“That tree is just gorgeous,” Morrell said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
Since the residents’ petition surfaced, the city has delayed removing the tree and is seeking a second opinion, said Susan French, an arborist for Virginia Beach.
The resident who owns property impacted by the towering oak’s branches asked the city to inspect the tree a few months ago, French said.
Photo credit: Bill Tiernan | Virginian-Pilot
We’ll be discussing this tonight at our meeting.
Join us at Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad at 730pm!
SDCC General Meeting Agenda Monday August 28, 2017 from 7:30 to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall
(parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation –
Disaster Preparedness in Virginia Beach
Ms. Heather Gordon, Sr. Planner Office of Emergency Management, will discuss Virginia Beach’s plans on how to prepare and recover from potential natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. Come learn about the new “Know Your Zone” hurricane evacuation designations, Learn where the closest shelters are, Learn the best ways to prepare for a disaster. This meeting is open to the public, so bring a friend, your lives may depend on it.
Officer’s Reports: Secretary – David Williams; Treasurer’s Report -Kathy Pawlak; Vice President – Wally Damon;
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business- Bayfront Development Projects Update –
• Marina Shores Marina Apartments
• Bay Lake Assisted Living Facility Expansion
• Resort Conference Hotel Proposal to Convert to Assisted Living Facility
• Mermaid Winery
Community Rating System (CRS) Application to FEMA/HUD – The City Manager has sent a letter to FEMA requesting that Virginia Beach be evaluated for inclusion in the CRS program. Copy of letter is on http://www.sdcc.info
New Business – Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) News – Mr. Wally Damon will update us on the actions of the Bayfront Advisory Commission.
VB proposed changes to Route 35 and other bus services – The City’s transportation planners have presented City Council with a draft 2018 plan to improve the City’s mass transit by increasing frequency and reliability. How does this impact test route 35?
Boat Repair Shop Demolition – It appears that the demolition of the boat repair shop on Shore Drive in Ocean Park had little to no oversite from City zoning inspectors. No storm water inlet barricades were used, no protection fencing and other alledged violations were noted by residents. What actions can be taken to prevent this from happening again on future projects?
Community Concerns– General discussion of neighborhood and community concerns that may need SDCC attention. This is an opportunity for all to share information.
There is a lovely old (100-200 year old) Live Oak tree on Virginia Beach city property (in Chics Beach, corner of Chubb Lake & Bayview Avenues). The city has all but decided to take it down…
Draft of 2018 plan includes adding another bus to route to reduce frequency to 30 minutes from 45, and running Route 35 over to HRT transfer station at Pleasure House Road that would help expand service to JEB Little Creek.
Structural Scholars/Bridge Aficionados/Bored Readers Who Will Read This:
Just in case you are short on reading material for a Monday, and you’re asking yourself: “How can I be enlightened about the Lesner Bridge and the progress that we have been promised?” Rest your souls, for I present to you a quick update from Wojo the Kingfish of Bridges. You’ll be quite pleased to learn about the progress that is being made due to the diligent efforts of the crews and Kingfish and his trusty communications chump.
As always, we appreciate your questions and e-mails, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are regularly updating information on our WEB page at: http://www.vbgov.com/lesner-bridge. You can also follow us on Twitter at: @lesnerbridge.
If you know of someone who would like to be added to our update list, please have them get in touch with me at this e-mail address and I will be glad to add them. Please feel free to pass this along to others.
Thanks again for all of your interest and patience throughout this project. So . . . stay safe, look out for each other, and put the phone down while you’re driving.
*************************************************
Folks:
Since the movement of the gantry crane into position for the construction of the new eastbound Lesner Bridge last month, much progress has been made on the project.
Demolition of all the superstructure of the old bridges has been completed and most of the substructure (footings and pile foundations) of the old bridges have been removed. Work is continuing in the federal channel of the Lynnhaven Inlet to cut and remove the large submerged footings of the old bridges (old piers 14 and 15) located on either side of this channel and is expected to be completed by 8/15/2017.
Old Bridge Main Span Bridge Footing (Pier 14 WB) Loaded on Barge – NOTE the 12-inch cutoff piles
Old Bridge Main Span Bridge Footings (Piers 14 EB /WB and 15 WB) Loaded on Barge
The final placement of concrete for the backwall of Abutment A (west side of the bridge by the Lynnhaven Boat Ramps) was completed on July 21st and the first span (of 10) of the new eastbound bridge was completed on July 24th, 2017. The drilled shaft foundations, footings, and columns for bridges piers 1, 2, and 3 (of 9) have also been completed. Last week the contractor completed the foundation and footing for pier column 4 and plans and completed the column for this pier last Friday. Work is also continuing on the MSE (mechanically stabilized earth) walls located on both the eastern and western bridge approaches.
MSE Wall at the Scenic Overlook at Abutment A near the Lynnhaven Boat Ramps
We anticipate that only 1 or 2 more barge loads of bridge demolition structures remain to be delivered to Cabbage Patch Reef. For those of you that are interested, MAP Environmental has put together a great drone video of the placement of the old bridge materials into Cabbage Patch Reef.
Drilled shaft foundations continue to be installed for the foundation at pier column 5. Concrete placement for these shafts are being performed from the eastbound outside lane on the new bridge between the hours of 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM. The next anticipated lane closures for this concrete placement is on Wednesday and Thursday August 16th and 17th and on Wednesday and Thursday August 23rd and 24th.
In summary, the following work has been completed since our last project update in June:
· The two temporary steel girders have been removed from across Shore Drive and the western end of the new WB Lesner Bridge;
· Approximately 95% of the old Lesner Bridges have been demolished;
· The backwall at Abutment A has been completed;
· Span 1 of 10 for the new EB bridge has been completed and the gantry crane launched to Span #2;
· The footing for Pier #4 has been completed and the steel reinforcing for the pier column has been installed;
· MSE Wall #2 (near the Lynnhaven Boat Ramps) and Wall #3 (Scenic Overlook) have been constructed;
· 8 of the 10 drilled shafts for Pier #5 have been installed;
AMI, Inc. in Portsmouth, continues to build the superstructure of the new Lesner Bridge. A total of 162 of the 168 segments have been cast for the new eastbound bridge. It is expected that all bridge segments for the eastbound bridge will be cast by September 2017.
Aerial view of the bridge segment casting yard located at Atlantic Metrocast, Inc. in Portsmouth, VA (note the number of completed segments being stored for Lesner Bridge)
Over the next two weeks, the bridge contractor will:
· Complete Bridge Demolition with the removal of the eastern bridge abutments and remaining in-water concrete piles;
· Complete drilled shaft foundations at Pier #5;
· Mobilize material and equipment to Pier #6;
· Fill the western bridge approach to rough grade;
· Complete the construction of Span #2 and launch the gantry crane to Span #3;
· Complete Pier Column #4;
· Begin excavation for the leveling pad of the new MSE wall along the south side of Shore Drive between the new bridge and Vista Circle (in front of Lesner Inn);
· Begin installation of the steel “H” piles for the new bridge fender system on the south side of the new EB Lesner Bridge;
That’s it for now. Please drive safely!
-Chris
Christopher J. Wojtowicz, PE
Project Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Engineering Division
2405 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Office: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
Email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
Major construction is underway this year that will result in massive changes in how wastewater is treated in Virginia Beach and throughout Hampton Roads, phasing out the Chesapeake-Elizabeth treatment plant off Shore Drive, diverting wastewater to the Atlantic plant near Ocean Lakes and implementing a new technology that will return treated wastewater to the aquifer. . .
The current list of 2017 paid organizational members has been added to the website’s membership page. Dues are only $25 per organization and are for the calendar year January to December. If you don’t see your organization on the list, you are welcome to pay at our SDCC meetings or by sending a check to our mailing address.
3556 On the Bay
Aries on the Bay Civic League
Cape Henry Shores Civic League
Cape Henry Towers
Harbour Gate Owners Association
Lynnhaven Beach Condo Association
Lynnhaven Dunes Condo Association
Mariners Mark Condo Association
North Shore Condo Association
Ocean Park Civic League
Seagate Colony
Seashell Villa Condo Association
Ship’s Watch Condo Association
Westminster-Canterbury
Amazing and wonderful things just keep happening for our Bayfront Community. The Virginian-Pilot recently reported that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and Pleasure House Brewing will partner to create a new beer for CBF’s 50th Anniversary.
To read the entire article at pilotonline.com, click the intro below
Congratulations to Dockside and CP Shuckers, two local Shore Drive restaurants, for placing 1st and 2nd in a recent Virginian Pilot taste test. Just another reason to love our Bayfront Community.
You can read the Pilot article by clicking the intro link below:
From an email about tree inventory & parking lot design revision:
The parking layout provides 2 ADA parking spaces with the required access aisle area between the two spaces. The minimum access aisle between ADA spaces for vans is 8ft so that is why it appears to be able to accommodate 3 vehicles. The ADA spaces are on the east side of the drive aisle. The 3 parking areas for 15 minute only to drop off equipment are on the west side of the drive aisle.
We do not have a separate tree inventory. The consultant was asked to survey the location and size of trees 2” caliper and larger in the area of the construction entrance/parking lot and provide that information on a plan sheet.
From an email about ADA requirements:
The ADA standards do not have a specific chapter addressing kayak launches. We use Chapter 2 Section 235 as a guide for the parking requirements. Then follow the applicable requirements in Chapters 2, 5 and 10 for accessible routes, parking space sizes, etc.
Section 206 addresses the accessible routes required
Section 208 addresses the “shortest accessible route” requirement between the facility and the parking.
Section 235 addresses the parking requirements for “Recreational Boating Facilities”. The parking requirements are based on a marina’s number of boat slips. We are required to provide 1 ADA space. Providing 2 spaces seemed reasonable given the minimal amount of space needed to add the second parking stall and the likely use of a fully ADA accessible launch site in this area of the Lynnhaven.
SDCC General Meeting Agenda Monday July 31, 2017 from 7:30 to 9:00pm Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive)
Special Presentation – Proposed Urban Winery on Shore Drive – Jennifer Eichert, owner and operator of Mermaid Winery in Norfolk, will discuss her plans to open a winery at 4365 Shore Drive. The plans include an outside seating area with fire pits and a tasting room that will be available for private parties. The project was scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on July 12th.
Officer’s Reports
Secretary – David Williams
Treasurer’s Report -Kathy Pawlak
Vice President – Wally Damon
President – Todd Solomon
Old Business- Route 35, Bayfront Shuttle – Update on ridership numbers and HRT’s ideas to expand and make this route more effective. Thoughts and feedback welcomed. Send comments to Todd@sdcc.info Comments will be collected and forwarded to City and HRT.
Pleasure House Point Management Plan – City Staff met with an Ocean Park Civic League steering committee to discuss the planned parking lot, ADA requirements and the wetland mitigation bank.
New Business – Bayfront Advisory Commission (BAC) News – Mr. Wally Damon will update us on the actions of the Bayfront Advisory Commission.
Bay Lake Assisted Living Facility Expansion – The owners of Bay Lake plan to expand by adding new buildings to their vacant lot at the corner of First Court and Shore Drive. The plan requires a Conditional Use Permit and may be heard by the Planning Commission as early as August. The site layout shows an entrance off Shore Drive across from Indian Hill Rd and another off First Court.
Resort Conference Hotel Proposal to Convert to Assisted Living Facility – VB Planning received a Conditional Use Permit application for the transition of the VB Resort and Conference Center to become Housing for Seniors and Disabled Persons. The request is to specifically convert the hotel into independent, assisted and memory care units. A hearing may be as early as September.
Community Concerns and Suggestions – General discussion of neighborhood and community concerns that may need SDCC attention. This is an opportunity for all to share information.
Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Henry Area Fort Story to Starfish Road Including First Landing State Park
The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health has issued a swimming and wading advisory for the Cape Henry area of Virginia Beach between Fort Story and Starfish Road, including First Landing State Park. Recent testing conducted by the Health Department showed that bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as Enterococcus, the indicator of choice in estuarine and marine waters.
“The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean, and we test them weekly from May through September,” said Heidi Kulberg, M.D., director of the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health. “On the occasions when waters fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.”
Signs will be posted on the beach between Fort Story and Starfish Road to alert the public of the swimming and wading advisory. The signs will read:
WARNING! SWIMMING ADVISORY
Bacteria levels do not meet state water quality standards
Swimming and wading are prohibited until further notice
Virginia Beach has conducted these tests since the mid-1970s. Health officials will continue testing the site until the water quality meets the state water quality standards. When the sampling test results meet the standards, the signs will be removed.
Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the extent of the fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness, as well as skin, eye and respiratory infections.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” said Kulberg. “Typically an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to safe levels.”
Plans for the winery in a vacant restaurant building on Shore Drive near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel include an outside seating area with fire pits. A tasting room will be available for private parties.
“It’s a good fit,” said Jimmy McNamara, staff planner for the city.
Shore Drive Bike Facilities CIP 2-300.101
• EB & WB On road bike lanes from Diamond Springs Road to
Northampton Boulevard, approx. 3 miles.
• Completed February 2017
• Total Project Cost: $4.4M
Crab Creek & Long Creek Dredging CIP 8-011 • Spot dredging to address shoaling
• Completed February 2017 • Total Project Cost: $285K
Lynnhaven Inlet Maintenance Dredging • Minor dredging to address shoaling
• Completed August 2016
• Annualized Payments to USACE – $363K
CIP 8-013
What began as a low-tech way for the city to allow handicapped people to access the beach on a golf cart has exploded into a full-fledged epidemic at Ocean Park, resident Mike Wills told the Bayfront Advisory Commission.
Golf cart drivers have obtained an “accommodation letter” from the city manager’s office which, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, allows the letter-hold with certified disability to drive to and on the beach, City Manager David Hansen wrote Wills about this issue.
“Individuals must have the original reasonable accommodation letter and their driver’s license on them at all times and present such documentation for inspection upon the request of any lifeguard, city official or police officer. The letters are not transferrable or assignable to another individual,” the city manager wrote. . .
Last week we successfully accomplished a major milestone in the project – moving the gantry crane from the north side of Shore Drive to the south side of Shore Drive and into position to begin assembly of the eastbound bridge superstructure segments. To do this, we had to close Shore Drive and setup a long detour until the move could be completed. The last piece of this move is to remove the two beams that are currently located on the western end of the bridge crossing Shore Drive.
Unlike the first two phases of this gantry crane move, a detour WILL NOT be required to remove these two beams. NEXT Thursday July 6th, beginning at 12:01 AM and ending at 4:00 AM – Shore Drive at Lesner Bridge will be reduced to a single lane and a flagger operation will control the direction of traffic across the bridge. Therefore, motorists should be PREPARED TO STOP on their approach to the bridge during this time period.
Bridge crossing delays of up to 15 minutes should be expected and motorists may want to plan an alternate route while these two beams are removed.
Area of Work and Restricted Traffic on Lesner Bridge July 6, 2017 12:00 AM to 4:00 AM
Please note that on Wednesday July 5th, beginning at 10:00 PM Shore Drive at Lesner Bridge will be reduced to a single lane in each direction in preparation for the flagger operation that will begin at midnight.
We appreciate your patience regarding these traffic interruptions along Shore Drive at Lesner Bridge!
Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day! …and of course Please Drive Safely!
-Chris
Christopher J. Wojtowicz, PE
Project Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Engineering Division
2405 Courthouse Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Office: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
Email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
Later, the victim’s brother and mom were called by an unknown person saying they’d found the victim’s belongings and wanted to return them. The victim called that number, but did not get a response.
No one has been arrested in connection with the assault and robbery. Anyone with information on these crimes should call the Virginia Beach Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 