It only seemed fitting with 12 days until Christmas and the recent Lesner Bridge update (minus the speed bump fix)…..
#LESNERBRIDGE update from Project Manager – We hope that this project update will assure you that crossing the Lesner Bridge during this busy time will be a “non-event”.
December 12 2014 UPDATE:
Friends:
I am sure that many of you are busy with your holiday shopping and planning for all kinds of events over the next several weeks as we approach the end of 2014. We hope that this project update will assure you that crossing the Lesner Bridge during this busy time will be a “non-event”.
Let’s start with GOOD news:
For these next two weeks there are no scheduled daytime lane closures within the Lesner Bridge project limits.
Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) has completed their work on the existing sanitary sewer forcemain in WB Shore Drive and will require no further lane closures. HRSD has de-mobilized their construction crews located at Shore Drive/Rockbridge Road and at Shore Drive/Kleen Street.
As for the latest bridge construction progress:
Ø Construction of the new bridge abutment “A” continues on the west side of the Lynnhaven Inlet. The first concrete pour on the new bridge abutment took place on Wednesday, October 29th. Placement of the reinforcing steel and formwork for the second tier of the abutment will take place the week of November 3rd. The last concrete placement for this bridge abutment is taking place today, December 12th.
Ø All of the drilled shafts at Piers 1 and 2 of the new westbound (WB) bridge have been installed. Over the next two weeks the contractor will continue with drilled shaft installation at Pier #3, the first in-water pier to be constructed on this project. Concrete placement for the foundation cap at Pier #1 is also taking place today, December 12th.
Ø Work on the WB bridge approach in front of 3556 On the Bay condos (Shore Drive/East Stratford Street) continues. The concrete retaining wall, utilities, and temporary wire wall are all being installed concurrently at this location. As the grade in this area is built up to plan elevations, folks should begin to see how much higher the new bridge will be. The top of the wooden formwork for Abutment A will be the new elevation of the bridge deck.
Ø Work on the WB bridge approach next to the old Duck Inn property (Shore Drive/Page Avenue) also continues. A portion of the concrete footing for the new retaining wall has been poured and the area prepared for the placement of the pre-cast concrete retaining wall panels. Work on the new seawall (closer to the water’s edge) has begun within this area.
The City is coordinating their seawall construction with the private construction contractor building the private seawall on the Point Chesapeake property. The City’s seawall starts at the right-of-way line located north of Shore Drive and will continue south until it connects to the existing bulkhead located south of Shore Drive at the Maryland Pilots Association. The private seawall connects to the City’s seawall at the right of way line and continues north along the dune line towards Cape Henry Towers.
The temporary bulkhead at the Lynnhaven Dredge Material Storage Site (LDMSS) continues. The tie-back system and placement of all the reinforcing steel on the new bulkhead is now complete. Approximately half of the concrete cap has been place on the bulkhead. Work will continue on the bulkhead over the next several weeks to form and place the remainder of the bulkhead cap.
As a final note, the construction contractor will not be working over the holidays; and no work will take place on the project between December 24th, 2014 through January 5th, 2015.
That’s it for now. Have a safe driving weekend!
-Chris
Christopher J. Wojtowicz, P.E.
Project Manager
City of Virginia Beach
Department of Public Works
Municipal Center-Bldg 2
2405 Court House Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23456-9031
Phone: (757) 385-5785
Fax: (757) 385-5668
email: cwojtowi@vbgov.com
No update on “speed bump” in slow lane on east side of #LESNERBRIDGE at Vista Circle as you can see.
Screen shot of construction cam photo taken at 1130am DEC12 2014
“City Seeks Input on Virginia Beach’s Elderly and Disabled Real Estate Tax Relief Program”
To ensure City Council receives the best possible recommendations, the Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Taskforce is requesting input from Virginia Beach citizens through Virtual Town Hall. A short survey has been posted whereby citizens are asked to provide feedback on their knowledge of the Elderly and Disabled Real Estate Tax Relief Program and what they think the perimeters should be. The topic will be available on Virtual Town Hall for public input until 5:00 p.m. on January 9, 2015.
To view the Elderly and Disabled Real Estate Tax Relief Program click here.
Participate in Town Hall by starting here.
This topic has an introduction from the City of Virginia Beach, 25 visitors and 11 responses. The deadline for participation is 12:00 AM on January 9, 2015.
That morning, he’d passed out printed copies of insulting emails about her and was cussing and yelling in the lobby of the Chesapeake House condos on Shore Drive, where they had once shared a home and where Tammy still lived. “It’s not going to stop,” the woman said that day, Dec. 22, 2013. “He said he was going to kill her.”
A follow up at Pilotonline.com.
Forty-five minutes later, Tammy was dead. Dennie had shot her before killing himself.
In the days and hours leading up to the deaths, Dennie was broadcasting his problems, devastated by the breakup of his marriage. A family member says Dennie sought help through the military, and Tammy had called police less than a week before to report his threat of suicide.
Public Info Meeting about offshore wind power. “The BOEM meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 17, 2014, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, 717 General Booth Boulevard, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the proposed Virginia Offshore Wind Technology Advancement Project. The EA addresses the societal and environmental consequences associated with the construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommission of the turbines and cables that will deliver power to shore in Virginia Beach. The impacts of noise, presence of structures, bottom disturbance, vessel traffic, and onshore activities are considered.
The comment period is open until January 2. Submission details are listed on the BOEM website. For more information, BOEM will conduct a public information meeting to explain the proposed activities analyzed in the EA and provide additional opportunity for public comment.
“To prevent future losses of these endangered sea animals, the Stranding Response Team asks all citizens to be on the lookout for turtles during the colder months. If you encounter a stranded sea turtle, no matter its condition, call the 24-hour hotline at (757) 385-7575.”
Filing Service SCAM may target Incorporated Civic Leagues and Associations as well as Businesses
The state is warning business owners about a private firm sending solicitations that look similar to annual forms required by the State Corporation Commission.
The mailings, from an entity called the Virginia Council for Corporations, ask business owners to return a form, along with a check for $125.
To read the entire Virginian-Pilot article, please click here
There is no reason to use this service and the State is not accepting the documents. Please do not pay them for anything.
Healthy live oak cut down on Shore Drive & Kleen Street
Any one know why the Official City Tree, the live oak, was cut down?
Update:
Tim, it had a big vertical fissure in the trunk and rot inside. Susan said that pedestrians were in potential danger.
“Police arrested a man for breaking into cars in a Virginia Beach neighborhood, and it was a 10 On Your Side report that helped bring him to justice.”
There was a reason why Browne wanted to show 10 On Your Side his home surveillance video from late October.
McLean Contracting fact sheet for #LESNBERBRIDGE
Very informative.
View the 22 page PDF at McLean Contracting website.
Download the 22 page PDF Fact Sheet here.
Zoomed in photo from December 2 2014 at 1130a
“Complete Streets are streets for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete Streets make it easy to cross the street, walk to shops, and bicycle to work. They allow buses to run on time and make it safe for people to walk to and from train stations.”
Virginia Beach Adopts Complete Streets Policy
Woo hoo!
The purpose of the Complete Streets Policy is to improve the Virginia Beach transportation system by providing safe, attractive travel for all users through a system of connected transportation choices designed in harmony with adjacent land uses.
View Press Release at VBGov.com.
Learn more about Complete Streets Policy at VBGov.com.
“Later, a group of six or so great egrets flew in a graceful dance over the water, sparkling in the sunlight. Four of the beauties settled in a treetop as if to give the photographers a chance for shots. Since 2012, 144 species of birds have been reported at Pleasure House Point. More than 20 species were seen at last week’s bird walk, including the great big rare Brock Center species.”
Read all of Mary Reid Barrow’s article here.
The bird walk was one of several scheduled through the year by Lynnhaven River Now and led by Steve Coari, an expert birder from the Virginia Beach Audubon Society.
More about Lynnhaven River NOW at LRNow.org.
Visit Virginia Beach Audubon Society page for Pleasure House Point to learn more about bird sightings at PHP.
Photo Credit: Tim Solanic on a different trip.
“LRNow is turning mere peasants into royalty this holiday season!”
For All of Our
Oyster Kings and QueensLRNow is turning mere peasants into royalty this holiday season!
Gift your loved ones with an Oyster Castle at the Laskin Gateway Project, to be constructed spring 2015. We need 420 castle blocks to build our oyster kingdom, and they are available for purchase at $10 per block or $250 for a whole castle.You will receive an acknowledgement card to give to the recipient and all donors and recipients will be listed in our quarterly newsletter. To purchase a castle for your king or queen click here, call us at 757-962-5398, or stop by our office.
“The city is moving forward on a long-awaited sand replenishment project for Chic’s Beach, starting with collecting “public beach” releases from the neighborhood’s waterfront property owners.”
View article at Pilotonline.com.
The release states that a property owner agrees the portion of the land between the dune or the bulkhead line and the water is a public beach. The owner gives the city permission to dump sand on it and agrees not to impede public access.
City officials met with Chic’s Beach residents about the project and the release form last month. They’ll need consent from the owners of roughly 140 properties stretching about a mile from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek to Joyce Avenue.
Chic’s Beach resident Taylor Sharpe and his dog Sandy walk the beach there at high tide on Aug. 28, 2011, after the departure of Hurricane Irene. Waves from the Chesapeake Bay lap at the pilings of the waterfront homes on Ocean View Avenue in this section of Virginia Beach. (Vicki Cronis-Nohe | The Virginian-Pilot)
“Your $150 contribution will support the Brock Environmental Center and CBF’s work in Hampton Roads. This is your opportunity to have your name included on the special “Raise the Roof” wall inside the Brock Environmental Center’s conference room.”
“Join us at Adaptive Planning for Flooding and Coastal Change in Virginia: Next Steps for the Commonwealth, where the dialogue will move forward by sharing the resolutions made to date”
Learn more at VA Coastal Policy Clinic at W&M Law School event page.
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Friday, December 5th 2014
8:30am – 5pm
Miller Hall (Mason School of Business)
101 Ukrop Way
Williamsburg, VA 23185
SDCC General Meeting Agenda – Monday November 24th at 7:30pm
Click here for a printable version of the agenda SDCC Agenda NOV 24 2014
Shore Drive Community Coalition General Meeting
Monday November 24, 2014
7:30-8:30 pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station
(Intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Rd.)
Call to order:
Meeting topic: General discussion on various Shore Drive issues
- Overview and Updates on Comprehensive Plan
- Neighborhood Dredging Program (permanent bulkhead implications for Crab Creek area, transfer sites, program issues)
- Recurrent Flooding Study – 3 year mapping study, is that too long to wait for community input?
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Brock Environmental Center – Unplugged and Open
- Naming of New Bridge – Discussion regarding process and Chic’s Beach campaign for Admiral Jeremiah Denton Memorial Bridge
Officers’ Reports: President’s Report David Williams
Vice President’s Report Rick Mercadante
Secretary’s Report Todd Solomon –October Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Paulette Hruska
Old Business: See meeting topics
New Business: SDCC elections for 2015 and Open Floor
Adjourn
Next SDCC- Monday December 29, 2014
7:30pm @ Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station
Please check www.sdcc.info for more information on area news and events
“Residents of adjoining neighborhoods, especially on Broad Bay Island, were worried about the proposal at first, said Kal Kassir, a member of the Broad Bay Island Civic League. They didn’t want an industrial enterprise – envisioned as ugly, noisy and smelly – plunked down in the middle of their quiet neighborhood. They changed their minds after meeting with Lynnhaven River Now.”
Read entire article at Pilotonline.com.
Oysters are good at cleaning sediment and bacteria out of waterways, which makes them great a cleaning rivers. The goal of the Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center – rendering of the property at left – is to introduce new oysters to the Lynnhaven River to clean it and meet state and federal water-quality standards.
The Lynnhaven Aquaculture Center is on the agenda tonight for City Council meeting.
#WeLoveShoreDrive 