Monday Morning 6:45pm Launch of Wallops Island Orb-3 Rocket to Space Station

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Please note the correction in launch time, correct time is 6:45 PM on  Monday

According to a Virginian-Pilot article, click here to read to read more.

The next commercial resupply rocket launch to the International Space Station is scheduled for Monday.  The Antares rocket will launch at 6:45 p.m. from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and is expected to rendezvous with the space station on Nov. 2, a NASA news release says.

Residents along Shore Drive should be able to see the rocket to the North East (NE) about one minute after launch from the horizon up to 20 degrees above.

 

ORB-3%20Launch%20Viewing%20Map%20-%20Elevation

         ORB-3_First_Sight_mini

 

For more information about the launch go to the Orbital website.

The launch will be broadcast on NASA TV and streamed online.

You can follow the launch on Twitter @orbitalsciences and on Facebook.

 

 

 

Virginia Beach City Council voted in favor of reducing the number of balloon releases from 49 to 0! It will be included in the state legislative package next year.

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Thanks to the public’s response and to City Council for voting in favor of recommending to the Virginia Legislature to make releasing helium balloons illegal.

Photo grabbed from Lynnhaven River NOW Facebook post about this great news

Photo grabbed from Lynnhaven River NOW Facebook post about this great news

LRNow sez:

We are so inspired by everyone’s response to this! Thank you all for understanding what an unfortunate menace balloons have been, since we know what a delicate and emotional issue this can be. We endorse “bubbles, not balloons!”

From Legislative Package:

23. BAN THE RELEASE OF MORE THAN TEN (10) BALLOONS
SPONSORED BY COUNCIL MEMBER, BARBARA M. HENLEY
Background Information:
The Virginia Code currently allows the release of up to fifty (50) balloons an hour. However, balloons are a substantial threat to waterfowl and the environment and allowing the release of 49 balloons seems excessive. Balloons are a significant part of the litter collected from most waterways.
Request:
The General Assembly is requested to amend the Code of Virginia as follows:
§ 29.1-556.1. Release of certain balloons prohibited; civil penalty
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly release or cause to be released into the atmosphere any balloon which is (i) made of a nonbiodegradable or nonphotodegradable material, including any material which requires more than five minutes’ contact with air or water to degrade and (ii) inflated with a substance which is lighter than air. Any person who violates this section shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed five dollars per balloon released, which shall be paid into the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing Endowment Fund established pursuant to § 29.1-101.1.
B. The provisions of this section shall not apply to (i) balloons released by or on behalf of any agency of the Commonwealth, or the United States or pursuant to a contract with the Commonwealth, the United States, or any other state, territory or government for scientific or meteorological purposes or (ii) hot air balloons that are recovered after launch.

Previously at SDCC.info.

Join us for our Meeting Monday October 27th at 730pm at Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, includes Project Manager for Lesner Bridge Q & A

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Click here for a printable version of the agenda MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2014

MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2014
Shore Drive Community Coalition

SDCC General Meeting
MONDAY 27 OCT 2014

7:30-8:30 pm

Where: Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station (Intersection of 3769 Shore Drive and East Stratford Rd.)

Call to order:

Meeting topic: Lesner Bridge Construction Project
Presented by Chris J. Wojtowicz
Project Manager, City of Virginia Beach

Officers’ Reports:President’s Report David Williams
Vice President’s report Rick Mercadante
Secretary’s Report Todd Solomon –SEPT Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Paulette Hruska

Old Business
New Business

Adjourn

Next SDCC- Monday November 24, 2014
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Center

Please check http://www.sdcc.info for more information on area news and events

Zoomed screen shot of Construction Cam photo taken at noon on Oct 21 2014

Zoomed screen shot of Construction Cam photo taken at noon on Oct 21 2014

“Every five years, Virginia Beach takes a new look at its long-term plan for growth and development. It’s called the Comprehensive Plan, “It’s Our Future,” and we need your input.”

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That means you!

One of the reasons you still have time to comment is the work that Shore Drive Community Coalition – your neighbors – does to ensure We The People have a stronger voice.

Updates, info & more at VBGov.com.
Virtual Town Hall to share your input now. IMG_1347.JPG

Have a voice in your neighborhood now!

#LESNERBRIDGE update from Project Manager – includes notice of lane closures next week October 17th 2014 Update

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October 17 2014 UPDATE:

Expect more daytime lane closures today, as well as Monday and Tuesday of next week on eastbound Shore Drive between East Stratford Street and the Lesner Bridge.

Today, October 17th and Monday October 20th, the electrical contractor will complete the boring of the new electrical conduit beneath East Stratford Street from the Sushi Restaurant to J&A Racing. Then on Tuesday October 21st the contractor will repair several potholes that have formed on Shore Drive east of East Stratford Street.

*** This work will require a SINGLE LANE CLOSURE on eastbound Shore Drive between East Stratford Street and the Lesner Bridge between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm for each day of work.

During this work, a police officer will be located at the intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Street to assist with vehicles entering and leaving East Stratford Street from Shore Drive.

The last project update mentioned that several recently placed concrete traffic barriers located on westbound Shore Drive between Page Avenue and the Lesner Bridge had to be replaced and would also require a daytime westbound lane closure to do this work. In lieu of replacement, the contractor is considering repair of these three temporary barriers. Because of that, no daytime lane closure on westbound Shore Drive at Page Avenue is planned at this time.

As for the latest progress:

Construction of the new bridge abutment “A” continues on the west side of the Lynnhaven Inlet. Formwork for the new westbound bridge abutment is now being constructed and is expected to be completed by October 24th. Concrete for the new abutment will likely be placed the week of October 27th.

Two of the four 4’ diameter x 95’ deep shafts have already been constructed at bridge Pier #2. Construction of the two remaining shafts at Pier #2 will be completed by the week of October 20th.

The temporary bulkhead at the Lynnhaven Dredge Material Storage Site (LDMSS) continues. The tie-back system on the new bulkhead will begin to be installed the week of October 20th and is anticipated to be complete by Friday, October 24th. The formwork for the concrete cap on the temporary bulkhead will likely be completed by October 31st.

Grading and preparation of the new westbound bridge approach located on the east side of the bridge between Page Avenue and the existing bridge abutment continues. The contractor is currently excavating the foundation for the new retaining wall that will be installed between 3556 On the Bay Condominiums and Shore Drive.

They also are continuing to install wick drains in the westbound bridge approach area between Page Avenue and the bridge. (“Wick Drains” are being used to accelerate the consolidation of a soft, compressible clay layer that exists approximately 50 feet below grade. As we place select fill material to build up the new bridge approaches, we want to accelerate and greatly increase the consolidation and settlement of this soft layer prior to building the new roadway).

We will continue to keep you informed of our progress as we move forward with this important project.

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

Zoomed in screen shot of construction cam photo taken at 2pm OCT17 2014

Zoomed in screen shot of construction cam photo taken at 2pm OCT17 2014

Bird Walks at Pleasure House Point

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Sunday, October 19
Friday, October 24 and
Sunday, October 26,
All are 7:30 AM

Enjoy the early morning beauty of Pleasure House Point when the birds are the most active.
We will meet on Marlin Bay Drive at 7:30 AM and enjoy a pleasant ninety-minute walk with a birding expert from the Audubon Society. These programs are free but we prefer that you preregister with Dana@LRNow.org or 757-962-5398.

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City Council Candidates Forum Monday, October 20, 6-8:30 PM VB Oberndorf Central Library

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City Council Candidates Forum
Monday, October 20, 6-8:30 PM
VB Oberndorf Central Library

Vote Button On Tuesday, November 4, we will be electing seven new members to our City Council. Come to our Forum at the Central library on Monday, October 20th to hear all the candidates’ positions of issues of interest to you.

Co-sponsored by the Princess Anne Garden Club, the Virginia Beach Garden Club, the Back Bay Restoration Foundation, and the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations.

No pre-registration is required. For more information, 757-962-5398 or Karen@LRNow.org.

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#LESNERBRIDGE update from Project Manager – includes notice of lane closures next week

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October 10th 2014 update:

Last week we sent out an update on the progress of the Lesner Bridge construction. Before we give you the latest update, we want to let you know now about upcoming lane closures.

On Monday, October 13th and Tuesday October 14th, the electrical contractor will be boring new electrical conduit beneath East Stratford Street from the Sushi Restaurant to J&A Racing. Then on Wednesday October 15th and Thursday October 16th, the electrical contractor will bore beneath Shore Drive from the Sushi Restaurant to the corner near 3556 On the Bay.

*** This work will require a LANE CLOSURE on eastbound Shore Drive between DuPont Circle and East Stratford Street between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm for each day of work.

During this work, a police officer will be located at the intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Street to assist with vehicles entering and leaving East Stratford Street from Shore Drive.

Also, no specific day was given by the contractor, but one lane of westbound Shore Drive will be temporarily closed next week from Page Avenue to the existing bridge so that several of the recently placed concrete barriers can be replaced.

This lane closure, when it happens, will take place sometime between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. As soon as we get a firm date and time, we will send out the information to you.

As for the latest progress:

As of today, all of the drilled shafts for the new bridge abutment “A” and Pier #1 located just east of 3556 On the Bay condominiums have been completed. Equipment has been relocated to Pier #2 and drilling of the shafts at Pier #2 has begun. It is expected that all of the drilled shafts for Pier #2 will be completed by the week of October 20th.

Just in case some of you were wondering, spacing between the pier centerlines is 150 feet, except for the center span of the new bridge. Pier spacing at the center span is 225 feet.

The temporary bulkhead at the Lynnhaven Dredge Material Storage Site (LDMSS) continues. The deadmen for the tie-back system on the new bulkhead has been installed and formwork for the concrete cap continues to be installed. This work will continue through at least the week of October 20th.

Grading and preparation of the new westbound bridge approach located on the east side of the bridge between Page Avenue and the existing bridge abutment continues. Over the next two weeks the excavation contractor will be preparing this area, as well as the area between East Stratford Street and the existing bridge, for the new retaining wall that will be located on the north side of Shore Drive.

This bridge project will also relocate and replace the existing traffic signals located at either end of the bridge; one at Shore Drive/East Stratford Street and one at Shore Drive/Vista Circle/Page Avenue. The work will take place in phases over the next several months.

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

Emphasis ours.

screen shot of Construction Cam from today at 730a

screen shot of Construction Cam from today at 730a

Today Show shows off yoga on Chic’s Beach at sunrise

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More coverage about arrest of man from Sunday hit & run, chase …

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WAVY.com

A full list of Palma’s charges can be found below:

1. No Virginia safety inspection
2. Fail to display license plates
3. Operating an unregistered vehicle
4. Display fictitious registration
5. No liability insurance
6. Driving while suspended/revoked 7th offense within 10 years
7. Possession of stolen plates
8. Felony hit and run on a marked State Police car
9. Hit and run on property exceeding $10,000
10. Felony elude

13NewsNow.com

Online court records show his arraignment is at 2 p.m.

Pilotonline.com

A man faces 10 charges after a police pursuit Sunday that included crashes into a Virginia State Police car and two other vehicles along with a fence and a jet ski trailer.

APPREHENDED! “Palma is being held without bond at the Virginia Beach jail.”

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News & video at WTKR.com.

State Police with the assistance of Virginia Beach Police, searched for the suspect to no avail.

Virginia Beach Police say Sam A. Palma II was arrested on Thursday, October 9th around 8:00 p.m.

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VB City Council Forums coming up. VOTE!

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Forum Dates & Times

Thursday October 9

6:30 to 8:30pm Atlantic Shores Baptist Church Forum
1861 Kempsville Road
Virginia Beach

Saturday October 11

8am to 9:30am Virginia Beach Republican Breakfast Forum
Westin Town Center

Wednesday October 15

7pm to 8:30pm John Fredericks Debate
Tidewater Community College
Virginia Beach Campus Student Center (Third Floor),
1700 College Crescent, Virginia Beach

Thursday, October 16

7:00pm Bellamy Manor & Stratford Chase
City Council Candidate Forum
Kempsville Middle School
860 Churchill Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23464

Monday October 20

6:00pm to 8:30pm Lynnhaven River Now Forum
Virginia Beach Central Library
Virginia Beach Blvd.

Wednesday October 29

7:00pm to 8:30pm Farm Bureau Forum
1507 Princess Anne Road
Dick Cottrell Youth Arena
Pungo

Any corrections, please let us know.

Surveillance camera from Froggies captures high speed chase from Sunday

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Link at YouTube.
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Note smoke in upper right.

View coverage at WAVY.com.

Authorities continue to search for a driver they say led State Police on a wild chase before smashing into several vehicles at a shopping center and fleeing the scene on foot.

Video & story on Channel 3 & 10 tonight.

#LESNERBRIDGE 1 lane both directions

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We do not know why or for how long.

That being said, the next anticipated lane closure related to the bridge work will occur on westbound Shore Drive between the bridge and Page Avenue next Monday, October 6th and Tuesday October 7th.

Please spread the word.

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SUSPECT IN OCEAN PARK NOT APPREHENDED re: State Police chase from several hours ago that ended on Shore Drive

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State Police shared:

    Public Information Officer is working “with media” to get out a description of suspect.

Come join us today, Friday October 3, from 2pm-7pm at Ocean Park Rescue Squad, 3769 East Stratford Road Virginia Beach, VA 23455, to donate blood and help save a life! We can’t wait to see you there!

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Walk ins accepted.

TODAY

TODAY

#LESNERBRIDGE update from Project Manager – “To begin this update, the project team has received a number of requests from citizens to have more consistent project updates.”

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The October 2 2014 update:

To begin this update, the project team has received a number of requests from citizens to have more consistent project updates. We are glad to do that, so each week we will send out an update that includes a two-week “look ahead” schedule so that everyone will know what impacts from the project can be expected – including any lane closures.

With the recent lane shift on westbound Shore Drive at Page Avenue, we have completed our Phase 2 Maintenance of Traffic (MOT). This will be the new traffic pattern for at least the next 12-14 months while we build the new westbound Lesner Bridge.

Any DAYTIME lane closures that are needed will be setup by 9:00 AM and removed by 3:00 PM the same day. NIGHTIME lane closures, when they occur, will be from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

That being said, the next anticipated lane closure related to the bridge work will occur on westbound Shore Drive between the bridge and Page Avenue next Monday, October 6th and Tuesday October 7th. This closure is only temporary and is needed so that the contractor can install concrete barrier service in this area and remove the orange traffic barrels (just like what was done on the west side of the bridge). It is expected that this lane closure will occur at night, but it is possible that this may occur during the day between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Over the next two weeks the contractor will complete the drilled shaft work at bridge Abutment A and Pier 1. Foundation construction will start at Pier 2 on Tuesday, October 7th 2014, and continue into the week of October 13th. During this same time period wick drains will continue to be installed along the north side of Shore Drive on the west side of the bridge (in front of 3556 On the Bay Condominiums). Abutment A is located on the west side of the Lynnhaven Inlet and Abutment B is on the eastside. There are 9 piers for each bridge. Pier #1 is located west of the inlet and Pier #9 is located on the eastside of the inlet.

All of the steel sheets for the temporary bulkhead located at the Lynnhaven Dredge Material Storage Area have been installed. During the weeks of October 6th and October 13th, formwork and the tie-back system for this bulkhead will be constructed.

The 18-inch sanitary sewer forcemain that crosses the existing westbound Lesner Bridge needs to be taken out of service for us to continue with the new bridge construction. Over the past several months, the City and the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) have been coordinating this effort. In order for HRSD to take this large forcemain out of service, two linestops will have to be installed in the line; one at the intersection of Shore Drive and Rockbridge Road and one just west of Kleen Street (in front of Mango’s Grill).

HRSD will not implement any lane closures for this work, but they will need to install a concrete barrier along the shoulder west of Kleen Street, and install some temporary pavement in the median of Shore Drive across from Rockbridge Road. They anticipate this work to begin the week of October 13th, 2014 and continue thru Friday, October 17th. This schedule is subject to change, but we will provide a more up-to-date schedule in next week’s Lesner Bridge project update.

As a reminder, the speed limit over the Lesner Bridge is 35 MPH. Although it’s easy to exceed 35 MPH on Shore Drive, the temporary lane shifts on Shore Drive at both the eastbound and westbound Lesner Bridge are only designed for 35 MPH. Exceeding this speed limit through the construction zone not only risks your safety, but the safety of the bridge construction workers and any pedestrians/cyclists crossing the bridge.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed helpful tips for how we could make things better for the road users through this busy corridor!

Emphasis ours.

# # #

Follow @LesnerBridge in Twitter!

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