Members unanimously passed a resolution at their Tuesday meeting. Mayor Shannon Glover also read a letter addressed to Portsmouth’s General Assembly members calling on them to do all they can to avoid the sale — at least until there’s a better long-term plan to boost the city’s tax base.

In a statement provided to The Virginian-Pilot on behalf of the city attorney, the city said the Port of Virginia is “considering buying out the private owner and taking full ownership of VIG.” Though the city has heard rumblings of a potential sale, the resolution passed was also a precautionary measure to make the city’s stance known.

The Virginia International Gateway is privately owned and leased to the Port of Virginia. It generates about $9 million in property tax revenue for the city each year, equivalent to about 9 cents on Portsmouth’s tax rate. For a fiscally stressed city with about 40% of its land unable to be taxed due to state or federal ownership, Portsmouth said in its statement that any sale would “cause long-term economic devastation for the city and its residents.”

The VIG, owned by Connecticut-based Alinda Capital Partners and Universities Superannuation Scheme, is a roughly 300-acre container terminal along Portsmouth’s waterfront. Alinda Capital Partners could not be reached for comment by time of publication.

“The Council and the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, is vehemently opposed to the acquisition of VIG by the Port of Virginia unless and until the Port and/or the Commonwealth enter into a binding agreement with the City to make annual payments substantially equivalent to the lost tax revenue,” the statement reads.

However, a spokesperson with the Port of Virginia said he’s unsure what led to that resolution, reiterating a statement Virginia Port Authority Board Chair Aubrey Layne provided to WAVY-TV this week.

“I have no idea why Portsmouth is voting on that resolution,” Layne told WAVY-TV. “I haven’t heard anything in board meetings about this so I can’t opine.”

The Virginia Port Authority is a political subdivision of the commonwealth that owns the Port of Virginia and is composed of nearly a dozen governor-appointed commissioners. In 2016, a lease agreement was reached between the port authority and VIG that spans decades, running through 2065.

“(Our) position is that we’re leasing this facility. And that’s going to be the case until 2065, which is part of the lease agreement,” Port of Virginia spokesperson Joe Harris told The Virginian-Pilot.

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com

The Norfolk yard’s work is the first time NNS, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, has had its own workers doing fabrication work in south Hampton Roads, according to Les Smith, vice president of aircraft carrier programs at NNS.

“Expanding our footprint into Norfolk frees up critical space in our shipyard in Newport News,” Smith said at an event in the yard Monday. “This leads to improved efficiency that benefits all of our shipbuilding programs, and ultimately, our national defense.”

The Peninsula shipyard is the busiest it’s been in four decades with about 20 ships being built or repaired currently, he said.

There is potential for expansion at the site to include work on the nuclear powered submarines Huntington Ingalls also builds at the shipyard, according to Smith.

So far, 20 employees are working at the Norfolk yard. Smith said the goal is to reach almost 80 by the end of the year and up to 150 by the end of 2024. Newport News Shipbuilding has invested $25 million into the site so far and could invest a further $75 million over the next five years after discussions with the Navy, Smith said.

Smith said benefits to having the Norfolk yard include a shorter commute and simpler parking situation, a note which garnered cheers from staff in hard hats at the Monday event. Additionally, it decreases distances for the roughly 70 suppliers NNS has in Norfolk.

Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander said NNS locating in Norfolk is a testament to the strength of the city’s workforce.

The shipyard is leasing the space from Fairlead, which in turn is leasing the space from Norfolk Southern, said Jerry Miller, navy veteran and chief executive of Fairlead.

“This was an underutilized facility and Norfolk Southern didn’t really know what to do with it, so I think we’re putting it to good use” he said.

Miller said while crossing the James River bridge one day in 2015, he thought to himself NNS might be close to running out of space. In 2019, Fairlead acquired space in Portsmouth at the former Ocean Marine site, which it in turn offered some to NNS, he said. Ten months after that, Norfolk Southern put the Norfolk yard up for lease. By the end of October 2022, the shipyard had expressed interest in using the Norfolk space, according to Miller.

“As the geopolitical landscape has continued to be fraught and troubled with every breaking news alert, particularly with the events that we’re all watching in the last few weeks, the importance of our aircraft carriers and what you all do here, and our Navy’s ability to project power from five acres of sovereign U.S. territory, anywhere in the world has never been more clear,” said Casey Moton, U.S. Navy program executive officer for aircraft carriers.

Meeting this demand for carriers such as the new Enterprise, John F. Kennedy and Doris Miller, and other vessels require close coordination between the military, industry and workers, according to Moton.

“The Norfolk campus is a prime example of what we can do when we come together to take the economy and drive new shipbuilding efficiencies into our programs and to invest in the future of our industrial base and the communities that support them,” Moton said.

The NNS work is another example of redevelopment of Lamberts Point industry, along with the $500 million redevelopment called Fairwinds Landing at the former Lamberts Point Docks.

Norfolk’s Economic Development Authority won a $39 million federal U.S. Department of Transportation grant to support a redevelopment of the facility for offshore wind logistics, according to a Friday news release. The project has also been awarded state grants.

“Renovating the aging waterfront infrastructure at Fairwinds Landing is a critical step in establishing Hampton Roads as an offshore wind hub and highlights the benefits of the federal government’s investment in critical infrastructure,” said Miller, who is also a managing partner of Fairwinds Landing, LLC.

Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com, @iamIanMunro

Lyon Shipyard will hire 134 new employees as part of an $8.5 million expansion investment.

“Lyon Shipyard has been a leader in marine repair and industrial services in Norfolk for nearly a century, and its new investment will allow the company to service vessels integral to Virginia’s growing offshore wind industry,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin in the news release.

The repair and industrial service business, established in 1928, has customers including the U.S. military and Maritime Administration, commercial fishing companies, ferry and cruise operators, dredging and marine constriction, and more.

“We want to be the change so many other companies just talk about — Lyon Shipyard wants to lead the charge and help transform the socioeconomical landscape for the city of Norfolk and its residents,” said Nikole Dunkley, vice president of human resources at the shipyard.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, city of Norfolk and Hampton Roads Alliance secured the Lyon expansion, which was also sought by Maryland and North Carolina, according to the news release. Job creation will be supported by the Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which helps reduce the costs of employee hiring and training.

“Lyon Shipyard is well-positioned to be a significant contributor to Virginia’s emerging offshore wind energy sector,” said Stephen Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, in the release. “The offshore wind industry here will be enhanced with Lyon’s capabilities and expertise to succeed. This company is a great local resource, and this investment is going to help create jobs and drive the development of a new industry.”

The announcement is the latest in local offshore wind developments.

Fairwinds Landing LLC is working on a $500 million redevelopment of a 111-acre terminal at Lamberts Point Docks for an offshore wind, shipbuilding and ship repair hub. Dominion Energy is also looking to obtain easements from Virginia Beach to facilitate the transmission of transmit energy from its offshore wind project.

On Tuesday — 60 years later — she signed out of the same shipyard for the last time. The newly-minted retiree’s view of the crane, looming 20 stories over the Elizabeth River, will be different now.

“Wherever you are in the shipyard, you see that big crane … They were good to give me a picture of that to take with me,” said Stroud, 81.

The Chesapeake resident dedicated her life to civil service, working at nearly a dozen commands across Hampton Roads over the past six decades. But it all began and ended with Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Her time there began in 1942, when Stroud was less than a year old. Her father, Walter Leander Barnes, began working at the shipyard as an electrician following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“Because of the buildup for the war (World War II), they built a lot of housing for shipyard workers,” Stroud said. “We lived there in the subsidized housing units until I was 11 years old.”

Stroud’s father was still working at the shipyard, climbing from electrician to firecontrollman, when Stroud applied for a job there.

“I wish I could say it was about patriotism, but it was money,” Stroud said with a laugh.

Stroud had been working at a downtown Portsmouth office when someone told her the shipyard paid more money and offered good benefits.

“So I went over to the shipyard and told them that I’d like to apply for a job. And the lady said, ‘Well, you have to take a typing test.’ So I did. And I got 100. I was so thrilled,” Stroud said, a smile stretched from ear to ear.

Stroud started at the shipyard two weeks later, working as a card punch operator.

“What a memorable year …,” Stroud began.

She recalled Nov. 22, 1963.

“I remember I was sitting in the shipyard training branch,” Stroud said. “And the lady beside me got a phone call saying that President John F. Kennedy had been shot and it was serious.”

Shortly after, they learned he had died.

“That was a shocker for all of us,” Stroud said. “And leaving work that day, you know, dozens of people coming out at the shipyard same time. Everybody looked like they were in shock.”

Stroud worked at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for several years until her family temporarily relocated to Richmond so her husband could get a master’s degree. During that time, she worked at the Veteran Administration Hospital and later at a Department of Defense supply center.

When they returned to Hampton Roads, she found work in the comptroller department of the shipyard and later with the Army Corps of Engineers in Norfolk. She began pursuing accounting and eventually made the switch to Fort Monroe when it was under the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

“I loved it so much there,” Stroud said. “I went back and forth to Fort Monroe every day. That was a pretty long drive because they didn’t have Monitor Merrimac (Bridge Tunnel) then — it was all down James River Bridge, down Mercury Boulevard.”

Stroud worked as an accounting technician for 10 years before her office was downsized, forcing her to transfer to Defense Finance and Account Service at Naval Station Norfolk. She was there for another decade before it was closed. Her next journey took her to the budget office at Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, then back to Naval Station Norfolk to work for Joint Forces Command until it was disestablished.

She transferred to Joint Staff in Suffolk, where a few years later a budget cut led to her being laid off. She worked at the Sewells Point Occupational Safety and Health Center at Navy Region Mid-Atlantic before going back to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where she was placed in the Nuclear Planning & Engineering Department as an administrative assistant.

“I came back to the shipyard in 2015 before the safety center was hit with a cutback and told them I may be a jinx,” she said. “There were closures, disestablishments, civilian personnel cuts everywhere I went.”

By that time, Stroud had been offered retirement twice.

“But I couldn’t afford it … And I have enjoyed all of my jobs — every one of them,” Stroud said.

Throughout her career, Stroud went to night school and worked to keep up with technology, which was quickly evolving.

“I was in accounting when personal computers came out, so I did not get all the training in Microsoft that the average person got,” she said. “So, when I went back into administration, it was a challenge for me. Trying to do intermediate Outlook and Excel and PowerPoint — it was hard.

“I don’t think I would have been successful if I hadn’t had good people willing to help me when I got a difficult task.”

The use of personal computers and cellphones, she said, made her job obsolete.

“All the bosses have cellphones, so people don’t call a secretary to make an appointment with the boss,” Stroud said. “They just call the boss. There just wasn’t that much work to do anymore. The hardest job was finding something to do all day.”

Furthering her decision to finally retire, Stroud said, was news of the Chinese Navy’s aggressive shipbuilding, putting the country on track to surpass the capabilities and capacity of the U.S. in the next few years. And, according to Stroud, leadership will replace her with an engineer, rather than an administrative assistant.

“I knew they really needed engineers quickly to get them trained and prepare for what the Navy may have to do,” she said. “So, I felt like I was doing more for my country by retiring than actually staying. So I was happy to be able to retire.”

Stroud plans to volunteer at local schools and libraries to teach children how to read. She also has volunteered to work the hospitality desk at Portsmouth Naval Medical Hospital, and is waiting to hear back from the Chesapeake School District and Red Cross.

“I haven’t built up excitement yet. It is more like, ‘Oh dear, what do I do now?’ ” she said. “Perhaps if I knew where I was going, I could focus more. But now it is just day to day, having lunch and getting acquainted with people I only had email time for before.

Stroud shared with The Virginian-Pilot a message to her written by Norfolk Naval Shipyard public affairs.

“After 60 years, Norfolk Naval Shipyard extends a Bravo Zulu to Margaret Stroud and offers a heartfelt thank you for her years of service. Fair winds and following seas, Mrs. Stroud. May your next journey be just as incredible as the first,” it reads.

Caitlyn Burchett, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com

The clinics are a critical part of the health strategy for the company, said Karen Velkey, the HII vice president of compensation and co-chair of Blueprint Virginia Health Care and Life Sciences executive committee. Huntington Ingalls, the parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, is Virginia largest industrial employer and Mississippi’s largest employer.

The company sought to open the facilities to increase access and affordability, as well as promote health which also would serve as an incentive to workers. The clinics are operated by QuadMed — a company that formed from a large printing business that struggled to find quality affordable care for its employees. The printing company began to invest in primary care health instead of being a buyer.

The company has invested $100 million into the clinics, which offer in-house X-rays, labs, physical therapy, dental, vision and pharmacy services. The investments have saved about $725 million for HII, according to Velkey.

“The results are also changing people’s lives,” she said.

The clinics are not meant to displace other primary care doctors, but serve as a supplemental health service to reduce need for more serious and expensive care later while still offering PCP services for those who choose to use it. HII data shows users of the clinics visit and are admitted to Emergency Departments less often then non-users of the clinics. Workers and their dependents, as well as retirees on company health plans are able to use the clinics where visits are often $15 — such as for an X-ray, Velkey said.

The two health centers are visited about 60,000 times a year combined — with about one-third of visits for primary care provider services, about one third for radiology services and one third for other services such as physical therapy, according to Velkey. The clinics are at 94% utilization and indicates need for expansion, her presentation said.

Before the clinics opened, there was opposition against them during that time’s union bargaining contract, according to Charles Spivey, president of United Steel Workers Local 8888, which represents about 10,000 workers.

He said there were initial doubts about how a company health provider may impact employment for workers if they are found to be sick and they may no longer be able to go to their contemporary primary care providers, he said.

Velkey said trust is an important factor in the health clinics; QuadMed does not share health data with HII.

Additionally, the level of the staff who use the clinics is low, according to Spivey citing internal surveys. He said this doesn’t mean anything negative specifically about the clinics but reflects the relative newness of the clinics and that many workers have opted to continue seeing doctors and providers with whom they’ve built relationships. He said some Local 8888 members have campaigned to try and build trust between employees and the clinics.

Velkey presented the information about the HII clinics at the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Health Care Conference in Richmond. Also during the health care conference, leaders from state government, health care systems, insurance companies and more spoke about workforce development, behavioral health care and the constant subject of the shortage of providers and knock on-impacts that has on numerous aspects of health care.

In an interview before her presentation, Velkey said there are no immediate plans about creating a brick and mortar clinic for their Northern Virginia-based Mission Technologies division, which handles AI and other military tech. Virtual care is one option being explored, she said.

“We’re constantly looking to improve and grow and include as many of our employees and their families as we’re able to,” she said.

Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, ian.munro@virginiamedia.com