Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
Guest Speaker, Ben Tokarz, Civil Engineer with Norfolk’s Department of Utilities, At This Month's Meeting
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, March 15, 2010, at 7:00 pm.
DEADLINE for the April issue is Friday, March 19, 2010.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly police report - Ben Tokarz, Civil Engineer with Norfolk’s Department of Utilities, will present information and answer questions about Phase 3 of the sewer upgrade project.
Greetings Neighbors! I encourage everyone to take a moment to browse not only the CPRV webpage, but the City’s webpage as well: www.cprv.org and www.norfolk.gov. Both webpages are packed with great information. If you have not already joined the neighborhood listserv, I encourage you to do that as well and signing up is easy. The directions are right on the CPRV webpage. The listserv is a valuable tool, but I frequently get asked “what is a listserv?” The CPRV listserv is an online network of neighbors who have subscribed to receive email alerts from neighbors. Emails regarding lost dogs or requests for who to use for a minor contractor are common, but it is those important posts such as when a person is suspiciously hanging around or when a several neighbors have noticed their license plates missing that go to making sure our neighborhoods are on top of any problems that are arising in our community. I think that the listserv has been an important tool in making sure our crime stats remain so low. As the federal government and cities across America are having to tighten up their belts as far as spending in the community goes, it is more important than ever to make sure that we do our part to ensure that we continue to have one of the safest communities around the city, and keeping alert via the listserv can be an important tool. If you have difficulty signing up, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I can walk you through it.
It is time to start thinking about what area of the neighborhood you would like to “detail” for the Keep Norfolk Beautiful Clean up. With the storms we have had this winter, debris has washed up along our walking paths and by our neighborhood boat ramp. While people are always pitching in to make sure our neighborhood park looks great, these areas could still benefit from a spring cleaning and sprucing up. Don’t forget all of the circles and triangles that help make our neighborhood unique as well as each block. I encourage you to get out and make it a family event, a neighborly event, and a community event. Audrey Webb is heading up this event and has supplies for those participating.
This month’s meeting is an important one, as we hear updates regarding our sewer upgrades as well as have a chance to get concerns regarding neighborhood concerns regarding sewage heard. When our community works as a whole with the city to address problems and concerns, we are able to come to a workable solution. If you are experiencing problems, I encourage you to attend this meeting.
Thank you for making CPRV the great neighborhoods that they are. I encourage you to become involved in your neighborhood as the ice melts, the birds come out, and people start coming out of winter hibernation.
For our March meeting, Ben Tokarz, Civil Engineer with Norfolk’s Department of Utilities, will present information and answer questions about Phase 3 of the sewer upgrade project. He will also address other general sewer-related questions as needed. Mr. Tokarz attended our September meeting and presented information on Phase 2 of the project.
As announced in September’s newsletter, the Department of Utilities is in the midst of a $700,000 infrastructure project. The project areas receive new sanitary sewers and fully resurfaced streets. The construction contract is held by Precon Construction.
As in the last project phase, the Department of Utilities and their contractor will make every effort to minimize inconvenience to the neighborhood. A City of Norfolk construction inspector, Thomas King, will be on-site daily during construction. Residents may contact him at 813-5450 with any construction-related concerns. In addition, Project Manager, Ben Tokarz can be reached at 664-6735.
Have a hankering for home-grown tomatoes, cukes, and squash? Spring is right around the corner – and so is the 10th anniversary season of Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden. If a veggie patch isn’t possible in your own yard, rent a plot at the awarding-winning KMC Community Garden, located at the end of Mayflower Rd. between Georgia and Michigan Aves., behind Fellini’s. For more details, visit www.kmccommunitygarden.com or e-mail info@kmccommunitygarden.com. Happy growing!
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m.
There were no first time attendees.
PACE Officer Report: Officer Paschal reports that crime reports were down, maybe the cold weather is keeping criminals away. A question was asked, "Has the crack down on crime in Park Place affected the less crime reports in Colonial Place/Riverview?" Officer Paschal stated that there were no noticeable patterns or relationships with crime from Park Place. Officer Paschal encourages all residents to call for any type of incidents. Residents are also encouraged to schedule a security survey of their home.
Guest Speaker: Hope Lomax-Jones, Facility Manager for the Norfolk Fitness Wellness Center gave a presentation of the center’s facilities and programs. She invited all residents to come to the fitness center for a tour. She reported that the Lambert’s Point Recreation Center would have their Grand Opening- Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Secretary Report: A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of January 2010 meeting.
Treasurer Report: The treasurer reports for December 2009 and January 2010 were given.
Committee Reports:
Dog Park: Buffy Masten reported that $400 has been collected for the small dog park. She requested ideas for raising more funds. The total amount needed is $1600.
A suggestion was made to approach companies that want to be “green or civic minded” for donation. There was a motion made that the CPRV Civic league will match donations from residents of CPRV for building of small dog park. The vote was yes – 12; no- 1
An article will appear in the next newsletter about fundraising for Small Dog Park
New Business: Jack Kennedy and Audrey Webb met with the Ben Tokarz, Norfolk Civil Engineer to discuss CPRV homes that were damaged from the recent storms. Mr. Tokarz will attend the March CPRV meeting. A question was asked if these damages will be covered thru FEMA.
Residents are reminded to email Norfolk.gov to report potholes.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Residents of Colonial Place and Riverview are urged to contact the city when they become of aware of properties being offered for rent within our neighborhood. Call Rusty Masten at 664-6527 (City of Norfolk) and request an Occupancy Permit Inspection for the vacant or soon-to-be-vacated rental property.
Attention parents of small dogs!!!! Fundraising is now going forward to install the small dog park in the larger dog area on Delaware Avenue, in the Colonial Place Greenway. The Civic League and the City have given us the go ahead to create a space where our diminutive companions can have a safe place to run, romp and play together, leash free.
The Civic League has generously offered to match all funds raised, dollar for dollar. If you have small dogs please consider a donation. Any amount will be graciously accepted. Mail to CPRV Civic League Small Dog Park, Box 6130, Norfolk, VA 23508.
When our fencing is up, the artist who did the dog art on the fence around the big dog park, Lynn Hembry, has offered to put up artwork of our small doggies. Also, a first aid box has been installed in the dog park, at the kiosk, so that bandages, etc, are available if needed. The box is locked, but the combination to the box is posted on the top left of the kiosk. If anyone should need to use the first aid supplies, please be kind enough to replace what you use. We also had an incident a few weeks ago where the plexiglass doors on the street side of the kiosk were broken, and had to be replaced. The funds for this were taken from our existing dog park fund. This is another reason to donate to the dog park fund, so that we can be the best park in the city! Thank you.
In conjunction with Keep Norfolk Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful the weekend of Saturday, March 20 has been designated as clean-up time for Colonial Place and Riverview. I know that weekends are very busy times for people and therefore did not want to hold it down to a specific day and time. Last year we had a great turnout of volunteers working throughout the neighborhood. If you would like to volunteer for this year’s litter clean-up event, please e-mail a_p_webb@yahoo.com or call me at 623-1197. Thank you.
COMMUNITY NEWS is produced by:
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6130
Norfolk, VA 23508
Deadline for articles and advertising is the third Friday of the month
Community News Editor: Blair Barbieri
Phone: 908-797-8750
Email: cprvnews@gmail.com
Newsletter Advertising Chair: James Gregg
Phone: 757-489-8968
Email: jamesrgregg@aol.com
Community News Distribution: Mary Hormell, Phone 627-2392
CPRV Web Page: www.cprv.org