Newport News highlights Bloomberg-funded sustainability team, seeks community input on flooding, air quality and energy affordability

Newport News City Council heard an update March 11 on the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative, a three-year Bloomberg Philanthropies program that placed an I-team in the city to help design community-focused climate and resilience projects.

The initiative aims to help cities deliver cleaner air and water, reduce climate risk and direct investment to neighborhoods with economic barriers. I-team director Daniel Collins and civic designer Vanessa Rigaud described early outreach, research and grant efforts and said community groups will have a formal seat at the project table.

Collins, I-team director, said, “Newport News was 1 of 25 cities selected to join the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative,” and described the team’s work since arriving in November 2024. Owen Miller, chief strategy officer, and City Manager Alan also introduced the project to the council. Collins said the I-team is working closely with Jennifer Privet in the Office of Sustainability, staff in planning, engineering and development, and with community partners.

The I-team listed local priorities the city submitted for BASC, including urban flooding, air quality concerns (including coal dust), transit mobility and affordability of housing and energy. Collins said the effort will emphasize designing climate and environmental investment to build community wealth rather than displacing residents: “If we’re bringing in an investment for climate or environmental solutions into the community, how do we make sure that that helps build wealth within the community?”

City and BASC presenters described recent activities: visioning workshops (including one at Brooks Crossing), a partnership table that met for a kickoff, training and knowledge-sharing with BASC partners (the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and PolicyLink were present this week), and technical-assistance work to strengthen grant applications. Collins said the team is conducting interviews for a data analytics manager to complete its three-person core staff.

Collins reported several funding and technical-assistance developments. He said the city received an in-kind contribution valued at $150,000 for a solar installation in the Southeast community and that the city needs to take the contribution to council for approval. He also said BASC partners provided in-kind consultant services to update the city’s roadmap to sustainability to be more community focused. Collins added that the city applied recently for green-infrastructure funding to address flooding and plans to submit an application for a smaller feasibility study related to fugitive coal-dust issues after not receiving a $20 million coal study grant.

Presenters emphasized that community-based organizations are invited into regular meetings and will be paid or supported to participate so that community priorities guide the design phase. Collins said the team is in an early discovery phase and will move from visioning to research and prototyping as it narrows initiatives "we have the capacity and the time to make a difference on."

The presentation did not include a council vote on program strategy; Collins repeatedly framed the work as initial engagement and planning. The only near-term city action described was the planned presentation to council to accept the $150,000 in-kind solar contribution and ongoing grant application work. Council members did not take substantive votes on BASC items during the March 11 session.

Speakers relevant to this presentation included: Alan, city manager; Owen Miller, chief strategy officer; Daniel Collins, I-team director; Vanessa Rigaud, civic designer; Jennifer Privet, Office of Sustainability staff; and Marlon, Innovation Office staff. Representatives from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, PolicyLink and the Sustainable Cities Fund were identified as partners on the project but were not individually named in council remarks.

Next steps described by presenters included finalizing an engagement plan, continuing workshops in neighborhoods such as Brooks Crossing, hiring the data analytics manager, refining a shared vision for Newport News, and bringing specific grant-backed projects (including the solar installation) to council for approval.

The council discussion that followed the presentation focused on how the BASC team supports city staff in grant-writing and technical assistance and on outreach to residents and community groups. There was no change in council policy or formal adoption tied to the BASC presentation on March 11.