The 159th Seaport Operations Company is scheduled to depart Fort Story Tuesday for a 12-month deployment.

After their ceremony on Ft Story Tuesday, their buses are heading down Shore Drive around 9pm.

Thanks to Bill DeSteph & Rosemary WIlson, Dave Hansen & Barry Frankenfield, Robert Shanks and I’m sure other city staffers who I didn’t realize came out for Tour de Virginia Beach.
Info at ShareShoreDriveDay.net.

Kayakers of Virgina Beach paddle past the site where a suspected withc was ducked, as well as other places of interest.

To resd the entire Virginia-Pilot article please click on this link Lynnhaven Kayak Tour

THIS WEEK , Virginia Beach will ask a judge to grant permanent public easements across Cape Henry’s beaches so the city can replenish the sand between the Lesner Bridge and First Landing State Park.

Check out the Virginian-Pilot article regarding this issue at Cape Henry Sand Replenishment

From CapeStory.org:

The speed limit between N. Great Neck Rd and First Landing State Park will be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph starting Monday August 3rd on a trial basis.  Local residents and civic leagues have repeatedly requested the City over the past 5 years to reduce the speed on this stretch of road.  The reduced speed will help improve safety for the 800 residents of Cape Story by the Sea and Cape Henry Shores that cross Shore Drive on foot and by vehicle without the aid of signalized intersections or marked crosswalks.

Click here for the printable version of the agenda shown below: SDCC_Agenda_July_09.pdf

Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 27, 2009

SDCC General Meeting – Monday July 27, 2009 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)

Program/Presentation –            STRATEGIC GROWTH AREA?
                  SPECIAL COMMUNITY AREA?

  What’s the difference?
  Do we want to be one?

When the City of Virginia Beach updates the Comprehensive Plan later this year, we don’t want the Bayfront to be left out.  Come hear how the system works, as explained by Comprehensive Planning Coordinator Tom Pauls, of the City’s Planning Department.

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:

Indigo Dunes Project
Pound Pole Fishing Nets
Beach Replenishment
Bike Path Safety
Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009
Lesner Bridge Replacement Project

New Business

Next Meeting:  August 31, 2009:  Hurricanes coming!  Will we be ready?

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

Release Date:  Thursday, July 23, 2009 12:15 p.m.

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has lifted a swimming and wading advisory that was issued for the Chesapeake Bay from Starfish Road to Wake Forest Street. Lab results showed bacteria levels in the water meet the State Water Quality Standards.

Signs have been removed that previously alerted the public of the advisory.

Click here to read the City’s news release Swimming Advisory Lifted

Pilotonline.com coverage including map & commenting.
[Added by Tim at 1:38pm]

Release Date:  Wednesday, July 22, 2009 9:15 a.m.

The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has issued a swimming and wading advisory for the Chesapeake Bay between Starfish Road and Wake Forest Street. Recent testing conducted by the Health Department showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards. The advisory does not affect the Virginia Beach oceanfront or resort area.

Cllick here to view the City’s news release Swimming Advisory for Cape Henry Beach

Read & comment on article at WVEC.com:

“It’s just a beautiful thing,” said David Williams.  “I took my wife out to dinner last night because I was so ecstatic.”
And:
But biker Mike Combs doesn’t think the speed limit change will make a difference.
“The problem is, we’ve had a lot of crashes but they weren’t going 45, they were going 80,” said Combs.  “If the speed limit was 35, they’d still be going 80.”

Read entire article at WAVY.com:

The city’s traffic engineer Robert Gey explained, “If you’re on a bike and cars are doing 30 miles an hour versus 45 or 50, you’re going to feel a difference. Or if you’re a pedestrian and cars are coming at you at 35 miles an hour versus 45 or 50 [miles an hour], you’re going to feel a lot more comfortable in that environment.”

Grace,
You may announce.  Press release went out a little while ago (attached).  Message boards have been emplaced and will be turned on tomorrow morning announcing a 3 August reduction in the speed limit.  Staff will collect data thru Labor Day and draft a report and recommendations.  Both the Vice Mayor and Councilman Wood have been advised. Hope it works. Regards, Dave

Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
757-385-4242
[Sorry about the glitch earlier. Posted from an iPod Touch.]

Read & comment at article at Pilotonline.com.

Ladies and gentlemen, your experience with the following is requested.

As many of you know Lake Christine lies along the northern boundary between the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Camp Pendleton and Croatan.  Recently both Camp Pendleton and Croatan Officials have noted the presence of an invasive aquatic tropical weed – Alligator Weed, Alternanthera philxeroides.  This mat forming weed crowds out native aquatic vegetation, retards water flow, lowers dissolved oxygen and increases sedimentation—none of which is good.  We understand that other Virginia Beach neighborhoods have Alligator Weed experience.  If true, please share your A. Weed experience with us by e-mailing me at kejo425@aol.com 

Thanks Ken Jobe CCL President, VBCCO Past President

For more information and pictures of Alligator Weed check out these links:
Alligator Weed Information
Background and Possible Erradication Treatments

SDCC General Meeting

July 27, 2009

STRATEGIC GROWTH AREA?  SPECIALCOMMUNITY AREA?
What’s the difference? Do we want to be one?

Come hear Tom Pauls, City of VB Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, discuss the options for Shore Drive.

Click here for the flyer SDCC_July_Flier.pdf

By David Williams, Cape Henry Shores Civic Association

Project Officer for SDSI ‘09

Monday, July 14 marked a subtle but what I think a significant date in the Virginia Beach civic calendar as 15 members of the Shore Drive Safety Initiative 2009 (SDSI’09) held their second meeting in two weeks to further develop a Plan of Action (POA) for their efforts to improve the safety along Shore Drive.  I say this day is historic in that there was a subtle but perceptible shift in the atmosphere from the previous meeting on 6 July where two groups met, but both were not quite sure of the other group’s motives. After more than three decades, much and varied efforts have been put into improving the safety along Shore Drive, but with limited success. Now, actual progress was being made at identifying and correcting our neighborhood’s dangerous areas.

While some groups see Shore Drive as a gateway to the oceanfront, other groups see this four lane road and highway as a keeper of the residential neighborhood’s image. Some residents want faster commutes, while other residents want to be able to walk across Shore Drive without significantly endangering self, family and tethered canine.  As a resident here, I feel that we should not be overly endangered while doing normal outdoor activities, such as walking the family to the beach.  Change is difficult to achieve or accept depending on your perspective, but most agree, safety improvements are particularly needed along this section of Shore Drive.

Monday’s meeting brought representatives from the City and the combined interested citizen groups (Cape Henry Shores, Cape Story By the Sea, Shore Drive Community Coalition, Tidewater Bicycle Association, and Bayfront Advisory Committee together again to consider safety improvements.  The Director of Public Works, Mr. Jason Cosby and Mr. Mike Shahsiah , Senior Traffic Engineer discussed possible solutions that could be implemented quickly and possible solutions that would take more study, time and funding approval.  But, the key point made here by Mr. Shahsiah, was that safety improvements were doable. After listening to the residents along Shore Drive and understanding our concerns, at least now the city was responding with the prospects of “doable”, and not with the flat rejections as previous requests had met.  We still do not have our speed limit reduction to 35 MPH from N. Great Neck Road to the entrance at First Landing State Park, but I think both the city and the residents have shared a better understanding of both the residents’ safety concerns and the city’s ability to implement those safety improvements.

This safety effort started with some local residents, gained area support and traveled up through the offices of Vice Mayor Jones, Councilman Wood, and Councilman DeSteph who have collectively brought it into the light of city government and into the view of Mayor Sessoms.  It is just such a great feeling to know that local government still works and responds with some efforts and some organization.  We, the people, will get there safely.

From Cape Story neighborhood watch:

Tonight [7.13.09] in-between rain showers I was out on Beech st. with my 4 yr. old son enjoying him running, splashing, bike riding, etc… in the big puddles the 20 min. or so that they were around when a jeep approached at with gaining speed.  I live a couple of houses past the bike path if your coming off of shore drive.  The vehicle was a white jeep, relatively new, with a virginia lic. # XSH-2745 (maybe 4527) and the driver was a young adult male to an older teen.  The driver was gaining speed and that about half way between shore and the bike path, I began walking out in the street waving my hand up and down at him yelling “slow down!” as the spray from puddles flew over his car.  He flew through the bike path intersection and I think for a sec. or two he thought about maybe trying to spray me as he went past.  I was not going to move from the street and he quickly slowed down and passed me without looking at me, I continued to yell “slow down!” to him.  After passing me, he picked up speed again and sped off to the end of the street.  My son was off to the side in a driveway and out of the way.  I did not have my “slow, children playing” sign out but I do not think it would have been much of a deterent either.

Innocent fun could have turned into a tragic accident quickly and unneccessary.

I hope someone knows this individual and will pass on to them that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.

Key points in the presentation included:

1.  Criteria for Setting Speed Limits
2.  Shore Drive Plan of Action
3.  Traffic Signalization
4.  Improving sight distance visibility at intersections and in median

Shore Drive Safety Initiative Committee [3pg PDF]
Attendees_SD_Safety.pdf [2pg PDF]

Be sure to also follow all links to the Categories below to learn more

Chesapeake Bay Foundation needs your help!

Shore Drive Community Coalition has received the following request to generate support for the regulations described below and to make sure the Kaine administration approves them.  SDCC will be voting at the Monday, July 27 meeting to send a letter or support, or not.  You can view the letter to craft your own message, too.

You might know…the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Conservation & Recreation are both looking at proposed regulations that will significantly reduce runoff pollution.

These proposed regulations would do two major things:

1) They would reduce the quantity of pollution that runs off of new development and

2) They would help ensure excess nutrients don’t end up in streams from farms that use poultry manure (a.k.a. poultry litter)

These are two very simple things that can be done right now to protect streams and help restore the Chesapeake Bay.

We have a coalition letter, linked to below, that we are asking groups to sign on to. Please take a look and decide if your organization is willing to sign on. We plan to send the letter to Governor Kaine, DEQ and DCR at the end of the public comment period—August 21.

Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.

Jess

Jessica Barton
VA Grassroots Coordinator
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
1108 East Main Street, Suite 1600
Richmond, VA 23219
804.780.1392

Print this 2 page letter to sign, & mail in. [2pg PDF]

From their neighborhood watch, posted with permission:

The following was sent by a CSBTS resident.  We REALLY are SERIOUS about NO PERSONAL FIREWORKS and this is an example of why.  Please read and share the story and leave the Fireworks to the Professionals who have a Fire Truck and Fire Marshall on Duty.  Empsy Munden, Pres. CSBTS

July 4th Mishap:

I wanted to share this story with the neighborhood about the dangers of fireworks set off by non-professionals.  I was sitting on the beach at Walke Street with my children and my friends and their children waiting for the firework show that is an amazing event every year.  There were individuals setting off personal fireworks at the water’s edge prior to the main show while the beaches were heavily packed with families.  About 10 minutes before the scheduled start of the community’s sponsored show, 2 teenage boys set off some fireworks that misfired due to their inexperience and a piece hit my best friend in the eye. The firework singed her hair, eyebrow, eyelashes and caused temporary blindness in her left eye.  Two days later she has regained her sight but is still bruised on the left side of her face covering the eye, nose and cheek.

We are very thankful that the damage wasn’t worse but this incident was very frightening and our children between the ages of 6 and 12 were terrified.  There were several emails and many notices posted to refrain from using personal fireworks because their use is illegal and obviously dangerous. I do hope this story will press upon others that these notices aren’t meant to be a nuisance but are published because fireworks are clearly dangerous and should only be handled by professionals who are educated in how to safely discharge them.

From Cape Story neighborhood watch:

One of our residents (a young woman) had a unusual experience today (Tues, Jun 30) on the beach near the Sandalwood walkway.  She was lying on the beach sleeping, and when she looked up she saw a man taking her picture.  She immediately sat up and he started talking to her and asked if she would take his picture.  She reluctantly agreed and quickly looked back in his camera and saw the picture he had taken. He told her he was from Georgia and talked about how far the beach was for him, etc. etc.  He then walked towards the Resort Center.  Another woman saw the man too and told the young woman that he was staring at her own children and she also thought he acted strange.  She also saw him taking pictures of the young woman (thinking they may have known each other).  He is described as in his 50’s, 5’11”, light brown hair, balding, big pot belly, wearing just a bathing suit, and has a drooping left eye.  The police have been notified, so if anyone had any unusual encounter with a man fitting this description, please call the police. 

From Cape Story neighborhood watch:

A set of keys were found today (Tues.) at the entrance to the dunes on Wake Forest Street.  There are three keys which appear to be house keys. Please call Jim or Regina at 496-6458 to claim and identify.