City Will Demolish Four Vacant Properties Over Safety Concerns
Plus, playing Revolutionary; Todd Stadium family event; Ferguson and HII news
The City of Newport News is seeking contractors to demolish four vacant residential structures, clearing each site down to open, graded ground. The properties include 830 29th Street, 1023 25th Street, 2405 Roanoke Avenue, and 825 Woods Road, each in a state of disrepair marked by overgrowth, damaged fencing, and deteriorating structures.
The broader scope across all four properties covers associated site features such as foundations, garages, sheds, concrete slabs, sidewalks, basements, and septic systems, though trees are generally not required to be removed. Each property also carries its own added conditions:
830 29th Street (one-story structure): demolition of the structure, plus removal of surrounding bushes and overgrowth
1023 25th Street (three-story structure): demolition of the structure, plus removal of a two-track driveway and asbestos transite siding prior to demolition
2405 Roanoke Avenue (one-story structure): demolition of the structure, plus removal of fencing
825 Woods Road (one-story structure): demolition of the structure, plus removal of all sheds, a two-track driveway, overgrowth, a swing set, dog house, old barbecue, and the rear backyard fence and attached gate fencing
Asbestos handling differs notably between the two solicitations. For 830 29th Street, 1023 25th Street, and 2405 Roanoke Avenue, completed asbestos surveys allowed most suspected material — including roofing and floor tiles — to remain in place as non-friable ACM, with only specific items like the transite siding requiring removal. At 825 Woods Road, however, no asbestos survey could be conducted due to safety concerns, so all debris must be treated as asbestos-containing material, kept wet at all times, and disposed of in a landfill permitted to accept friable ACM, with a licensed asbestos supervisor required on site continuously until debris removal is complete. Contractors on both projects are responsible for legally disposing of identified ACM, clearing out personal property, demolishing the structures, hauling away debris, and regrading and reseeding the disturbed ground.
The three-property demolition is covered under one solicitation, RFQ No. 27-1316-1108, while 825 Woods Road is covered under a separate solicitation, RFQ No. 27-1315-1108, issued the same day. Each address across both RFQs is allotted 15 business days to complete the work once a Notice to Proceed is issued, and a contractor awarded more than one site within the three-property RFQ must complete them consecutively, with no gap between finishing one and starting the next. Missing a deadline triggers liquidated damages of $500 per business day.
Community & Events
CNU Students Stage Play Based on Revolutionary War Letters Christopher Newport University students performed “Bound By Letters, The Revolutionary War Correspondence of Lucy & Henry Knox,” a production adapted and directed by Music, Theatre, and Dance Professor Denise Gillman based on the surviving letters between Henry Knox, the country’s first secretary of war, and his wife Lucy, as part of CNU’s “Revolution Close to Home” exhibition and Virginia 250. Students Olivia Hargest ‘26 and Nathaniel Newman ‘29 portrayed Lucy and Henry Knox. All scheduled performances are free and will take place in the Torggler Lecture Hall within the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center, with upcoming shows on August 22, September 16, September 19, October 14, and October 17, 2026.
Free Family Event Planned at Todd Stadium on Aug. 1 For The People MOS Inc. announced it will host Family Takeover, a free community event, on Saturday, August 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Todd Stadium parking lot at 12465 Warwick Blvd. The event will feature bounce houses, face painting, games, vendors, live music, the GamerBus mobile gaming trailer, an appearance by “Mr. Blue,” a boxing exhibition by the In Her Corner Boxing Team, and a performance by the New Generation Marching Band. Newport News City Council Member Cleon Long will speak. Admission is free; food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Business
Ferguson to Release Second Quarter Results on August 10 Ferguson Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: FERG) announced that it will issue its second quarter results on Monday, August 10, 2026, with results available on Ferguson’s website at corporate.ferguson.com at 6:45 a.m. ET. A conference call and webcast of the analyst and investor presentation will follow at 8:30 a.m. ET the same day, with a slide presentation available 15 minutes prior to the start time. Participants can register for the webcast at corporate.ferguson.com, and an archived version of the webcast and slide presentation will be available for 12 months after the live event.
Investor Trims Huntington Ingalls Stake by 5.1% in First Quarter Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reported that it reduced its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm sold 4,953 shares during the quarter, leaving it with 92,772 shares of the Newport News-based shipbuilder’s stock. Epoch Investment Partners owned 0.24% of Huntington Ingalls Industries, valued at $35,244,000, at the end of the reporting period.
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