Tidewater Bluegrass Music AssociationWinners! Grant Simmons for Non Traditional Mary Ellen Faust for Cornbread and Jay Montgomery for TraditionalSo much amazing chili and cornbread and dessert! Thank you to the cooks!!Thanks to Officer Wroblewski for your support! Councilman Joash Schulman with Pres. Danny Murphy and Sec. Christy AllenBetty Dierstein: Apron Prize maker!Fun for the kids-ambulance tour! Thank you OPVRS!
From President Danny Murphy: A huge thank you to everyone who attended and especially to the gang of cooks! You are all winners! We’d also like to thank Branan and the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad staff, for offering their space and their help with the event! Big thanks to Jim Andersen and all the Tidewater Bluegrass Music Association musicians who gave us awesome music for the evening! Thank you to Officer Wroblewski for his update on recent events in the neighborhood and to Councilman Joash Schulman for coming out to visit with us. A big thanks is owed to the members of the OPCL Board: Shane Abell, Christy Allen, Jill Doczi, Andrea Lindemann, Blake Norris, and Brian Snyder and to the Social Committee: Jenny Snyder, Natalie McIntyre, Jay Montgomery, Christy Allen, Joanne Lapin Parker et al for making the event such a success! Bravo! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped set up and clean up! Thanks also to TimLindemann , the fire pit captain and to Betty Dierstein, former secretary and prize fabricator-the aprons are great!
Everything is a go for Chill-i Out Night! The weather looks to be cooperating! One thing: looking for more fire pits. If you have a fire pit (even an old nasty one!) that we could use- that would help out! Go to: signupgenius.com/firepit or email: president@opclor communication:opcl.org.
We are pleased to welcome the Tidewater Bluegrass Association for a live jam session at the Chill-i Out night on Feb. 9th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad on Shore Dr. Everyone is welcome- come enjoy the food and vote for your favorites! You don’t have to bring chili to participate. Hey there chili cooks and corn bread bakers! Sign up to bring a pot of chili, a pan of cornbread or a dessert. Sign up here: SignUpGenius.com/chilli. Prizes will be awarded for : Traditional Chili, Non-Traditional Chili and Best Cornbread!There will be adult beverages and pizza for the kids too!
Also on Chill-i Out Night: The Big Reveal! New long sleeve t-shirts ($25) and hoodies ($40) in new colors will be for sale at Chili Night!
Take the online survey:publicinput.com/rudeeloop. Residents can also weigh in at the last in person meeting: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Kempsville Recreation Center, 800 Monmouth Lane.
Another eventful year in Ocean Park! It’s hard to believe that in January and February, we were not yet back to in person meetings amid concerns about virus resurgence. The Marlin Bay developers expressed interest in working with the civic league in their development of a new plan for the Marlin Bay property project. OPCL formed a committee and met with Jon Peterson in February for an open discussion about what the community would like to see. We have not been contacted again for input or meetings. We did have our Chili Cook Off in March in the (a little drafty) ambulance bay at OPVRS due to continuing concerns about the corona virus but the weather did not cooperate!
In April residents came out on a beautiful spring afternoon for our Spring Fling ! In May we were back to in person meetings at the Brock Center and PHP Clean Up!
In June our George and Louise Lyon Four Year Scholarship was awarded to Carly Lundgren.
In June and July the beach was a fascinating work zone as the Beach Replenishment Project was underway. The beach wasn’t quite ready for July Fireworks but we made it work!
In August the issue of private use of the Lynnhaven Transfer Station came up when the city introduced an Ordinance change without input from the OP community. President Danny Murphy worked with Council members Moss and Miles and Public Works Director Hanson to generate protocols ensuring safe operation for the neighborhood.
During the 2022 election season, OPCL hosted School Board and City Council candidates for District 9 at our meetings in August-October. We thank John Moss for his strong support of Ocean Park and his many years of dedicated service to the city. Also we thank Delceno Miles, interim City Council member replacing Louis Jones, for her active support of our community. We welcome incoming City Council member for District 9 Joash Schulman and look forward to working with him!
Fall Fest in October at the Brock Center was a huge success! We had amazing attendance and a great time! Thanks to all the volunteers who made it happen!!!
We look forward to another great year for Ocean Park in 2023!
At the City Council Meeting on December 6th, the Ordinance to “AUTHORIZE temporary encroachments into a portion of City right-of-way” was deferred indefinitely by the City Council.
A number of speakers spoke to make the point that this is a larger issue than one particular case. Clay Bernik, President of the Friends of the Live Oaks, noted that there is no current policy on encroachment into dune areas which are vulnerable to flooding and sea level rise and asked the city to develop guidelines which would address how the city can protect these sensitive areas. (And noted that there is no mechanism to preserve our city tree-live oaks ). Steve Gibson, Vice President of the North Virginia Beach Civic League, described how these activities are becoming more common and described 4 cases in the North End where residents are building large areas into the dunes. He also requested a change in process since currently these requests go directly from Public Works to City Council. Todd Solomon, Cape Story Civic League, also noted the lack of civic process since these requests are addressed piecemeal allowing little or no notice to the public. President Danny Murphy requested a postponement saying that the issue is that the short notice allows no time to for community input on issues like this one and others like the Lynnhaven Dredge Transfer Station. Robert O’Neal spoke to clarify the timeline and points about the right of way and echoed objections about short notice and lack of transparency.
Council member Henley said she recognized that there were a number of issues concerning waterways and encroachment and she would support a holistic approach. Council memberWilson suggested that the Beach and Waterways Commission be reactivated to help clarify these issues including a lack of process and oversight. City ManagerDuhaney suggested a moratorium which Mayor Dyer supported and was agreed to by the Council. District 9 Council memberMoss suggested that the City leverage the digital infrastructure that has been paid for in terms of extensive data on the beaches to see the whole picture and adopt a comprehensive policy because “just because it’s been there forever doesn’t mean it gets to stay there.” He asked that City Manager Duhaney be tasked with coming back to council in the new year with recommendations on organization and timeline. Bayside Council memberDelceno Miles noted that these requests do not go through advisory boards so a more comprehensive plan is called for. She made a motion to defer the ordinance indefinitely which was carried unanimously by the Council.
The North Virginia Beach Civic League has identified encroachment into the dunes as a problem in their October Newsletter and has taken the step of advocating the prevention of encroachment activities.
Warm (!) wishes to everyone for a happy and peaceful holiday season! Good health to all our families and friends in Ocean Park and all places near and far!
At the December OPCL meeting held on Zoom on December 8th, President DannyMurphy offered several updates. He hit the highlights of the District #9 Bayside Town Hall meeting organized by Council member Delceno Miles, noting that Parks and Rec plans to fix the washout area on the trail at Pleasure House Point. Third Precinct Captain Wilkinson described new technologies in use by the police dept. and underscored the importance of residents reporting incidents. With the increased use of analytics to parcel out scarce resources.. patrols won’t be allocated to an area if there is not a perceived need. QDR codes were provided for access to further information about additional topics.
Danny also had an update concerning the berm grass planting on the dunes. Jim White has communicated that the city has contacted contractors for them to submit bids on the project. Further updates about the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp, Beach Access, and details on all items are in the Minutes for the meeting.
Residents and OPCL board members have met several times with city staff concerning various issues with the Ocean Park beach access points. There has been considerable interest in these issues and the Ocean Park Civic League takes its role of providing information about the community seriously. In a surprise move, the city has proposed an ordinance concerning the Raleigh Ave. Beach Access with essentially no public notice. On December 6th, the City Council will vote on the new ordinance.
OPCL is pursuing a request for deferment of this agenda item to give residents and stakeholders an opportunity to participate. A deferment would only be granted at the City Council Meeting not ahead of time so those interested parties should register to speakat the December 6th City Council Meeting if they want to be heard. (”A citizen who wishes to address the council concerning an agenda item must register with the city clerk or deputy city clerk at 385-4303 prior to the meeting.“) Residents may also send an email to the council members: CityCouncil@vbgov.com. Any updates regarding this issue will be posted here on the website.
The new ordinance: “Ordinance to AUTHORIZE temporary encroachments into a portion of City right-of-way known as Windsor Crescent re maintain existing stone patios, stone walls, PVC fence, brick steps, fire pit, wood fence and grassy area at the rear of 3868 Jefferson Boulevard.” Details of the agreement with the city can be found in pages 172-199 of the Bookmarked City Council Agenda .
On Tuesday, November 29th from 6:30-8:00 pm, Council Member for District 9, Delceno Miles hosted a Bayside District Town Hall Meeting and invited everyone to hear updates from city staff on Public Works, Storm Water, Economic Development, Planning, Police, Housing and Neighborhood Preservation.
Ocean Park Civic League 