http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-nws-chris-jones-fort-monroe-20130510,0,1563794.story

Del. Chris Jones: Defending Monroe from Hampton?Suffolk Republican shows interest in Hampton property

By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com | 757-247-2827

May 10, 2013

HAMPTON Del. Chris Jones has placed himself in an unlikely role: Defender of Fort Monroe.

In the past six months, the Suffolk Republican has introduced legislation and sought an attorney general's opinion concerning Fort Monroe. In both instances, his efforts have limited the city of Hampton's role on the historic property's redevelopment.

Jones said his interest in the historic property is both regionally and financially based.

"I'd like to see the property become as self-sufficient as possible," Jones said in an April 30 interview. "They need to maximize their income opportunities while reducing expenses."

He called the $6.2 million provided by the state for Fort Monroe last year "a hard level to maintain."

Despite his active role, Jones said he has not sought input from Del. Gordon Helsel or Sen. Mamie Locke, whose districts include Fort Monroe.

Helsel and Locke also sit on the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees.

Messages left on Helsel's cell phone throughout the week and messages left for Locke at her office on Thursday were not returned.

Jones' interest in Fort Monroe has been felt in a few ways.

He introduced a bill in January that limits Hampton's ability to charge Fort Monroe and the state for services it provides. That bill becomes larger as the state takes possession of the land from the Army.

The Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees initially requested the bill be drafted last December, although Helsel, Locke, Hampton Mayor Molly Joseph Ward and Vice Mayor George Wallace all opposed the request. At the time, Ward and Wallace were still on the board.

Ward and City Manager Mary Bunting lobbied legislators for changes that would reduce its impact on the city. The bill was revised and passed both the House of Delegates and Senate unanimously. Helsel and Locke voted in favor or the legislation.

"The House bill now isn't as onerous as it was when it was first introduced," Bunting said.

Jones also asked Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for an opinion about whether City Council members could serve on the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees. Cuccinelli, the Republican nominee for governor, issue an opinion on April 12 stating that City Council members could not sit on the board as it would create a conflict of interest.

"It seemed pretty straightforward to me," Jones said. "They're conflicted when they receive briefings in executive session and they can use that information when it might not appeal to the city's interest."

Jones said Cuccinelli's opinion was "spot-on."

Ward cried foul at Cuccinelli's opinion and said it was politically motivated. Ward, a Democrat, has raised money for Terry McAuliffe, Cuccinelli's Democratic opponent in the race for governor. Cuccinelli's office rejected Ward's contention.

The opinion sent the City Council scrambling to meet on a weekend to appoint a pair of citizens to replace Ward and Wallace on the board.

Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Glenn Oder said Jones' interest in the property is not unusual.

Oder meets with staff from the Senate Finance Committee and House of Delegates Appropriations Committee in the late summer and fall each year to describe Fort Monroe's financial outlook.

Jones sits on the Appropriations Committee as well as other committees that review budget requests, including the funding needed for Fort Monroe.

"It's important for him, in this particular case, to be informed about what is happening here," Oder said.

Even without Jones' involvement, the state contribution to Fort Monroe is shrinking.

The state budget approved by the General Assembly this year capped the amount the authority will pay the city for municipal services at $562,540 in the current fiscal year and $983,960 in fiscal 2014, which begins July 1.

"The cap concerns me," Bunting said Wednesday. "The city can only provide services that are being paid for.

"If their needs go beyond their expenses, then I don't know what we can do."

Bunting said the $983,960 paid in fiscal 2014 will cover the city's expenses.

So will the Fort Monroe Authority again turn to Jones to sponsor legislation in the coming year?

"As we begin to learn more about this Army transfer," Oder said, "I wouldn't be surprised if there are legislative amendments needed to help the Fort Monroe Authority better operate and maintain Fort Monroe."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-nws-edt-letssat-0511-20130510,0,7387039.story

May 11 Letters: I-64 median, GOP agendas, Fort Monroe

Economic benefits

Re: "Fuel for the long haul," May 5.

As your editorial points out, Hampton Roads needs a better economic plan for dealing with the inevitable decreases in military spending.

One way to help compensate for those cuts is to unify Fort Monroe National Monument by incorporating the state-owned land that divides it. This will create a strong attraction for local visitors and tourists and allow Phoebus and all of Hampton to participate fully in Virginia's vast tourism industry, which netted $20 billion in 2011. It will also create a magnet for knowledge-based companies that value a high quality of life.

According to a business article by Marty Weil, "For companies relocating a relatively high proportion of professional talent, quality-of-life issues can even make or break the deal. Quality of life will directly impact the ability of a company to entice people to move with the job; for national recruiting, it will make the difference in whether or not they can attract the best talent." And, says Weil, outdoor recreation is a "top quality-of-life concern especially for companies that need highly specialized or cutting-edge talent. It is critical for an area to have strong outdoor recreational attributes."

An optimal national park at Fort Monroe with unbroken, extensive parkland, hiking and biking trails, beaches, and shoreline access, will appeal powerfully to young professionals.

For the sake of the region's economic health, the Fort Monroe Authority should aim at unifying the National Monument.

Scott Butler

Newport News

http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-tsq-hpt-walking-audio-tours-0509-20130509,0,5410599.story

Take a tour of Hampton on the goWalking tours available through iTunes

By Robert Brauchle, rbrauchle@dailypress.com | 757-247-2827

9:49 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2013

HAMPTON Anyone with a smart phone and a taste for history can access the six walking tours available for select locations in Hampton.

The tours were created by the Hampton Convention & Visitors Bureau. They cover downtown, Hampton University, Fort Monroe, Phoebus, the Virginia Air and Space Center and Hampton's historic neighborhoods.

The tours are available through the visitors bureau website and can be accessed through any smart phone.

"They are a dynamic, multimedia tour that are GPS-coordinated," said Mary Fugere, visitors bureau director of media & community relations. "Each chapter has interviews, period music and lots of information about the sites you are visiting."

Each tour is free to download.

The tours were produced in 2009; the Fort Monroe tour includes historic information, although some of the contemporary references about the Army need to be updated, Fugere said.

Fort Monroe was decommissioned in September 2011, meaning uniformed personnel are no longer present on the base. Visitors also do not need identification to enter the property.

"They're all just providing a really great experience," Fugere said.

The visitors bureau has also recently worked with Hampton University to place QR codes throughout the campus to point out significant areas.

QR codes, also known as quick reference codes, use unique symbols that can be scanned by smart phones to access information about a particular subject.

"People are using them while touring the campus and using their smart phones to see what's happening at those specific buildings," Fugere said.

Audio walking tours

Available online: http://www.visithampton.com/play/ipodtours/

iPod/iPhone tours are also available: http://www.visithampton.com/play/ipodtour

http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-tsq-hpt-cp-pet-cemetery-0509-20130509,0,389683.story

Pet graves at Fort Monroe line casemate wallCemetery closed for burials in 1988 though a few still occurred; now burial a felony since designation

Pet Cemetery at Ft. Monroe

By Rich Griset, Special to the Daily Press

9:48 a.m. EDT, May 9, 2013

HAMPTON The heat was getting to Princess.

While visiting Fort Monroe with her owners one summer day in 1971, the Boston Terrier suffered a fatal attack of heat shock. Instead of transporting the animal back to Martinsville, Va., the Gravely family buried Princess atop the ramparts of the historic casemate.

"We appreciated being able to bury the little dog there," said Gene Gravely, the family's patriarch. "She was a loving pet. She was a real sweet dog."

Princess is just one of more than 400 pets that have reportedly found their final resting place in the pet cemetery on Fort Monroe's casemate wall. The former Army post was decommissioned and designated a national monument in 2011. The Army is continuing its environmental cleanup efforts, even though the Fort Monro