The Wachovia at Shore Drive & Great Neck Road.
[No additional info was available from 385.5000 call as of the time date of this post.]
According to Pilotonline.com as of ~12pm the armed robber is not apprehended.

Anyone with information was being asked to call Virginia Beach Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).

From Cape Story Neighborhood Watch:

“I just wanted to share that there was an apparent bank robbery in our area and that the police are out on the bike path, in the neighborhood and in the air looking for a white male with a black back pack.  The police came to our door asking to lock all doors and report any activity.  Thought I would share.”

My husband went to the shopping center and confirmed there was a robbery at the Great Neck and Shore Drive Wachovia Bank this morning (Fri, Jan 8).  An officer stated that the robber was about 5″4” but he was unable to provide a better description because the robber was wearing a mask.  The police are not sure if the robber escaped via foot or in a vehicle.  In the interest of safety I would urge everyone be on special lookout for suspicious persons and lock your doors, windows and garages.

If anyone saw anything suspicious, please call the police.

These are the only details I have at this time but will provide any additional info if and when received.

Please remember to call 911 if you see a crime in action and call 385-5000, option 1, to report crimes after they have occurred or to report any suspicious activity. 

Please note that there has been a lot of communication with the City, particularly Public Works about Nor’Ida, from people including myself re: southside of Ocean Park, Todd of Cape Story, several people in Lynnhaven Colony and others. To be sure – ensuring damage from tidal storm water will be a hot topic for SDCC in 2010.

Q & A posted below unedited from an email.

There have been some questions posed by Ms. Empsy Munden, President of the Cape Story by the Sea Civic League and other residents concerning storm information, sand replenishment and other concerns.  The most recent questions are below, with the information provided by Mark Gemender, Operations Engineer for Operations Management.

Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me.  If you know of others who would like to receive this information, please forward to them.  Thank you.

Q:  Why did so much flooding occur during the storm and why did it take so long to subside (in comparison with the resident’s experience with Hurricane Isabel and the delta in the stormwater system’s performance between the two episodes)?

A:  Three stacking tide cycles caused by sustained 45-50 knot winds, which did not occur during Hurricane Isabel.

Q:  Is the beach access at Sandlewood is going to be replaced?

A:  Yes, we are scheduling replacement for February.

Q:  Was the stormwater pump station in the vicinity of Poinciana working during the nor’easter in November?

A:  Yes, the pump station was working during the storm.

Q:  What is the status/scope of the storm drainage project?

A:  We are working with engineering to update that information.  We will provide overview maps of the neighborhood to describe the drainage situation in the area at the civic league meeting on Monday, January 11th. 

Q:  There is only one drain inlet north of Shore Drive on Calvert Street and it’s clogged, what are short term and long term fixes?

A:  The drainage system on Calvert Street north of Shore Drive consist of a French Drain infiltration system which percolates stormwater into the ground. The development does not have a piped stormwater system which would transport the stormwater for discharge, the infiltration depends upon the underlying soil to absorb water and it is impeded by a shallow water table.  Short term fix includes maintenance of this French Drain inlet, a work order has been established in the work management system to do this and will be prioritized with other related work and scheduled around weather.  The long term fix for this area will be included in the scope of a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) to collect and transfer stormwater from the area.

Q:  There is backflow from Long Creek through the stormwater pipes, is there a possibility of installing a backflow device?

A:  These devises help to inhibit tidal water from backflowing but also require a buildup of water at higher elevations to open them in order to drain the area after a storm.  These can be evaluated for suitability.

Q:  There are problems with standing water on Beech Street, what are the short and long term solutions?

A:  This is the same condition as noted on Calvert street above, with the infiltration system.

Drew Lankford
Media and Communications
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beach
dlankfor@vbgov.com
(O)  757.385.8062
(C)  757.409.4353

According to Brian from OPVRS:

Work on the east wing, where the crews had been housed, has been scheduled to start immediately and should not take long to complete. The roofers (Thanks to OPCL) will begin on or around the 11th. Thereafter interior work on other areas like the meeting room, truck bays, and supply storage areas can begin.

Once the contractors finish the east wing, we will be able to start moving in the furnishings donated by Haynes Furniture.

Thanks for you support.

Brian L.

Watch your January or February water bill. [The month depends on which side of the bridge you live on.]

We’re having an insert in there with a contest. Winner of contest wins a free lunch with a famous local celeb.

Own a biz that has customers/clients in the Bayfront area?
Head over to our Contact page and email Grace or Tim to see how you can help your biz and SDCC.

In case you hadn’t heard, there was a hit & run on Kendall Street back on December 27th according to Cape Henry Shores Neighborhood Watch:

The following was received by Janet Barnes, who runs the Net Neighbors website for CHS:

VBPD’s Officer Dove is investigating.

He may be reached at 385-2700 or adove@vbgov.com

The Camry is a recent model 2005 or later, is dark, royal blue and will have noticeable front end damage. The driver is a young woman with dark hair that was pulled back.

The driver was caught and arrested.

Used Live Chat at VBGov.com to attempt to get info about forecasted coastal tidal flooding. I had no luck in getting info beyond “view weather.com” or “noaa.gov” for forecasts.
Also spoke with personnel in Public Safety at 385.5000. They could not provide forecasts either.

Sorry I can’t provide more info.

As of the time of this post, flooding is lower than first low tide of Nor’Ida.
I also understand, the docks at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp are under water too.

Revised Dredging Schedule for Cape Henry Beach
The following notice was sent to us by City Staffer, Drew Lankford, (757) 385-8062,
 

        Cottrell Contracting Corp. of Chesapeake has revised its schedule for the dredging project that is in progress at Cape Henry Beach.  Because of rough seas the week of Dec. 7, the contractor shifted their work and is currently dredging Long Creek and Long Creek Canal.  They are pumping this material into the Maple Street disposal area, which allows them to progress towards their scheduled completion date.  This work is part of their contract with the Army Corps of Engineers and allows them to continue with scheduled work without losing days due to weather conditions.
 
        The dredge work on Long Creek is expected to be completed by Dec. 24.  The contractor plans to take a three-day holiday for the benefit of both their employees and residents.  They will continue their work on sand replenishment on Sunday, Dec. 27 when they will resume dredging in the inlet with sand replacement at Cape Henry Beach.

        There are approximately 13,000 cubic yards of material yet to be dredged in the inlet channel, which should be sufficient to complete the replenishment of the bulkheaded section of beach just west of the Seagate condominium.

        The city is planning a truck haul to the east end of Cape Henry Beach when the inlet dredge work is completed.  The city expects to receive Virginia Marine Resources Commission permission for that truck haul at the January meeting.

From Stacey:
There will be a bone marrow drive in Joe’s honor on Saturday, December 19th from 10:00-3:00 at Holy Family Catholic Church.  The address is 1279 N.Great Neck Road Virginia Beach 23454.  The testing is free and it is a simple swab of your cheek.  Donations are being accepted for future drives as the organization tends to run out of funding by August.  Please give them the code Virginia 221.  This will help organize the donors associated with Joe.

You will be put in the national registry to help others as well.  You may also order the test kit on line at http://join.marrow.org/virginia221.

Thank you again for all of your love and support for this wonderful family!
Marlyn

From VBGov.com:
The City of Virginia Beach has coordinated with Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana to have a mishap drill beginning at 9 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, involving a simulated Navy jet crash at the Princess Anne Athletic Complex.

The purpose of this drill is coordinate fire and rescue activities; exercise joint incident command system, identify hazards of military aircraft fires and to exercise the mass causality system.
This drill is an all day event with evaluators from the U.S. Navy and the city’s public safety departments, Fire, Police, E911 and Emergency Medical Services (EMS), reviewing all aspects of the drill.

Thanks to Bill Desteph for the heads up on this event.
[Editors note: bold emphasis above is mine.]

From Cape Story neighborhood watch:
During the last few days, a woman has been reported to be soliciting money in CSBTS for the Cox HS baseball team claiming she is a team mother.  The truth is Cox is not sending people out to solicit money.  If you have donated money or been solicited to contribute to the Cox baseball team, please contact me at 496-6458 or email neighborhoodwatch1@cox.net 

Please remember to call 911 if you see a crime in action and call 385-5000, option 1, to report crimes after they have occurred or to report any suspicious activity.

From Cape Story’s Neighborhood watch:
“A gray cat was abandoned in the 2200 block of Sandalwood Rd.  He/She? seems to be very friendly and lonesome.  I have been feeding it but can’t take it home because of my dog and granddaughters allergies.  It will have to go to the SPCA if no one makes it their pet.  If someone would please take him/her, call Sara on 581-2846”.

From Chris at Cape Henry Shores:
I have had several emails from residents asking about getting a group together to approach Dominion Power about the recent power surge related damage from the recent Nor-easter.  As most of you know, this is the second major power surge causing damage in three years.
If you have any interest in pursuing this route, .

Thanks

with any damages you had from power surges.

From an email, reprinted here with permission:

I am responding on behalf of Public Works at the request of Councilman Jim Wood concerning your questions about the sand replenishment on Cape Henry Beach.  We know that the recent nor’easter has increased the urgency and scope of this project.  We want to assure you that the City is committed to protecting your bayfront communities, and we are working as quickly as possible to replace as much sand as we can.

Please understand that the current replenishment activity on Cape Henry Beach is a by-product of the federal navigation project to maintain Lynnhaven Inlet.  There is a fixed amount of sand available within the Congressionally-authorized template for the Lynnhaven Inlet channel system.

As to the distance to be covered, there is sufficient sand available to extend beyond the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier.  The exact distance is not known, but estimates are that it will extend approximately 2,000 feet east of the pier before the available supply is exhausted.  The City did fund a modification to the contract to reduce the width of beach fill, which increased the anticipated length of the placement.  This action required the use of a booster pump for the dredge, funded by the City.  We are in the process of authorizing this request.
Upon completion of the Corps’ dredging process, the city will assess the Cape Henry Beach replenishment.  Because of the recent nor’easter, the city is looking to haul sand material from the Maple Street dredge disposal site to Cape Henry Beach.  To do this, however, requires certain project modifications that must be approved by the City and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC).  The City is in the process of requesting modification of the original Cape Henry Beach Replenishment Permit so as to allow the City to move forward with sand hauling.
The City will be pursuing Council approval in the coming weeks, along with approval of our permit modifications request by the VMRC.  Upon approval from both, the City can begin hauling sand to Cape Henry Beach from Maple St.  Once we begin, the replacement operation should take approximately 45-60 days to complete. 
Please feel free to share this information with other civic league members and neighbors.  We appreciate your concerns and questions and are glad to assist you.  If you have any further questions or need additional information, please let us know.

Thank you. 

Drew Lankford
Media and Communications Coordinator
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beach
dlankfor@vbgov.com
(O)  757.385.8062
(C)  757.409.4353

UPDATE as of 2:49pm – According to Pilotonline http://hamptonroads.com/2009/11/man-dead-standoff-virginia-beach, The man who held police in a standoff earlier today in a condominium near the Lesner Bridge is dead. The Virginia Beach Police SWAT team went in around 2:30. It was unclear how the man died. There were no shots fired when SWAT went in at 2:30.

 
According to Pilotonline.com and witnesses.

Negotiators and special operations officers are outside a condominium near the Lesner Bridge where they said a man barricaded himself after firing at officers shortly before noon.

At the time of this post, no coverage yet at:
WVEC
WAVY
WTKR

Traffic heading east bound on Shore Drive is backing up quickly.

View Larger Map

From Cape Story Neighborhood Watch:
Can you please put the word out for anyone on Sandalwood Rd. that had a cabinet company at their house Tues. night to please inform me of their name and contact info? At about 8:45 pm, a large truck, identified by a neighbor as cabinet company truck drove past my house toward Shore Dr. and caught the cable wires running across the street and attached to the side of my house, ripping a portion off the roof.

From Ken:

I will send something later with more specifics, but this a very short
fused cooperation put together in conjunction with our monthly Civic
Association meeting.  Allen Cheek, Tom Maghee, and others were VERY
instrumental and proactive in requesting the City to attend.  They
responded quite well with representation from the various departments
integral to the issues, such as Engineering, Operations, Real Estate
Assessment, Emergency Planning/ FEMA liaison, 2nd Precinct Staff
Lieutenant (T. Fox), etc.  Many issues were discussed to include
plugged [local] drainage and supporting mitigation technologies, Cape
Henry ditch cut through to Long Creek, the FEMA tour immediately after
the main storm, immediate issues to take back for review/
consideration, how to alleviate rouge site-seers creating pressure
waves from speeding vehicles, etc.

I will continue to provide any correspondence to Ocean Park on these
issues as they develop.  I did take the liberty of stating anything
that applies to LCCL also applies to Ocean Park.

FEMA and City determined Nor-easter 2009 exceeded Isabel (7.6”) at 8.4”-8.6” and possibly up to 8.9” AMLW flood stage.  As reference, Ash Wednesday of 1962 was at 9” AMLW.

More to come, Ken

Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda

Monday, November 30, 2009

Please note new location:

Because of flooding at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall, the SDCC General Meeting will be held Monday, November 30, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the

Baylake Pines United Methodist Church, 4300 Shore Drive, at the northwest corner of the intersection of Shore Drive and Treasure Island Drive.

Call to Order

Officers’ Reports

          President’s Report – Grace Moran

          Vice President’s Report – Steve Kohler

          Secretary’s Report – Todd Solomon – Minutes of September and October meetings

          Treasurer’s Report – Leslie Cornwell – September and October

Presentation of 2010 Slate of Officers

Election of Officers

Housekeeping for the Year

          Update on issues outstanding and action to be undertaken:

                  Lesner Bridge

                  Pound Nets

                  Beach Sand Replenishment

                  City Budget Hearings (Round Two)

                  Shore Drive Safety Initiatives

                  Advertising on the Website

                  Osprey Park

                  Building email communications

                  Possible donations from SDCC to worthy recipients

                            Nominated categories:

                            Virginia Beach Foundation

                            Ocean Park Volunteer Fire & Rescue

                            Joint Effort BAC/SDCC to build eNewsletter data base

         
Old Business

New Business

Adjourn for Dessert Social

Next Meeting:  January 25, 2010

Please check http://www.sdcc.info for details as they become available.

The City’s Comprehensive Plan, including your comments, are at VBGov.com.

From Fred at First Landing: Dog found by park rangers and returned to owner.
Yeah!

***LOST***

Flier & Photo of Dewey

FRENCH BULLDOG

NEUTERED MALE

WHITE AND APRICOT

MISSING SINCE 11/19/2009 PM

MICROCHIPPED AND HAS ALL TAGS ANSWERS TO ‘DEWEY’

IF ANY INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 757-270-8224 OR 757-428-3251

HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS MISS HIM TERRIBLY!!!!