by Brandy Centolanza
The Newport News Seafood Industrial Park (SIP) is in the midst of a revitalization project that will update aging infrastructure and add a seafood market to draw more visitors back to downtown Newport News.
SIP is home to many seafood and other water-dependent businesses, and some have been there for decades. The park offers full-service accommodations to the seafood industry, including utility hook-ups and vessel fueling, service and repair. Currently, 19 businesses operate out of the park, making it an economic driver for the city with $820,510 in revenue coming in from land leases and bulkhead mooring fees during the last fiscal year. It’s one of the reasons the city is looking to overhaul the facilities with the dual aims of attracting locals and visitors to the park and promoting SIP and the seafood industry as a whole.
“We are committed to maintaining a working waterfront and we want to protect the legacy,” says Florence G. Kingston, the city’s director of development.
Among the businesses that utilize the park are seafood processors, crabbers, boat building and repair concerns, a machine shop, marine towing and marine construction businesses, a barge company and more. A big part of SIP’s success is due to port development administrator Doreen Kopacz, who oversees daily operations.
“We are fortunate to have someone like Doreen, who is creative, a good communicator and knows what it’s like to work on the water,” says Kingston.
Kopacz, who’s been with the park for nearly 17 years, grew up on the water in Norfolk’s Willoughby section. She began working as a deck hand on a boat at age 12 and has been enjoying maritime life ever since. She obtained a U.S. Coast Guard master captain’s license and operated a fishing charter vessel out of SIP before becoming its harbor master.
“I love working along the waterfront and the interactions I have with the people here every day,” she says. “Some of them are fifth generation workers. I’ve known their fathers and it’s nice now getting to know them.”
Kopacz is typically up before dawn each day to check weather and water conditions and assist the boaters in any way she can. Atlantic sea scallops, James River oysters and blue crabs are the primary products that come in at SIP, with crabbers entering the water around 4 a.m. during the season.
Doreen Kopacz, Port Development Administrator
“You can’t get any fresher than the products here,” says Kopacz.
Her other tasks involve education about sustainability and, now, overseeing the restoration of the harbor. Plans are underway for dredging and replacement of SIP’s two piers, which date back to the 1980s, with a new commercial pier and a recreational pier for visitors.
The seafood market, which will be built on an adjacent lot, will feature a patio space where guests can dine while watching the action on the water. Construction is slated to begin in fall 2025 with an anticipated completion target of about a year. There will be room for four vendors who will sell fresh, seasonal seafood, in addition to food trucks. Newport News officials are eagerly awaiting the opening.
“The seafood industry has always been important to our area,” shares Tina Vick, a member of Newport News City Council who represents the South District and grew up near the harbor. “The seafood market will generate so much more revenue to our city and bring back some of the vibrancy to this area. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Kingston feels the same way.
“This is really going to uplift the surrounding community,” she says. “People like going places that are unique, and they’ll love seeing a working waterfront and all the activity.”
For more information on the Newport News Seafood Industrial Park, visit http://www.nnva.gov/667/Seafood-Industrial-Park.
