Author Archives: Todd Solomon

Neighborhood Watch Program Presentation at Cape Story General Meeting Monday Oct 14th at 7:30pm

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A 2nd Precinct Officer will be present to talk about the new rules and regulations for the Neighborhood Watch Program.  This is an open meeting and any neighborhood with an existing Watch or thinking about starting one should definitely attend.

Cape Story by the Sea Civic Association Meeting is on Monday, October 14, starting at 7:30 pm at the Lynnhaven Colony Congregational Church at 2217 W. Great Neck Road.

This month, a representative of the Virginia Beach Police department will explain the concept and process behind the Neighborhood Watch Program. This provides a mechanism to get important crime-related information out to the residents quickly, and in an organized manner.

SDCC eScooter Position Memo to City Supporting BAC Position to Prohibit Use

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Click here to read the Bayfront Advisory Commission Position Statement Memo 04.BayfrontAdvCommScooterPosition

Date: Thursday October 10, 2019
To: Mayor Dyer, City Council Members and City Manager Leahy
From: Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC)
Topic: Position Statement Regarding Prohibited Use of eScooters in Shore Drive Area

 

Dear Mayor Dyer, City Council Members and City Manager Leahy,

The Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC), at their September General Meeting, voted unanimously “To support the Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) recommendation to prohibit eScooters in the Shore Drive Overlay District at this time.”

The SDCC representative communities reviewed the BAC position statement submitted to the City Manager on September 24, 2019 and agreed with the reasons presented in the correspondence for prohibiting the use of eScooters in our area.
In addition to those items presented in the BAC memo, the SDCC has also heard the following reasons why the scooters should be prohibited in this specific section of the City.

• The connectivity of sidewalks, multi-use pathways and bike lanes is too disjointed and haphazard and until all of the Shore Drive safety improvements are completed between Pleasure House Road and First Landing State Park, this area is just too unsafe for scooters.
• This is the most densely populated area in the City. As the safety improvements are completed, more pedestrian traffic will become the norm. Adding eScooters, which travel at a higher rates of speed than some bikes, into the mix is a recipe for disaster.
• Escooters have already been seen riding in the car lanes on Shore Drive both day and night. The safety improvements to date have reduced an area that used to average 3 fatalities per year down to 1 fatality every 3 years. Residents are fearful that allowing eScooters will do nothing but increase the potential for injury and worst case death, similar to what has been seen in Atlanta.

Thank you for listening to the residents of the Shore Drive area and for your oversight on this matter. If you have any questions regarding the SDCC position, please email me or call me at 757-667-8533.

Todd Solomon
Shore Drive Community Coalition – President

SDCC General Meeting – Mon Sept 30th at 7:30pm – Special Presentation on City’s Comprehensive Plan

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Click here for a printable version of the agenda  – 9.30.19 SDCC Agenda

SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday September 30, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Special Presentation –

City to Begin Comprehensive Plan Update 

The City has to update its Comprehensive Plan every 5 years and will be seeking public input. Mr. Mark Shea, City of VB Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, will provide background on the Comp Plan, the update process and how the residents can have input into its modifications. He will have a Q&A after the presentation. SDCC meetings are open to the all, so bring a friend, we have cookies.

Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon

Old Business-
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Service for this year stops Sunday Sept 29th at Midnight. We will try to share ridership numbers for the months of May through August to compare with past years.

Hurricane Dorian Impacts – What type of impact did your residents see? How did the Cape Henry Beach sand replenishment hold up? Did Ocean Park Beach lose all of its protection? Was tidal flooding a concern?

Cape Henry Shore Entrance Safety Issue – The entrance/exit to CHS at intersection of Kendall and Shore Drive is being discussed in social media. There has been an increase in accidents and near misses and the residents are asking the City Traffic Engineers to once again look at fixes for this area.

New Business –
Ocean Park Beach Sand Replenishment – The City plans to replenish OP beach in 2020 and has submitted a proposed permit modification to the Army Corps of Engineers to allow the sand to be taken from the Chesapeake Beach Shoals Burrow Area. https://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/1954541/nao-2017-01269/

Tidal Sluice Gates Automatic Operation Broken – The tidal sluice gates installed east of the Lesner Bridge have had their automatic operation temporarily disabled. The components haven’t been working correctly so they have been removed/disabled until a fix is found. Unfortunately this means the gates will have to be operated manually by Public Works during storm events. Call 385-1470 during a storm event.

New Online Weather App – A new online weather app has been found very helpful during storm events. The app can be found at www.Windy.com and has also been linked on the www.SDCC.info/safety page. It provides rainfall predictions, wind speeds and directions, tidal information and other interesting details.

Electric Scooters – At their Sept meeting, the Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) took an official position to prohibit the operation of eScooters in the Bayfront area at this time. SDCC should discuss this and take a similar position in support of the BAC decision. Be prepared to discuss and vote.

Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.

***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday October 28, 2019***

E-Cycling and Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Saturday Sept. 28th from 9am to Noon at Virginia Aquarium

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Click here to read the entire notice

Fall E-Cycling Event Saturday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to Noon
Fall cleaning is a great time toget rid of those old electroinics. The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, in partnership with Goodwill Industries, Virginia Beach Public Works and TFC Recycling, will offer its semi-annual E-cycling event Saturday, Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. – noon at the Virginia Aquarium East Parking Lot. There is no fee to drop off items, but donations are always appreciated

Acceptable personal electronic recyclable items include:

Personal computers and laptops
Telephones, cell phones and PDA’s
Printers
Circuit boards and components
Monitors and flat screens
Fax machines​
Stereo equipment and game systems
Regular recycling materials such as newspapers, bottles and cans will also be accepted.
***Note that cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions and alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) cannot be accepted***​

Acceptable household hazardous waste items include:

Up to five gallons of liquids or up to 75 pounds of dry materials
Aerosol spray cans
Automotive fluids
Batteries: Boat, Car, Camera, Cell phone, Hearing aid, Lead acid, Lithium, Rechargeable, Trucks
Herbicides
Household cleaners
Gasoline (up to 5 gallons)
Fertilizer
Pool chemicals
Light bulbs – small quantities of CFLs or fluorescent tubes
Oil and water based paint
Pesticides
Propane tanks (small – up to 20 lb. capacity)

 

 

Virginia Beach’s Old Emergency Alert Notification Program Will Stop on Sept 30th. Sign Up for New System Now

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Click here to read the article below on the City’s website 

Virginia Beach is Transitioning to a New and Improved Emergency Notification Platform
Current VBAlert Subscribers Will Continue to Receive Alerts Through Sept. 30

​From severe weather to public safety situations, emergencies can happen at any time. VBAlert, the City’s FREE subscription-based emergency notification service, sends critical emergency messages via text, email, and phone, depending on a subscriber’s preferences.

“This is such an important community service, we hope everyone will register,” said Stephen Williams, director of Emergency Communications and Citizens Services. “We have approximately 15,000 subscribers on the current system and we want them to move to the new system, which they can do the same way new subscribers can sign up. Simply text VBAlert to 67283 or go online at www.vbgov.com/vbalert to register.”

The new platform, powered by Rave Mobile Safety, allows for better functionality that includes Smart911, which will be deployed in the near future. Citizens are encouraged to sign up for Smart911 when they register with VBAlert. Smart911 allows subscribers to provide additional unique information to their profile that could help 911 call takers save their life or that of a family member.

The new provider is necessary because the current contract was expiring. Personal information and passwords are not transferable between the two services, which is why current subscribers to VBAlert must reenroll. The change to the new system will take place Oct. 1, 2019.

To ensure citizens receive emergency notifications during the transition, they will receive messages from both systems through Sept. 30, unless they unsubscribe from the old platform at: https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736725673#/login.

 

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Releases “Surging Waters” Study With Focus on Virginia Beach

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According to a recent article in the Virginian-Pilot,

“Yet again Hampton Roads is being singled out by a national group as an example of the perils of rising seas. This time, it’s in a report from the American Geophysical Union that urges investment in science to find solutions to flooding caused by climate change.”

The entire article can be found here https://www.pilotonline.com/news/environment/vp-nw-agu-flooding-report-20190924-xp2wqsahtzgwrej5drc2d5pls4-story.html

 

You can also read the AGU’s report by clicking this link.  The section that discusses Virginia Beach starts on page 36.  Click here to go straight to the report https://scienceisessential.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/09/Surging_Waters_credits_pages_web.pdf

Driftwood Arch at Brock Center Burns Down Friday Sept 20th

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The popular and often photographed driftwood arch burnt down on Friday Sept. 20th.  You can read about the incident in the Virginian-Pilot article at this link https://www.pilotonline.com/news/vp-nw-drifwood-arch-20190920-ejge63ggfjg6nn4gnzdls3gpn4-story.html

You can also see the story covered by Wavy TV 10 here https://www.wavy.com/news/driftwood-arch-at-brock-environmental-center-goes-up-in-flames/

 

SDCC General Meeting – Monday Aug. 26th at 7:30pm

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Click here to print the agenda – 8.26.19 SDCC Agenda

SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday August 26, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Special Presentation – No presentation planned

Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon

Old Business-
Dredging of Lynnhaven Inlet and Broad Bay Channel and Cape Henry Beach Replenishment – Update on project to be discussed. Lynnhaven Inlet and Beach Replenishment complete. Channel work continues.
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Starting Sept 6th, service switches to weekend only. Ridership numbers for July will be shared.
Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) – An urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives (usually 75%) and technical and educational assistance to property owners. The program has hired a consultant to help improve service and handle increased demand. The new point of contact will be shared at the meeting.
Dewberry Report Sea Level Rise and Stormwater – Community forums have concluded but an online survey can still be filled out. See SDCC website for more information. Additional community input will be sought toward the end of this year and beginning of 2020.

New Business –
City seeks input for Active Transportation Plan – The city is asking citizens to take a survey and provide input regarding the new 2020 Bikeways and Trails Plan new 2020. This is a great chance for Bayfront residents to add our concerns to the plan.
City to Begin Comprehensive Plan Update – The City has to update its Comprehensive Plan every 5 years and will be seeking public input. We have asked Mr. Mark Shea, City of VB Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, to attend our September meeting to discuss.

Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.

 

***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday September 30, 2019***

Update on Broad Bay Channel Dredging with Deposit on Maple St. Spoils Site

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The following is an email update from the US Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager regarding the Broad Bay Channel Dredging.

 

It is my understanding that the material being dredged from Broad Bay Channel with placement in Maple St. is beach quality sand. Historical maintenance dredging from Broad Bay Channel has been beach quality sand and based on recent site visits I have no reason to believe otherwise. I was out at the site last week and the material looked great for use as emergency sand on the Bayfront. A couple of pictures are attached for reference of the sand that is being stockpiled there currently.

The water in the site may look cloudy which may cause confusion and create the appearance of a lack of beach quality sand. This is just attributed to the slurry mixture of material that is created during the dredging operations. The sandy material settles out of the slurry leaving the quality sand in the site while the effluent water exits the site. We have been testing the effluent water while the Contractor has been working in Maple St. Tests have shown that the Contractor is within the effluent State water quality threshold requirements. The Contractor is currently letting the site dewater and will begin pumping into Maple St. again later this week as they continue dredging in Broad Bay Channel on the west side of the Bay Island/Great Neck Bridges.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Regards,
Chris

Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012

 

 

City of Virginia Beach Asks for Citizen Input on eScooters – Take City Survey

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E-scooters are a new shared mobility service in Virginia Beach that offer an additional transportation option for residents and guests. Data from your survey participation will add to the community’s voice in establishing policy that properly aligns the business of e-scooters with Virginia Beach’s expectations.
This survey will be open through Tuesday, 9/3/19.

Click here to take the City’s survey on eScooters – https://publicinput.com/E-Scooters

 

City Council Votes to Ban eScooters at Oceanfront

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City Council voted this Tuesday to ban the use of eScooters (Lime, Bird, etc.) east of Artic Ave.  For more details you can read about it in this Virginian-Pilot article

https://www.pilotonline.com/government/local/vp-nw-scooter-ban-approved-0822-20190821-fp4flonsjvh7hfwb2urz5y6ede-story.html

Citizen Input Still Sought Regarding Sea Level Rise Plan – Take a Survey to Help

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In addition the recent public input meetings held by the City of Virginia Beach, the City is asking citizens to take an online survey to help capture your ideas and comments on the Draft Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Plan.  The survey can be found at the following link.  Please feel free to share this survey with anyone else that may live or work in Virginia Beach.

Click here or on the image above to access the survey https://sites.wp.odu.edu/asert/vb2019/

 

Fox that Attacked Jogger Found to be Rabid

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The following notice was received from VB Alert system and is being passed on as an update to the previous post linked below to a fox attack on Wednesday in Cape Story along the Cape Henry trail.  Previous post click here https://sdcc.info/2019/08/15/fox-attacks-jogger-along-cape-henry-trail-in-cape-story/

 

This is an emergency notification from the Virginia beach Department of Public Health. Please do not hang up. On Tuesday August 13, 2019, a rabid fox was found in the twenty two hundred block of Maple Street in the Cape Story by the Sea Subdivision. The fox tested positive for rabies after having an altercation with an adult on a bike path. The fox is now deceased. Rabies is 100% fatal if left untreated. If anyone in your household, including your pet, has had any exposure to stray or wild animals in this area within the past few weeks, please contact your physician or the Health Department at five one eight two seven zero zero between 8:15 to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Do not call 911 unless you have an emergency.

City Seeks Citizen Input on Active Transporation Plan

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The City is asking citizens to participate in an online survey by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department on its 2020 “Active Transportation Plan.” The plan will focus on promoting safety and accessibility of walking and bicycling in Virginia Beach. The survey invites residents to provide feedback on their bicycling and walking habits, and it also includes an interactive map that will help determine where the greatest needs exists for a pedestrian and bicycle network throughout the city. To access the survey, click here https://tooledesign.github.io/5538.02_VAB_participation_map/

Public Information Meeting for Dredging Lynnhaven Drive Canal – Tuesday Aug. 20th from 5pm – 7pm at First Landing Fire Station

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The following letter was sent to residents near Cape Henry and Lynnhaven Drive.  If you live in this area or frequently travel these roads you may want to attend this meeting to see how the project may result in road closures.

The official letter can be found by clicking here Lynnhaven Drive Canal Drainage Imp._W_Attach (CIP-7-055.001)_2019-07-24.docx2

Subject: Lynnhaven Drive Canal Drainage Improvements (CIP-7-055.001)

Dear Property Owner:

This letter is to inform you the City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works Operations will be performing dredging operations of Lynnhaven Drive Canal within the Lynnhaven Colony neighborhood area between October 30, 2019, and December 31, 2019, as part of the referenced project. The approximate limits between West Great Neck Road and Cape Arbor Drive bounded from the north Cape Henry Drive and 1,100 feet south to Lynnhaven Drive. The primary goal of the project is to proceed with the interim flood control drainage improvements for the Lynnhaven Drive Canal before the permanent flood control drainage improvements for the Lynnhaven Colony Neighborhood.
The City of Virginia Beach Public Works Operations, Public Works Engineering with Waterway, Surveys, and Engineering, Inc. will hold a public meeting to discuss the project including but not limited to project limits, daily hours of operations during the dredging operations, traffic control concerns, erosion and sediment control concerns, and other associated concerns with the proposed project.

The project team includes employees of the City of Virginia Beach Public Works Operations, Public Works Engineering, Waterway, Surveys, and Engineering, Inc., and Carolina Marine Structures. Members of the project team will be in your neighborhood performing the referenced work.

The dredging work will mainly be located within the City Drainage Easement, and City Right-of-Way but will include traffic control on Lynnhaven Drive for trucks entering the roadway during the construction hours of 9:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday.

The place and time for the public meeting are August 20, 2019, at the City of Virginia Beach First Landing Fire and Rescue Station Number One located at 2837 Shore Drive Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm.

We are committed to conducting the dredging activities in the least disruptive way as possible. If you have any questions or concerns about the actions of the field personnel or other project issues, please contact Mr. Frank Janes directly at fjanes@vbgov.cokm or 385-4834 or Mr. Mark Jones at MAARJone@vbgov.com or 385-1470.
Sincerely,

Francis X. Janes, Jr.
Public Works Operations

 

Dredging of Inlet and Replenishment of Cape Henry Beach Complete. Dredging of Broad Bay Channel Started

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The following is taken from an email update provided by the project coordinator….

It does not look like the Contractor will make it to Oak Street given the remaining volume they have in the turning basin in the re-dredge areas. Will have a better idea of things when I receive their daily report from today’s operations. They are quickly finishing up these areas and following the Government’s acceptance of the dredging work (may take about a week plus a couple of days max), will remove pipeline from Cape Henry Beach and be complete with this placement area.

Long Creek dredging will not be a part of this contract. We have a few dredging areas within Broad Bay Channel. The material from these dredging areas will be going to our upland placement site at Maple St. The site has been prepped to receive material and dredge pipeline is in place to being dredging in Broad Bay Channel. These operations will begin soon following the Contractor’s completion of dredging in the Basin. This will be 24/7 operations with specifications that the contractor, to the maximum extent practicable, limit or try to reduce noise from 7PM – 7AM.

There will be a dredge pipeline in Long Creek to transport dredged material from the Broad Bay Channel dredging areas, but this will be the only thing operational in Long Creek.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,
Chris

Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012

Milling and Paving Started – Shore Drive Between Greenwell Rd and Lesner Bridge

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Virginia Beach Public Works has announced that crews began roadway improvements on Shore Drive beginning Sunday, August 11, 2019.

The project will include milling, paving and pavement marking improvements which will begin on Shore Drive, both eastbound and westbound lanes, from Greenwell Road to the Lesner Bridge

Crews will be working beginning at 7 p.m. and will end at 5 a.m. each day.

The project is expected to be completed by Friday, September 20, 2019.

The milling and paving operation is likely to produce traffic delays, congestion and some construction noise. Advanced warning signs will be clearly posted advising motorists of lane closures. Citizens are urged to use alternate traffic routes when possible.

All scheduled work is weather permitting.

Virginia Paving is the contractor for the project. For additional information, please contact Lonnie Minson with Virginia Paving at (757) 675-8714, or Dennis Simon at (757) 385-1470.

To read the official City news release, click here Shore Drive – Greenwell to Lesner – August 2019

Fox Attacks Jogger Along Cape Henry Trail in Cape Story

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Wedndesday Aug 14th at 5:20am a fox attacked a jogger along the Cape Henry bike trail.  It appears the fox was later run over and killed by a car as it darted across one of the streets in Cape Story.  The following comments were copied from a post in Nextdoor.com.  The entire conversation can be found here  https://nextdoor.com/news_feed/?post=120700051

I was jogging down the Shore Drive landside path this morning around 5:50am and a fox jumped me. I was somewhere around Oak or Maple heading toward Great Neck Road. I had to kick him 6-8 times, HARD, before he would stop coming after me. I did get bit and went to Beach General for shots, etc. Stay alert when on the path and be ready for anything when you see wildlife. Yep, that’s what the fox says…

I was leaving for work at 7:20 am this morning heading north on Wake Forest St just past Poinciana when a Fox ran straight towards my vehicle and under the front end. Sadly it died from the impact. Maybe the same one?

 

CBF Seeks Community Input for Proposed New School Building – Tues July 30th at 7pm

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The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will be holding a public input session at their upcoming community meeting at the Brock Center to gather input on their proposed new classroom building.  The proposal is scheduled to go before the City’s Planning Commission on Wed Aug 14th.  Input can be made at CBF’s meeting on Tuesday July 30th, see below.

How will the community be involved in the process?
CBF will seek local input on the proposed classroom in several ways, including hosting public discussions at the Brock Center, and holding meetings with community leaders, civic associations, and other community groups.
CBF’s next community meeting will be held at the Brock Center on Tuesday, July 30, from 7-9:00 p.m. Individuals can also provide input by contacting CBF Brock Center Manager Chris Gorri directly at cgorri@cbf.org.

Additional information can be found at https://sdcc.info/2019/01/01/vb-city-public-schools-and-cbf-are-partnering-on-a-new-environmental-science-program-for-high-school-students-which-will-be-based-at-cbfs-brock-environmental-center-in-ocean-park-people/

And from the following documents supplied by City Planning Department

Rendered Classroom Elevations

BROCK CUP EXHIBIT-CUP – RENDERED

 

Monday July 29th @7:30pm SDCC Presentation – Lime Scooters at the Bayfront – 2nd/3rd Precinct Police Captains Will Discuss

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Lime Scooters have made there way on to the Shore Drive landscape.  Social media has blown up with comments praising and condemning them.  The Virginian-Pilot recently discussed the resulting impact of scooters with an increase in hospital injury visits https://pilotonline.com/news/local/article_747ba370-ad59-11e9-b1d1-4b34e57df79f.html

Police Precinct Captains Wichtendahl-2nd and Hatfield-3rd have graciously offered to attend our Monday July 29th SDCC meeting to talk to us about our concerns.  They will also provide the current City requirements governing electric scooters in the Bayfront area.  They will also update us on any City plans regarding the their future.

So if you have questions about rules of operation, parking requirements, who to call with problems, what can and can’t be done to regulate them, what can be done to make them safer for users and the community.  Please come out Monday evening to discuss.

SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 29, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)