A Virginia Beach Neighborhood Association Founded in 1944
Join us for the July OPCL meeting at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Brock Center at 7 pm on July 9. Updates are on the agenda about local projects. The OPCL meetings will be at the CBF Brock Center in July, August and September. We thank them for their generous support of the civic league! Meetings will return to OPVRS in October.
Minutes from the June meeting:
Thank you all the wonderful neighbors who donated to make the fireworks happen! If you haven’t donated- please make a donation if you love the fireworks! We will make the second payment this week and we also raise money now for the payment that is made in the winter (when no one is thinking about fireworks!!) . It’s very much a year to year thing whether or not fireworks over the bay can happen. This year was greatly affected by tariffs and huge demand due to 250 yr celebrations. We don’t know what next year will bring. So donations now are still very important!
Thank you to Baylake Pines– our partners! Thank you to our neighbors who leave the beach clean! It looked great out there this morning! Thank you to all the volunteers who put the donation envelopes on every single mailbox and door knob! Thank you to all our first responders, OPVRS, the US Coastguard, the Fire Marshall who keep us safe! Thank you to the Ocean Park Civic League who keeps track of donations and helps get the word out!
And of course- HUGE thank you to Jill Doczi who coordinates it all and without whom the fireworks would not happen. We love you JILL!
Report from Parks and Rec: ” This was a below average busy weekend with a total of 347 launches. Scattered showers and wind occurred throughout the weekend:
Friday, June 26 – 121 total launches, car parking did not fill. The overflow lot was used for 3 larger trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.
Saturday, June 27 – 95 total launches, car parking did fill up around 11:45am and was full until around 3:10pm. The overflow lot was used for approximately 29 vehicles with trailers. We continue to be limited on parking in overflow due to soft sand. We did close the facility to trucks and trailers around 9:00am using the barricades. VBPD was notified that the ramp was closed to trucks and trailers. All signage was changed at that time to indicate we were full. Text alert system was utilized.
Sunday, June 28 – 131 total launches, car parking did fill up around 12noon and there was limited available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for approximately 37 vehicles with trailers We did have to close the facility, and barricade operations were implemented around 10:50am. VBPD was notified that the ramp was closed to trucks and trailers. All signage was changed at that time to indicate we were full. Text alert system was utilized for closure.
The VBPD officers on ATV’s continue riding through our facility and talking to staff regarding any issues as part of the VBPD summer ops plans.
The new Text Alert system has been successful for when the boat ramp is full. As of today, 325 people have opted in to receive the alerts. When the boat ramp is full staff will send a message to the ECCS watch desk and they will send an alert text notifying those people that the ramp is full at that time. A follow-up text will then be sent when we re-open.
Staff continue to deal with uncooperative boaters when the boaters are launching and recovering their boats.
Total Citation Count: 55
Total Read Count:Â Â Â Â Â 467Â Â Â Â (this is the number of vehicles scanned during enforcement visits)“
EPIC July 4th parade today in Ocean Park! Proud to carry on a decades long tradition!! Thank you to all the wonderful neighbors who came out and joined in! Thank you to the Ocean Park civic league for making it legal (event permit in hand-thank you President Danny Murphy). Thank you to the Ocean Park Rescue Squad for coming out with us! Thank you to UNCLE SAM (neighbor Shane!) and the Doczi family for leading the parade! Thank you to the McIntyre family for getting all the flags and handing them out! Thank you to Lauren Harrington for the cool popsicle treats!!
An ADA compliant public kayak launch has been a part of the Pleasure House Point plans since its acquisition and preservation in 2012. This is the Pleasure House Point Management Plan which details the history and extensive planning for this area. The wetlands restoration envisioned in the plan was postponed for some time but is now complete.
There have been references on and off to the kayak launch project and also recently at a spring 2026 BAC meeting. We were assured ample public engagement was planned. That process has now begun with the Open House scheduled by the city for July 27th from 6- 7:30 pm at the Bayside Rec Center. Concept Plans for the launch project will be presented at that meeting and public input is sought and appreciated.
Jill says: “Nobody on the city or pyrotechnic side is concerned about weather. We’re just going to wait for the NOAA projected radar to see what that says. Either way, the barge leaving the dock. We’ll either shoot a little early, hold off, or shoot on time.
In case of bad weather: If the barge leaves the dock, the fireworks will go off. It is the captain’s call on the barge’s movement. There is the option of waiting a bit or shooting early if there are random storms. If there is something bad enough (wind or rain) that we cancel, then money goes toward next year. Watch the here for updates!! In the past It was too long a process to secure all the needed permission and permits from police, rescue and fire depts to be able to have a rain date.
Jill says: “I know people have concerns about weather. Just remember, we live in Virginia Beach, where the conditions are notoriously difficult to predict. We also have a LARGE city, and weather forecasts for Pungo may not be the same as Shore Drive. When you type “Virginia Beach” into your favorite weather app, it doesn’t take into consideration what is going on right here.
You will receive updates as needed on the website, through email (if you’ve subscribed to them) and on social media. People higher up than I am have access to state-of-the-art, real-time information and use it accordingly as we get closer to launch time. Our event permit includes a required weather safety plan. The final call to any weather situation is made by the captain, the Coast Guard, marine police and the fire marshal with the utmost of safety for our residents and the crew in mind. We are not at that point currently.”
Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve reached 50% of our fundraising goal for the fireworks show!
or mail a check to: Box 55385 Virginia Beach, VA 23471
WE NEED DONATIONS from Jill Doczi:
“Please know that you support our community fireworks celebration through donations to the show. Active participation in your community provides events like these for you, your friends and family to enjoy. Thank you for your support.”
Organizing communities: Baylake Pines and Ocean Park (including Pelican Dunes, Chesapeake House, Bay Vista, 3556 on the Bay, Aeries on the Bay, Water Oaks tand Three Ships Landing). Additional communities like CXB help through donations and we thank them for their support.
To receive updates make sure you email communication@opcl.org.
Additional information on the OPCL website at www.opcl.org
Secure credit card through Cheddar Up or PayPal:
Check: “OPCL Fireworks” and mail to:
OPCL, Fireworks
P.O. Box 55385
Costs have gone up and will continue to go up with all the bridge construction and tariffs. Your donation is appreciated!
Make plans to decorate yourself, your dogs, beach carts, skateboards, scooters, bicycles, etc. and join the community for a patriotic celebration of our country’s independence. The July 4th Ocean Park parade will start at 10:00 on July 4th at the Surry – Albermarle intersection. We will start lining up at 9:30! Look for Uncle Sam to give directions!
We have a generous donation of popsicles from Lauren Harrington to be given out at the end of the parade! Thank you Lauren!
A word of caution: Ocean Park is not an approved golf cart community so only DMV licensed golf carts driven by licensed drivers are legal: use your own judgement about participating if you are not street legal. Ocean Park is not a designated golf cart community
From our Fireworks master Jill Doczi comes the second installment of how the Independence Day Fireworks funded by individual contributions came about:
“July 2011: Our first authorized show in 2010, organized by our Ocean Park Civic League president, Rick Mercadante, was a huge hit. In his words,“We started the summer by celebrating our nation’s birth with a fantastic fireworks display that exceeded all expectations. I was proud of the way our neighborhood came together in a grassroots effort to make this happen. What a great country to live in, and even better,what a great neighborhood we live in.“
Rick’s accomplishment set the ball in motion for our new, safer tradition, and it did indeed accomplish the goal of curbing the night-long illegal fireworks along our beach. However, at the end of his commitment to our country, he received his final call — to Djibouti. Before he left, Rick asked me to take on his project. If someone didn’t keep it rolling, we wouldn’t have a fireworks celebration of our country’s independence anymore on our beach.
As a child, fireworks seemed magical to me. The anticipation of the explosions followed by the surprise of colorful displays were a once-a-year treat in Roanoke if we were lucky enough to have someone drive us downtown, find parking, squeeze into bleachers with thousands of others and watch our city display over a football field. At the time Rick asked me, I had small children who had only ever known the un-hassled Independence Day tradition of walking down to the beach with family and friends to watch fireworks with reflections on the water and the sound of waves as the backdrop to our “Ooooos” and “Ahhhhhs.” I wanted them to grow up with those memories. I agreed with hesitation. Little did we know, this would be a learning year.”
 Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):
Friday, June 19 –       40 total launches, car parking did not fill. The overflow lot was not used. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time. Even though the Sail 250 parade of sails was this day, the weather was rainy in the morning with some winds.
Saturday, June 20 –    173 total launches, car parking did fill up around 10am and was full most of day. The overflow lot was used for approximately 29 vehicles with trailers. We continue to be limited on parking in overflow due to soft sand. We did close the facility to trucks and trailers around 9:00am using the barricades. VBPD was notified around 9:15am that the ramp was closed to trucks and trailers. All signage was changed at that time to indicate we were full. Â
Sunday, June 21 –      188 total launches, car parking did fill up around 10:00am and there was limited available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for approximately 33 vehicles with trailers We did have to close the facility and barricade operations were implemented around 9:50am. VBPD was notified that the ramp was closed to trucks and trailers. All signage was changed at that time to indicate we were full.  We did have a couple officers come through the facility and the neighborhood.
On Sunday around 3:45pm, EMS and Fire responded to a 911 call from a boater coming into the ramp from the water with injuries and was taken to the hospital.
The VBPD summer beach patrols have started and officers on ATV are also riding through our facility and talking to staff regarding any issues.
We have started a Text Alert for when the boat ramp is full. As of today, 159 people have opted in to receive the alerts. When the boat ramp is full staff will send a message to the ECCS watch desk and they will send an alert text notifying those people that the ramp is full at that time. A follow-up text will then be sent when we re-open. Please see attached flyer.
Parking Enforcement:
Total Citation Count: 55
Total Read Count:Â Â Â Â Â 497Â Â Â Â (this is the number of vehicles scanned during enforcement visits)
Ocean Park Civic League 