News Flash

March 22, 2017 - How does Hampton ensure that water remains one of its greatest assets, and not a threat? Join the city’s upcoming “Dutch Dialogues” and talk about rising sea levels, flooding, and strategies for living with water.

Share your thoughts and ideas during an interactive discussion lead by Waggonner & Ball Architects, who were instrumental in the planning and recovery efforts in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.

Local conversations will focus on specific communities and bodies of water, including Buckroe/Bayside, the Hampton River, Fox Hill, Newmarket Creek, Wythe-Harborside and the Back River.

The first meeting, about Fox Hill, will be Tuesday, April 4, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Jones Magnet Middle School, 1819 Nickerson Blvd.

The second meeting, about Buckroe/Bayside, will be Thursday, April 6, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Jones Magnet Middle School.

The locations and times for other meetings will be announced when they’re available.

Local Dutch Dialogues are a continuation of the workshop that was held in Hampton and Norfolk during the summer of 2015, when a delegation of planners, engineers and architects from the Netherlands and elsewhere came to study local flooding and present ideas for long-term solutions.

In the 1990s, the low-lying Netherlands went from fighting to keep the water out of its communities to living with water where possible. Living with water is also a hallmark of the New Orleans water plan after Katrina.

For more information on the Hampton meetings, email lucystoll@hampton.gov.