Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
Guest Speaker--YOU--At This Month's Meeting
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, January 19, 2004, at 7:00 pm.
DEADLINE for the February issue is Tuesday, January 27, 2004.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly police report - Code enforcement update - Your chance to speak up
Happy New Year!! Thanks go out to all the residents that worked so hard throughout 2003 to make Riverview and Colonial Place such fine places to live. Now that January 2004 is here it is time to look forward to the year ahead. Looking ahead, I see many opportunities this coming year for everyone to become involved with your Civic League.
The Civic League has something for everyone, wherever your interests are. We are always looking for people to help out with Newsletter Distribution, Beautification, Community Improvement, Crime Prevention or Publicity. These are just a few of the areas where volunteers can help. Please remember that this is your Civic League and it needs people willing to be involved to keep it growing and vibrant.
Work continues on the Knitting Mill Creek bulkhead, and many of our residents are getting together to talk about Haven Creek and repairing the bulkhead there. We still have sidewalks and other areas in our neighborhoods that have yet to be repaired from the damage inflicted by hurricane Isabel. Also the Neighborhood Watch program continues to need help.
You can make a difference; so please come to our meetings the second Monday of each month so we can hear from you.
May this New Year bring you much joy, peace and happiness!
What improvements do you want to see in our neighborhood in 2004? What are your gripes that you want the residents of Colonial Place/Riverview to address? As we begin a new year I thought that you should have a chance to express your desires for change or your desires not to change things in our community. Some significant construction is occurring or about to occur. Work will continue on the bulkhead along Knitting Mill Creek transitioning from concrete-capped steel vertical bulkhead to an articulated sloping mat to prevent erosion; overall completion is scheduled for 2007. With Decker and Abiouness initiating action to develop the old Lafayette Yacht Club property along Llewellyn Avenue, the City is ready to address the Haven Creek Boat Ramp and the bulkhead/walking path along the west side of Haven Creek.
Some have expressed a desire to help neighbors who due to financial and physical limitations cannot properly maintain their houses/yards. We have talked about this problem for several years but never have started a process which would not only help someone else but also ourselves through improving the appearance of our community. Do we want to do something in 2004?
What do you want? On what are you ready to take action? Come Monday evening, January 12th, and lets talk and plan for 2004.
This years contest will go down in history as the “contest that almost wasn’t.”
Best Group: 512,517,523,524 Delaware Avenue
Best Lighting: 4214 Gosnold Avenue
Best Door: 3811 Columbus
Best Yard Display: 4612 Gosnold Avenue
Best Use of Natural Materials: 213 Ethel Avenue
Most Original: 416 Connecticut Avenue
Judge’s Favorite: 112 Holly Avenue
Honorable Mention: Corner of Holly & Lucille Avenues (no house number found)
This year because of a lack of volunteers our much anticipated Holiday Decorations contest almost fell by the wayside. At our civic league meeting on December 8, 2003, I asked Craig Reilly something about the contest and he told me it had been scrapped this year because the call for volunteers to coordinate the program had gone unheeded. Since I am married to a past award winner and I can remember the delighted look on his face when he discovered the sign that appeared in our yard proclaiming his creativity to the world (Clark Griswold had nothing on my spouse!), I belatedly volunteered to undertake the contest. (Better late than never became the battle cry.)
Judging was to occur on December 18, 2003 (if, we could round up our judges on such short notice) and this was December 8! The only task we could not accomplish was the publishing of the contest in the newsletter. However, the lack of publicity did not stop the wonderful people of Riverview and Colonial Place from doing a great job of filling our community with the wonder of the Season in the form of creative and beautiful yard displays, holiday lights and Christmas decorations.
A special thank you to the businesses who quickly and generously responded to my frantic pleas for donations to be used as awards. If I had had more time to ask for donations, many would have been willing to support our program.
Seely’s Florist: 4301 Colley Avenue 440-0414
Mi Hogar Mexican Restaurant: 4210 Granby Street
Bank of the Commonwealth: 4101 Granby Street 446-6960
Yorgo’s Bageldashery: 2123 Colonial Avenue 623-6609
No Frills Bar & Grill: 806 Spotswood Avenue 627-4262
Mary Barnett Decorative Accessories: 4122 Granby Street 622-1100
Riverview Coffee Parlor: 4117 Granby Street 622-1385
Please show your appreciation for their support by using their businesses first!
At this often hectic time of year, it is so nice to walk or drive around Colonial Place and Riverview and enjoy the displays so many of our neighbors took the time to put up.
Next year when the call to volunteer goes out, please consider responding (that goes for all neighborhood programs). We had so much fun and met so many nice people. Audrey Webb, who has coordinated the program for many years, has the program so fine tuned, it is easy to run. A heartfelt thanks to her for encouragement and guidance. A special thanks to our gracious judges who were asked at the very last minute to participate and who quickly responded with a “yes.”
We have lived in many other neighborhoods over the years, but Colonial Place and Riverview have such a community feeling. We know we have found the place we want to stay. Please become involved and stay involved in our community. Riverview and Colonial Place are wonderful places to live, and a big part of that is the involvement of the residents in making Riverview and Colonial Place real neighborhoods.
Colonial Place is still in need of volunteers to serve as Neighborhood Watch block captains. If you haven’t yet been visited by a block captain, it’s likely that your street doesn’t have one. For information about Neighborhood Watch and/or to sign up as a volunteer, contact Malcolm Martin at 625-8285 or tidewatersurvey@aol.com. Riverview residents should contact Audrey Webb at 623-1197.
Meet Richard and Joanne Hickman. The Hickmans live in the 5000 block of Colonial Avenue and many are already familiar with the people known as "the bird people." Richard, an insurance adjuster with State Farm and Joanne, a real estate paralegal with Attorney Bruce Gould, opened a bird store in Wards Corner after the children grew up and moved out. The common joke was that they took the "empty nest syndrome" a little too far. Since closing up shop several years ago, the "bird kids" live at home, where they are spoiled rotten. Richard and Joanne volunteer with the birds at nursing homes, schools, and libraries in the area, much to the delight of young and old. Many who walk the neighborhood in warmer weather are used to the sight of several of the birds enjoying the outside trees and porch. The Hickmans have lived in Colonial Place for three years and love the warmth and friendliness of the community. Joanne bakes for relaxation and loves to share the goodies with the neighborhood. Richard is the Christmas light fanatic who lights the house so brightly at Christmas that Joanne fears the yard will be used as a landing strip by a news helicopter. Please make sure to say hello to these neighbors!
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6130
Norfolk, VA 23508
E-MAIL: president@cprv.org (checked weekly)
WEB PAGE: www.cprv.org
Community News Editor: Kelly Sorensen, Phone 622-0437
Community News Distribution: Margaret Bright, Phone 627-2815
Advertising: Kelly Sorensen, Phone 622-0437
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Kelly Sorensen
Phone: 622-0437
e-mail: cprvnews@earthlink.net