Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
At This Month's Meeting: Presentations on Two Proposed Developments Affecting our Neighborhoods
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, March 20, 2006, at 7:00 pm.
DEADLINE for the April issue is Tuesday, March 28, 2006.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly police report - Code enforcement update - Suzanne Watson and Jack Kennedy on plans to build on the triangular lot at the intersection of Gosnold and 38th Street - Sam Baraki and Henry Shriver on plans for the development of the old Lafayette Yacht Club property on Haven Creek
Board Meetings are held on the Third Monday each month. These meetings are open to anyone. For more information contact the CPRV President.
One day spring, one day winter, I’m as mixed up as the plants. Don’t know whether to bloom or hibernate. March is supposedly the month that straightens the weather out; hopefully it will bring some continuous warmth, preparing us for summer.
More development is on its way to our community. And the developers are willing and eager to work with us to ensure the concerns of neighbors are addressed. The building of condominiums on the ex-Lafayette Yacht Club property will have a profound effect on Riverview Village. The addition of almost a 300 affluent consumers will bring vitality to the business district. The development of the east side of Haven Creek, and the new resident’s concern about the view of the west side of the creek will, hopefully, be an impetus for the City to address the walking path. There will be negative issues, such as an increase in traffic, that need to be addressed. Also, there are plans to build on the triangular property at 38th and Gosnold. These developers are also eager to work with us and get our input. There is plenty of opportunity for you to participate in discussions and influence the decisions that are made. So come on out to the meetings and get involved.
We are all concerned about crime. Well, there are both volunteers and City employees that work diligently to prevent crime. Join me on Thursday March 27th at Norfolk’s 14th Annual Crime Prevention Awards Dinner at the Norfolk Airport Hilton. We will honor those PACE (Police Assisted Community Enforcement) Setters who have helped make Norfolk a safer city through their crime prevention efforts. Buy your tickets ($20 each prior to March 15th) from Laura Tessier (288-2301). Let’s have a good turnout that shows everyone that Colonial Place/Riverview cares.
I would like to commend Buddy Petzinger for volunteering to relieve Margaret Bright as the Newsletter Distribution Coordinator. He will need help because Margaret’s coordination assistants, the MacConochies, are also resigning after many years of serving the residents of Riverview and Colonial Place.
Still looking for a volunteer to organize a team of Colonial Place and Riverview residents to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Norfolk to be held on June 2nd and 3rd. Call 853-6638 or go to www.ascevents.org/norfolk to learn more.
Please mark you calendar for our March CPRV Civic League meeting on Monday, March 13th at 7:00 p.m. at Stuart Center School. This month we will hear two presentations concerning possible developments in CPRV. First, we will hear from Mrs. Suzanne Watson and Mr. Jack Kennedy (both of Riverview) about their proposal to build a house on the triangular lot at the intersection of Gosnold Avenue and 38th Street. Please see the separate article, written by Mr. Kennedy, in this newsletter regarding this proposed development. We will also hear a presentation from Mr. Sam Baraki and Mr. Henry Shriver regarding a condominium development on the property found on eastern side of Haven Creek (on the site formerly known as the Lafayette Yacht Club). They will present a plan to our civic league that includes 5 buildings with around 30 condominium units in each building. This yet-to-be-named development will include approximately 75 boat slips (to be sold to the owners of the condos). This condominium development does not take place in a vacuum. The Civic League, the developers and the City of Norfolk must enter into a serious conversation about many issues: traffic in and around Riverview Village, increased stress on an already taxed sewage system and state of the Haven Creek corridor. That conversation is lacking if you are missing. Please come out and participate in this discussion.
Please mark your calendar now for our CPRV Civic League meeting and drop me a line if you have questions or suggestions: searnhart@gmail.com
Suzanne Watson and Jack Kennedy, both Riverview residents, will present plans for a house they plan to build on the triangular lot bounded by 38th Street, Gosnold Ave. and Michigan Ave. The lot is non-conforming because both width and area are under current requirements, but since it was subdivided prior to the zoning code, it is build-able. A special exception is being sought which requires the design to be compatible with the neighborhood. Plans have been presented to the CPRV Executive Board and the Norfolk Design Center. The owners will be showing plans and making a presentation at the CPRV March meeting. The matter will come before the Planning Commission and City Council, which has the final say.
Rebecca Howard and Patrice Dupuis of Bloom--The Art of Flowers are partnering with long-time Norfolk restaurateurs Karl and Tara Dornemann and plan to open Parallel 36, a new and exciting restaurant concept for Hampton Roads. The restaurant will be located beside Bloom at the base of the Granby Street bridge.
The menu will be “Worldly Eclectic” and will feature cuisine from countries that share Norfolk’s latitude (Italy, Spain, Japan, etc). Recipes will combine the freshest regional fish, meat, and game, with wildly varying cooking traditions from all over the globe. The bar will showcase Karl Dornemann's award winning martini selections along with an expansive wine list with over 20 wines by the glass and 100 bottle and ½ bottle selections in this 60-seat restaurant.
Karl Dornemann has launched many restaurants in Norfolk, including: Crackers, Empire Little Bar Bistro, and Bardo Edibles and Elixirs. The owners will be on-hand to discuss specifics at the next Civic League meeting.
Please welcome our new newsletter distribution coordinator Mr. Buddy Petzinger. Buddy agreed to take over the reins from Mrs. Margaret Bright, who has certainly done her share for the good of the civic league. If it were not for the behind-the-scenes work of citizens like Margaret and Buddy, you would not be reading this newsletter.
The Colonial Place and Riverview of yesteryear will soon be captured in a commemorative pictorial history book lovely enough for your coffee table. The book--a 72-page, hardback title with approximately 90 black and white photos and a dozen color shots--will be produced by the Donning Company Publishers, which specializes in pictorial history publications for non-profit organizations. Sue VanHecke and Artemis Stoll, both CPRV residents, are spearheading the project and need your help to make it a success. The first order of business is to secure sponsorship funding. If you have ideas or contacts, please notify Sue VanHecke at: sweetgene@aol.com or Artemis Stoll at: feta2@verizon.net
Our Community Garden will officially begin its 6th spring and summer season on Saturday, 18 March from 12:00 p.m. - TBD! We can use lots of help - and helpers – to do fun outdoor activities like spread compost, pull weeds, separate and replant day lilies, repaint the shed, clean up, fix-up borders, and start the spring plantings. We welcome folks who just want to pitch-in for a day, and new folks who are interested in joining us for the season. Basic price as a communal gardener is $15; for a personal plot, while they are still available, an additional $20. We endorse the “recycle, reuse, reduce” way of helping the earth, and welcome donations of plants from your yards as you do your spring separating, or bags of leaves (if your yard is pesticide free), extra dirt from landscaping, and many other things.
Six summers ago, we started on the Georgia Avenue end of that long, narrow site of a former landfill behind Fellini’s, and have now reached the other end of the site on Michigan Ave. Because of the shallow soil layer, beds were made with the “lasagna” gardening method of layering cardboard, mulch, leaves, SPSA compost, and everything else we could gather. We made several decisions at the start: to be as close to organic as we could, avoiding pesticides and other contaminants of the soil and water runoff; to avoid straight lines and sharp corners (its more pleasing to the eye); and to welcome the community strollers with nice paths and a central meeting area. Come and enjoy the garden!
I like to refer to the month of March as “the big tease.” It’s the time of year when we really start getting a good balance of cold, winter days and warmer, spring days. The time of year when the Bradford Pear trees become an explosion of white; the daffodils and forsythia spray beams of eye-catching yellow and fresh new leaves on the shrubs are showing vivid green and the most beautiful shades of red. Then just when “Spring Fever” sets in and you are feeling all warm and fuzzy, BAMB! We get one of those annoying and inconvenient cold-snaps or even a blizzard!
Inconvenient and annoying, yes, but always short-lived in the month of March and frankly, there is not much we can do about it. Keep in mind that your plants will be fine. Mother Nature knows what she is doing and things always balance out. If you have tender perennials that have started popping out of the ground in the warmth and you know a hard freeze is coming that night, you can cover the plants to protect them from a late frost and/or you can spray them with Wilt Proof. Wilt proof is a product that coats the plant with a safe covering that helps the plant maintain its natural moisture level and not dry out in severe cold or wind.
Allow nature to take its course for the month of March and don’t try to “push” the season by over mulching. Heavily mulching too early will warm up the soil and fool the plants into thinking that it is time to push through! Also, don’t buy your annuals too early either. The annuals that appear in the big box stores this time of year (other than pansies or snapdragons) are early grown in greenhouses and not conditioned for the outside yet. Their root systems are very fragile in March and will not make it out side left in the pots. If you put them in the ground in March, they will more than likely get zapped with a late frost. Save your money and wait till April.
So don’t fret about the weather in March and have faith that Mother Nature has things under control. Take this time to clean out your shed, stock up your potting bench, shop for new tools and planters (there’s a great selection at Tanners Creek right now, hint, hint, wink, wink!).
I would like to start a neighborhood book club! Many of you might already be members of various reading groups; however, this is a chance to be part of a unique and diverse group with lots of different viewpoints on literature. I would host the first meeting where we could discuss which books we would like to read as a group, and then we would meet at different houses--or even at a coffee shop (the local coffee shop on Granby Street with its cozy and comfy seating would be ideal). I was thinking that meeting once per month would be good. If you are interested, e-mail me at: kattepus@cox.net and let me know which times would be best for you to meet. I hope to hear from you soon!
Saturday, March 25th from 8 am until noon has been designated as Keep Norfolk Beautiful Day. We are no longer able to have an annual cleanup as the City will no longer provide the dumpsters for this. However, if anyone would like to volunteer to take on certain neighborhood streets and areas I will register CPRV to take part. Please contact me at 623-1197, if you are interested and I will provide trash bags and coordinate collection of same.
The Police Unity Tour Chapter 4, consists of Law Enforcement Officers bicycling from Chesapeake, VA to Washington D.C. on May 10th, 2006 to honor fallen officers who have died in the line of duty. Our primary goal is to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial as well as the operating costs for the participating officers. Each participating officer must raise a minimum of $1250.00 to make the 240+ mile trip. The Police Unity Tour is a non-profit organization, classified under section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code (Tax ID #: 22-3530541). The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was founded in 1983 by members of the United States Congress to recognize the services and sacrifices of our law enforcement officers.
Sponsor our former PACE Officer: Officer William B. Routon by sending your contribution in his name to: Police Unity Tour IV, PO BOX 56385, Virginia Beach VA 23456-6385.
Members of the City’s consulting team will meet with residents, business owners, employees, students and area stakeholders, on Monday, March 13th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Larchmont Elementary School to present their latest findings regarding land use and urban design, housing, economic feasibility, and transportation. Following the initial presentations, everyone will break into small-group workshops to discuss how--and where--these findings can help strengthen the Central Hampton Boulevard area, making it a more coherent “district” that celebrates its own unique identity. This meeting is extremely important for the CPRV community, as the Central Hampton Boulevard District includes the Colley Business district beginning at or near the 21st Street railroad bridge and ending at the bridge separating Larchmont from Colonial Place.
Wednesday, March 8th, 2006
10:00 a.m. - CPRV Childrens Playgroup - Contact 624-6810
Friday, March 10th, 2006
7:15 p.m. - Admirals Hockey - Scope - Contact 640-1212
7:00 p.m. - ODU Baseball - Contact 683-5484
Saturday, March 11th, 2006
5:00 p.m. - ODU Baseball - Contact 683-5484
7:15 p.m. - Admirals Hockey - Scope - Contact 640-1212
Monday, March 13th, 2006
2:15 p.m. - Senior’s Bowling Club - Contact 441-2109
5:30 p.m. - Central Hampton Blvd Area Meeting - Larchmont Elementary
7:00 p.m. - Civic League Meeting - Stuart Center
Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
10:00 a.m. - CPRV Childrens Playgroup - Contact 624-6810
7:00 p.m. - ODU Baseball - Contact 683-5484
Saturday, March 18th, 2006
12:00 p.m. - Community Garden
7:15 p.m. - Admirals Hockey - Scope - Contact 640-1212
Monday, March 20th, 2006
2:15 p.m. - Senior’s Bowling Club - Contact 441-2109
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
10:00 a.m. - CPRV Childrens Playgroup - Contact 624-6810
Friday, March 24th, 2006
7:00 p.m. - ODU Baseball - Contact 683-5484
7:15 p.m. - Admirals Hockey - Scope - Contact 640-1212
Saturday, March 25th, 2006
8:00 a.m. - Neighborhood Clean-up - Contact 623-1197
5:00 p.m. - ODU Baseball - Contact 683-5484
7:15 p.m. - Admirals Hockey - Scope - Contact 640-1212
Monday, March 27th, 2006
2:15 p.m. - Senior’s Bowling Club - Contact 441-2109
6:30 p.m. - Crime Prevention Meeting - Stuart Center
TBD - 14th Annual Crime Prevention Awards Dinner - Contact 288-2301
Wednesday, March 29th, 2006
10:00 a.m. - CPRV Childrens Playgroup - Contact 624-6810
(Dates and Times subject to change without notice.
Consult your local periodicals for additional information, costs and updates)
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: Joe Rivas, Phone 277-2822
Community News Distribution: Buddy Petzinger, Phone
Advertising: Joe Rivas, Phone 277-2822
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Joe Rivas
Phone: 277-2822
e-mail: cprvnews@gmail.com