VB Wave and Bayfront Shuttle Services Suspended this Summer at VBGov.com.
Category Archives: Safety
Governor Allows Virginia Beach Reopening with Restrictions
May 18, 2020—Governor Ralph Northam announced that he will allow Virginia Beach to open its beaches for recreation, with restrictions, on Friday.
Virginia Beach officials created a plan for reopening the beach, with restrictions on groups and activities. Secretary of Natural Resources Matt Strickler helped make that proposal stronger. As finalized, Virginia Beach’s plan includes increased cleaning of high-touch areas, compliance monitoring by beach ambassadors, and a 50 percent reduction in parking in beach lots. While families and individuals will be allowed to sunbathe, swim, and surf, the new rules prohibit beach sports and gatherings by large groups, and require those using the beach to adhere to social distancing rules.
Governor Northam also announced the members of a working group that will craft guidance for how schools, from preK to higher education, can move forward with classes later this year. The group includes diverse stakeholders, including school superintendents, college presidents from private and public schools, and members with other educational backgrounds.
““If you come to the beach, we need to have safe distancing,” Dyer said. “No groups more than 10. Let’s just play by the rules and let’s remember there are still restrictions at the beach.”
Coverage including video at WAVY.com .
The mayor is asking people only to go to the beach to fish or exercise.
WHEN IT IS SAFE TO BE AROUND OTHERS: ENDING ISOLATION IN NON-HEALTHCARE SETTINGS
Lake Bradford – Chubb Lake Stormwater Improvement Projects – City Update #1
The following is the first City update for the Lake Bradford-Chubb Lake Stormwater Improvement Project. Lots of good information, sign up with the City for direct email if you are interested in following this topic. SDCC will also post future updates on our website, so you can keep informed that way as well.
Click here to see the survey results document. Lake Bradford – Chubb Lake – Survey Results – January 2020
Folks/Bradford-Chubb Project Followers:
For those of you who are somewhat new to following Public Works projects, you will find that we at VBPW believe very strongly in keeping the public informed and allowing 2-way communications. That means keeping you informed of how our projects are progressing, letting you know when we hit a snag or there is a change in plans, and whenever there will be traffic delays or traffic pattern changes. It’s robust work, but someone has to do it . . . and I volunteered because my boss told me to.
I can’t stress enough our belief in this concept, particularly in terms of hearing from you. We’ve learned from experience that the better-informed we keep you, the less chance there is of misinformation being passed around or needless anxiety. That’s why we have set up this specific email address for your questions and concerns. As Mr. Richardson, stormwater engineering savant and project manager for this explains below – you can contact us through this email address, you can go to our web page, or you can contact me. One way or another, we will get you an answer and the information you seek.
You’ll find as we continue to send out these updates that we try and keep it light as well as informative. We want you to have the information you need and the answers you seek . . . otherwise I have a lot of explaining to do to my boss.
As you can see, the email address to use is: lakebradford@vbgov.com. The esteemed Mr. Richardson has attached additional information in his section. Once we establish some social media contacts, I will pass them along to you as well.
Lastly . . . . as in this is the last thing I will mention – if you know of someone who should be included in these updates, or WANTS to be included, please pass this along to them, or send me their information and I will add them to the list.
We hope to set these up on a regular basis and I will let you know as we go along. I hope you will find the information helpful, and don’t hesitate to contact us if needed.
Enjoy what looks to be a great weekend weather wise and if possible, don’t cough on each other.
Stay safe!
Drew Lankford
Media and Communications
Department of Public Works
City of Virginia Beach
dlankfor@vbgov.com
(O) 757.385.8062
(C) 757.409.4353
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Folks:
As most of you know, Public Works – Stormwater Engineering held an open house/public meeting at the Bayside Recreation Center last November.
We organized the meeting because we wanted to hear from the residents as to what their concerns were and to get their help in identifying flooding locations in their neighborhood.
The meeting began with a presentation that provided some background and history of the Lake Bradford/Chubb Lake Drainage Study, along with reasons for the flooding and potential types of solutions.
After the presentation, attendees were directed to visit five stations that were set up around the room to gather different information. Of particular interest to the engineers was the station, “Flooding Locations/Surveys.” At this station, we encouraged everyone to mark areas of concern or known flooding on a map. They were also given a comment card to describe those concerns and the impact from the flooding in greater detail.
Prior to the meeting, we had developed an online survey for the public to take. We produced post cards with the survey link on the card to send to anyone who could not attend the meeting. That information was also given to the attendees, as well as the project’s web address – project’s webpage – where a link to the survey was available. Hard copies of the survey were also available at the meeting for those who preferred that method of input.
Much to our surprise – AND pleasure – we had over 100 people who participated in the survey. Thank you one and all who did – your input was very valuable in helping us understand your concerns about flooding and the impact on you. That kind of information is invaluable when developing our plans.
With the flooding locations map and the survey results, we were able to identify the problem areas and places of concern within the project area.
They included areas with known flooding problems in the neighborhoods of:
Bayville Gardens
Chesapeake Beach
Chubb Lake Terrace
Church Point
Thoroughgood neighborhoods
Some of the roads identified as areas of concern or flooding during the survey include:
Beaufort Avenue
Brigadoon Drive
Chubb Lake Avenue
Hermitage Road
Independence Boulevard (near the entrance to JEB LC)
Lauderdale Avenue
Lee Court
Lookout Road
Maycraft Road
Northampton Boulevard
Pleasure House Road
Shore Drive
Not surprisingly, these areas and roads align almost perfectly with the areas we had identified in our stormwater model.
The results from the survey and the flooding locations map are attached, and a copy of the map is at the bottom of this email. You can also find a Summary of the Public Survey and Comments on our project’s webpage.
Since we met in November, the City and RK&K have continued to analyze the project area and develop a recommendation to help mitigate flooding. The analysis includes:
Analyzing stormwater pipes and ditch capacities
Rainfall and tide joint probabilities
Sea level rise
One of our tasks now is to analyze each area within the project area with each of these possible scenarios.
As we all know, the public health crisis due to Covid-19 has scrambled all schedules, but IF things can work out, we hope to have another public meeting sometime this fall. If it doesn’t work out that we can meet as a group, we will look into some electronic options that may be possible.
Again, we want to thank each and every one of you who have participated in some way: attending the meeting, marking maps, taking the survey, emailing us your thoughts and comments, and all the other ways you have contributed. We feel strongly that this can be a very successful project with your suggestions and feedback.
Please contact us at lakebradford@vbgov.com with your comments and questions. Also, go to our website at http://www.vbgov.com/lakebradford for updated information.
If you have any pictures of flooding, please email them to stormpics@vbgov.com. Please include the location, date, and time the picture was taken.
Again, thank you for your participation in this project and we look forward to continue working with all of you. Please stay safe during this difficult time.
Matthew Richardson, Project Manager
Lake Bradford / Chubb Lake Drainage Study (CIP #7-053).
Public Works – Engineering
757-385 -4131
VNG Work Along Shore Drive Median Scheduled to Finish Feb 2021. Be Prepared for Traffic Pattern Changes.
Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) has begun replacement of gas piping under the median of Shore Drive between Cape Story and the Lesner Bridge. Most of the work is expected to take place on weekends and the current schedule has a construction finish date of Feb 2021. This work is being done as an upgrade for VNG systems and is taking place prior to the City’s planned Shore Drive Phase III improvements which will start shortly after VNG is finished in 2021.
The following information is being presented to help residents prepare for the new traffic patterns that will be required to support VNG’s work. VNG plans to spend 2 weekends at each intersection, start at North Great Neck Road and work their way westward to the Lesner Bridge. Below you will find an email with some Q&A between SDCC and VNG. You will also find the City approved traffic pattern plans and a VNG information flyer that was sent to residents living on Shore Drive.
Traffic Pattern Plans – Click here Traffic Plan Shore Dr Relocation Approved_Median_10-9-19
VNG Informational Flyer – Click here VNG_ShoreDrRelocation_Community Outreach Factsheet
SDCC/VNG Q&A Email:
Good Morning Mr. Solomon,
I appreciate your outreach and interest in the project. To answer the following questions you have:
1) Can someone send us the tentative schedule for the complete project? Preferably one that brakes it down by stages or intersections per week.
– Unfortunately we do not have a tentative schedule for these projects. We let our Contractor continue with the work to meet the deadlines – We are looking to complete this project by Feb 2021. What we can do to assist is make contact with you when we move along Shore Dr. in order to keep everyone informed giving estimated times within the intersections. Usually these intersections will only take ~2 weekends when drilling under.
2) The plans appear to keep each lighted intersection and median cut open when the left turn lanes are closed off. This didn’t happen during last Saturday work. What will be done differently moving forward? Will police be staged at these locations and if so will they just be at the lighted intersections, median cuts or both?
– Our Contractor and their associated Traffic Control Company will follow the plans as approved by the City. I realize their was an issue last weekend which has since been corrected. Their will be off-duty Police Officers at each lighted intersection along with the correct detour signs if needed.
3) Is there a point of contact residents can get in touch with on weekends if things don’t look right? Cell or email contact would be helpful.
– In the beginning of February I sent out a Community Outreach letter with information about the project along with affected streets and VNG contact information if any concerns or questions should come up. Our Contractor in each of the areas prior to working have door hangers in which lets the directly affected homeowner know that we will be in the area soon, what to expect, and provides a VNG point of contact. I have attached the Outreach Letter to this email that you can post in the Civic Leagues news letter if you would like.
Thank you sir,
Ben Longstreet
Intermediate Engineer
Mobile: 757.359.8203
Office: 757.466.5519
On Saturday, May 2nd, the boat ramp was closed to further launches at 9:20 a.m. because the parking lot was full, and traffic was gridlocked on adjoining streets by 10 a.m.
What’s going to happen this weekend?
Obviously it would be extremely challenging for first responders to use roads surrounding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp & Beach Facility if this is allowed to happen again.
Governor Northam Announces Phase One Guidelines to Slowly Ease Public Health Restrictions. Phase One will begin no sooner than Friday, May 15.
View at Governor.Virginia.gov:
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam signed Executive Order Sixty-One and presented a detailed framework for the first phase of the “Forward Virginia” plan to safely and gradually ease public health restrictions while containing the spread of COVID-19. The Phase One guidelines will be implemented when the data meets the public health criteria outlined by the Commonwealth. The new executive order modifies public health guidance in Executive Order Fifty-Three and Executive Order Fifty-Five and establishes guidelines for Phase One.
The Governor’s phased approach is grounded in science and data and includes mitigation strategies to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus through enhanced safety practices. The plan allows localities to consider delaying implementation of Phase One guidelines based on local conditions.
“I am proud of the millions of Virginians who have stayed home and helped to flatten the curve, but our work is not done,” said Governor Northam. . . .
Phase One guidelines for specific sectors are available here or at virginia.gov/coronavirus/forwardvirginia.
View the graphs and slides from the Governor’s presentation here.
City Council Decides to Move Forward on Hearing Planning Items Using Online and In-Person Social Distancing Practices.
Hello Shore Drive Residents,
I pray you are all doing well during these unprecedented times. Stay safe and stay healthy.
As City Council has been progressing with how they plan to continue public hearings during these trying times, the SDCC has asked Council to specifically defer all Planning Items that have opposition until normal reviews can be safely implemented.
Based on the May 5th Council hearing, video review of the meeting can be seen here, it appears Council is set to move forward with hearing all Planning Items even if they are highly opposed such as Westminster-Canterbury’s 22 story high rise Assisted Living Facility. Council has suggested to hold highly contested items such as Westmister-Canterbury in larger spaces like the Convention Center to allow for 6 foot social distancing requirements. Specific details are still being determined by Council, so please continue to follow our website posts to stay up to date on how and when these Planning Items will be heard.
Emails asking City Council to defer any Planning Item that has opposition.
Email 1:
Dear Mayor Dyer and Council Members,
I am sending this email again in regards to your review of hearing Planning Items during the State’s “Shelter in Place” by utilizing virtual meetings.
I would ask that no Planning items be heard unless failure to do so would result in irrevocable harm or have a direct impact on the pandemic emergency.
If you decide to start hearing general Planning items, then I would recommend you only hear items that have no opposition so you can vote on them by consent. If an item has any opposition, then it should be deferred until normal in person hearings can be resumed.
Thank you for this consideration,
Todd Solomon
Email 2:
Dear Mayor Dyer and Council Members,
I commend you all for working towards a method to allow for remote participation during various public meetings. Using technology to help maintain social distancing during these close quarter and sometimes large attendance gatherings is the right thing to do.
However, I am confused why the “Resolution to suspend certain portions of the City Council Speaker Policy” doesn’t include the suspension of Planning Agenda Items (Section 2.1) along with the recommendation to suspend Regular Agenda (Section 2.2) and Non-Agenda/Open-mic (Section 2.3) Items. Already, Planning Items from March and April are being deferred and I can’t think of any possible Planning Items directly related to the Covid19 crisis or ones where failure to act would result in irrevocable public harm.
With the Governor’s “Shelter in Place” decree effective until June 10th, wouldn’t the safest and smartest action be to also suspend Planning Items from City Council agendas during this emergency period?
If for some overarching legitimate reason the Planning Items have to remain, then I suggest that Planning Items with any opposition be automatically deferred as long as this emergency policy is in place. This would still allow unopposed items to be approved by consent. Deferring opposed items would minimize a resident’s health risk of attending Council meetings in person and should also make remote virtual meetings easier to manage since there will be less online speakers.
Thank you for your consideration to this request,
Todd Solomon
City Council Special Meeting – 05/05/2020
Governor Northam Unveils Blueprint for Easing Public Health Restrictions
‘Forward Virginia’ blueprint informed by diverse health and business stakeholders, includes testing, tracing, and PPE priorities
‘Forward Virginia’ blueprint informed by diverse health and business stakeholders, includes testing, tracing, and PPE priorities
RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today presented the “Forward Virginia” blueprint, which will help guide the Commonwealth on when to safely begin easing public health restrictions. The blueprint includes a phased approach that is grounded in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and has specific goals to contain the spread of the virus through increased testing, personal protective equipment and supplies, and medical capacity.
“We will move forward, but in a way that prioritizes public health and builds public confidence,” said Governor Northam. “Businesses know that customers will return only when they feel that it is safe to do so. Our blueprint for the path forward is data-driven and provides clear guidance, so Virginians will know what to expect and understand how we will decide to when to lift certain public health restrictions.”
Virginia is looking at a wide range of public health data. The Governor emphasized that key indicators will include a 14-day downward trend in confirmed cases as a percentage of overall tests and in reduced COVID-19 hospitalizations. While hospitalization rates have largely stabilized in the Commonwealth, confirmed cases continue to rise.
The Forward Virginia blueprint includes the following priorities:
TESTING AND TRACING
To ensure the continued safety of Virginians, the Commonwealth aims to test at least 10,000 individuals per day. Karen Remley, former Commissioner of Health and current co-chair of Virginia’s Testing Work Group, outlined a four stage approach to meet this goal prior to safe reopening. The expanded testing plan includes hiring contact tracers, who will support local health departments in identifying individuals who may be exposed to COVID-19 and helping them self-isolate.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to ramping up testing, ensuring the safety of healthcare staff, and expanding the medical workforce. Virginia’s PPE pipeline is improving, and hospitals are successfully managing their supplies. The Governor cautioned that safely easing restrictions will require an ongoing stable PPE supply chain across all sectors of healthcare, and ensuring that the supply is regularly replenished.
Virginia has ordered 17.4 million N95 masks, 8.3 million surgical masks, 17.1 million gloves, 1.7 million gowns, and 1 million face shields. This includes a contract signed jointly with Maryland and the District of Columbia for 5 million N95 masks.
Governor Northam announced that a second shipment from Northfield Medical Manufacturing is scheduled to arrive today and will be promptly distributed. The latest shipment includes 3 million nitrile exam gloves, 100,000 N95 masks, 500,000 3-ply procedure masks, and 40,000 isolation gowns.
HOSPITAL CAPACITY AND STAFF
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are largely stable across Virginia, even as case counts continue to rise. To ensure continued capacity as Virginia move towards “Phase One” of easing restrictions, Governor Northam yesterday extended the ban on elective surgeries through May 1 and expanded the ability of physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners with two or more years of clinical experience to practice without a collaborative agreement.
The Virginia Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) continues to recruit and deploy medical and non-medical volunteers to bolster the work of local health departments, hospitals, and healthcare providers. The MRC currently has over 16,500 trained volunteers, more than halfway to Virginia’s goal of 30,000.
PHASE ONE OF EASING RESTRICTIONS
Governor Northam outlined key benchmarks Virginians can expect in the first phase, which will begin no sooner than two weeks from now to allow for a 14-day downward trend in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Phase one includes continued social distancing, teleworking, limits on travel and public gatherings, and recommended use of face coverings. Any easing of restrictions will be informed by public health experts, members of the Governor’s COVID-19 Business Task Force, state and local officials, and other stakeholders.
The Commonwealth is developing two sets of guidance: one with broad based recommendations for all businesses, and another with industry specific recommendations for public-facing businesses like restaurants and non-essential retail. The guidance will be provided to businesses in early May.
The slides from today’s presentation are available here.
# # #
Stay home. Stay informed. Stay safe.
New Traffic Pattern at Intersection of Shore Drive and North Great Neck Road
In support for Storm Water drainage improvements, a new traffic pattern will be temporarily used for the intersection of Shore Drive and North Great Neck Road.
The new pattern will be set up Monday through Saturday, 7am to 7pm for the next two to three weeks. Please be careful as you head south onto N. Great Neck at this intersection.
Click here to read the City’s News Release on this subject – 20200401-News Release – REVISED -N Great Neck Road – March 2020
UPDATE:
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced a change in the schedule for work crews as stated in the news release of 2/16/2020; RE: the Eastern Shore Drive Drainage Improvements project.
The work schedule for the crews is revised as follows for Southbound Traffic (west side) of North Great Neck Road:
Original Schedule:
7 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, April 5, 2020 through June 7, 2020.
Revised Schedule:
Beginning April 6th, 2020, there will be daytime work through Friday (Saturday if needed) 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The road will be re-opened at the end of each daily shift, to include temporary paving of the excavation, clean up and removing traffic control before returning it to the original traffic pattern each evening. Work at this location is expected to be complete by April 24th, 2020.
Detour Scheduled for West Great Neck Road on Wed April 15th from 9pm to 4am
Click here to read in .pdf format West Great Neck Road Detour – April 15th 2020
VB Public Works Schedules Detour for West Great Neck Road
VA Beach Public Works has announced a detour for the area near West Great Neck Road and Adam Keeling Road
on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The detour is scheduled so that crews can relocate a water line to the east side of
West Great Neck Road.
The detour hours will be from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m.
The work is part of a project that will provide a 5-foot wide concrete sidewalk along the west side of West Great Neck Road
from Adam Keeling Road to the bridge over Long Creek, approximately 0.2 of a mile. Once completed, the sidewalk will
improve safety and provide a connection for pedestrians traveling from Great Neck Point to Shore Drive.
The contractor for the job is EL-X Enterprises, and Phillip Blackwell is the project manager. For emergency information,
contact him at (804) 698-0989.
“Current social distancing efforts starting March 15 have paused the growth of the epidemic in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this scenario, “paused” growth means that the rate of new cases is holding steady rather than increasing.”
View yesterday’s Governor’s briefing here.
Key takeaways from infectious disease models developed by the UVA Biocomplexity Institute include:
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Current social distancing efforts starting March 15 have paused the growth of the epidemic in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this scenario, “paused” growth means that the rate of new cases is holding steady rather than increasing.
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Current trends suggest that Virginia’s statewide hospital bed capacity will be sufficient in the near future.
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Lifting social distancing restrictions too soon can quickly lead to a second wave.
And:
“Currently, it appears as if the Commonwealth of Virginia is tracking with the pause scenario, which means that the residents of Virginia are doing an excellent job with mitigation,” said Bryan Lewis, Research Associate Professor for the Network Systems Science and Advanced Computing division for the Institute.
Additional links from Press Release includes:
RAND Healthcare Virginia COVID19 Models Initial Analysis.
Estimation of COVID-19 Impact in Virginia April 13, 2020 (data current to April 11, 2020) Biocomplexity Institute Technical report: TR-2020-048
UVA Biocomplexity Institute report includes:
BIOCOMPLEXITY COVID-19 RESPONSE RESOURCES at UVA.
CURRENT SOCIAL DISTANCING EFFORTS ARE WORKING
VDH increases graphing & data breakdowns
How Privacy-Friendly Contact Tracing Can Help Stop the Spread of Covid-19
Tips how to keep our EMS volunteers safe
Virginia Uses Genetic Technology to Combat COVID-19
“This genetic fingerprint gives us tremendous insight into this novel virus, helping us understand where Virginia cases originated and how they are being transmitted in our communities,” said DCLS Director Dr. Denise Toney. “Providing this information in real-time is unbelievably valuable for public health officials as they determine how to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in our communities.”
#WeLoveShoreDrive 