Category Archives: Quality of Life

Update on new Lesner Bridge public notices for required permits

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From an email:

Sent: Fri, Oct 19, 2012 10:01 am
Subject: Lesner Update

Kal,
Just wanted to make you and the BAC aware of a few things that are occurring with the Lesner Bridge Project.

Public Notices for Permitting

The Corps of Engineers, DEQ, VMRC, and Coast Guard are advertising public notices for the construction permit on this project. The Corps of Engineers public notice has already been advertised and can be found at: http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/Media/PublicNotices.aspx

We know there has been some concern about the City putting in a bulkhead at the boat ramp site. We just want the BAC and the Shore Drive community to understand that the current public notices are for the construction of the Lesner Bridge only. This will include a temporary bulkhead at the boat ramp. Any effort made to change the scope of the construction permit (e.g., make the temporary bulkhead permanent) will require a separate application and approval from the permitting agencies. We want to be clear with the BAC and the Shore Drive community that this current application is only for the construction needs of the bridge project. This is consistent with the approach that we discussed with the BAC and the SDCC in early 2012.

Drilled Shaft Load Test at the Boat Ramp

Our design team is currently mobilizing a contractor to perform a drilled shaft load test. This effort will consist of drilling a 4’ diameter hole approximately 110’ deep, placing reinforcing steel, and backfilling with concrete. Once the concrete has cured, the contractor will jack against the drilled shaft until it fails. This test will give us actual field information about how well the drilled shaft will perform. With this information, we can finish the foundation design for the bridge using the most economical drilled shaft design. You will likely see the contractor on site starting next week. We just wanted to make you aware of this in case there are any questions from the community.

Project Manager Change

Chris Wojtowicz is taking over this project for Toni Alger. Toni is still in our group, however she was selected for a supervisor position and her duties have expanded beyond managing projects. Chris is getting up to speed and will be taking care of the day to day responsibilities. Chris has been doing a great job managing the Laskin Gateway project and will bring a lot of experience to the table as we get closer to construction. I will still be involved and available for questions as well so we will have continuity during this transition.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please let us know.

David S. Jarman, P.E.
Transportation Project Management Supervisor
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beach
757-385-4144 (direct)
757-385-4131 (main)

“All of these organizations and the city worked so hard to preserve what we thought was 100 percent of Pleasure House Point. That’s how it was advertised to everybody.”

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Visit WAVY.com to view video and read story.

Brian Solis of Parks & Rec answers questions about CBF’s proposed building for PHP

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Brian Solis, of the Virginia Beach Department of Parks & Recreation responds to questions posed by residents interested in further details about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s proposed educational center to be located at Pleasure House Point.

 What LEED levels will be required? See http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3330

Certified 40–49 points

Silver 50–59 points

Gold 60–79 points

Platinum 80 points and above

 Response: There are not requirements for level of LEED-certification; however, CBF has indicated that the building will achieve LEED-Platinum status.  CBF’s headquarters in Annapolis, MD was the first LEED-Platinum certified building in the world.

 

Will the 10,000 SF CBF building be in accordance with the Living Building Challenge (LBC) requiring its own energy and waste processing? See https://ilbi.org/lbc/LBC%20Documents/LBC2-0.pdf 

Response:  Yes.  The details are being worked through CBF, the Planning Department and several other state and City agencies through the conditional use permit and design process.

 

Can a 10,000 SF building be justified when the LBC is committed to stopping the continued spread of sprawl development that threatens the few wild places that remain?

How can the 10,000 SF building be justified when the LBC prohibits construction on sensitive ecological habitat and/or a 100-year flood plain? 

The architectural rendering on display was a long rectangular building devoid of the features the LBC prescribes:

• Elements that nurture the innate human attraction to natural systems and processes.

• Environmental features

• Natural shapes and forms

• Natural patterns and processes

• Design features intended solely for human delight and the celebration of culture, spirit and place appropriate to its function. 

• Integration of surrounding tidal ponds, bird houses, and indigenous animals (frogs, lizards, turtles) into the immediate vicinity of the building for view, education, and environmental compatibility.

 Response:  The majority of the Pleasure House Point site is a previously-disturbed site.  The building will also need to meet minimum building code standards as well as those related to flood plain issue.  The detailed design of the Education Center will reveal addressing the majority, if not all, of the above criteria.

 

 So was this it, or did the plan evolve through a proper Charrette (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charrette) that looked at several designs and space requirements in consultation with all stakeholders? 

Response:  CBF’s part of the Education Center evolved near the end of the site master plan process.

 

As part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA), to minimize square footage, will (or were) investigations undertaken to evaluate other near-by public facilities that could be used for meetings, public gatherings, educational classes, and training?  

Response:  The 10,000 s.f. building program is approximately 2% of CBF’s site.  It is my understanding that CBF did evaluate building spaces in the vicinity of both Norfolk and Virginia Beach to meet their needs before undertaking this opportunity.  Based on where the building is located and the educational programs and minimal staff offices proposed for the space, we do not find the building program to be unreasonable.  Also, the building is sited at the most landward location while still staying outside of the 200’+ Resource Protection Area (RPA) buffer areas that CBF is enforcing on itself (normal RPA buffer requirement is a 100’ setback).

I also just need to reiterate the City’s commitment to working with the Trust for Public Land and Chesapeake Bay Foundation under the Council-adopted Memorandum of Understanding  to achieve a number of goals  for the entire site in a way that compliments each other:  preservation, restoration, education and public access. 

 

And remember – Ribbon Cutting tomorrow at 11am and Fall Festival Saturday from 11-4 on PHP!

What: Virginia Beach Mayoral and City Council Candidates’ Forum. When: Wednesday, October 17th, 7-9 PM, doors open at 6:30. Where: Cape Henry Collegiate School Dreyfus Auditorium, 1320 Mill Dam Road, Virginia Beach.

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Sponsors: Lynnhaven River NOW, Council of Garden Clubs, Shore Drive Community Coalition, Back Bay Restoration Foundation, Princess Anne Garden Club, and the Virginia Beach Garden Club
Free and open to the public. No pre-registration required.

BE INFORMED

“First, two cyclists suffered serious injuries on Shore Drive after motorists struck them and fled in separate incidents May 3 and June 4. Police have not caught the drivers, despite offering several thousand dollars in reward money through Crime Solvers and local cycling groups. “

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Read article at Pilotonline.com entitled Bike crashes in Hampton Roads: Who’s to blame?

Ocean Park Fall Festival and Art Show – Saturday October 6th from 10am to 5pm

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The 2012 Ocean Park Fall Festival and Art Show is
 

October 6th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

The Festival is sponsored by and benefits the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad.

 
The event is an effort to bring residents together for a day of fun with the added benefit of raising awareness of issues to the local community and various neighborhoods along Shore Drive.
 
The Fall Festival will feature an outdoor art show, live entertainment, a craft show inside the Rescue Squad building, children’s activities, a Bounce House, displays of Rescue Squad equipment, and a fully restored vintage Virginia Beach Ambulance.
 
Located along Shore Drive, the venue includes Rescue One, Lynnhaven Marine and Capt. Max King’s (formerly Browning’s Marine). Local residents are encouraged to walk to the event, however there is parking at Max Kings, Lynnhaven Marine and neighborhood streets.
 
Three live performances beginning at 10:00 am, featuring entertainment by Stan Howard aka The Sax Man, Joe Maniscalco and Grant Austin Taylor.
 
The event organizers hope to make this an annual event that raises funds to support the Rescue Squad. This is also an opportunity to chat with members of local groups that volunteer their time to enhance the community. Many of our residents are members of The Shore Drive Community Coalition, Bayfront Advisory Committee, Lynnhaven River Now, Pleasure House Point and the  Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Mark your calendar now that, plan to spend a few hours or  the entire day with free entertainment, discussion of important local issues, and having some fun with your neighbors!
 
For more information, if you would like to volunteer, or if you want to participate in the art show or craft show, please call 468-1193.

What is GOBS?

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Stands for those whom we play golf with at private clubs; personal agenda for pet projects with friends and campaign contributors, and too much city business as usual.  Stands for Good Ol’Boy System.  I guess if we wanted to hear more answers to our questions, we would have a private invitation to play golf with some of our elected and appointed city officials.

Why Unanswered Questions?

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SDCC recently posted the 28 questions that were presented to Chairman Fraim of the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission (B&WAC) at the city’s official and only public hearing held OCT 13, 2011. Now, almost one year ago.  As some of you who attended this public forum for the Neighborhood Dredging (Spoils) Program, these questions were officially presented in writing to the chairman and were to be officially answered by this officially appointed city commission. The city would like citizens to think that our voices are heard on such important matters as this costly program (potentially $100 million) directly impacting citizen safety and our tax dollars. All that I can say is that SDCC has not received any satisfactory answers from either the city or the B&WAC chairman, although their official report was submitted to the city nine months ago.
Why are the city and the B&WAC chairman so quiet? I believe that they can not answer SDCC’s questions related to neighborhood impact, safety, environmental issues, traffic impact, costs, and operational concerns of this program. If they cannot answer my questions satisfactorily, how can they continue to proceed with the Neighborhood Dredging (Spoils) Program? I have forwarded these questions to Councilwoman Wilson (City representative to the B&WAC) a month ago to see if she could pry required answers out of the city, and so far no response. Bottom line- NO ANSWERS. It may not be that important, but it does concern public safety, impact on neighborhoods, impact on traffic through three major school areas, and your present and future tax dollars. WHY no answers? Maybe there are no responsible answers.

September 9th – 15th Virginia Bicyclist and Pedestrian Awareness Week

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SHARE THE ROAD

Motorists have a responsibility to share the road with those who enjoy biking and walking along Virginia’s roadways.

When you pass a bicyclists slow down and allow at least 2 feet between the bike and the vehicle.

Look for hand signals a bicyclist may use to signal a turn. When approaching a crosswalk, stop for pedestrians.

Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists and should ride with traffic.

Bicyclists should obey all Virginia traffic laws, use flashing lights, and wear bright clothing.

Bicyclists should yield to pedestrians.

If you’re out walking, move against traffic and use sidewalks when possible.

“Sure, the foundation could locate its offices on nearby Shore Drive, Everett said, but it would miss an opportunity to set an example of how to build in an environmentally friendly, sustainable way.”

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Read the entire article at Pilotonline.com.

“I am ecstatic with an environmental educational component existing on PHP run by CBF,” he wrote in an email. ” – they can simply do much, much better.”

Pilotonline.com coverage of CBF’s plans on PHP

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“The idea is to leave no trace, minimize impact and create a building that will be used for years to come by the community,” said William Almond, the project’s landscape architect.

Read the entire article and view a video at Pilotonline.com.

“Our vision quite simply is to create one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings in the world at Pleasure House Point,” said CBF Hampton Roads Director Christy Everett. “We want it to be an international model that demonstrates how to build, work, learn, and play responsibly beside a natural treasure like the Chesapeake Bay. Our goal is a facility the entire Hampton Roads community can be proud of, and we are actively seeking the community’s feedback on our Pleasure House Point vision.”

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Read the entire Press Release at CBF.org.

Hopefully CBF will conduct intense studies about using wind turbines safely since so many birds love PHP and it’s vital habitat in the Atlantic Flyway. Photo credit: CBF

Editors note: Impossible dreams come true.

Twenty-seven (27) unresolved questions that SDCC had submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission at the formal public hearing conducted by that Commission on October 13, 2011.

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Posted unedited from SDCC’s submitted document:

Shore Drive Community Coalition

Questions Related to the Neighborhood Dredging Program
Impact on Neighborhoods:
NOTE: IF IT IS NOT DONE SAFELY, IT WILL IMPACT NEIGHBORHOODS, therefore Neighborhood Impact Related

1. Will there be or has there been a city SAFETY IMPACT STUDY of issues related to the Neighborhood Dredging Program related to COMBINING HEAVILY LADEN DUMP TRUCKS WITH the NORMAL TRAFFIC FLOW ON N. GREATNECK Rd. through three major school traffic and pedestrian areas?

2.What are the professional safety qualifications and previous experience of the city’s person doing this NDP associated SAFETY IMPACT STUDY?

3.Will there be or has there been a city SAFETY IMPACT STUDY of issues related to the Neighborhood Dredging Program related to TRAFFIC FLOW WITH NORMAL TRAFFIC ON N. GREATNECK through three major school traffic and pedestrian areas?

4.Will there be or has there been a city SAFETY IMPACT STUDY of issues related to the NDP related to burdened barge traffic along narrow or congested channels ?

5.What are the professional safety qualifications and previous experience of the city’s person doing this NDP associated BARGE TRAFFIC ON THE WATERWAYS SAFETY IMPACT STUDY?

6.What safety precautions will be implemented and monitored to provide for adequate safety for work-tug and barge traffic anchored in the waterway during night and inclement weather?

7.As there are 4 or more crosswalks along N. Greatneck Road between Shore Drive and Virginia Beach Blvd, will the present 45 mph speed limit be reduced to 35 mph to provide for increased dump truck-vehicle safety?

8.What are the professional safety qualifications and previous experience of the city’s person evaluating the contracted companies Traffic and Safety Plans associated with this NDP? associated SAFETY IMPACT STUDY?

9.Who in the city will monitor spoils loaded dump trucks to ensure DOT Weight limitations for that vehicle are maintained?

10.Who in the city will monitor spoils loaded dump trucks to ensure DOT, State and city Weight Limitations for that designated truck route (primary roads/neighborhood roads) are not exceeded?

11.Who in the city will monitor spoils loaded dump trucks to ensure DOT and State Weight Limitations are not exceeded for the Lesner Bridge prior to its replacement?

12.How will tug-barge traffic be managed between city contracted barges and privately contracted barges approaching and at dredge transfer sites?

13.Who in the city will monitor, mitigate, correct, and report safety violations?

14.How will these safety records be maintained?

15.Will the public have access to these safety violations records?

16.What will be the process for citizens who sustain damage(s) to their property to have that damage repaired in the case of broken street pipes, broken sewage lines, broken storm water drains, or damage to their residential roadbed?

17.What will be the process for citizens who sustain damage(s) to their residential property associated with NDP dump trucks and equipment to have that damage repaired in the case of damaged foundations, or slabs, interior walls due to cracking, or sewage or water backup due to broken street drains, or damage to their residential roadbed?

18.What qualifications does the City’s Attorney have to accept the tasking of the B&WAC to conduct a SAFETY STUDY of the NDP related to significant associated safety issues?

OPERATIONAL PLANNING

1.What is the City’s BREAK-EVEN COST POINT for the initial cycle of the Neighborhood Dredge Spoils Program (where the cost of City’s dredging equals the revenue generated by the City’s Special Service District contract revenue)?

2.How will individuals who privately contract to have dredge spoils removed from their private dock turnaround to the city spur pay for the hauling and removal of those private spoils?

3.Will the city dredge spur channels to areas that have not signed SSD agreements?

4.Will the city dredge spur channels to Remote Areas when adjacent areas have not signed SSD agreements?

5.What will be the City’s Cost Determination to Construct a SPUR channel into areas that do not have a signed nor approved SSD agreements?

6.If the SSD process is incorrectly calculated, cost under estimated, or optimistically over assessed, who will identify these additional costs to the taxpayers and take responsibility for the increased tax rates to cover these NDP expenses?

7.Should the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee Study Report to be submitted to City Council serve as a COMPREHENSIVE study of the majority issues related to the NDP?

8.Should the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee Study Report to be submitted to City Council serve as an INDEPENDENT study of the majority issues related to the NDP?
9.IF the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Committee Study Report to be submitted to City Council serves neither as an INDEPENDENT nor Comprehensive study of the majority issues related to the NDP, when will such an independent and comprehensive study be funded and conducted?

Submitted by:

David M. Williams
Pres. Shore Drive Community Coalition

Recently from SDCC.info:
“On the first day of dredging sand from the bottom of the creek on Long Creek in Virginia Beach, a containment box holding sand ended up on the bottom of the creek.”

Comments from Peter Doherty on Pleasure House Point Draft Master Plan

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Read the entire document at PHP Master Planning Discussion website:

As City resident, field ornithologist and retired environmental and land use planning lawyer with a demonstrated interest in the preservation and conservation of PHP, First Landing State Park (“FLSP”) and the Lynnhaven estuary, I would offer the following comments and suggestions concerning the PHP draft Master Plan as presented by the City at the July 2012 PHP Stakeholder meeting:

    PHP has been disturbed.
    Fundamentally, the value of PHP to the community, the Lynnhaven and the Chesapeake Bay rests upon one fact: it is among the last, remaining, large, undeveloped, open spaces along the Lynnhaven River and it is in public ownership. Indeed, but for FLSP and now PHP, the essentially urban, north end of the City would be a far less inviting area in which to live, work and visit. But PHP, while “undeveloped”, is by no means undisturbed or unaltered. The remaining maritime forest is second or third growth in which fire has been suppressed. Wetlands and transition uplands have been filled with dredge spoils; tidal flow to other wetlands is restricted by a network of berms. As a designated “Natural Resource Area Park”, there should not be in a rush to disturb, alter, fragment, build upon and otherwise develop PHP in the name of restoration, preservation, education and recreation. PHP has much value in its present state.

“Lynnhaven River NOW has agreed to participate in a large study of local environmental organizations being conducted by researchers from Old Dominion University and Virginia Wesleyan College. The results of this research will reach a national audience, and will highlight the accomplishments of citizen groups such as ours.”

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Hot link to LRNow E-Newsletter to learn more.

Hot link to online survey.

PHP Stakeholder Meeting and CBF Open House is AUG23 at Bayside Rec Center

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From Christy at CBF:

The next PHP Stakeholder meeting will be Thursday, August 23 from 4 to 5:30pm at Bayside Rec Ctr. (4500 First Court Rd.).
Draft agenda:
– Debrief July 30 Open House
– CBF Design Presentation
– Access Road Discussion
– Next steps/Closing

CBF will be hosting a public Open House from 6 to 7:30 that same evening at that same location. Flyer is attached and posted at www.cbf.org/PHPOpenhouse.

Pics from LRNow’s AUG4 clean up on PHP

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Photo Credit: Lynnhaven River NOW

See the rest of their pics at the Lynnhaven River NOW Facebook page.

THANKS!

Great article in Sunday August 5, 2012 Beacon about Pleasure House Point

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MINI-VACATION WAS, IN A WORD, PLEASURABLE

  AARON APPLEGATE

  aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com, 222-5122

     I pulled the car over at the first beckoning sandy path into the woods, grabbed a sun hat and pair of binoculars.

   The City Council, the regular subject of this column, has been on vacation for a month. I figured I’d take a vacation, too, for a workday walk at Pleasure House Point, the 118 acres on the Lynnhaven River the city recently bought with help from environmental groups. I’d heard lots about it but never actually been there.

   I considered asking a city official or biologist to join me but, hey, I’m on vacation, and I wanted to wander alone, directionless but with mysterious purpose, like a dog loose in the neighborhood.

   The path passed through   scrubby woods to the tidal waters of Pleasure House Creek, a shimmering expanse fringed with bright green marsh grass. The air was heavy with dank salty humidity, the kind that seems to increase lung capacity.

   The wildlife was a lineup of the usual suspects, but I never tire of these characters: croaking egrets, furtive herons, caffeinated butterflies, jet-fighter swallows and dueling mockingbirds.

   OK, maybe I occasionally tire of mockingbirds.

   I saw a fish nip the heels of a blue crab, which artfully spun away to find refuge among spiky grass.  

   I considered sitting quietly in a rare patch of shade, but my inner dog wouldn’t stop the ramble; the path was too inviting. It snaked along the shoreline, eventually turning a corner at Crab Creek, an offshoot of the Lynnhaven proper. The Lesner Bridge arced into view.  

   I saw one human – a kayak fisherman with four rods sticking up from his boat – but didn’t hear any. Either he didn’t see me or observed the code of silence the place seems to demand. I claimed victory either way.

   Turning back, I retraced my steps. A speckled trio of juvenile herons regarded me cynically before taking unsteady flight. Beyond the birds, I saw looming in the distance a young city landmark, the Westin tower in Town Center.

   I’d be there in under an hour – the Pilot has an office by it – but I felt further away than that.  

   A lizard darted across the path. I heard the close-up beat of a heron’s wings as it took off. A buzzing bumble bee got trapped under the brim of my hat for three seconds.

   The walk lasted 42 minutes, the approximate amount of time I felt I could justify for a quick weekday summer vacation. I highly recommend it.