Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
Guest Speaker, Daun Hester, Superward 7 Representative to Norfolk City Council, At This Month's Meeting
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, September 17, 2007, at 7:00 pm.
DEADLINE for the October issue is Tuesday, September 18, 2007.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly police report - Code enforcement update - The Honorable Daun Hester, superward 7 representative to Norfolk City Council, discussing a plan to expand the basketball court at City Park - Mr. Chris Glover of Little Bar Bistro, seeking our approval for a special exception to the current zoning of the building formerly occupied by Parallel 36 to allow his business, Crackers, to move to this space and to operate until 2 a.m.
To me, the first of September is the other New Year – a time for new beginnings, new opportunities, new challenges. After the Labor Day Weekend, we get a little relief from the hot and humid smothering that is August in Tidewater and I make my best effort at getting back to my meager exercise routine. As a teacher, I prepare for the start of another school year with all the excitement, hope and, dare I say, anxiety that comes from working with kids in the classroom. This year is doubly new as I start at a new school with all the challenges that come from being the “new guy” on the team. But I am looking forward to it just as I look forward to the arrival of cooler Fall weather.
Good news on the book front. Thanks to the dedicated work of Mr. Dave Spriggs, our book sales manager, copies of Colonial Place and Riverview: One Hundred Years of History by CPRV's very own Mrs. Susan VanHecke and Mrs. Artemis Stoll, are selling very well. Over 690 books have been sold and we are closing in on fully reimbursing our sponsors, Mrs. Theresa Nock and Mr. David Block of William E. Woods Associates. If you are new to the neighborhood, please visit to find out where you can purchase a copy. Don't wait too long, for this book is a limited edition.
I would like to recognize Mr. Kenny Morton who has once again gone beyond the call of duty. In addition to his current position of Rat Czar (in which he patrols of the waterfronts of CPRV and lectures rodents on the errors of their ways), Kenny has agreed to take over the mighty job of setting up the P.A. system at our civic league events. Thus, as President of the CPRV Civic League, I hereby welcome Kenny to his additional office of P.A. System Superintendent with all the privileges and rights that accompany it. What have you done for your neighborhood this month?
Lastly, our CPRV Community Radio project is still on. July brought illness and August brought lightning strikes to the WODV team, but we will recover and be in contact soon about our upcoming orientation meeting. See you at the September meeting.
It's not just a neighborhood, it's a lifestyle.
Steve Earnhart
searnhart@gmail.com
Summer is officially over, and it's time to get back to civic duties! Take a look over the different committees listed in this newsletter and consider lending a hand. We have a very productive and well respected civic league, but it takes neighbors like you getting involved to make it a success!
There are several important items on September's general membership agenda, so please take a break on Monday evening, September 10th at 7 p.m. and come out to Knox Presbyterian Church so your voice can be heard. The Honorable Daun Hester, superward 7 representative to Norfolk City Council, will be coming before the league to discuss a plan to expand the basketball court at City Park. As you may be aware, this is a followup visit from January's meeting when the initial proposal was discussed. The league had some questions about the scope of the plan and Mrs. Hester will be with us to provide the city's answers. There is currently a court there, but it is not regulation size. Mr. Chris Glover of Little Bar Bistro will also come before the league to discuss his vision for his Ghent restaurant, Crackers, moving to the spot that formerly housed Parallel 36. He will also be seeking our approval for a special exception to the current zoning of the building to allow his business to operate until 2 a.m.
The CPRV photography contest will be coming up in October. This will be a lively way for neighbors to share what they like about the neighborhoods which could include shared public spaces, parks, local businesses, homes, groups of homes, wildlife, etc...and to identify areas that needed improvement. The possibilities are endless. We will put up a photography wall at October's meeting, so let the pictures tell a thousand words!
Don't wait for the monthly newsletter to find out what is happening in your neighborhood. If you haven't already signed up for the community e-mail list, you are missing out on a lot of valuable information such as crime alerts, restoring old homes info, neighbors giving away free items, lost pets, information about new businesses and zoning change requests, find a referral on a business to do work at your house, info on the neighborhood veggie potluck club, and much more. To be in the know, go to and follow the links to the e-mail list.
The Ernie Morgan Recycling Center, located in the park, now takes used household batteries. The collection box is outside on the right side of the building. You may also drop of CD's, including the plastic cases. This collection box is inside the building. If you have any questions please call me.
Apparently there are new "no parking" signs in front of the dog park on Delaware. I spoke with officer Jackson about them & he said that some people in our neighborhood requested that they be put in to avoid congestion at the light at Delaware & Lewellyn. I asked him if we could move the signs closer to Llewellyn, and he suggested that we address this at the Civic League meeting in September. He suggested that maybe we could have the signs read, "for dog park parking only". I will try to pursue this further before the meeting. If anyone has more information on this please contact me at 622-6635 or come to the meeting.
Crime Stats - July & August
While crime was up in July, it went down in August. Larceny from autos was the most frequent offense. Be sure to lock your car, garage, and house doors. Keep porch lights on! For other areas such as your driveway, consider motion lights. Keep bushes trimmed so your vehicle and windows are in plain view for yourself and your neighbors!
Gun Detection System
The police department had a demonstration of the gun detection system as a result of the CPRV crime prevention's letter to city council. The feedback we got from the police was positive. Now it is time to let city council and the city manager know that our police department should have modern day technology available to them to solve the crime issues of our city. Please write your council members and let them know you support this technology for our community. A template of a letter will soon be available on or through our neighborhood listserv.
September Crime Prevention Tip
Would you like to know what else you can do to help protect your home? Call the Norfolk Police Department (664-6901) and ask for an officer to come to your home and provide a security survey. The officer will evaluate your home and give recommendations as to what you can do to improve the security of your home and family.
Did you know, not only is it the law to have your bikes registered, but it can help you retrieve your bike if it is stolen?! If you haven't already registered your bike, come join us for the next CPRV Bike Registration on - September 15th at 4 pm at the Colonial Place Greenway (next to the dog park) Officer Jackson will be on hand to register your bikes.
If you, or someone you love needs a helmet, some helmets will also be provided by The Lynn Fund of the Brain Injury Association of America (www.thelynnfund.org) courtesy of Gary Chiaverotti.
Once you've registered your bike and picked up your new helmet, enjoy a leisurely bike ride throughout our neighborhood with friends and family. Bike ride will begin at 5 pm. See you there!
No sticker shock here! The new batch of CPRV stickers has arrived and prices are going down. Original stickers are priced at $1.00 each and the new mini-sticker is priced at two for $1.00. The latter is ideal for bikes, lawnmowers, and MINI Coopers. Sales start at the September Civic League meeting. Please bring exact change or a check made out to CPRV.
Resident artists will have the chance to once again convert their porches into art galleries and display and sell their artwork to visitors and neighbors.
The Art Walk is open to all artists in any media of the visual arts, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, fiber, metal, glass, and wood; however, current guidelines allow for only original works of art of the artists' own design.
If you are an artist living in Riverview or Colonial Place and would like to participate, or if you are interested in volunteering to help with the Art Walk please contact Tara Sheldon (tara@sheldon.com); Artemis Stoll (feta2@verizon.net); or Suzanne Watson (suzanne@1eleven.org).
I have a plea to all those no longer in pre-school who feed the geese and ducks along Mayflower Road: please stop. Apparently, several residents (and perhaps others from other neighborhoods) are regularly feeding large amounts of bird seed/corn to the geese and ducks along Knitting Mill Creek. Now, in anticipation of their apparently scheduled feeding times, the geese and their almost grown-goslings, as well as the ducks, are blocking traffic, create messes, etc. As the summer has progressed, the fowl numbers and problems seem only to have increased.
It is not in the best interest of the geese and ducks to feed and domesticate wildlife. For instance, do our residents know that there is a city ordinance prohibiting the feeding of wildlife?
Sec. 6.1-13. Feeding of wildlife.
It shall be unlawful to feed any native Virginia wildlife within the city limits except in areas designated for that purpose. (Ord. No. 39,717, § 2, 8-31-99)
Although one of my favorite outings with my children when they were small was to go feed the ducks, I am concerned that the soft hearts in the neighborhood may be encouraging the breeding and multiplying of a problem that is getting out of hand. Bowls, buckets and, yes, trunks full of seed are causing these birds to shed their native instincts and domesticating them more that an occasional treat of stale bread ever would. The geese and ducks that have been trained to march across the street at “feeding hour” are now in real danger of being hit by a car. Please, do not feed the wild animals, geese and ducks.
CPRV Vegetarian Potlucks
Tara & Kristie, 627-1176
You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy great food & company! September's Vegetarian/Vegan Potluck will be on Saturday, September 22 at 5 p.m. For more info, please contact Tara or Kristie at 627-1176. You can also join the Veg Club listserv by going to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cprv_veggies/ or sending an email to: CPRV_Veggies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Clutter Workshop
Tara Sheldon, 627-1176 or tara@tarasheldon.com for details.
Saturdays, September 15 & 29, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Studio for Healing Arts. Registration includes 1 hour consult.
The Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
P.O. Box 6130
Norfolk, VA 23508
E-MAIL: president@cprv.org (checked weekly and answered only--due to spam issues--if you put CPRV and your specific issue in the subject line)
WEB PAGE: www.cprv.org
Community News Editor: Stephanie Hale, Phone 622-6999
Community News Distribution: Buddy Petzinger, Phone 622-0233 and Mary Hormell, Phone 627-2392
Advertising: Stephanie Hale, Phone 622-6999
Please deliver typewritten newsletter items to:
Stephanie Hale
Phone: 622-6999
e-mail: cprvnews@gmail.com