From the initial look at the current Capital Improvement Plan, or CIP, the study appears to be budgeting about $1M to study rebuilding the Lesner Bridge into 6-lanes.

Transportation:
The CIP will provide funding for an in-depth study to determine ultimate alignment, appearance, impacts, and project needs for a replacement Lesner Bridge…

The above quote was from this page at VBGov.com.

Several concerns with that particular statement.

Regardless of the outcome, the project is a good move on the city?s part, said Dan Baxter, president of the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations.

Baxter said the city has a long way to go to win the public?s trust.

?When the public is involved in the solution, they?ll buy into it,? Baxter said. ?They may not agree with it, but they were given a voice.?

We need e-mails and or phone calls to council people NOW supporting our effort to establish a park at the spoils area.  The parks dept, supporting our request, has sent forward an unfunded CIP (capital improvement project); it is CIP# 4-038. 

On the bright side, Cape Henry Shores residents like to joke, their kids are all going to be track stars by the time they reach high school. Their hypothesis is based on the fact that their children grow up learning to beat 60 mph traffic on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach.

We have a total of $7403.43 in the treasury. Finding a site for the Oyster Roast is under way. As we continue the fight against a 6 lane bridge and highway, it would help if citizens let their Council Person know their view on the road and bridge.

If you want a visual image of what a 6 lane bridge could look like, drive down Hampton Blvd in Norfolk. It is a relatively new bridge over the Lafayette River, there are no large buildings near the bridge and with a little imagination one can mentally transpose that bridge to the Lynnhaven Inlet. In my view a 6 lane Lesner Bridge would be a disaster.

[Thanks to Dan for the following info!]
Visit National Recreation and Park Association’s website.

“Member Request Day” an Opportunity to Save LWCF State Assistance

What?s Happening: The President has recommended terminating the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Assistance program from the federal budget in FY 2006. The House Subcommittee on Interior Appropriations holds the purse strings to these funds. This subcommittee is holding “Member Request Day,” on April 13, to receive their House colleagues’ priority funding requests.

Update:

Reached later Tuesday at a political event, Warner said of his decision, ?This would be a very major policy shift for Virginia, and I don?t think all the facts are out yet.?

Read article – Warner Vetoes Gas Drilling Bill

SB 1054 passed a couple days ago which would permit “Permit surveying, mapping, exploration, development, and production of off-shore deposits of natural gas off the coast of the Virginia Beach.

Senator Wagner and Representative Purkey were the sponsors of the State Bill.

The following information was received 3/28/05 from a contractor performing work along Shore Drive:

A Caucasian /light skinned Hispanic, in his 30s has been stealing from several area construction sites.  He drives an old truck, with different colored body panels.  A friend of mine reported the license plate, and police are investigating.  He has been hitting these sites at “off-hours,” ie., 5:30AM on a Sunday.  He has hit sites from the Lesner Bridge area all the way to the Northend of the Oceanfront.

Please remember to call 911 when you see a crime in action and call 427-5000 to report crimes after they have occurred or to report any suspicious activity.

Draft 9-9-04[Word file] of Parking on Lawn Ordinance written by Reba S. McClanan and James L. Wood.

More info posted on March 1st on this site.

What the Clean-Up is: Picking up litter on Shore Drive from Starbucks to W. Great Neck Rd[the Shell Station] to help keep Shore Drive litter free.

Leaders in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are seeking $10 million from the federal government to buy land for a conservation corridor through a sprawling watershed that links the cities.

Read entire article.

But after several hours of debate in front of a large crowd, council members voted to defer the matter in a 6-3 vote .

Read entire article.
Learn more.

A state panel approved two projects Tuesday designed to restore oysters to the Chesapeake Bay ? one to help disappearing native stocks, the other to continue experiments with an Asian species.

Read entire article.

Notes from Dorinda who attended the SDAC Meeting on March 17th.
Thank you!

Good News from the SDAC: There has been a major cleanup by volunteers along Shore Drive.  Lots more to do. More volunteers would be welcome.
Clay Bernick, city planner announced that 45 live oaks had been transplanted from the site next to Chesapeake House and all are doing well to date.

Monday March 28, 2005
7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Fire & Rescue Hall

This is a meeting reminder for the SDCC general meeting for March.  Even though it is the day after Easter and the first day of Spring Break, I hope most of you can still make it.  There are several important topics to discuss. 

City’s plans to move ahead with the redesign and construction of the Lesner Bridge – What should be the SDCC’s position?

More info from March 8th article about Parks & Rec funding proposed to be killed.

Dear Cindy Curtis,

Late yesterday, U.S. Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) withdrew a proposed amendment to the Senate Budget resolution that would put the Senate on record as favoring $90 million appropriation in FY 2006 for LWCF State Assistance. The proposal was finalized late yesterday afternoon, leading to an urgent call for advocacy by NRPA members and others. Yielding to pressure from budget committee leaders and the uncertainty of passage, the amendment was withdrawn.

Undoubtedly you’ve heard about the City not being able to afford the approximate asking price of $25 million for buying Pleasure House Point.

You may not have heard about the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system at the Ocean Front being championed by Councilman Maddox that would cost at least $33 million.

A federally funded consortium of various universities, institutions, the Maryland Waterman’s Association with help from a lab at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is working on raising blue crabs to be released into the bay.  [thanks to Richard for the info about the article!]

The following article, written by Jim Morrison, appeared in the March 17th 2005 issue of Portfolio Weekly.

An excerpt:
It also placed an annual premium on real estate along that Bay at $2.3 billion ? $3.9 billion in today?s dollars. Overall, it declared the 1987 value of the Bay to be an estimated $678 billion ? or $1.15 trillion today.

The details discussed in this article can also easily explain how critical it is to protect, from an economic value, the Lynnhaven Watershed, significant trees & even open space as it relates to at minimum the immediate Shore Drive Area.

Please let us know ASAP if you are interested and available to help:
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Hampton Roads Office at (757) 622-1964 ext. 300 or [encode=rsvp@cbf.org]email the CBF[/encode].