. In addition, the sites have been prepared for the 5 new Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) being brought to the Resort Area.

Enhancements for Beach Street were discussed. Banners and additional signage will be used to create a sense of arrival in the Resort Area.

The Gift of Tourism Campaign continues, with funds in the pending FY 2010 Budget to operate it during the next fiscal year. Updated economic impact figures should be online by July, as well as an improved Contact Us section so residents can e-mail in questions on Resort policy.

Two meetings will be held in May on the annual influx of international students. Next week will be a meeting geared towards prospective employers; at the end of the month, an orientation meeting for those students who have arrived. The meetings will be cosponsored by the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association, the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association, and the Resort Retailers Association.

Finally, there was a Presentation by a representative from the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium on harnessing offshore wind for energy. VCERC's website is at http://www.vcerc.org

2008 Hospitality Industry Candidate Forum

On Tuesday afternoon there was a Virginia Beach City Council candidates forum at the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center, cosponsored by the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association and the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association.

It was a pretty tame affair. Most candidates took the line of recognizing the value of Tourism as an economic engine, but not committing to much new local funding given the national economic picture.

Interesting was that Reba McClanan no-showed, after having indicated she would attend.

The humorous moment of the day was when the Moderator drew for the first person to answer the light rail question...and it was John Moss.

There was an entire entourage of VBTAers there, with one taking photos. Therefore, we should be hearing more from them on it. I had to chuckle when he went to get one of me...and his flash didn't work.

J-1 International Student Workers

Tuesday morning there was a forum at the convention center on J-1 International Student Workers. The forum was cosponsored by the Virginia Beach Hotel/Motel Association, the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association, and the Resort Retailers Association. In attendance were Resort business people, RAC Commissioners, and some concerned citizens. The overflowing crowd delayed the start, as a partition needed to be removed to enlarge the room with the big number present.

The vast majority of student workers in Virginia Beach come on the J-1 program. J-1 is a student exchange program that allows students to work in the U.S. during the Summer break for their colleges and vocational schools in their home countries. Students may work a maximum four months, then are allowed 30 days to tour the U.S. afterwards. Since it's an educational exchange, students can't work until after classes are out in their home country or after they've gone back into session. English proficiency is required to qualify for a J-1 visa.

In 2007 3,706 students worked in Virginia Beach on J-1 visas, coming from 35 countries. The five largest were Russia (1,448), Turkey (556), Ukraine (222), Bulgaria (202), and Thailand (128).

In order to come here on a J-1 visa, the student must have a Sponsor. The State Department has certified 56 organizations as sponsors. The Sponsor is required to have a 24 hour hotline the students can call for help. Sponsors have field representatives throughout the country who can travel here to deal with an emergency. In addition, any employer having problems with a student should talk with the Sponsor first, only contacting the State Department as a last resort.

Any employer wishing to hire a student should make a copy of their DS-2019 form. It's required to work here, and - most importantly - contains the student's Sponsor information. Check the information against the list on the State Department website to verify that it's legitimate. Call the Sponsor before hiring the student! As there is a contract between the Sponsor and student, you could potentially be breaching the contract.

Like any other worker, the student will need a Social Security card, which should be applied for 10-14 days after arrival in the country. The delay is because the student will need to report arrival to the Sponsor, who then sends electronic files to the Feds. After 10 days, Social Security would have access so they can electronically verify the student upon application and issue a letter for work on the same visit. The student needs three documents to apply for a Social Secuirty card: their DS-2019, their Passport, and their visa. (A birth certificate will help, but is not mandatory.) Given the temporary nature of student housing, the issued Social Security card will be sent to the Virginia Beach Social Security office, where the student will need to pick it up.

A minimum 50% of any Sponsor's J-1s are required to be preplaced in work before arrival in the U.S. However, the more different the culture the student is coming from, the more likely the Sponsor is to require a preplacement.

Former J-1s are sought after as workers in their home countries after graduation from college. Poland was a heavy J-1 participant in the 1990s, with companies in post-communist Poland wanting college graduates with American work experience.

An International Student Outreach Program (ISOP) is in the works for Virginia Beach. VBHMA Executive Director Nancy Perry summed it up with the pledge that the students stay in Virginia Beach should be "as smooth, as comfortable, as happy as possible."

Anyone wanting more J-1 information should go to the State Department's website at http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1267.html

See And Be Seen

In the past two days, candidates for the Virginia Beach City Council have been out trying to make themselves seen:

1. Will Sessoms - on Thursday he was at the Virginia Beach Restaurant Association's Cookoff, as the "Celebrity" part of a cooking duo. The former Vice Mayor is running for Mayor in November.

I didn't get to stick around long enough to see if he was cooking vegetarian. Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian.

2. Bob Hedrick - Friday evening was at the CCO's annual Banquet. The VBTA Vice Chair is running for City Council At-Large, challenging Rosemary Wilson.

All this, combined with Virginia News Source's attacks on Wilson this week, mean the campaign is already underway.

VBRA Restaurant Week

Virginia Beach Restaurant Week will be January 13-20. On Thursday there was a Kickoff event at the convention center, with a few speakers and a cookoff by local chefs.

A few statistics were given. 48% of the population has worked in the restaurant business at one time or another. 32% had their first job in the restaurant business. (Yes, I'm one of the 32%.) In Virginia Beach, restaurant sales are $840 million per year.

For more info, go to http://www.vbrestaurantweek.com