Presented by I Need A Lighthouse.
Mission Statement
The mission of I Need A Lighthouse, Inc. is to significantly reduce the loss and suffering from teen and young adult depression, suicide, and suicidal behavior through educational programs and community partnerships.
Contact Kathleen Wakefield at KWakefield@INeedALighthouse.org.
Printable Poster [PDF]
After a year of effort by many people, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) ruled on 27 March in FAVOR of the city’s permit request. In spite of all our well founded arguments against the permit’s approval, the VMRC ruled to permit the depositing of up to 25,000 cubic yards of dredged material per year at either Crab Creek or Maple Street.
A neighbor asked me how this could be after the City Council voted unanimously for a resolution co-sponsored by Vice Mayor Jones and Councilman Wood to remove the Maple Street deposit site from dredged deposits. The City Council approved resolution ONLY removed Maple Street from the Neighborhood Dredging Program, NOT the Channel Maintenance Dredging program.
All speakers, both those for and those against the permit readily agreed that maintenance dredging of the Long Creek Channel (about 2 miles from the Lesner Bridge to First Landing State Park) was necessary and required. Even the city Water Engineer, Mr. Phill Roehr acknowledged that the channel has lately only required maintenance dredging about 4 times in 7 years and in those 7 years only produced a TOTAL of 4,000 cubic yards of BEACH GRADE SAND, suitable for deposit on our pristine beaches. You might ask, “how does 4,000 cubic yards of beach grade sand in 7 years equate to the need of the city to deposit up to 25,000 cubic yards of deposits, beach grade and OTHER less than beach grade sand annually? Mr. Roehr stated that there was no change from the previous permit which allowed hydraulic placement of beach grade sand up to 20,000 cubic yards.
Many of us strongly believe that this permit will allow non-beach grade sand to be depositied at this site (and Crab Creek) by not only city dredging people, BUT PRIVATE parties as the city has long stated as a goal in many of their briefings. So, for all those financially adept people who have property made up in part of mud, muck, and silt, we believe this permit will now allow them to contract for a dredge company to come in and make their mudflats into a much more valuable and highly desired “deep water access” lot. These are the same people who are smart enough NOT to seek a Special Service District contract for 16 years and pay increasing SSD assessments as their property increases in its assessed value, but have the means to pay for a one time dredging up front. Now, with a much more valuable “Deep Water Access” piece of property, these savvy owners can sell it and make significant profits. Previously, the major stopping point for many mud flat owners has been where these private parties could dump their non-beach grade spoils. And, now it is solved. After all, it continues to be about special interest money. That is how SOME politicians get elected. Does an acknowledged $400,00 dollars “quid pro quo” sound familiar?
I believe the new permit will limit the spoils to be only from Long Creek and the Channel Maintenance dredging program. Should we citizens expect the city to monitor where the spoils are coming from in compliance with this new permit? As Deputy City Manager Mr. Dave Hansen stated, “the city is self-policing.” So, that is like our police department giving itself a speeding ticket for going 20 mph over the posted speed limit. I have little faith in either Mr. Hansen or Mr. Roehrs policing the Maple Street or Crab Creek site for spoil origin and spoil quality. VMRC says that if we see permit violations we can give them a call.
We will just have to see what our VMRC permit states once it is signed. We have many options depending on the limitations stated in the permit. The Board of Zoning appeals ruled that a Municipal Dredge Spoils Transfer Facility was not an allowed use on the Maple St. parcel in R7.5 zoning. The City has appealed the ruling which names a private Citizen and the BZA board, but has not acted on it. Note that the city is suing this private party with our tax dollars to overturn the city’s own BZA ruling. I don’t think that we are sunk under the muck yet, but we will have much work to do to continue to spread the word to the public on these issues and to gather more residents to sufficiently emphasize to our City Council our concerns related to the potential abuse of our neighborhoods at both Maple Street and Crab Creek sites. If the Public Works Department in the City of Virginia Beach can place our neighborhoods in this jeopardy, the City Council of Virginia Beach has the power to prevent that abuse. After all, the Mayor and City Council work for the citizens of this city. The City Manager and city departments are responsible to that same City Council.
Remember, We the people, as citizens have options also with the coming City Council elections in November.
News from an email:
This Saturday 2pm a pelican release is scheduled…this is not a fundraiser. It is an opportunity to see 28 pelicans that were rescued, suffering from frost bite, be released all at one time, back into the wild.
where: Shell Fish Company (next to Bubba’s)
Louie Smith has agreed to entertain us…weather should be beautiful…..Please promote this to friends and neighbors.
Elyse
Wow!
The Virginia Bicycling Federation presented Mayor Sessoms a check for $10-thousand to support the safety education and awareness program.
Visit, and join the Virginia Bicycling Federation. They do awesome work for “Advocacy, Safety, & Education” to make cycling safer in the Commonwealth.
You’re already a member of the Tidewater Bicycling Association right?
Pic swiped from Tidewater Bicycle Association Facebook Group
Click here to read Pilot reporter Susan Hutchins’ article on the ribbon cutting ceremony.
SDCC General Meeting – Monday, March 26, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Station (Intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Rd.)
Call to order
Discussions: Donation to Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue
City’s Strategic Plan
Invited speaker: TBA
For Important information concerning this city, school budget, dredge spoils project and Long Creek channel maintenance dredging
Officers’ Reports
President’s Report – David Williams
Vice President’s report-Vacant
Secretary’s Report – Todd Solomon – SDCC FEB Minutes
Treasurer’s Report Carol Collins
Update on issues: Upcoming City Issues
Pleasure House Point
Neighborhood Dredging Program
Channel Maintenance Dredging
VMRC Hearing
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn
Next SDCC- Apr 30, 2012 Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Center
Speaker- To be announced
RSVP to:
03.18.12 – The ATREX mission has been postponed to no earlier than the night of March 20 due to expected poor weather along mid-Atlantic coast. Next update is Monday, March 19.
As many have probably already heard, the military will be holding installation exercises this week (March 19-23). These exercises are part of the Solid Curtain and Citadel Shield series held annually to train and test our command and control systems and how the military will deal with security events ranging from small to large. Installations along Shore Drive will be impacted, as well as other military installation in Virginia Beach. This week will NOT be business as usual, so if you are traveling Shore Drive, or traveling onto military bases, you may be delayed, caught in traffic backup, or even not allowed on board depending on what is being drilled at the time. If there is a traffic backup, it might take some time to clear. Have some patience and please show some consideration for what is going on. Thank you for your consideration.
Five Rocket ATREX Postponed to March 19
03.17.12 – The ATREX mission has been rescheduled to no earlier than the night of Monday, March 19, due to the high probability of unacceptable weather on March 18. A launch decision will be made Sunday evening.
From an email from Kim:
Hello Volunteers!
I’m still looking for volunteers for the Survive First Landing event that will be held on Saturday, March 24th from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the picnic shelter. We need a few more volunteers in order to have a safe and fun event to teach guests about outdoor survival!
We still need a few more survival station volunteers. Survival stations include:
* Spear Making
* Ranger Beads
* Fire Starting
* Rope Making
* Knot tying
* Worst case senario trivia gamePlease let me know if you are interested and your availability. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Kim Y. Miller
Volunteer / Events Coordinator
First Landing State Park
Phone: 757-412-2308
Cell: 757-536-0088
Fax: 757-412-2315
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/03/virginia-beach-deal-preserves-slice-nature
After 10 years of work, the preservation of the site has now become reality. Without the collaboration of the community, CBF, Lynnhaven River Now, Trust for Public Land, City of Virginia Beach and the City Council, this purchase could have never happened.
Ordinances and Resolution re PLEASURE HOUSE POINT:
a. AUTHORIZE the City Manager to EXECUTE an Agreement of Purchase and Sale with The Trust for Public Land re acquisition
b. ESTABLISH a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) to ACCEPT and APPROPRIATE various grants and TRANSFER funds from “Open Space Site Acquisition – Phase I”
c. Issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds, not to exceed $6-Million, to the Virginia Water Facilities Revolving Fund
NASA is scheduled to launch five suborbital sounding rockets in just over five minutes March 14 as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. The launch window currently is 11 p.m. to 6:30 EDT, March 14 – April 3. The Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) will gather information needed to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles above the surface of the Earth. As part the mission, the five rockets will release a chemical tracer that will form milky, white clouds that allow scientists and the public to “see” the winds in space. These clouds may be visible for up to 20 minutes by residents from South Carolina to southern New Hampshire and Vermont. More information on the ATREX mission is available on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/missions/atrex.html
Webcast of the mission will begin 2 hours before the opening of the launch window
From Tidewater Bicycle Association:
The transformation of this stretch of highway into a more bike friendly one can be summed up in one word- Wow! Given all of the interest from the cycling community and Shore Drive/Bayfront area residents over the past decade this is a day that has been a long time coming. It can truly be said that Virginia Beach’s planners and engineers hit the ball out of the park with this project.
Photo from Tidewater Bicycle Association
Tonight, City Council voted unanimously to preserve Pleasure House Point forever.
Wow!
Thank you.
From an email responding to their FOIA request:
With respect to your recent request for a copy of the City Council resolution regarding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp at Crab Creek, Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen provided the following:
*************************
Respectfully request we covey the following to the FOIA requestor.
1. There was no City Council Resolution removing the LBR from consideration as a transfer site.
2. The LBR Transfer Station was not “moved” to the Thaila site. The Thalia transfer site is a separate and distinct logistics node supporting a completely separate area of the Lynnhaven River system.
3. The Lynnhaven River system was divided into five project control areas each designated by what we refer as the bubble chart. This allowed City water resource engineers an ability to assess each area for potential logistics node locations to provide multiple outcomes – one of which is to serve as a transfer site.
4. The Beaches & Waterways Advisory Cmte took a look at this concept and has agreed that the Northern Western Branch and Lynnhaven Inlet Control Area is best served by establishing this logistics node at the Crab Creek Disposal Material Holding Area adjacent to the LBR.
5. The City has submitted for a temporary permit to construct the bulkhead and the concrete work pads to serve as a transfer site for the Material lay down and construction equipment and preparation area necessary for the construction of the Lesner Bridge Replacement Project.
6. The City staff briefed the Bayside Advisory Committee on 16 Feb and briefs the Ocean Park Civic League today, 8 March.
7. The staff intends to operate a collaborative site where by public access to the Boat Launch will be maintained while allowing the extensive construction traffic of mixed vehicles and equipment to prosecute the complex task of building the replacement bridge.
8. At some point halfway through the construction the City will hold a public information meeting to receive input about how the coexistence has gone with regards to maintaining access to the boat launch.
9. Staff will assess the public input and the facts established regarding operating the logistics node while maintaining public access to the site before making a recommendation to City Council to permanently establish the transfer site logistics node – likely to occur midyear 2014.
Dave Hansen
Deputy City Manager
City of Virginia Beach
757-385-4242
You’ve heard we’re getting a new bridge.
Check out the Official Presentation from the City. [ 24pg PDF]
Partial screen shot of Official Page at VBGov.com.
Link to Official Page at VBGov.com thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine:
Western Branch Lynnhaven River Maintenance Dredging (CIP 8-005) October 12, 2008
Note: Links to Official Documents like PDFs, Photos etc in right column of above page do not work.
Partial screen shot of Official Page at VBGov.com.
A public information workshop was held on June 5, 2007. A second Public Meeting was held on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Based upon feedback received at the Public Meeting, alternate sites for a dredged material transfer station were evaluated. The proposed transfer facility has been moved from the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Facility to a site located near the crossing of Thalia Creek and Virginia Beach Blvd. Concept plans have been developed for a multi-use facility that will incorporate the dredged material transfer facility, public access to the Lynnhaven River, a canoe/kayak launch and a crew facility.”
Link to Official Page at VBGov.com thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine:
Western Branch Lynnhaven River Maintenance Dredging (CIP 8-005) March 27, 2009
Note difference in Official Page from October 2008 vs March 2009 in Official Files that were included vs not include in later page.
Note: What happened to this Official Page? It can no longer be found in the current http://www.VBGov.com. Can someone provide the hot link in the new VBGov.com website?
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – For over a year, Broad Bay Island residents have worked to stop barges full of mud from coming up a creek and crossing in front of their waterfront property.
Tuesday night, they won that battle.
Virginia Beach City Council agreed with the residents and backed down.
“Stop the sludge means we don’t want other people’s sludge on our waterways,” said Broad Bay Island resident Lynn Hume last March.
The city wanted to use hopper barges to dump sludge, dredged from inlets across Virginia Beach, onto a piece of privately owned land. That property, which is zoned as residential, is a 100 yards across the creek from Hume’s home.
Fifteen months after the fight began, it ended with city council pulling the site on Long Creek from consideration.
“With what we’ve gone through, nothing surprises me. When it comes to the City, we have been deceived so many times and misled by city staff so many times, that is why it got out of hand and that’s what upset us,’ said resident Ed Cunningham.
It took Tom Fraim and the Beaches and Waterways Advisory Commission to finally convince Virginia Beach that the Long Creek site isn’t the right location. The Zoning Administration also told the city that, but the city pushed ahead anyway.
“It gets on our plate because it is controversial, and yes, the people of Long Creek were very well organized” Fraim said.
“Stand up and be heard, and the system can work if you get people involved,” exclaimed Broad Bay Island Resident Mike Megge. “We worked that system. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of organization and a lot of dedicated people.”
Getting a little media attention doesn’t hurt.
“A lot of time, you don’t know what happens with a story, but it give people closure to a story when you exposed it. You followed it through to the end, and I think that helped the whole process,” Megge added.
The alternative site for neighborhood dredging is up the creek at a city-owned property, between the Lynnhaven Marine Boatel and the Marina Shores Shoppes.
The land is owned by Gale Levine Higgs who did not want to do an interview, but told 10 On Your Side on the phone, “So much has to happen for this to happen…I gave the strip of land to the City for drainage purposes only…not for a sludge transfer station.”
Higgs made it clear legal action could follow if the city plans on using the site for anything other than drainage.
Admin at Save the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Beach Facility Facebook Page needs pictures of anything to do with this subject including announcements, pictures, etc. The web address is below for that page. Please like that page to receive updates. Looks like several alternate sites have been found already in just 3 days!!! PAGE LINK BELOW!!
—
Andrew R. Broyles
3604 East Stratford Rd.
Va. Beach, Va. 23455
cell 757 621 2082
office 757 460 5678
https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheLynnhavenBoatRampAndBeachFacility
#WeLoveShoreDrive 