Stands for those whom we play golf with at private clubs; personal agenda for pet projects with friends and campaign contributors, and too much city business as usual. Stands for Good Ol’Boy System. I guess if we wanted to hear more answers to our questions, we would have a private invitation to play golf with some of our elected and appointed city officials.
Author Archives: David Williams Past President/Secretary SDCC
Why Unanswered Questions?
SDCC recently posted the 28 questions that were presented to Chairman Fraim of the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission (B&WAC) at the city’s official and only public hearing held OCT 13, 2011. Now, almost one year ago. As some of you who attended this public forum for the Neighborhood Dredging (Spoils) Program, these questions were officially presented in writing to the chairman and were to be officially answered by this officially appointed city commission. The city would like citizens to think that our voices are heard on such important matters as this costly program (potentially $100 million) directly impacting citizen safety and our tax dollars. All that I can say is that SDCC has not received any satisfactory answers from either the city or the B&WAC chairman, although their official report was submitted to the city nine months ago.
Why are the city and the B&WAC chairman so quiet? I believe that they can not answer SDCC’s questions related to neighborhood impact, safety, environmental issues, traffic impact, costs, and operational concerns of this program. If they cannot answer my questions satisfactorily, how can they continue to proceed with the Neighborhood Dredging (Spoils) Program? I have forwarded these questions to Councilwoman Wilson (City representative to the B&WAC) a month ago to see if she could pry required answers out of the city, and so far no response. Bottom line- NO ANSWERS. It may not be that important, but it does concern public safety, impact on neighborhoods, impact on traffic through three major school areas, and your present and future tax dollars. WHY no answers? Maybe there are no responsible answers.
Most Important SDCC Meeting
Monday, 30 July at 7:30 pm, SDCC will hold its monthly meeting at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station on Shore Drive. At this meeting, we will be honored to have Delegate Chris Stolle speak before our group. The assembled group will have the opportunity to ask our delegate questions that concern us most in this critical time in both our state and national arena. Come, hear our Delegate, and have a chance to speak about what is on your mind.
Additionally, I will have the honor to introduce Ms. Grace Moran who has most graciously volunteered to fill the Vice President’s position until the end of the year. Many know Grace for all of her hard word, exquisite comments, and all the community projects and civic positions that she has been involved with and filled over many years. Pending her nomination and acceptance vote, I will most enthusiastically welcome her to our SDCC group.
SDCC Meeting Monday 30th APRIL
Vice Mayor Jones and Councilman James Wood will be speaking about their city perspectives at this month’s SDCC meeting. There will be an opportunity for everyone to submit their questions concerning the many things that are on our minds these days; increased city taxes, Crab Creek dredging disposal, Maple Street project, School budget, Light Rail, and changing to a ward system, just to name a some of the hot items. Come to our meeting, 7:30 pm, Monday 30th at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad station on Shore Drive (intersection with East Stratford Road). Entrance in the back.
Shore Drive’s Great Loss
After a year of effort by many people, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) ruled on 27 March in FAVOR of the city’s permit request. In spite of all our well founded arguments against the permit’s approval, the VMRC ruled to permit the depositing of up to 25,000 cubic yards of dredged material per year at either Crab Creek or Maple Street.
A neighbor asked me how this could be after the City Council voted unanimously for a resolution co-sponsored by Vice Mayor Jones and Councilman Wood to remove the Maple Street deposit site from dredged deposits. The City Council approved resolution ONLY removed Maple Street from the Neighborhood Dredging Program, NOT the Channel Maintenance Dredging program.
All speakers, both those for and those against the permit readily agreed that maintenance dredging of the Long Creek Channel (about 2 miles from the Lesner Bridge to First Landing State Park) was necessary and required. Even the city Water Engineer, Mr. Phill Roehr acknowledged that the channel has lately only required maintenance dredging about 4 times in 7 years and in those 7 years only produced a TOTAL of 4,000 cubic yards of BEACH GRADE SAND, suitable for deposit on our pristine beaches. You might ask, “how does 4,000 cubic yards of beach grade sand in 7 years equate to the need of the city to deposit up to 25,000 cubic yards of deposits, beach grade and OTHER less than beach grade sand annually? Mr. Roehr stated that there was no change from the previous permit which allowed hydraulic placement of beach grade sand up to 20,000 cubic yards.
Many of us strongly believe that this permit will allow non-beach grade sand to be depositied at this site (and Crab Creek) by not only city dredging people, BUT PRIVATE parties as the city has long stated as a goal in many of their briefings. So, for all those financially adept people who have property made up in part of mud, muck, and silt, we believe this permit will now allow them to contract for a dredge company to come in and make their mudflats into a much more valuable and highly desired “deep water access” lot. These are the same people who are smart enough NOT to seek a Special Service District contract for 16 years and pay increasing SSD assessments as their property increases in its assessed value, but have the means to pay for a one time dredging up front. Now, with a much more valuable “Deep Water Access” piece of property, these savvy owners can sell it and make significant profits. Previously, the major stopping point for many mud flat owners has been where these private parties could dump their non-beach grade spoils. And, now it is solved. After all, it continues to be about special interest money. That is how SOME politicians get elected. Does an acknowledged $400,00 dollars “quid pro quo” sound familiar?
I believe the new permit will limit the spoils to be only from Long Creek and the Channel Maintenance dredging program. Should we citizens expect the city to monitor where the spoils are coming from in compliance with this new permit? As Deputy City Manager Mr. Dave Hansen stated, “the city is self-policing.” So, that is like our police department giving itself a speeding ticket for going 20 mph over the posted speed limit. I have little faith in either Mr. Hansen or Mr. Roehrs policing the Maple Street or Crab Creek site for spoil origin and spoil quality. VMRC says that if we see permit violations we can give them a call.
We will just have to see what our VMRC permit states once it is signed. We have many options depending on the limitations stated in the permit. The Board of Zoning appeals ruled that a Municipal Dredge Spoils Transfer Facility was not an allowed use on the Maple St. parcel in R7.5 zoning. The City has appealed the ruling which names a private Citizen and the BZA board, but has not acted on it. Note that the city is suing this private party with our tax dollars to overturn the city’s own BZA ruling. I don’t think that we are sunk under the muck yet, but we will have much work to do to continue to spread the word to the public on these issues and to gather more residents to sufficiently emphasize to our City Council our concerns related to the potential abuse of our neighborhoods at both Maple Street and Crab Creek sites. If the Public Works Department in the City of Virginia Beach can place our neighborhoods in this jeopardy, the City Council of Virginia Beach has the power to prevent that abuse. After all, the Mayor and City Council work for the citizens of this city. The City Manager and city departments are responsible to that same City Council.
Remember, We the people, as citizens have options also with the coming City Council elections in November.
Exercise Week In Virginia Beach
As many have probably already heard, the military will be holding installation exercises this week (March 19-23). These exercises are part of the Solid Curtain and Citadel Shield series held annually to train and test our command and control systems and how the military will deal with security events ranging from small to large. Installations along Shore Drive will be impacted, as well as other military installation in Virginia Beach. This week will NOT be business as usual, so if you are traveling Shore Drive, or traveling onto military bases, you may be delayed, caught in traffic backup, or even not allowed on board depending on what is being drilled at the time. If there is a traffic backup, it might take some time to clear. Have some patience and please show some consideration for what is going on. Thank you for your consideration.
WAVY’s Andy Fox’s Comments on NDP
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – For over a year, Broad Bay Island residents have worked to stop barges full of mud from coming up a creek and crossing in front of their waterfront property.
Tuesday night, they won that battle.
Virginia Beach City Council agreed with the residents and backed down.
“Stop the sludge means we don’t want other people’s sludge on our waterways,” said Broad Bay Island resident Lynn Hume last March.
The city wanted to use hopper barges to dump sludge, dredged from inlets across Virginia Beach, onto a piece of privately owned land. That property, which is zoned as residential, is a 100 yards across the creek from Hume’s home.
Fifteen months after the fight began, it ended with city council pulling the site on Long Creek from consideration.
“With what we’ve gone through, nothing surprises me. When it comes to the City, we have been deceived so many times and misled by city staff so many times, that is why it got out of hand and that’s what upset us,’ said resident Ed Cunningham.
It took Tom Fraim and the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission to finally convince Virginia Beach that the Long Creek site isn’t the right location. The Zoning Administration also told the city that, but the city pushed ahead anyway.
“It gets on our plate because it is controversial, and yes, the people of Long Creek were very well organized” Fraim said.
“Stand up and be heard, and the system can work if you get people involved,” exclaimed Broad Bay Island Resident Mike Megge. “We worked that system. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of organization and a lot of dedicated people.”
Getting a little media attention doesn’t hurt.
“A lot of time, you don’t know what happens with a story, but it give people closure to a story when you exposed it. You followed it through to the end, and I think that helped the whole process,” Megge added.
The alternative site for neighborhood dredging is up the creek at a city-owned property, between the Lynnhaven Marine Boatel and the Marina Shores Shoppes.
The land is owned by Gale Levine Higgs who did not want to do an interview, but told 10 On Your Side on the phone, “So much has to happen for this to happen…I gave the strip of land to the City for drainage purposes only…not for a sludge transfer station.”
Higgs made it clear legal action could follow if the city plans on using the site for anything other than drainage.
Crab Creek Lesner Bridge Transfer Site
Admin at Save the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Facility Facebook Page needs pictures of anything to do with this subject including announcements, pictures, etc. The web address is below for that page. Please like that page to receive updates. Looks like several alternate sites have been found already in just 3 days!!! PAGE LINK BELOW!!
—
Andrew R. Broyles
3604 East Stratford Rd.
Va. Beach, Va. 23455
cell 757 621 2082
office 757 460 5678
https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheLynnhavenBoatRampAndBeachFacility
Beach’s Landfill New Hours
Virginia Beach City Landfill to Be Closed on Mondays
The Virginia Beach Landfill will be closed on Mondays beginning Monday, March 19, 2012. It will continue to operate on Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
“Going from six days per week to five days per week still provides residents of Virginia Beach substantial access to landfill disposal,” said John C. Barnes, Waste Management Administrator. “It allows us to consolidate staff and reduce our costs of the landfill while continuing to exceed regulatory requirements.”
The City Landfill is a municipal solid waste facility that is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The landfill allows disposal of residential waste, including a household hazardous waste and metals recycling facility, along with yard waste and recycling drop off.
For additional information, please contact Steve Uperti, Landfill Superintendent, at (757) 385-1981, or Linda Minner with Waste Management, at (757) 385-8595.
Missing or Stolen Bike Found
If any area family is missing a white Trek 10 speed (?) boy’s/men’s bike, please give me an email or a call (481-1668). The bike has been in my neighbor’s yard for about two weeks.
Council Resolution To Remove Maple Street From NDP
In a Reso;ution submitted by Vice Mayor Jones and Councilman Wood, the City Council is scheduled to vote this Tuesday. This resolution as it is currently written would remove the city’s Maple Street “Containment Area” from the Neighborhood Dredging Program (NDP), while retaining the containment area’s use as a repository for beach grade sand in the city’s channel dredging maintenance program. This action, if the City Council approves, will remove a major contention (use of the Maple St area for non-beach grade dredge spoils).
For those wanting to attend this important meeting, it will be held in Building 1, City Hall on the 2nd floor at 6 PM 28 February.
VMRC Joint Permit Application for Long Creek Dredging
On 30 January, the VMRC sent a letter to notify the residents along Long Creek of a Joint Permit Application #11-1830 concerning maintenance dredging. The commission requests protests to their application to be submitted within 15 days of the date of the memorandum (done by 14 February) if you wish to express your concerns with this project. The Permit letter and project drawings should be available on the VMRC website (www.mrc.virginia.gov) and will soon be made available on the http://www.SDCC.info site. I have attached my reply to this posting.
February 2, 2012
Mr. Justin D. Worrell, Environmental Engineer
Virginia Marine Resource Commission
2600 Washington Avenue
Newport News, VA 23607Re: Joint Permit Application #11-1830, Long Creek Maintenance Dredging
Dear Mr. Worrell:
I thank you for giving our residents the opportunity to comment on the proposed maintenance dredging permit for Long Creek. One of our residents asked me the purpose of this notification as she has never received one before in the 37 years of living here. As she was not able to decipher the attached drawings, she asked how she could make an informed decision on this permit without sufficient information. I acknowledged her concerns. Is your letter of 30 January to serve as sufficient information or will public hearings be held?
On my review of the permit, I too have strong concerns. Many of the residents and boaters using Long Creek acknowledge that periodic maintenance dredging is needed every 4-5 years, but we question the scope of this project. As I have attended the majority of the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee meeting related to the Neighborhood Dredge (Spoils) Program for the Lynnhaven basin, I am very aware of the strong mistrust that many have of the city’s true motives concerning the proposed dredging of the Lynnhaven Basin, and Long Creek, and in particular, the use of Maple Street and Crab Creek areas as permanent mechanical transfer sites.
Concerning Long Creek and this permit, we are concerned with lack of thoroughness related to the city’s planning, the lack of sufficient studies related to traffic, safety, and the impact on the neighborhoods mainly involved. We have strong concerns about the quality of the dredged material, whether beach grade or unusable spoils, and the stated need for the permit’s mechanical dredging. We vehemently oppose any use of the Maple Street containment area for anything other than hydraulically transferred beach grade sand as non-beach grade sand would have detrimental environmental impact on both the adjacent preservation area and the water quality of Long Creek, one of our prime fishing areas.
We are requesting that the Joint Permit #11-1830 be sent back to the city of Virginia Beach to more adequately address our citizens’ concerns. Until such time as these concerns can be substantially met, we cannot support this permit.Sincerely,
David M. Williams
President, Shore Drive Community Coalition
2104 West Admiral Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 234521(757) 481-1668
Break-in and Robbery In Cape Story
From an email from Cape Story Prez:
Follow up on the young couple who just moved into Cape Story and were robbed yesterday (door kicked in and two TV’s and computer stolen). I stopped by tonight and found a couple of Cape Story neighbors replacing the door (GREAT WORK!!) and I expresssed the concern of the neighborhood and offered to send out email to see if anyone had extra TV or computer not needed. SO this is the send, if you have extra electronics let me know and I will forward.
THIS is a very serious robbery with the door destruction , between 11 am and 2 pm and targeting specific items right on SHORE DRIVE . CAREFUL and SEE Something SAY Something. Empsy
Empsy Munden, Pres Cape Story by the Sea emunden@aol.com 757-869-5785
Important Dates 10 & 24 January
Virginia Beach City Council will hold a public hearing 6 PM, Jan 10, 2012 to hear from citizens on the proposed $109M Hyatt Hotel where the city proposes to pay $67M up front in a public-private partnership with the developer, Armada Hoffler. A City Council vote on the proposal is scheduled for 24 January.
SGA Hearing For Lynnhaven Area
SDCC members,
Please note the following announcement.
David Williams
SDCC Pres.
Lynnhaven Strategic Growth Area Plan
Public meeting for the Lynnhaven SGA Master Plan on Wednesday, December 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lynnhaven Elementary School cafeteria.
The Lynnhaven Strategic Growth Area (SGA) is one of 8 SGAs designated in the 2009 Comprehensive Plan (see http://www.ourfuturevb.com). It is comprised of 458 acres centered along Virginia Beach Boulevard and its intersections with the main north-south arterials, Lynnhaven Parkway and Great Neck Road/London Bridge Road. Interstate 264 bisects the SGA from east to west, as does the former Norfolk-Southern railway corridor. The eastern branch of the Lynnhaven River also bisects the SGA from north to south. The SGA is characterized primarily by public/semi-public, retail/commercial, and institutional uses that contrast in type, intensity and quality of land uses. Additional uses include industrial and residential, and a small portion of the SGA is undeveloped. The entire area is a high noise zone and two areas are in accident potential zones.
This gateway to the Great Neck peninsula exhibits an excessive number of nonconforming signs, overhead utilities, roadway access points and building and site designs. Much of this is due to the London Bridge area being one of the oldest commercial areas in the City, and its retrofit with a modern roadway system has improved function more than appearance.
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has allocated 2009 federal stimulus funding (ARRA) for a project to provide access to and from the west at I-264 and Great Neck/London Bridge Roads.
The 2009 Comprehensive Plan contains the following general land use recommendations for this area:
Consistent with Air Installation Compatibility Use Zones (AICUZ) provisions, property located in the northern vicinity of the Lynnhaven Parkway/I-264 interchange and along Virginia Beach Boulevard are suitable for a higher intensity of compact, mixed uses including offices, institutions and limited additional retail compatible with the Joint Land Use Study. The appropriate planning principles of Transit-Oriented Development to include compatible non-residential uses should be applied to this area.
Due to AICUZ restrictions, residential or hotel uses are not recommended.
Incorporate Transit-Oriented Development around planned transit stations.
Recommendations for Neighborhood Dredging Program
Mr. Fraim:
The Beaches & Waterways Advisory Committee was directed by City Council Resolution to study 4 areas and conduct at least one public forum for residents to ask questions and present opinions. I submit that this has NOT been accomplished by the B&WAC, and therefor, the committee has not completed their tasking.
VA Law “Virginia Freedom of Information Act” 2.2-3700 A states in part…”Unless a public body or its officers or employees specifically elect to exercise an exemption provided by this chapter or any other statute, every meeting shall be open to the public and all public records shall be available for inspection and copying upon request. All public records and meetings shall be presumed open, unless an exemption is properly invoked.
Any exemption from public access to records or meetings shall be narrowly construed and no record shall be withheld….
This chapter shall not be construed to discourage the free discussion by government officials or employees of public matters with the citizens of the Commonwealth.
I submit that as citizens who were present at scheduled B&WAC meetings were not provided either free discussions or with documentation that presents committee members received; concerned residents were not permitted to speak in most cases, and when they did speak, their comments and questions were ignored or not sufficiently recorded in the minutes, that the B&WAC chairman operated committee business beyond the scope and intent of the Commonwealth of Virginia law. As such, I submit that the B&WAC Recommendations Report as currently submitted is incomplete, unfairly biased, inaccurate and not ready for City Council review at this time.
I believe the City Council Resolution tasking of the B&WAC members and the timeframe given to accomplish the requisite studies to determine sufficient facts was insufficient. Given mounting public concern and scrutiny, your committee was placed in a very difficult position without sufficient resources to accomplish the required impact studies (Traffic, Safety, Impact on Neighborhoods, Structural Engineering of nearby buildings and homes, and environmental). Without sufficient impact studies, the B&WAC recommendations are limited in factual basis.
I fully support the recommendation of the Committee to remove Maple Street as a mechanical dredge spoils transfer site based upon its physical unsuitability, potential costly and continuing structural damage to nearby homes, negative impact on traffic, negative impact on nearby home valuations, safety concerns for this narrow section of Long Creek, and environmental concerns for the nearby estuary’s ecosystems.
Some specific wording of the Recommendations report concerns me, specifically;
(7,8) …the Neighborhood Dredging SSD Program (NDSSDP) has been based on well conceived funding sources…..
Comment: If private parties are allowed to contract and dispose of their dredge spoils at a city constructed facility, how will the city be reimbursed for the portions that would have been paid for under the SSD contract? The City could cut the spur channel, and for neighborhoods which could not achieve 80% agreement for an SSD or chose not to seek an SSD agreement, how will the city be reimbursed for its publicly financed portion? Will publicly procured barges as part of the SSD operate concurrently with private barges and then seek common access at the transfer site? Therefor, the SSD program and process are suspect financially.
(40-45) When developing the Comprehensive Beach Management Program….resulted in serious concerns for the negative impacts on the resident’s quality of life.
Comment: The comparison between the Comprehensive Beach Management Program and NDP with mechanical transfer of non-beach grade sand and the infrastructure to support its spoils transport is not comparable to the temporary hydraulic transfer of beach grade sand to be placed on public beaches. These NDP spoils (sludge) are mechanically transferred and not beach grade. The NDP is a 16+ year program, not a temporary program occurring once every three or four years for a couple of months.
(60-61) The DMTS can be located and constructed in these areas so as to have a minimal impact on the surrounding neighborhood.
Comment: This statement is without basis. Without adequate safety impact study, traffic impact study, environmental impact or engineering studies to assess potential property damage from nearby heavy dump truck traffic, this statement cannot be made.
(104-112) Adverse impacts. No mention is made of structural damage to houses, foundations, and roads that would occur from heavily loaded dump trucks over a sustained period of years. Vibration damage will occur and its potential impact should be evaluated and considered into the Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)costs of the NDP. Should city general funds pay for road and structural repairs or neighborhoods using the transfer site?
(108) Mention is made of …surface vibrations occurs when digging sand from the holding area.
Comment: Holding areas for the storage and de-watering of dredge spoils (non-beach grade) would not meet EPA or DEQ standards.
(300-302) Council adopts a policy which provides for permitted use of the DMTS sites by the public for dredging by entities or individuals other than the city.
Comment: What will be the City’s cost recovery mechanism for private use of a public transfer site? How will damages occurred by privately contracted dump trucks hauling private spoils be corrected? Would private parties be permitted to use DMTS beyond the SSD 16 year timeframe? The private sector use of the public transfer site beyond SSD cost recovery or mitigation expenses should be strictly limited by City Council if permitted at all.
(394-396) …recommends that use of Long Creek and Crab Creek DMTS be restricted from operations for anytime greater than 60 consecutive workable days during any three year cycle.
Comment: This statement is worthless as it would permit continuous operations for 59 workable days, a cessation of one workable day, and then recommencing another 59 workable day cycle. Transfer sites should be limited to specific total days for the year based on SSD requirements. If no extra days were available for private dredging transfers, perhaps those neighborhoods should have joined an SSD and contributed to cost recovery to the General fund.
Much to consider in a few days.
Sincerely,
David M. Williams
President, Shore Drive Community Coalition
Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee’s Recommendations
The Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee (B&WAC) is finalizing their Recommendations Report that will be completed on 15 December and according to the B&WAC chairman, Mr. Fraim, it will then be presented to City Manager Spore for his consideration. At the B&WAC meeting held 17 November, Chairman Fraim stated that the City Manager will then determine what to do with the report and when to present it to City Council, the elected representatives for whom Mr. Spore supposedly works. As directed in the City Council resolution of 14 June, the B&WAC report was supposed to be a comprehensive study “complete and accurate”. It has not been either complete nor accurate in my opinion. For a city project costing tens of millions of dollars over 16 years, you would think that more public scrutiny beyond the Lynnhaven waterways area would have been forthcoming. I do not think the Virginian Pilot nor the Beacon have given the project the balanced coverage that it needed. Many residents do not even know what it is all about as if the project will not affect them. This project could potentially cost $100 million over 16 years with an estimated 1/3 coming from the General Fund. This project is NOT a “pay as you go” project, or revenue neutral. But, what is going to happen when this AAA rated City of Virginia Beach runs into a deficit problem in next year’s budget cycle and raising city tax rates comes into the discussion? Residents will look for wasteful city spending and areas to cut. Does a major city project like the Neighborhood Dredging Program benefiting only an estimated 2,500 property owners in a city of 460,000 at the BIG expense of the tax payers look like a candidate? People will probably still know little about this project because it has not popped up on their radar. Maybe Mr. Spore will wait for an opportune time to present the Neighborhood Dredging Program project to City Council after the tax increase has been debated and approved. I am hoping that City Council will call for the Beaches and Waterways Advisory report, read it carefully, look at the numbers and the impacts on the neighborhoods, and come to the conclusion that it is neither complete nor accurate. Therefore, how can it be approved?
David Williams
President, SDCC
What Will It TakeTo Be Heard?
Call me naive maybe, but I was taught in public school and spent my college and military years believing in our Democracy. Even after egregious and impeachable acts of Richard Nixon, LCol Oliver North, and J. Edgar Hoover, and unnamed others who have hacked into our rights, our freedoms have prevailed somewhat intact.
The politicians of that “ill-clique” up in Washington seemed removed from who we are and how we live our daily lives in a city like Virginia Beach.
I am reminded that all politics are local. The violations of our trust and confidence do not always occur just from Washington. Some of our citizens have experienced a trampling of their rights from our city staff and city appointed “Advisory” committees. Any violations of our Constitutional rights should be directly challenged and corrected.
Should citizens be prevented from speaking at scheduled open forums or from asking the city questions concerning the safety of public projects that involve our neighborhoods? Should the city’s Public Works Department be the safety monitor and enforcer for those projects? Should a neighborhood’s rights be mauled to enable a “good ol’gal” private business expansion? Should a neighborhood be pulped from dump truck traffic just to support one private party who would commercially benefit? Mr. Fraim has so stated. Ask Thomas Fraim, Chairman of the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee about open and transparent city staff meetings or free and open public committee meetings.
This Veteran’s Day, consider all those who have fought for our freedoms and our very Constitution. Consider this, if Hitler’s Third Reich had defeated us in WWII, or if Stalin’s communists had won the Cold War, would our rights and our freedoms continue today? So, why should we accept any trampling on our rights, back door politics, special deals, lack of transparency, and egregious acts from some city staff members?
Will the Mayor and City Council arrive at an honorable course of action that recognizes the mounting and significant citizen opposition to the Neighborhood Dredge (Spoils) Program? Will city staff acknowledge the numerous serious flaws and lack of sufficient studies that exist in the Neighborhood Dredge (Spoils) Program? We citizens will watch closely while some in City Council deliberate their fate and our given rights.
Thursday’s Beaches & Waterways Committee Meeting
This Thursday’s meeting of the B&WAC was a showdown. At the well attended B&WAC scheduled public meeting held on 13 OCT, a large showing of residents came to express their concerns and to ask questions. Many spoke to the committee and packed room to state their concerns mainly with the viability of the proposed Maple Street Dredge Spoils transfer site. Of the 20 speakers, 16 spoke directly against the use of Maple Street as a spoils transfer site, three others on different points of opposition, and one lone speaker on the positive points for Old Donation Special Service District.
Many questions submitted by the gathered audience were answered while some questions were dismissed as “off topic”. When the night ended, many of us felt that our positions in opposition to the city’s plan were on the record and understood by the board. I do not think many of us knew how it would progress past the point that we had left that night. We were determined, well researched, and committed to our positions.
This Thursday’s meeting (Oct 20), was going to be a showdown on the street to determine the outcome of our stated positions. I spoke to Chairman Fraim before the meeting of unanswered questions from the previous meeting and he said they would be answered at this meeting. I asked if the citizens of Virginia Beach would have an opportunity to review and comment on the board’s recommendations before they went to City Council and he said yes. I felt some of the tension between us lessen. We were communicating.
When I was young in grade school, I remember that I did not like to fight and get in trouble for doing so, but sometimes it was necessary to stand your ground and do what you believed to be necessary. This felt like one of those days in grade school. We had gone nose to nose, reached our point, but now we at least started to understand where we stood. We had reached middle ground. It is not a win-lose position, but more of an understanding. We would be listened to and our positions considered. I would like to think that that is the way reasonable people negotiate very important matters. I still do not know how this Neighborhood Dredge Spoils program will turn out, but we are talking and considerate of both parties. Friday started with a renewed spirit and more hope for Long Creek residents. It was a better day, fresh and clear, with a bit more hope for our neighborhoods. Have a nice weekend neighbors and B&WAC committee members. I hope to be fishing with my wife in the middle channel of Long Creek at my favorite trout spot. We are more hopeful than before and remain still confident in our positions.
Public Hearing For City’s Dredging Program
Here is the content of an email that I sent to Councilman Wood concerning the dredging program and this public meeting. I hope you can attend this meeting. It is THAT important.
David W.
Councilman Wood,
As you know, the Neighborhood Dredging Program is a very important, make that vital issue to the residents in your district. There is significant opposition to the city’s Neighborhood Dredging Program (NDP) judging from petitions signed, attendance at the BZA hearing, and increased attendance at civic association meetings where this project is discussed. This opposition is continuing to grow as more residents become informed about plan deficiencies, concerns for safety, impact on traffic flow, impact on neighborhoods, SSD financial viability, overall project scope, and its intended operations particularly at Maple Street and Crab Creek. Probably, some time back, the city’s NDP initially looked reasonable and do-able in its early design stage, but when more of the program came to light, it became obvious that there were some neighborhoods that would be significantly impacted with no or little gain to them. Despite attempts by many of us to address these issues at the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee meetings, we have either been procedurally gaged, or severely time constrained. While some may think that our opposition to the city’s inadequate Neighborhood Dredging Program will subside, it will not unless significant changes are made. I hope you will find the time to address these issues and answer questions at the Beaches and Waterways public meeting 13 OCT at Great Neck Rec Center, 7 PM.Warm regards,
David Williams
Pres. SDCC
#WeLoveShoreDrive 