Author Archives: Tim
Lesner Bridge construction at beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility – sidewalks closed.
Be careful near Lesner Bridge – you must walk into the street to cross Shore Drive.
The sidewalks are closed on Shore Drive and on East Stratford Road.
Be safe with your children walking in the street!
Be safe walking in the street at Lesner Bridge!
Note:
Access to beach is closed under the Lesner Bridge.
Access to beach from the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility requires you to walk in the street.
MONDAY 30 JUNE 2014 Shore Drive Community Coalition SDCC General Meeting MONDAY 30 JUNE 2014 7:30-8:30 pm
Where: Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station (Intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Rd.)
Call to order:
Meeting topic: Ongoing Shore Drive Issues and Overview of Virginia Beach’s STRATEGIC PLAN 2040
Officers’ Reports:President’s Report David Williams
Vice President’s report Rick Mercadante
Secretary’s Report Todd Solomon –MAY Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Paulette Hruska
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Next SDCC- Monday JULY 28, 2014
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Center
Please check http://www.sdcc.info for more information on area news and events
“Parking was already limited, and illegal no-parking signs placed by some residents trying to reserve the street spaces in front of their homes made the situation even worse, said Kal Kassir, chairman of the Bayfront Advisory Committee.”
“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever has been shooting gulls and geese with darts.”
Photo of gull with black dart at foot of Lynnhaven Pier
This was taken at the foot of the Lynnhaven Pier June 3rd. I don’t know if this seagull was ever captured. Looks to be a black dart. Sure hope this person is caught. Very senseless.
Thanks for sharing Trish.
Hope it helps catch them.
Birds shot with blow darts in Shore Drive area JUNE 19, 2014 at SDCC.info
“Beginning June 30, 2014, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney (OCA) will begin prosecution of all DUI charges that occur in the city.”
For years, Virginia Beach has had the most DUI arrests in Virginia, with more than 2,300 DUI arrests passing through General District Court in 2013. This is roughly 10 percent of the total amount of DUI arrests in the entire state.
Some pics of Lesner Bridge construction
Birds shot with blow darts in Shore Drive area
This is sick and the people doing this will surely get caught and prosecuted.
Gipson said Virginia Beach Animal Control is aware of the problem, but there have been no witnesses to the bird shootings — which are federal crimes. Gipson said every bird that’s been found injured has been federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Radiographs of a gull with a yellow-tip dart piercing it’s lung. (Photo provided by Barbara Gipson for WAVY)
Baylake Pines School on Shore Drive is closing. Property will be developed for residential housing.
View story & video at WAVY.com.
Residents aren’t happy because they’re worried about their property values, saying the single family homes could back up to a lake that’s next to the school.
WAVY.com checked in with the City of Virginia Beach. The treasurer’s office said the property is still owned by the Eckerts. The Virginia Beach Planning Commission said it’s been zoned residential since the 1970s. The owners have had a conditional use permit for the school since 1983. Any changes haven’t reached the administrative level of the planning commission, yet.
“That’s why city officials are encouraging residents who live close to the bridge to sign up for damage assessment surveys. Crews will inspect your property to document its condition.”
Cape Story July 4th Parade & Fireworks + July 26th Paddleboard race info
JULY 4th: 10 AM neighborhood Parade THEME: “UNDER THE SEA” — starts at BEECH street (off Shore Drive by the Food Lion) – ends at the Cape Story Park – with Music, Brunch, awards for Floats, Ice Cream – GRAND MARSHALL – MAYOR SESSOMS
and
FIREWORKS at 9:20 PM on the Chesapeake Bay (fired off the Beach at First Landing State Park)— completely funded by local community (residents, civic leagues, merchants)-Donations to CSBTS— mail to FIREWORKS ON THE BAY – PO BOX 700, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451 (Rain Date: Sat. July 5 at 9:20 PM).
and on JULY 26- the 6th Annual Paddleboard Race- see attached flyer for Details
ALL ARE invited – please share with your organizations and members- Empsy
Empsy Munden, Pres
Cape Story by the Sea (CSBTS)
McLean Contracting Lesner Bridge website PDF presentation
Slide pulled from McLean Contracting Company Lesner Bridge presentation
Visit McLean Contracting’s website.
Founded in 1903, McLean Contracting Company has continuously demonstrated steady adaptation, improvement and growth. For approximately a century, McLean has been in the Heavy Construction Industry performing an extensive range of both land based and marine construction.
Bayfront Advisory Committee Newsletter – next meeting June 19th
Read Vision News from Bayfront Advisory Committee (3 pg PDF).
An update about that bridge project thing:
The Bridge Over Lynnhaven Waters
Progress Update
Construction Staging
Step 1. The sidewalk on the north side of the westbound span will be removed; traffic configuration will be maintained with two lanes in each direction.
Step 2. The new westbound bridge will be built north of the existing bridge; east and westbound traffic lanes will be striped; barriers and pedestrian railings will be placed; traffic will be switched to the new bridge. Estimated construction time is fifteen months.
Step 3. After traffic is moved to the new bridge, demolition of the old bridges will begin and is expected to take three months.
Step 4. The second new bridge will be built; traffic lanes will be striped; barriers and pedestrian railings will be placed; eastbound traffic will be switched to the permanent configuration. Estimated construction time is fifteen months followed by three months of clean up.
Please note that all times are estimated and actual times will be publicized once the contractor’s schedule is received. Total construction time is estimated to be 36 months.
April, 2014. The contract for construction has been awarded to McLean Contracting Company, Baltimore, MD.

Bridge ConstructionLesner Bridge Construction to begin in June. A pre-construction meeting is set for May 14 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Notice-to-Proceed is set for June 2, and McLean Construction is currently submitting shop drawings for review and approval.
And Now It Begins
Phase One of the bridge construction has begun and is scheduled for completion by August 1 of this year. The first signs of this phase will be establishing of the construction staging area. This will include the erection of temporary signs, installation of sediment and erosion control measures, erection of security fencing around the construction staging area and designating construction area roadways.
As the month progresses, actions on Shore Drive will become noticeable. Chain link fences will be erected, some guard rails will be removed and others will be installed, demolition will start to take place, traffic signals will be modified, utility/light poles will be relocated, test borings will be made and sheet pilings will be driven.
If you have any questions regarding this project, please direct them to me and I will do my best to get answers and publish them as part of a question and answer section here.
Bayfront Advisory Committee to Meet June 19, 2014
The Bayfront Advisory Committee will meet Thursday, June 19, 2014, at the Resort and Conference Center, 2800 Shore Drive, from 3:30pm- 5:30pm
The agenda for the meeting will include the following:
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Update on public and private projects in the Bayfront area
Update on committee activities in the Bayfront area
Senator McWaters’ 2nd annual “Flag Day” Event needs a few more volunteers – “Flag Day” = 4th of JULY in this case
Thanks to Christen Faatz, Legislative Aide to Senator McWaters for sharing the info about this patriotic event!
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Senator McWaters’ 2nd annual “Flag Day” Event
Friday, June 27 – starting at 8am at Planet Pizza on Laskin Rd
Looking for volunteers to walk/drive and help place flags by the mailboxes in neighborhoods in the 8th Senatorial District. Kids out of school and need something to do? Need some exercise? Come walk with us!
Also looking for volunteers in the office to help bundle and label the flags ahead of time.
Contact Christen@JeffMcWaters.com or call 757-965-3700 to help out.
*We are distributing these American flags in honor of the 4th of July not the Flag Day holiday.
“This project took 7 years to get to construction, which as crazy as it sounds, is warp speed for this industry and to see it come to fruition and trucks and equipment moving it’s really exciting,” Jarman told NewsChannel 3′s Todd Corillo.”
“So give a graduation or Father’s Day card, not a balloon.”
Photo Credit: Mary Reid Barrow article on balloon litter that kills.
Read Mary Reid’s entire article:
How would your graduate or father like to know that balloons in his honor contributed to balloon litter on beaches around Hampton Roads?
Even worse, how would they like to know that their special balloons may have caused the death of a sea turtle or other animal that ate one or got tangled in its streamers.
So give a graduation or Father’s Day card, not a balloon.
Info about current Cape Story Sand Replenishment project
From a News Release:
Public Works Schedules Sand Replenishment for Cape Henry Beach
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced a sand haul of 60,000 cubic yards of sand for replenishment of Cape Henry Beach in time for the summer season.
The sand stockpile area south of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Use Facility has been the repository for sand dredged from the Lynnhaven Inlet in recent years. With the beginning of the Lesner Bridge Replacement Project, McLean Contracting Company, contractors for the bridge project, will need part of this stockpile area for use as a staging and laydown area for materials.
Currently there are about 80,000 cubic yards of sand stockpiled here, and moving 60,000 cubic yards to Cape Henry Beach – which was last replenished in 2010 – will allow the contractors to set up for the bridge project.
Trucks will begin hauling sand as early as the second week of May, and are expected to be finished in 6 to 8 weeks. The total cost for the replenishment is estimated at $700,000, and will be funded from the Lesner Bridge Replacement Project contingency fund.
For additional information, contact Chris Wojtowicz at (757) 385-5785 or at CWojtowi@vbgov.com.
Note: I apologize for not posting this back on May 2nd when it was released.
Meeting with Croakers’ Representative set for this Saturday at 830 at Rescue Squad
Please enter at the rear of the building where the cypher lock is.
Previously about Croakers Variance Request.
Croakers upper deck
POSTPONED: Join Governor McAuliffe at First Landing State Park June 12th at 2pm
UPDATE: as of June 10th Tues 523pm the event has been postponed.
Governor McAuliffe will be signing an executive order creating the Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission on Thursday and folks are welcome to attend.
Event details:
Thursday, June 12th
2pm-2:45pm
Trail Center at First Landing State Park
2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Feel free to spread the word to others in the community.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 