Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS

June 2010

              Shop The Neighborhood First: Business Spotlight Night at this Month's Meeting

NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, June 21, 2010, at 7:00 pm.

DEADLINE for the July issue is Friday, June 17, 2010.

THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA:   Monthly police report – Election - Budget - Program: Shop The Neighborhood First: Business Spotlight Night.

Greetings Neighbors! This will be my last newsletter article as President of CPRV Civic League. It has been an honor to serve and represent CPRV as president these past two years. I have had the pleasure of working with people who are truly dedicated to the improvement of our neighborhood. I want to personally thank the wonderful elected board that I served alongside: Artemis Stoll, Sharon McGlone, Amy Butala, and Jack Kennedy. These fine neighbors have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their dedication and work for our neighborhood. All the committee chairs have contributed countless hours with their committees in the mission of improving the wonderful community we all have invested in and I thank you all! Our neighborhoods are filled with beautiful historic homes, lovely green spaces, and a spectacular waterfront, but it is the people of CPRV that make our neighborhoods so amazing. I am pleased with the Nominating Committee’s Slate of Officers for June’s elections and I know that CPRV will continue to be the best community on this side of the coast! Thank you neighbors for all that you do to make our neighborhood great! I am keeping this short so that there is plenty of room for the answers to last month’s Knitting Mill Creek Project questions, which begins below.

This month’s meeting will provide an opportunity to consider new ways to “Shop the Neighborhood First.” In addition to our border businesses along Granby Street and Colley Avenue, there are also many CPRV resident-owned businesses throughout the Norfolk area. The following will be showcased at our first (annual, perhaps) “Business Spotlight Night”:

Matt Arnold: Finders Investigations, Inc.

Finders Investigations is a professional investigations firm and training academy. They offer a wide range of classes/services via a knowledgeable staff with over 65 years of combined experience in law enforcement, mili­tary, private security, first responder, and martial arts. For details, go to www.findersinvestigationsinc.com.

Arlette and Dave Claflin: Claflin Antiques at Cypress Point Antique Mall

The Claflins own a small antique shop within the Cypress Point Antique Mall, which is about a half mile east of Virginia Wesleyan College. They stock a variety of treasures just waiting to find new homes in CPRV.

Dave McDonald: Mediation Center of Hampton Roads

The Mediation Center provides mediation services, particularly for couples/parties looking to save time and money by avoiding court and large attorney fees. Go to www.mediationhamptonroads.com for details on the benefits of mediation and a complete list of services the Mediation Center provides.

Keith Parnell: JASE Digital Media

JASE Digital Media is a Norfolk-based, progressive, interactive digital media agency specializing in brand management solutions, inbound marketing strategies, web design services, and eBusiness solutions. For more information, go to www.jasedigitalmedia.com.

Betsy Rivers Kennedy: The Betsy Rivers Kennedy Studio at One Eleven Art

While Betsy’s calligraphy is mainly commissioned work, she also creates other types of artwork from drawings to collages. In addition, she teaches calligraphy at One Eleven Art. Contact Betsy at 434-8041.

Susan Sussman: Susan Barrie Sussman, Real Estate Appraiser

With sixteen years experience under her belt, Susan appraises residential properties for lenders, attorneys and individuals in the Hampton Roads area. She handles appraisals for home sales, estate or divorce purposes, and PMI (private mortgage insurance) removal. She can be reached at 535-5998.

We had a great turnout for the Knitting Mill Creek bulkhead presentation at the May Civic League meeting, and as a result, there were a few issues that were of concern regarding the bulkhead design and some excellent questions were raised during that meeting. We are looking at inviting the City Engineers to one of our civic league meetings to discuss the bulkhead, so keep your eyes peeled for that announcement in a newsletter and make sure you come to the meeting. I did talk with the engineer about the three options and he said that they could not recommend the vertical sheet piling bulkhead due to the high cost of construction (approximately $2000 per linear foot) considering the needs throughout the city. So that leaves only two design options- the breakwater with vegetated shoreline, and the revetment. I am working with the Board on when we would like the City Engineer to attend our meeting. The following is the list of questions that I recall and immediately following are the responses I got back from one of the City Engineers:

Will the existing trees have to be removed? Knowing that these trees have been most likely around for more than 80 years, it would be a shame to lose them. Can the designs some how be altered to keep the trees in place? If not, can the replacement trees be a larger caliper than 2”?

Answer: We can definitely make an effort to save as many of the trees as possible. What we are unable to save we would replace with trees of an appropriate caliper. The City Site Plan ordinance requires us to replace the trees. There may be more trees with calipers smaller than the caliper of the existing trees, but I would think any replacements would be larger than 2”. The City Forester has a formula for replacement, and we would antici­pate following that formula. I believe the existing trees are live oaks. A number of years ago the belief was that live oaks would eventually die off as a result of a virus similar to Dutch Elm Disease. I don’t know if that is still the belief by our City For­estry folks, and so we may be asked to replace the existing trees with a different species.

What will be the width of the walking path near the street with both the living shoreline and revetment designs?

Answer: We would definitely maintain enough area for people to walk. (Author’s edit- the city is not providing a path, but space for pedestrian traffic. Earlier indications from the civic league indicated we did not want a path)

Is the city providing back flow prevention flapper valves at the outfalls, especially at Virginia Avenue?

Answer: Yes. We would install flapper valves at the outfalls. They don’t work all the time, but overall they re­duce the frequency of flooding.

Is it possible to get an engineer/representative from the City to be present at the next presentation to answer questions about the bulkhead? I was trying to avoid this, but some of the members insist on this one.

Answer: Yes. We can provide a representative.

Is an articulated mat design out still not viable? I guess folks wanted to know what the visual as well as economic differences would be between that and the revetment. My guess is that it would have a higher cost, but I’m not sure you can get the grade slope you need with the mat.

Answer: I think an articulated mat still wouldn’t be a viable option. The Corps was originally concerned that a mat would encroach into the permitted federal channel of Knitting Mill Creek. The permitted width of the chan­nel is much wider than the actual channel, and the Corps wanted us to stay clear of the permitted width.

With the shore so narrow in some places, how can you ensure that the soils won’t get washed away with erosion? Won’t the slope be too steep to support additional fill/plants?

Answer: We would have to work the slope, width of the vegetation, and geometry of the toe protection into the design so erosion does not occur.

How can the living shoreline help filter stormwater (that may have been falsely claimed by me) when most of the stormwater runs through the storm sewers directly into the creek?

Answer: Not sure on this one. For the most part we would try to locate the outfalls outboard of the vegetated area, but we may in fact have to locate some outfalls within the vegetated area (with appropriate energy dissi­pation) because of the federal channel width issue. If that becomes the case, the living shoreline would provide some filtering.

And I guess the biggest question was how can these bulkheads stop flooding on Mayflower?

Answer: We really can’t. We are stabilizing a shoreline, not building sea walls. We would look for opportuni­ties to raise the elevation of the bank to reduce the number of times Mayflower is inundated. We built the bank elevation up just south of New York Avenue and installed a flapper valve on the outfall on the last phase. New York Avenue & Mayflower intersection probably floods less often as a result, but the problem has not been elimi­nated.

How is the new bulkhead design going to transition with the existing bulkhead?

Answer: We would develop that detail during the design process.

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m.

The PACE Officer’s report was given.

Resident Jeff Stark wanted information from the CPRV league about Knitting Mill bulkhead continuance.

More information was in the May 2010 newsletter. The city is looking for guidance from the CPRV league as to which option is the preferred bulkhead design. A motion was made and seconded to table the discussion about Knitting Mill’s bulkhead and request that Jeff Stark get more info.

Program: Jack Kennedy and Audrey Webb presented a demonstration on how to create a rain barrel.

Secretary: A motion was made and seconded to approve the April 2010 CPRV General Meeting minutes.

Treasurer Report was given.

New Business: Nominating Committee David Block, Rosemary Thornton and Bob Baxter presented the slate of officers for 2010-2011.

Slate of Officers:

President- Dave McDonald- Seconded, Other nominations: none
V President – Sharon McGlone, Other nominations: none
Secretary – James Gregg, Other nominations: none
Treasurer: Dave Spriggs (Riverview Representative), Other nominations: none
A motion to close nominations for 2010 elections was made and seconded. Elections will be held at the June 2010 meeting

Committee Reports: Audrey Webb - Beautification committee.

New Business: The June CPRV General meeting will spotlight CPRV business owners.

Old Business: A suggestion was made to print the street cleaning schedule in the monthly newsletter.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

Parenting is tough these days. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some help; to have some expert to ask a question or to seek some advice? Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church is pleased to sponsor a three session lecture series for parents and grandparents dealing with issues of raising children from a medical perspective.

Several doctors from Portsmouth Naval Hospital who specialize in children and family medicine will speak in informal, interactive sessions on Friday evenings from 7:00 -8;00 p.m. The next topic to be considered: Talking with your Teenager (June 25). The evening will begin with a brief presentation followed by a time for questions and interaction.

Childcare will be provided for those who need it. For more information concerning this series please check out our web site at www.christtheredeemer.org. or call 226-8700. Christ the Redeemer is located at 4210 Colley Ave.

Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden was voted one of the top five citizen-directed neighborhood improvement projects in Norfolk, earning the city’s COOL Award. COOL, which stands for Civic Opportunity and Outstanding Leadership, is a recognition program established by Norfolk’s Bureau of Community Outreach that honors grassroots projects started by residents to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Selected with input from community and agency stakeholders, the Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden won the award because of its conversion and ongoing maintenance of a once-vacant, trash-filled lot in Colonial Place into public green space and communal and personal garden plots. The KMC Community Garden celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with new leadership, an influx of enthusiastic new membership, and an exciting rainwater abatement project being installed in conjunction with the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

“Sharing grassroots efforts with other neighbors as a way to ignite a spark for projects in other neighborhoods is the basis for the COOL award,” said Marty Raiss, program administrator with Community Outreach for the City of Norfolk.

The COOL award is presented based on the following criteria: residents working together as volunteers to improve the community; encouraging individual and community responsibility for the neighborhood; an increased awareness of the importance of enhancing the quality of life in Norfolk through neighborhood programs, events or projects; and the promotion of neighborhood unity and significant impact on neighborhood communication, interaction and cooperation.

Other citizen-led projects to receive COOL honors include Fairmount Park Civic League’s beautification committee and neighborhood watch program; the Ballentine Bark Park, a dog park initiated by residents of the Ballentine Park neighborhood; the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership, a citizen-based group with the mission of preserving an urban wetland along the Lafayette River; and Art/Everywhere, in which empty storefront windows along Granby Street were filled with various art media including sculpture, paintings and photography. Congratulations to KMC gardeners and supporters for this well-deserved recognition of their efforts and dedication.

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 Wayne Greene at 664-6527 (City of Norfolk) and request an Occupancy Permit Inspection for the vacant or soon-to-be-vacated rental property.

Saturdays 5-7pm
June 26-August 21
Free admission. Free parking.
Bring the family for a variety of concerts from blues to reggae, salsa, bluegrass and rock on the green on Monarch Way at The University Village.Visit oduvillage.com for complete schedule. An initiative of the ODU Real Estate Foundation. 757-683-4504

Once a month, open to everyone! Day and time may vary depending on who is hosting. Join the Veg Club listserve by going to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cprv_veggies/ Or send an email to: CPRV_Veggies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you would like to join us or have any questions, contact Joanna at joannajenkins@cox.net

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