SDCC’s meeting this month will feature a presentation by Staci Martin, District Program Specialist for Virginia State Parks headquartered out of First Landing. She manages visitor experience—visitor experience is education programs, signage, information kiosks, public relations—anything that would enhance someone’s experience at the parks. She’s been with the parks for five years. View flier. [1pg PDF]
She will be giving us some special inside information about what a treasure we have in First Landing State Park (known to long-time residents as Seashore State Park.)
For a preview, you could visit this site but it won’t give you the full picture only an insider knows. Please, won’t you join us at 7:30 p.m., Monday, June 29, 2009, at the Ocean Park Volunteer Fire & Rescue Station.
No one’s been hit, but the City Council figured it was a matter of time. And there’s no interest in beefing up the enforcement for jaywalking, because the city wants Town Center to be pedestrian-friendly.
I am missing my female long haired kitty. She’s about three years old, 6 pounds, black with a white chest. She’s very shy but answers to “Elora” (as much as any cat answers to their name). She was last seen on Friday night at our home on Hatton Street. My five year-old granddaughter is very worried as this is more her cat than mine.
If anyone sees her, please call me!
Cherrie H.
412-4025
Please see that attached Exhibit A showing the approximate locations for the proposed pedestrian crossing warning signs with solar powered flashing lights.
If you were opposed to the Northern alignment of the Lesner Bridge replacement, the news was bad. Unless a miracle happens, future residents of 3556 will be seeing headlights in their living rooms. The City still plans to meet privately with the residents of the condominium building, but Deputy Manager acknowledged that the decision to go North was etched in stone, or nearly so.
If you were one of the many residents of Cape Henry Shores or Cape Story by the Sea who wants to see the speed limit lowered on Shore Drive to 35 mph from Ft. Story to N. Great Neck Road, there is still hope. Mr. Robert Gey of Public Works Traffic Division gave a short study on what the City feels it needs to do to address this problem. He revealed that the City was already planning to install 8 solar-powered pedestrian signs with flashing lights attached, 4 in each direction, between First Landing State Park and the Lesner Bridge. He also noted that State codes require that a traffic study precede any change, and that Public Works planned a traffic study for this stretch in July, with results by September.
In a rebuttal presentation, David Williams, of Cape Henry Shores noted that there had already been two studies, one in 2005 for the Shore Drive Safety Task Force review, and one in 2006, for which the City could provide no information. He noted that over the past 20 years, residents had been asking for relief from this risk, and showed a number of slides demonstrating that the danger was exacerbated by a curve some 700’ from the intersection, which allowed only about 4 seconds of reaction time (assuming a 50 mph speed of the oncoming vehicle) in exiting from Kendall Drive, which is the only ingress/egress for over 180 households.
Mr. Jason Cosby, Director of Public Works for the City, asked to meet with the interested parties at the site and to further discuss possible actions to reduce the risk. A number of attendees were eager to volunteer, as the neighborhoods of Cape Henry Shores and Cape Story by the Sea feel that another summer at risk while awaiting the results of another study, is just one summer too many. At Mr. Cosby’s suggestion, a committee will be formed to continue working on the speed/safety issues at Kendall and Shore Drive. The committee would meet at the site and also continue to meet and implement improvements.
“The bottom line is the negative impacts on the northern alignment is so much less than the southern alignment,” Jones said. “We just had to make a choice.”
Shore Drive Community Coalition (SDCC) General Meeting Agenda
Monday May 18, 2009
SDCC General Meeting - Monday May 18th, 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad Hall (parking in back, on side streets and across Shore Drive) Program/Presentation – Part I: Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen will address how the decision was made to apply a Northern alignment to the design of the Lesner Bridge replacement. A brief question and answer period will follow.
Part II: Virginia Beach Public Works Department will address the safety concerns of Shore Drive residents regarding the intersection of Shore Drive and Kendall Drive. A question and answer period will follow. The general agenda for the evening will be:
Officer’s Reports - Brief Reports
Secretary - Todd
Treasurer’s Report - Leslie
Vice President & President –Introductory Remarks Old Business
Please visit http://www.sdcc.info for status on issues of interest. Reports to attendees will be limited to those items which have an update since the previous meeting. Topics covered may include:
Indigo Dunes Project
Pound Pole Fishing Nets
Beach Replenishment
Bike Path Safety New Business
Lynnhaven River NOW symposium review - Event held on May 11th. Over a dozen speakers presented a lot of great information. Army Corps Lynnhaven Project may be one SDCC members should take interest in. Check out http://www.LRNOW.org for more.
VB Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) – Meeting held on May 14th, there may be some items SDCC can help support.
Neighborhood Signs – Cape Story by the Sea has asked BAC to create standard neighborhood signs for the Bayfront communities. They would be similar to Norfolk, but with a Bayfront theme. SDCC may be asked to endorse this plan. Next Meeting: June 29, 2009: What’s fun to do at First Landing State Park. Please check http://www.sdcc.info for details as they become available.
The plan advances. The replacement to the existing Lesner Bridge will have either a Northern alignment or a Southern. Either way, someone (or several someones) will be unhappy. Deputy City Manager Dave Hansen will be here to give us the City’s best thinking on the subject and to listen to comments on this issue.
…and…
MESSAGE TO THE CITY
: Safety first!!! at Shore Drive & Kendall
Traffic studies are only a guideline. Special problems require special solutions. This intersection east of N. Great Neck Road represents the potential for a tragic (or rather ANOTHER tragic) casualty on Shore Drive, which has seen more than its share of fatalities. The City’s Public Works (Traffic) Department is sending representatives to discuss this threat and possible solutions. We need for all of you to come and make known your concerns.
Ocean Park Volunteer Fire & Rescue Station
(Intersection of Shore Drive and E. Stratford Road)
7:30 p.m. Monday, May 18, 2009*
*Note: One week early, due to Memorial Day holiday.
If you’ve seen “Slumdog Millionaire”, you have seen a piece of what I’d like to share with you. July 2008 took this Cape Story resident (and a few others from our small neighborhood) to one of the world’s poorest countries, Nicaragua , to see some sights I would never have imagined, and would probably have previously said I’d prefer to not EVER see. But along this adventure and with peeks at extreme poverty, came some big surprises.
From an email:
Hi Friends and Family:
This is still hard for me. I’ve had it on the top of my “to do” list for over a month. But time is running out.
Today, I’m asking if any of you would consider sponsoring my 2nd trip to the orphanage in Nicaragua in early July. This year, it’s almost certain that Ryan (my almost 15 yr old) is going too. (Dad just wants the swine flu issue to not be a concern.)
So, we need to raise $2,700 (half of which is a donation straight to the orphanage). We already have about $240 from a garage sale I had plus a gracious friend’s donation (thank you, Jan!). $2,460 to go, needed by June 15th.
First, Santiago … a boy who lives inside the city dump of Managua, La Chureca.Read more.
I’ve heard from many others, that some have difficulty understanding why we would travel all the way to Nicaragua, and not really DO anything? What did you build? What did you repair? What did you DO when you were down there.
This was a relational trip. There are several churches who come to Casa Bernabe orphanage and DO. Our trip was not about doing, but about being. Being a friend, a smile, a hug, a laugh to the children who live there 24/7.
Or, you may send a check (tax-deductible) payable to “SBCC”, and mail it to me: 2134 Bayberry Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Or, you may mail a check directly to ORPHANETwork, if you’d like to remain anonymous, at 1500 N. Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23454 *BUT* in order for this to be credited to our trip (and not just be a donation to ORPHANetwork ... which still would be great), you’ll need to write that in the memo section (something like “donation to L. Baity’s July mission trip”).
A speed limit analysis showed that 18,068 vehicles used that stretch of road daily in mid-April and were traveling at an average speed of 63 mph, the city says. Police counted 249 crashes with 60 injuries and four fatalities from 2006 to 2008.
Previously [Please note: this is an old page and “internal links do not work]:
City Council at it’s informal session today recommended to proceed with plans for the Lesner Bridge based on the northern alignment and the under grounding of Virginia Power lines. Likewise, staff recommendation was to incorporate the northern alignment.
Learn more, ask questions at next SDCC Meeting May 18th.
[Watch this site, & the eNewsletter for location of meeting as it is most likely not at the Rescue Squad.]
Reps from Public Works will attend May 18th SDCC Meeting:
Subject: RE: May 18 SDCC Meeting
Date: Mon, 4 May 2009 17:57:56 -0400
Ms. Moran:
We will attend your SDCC meeting to address your concerns. During the presentation, I will have staff Ms. Heather Ham, Mr. Bob Gey, and others to brief you on the overall Shore Drive Improvements, proposed pedestrian improvements on Kendall & Shore Drive, and last our future recommendations. Please forward me the meeting times, location, and other particulars as needed. Thanks!!!
Jason E. Cosby, P.E.
Director of Public Works
More info from Grace:
Good morning, Mr. Cosby
Thanks for your willingness to provide City Staff to address concerns of residents regarding the intersection of Shore Drive and Kendall. Our meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on May 18, 2009, in the Ocean Park Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station at the intersection of Shore Drive and East Stratford Road. You are very generous to offer us Ms. Ham, Mr. Gey and those others whom you think might be best suited to entertain our observations.
Councilman Wood will be out of town, but Vice Mayor Jones has said that he will make every attempt to be there. Mr. Hansen has very kindly agreed to come and present the City’s best thinking on the subject of the Lesner Bridge replacement.
I can promise you that many of our members feel passionately about these two issues, but I fully expect that we will have civil discourse and respect for each other’s positions.
