Separate from the COVB Wetlands Project at Pleasure House Point is the wetlands restoration project by the Army Corps of Engineers which has been in progress for 10 years. The 3rd phase will restore 6.6 acres at the southern tip of Pleasure House Point on Crab Creek.

“Over time, marshes around the river have been particularly impacted by invasive species and human development, such as waterfront property owners installing bulkhead barriers”, said Gina Dotolo, a biologist with the Corps’ Norfolk District. “Their shorelines and wetlands have been filled in,” she said. “Now there’s more flooding going on because there’s no tidal wetlands there to absorb all the water, and a lot of wave action hitting the shoreline is causing a lot of erosion.”

Two phases of wetlands restoration are already completed. Invasive species were pulled up and about 28 acres of marsh were planted behind Princess Anne High School and in the Seatack area.

The entire Lynnhaven ecosystem project will cost nearly $40 million, Phase 3 will cost about $6 million. The federal government covers 65% of the project cost, with Virginia Beach responsible for the rest. Officials hope to start construction at Crab Creek in 2028.

Full article: link here

Thank you for joining us for the latest updates on Fall Fest (October 18), First fall Pleasure House Point Clean Up September 13 and CB PHP Wetlands, Marlin Bay Subdivision and the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp.

The next Social Committee Meeting to plan Fall Fest, Halloween Pet Parade etc. is Monday, October 6th 6:00 pm at OPVRS. (rescue squad on Shore Dr. ) Join Us! Newcomers welcome!

President Danny Murphy announced that the funding for the GardaWorld security at the LBR will continue through the fiscal year to June 2026. We thank Councilman Schulman for his efforts in securing this funding. Looking ahead, OPCL Board Representative Brian Snyder has proposed a motion which will ask City Council to include ongoing funding for this security in the next budget year. We ask members to review the motion which will be further discussed and voted on at the October 9 OPCL meeting. Here is the proposed text of the motion.

The Ocean Park Civil League recognizes the progress made to discourage inappropriate, undesirable, and illegal activity during evening and overnight hours at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. That progress is largely in part to increased awareness from two sources:

(1) The addition of camera equipment, along with additional resources to monitor the cameras

(2) A dedicated security patrol assigned to the boat ramp and surrounding areas, acting as a deterrent to bad behavior, and as necessary, an additional source for reporting and information to coordinate Police response.

We appreciate that the city has extended the dedicated security patrol to June 2026, 9 months past the original 31 Oct 2025 end date. The Ocean Park Civic League recommends that the FY2027 City budget include funding for a year-round dedicated security patrol to provide continuity of the oversight and provide additional flexibility to assign resources until evidence is shown that it is no longer required, and/or other measures are implemented.

From Mary Faust, Pleasure House Point Adopt a Spot Clean Up Organizer: This is a photo from a cleanup the Ocean Park Civic League conducted earlier this year!! We paused for summer but it is that time of year to get back to cleaning Pleasure House Point Natural area!! Please join us at the main trailhead, corner of Marlin Bay and Ocean Tides Drive on Saturday September 13th from 0900 until noon!! We provide grabbers and bags and dog treats and baked goods and non-food items for the little ones and more!! The preserve needs a thorough cleaning over and many hands make light work!! Dress for the weather and if you plan to go off-trail long pants, sturdy shoes and heavy gloves are recommended!
Hope to see YOU there!!

The Little Free Food Pantry is located by the Bayside Christian Church on Greenwell Rd. and needs more supplies! You can bring donations to the PHP Clean Up on Saturday and they will be picked up. Also there is a QR code so people can donate to the food pantry. Needed items: canned soups, noodles, pasta and sauce, canned meats, breakfast bars.

 Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):

“For the weekend September 5-7, we are starting to slow down overall for the weekend with the changes to more fall like weather. Saturday was still busy for that day. We had a small craft advisory on Sunday. Overall operations were very smooth. We had a total of 325 launches over the weekend.

Friday, September 5 –     95 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was not used. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Saturday, September 6 – 190 total launches, car parking.  car parking was full around 11am with limited parking until 6pm The overflow was used for 17 trailers.  Barricade operations were not needed. 

Sunday, September 7 –   40 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was not used. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Incidents to report:

• No issues to report this weekend. Operations went very smooth.

• Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed normal facility use after staff hours. Police Real Time Crime center was seen monitoring the cameras during the overnight. “

During the high season in Virginia Beach, Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):

For this past holiday weekend August 29 – September 1 the marine forecast was not ideal. Overall operations were very smooth. We had a total of 537 launches over the 4-day holiday weekend.

Friday, August 29 –     163 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for 4 larger trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Saturday, August 30 – 142 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day.  The overflow was used for 12 trailers.  Barricade operations were not needed. 

Sunday, August 31 –   142 total launches, car parking was full around 1pm with limited parking until 8pm. The overflow was used for 13 oversized vehicles. Barricade operations were not needed.

Monday, September 1 (Labor Day) – 90 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for 4 larger trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Incidents to report:

• No issues to report this weekend. Operations went very smooth.

• Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed normal facility use after staff hours. Police Real time Crime Center was seen monitoring the cameras during the overnight. Onsite GardaWorld Security continues to move around the entire facility as requested. The citywide roving security vehicle was seen each night moving through the facility after 2am to provide additional presence at the facility. 3^rdPrecinct officers were seen throughout the evenings and into the early mornings making rounds through the facility as well. 

Hurricane Erin brought high tides to the area and with it concerns about the impact on the oyster beds specifically water quality as the PHP wetlands project had some flooding. Lynnhaven River Now (LRN) monitors water quality throughout Virginia Beach but especially in the Lynnhaven River Watershed by testing for nutrients and contamination on a monthly basis. Water samples and site data are collected and delivered the to HRSD for processing on the first Tuesday or second Monday of each month. The results and site data from the monitors are collated at LRNow and shared with volunteers and the public. Interested neighbors can see the results of the testing at Pleasure House Point on the LRN website. Results show that at present normal levels are found.

During the high season in Virginia Beach, Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):

“August 22-24 was very slow because of the marine forecast and higher than normal tides due to the passing of Hurricane Erin. We had a total of 341 launches over the 3 days.

“Friday, August 22 –     53 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was not used. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.”

“Saturday, August 23 – 155 total launches, car parking filled around 12:00pm and was steady of the day.  The overflow was used for 12 trailers.  Barricade operations were not needed. “

“Sunday, August 24 –   128 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow was used for 8 oversized vehicles. Barricade operations were not needed.”

Incidents to report:

• Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed normal facility use after staff hours. Police real time crime center was seen monitoring the cameras during the overnight. Security continues to do a great job of keeping cars out of the trailer lot and checking the front lots as requested. Video footage from Saturday night around 10:30-10:45pm showed a group of motorcycles come into the facility. The RTCC monitored the group and security as well as a police vehicle were present. The group left within an hour with no issues. 

• Staff received several complaints from people coming to the window because they received parking tickets. Staff explained the metered parking and how enforcement works.

Additional information:

• Staff repaired damaged pier boards resulting from higher-than-average tides due to hurricane Erin

During the high season in Virginia Beach, Parks and Recreation staff share weekly updates regarding weekend activity at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp (LBR):

“The weekend August 15-17 was back to a very busy weekend of launches and beach traffic. We had a total of 509 launches over the 3 days.”

“Friday, August 15 –     135 total launches, car parking did not fill up there was available parking throughout the day. The overflow lot was used for 5 larger trailers. We did not have to close using the barricades at any time.

Saturday, August 16 – 164 total launches, car parking filled around 10:30am and was busy the remainder of the day.  The overflow was used for 18 trailers.  Barricade operations were not needed.

Sunday, August 17 –   210 total launches, car parking was full from 10:30am for remainder of the day. The overflow was used for 45 vehicles. Barricade operations were not needed.”

Incidents to report:

• “On the night of Saturday, August 16, 2025, at approximately 11:30 PM, GardaWorld Security was approached by a citizen who reported that a woman had inadvertently locked her keys inside her vehicle with her three-year-old son trapped inside. Visual confirmation was made of the child inside the vehicle. According to security guard the child appeared calm and alert, showing no signs of visible distress, heat exhaustion, or medical emergency. At approximately 11:32 PM, police were contacted via radio. Police and fire-rescue units were promptly dispatched and arrived on scene at 11:36 PM. Fire personnel deployed tools to access the vehicle. At approximately 11:46 PM, fire personnel successfully opened the vehicle and safely extracted the child. The child had been locked inside the car for an estimated 16 to 20 minutes. No injuries were reported, and no medical treatment was required or administered.”
• “Review of video data from Friday until Monday morning showed heavy parking utilization until about 1130pm on Friday but limited on Saturday and Sunday after hours. Police real time crime center was seen monitoring the cameras during the overnight. Security is doing a great job of keeping cars out of the trailer lot and checking the front lots as requested. We have also implemented a roving security guard that visits the boat ramp and beach facility between 2am and 6am Tuesday through Saturday night as part of their citywide patrol schedule.”

• “Staff have reported one of the Dominion Power lights in the parking lot is out. We have submitted a work order to have it looked at.”