Thanks to Barry for getting us the informative packet from his presentation at our Meeting Monday evening.

Hopefully you were able to attend.

In case you didn’t, here’s the handout. [28pg PDF]

Thanks to Barry Frankenfield of Parks & Rec for his very informative presentation and Q&A about the City’s current desire to lease the Public City Marina to a private company for 40 years.

Some concerns raised last night included:

+ the local neighbors weren’t brought in earlier in the process to provide input
+ Bayfront Advisory Committee[BAC] was not notified of the Bid Solicitation
+ the new owners of the property next door, coupled with the City Marina have a plan for a “Duck-In” type facility
+ capital improvements recently paid for by the City/Taxpayers drastically reduce possible capital expenditures for the Leaseholder over the ~40 year lease term

We’ll be providing as much info as possible about this in the near future. Stay tuned.

View Larger Map

Google Map of location of City Marina.

Congrats to the four who will remain in their positions…
Todd Solomon- President [encode=todd@sdcc.info?Subject=From SDCC.info]email[/encode]
Daphne Atkins- VP [encode=DAtkins999@aol.com?Subject=From SDCC.info]email[/encode]
Leslie Cornwell – Treasurer [encode=lcornwell80@cox.net?Subject=From SDCC.info]email[/encode]
Tim Solanic- Secretary [encode=tim@sdcc.info?Subject=From SDCC.info]email[/encode]

According to an email from Mr. Wayne Couch, key City Staffer that supports the VB Wetlands Board:

There is no schedule for an Indigo Dunes revised JPA to be heard by the
Wetlands Board.

He went on to say:

[the JPA]was sent to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality with
explanation from their agent, Mr. Ken Dierks, that they did not want to
be on a Wetlands agenda. It was just keeping us informed on matters they
were trying to work out with DEQ. He ask[ed] that it not be considered as
any kind of formal resubmittal. At this time we are taking no action on
the revised information.

Release Date:  Monday, November 26, 2007 12 p.m.

The City of Virginia Beach departments of Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will officially dedicate the First Landing Fire & EMS Station at a ceremony to be held Thursday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. The new station is located at 2837 Shore Drive (corner of Shore Drive and Great Neck Road).

The station officially went into service in early October, and will provide housing for both fire and rescue personnel in the Shore Drive/North Great Neck corridor. The new facility has a total building area of 16,978 sq. ft. and is the largest of the city?s 19 fire and EMS stations.
More at VBGov.com.

That’s a quote taken from a multi-column letter to the editor written by an associate with Kimley-Horn, the environmental engineering firm behind Indigo Dunes.

Another quote is When we are done, the site will have nearly four more acres of functioning tidal wetlands than it does now.

According to their newest Joint Permit Application filed a couple weeks ago, in “App Part 2, page 35 [find at previous link], “Impacts to RPA Buffer Areas”, modifications will result in the loss of approximately 13 acres of RPA buffer area.

So they want to replace ~15 acres of functioning wetlands/RPA with 4 acres!

And the letter also includes the quote In the end we are confident that both regulators and judges, in response to any lawsuits that are filed, will agree that what we have proposed…

This letter to the editor speaks to regulators and judges.

Certainly the gentleman who wrote this knows the City of Virginia Beach is Appealing, in court, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission decision on Indigo Dunes.
[Background from August 15th 2007.]

The article is not online yet except most likely in the E-Pilot. You can read it in today’s Hampton Roads section on page 10.

As some of you know, they submitted another JPA last week.

Here it is:

App Part 1 [6 pg pdf]
App Part 2 [46 pg pdf]
App Part 3 [26 pg pdf]
Conceptual Sections [15 pgs of maps pdf]
Drainage Area Map [1pg pdf]
MUD Map 1 [1pg pdf]
MUD Map 2 [1 pg pdf]
MUD Map 3 [1pg pdf]

Screenshot of Drainage Area Map – Proposed Conditions

The committee recommends that the city reduce fees for building permits and storm-water work as an incentive for developers to use less asphalt on their projects.
Read entire article & comment at Pilotonline.com.

The city is facing a $50 million shortfall in fiscal 2009, and $57 million in fiscal 2010.
Read entire article & comment at Pilotonline.com.

Mr. Barry Frankenfield of the City’s Park and Recreation department will be the guest speaker at the SDCC general meeting. Mr. Frankenfield will be explaining the plan to have a private company operate the City marina near Chick’s Oyster Bar & Vista Circle. Mr. Frankenfield will discuss the reason for this plan, any cost benefits, how it relates to the Shore Drive ULI study regarding Fisherman’s Walk and how the plan may impact the adjacent neighborhoods.

(see agenda for more)

We’ll get the new JPA online as soon as we have it.
It was submitted last Thursday.

Read an email from Karen from LRNow about the action going on lately in the Lynnhaven:

I am happy to bring you more good news!

You may have seen cranes and other equipment entering the Lynnhaven River over the past couple of days.  This is the first step in the Army Corps of Engineers Oyster Restoration Project for the Lynnhaven.  They will be constructing approximately 35 acres of SANCTUARY REEF over the next few weeks.  These reefs will remain sanctuary reef forever and help to continue the restoration of water quality in the Lynnhaven.

VBHMA 6th Annual Food Drive [1pg pdf] flyer. Print it, email it – spread the word.

Dear VBHMA Members and Associates,

VBHMA kicked off its 6th Annual Food Drive At our General Meeting on October 18th.  Over the past five years, VBHMA Members and Associates have collected thousands of pounds of food to benefit the Southeastern Virginia Food Bank

THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE NEEDY!

Stacey S. Patrick
General Manager

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center
2800 Shore Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
757-481-9000 ext. 2001
VirginiaBeachResort.com

Dear Shore Drive Residents,

On Monday November 26th at 7:30pm in the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad,
Mr. Barry Frankenfield of the City’s Park and Recreation department will be
the guest speaker at the SDCC general meeting.  Mr. Frankenfield will be
explaining the plan to have a private company operate the City marina near
Chick’s Oyster Bar & Vista Circle.  Mr. Frankenfield will discuss the reason
for this plan, any cost benefits, how it relates to the Shore Drive ULI
study regarding Fisherman’s Walk and how the plan may impact the adjacent
neighborhoods.

A questions and answer session will follow the presentation.  If you have
any specific questions on this plan, you are encouraged to send them to me
early and I will pass them on to Mr. Frankenfield so he may prepare your
answers.

Send questions to todd@sdcc.info

See you there,

Todd Solomon

5k Run, 32k Bike and 5k Run at Fort Story this weekend.

Presented by The Friends of the Virginia Beach Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court.
Check out the entire scoop.

His wife, Maxine, was hit by two cars Oct. 29 while riding her bike on Shore Drive, near the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach.  She sustained a broken collarbone, a broken femur, six broken ribs, two collapsed lungs and a massive laceration on her left side. She likely survived only because she was wearing a helmet, which was destroyed in the accident.

Read entire article & comment at Pilotonline.com.

The North American Association for Environmental Education is having their Convention at our Virginia Green Convention Center.

A benefit included national news about a Wisconsin school teacher who is being awarded the nation’s first Bartlett Award to honor leadership in environmental education at a ceremony in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The teacher states:

“Kids are very, very capable,” Weitzel said. “They love being outdoors, and making the connections between what they’ve learned in class and being able to apply that knowledge to a real world situation.”

Read the entire article in The Capital Times.
Learn more about the NAAEE.

Imagine having an Environmental Learning Center on PHP that draws educators, scientists, researchers, & publicity to Virginia Beach.

Lost dog found on Maple Street small brown/white female mix, mostly beagle look.  Four white paws and white tip on tail and white chest.  Very friendly, no collar.

    Call Sally at 481-1480 or Call Empsy at 869-5785.

LRNow has an exciting press release:

###

The Virginia Department of Health regulates safe shellfish harvest areas.  As you know, most of the Lynnhaven River has been closed to shellfish harvest because of high bacteria levels for a long time.

The new closure maps from the Department of Health were released today and we have great news! 

1462 ACRES OF THE LYNNHAVEN RIVER HAVE MET THE RIGOROUS STANDARD FOR SHELLFISH HARVEST AND HAVE BEEN OPENED TO SHELLFISH CONSUMPTION.

1,462 acres equals over 28% of the Lynnhaven River!

THIS IS THE LARGEST PART OF THE RIVER OPEN SINCE 1930!!

To see the maps, go to our website, http://www.lynnhavenrivernow.org,

or use these Virginia Department of Health links below – (The maps follow the documentation)

Lynnhaven Bay:  http://www.vdh.state.va.us/EnvironmentalHealth/Shellfish/closureSurvey/virginiabeach/cond070-025.pdf

Broad Bay:  http://www.vdh.state.va.us/EnvironmentalHealth/Shellfish/closureSurvey/virginiabeach/cond071-095.pdf

Linkhorn Bay:  http://www.vdh.state.va.us/EnvironmentalHealth/Shellfish/closureSurvey/virginiabeach/cond071-010.pdf

Congratulations to everyone on this milestone.  In 2003, when eating an oyster from the Lynnhaven was chosen as a goal,

not many people really thought that would happen.  Thanks to the City of Virginia Beach, all of our partner

organizations and you, our terrific members and volunteers, for helping to reach this milestone.

This is just the beginning of the success we expect in restoring and protecting the beautiful Lynnhaven River.

Karen Wilson Forget
Executive Director
LYNNHAVEN RIVER NOW

1608 Pleasure House Road, Suite 108
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757-962-5398

kforget@lynnhaven2007.com

http://www.lynnhavenrivernow.org

###

Screenshot of the Lynnhaven Bay Map.

Article at Pilotline.com added at 6:32pm.

The agenda for the meeting will cover the following:

  * receive updates from Committee members concerning design, communications and fiscal matters identified as part of the work plan for the coming year
  * receive updates from City staff on the status of private and public development projects and enforcement issues
  * receive briefings from private developers on proposed projects