The first article “Along river, nature is preserved for wildlife, people” by Kathy Adams can be found here http://hamptonroads.com/2014/07/along-river-nature-preserved-wildlife-people
View 88 page PDF online at VBGov.com.
This management plan was developed to comply with the conditions of the recorded conservation easement. The recommendations that are contained within the management plan are the result of a year long study of the property. This plan has a horizon of five years. It will be important to measure the progress made annually on the stated goals in the plan and to update the plan every five years.
The Pleasure House Point Natural Area represents a unique opportunity to showcase the beauty and function of a coastal eco-system in the midst of the highly developed waterfront community in the Bayfront area of Virginia Beach. The property has been manipulated time and time again over the past 50 years. Even with all of this intrusion, the environment has survived and flourished as a prime example of the resilience of a natural eco-system. There are many lessons to be learned from this property, as well as many actions we can take to restore and enhance the property. This document was developed with this charge in mind and outlines specific steps and priority projects to ensure that the property is properly managed and maintained for the benefit of both man and nature.
The conservation easement is held by the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). This management plan is being developed to comply with the conditions of the recorded conservation easement and the management plan has been coordinated with VDGIF. The management plan will govern operations and maintenance as well as future improvements and restoration projects on the 84.658 acre parcel known as the Conservation Easement Parcel. The site must be managed consistent with conservation goals used to rank and fund the project as listed below.
• Maintain habitat values
• Maintain Coastal Maritime Forests
• Maintain water quality
• Maintain/educational and recreational values not detrimental to other aspects
There will be many different opportunities to provide environmental education in partnership with Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Lynnhaven River Now. In addition, the City will be providing outdoor programming in the park. We will continue to keep the neighbors engaged by coordinating regularly with the Bayfront Advisory Committee, the Shore Drive Community Coalition and the Ocean Park Civic League. The Bayfront Advisory Committee is appointed by City Council and provides a forum for residents and businesses in the area to discuss land use, transportation and social issues. The Shore Drive Community Coalition is a volunteer organization that coordinates among various civic groups. The Ocean Park Civic League represents the neighborhood directly adjacent to the site and the members have officially adopted the Pleasure House Point Natural Area and are responsible for conducting at least one trash clean up quarterly on the property. They are also diligent in reporting violations of the pet waste and leash laws.
I encourage you to read and digest the entire document.
It’s fascinating.
Click here for a printable version of the agenda SDCC Agenda 7.28.14
Call to order:
Meeting topic: National Flood Insurance Program Rates
Home Owner Options
Costs and Requirements to Raise a Home
Officers’ Reports: President’s Report David Williams
Vice President’s report Rick Mercadante
Secretary’s Report Todd Solomon –JUNE Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Paulette Hruska
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Next SDCC- Monday AUGUST 25, 2014
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Center
Please check www.sdcc.info for more information on area news and events
We will discuss:
Website and new email address – Penny Moulis
Live Oaks along the median of Atlantic Ave. – Penny Moulis
Live Oaks on Lynnhaven Drive
Lynnhaven River NOW fall festival – Oct. 11th – Karen
New Member Orientation – Karen
2014 Live Oak Distribution – StephenNext Meeting: I will be out of town on Aug. 18th – will the 25th work?
Hope to see you there,
Karen
Friends of Live Oaks at VBGov.com.
Friends of Live Oaks in Facebook.
Woo hoo!
Read entire article at Pilotonline.com:
“It’s a major walkway for a lot of people,” Williams said. “It’s good that the people of the city listened to the citizens. Before, they said they couldn’t do it. It’s good that they have found a way.”
Be safe people!
#LESNERBRIDGE page has been updated with a few more items:
Beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility Info
During #LESNERBRIDGE construction parking is limited to:
CARS: 54 + 3 Handicap spots. (LOST 51 SPOTS)
BOAT TRAILER: 79 (LOST ALL OVERFLOW SPOTS)Beach Access under #LESNERBRIDGE is closed.
Pedestrian infrastructure to reach & cross Shore Drive is challenging.
As Virginia Beach seems to be in the sites of Arthur, consider what precautions that you should take. Storm forecasting is still an art and not totally a science. It is possible to be told that it will be “mostly a rain event” with tropical storm winds of gale force, but storms and their tracks change quickly. Sometimes the last minute shift in course or intensity is to our advantage, sometimes not so. Consider the following preparations:
1. Do not leave your car in an area that floods easily. You can relocate your car to North Great Neck Road to one of the school parking lots. The Great Neck area is high enough so it should not flood.
2. Put some water in containers in your freezer in case power is lost. It helps keep things cold if power should be lost, and will also serve as drinking water if needed.
3. Check your flashlights and battery supply. The new LED type flashlights are 4 times brighter and the batteries last 10 times longer. Great source for light. Know where your flashlights are located.
4. Look at the areas around your house which could flood and make sure nothing valuable or potentially hazardous could get wet (lawn fertilizer, pool chemicals, tools etc.). And don’t forget to bring in all the lawn furniture.
5. If a room floods and the wall board gets wet, the wet wall board should be removed quickly so it will not damage more wall board. If the insulation gets wet remove it also, BUT wear gloves as this stuff itches. If you have to remove a lot of insulation, wear a face mask to prevent breathing the insulation fibers.
6. PERSONAL SAFETY. Don’t drive in water that comes to the bottom of your car’s doors (8 or more inches). You can’t plow through it and the water will come up over your hood. If you get water in your engine (sucked into engine intake), you may have to buy a new engine. When you don’t know how deep the water, go around or go back. Don’t use a BBQ grill in the garage or house as the the carbon-monoxide fumes can kill you and your pets. CO fumes are heavier than CO2, so CO fumes will sink and collect in the lower parts of your house. BE careful. Keep a fire extinguisher handy. If there are down power lines, consider them HOT and LETHAL. Tree branches CAN conduct electricity, as can metal fences, so don’t touch them if your neighborhood has a power outage.
7. Watch out for one another. BE GOOD Neighbors and don’t create wakes on your road. These wakes can do damage to adjacent homes. If you are going away from the area, let your neighbor know in case of damage to your house.
Let us all hope for the best. Our lawns need some rain, but let’s hope the winds are mild and the rains are only refreshing.
The Division of Legislative Services is the legislative branch agency created statutorily by the General Assembly to provide nonpartisan legal and general research services to members of the General Assembly and its standing committees in the House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia.
A few highlights:
SB 74. Real estate loans; flood insurance. The law prohibits a lender from requiring a borrower to provide flood insurance coverage against risks to improvements on real property securing its loan in an amount that exceeds the replacement value of the improvements.
HJ 8/HB 46. Constitutional amendment and voter referendum; real property tax exemption for spouses of soldiers killed in action. The law provides that if the constitutional amendment is approved by voter referendum at the November 4, 2014, general election the General Assembly may provide a real property tax exemption for the primary residence of surviving spouses of members of the military who are killed in action. The tax exemption may not be claimed by a surviving spouse who has remarried.
HB 791. Condominium and Property Owners’ Association Acts; rule enforcement. The law provides that associations may file or defend a legal action in general district or circuit court to seek an order to require that any violation of the condominium instruments or duly adopted rules be corrected. The law provides that before any action is taken to enforce rules violations, the owner shall be given a reasonable opportunity to correct the alleged violation. The law provides that in the event of a legal action involving rule enforcement, the prevailing party is entitled to recover court costs and reasonable attorney fees. Currently, only the association is entitled to recover such costs and fees.
HB 771. Mature driver crash prevention. The law provides for a course in mature driver motor vehicle crash prevention and allows the court to order the course in adjudicating defendants. The law also lowers the age at which drivers are required to appear before the DMV for license renewal from 80 to 75 and requires that licenses issued to persons age 75 or older be valid for no more than five years.
And ….
3 FEET PLEASE. It’s Virginia Law.
“As we see more people choose to ride bikes or walk rather than drive their cars, this extra foot of clearance makes streets much safer for cyclists” according to Champe Burnley, President of the Virginia Bicycling Federation (VBF) who supported the legislation. “We hope that drivers will use extra care when they pass a rider and avoid potential crashes.”
Virginia law currently requires a motorist to pass a bicyclist by two feet. The Commonwealth is the twenty-first state to pass a three foot law.
From an email, unedited:
Friends:
Below is the latest update on the Lesner Bridge replacement project from Chris Wojtowicz, project manager. If you have any questions or need additional information, please let either Chris or me know and we will be glad to help you.
Enjoy your holiday weekend.
Drew Lankford
Media and Communications
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beachdlankfor@vbgov.com
(O) 757.385.8062
(C) 757.409.4353Summer has officially begun, and – as you have noticed – so has the construction of the replacement Lesner Bridge project. I have spoken or corresponded with many of you over the past few weeks regarding your concerns with the start of this construction work. Based on these discussions, our project team felt that a brief update on the work and our response to the top three concerns might help folks better understand what work is taking place right now.
Below are the top three questions – and answers – that we have been discussing with so many of you:
Q: “Why wasn’t my property included in Pre-Construction Damage Assessment Survey?”
A: Generally, all properties (10) within 200 feet from a source of vibration that could exceed a threshold particle velocity value of 0.5 in/sec between a frequency of 2 and 10 Hz have been included in the contract documents. We refer to the AASHTO Standard Recommended Practice for Evaluation of Transportation-Related Earthborne Vibrations for selecting this threshold particle velocity – which is the level at which a plaster wall MIGHT begin to crack.
If your property was not included in the contract documents as one of those requiring a survey, then your property fell outside of this zone of influence and has an extremely low risk of structural damage from construction related earth related vibrations. That being said, if the City felt that there was any risk of structural damage to a particular property, that property would have been included in the contract documents as requiring both a Pre- and Post-Construction Damage Assessment Survey.
Beyond the expected areas of influence, seismographs – along with horizontal and vertical control points – have been placed so that the project team can monitor these vibrations in real time and make adjustments to the construction methods if necessary. [As a side note, people “sense” or respond to a much broader range of vibration frequencies and intensities than structures. Intrusive vibration levels might concern some folks at much lower intensities than levels considered critical for structures (0.5 inches/sec between 2 and 10 Hz)].
So even though extremely low levels of vibration may be a nuisance to some people and cause one to become concerned about structural damage, there really is very little risk of this damage. All Pre-Construction Damage Assessment Surveys have been completed at this time.
Q: “Why does the Contractor have to work at night? There is so much noise!”
A: The contractor is only performing work at night that requires temporary lane closures on Shore Drive. Since we are in the summer months, daytime lane closures on Shore Drive are not permitted until after September 30th unless an exemption is granted by the Public Works Traffic Engineering Dept. Both stationary and non-stationary noise at night is now being monitored by the City using an Extech Digital Sound Level Meter to assure the Contractor’s compliance with the contract documents.
Q: “Why did the bridge contractor placed a fence at East Stratford Street and Shore Drive? This impedes pedestrians who want to cross Shore Drive from East Stratford Street to get to the beach since the beach access at the boat ramps has been closed.”
A: New storm drainage and a large stormwater management device need to be installed at this corner. This fence and other barriers are required to “safe-up” the work area and the deep excavation that will be performed. The project team has reviewed the pedestrian access concern and will make some minor design changes (such as moving the stormwater management structure further to the east) to better accommodate these pedestrians. The proposed changes are that the pedestrian signals will be un-bagged and a gate will be added to the temporary fence to allow pedestrians access to the existing crosswalk. These changes will be implemented before July 4th.
The work taking place right now on the project involves modifying the approach lanes at both existing bridges in preparation for shifting the lanes of traffic slightly to the south. This lane shift is required in order to make room for the equipment and utilities needed to construct the new westbound bridge. The crane that is out there now on the west side of the bridges will be used in the construction of the first bridge footing and abutment for the new westbound bridge.
Bridge footing construction will likely begin in August 2014 and will progress from west to east. During this time the concrete casting yard, Atlantic Metrocast Inc., in Portsmouth VA will be prepared for production of the pre-cast concrete bridge sections. Placement of the first bridge segments on the new bridge piers/foundations will likely begin in mid-March 2015.
Thank you again for all of your valuable input that helps us move this project along in a safe and responsible manner. Still to come – Lesner Bridge Construction Webpage with live/time lapse construction video.
Enjoy your summer.
-Chris
Christopher J. Wojtowicz, P.E.
Project Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Municipal Center-Bldg 2
2405 Court House Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Phone: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
Sidewalk at beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility is now closed.
PLEASE keep in mind IF you choose to park there to go to beach it will be challenging to say the least
Note: Photo was not in email but added by the Editor to ensure everyone knows of the challenges using the beloved Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility this coming Holiday Weekend. Be safe people.
Excerpt from email:
I have expressed my concern to Chris Wojtowicz, city engineer in charge of the project, and he responded promptly that he is having his staff look into moving the pedestrian crossing to the west side of the intersection. I am concerned that this may not take place in time for the 4th of July fireworks off Chicks/Ocean Park Beach. There will be large numbers of people crossing Shore Drive for this event and the lack of a functioning cross walk at this key intersection posses a significant safety issue…
Reply today from City Project Manager:
We are working on it and discussed this at this morning’s progress meeting. Some changes will be made as early as today. A changes will be in place by July 1.
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)
Please enter at the rear of the building where the cypher lock is.
Previously about Croakers Variance Request.
Croakers upper deck
UPDATE June 12 at 1130: The gun shots heard in Ocean Park were near end of Marlin Bay and PHP. Also, the slug found below was found in Ocean Park.
Related to the shot fired in Cape Story?
Bullet found on ground Saturday morning just off Marlin Bay in Ocean Park.
From an email:
The trend of driving a scooter on the path is becoming more frequent. This person stopped and asked if I was going to get out of his way so he could pass. I told him that I would not because it was illegal for him to drive a scooter on the path. He went around us, drove down to the sign and then back to let me know that it is legal for him to drive on the path. The chains on Kleen St are now broken and someone in a Jeep Cherokee was screeching his tires on the path the other day. Any recommendations on how to get the city to do something?
Case 8: Joseph Johns requests a variance to request a modification of conditions of a variance previously approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals on May 15, 1991 to allow 21 off-street parking spaces instead of 30 off-street parking spaces as required for a residential addition on Lots 4 & 5, Ocean Park, 3629 Shore Drive. Bayside District #4, ZONING: B-2, RMA, GPIN: 1489-58-0895
Neighbors are working to set up a meeting with Croakers consultant to find out their intentions.
Learn more about all dog parks in VB.
Thanks for your feedback last year on the design of a dog park at Bayville Farms Park (located at 4132 First Court Road). With your input, the park was designed to accommodate seperate areas for both large and small dogs. We are happy to report that construction of the new dog park has been completed and it is now open to the public.
Woo hoo!
Check out the 3 page PDF with more info.
From Tour de Virginia Beach July 2009 advocating for more bike lanes.
Link to Virginia Beach CIP search page.
After years of studies and waiting, a federal plan to help rehabilitate the Lynnhaven River is moving forward.
The Senate passed a bill Thursday authorizing a $12 billion package of water projects across the country, including $22.8 million for work in Virginia Beach’s largest waterway.
The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has lifted a swimming and wading advisory that was issued for the Chesapeake Bay between Wake Forest Street and Kendall Street, and including the First Landing State Park coastline along the bay. 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.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 