writing – Ocean Park Civic League

On Saturday, July 26th there was a large gathering on the Ocean Park beach near the Lesner Bridge with many people and cars in the parking lot at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. On Sunday afternoon, July 27th, OPCL President Danny Murphy sent a request for information to the 3rd Precinct Captain Gordon. This is the response from VBPD and the City Manager’s Office.

“On Saturday evening, at approximately 9:30 PM, a large number of individuals began to park at the Lynnhaven boat ramp and gather on the beach. By 10:00 PM, a concerned citizen reached out to report the event, expressing concerns about the crowd size and the presence of a limited security team. Security personnel confirmed the size of the gathering but indicated that no violations were occurring at that time. Evening shift officers were promptly dispatched to the location to assess the situation. Notably, one responding officer, serving as a School Resource Officer, recognized several attendees as students from the local high school. The estimated attendance was between 100 to 150 teenagers. It appeared that this gathering was not a formal promoted event but rather a spontaneous assembly facilitated through word of mouth among students.“

“Officers conducted a thorough walk-through of the crowd and did not observe any alcohol, narcotics, or other illegal activities. The students were largely engaged in socializing and enjoying the beach environment. To ensure a peaceful atmosphere, additional midnight officers were deployed to reinforce the evening shift due to the number of attendees. The officers communicated to the attendees that it was approaching curfew and advised them to disperse by 11:00 PM. By approximately 10:30 to 10:45 PM, the crowd amicably dispersed without any incidents or legal violations noted.“

“Later that evening, at 11:40 PM, security reported a dispute involving a father and daughter, which prompted officers to respond to address a potential domestic situation at that location.”

This information was given to the OPCL by the VA Beach Police Department and the City Manager. We understand neighbors are concerned, sharing conflicting accounts of what happened. As a result, we have invited a VBPD representative to come to our next meeting. More information to follow

In addition to the police statement, the civic league has received one email which gives a different account of events and two comments to the website which are below in the comments:

Summer season is here and with it the issues at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp become more acute. Despite ongoing engagement with the COVB Police, Public Works and Parks and Recreation by Ocean Park residents, the civic league and now the Bayfront Advisory Commission residents are negatively impacted by the overwhelmed facility. Congestion on the narrow streets of Ocean Park, boat trailers waiting for access block driveways and often get lost which pose frustrating safety hazards for pedestrians and drivers.

Neighborhood safety is a priority and we will continue to advocate for solutions as we liaise with city leadership.

**For more information go to the LBR FAQ OPCL page.**

In response to pointed letters this week from many residents, the City Manager Patrick Duhaney offers the following information.

What is the Public Safety plan for Memorial Day Weekend?

Police: The Virginia Beach Police Department is committed to proactively addressing the concerns surrounding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. Following an incident in March, Captain Gordon attended an Ocean Park Civic League meeting with Director Kirschman from Parks and Recreation. This engagement allowed us to hear directly from residents about their concerns and share our constructive response. In response to the community feedback, we have significantly increased our patrols in the area, asking officers to remain visible for a period of time when circumstances allow. This includes patrol officers completing paperwork on-site of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp from prior calls for service which also enhance their presence within the community.

To further discourage any issues, we’ve strategically placed a police vehicle in the parking lot on occasions, serving as a visible deterrent. Additionally, the 3rd Precinct has conducted musters (shift roll calls) in the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Parking lot which also increases visibility. Our Traffic Safety Unit has assisted with increased presence to ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance safety around the boat ramp. We have also intensified parking enforcement to effectively address violations. The feedback from the community meeting has been encouraging, demonstrating that our increased efforts are appreciated. We have also communicated our initiatives to those who couldn’t attend via outreach from the Ocean Park Civic League president. Since the March incident and the resulting increase in our presence, we are pleased to note that no further issues have been reported to the department.

Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, we are deploying officers on ATVs, UTVs, and a Motor Carrier unit as additional resources for traffic management and beach oversight. Our marine unit, in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Police and Virginia Conservation Police, are resources that we can call upon to address boating violations. In addition, cameras at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp are being monitored by the VBPD Real Time Crime Center. We will do our best to monitor and address conditions at the boat ramp as they arise, realizing that this will be an incredibly busy weekend for the city with a significant number of events in all four precincts that will draw upon our finite resources.

Emergency Medical Services: through the Chesapeake Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad and Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, will have EMS personnel conducting ATV/UTV safety patrols on the beaches at various times throughout the summer.
In addition, the EMS Marine Rescue Team conducts weekend marine patrols off the beaches and in city waterways throughout the summer on Fridays through Sundays.

Emergency Communications & Citizen Services: ECCS is staffed 24/7/365 for informational calls, non-emergency reporting, and 9-1-1 Emergency Services.
Information: 3-1-1 or 757-385-3111
Non-emergency: 757-385-5000
Emergency: 9-1-1

Fire: Fire is upstaffing to ensure Fire boats will be staffed for the holiday weekend and most weekends throughout the summer.

How will the City address Waste Management on our beaches, boat ramps, and parks throughout the weekend?

Public Works Beach Operations | Beaches
Beach Operations is operating under normal conditions.
Regular service for all beach waste containers (barrels) is being provided at beach entrances and those on the sand.
Service for these containers occurs each morning around 5:30 a.m.
Should Beach Ops receive prior notification of a large unauthorized party on the beach, they will arrange to have roll-off containers for beachgoers to utilize.

Parks and Recreation | Boat Ramps and Parks
Boat Ramp staff are onsite from 5:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Service for the ramp’s dumpster is provided by a contracted commercial waste hauler and performed on a set schedule. If needed, they can request a special pick-up.
Parks Staff will be actively checking all parks and ensuring that waste containers are serviced as needed.

Public Works Waste Management | Residential Household Waste
Waste and Recycling Collection Services for the residential homes in the Shore Drive/Bay Beach areas occur on Wednesday.
To find when your next recycling service day will be, visit https://VirginiaBeach.gov/wastemgt and use the “Find My Trash Day” tool.
For service day reminders, residents can sign up to receive text or email notifications at VB Connect
To report a miss in service (trash, recycling, bulky or yard waste), residents can create a Service Request at https://vb311.virginiabeach.gov/assist/servicetypes

What happens if the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Reaches Maximum Capacity 

Ramp Signage: Parks and Recreation (PAR) will change all four ramp signs to full to indicate no availability. These are drop down “full” signs located on Shore Drive in the east and west bound directions.
Staff at Entrance: PAR will place two staff members at the entrance to the boat ramp, equipped with radios for communication. Staff are there to assist with the notification to boaters that the ramp is full and to continue traveling on East Stratford Road to exit the neighborhood.
If upon exiting the parking lot traffic becomes a problem, staff and/or residents are asked to notify Police to assist in either flushing the traffic out onto Shore Drive and out of the neighborhood. If a vehicle is unoccupied, Police will ticket the violator.
Barricade Road: PAR will use crowd control barricades to close off Piedmont Circle access into the facility. Once open spaces are available then staff will let trailers begin entering.  
Car Lot and Trailer Monitoring: PAR is going to consistently check the car lot and trailer numbers to ensure proper parking and space utilization. 
Launch and Recovery Monitoring: PAR will ensure individuals who are launching and recovering boats are exiting the ramp area promptly and moving to the designated areas. 
Ramp Control Staff: PAR will station one staff member for ramp control to maintain order and assist with operations. 
Staffing: Parks and Recreation has hired an additional staff person to support the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Supervisors are scheduled proactively during the busiest times.