The popular and often photographed driftwood arch burnt down on Friday Sept. 20th. You can read about the incident in the Virginian-Pilot article at this link https://www.pilotonline.com/news/vp-nw-drifwood-arch-20190920-ejge63ggfjg6nn4gnzdls3gpn4-story.html
You can also see the story covered by Wavy TV 10 here https://www.wavy.com/news/driftwood-arch-at-brock-environmental-center-goes-up-in-flames/
Photo taken Saturday Sept 7 ’19 508pm. High tide was 456pm here.
Photo taken Saturday Sept 7 ’19 508pm. High tide was 456pm here.
Photo taken Saturday Sept 7 ’19 508pm. High tide was 456pm here.
Where Dorian was at 5pm Saturday.
Photo taken high tide Monday 655pm.
Learn more at KingTide.WHRO.org:
Volunteer Opportunities
Ready to help? Sign up to be a (Volunteer) King Tide Mapper, King Tide Captain, or Tide Watcher.
And:
Hundreds more of you mapped again in 2018 along with lots of other first-time volunteers and many students from science classrooms throughout Hampton Roads.
Now, in year 3, we’re gearing up for even-bigger things. We’d like to beat our 2017 record and build momentum toward 1,000 volunteers in 2020. We also welcome you to join one of our newly forming year-round mapping teams.
View September 2019 Baylines Newsletter:
Next Meeting
Thursday, September 19, 2019 3:30 p.m.
Bayside Community Recreation Center
4500 First Court
***NOTE NEW LOCATION***
Lots & lots of news including:
Dredging ran out of Cape Henry sand, officials studying options
The sand replenishment project on Cape Henry Beach wrapped up short of reaching Oak Street because the contractor ran out of sand from dredging out the Lynnhaven Inlet, BAC commission member Phillip A. Davenport reported to the commission. “Nourishment is complete.”
Army Corps of Engineers’ contractors are still dredging in Long Creek and the spoils are being taken to the storage site off Maple Street. Dredging and replenishment projects involve specific sources for sand and destinations. The contract for the Cape Henry project ended Aug. 30., although city officials are looking at whether the stored sand on Maple Street can be used on eroded areas of Ocean Park or to add to the Cape Henry beach.
Decisions on that will depend on how Bay beaches fared during Hurricane Dorian.
Photo taken Saturday Sept 7 ’19 508pm. High tide was 456pm here.
Periodically we share updates from some really hard workers.
From an email by Skip Stiles of Wetlands Watch:
Looking like the storm surge and Friday afternoon’s high tide (4 pm here in Norfolk) will coincide – unfortunately. Wind from the NE starts cranking at noon Friday around 30 MPH. 1.5″ of rain on Thurs will be followed by another ~4.5 inches on Friday. Unfortunate coincidence of events.
Newest word from Jeff Orrock at NWS Wakefield is that the tidal waters are likely to hit 6.5 – 7 feet. That’s somewhere between Matthew (6 feet above Mean Lowe Low water) and Irene at 7.6 feet. Plan on 7 feet and hope for less? But the rain will be an issue on all those poorly draining streets and those places where stormwater lines bring water back up into the neighborhood.
Closings are already happening – ODU just announced a Friday closure.
ON THURSDAY – put your cars up somewhere higher if your street floods. Looks like we’ll get a pass on the wind – 30 MPH.
ON FRIDAY – stay home
…except you, Jeff. Thanks for the long hoursSo – Friday afternoon flooding will be bad = tidal flooding up to 7′ (getting close to Irene), rain flooding will be bad everywhere. Wind will not be that strong but downed trees limbs will be a reality. Kids will probably get the day off Friday, so stay home if you can.
Skip
(yes, I know it says 6.2 feet on this chart but if you’re smart you’ll plan for higher because it will probably go closer to 7′)
Click here to print the agenda – 8.26.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday August 26, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation – No presentation planned
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Dredging of Lynnhaven Inlet and Broad Bay Channel and Cape Henry Beach Replenishment – Update on project to be discussed. Lynnhaven Inlet and Beach Replenishment complete. Channel work continues.
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Starting Sept 6th, service switches to weekend only. Ridership numbers for July will be shared.
Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) – An urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives (usually 75%) and technical and educational assistance to property owners. The program has hired a consultant to help improve service and handle increased demand. The new point of contact will be shared at the meeting.
Dewberry Report Sea Level Rise and Stormwater – Community forums have concluded but an online survey can still be filled out. See SDCC website for more information. Additional community input will be sought toward the end of this year and beginning of 2020.
New Business –
City seeks input for Active Transportation Plan – The city is asking citizens to take a survey and provide input regarding the new 2020 Bikeways and Trails Plan new 2020. This is a great chance for Bayfront residents to add our concerns to the plan.
City to Begin Comprehensive Plan Update – The City has to update its Comprehensive Plan every 5 years and will be seeking public input. We have asked Mr. Mark Shea, City of VB Comprehensive Planning Coordinator, to attend our September meeting to discuss.
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday September 30, 2019***
The following is an email update from the US Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager regarding the Broad Bay Channel Dredging.
It is my understanding that the material being dredged from Broad Bay Channel with placement in Maple St. is beach quality sand. Historical maintenance dredging from Broad Bay Channel has been beach quality sand and based on recent site visits I have no reason to believe otherwise. I was out at the site last week and the material looked great for use as emergency sand on the Bayfront. A couple of pictures are attached for reference of the sand that is being stockpiled there currently.
The water in the site may look cloudy which may cause confusion and create the appearance of a lack of beach quality sand. This is just attributed to the slurry mixture of material that is created during the dredging operations. The sandy material settles out of the slurry leaving the quality sand in the site while the effluent water exits the site. We have been testing the effluent water while the Contractor has been working in Maple St. Tests have shown that the Contractor is within the effluent State water quality threshold requirements. The Contractor is currently letting the site dewater and will begin pumping into Maple St. again later this week as they continue dredging in Broad Bay Channel on the west side of the Bay Island/Great Neck Bridges.
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Regards,
Chris
Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012
E-scooters are a new shared mobility service in Virginia Beach that offer an additional transportation option for residents and guests. Data from your survey participation will add to the community’s voice in establishing policy that properly aligns the business of e-scooters with Virginia Beach’s expectations.
This survey will be open through Tuesday, 9/3/19.
Click here to take the City’s survey on eScooters – https://publicinput.com/E-Scooters
City Council voted this Tuesday to ban the use of eScooters (Lime, Bird, etc.) east of Artic Ave. For more details you can read about it in this Virginian-Pilot article
In addition the recent public input meetings held by the City of Virginia Beach, the City is asking citizens to take an online survey to help capture your ideas and comments on the Draft Sea Level Rise and Recurrent Flooding Plan. The survey can be found at the following link. Please feel free to share this survey with anyone else that may live or work in Virginia Beach.
Click here or on the image above to access the survey https://sites.wp.odu.edu/asert/vb2019/
The following notice was received from VB Alert system and is being passed on as an update to the previous post linked below to a fox attack on Wednesday in Cape Story along the Cape Henry trail. Previous post click here https://sdcc.info/2019/08/15/fox-attacks-jogger-along-cape-henry-trail-in-cape-story/
This is an emergency notification from the Virginia beach Department of Public Health. Please do not hang up. On Tuesday August 13, 2019, a rabid fox was found in the twenty two hundred block of Maple Street in the Cape Story by the Sea Subdivision. The fox tested positive for rabies after having an altercation with an adult on a bike path. The fox is now deceased. Rabies is 100% fatal if left untreated. If anyone in your household, including your pet, has had any exposure to stray or wild animals in this area within the past few weeks, please contact your physician or the Health Department at five one eight two seven zero zero between 8:15 to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Do not call 911 unless you have an emergency.
The City is asking citizens to participate in an online survey by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department on its 2020 “Active Transportation Plan.” The plan will focus on promoting safety and accessibility of walking and bicycling in Virginia Beach. The survey invites residents to provide feedback on their bicycling and walking habits, and it also includes an interactive map that will help determine where the greatest needs exists for a pedestrian and bicycle network throughout the city. To access the survey, click here https://tooledesign.github.io/5538.02_VAB_participation_map/
The following letter was sent to residents near Cape Henry and Lynnhaven Drive. If you live in this area or frequently travel these roads you may want to attend this meeting to see how the project may result in road closures.
The official letter can be found by clicking here Lynnhaven Drive Canal Drainage Imp._W_Attach (CIP-7-055.001)_2019-07-24.docx2
Subject: Lynnhaven Drive Canal Drainage Improvements (CIP-7-055.001)
Dear Property Owner:
This letter is to inform you the City of Virginia Beach Department of Public Works Operations will be performing dredging operations of Lynnhaven Drive Canal within the Lynnhaven Colony neighborhood area between October 30, 2019, and December 31, 2019, as part of the referenced project. The approximate limits between West Great Neck Road and Cape Arbor Drive bounded from the north Cape Henry Drive and 1,100 feet south to Lynnhaven Drive. The primary goal of the project is to proceed with the interim flood control drainage improvements for the Lynnhaven Drive Canal before the permanent flood control drainage improvements for the Lynnhaven Colony Neighborhood.
The City of Virginia Beach Public Works Operations, Public Works Engineering with Waterway, Surveys, and Engineering, Inc. will hold a public meeting to discuss the project including but not limited to project limits, daily hours of operations during the dredging operations, traffic control concerns, erosion and sediment control concerns, and other associated concerns with the proposed project.
The project team includes employees of the City of Virginia Beach Public Works Operations, Public Works Engineering, Waterway, Surveys, and Engineering, Inc., and Carolina Marine Structures. Members of the project team will be in your neighborhood performing the referenced work.
The dredging work will mainly be located within the City Drainage Easement, and City Right-of-Way but will include traffic control on Lynnhaven Drive for trucks entering the roadway during the construction hours of 9:00 am until 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday.
The place and time for the public meeting are August 20, 2019, at the City of Virginia Beach First Landing Fire and Rescue Station Number One located at 2837 Shore Drive Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm.
We are committed to conducting the dredging activities in the least disruptive way as possible. If you have any questions or concerns about the actions of the field personnel or other project issues, please contact Mr. Frank Janes directly at fjanes@vbgov.cokm or 385-4834 or Mr. Mark Jones at MAARJone@vbgov.com or 385-1470.
Sincerely,
Francis X. Janes, Jr.
Public Works Operations
The following is taken from an email update provided by the project coordinator….
It does not look like the Contractor will make it to Oak Street given the remaining volume they have in the turning basin in the re-dredge areas. Will have a better idea of things when I receive their daily report from today’s operations. They are quickly finishing up these areas and following the Government’s acceptance of the dredging work (may take about a week plus a couple of days max), will remove pipeline from Cape Henry Beach and be complete with this placement area.
Long Creek dredging will not be a part of this contract. We have a few dredging areas within Broad Bay Channel. The material from these dredging areas will be going to our upland placement site at Maple St. The site has been prepped to receive material and dredge pipeline is in place to being dredging in Broad Bay Channel. These operations will begin soon following the Contractor’s completion of dredging in the Basin. This will be 24/7 operations with specifications that the contractor, to the maximum extent practicable, limit or try to reduce noise from 7PM – 7AM.
There will be a dredge pipeline in Long Creek to transport dredged material from the Broad Bay Channel dredging areas, but this will be the only thing operational in Long Creek.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Chris
Christopher B. Tolson
Design Section, Operations Branch
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Office: (757) 201-7012
Virginia Beach Public Works has announced that crews began roadway improvements on Shore Drive beginning Sunday, August 11, 2019.
The project will include milling, paving and pavement marking improvements which will begin on Shore Drive, both eastbound and westbound lanes, from Greenwell Road to the Lesner Bridge
Crews will be working beginning at 7 p.m. and will end at 5 a.m. each day.
The project is expected to be completed by Friday, September 20, 2019.
The milling and paving operation is likely to produce traffic delays, congestion and some construction noise. Advanced warning signs will be clearly posted advising motorists of lane closures. Citizens are urged to use alternate traffic routes when possible.
All scheduled work is weather permitting.
Virginia Paving is the contractor for the project. For additional information, please contact Lonnie Minson with Virginia Paving at (757) 675-8714, or Dennis Simon at (757) 385-1470.
To read the official City news release, click here Shore Drive – Greenwell to Lesner – August 2019
Wedndesday Aug 14th at 5:20am a fox attacked a jogger along the Cape Henry bike trail. It appears the fox was later run over and killed by a car as it darted across one of the streets in Cape Story. The following comments were copied from a post in Nextdoor.com. The entire conversation can be found here https://nextdoor.com/news_feed/?post=120700051
I was jogging down the Shore Drive landside path this morning around 5:50am and a fox jumped me. I was somewhere around Oak or Maple heading toward Great Neck Road. I had to kick him 6-8 times, HARD, before he would stop coming after me. I did get bit and went to Beach General for shots, etc. Stay alert when on the path and be ready for anything when you see wildlife. Yep, that’s what the fox says…
I was leaving for work at 7:20 am this morning heading north on Wake Forest St just past Poinciana when a Fox ran straight towards my vehicle and under the front end. Sadly it died from the impact. Maybe the same one?
From a request:
If you have any photos of “good” and “bad” scooter riding or staging examples, please feel free to pass them along. I may use them in upcoming presentations. I have plenty from the Resort Area.
Thank you.
-BrianBrian S. Solis, AICP
Assistant to the City Manager – Special Projects
2101 Parks Avenue, Suite 500, Virginia Beach, VA, USA 23451
bsolis@vbgov.com | 757-385-2907
Please cc: tim@sdcc.info or todd@sdcc.info also so we can share them as well.
Photos only. No videos please.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will be holding a public input session at their upcoming community meeting at the Brock Center to gather input on their proposed new classroom building. The proposal is scheduled to go before the City’s Planning Commission on Wed Aug 14th. Input can be made at CBF’s meeting on Tuesday July 30th, see below.
How will the community be involved in the process?
CBF will seek local input on the proposed classroom in several ways, including hosting public discussions at the Brock Center, and holding meetings with community leaders, civic associations, and other community groups.
CBF’s next community meeting will be held at the Brock Center on Tuesday, July 30, from 7-9:00 p.m. Individuals can also provide input by contacting CBF Brock Center Manager Chris Gorri directly at cgorri@cbf.org.
Additional information can be found at https://sdcc.info/2019/01/01/vb-city-public-schools-and-cbf-are-partnering-on-a-new-environmental-science-program-for-high-school-students-which-will-be-based-at-cbfs-brock-environmental-center-in-ocean-park-people/
And from the following documents supplied by City Planning Department
BROCK CUP EXHIBIT-CUP – RENDERED
Lime Scooters have made there way on to the Shore Drive landscape. Social media has blown up with comments praising and condemning them. The Virginian-Pilot recently discussed the resulting impact of scooters with an increase in hospital injury visits https://pilotonline.com/news/local/article_747ba370-ad59-11e9-b1d1-4b34e57df79f.html
Police Precinct Captains Wichtendahl-2nd and Hatfield-3rd have graciously offered to attend our Monday July 29th SDCC meeting to talk to us about our concerns. They will also provide the current City requirements governing electric scooters in the Bayfront area. They will also update us on any City plans regarding the their future.
So if you have questions about rules of operation, parking requirements, who to call with problems, what can and can’t be done to regulate them, what can be done to make them safer for users and the community. Please come out Monday evening to discuss.
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 29, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Click here for a printable version of the agenda 7.29.19 SDCC Agenda
SDCC General Meeting Agenda
Monday July 29, 2019 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall – 3769 East Stratford Rd
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Officer’s Reports:
Secretary – Kathleen Damon
Treasurer’s Report –Tim Solanic
Vice President – Empsy Munden
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business-
Cape Henry Beach Replenishment – We have asked the USACE project manager for an update on project. Issues, Estimated Completion Date, etc.
4th of July Fireworks for Cape Henry Beach – The City never responded to the community request to take over the event, so as a result the show did not happen this year.
Shore Drive Improvements in Ocean Park – Updates and estimated completion date will be discussed.
New Business –
Route 35 Bayfront to Oceanfront Shuttle – Service will continue to operate until the end of September. HRT and the City have shared ridership numbers for May and June. We will discuss.
Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) – An urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives (usually 75%) and technical and educational assistance to property owners. SDCC is working with local VCAP organizers to have a presentation at our August meeting.
Dewberry Report Sea Level Rise and Stormwater – Community forums have been rescheduled. The remaining four meeting are listed below and more information can be found on our website. * are closest for Bayfront residents.
Monday, July 29, 6-8 PM — Creeds Elementary School, 920 Princess Anne Rd
*Tuesday, July 30, 6-8 PM — Thalia Elementary School, 421 Thalia Drive
Wednesday, July 31, 6-8 PM — Kellam High School, 2665 West Neck Road
*Saturday, August 3, 10 AM – 12 PM — Cox High School, 2425 Shorehaven Drive
Community Concerns– Please share any issues or concerns your groups/organizations may have at this time.
***Next SDCC Meeting – Monday August 26, 2019***
#WeLoveShoreDrive 