SDCC General Meeting – Monday, August 31, 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Program/Presentation – Hurricane Coming!  Are we ready?
Recovering From Your Next Hurricane [2pg PDF]
“Recovering From Your Next Hurricane”

30 minutes Power Point Presentation

A brief overview of planning considerations for you and your family. Addresses specific issues beyond the typical published planning.  David Williams, consultant to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will discuss key decision points that need to be addressed and published information that is insufficient or misleading.

The general agenda for the evening will be:
Officer’s Reports – Brief Reports
Secretary – Todd
Treasurer’s Report – Leslie

Old Business

Please visit http://www.sdcc.info for status on issues of interest.  Reports to attendees will be limited to those items which have an update since the previous meeting.  Topics covered may include:

Pleasure House Point
Pound Pole Fishing Nets
Beach Replenishment
Bike Path Safety
Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009

New Business

Next Meeting:  September 28, 2009:  HazMat Disposal and Recycling

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

From Cape Story neighborhood watch:

A pit bull mix has been missing from the 2200 block of Beech St. since Thursday afternoon. Her name is Kirra and she is mostly white with a few black spots here and there and she is very friendly. If you have seen her, please call Robin on 406-4582.

From ShareShoreDriveDay.net:

Va Beach City Council member Rosemary Wilson recently introduced a resolution which recognizes the safety and other advantages of on-road bicycle accomodations, ie. bike lanes, wide curb lanes, shoulders, or signed/marked shared roadways.

Most importantly, it also signifies council’s support for inclusion in future major road improvement projects where ever feasible, as well as a look at and backfit of on-road bike facilities within existing roadways. This would be done in a cost effective manor on a priority basis determined by the Public Works department in consultation with the Bikeways and Trails Advisory Committee.

From LRNow:

Delegates Forum
September 23, 7:00-9:00 PM
Cape Henry Collegiate, Dreyfus Auditorium
1320 Mill Dam Road

In November, we will be selecting new Delegates to represent our watershed and our neighborhoods in the Virginia General Assembly.  On September 23rd, you will have the opportunity to hear all six candidates answer questions regarding the important environmental issues and challenges facing our community and our state.  Do not miss this opportunity to be an informed voter.  All six candidates have committed to this forum: Bob Purkey and Peter Schmidt, Joe Bouchard and Chris Stolle, and Bob Mathieson and Ron Villaneuva.

Our distinguished panelists asking the tough questions will be Don Luzzatto Editorial Page Editor for the Virginian Pilot, Ann Jennings, Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and Marina Phillips, Environmental Attorney for Kaufman and Canoles.

Pre-registration is not required.
See you there.

Attend this meeting!

The Community Summit meeting is Monday evening October 5th from 1800 or 6pm until 2030 or 8:30pm. Tuesday morning October 6, 2009 at 0830 the City of Virginia Beach is doing a community summit to discuss issues and the future vision of Virginia Beach to ensure a true “Community for a Lifetime”.  I am looking for another 12 people to sign up for this event.

If you are interested please provide me your e-mail address, home address and telephone number and we will get the formal invitations out to all.

Mr. Chris Bonney wrote Lesson’s in Civic Engagement
These are powerful messages that offer several important lessons:

1. Playing by the rules doesn’t work. Great Neck residents who protested the Wave Convention Center sign did all of the things they were supposed to do. They tried to communicate with Wave Convention Center, but were rebuffed, even called “unchristian.” They came together, got their facts straight, gathered more than 1,600 names on a petition, and were civil in their behavior at a community meeting, at the Planning Commission and at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Yet this was not enough. Councilman Jim Wood said that Council doesn’t pay attention to petitions and, when asked what more citizens could do to make their point, responded, “You’re doing it.”

The 8-1 vote against the wishes of citizens tells us there was not much dispute and probably little conversation among Council members about this issue. Just like the Planning Commission, they threw their support behind Wave Convention Center, most of whose members do not even live nearby, instead of behind residents who do.
Great Neck residents should have learned from the Shore Drive Coalition that citizens have to stay in the City’s face and become a nuisance if they want to make a difference.

Be sure to read his entire piece

On a related note, I wonder if the leaders of the Great Neck Community are aware that the vote by City Council might be able to be changed.
They changed their mind in 2003 as an example.

[Note: At the time of this post, his editorial in today’s paper did not have a link.]

Back by popular request:

http://www.capestory.org
http://www.capehenryshores.org
http://www.chesapeakebeach.org/
http://www.opcl.org
http://www.vbcco.org
http://www.lynnhavenrivernow.org
http://www.cbf.org
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/fir.shtml
http://www.rescue4.org/
http://www.opvrs.com/

We’ll expand this, and make it prettier. Even give it’s own fancy page.
Wanna help? Head over to our Contact Page & send us your link.
[Emailing Tim will get it online faster.]

Rather donate to SDCC? Start here.

The next meeting of the Bayfront Advisory Committee will be held at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, August 20, 2009, at the Bayside Community Recreation Center.  The center is located at 4500 First Court Road between Shore Drive and Pleasure House Road. Barbara Duke will be providing hard copies of the Bikeways and Trails Plan and answer any questions you may have with regard to the Bayfront area, and Ms. Wilson will discuss the Committee’s role with regard to items the Committee wishes to address to private property owners and business in the Bayfront area.

We sent it Monday August 17th ‘09 1:01pm EST.

The following survey is being sponsored by the Cape Story by the Sea Civic Association (CSBTS), Cape Henry Shores Civic Association (CHSCA)and Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC).

The survey will be used to help determine the effectiveness of the temporary speed limit reduction from 45 mph to 35 mph along Shore Drive between Great Neck Road and First Landing State Park.

Get started on the Survey Background & Instruction page now.

Thank you for completing the survey. Results will be posted soon.

Update: October 17th 12:32pm.

The Communications Subcommittee and the Fiscal and Economic Incentives Subcommittee of the Bayfront Advisory Committee will meet beginning at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 18, at the First Landing State Park Trail Center Conference Room.  The Trail Center Conference Room is located at the end of the park road leading south from the Shore Drive park entrance where parking is located to access the nature trails. Lise Chandler-White will be working with the Communications Committee on ideas to improve visibility for BAC on the city web site.

“If we continue as we have, Virginia will develop more land in the next 40 years than we have in the last 400 years,” the governor said in a speech.
If he did not take action in this way, Kaine added, “the opportunity to do it will not be there for future governors and future Virginians.”

Only 5,000 acres of 339,000 preserved are in Hampton Roads.
Read & comment on article at Pilotonline.com.

How about adding Pleasure House Point as public open space for future generations?
Here’s one idea how to do it.

It’s now available in a new data base at VBGov.com/TCDS.

The Traffic Count Database System (TCDS) integrates the city’s traffic count data into a single database and will serve as the repository and reporting system for traffic count information. Benefits of the TCDS include:

” Improved collection, querying, and reporting capabilities of traffic count information
” Ability to make more informed decisions for predicting growth trends, conducting economic and crash analysis, evaluating traffic impacts and future needs, maintaining traffic control, and more
” Ability for Public Works to provide traffic characteristics (ex. annual daily traffic volume, average peak hour volumes, etc.) to other agencies, departments, private companies, and citizens
” Ability to archive traffic data for statistical purposes

Did you know, as an example:

Count station: 104
Shore Dr.: Northampton Blvd. > Lesner Bridge
35,427/‘05 34,495/‘06 38,609/‘07 38,066/‘08 No count for ‘09

Source from VBGov.com/TCDS.

From Marty & Dave:

Printable version of letter below. [1 pg PDF]

Temporary Speed Limit Reduction Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009 Cape Henry Shores Civic Association

Dear friends and neighbors,

By now, you have seen the message boards announcing the reduction in the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph beginning August 3.  This speed limit change covers our residential stretch of road of less than one mile, from Great Neck Rd. to First Landing State Park.

The following safety concerns generated this road speed reduction:
  * Families (landside) trying to cross the street to access the beach with children, carts, umbrellas, dogs, etc.
  * Excessive vehicle speeds along residential Shore Drive
  * Restricted driver’s view pulling out of the neighborhood caused by parked vehicles (and trash containers on trash day)
  * School buses, filled with our children, dealing with the above issue.
  * Bicyclists using Shore Dr. (as per federal/state laws)
  * Safety of pedestrians forced to walk on Kendall St. because there are no sidewalks to offer protection from incoming vehicles.
  * Residents (bayside) crossing Shore Dr. to use state park and bike trails
  * Local residents and hotel guests (bayside of Shore Dr.) trying to cross the street for groceries, dinner, etc.

This ten mile per hour speed reduction was recommended to promote a safer environment in our neighborhoods.  Reducing the speed limit will:
  * Allow more time for families to cross safely to the bayside or landside.
  * Allow more time for cars to pull out onto Shore Dr.
  * Create greater “reaction time” for avoidance of a person or other car if there is a need for a sudden stop

It is important to know that this 35 mph speed limit is only for the trial period from August 3 through Labor Day.  Our mayor and city council want to hear from you regarding this speed limit change during the trial period. Your feedback, especially with your experiences, is extremely critical in order to make this speed limit change permanent.

Please take the time to email Mayor Sessoms and the City Council at:  or call the mayor’s office at 385-4581.

Marty Schuman, CHSCA President                   David Williams, Project Officer

Thank you for your active support!

Yeah!
From this post.

A Chocolate Lab was found today (Thurs) at the corner of Shore Drive and Maple St.  Please contact Lee Ann at 481-1959 to claim. 

Starting Monday the city will reduce the speed limit from 45 to 35 mph on Shore Drive between the traffic signals for First Landing State Park and North Great Neck Road.
 
The change comes after increased activism from groups such as the Shore Drive Community Coalition and local civic leagues, as well as July 11’s Share Shore Drive Day awareness bike ride.

To read the entire Beacon article. please click here A slower stretch of Shore Drive on Page TXBE1 of July 30, 2009 issue of Virginian Pilot

Read & comment at Pilotonline.com:

Today’s recommendation ends a long-running dispute over private versus public beach. Since 2001, Virginia Beach officials have been negotiating with bayfront property owners for recreational easements, which allow the public to use the beach for recreational purposes.

From his email, posted with Mr. Wood’s permission:

As most of you know, after a 3 day trial, on Friday the city prevailed in preserving the Cape Henry beaches for public use and for the placement of sand from the Lynnhaven Inlet dredging project.

We do anticipate that people dissatisfied with the ruling will come to the VMRC hearing tomorrow to try to block the project.

If you live in the area and want to preserve the beaches for the public’s use and for the placement of sand from the federal dredge project, please consider attending this meeting and making your voice heard.

VMRC Meeting:  7/28/09, 9:30AM

Virginia Marine Resources Commission
2600 Washington Avenue
Newport News, VA 23607-0756
(757) 247-2200

The Commission Meeting Room is on the 4th Floor

Feel free to forward this to others!

Thanks,

Jim

Jim Wood
Member, Virginia Beach City Council
Lynnhaven District

We sent it Monday July 27th ‘09 11:02am EST.