Colonial Place/Riverview Civic League
COMMUNITY NEWS
Guest Speaker, Ms. Marie Arnt, a Public Outreach Coordinator at HRT, to speak about the latest Tide developments, At This Month's Meeting
NEXT BOARD MEETING will be Monday, November 16, 2009, at 7:00 pm.
DEADLINE for the December issue is Friday, November 20, 2009.
THIS MONTH'S MEETING AGENDA: Monthly police report - - Ms. Marie Arnt, a Public Outreach Coordinator at HRT, to speak about the latest Tide developments - View and bid on the Troy-Bilt, 3-in-1 Chipper/Shredder/Vac & Mow to be auctioned off at the December Holiday Party
Greetings Neighbors! A big thank you to Kristin Bourcier and Tara Sheldon for another great Art Walk! As we were leaving one of the artist’s porches, my 10-year-old son exclaimed, “I can’t believe how many talented people actually live by us!” To me, that sums up the awe of the Art Walk. I am very fortunate to live amongst so many talented artists, musicians, writers, and all-around amazing people! Our community couldn’t be richer with the arts!
All year long, I witness CPRV residents being conscious of the fragile wetlands that surround our community. I see people slowing down to enjoy the baby goslings in the spring, doing community-wide Clean the Bay clean-ups in the summer, bagging up their final yard waste in the fall, and thinking over the winter of how to be conscientious with fertilizers so as not to contribute to the red algae blooms. The new mandates passed down from the federal government, state government, and from citizen pressure to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, have brought a standard for street sweeping. The City, in its quest to keep the storm drains that feed into the Elizabeth River clear of debris, wants to ensure that the streets are clear for the street sweepers. The civic league was approached several years ago for our opinion about having street sweeping signs in our neighborhood and we declined, saying that we would like to keep the clutter down and would be able to effectively clear cars with awareness. This hasn’t worked on the majority of the streets, so Mr. White, from Environmental Storm Water, approached our league last month about the need for signs. After much discussion, the league determined that “IF signs are going to be installed in CPRV, sweeping will begin at 9 a.m.,signs will be installed on existing posts, and sweeping will be done on odd/even days.” John Stewart, whom I have crowned CPRV’s top environmentalist, delivered our request to Mr. White and they discussed the different issues with the following result:
One final note: Please make an effort to thank your newsletter couriers this month! A lot goes into making sure that you get your news in a timely manner. Please set a reminder to check the webpage for the latest newsletter in the event your news is delayed. The site is www.cprv.org.
Unless you haven’t left your house in the past couple of years, you’ve probably noticed much construction in and around the streets of downtown Norfolk. Inconvenient, noisy, and messy? Yes…all true. But the good news is the work is over 50% complete. When the dust settles, The Tide will roll in the fall of 2010.
Construction on The Tide began in December 2007. On December 8th of that year, Governor Tim Kaine was on hand for the official “hitting of the spike” groundbreaking ceremony at Harbor Park. Just last month the first two rail cars arrived in Norfolk, with 7 more expected by the end of this year. They will be stored at Norfolk State University until testing of the cars begins in February 2010.
For our November Civic League meeting, I have scheduled Ms. Marie Arnt, a Public Outreach Coordinator at HRT, to speak about the latest Tide developments. Ms. Arnt has worked on all phases of the project since she was hired by HRT in 2002. She will give a presentation detailing the history of the project, followed by a Q & A session from our residents. The November meeting will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church on Monday, November 9th at 7 p.m. More information about The Tide can be found at www.ridethetide.com.
The CPRV Civic League Holiday Party will be Monday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. The location is still yet to be determined.
Meeting called to order at 7:02 p.m. Four first timers were introduced.
Got leaves? We’ll take ‘em! On Nov. 28 and 29, drop off your bagged leaves anytime at the Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden’s Georgia Avenue entrance. They’ll go to good use as we put the garden to bed for the winter with a thick layer of leaves over all the plots. It’s a natural, organic way to keep weeds away, plus nourish the soil when the leaves are dug under in the spring. With hundreds of square feet of growing space to blanket, the Community Garden needs loads of leaves. We’ll be grateful for yours!
REACH, Inc. (Reading Enriches All Children) would like to thank Alice McCoy from Riverview Coffee Parlor for hosting an amazing book sale in October. Also a big thanks to the great folks living in the CPRV neighborhoods for their patronage!
REACH is currently seeking new and “almost new” books for kids of all ages, as well as Volunteers for our Norfolk and Portsmouth Shelter Read-Aloud Programs. The commitment is one night a month for one hour. We will fully train you to be a member of a team. Please contact the REACH office at 627-4722 or visit our website at www.reachreads.org to find out more.
During this United Way season, please remember #5023, or REACH, Inc. on your pledge card. We are designation/write-in only and without the designations, we will not receive the funding.
It’s a Chipper, no it’s a Shredder, no it’s a Leaf Vac, no it’s a Super Mower!! Able to crunch debris in amazing speed, while roaming around your lawn. It is Troy-Bilt, not Toro, with a 6.5 hp, 180 cc Briggs & Stratton engine. It retails for $527. There will be a chance to bid on this fine machine at the November Civic League meeting as well as the December CPRV Holiday Party.
The minimum bid is $275 and then goes up from there at $25 steps. The Super Mower will be at both events, so you can see it in all its brand new glory. James Gregg and Jack Kennedy will run the silent auction. No, it is not a snow blower!
A big THANK YOU to the many artists and volunteers (as well as to our community of supporters and shoppers!) who came out and worked so hard to make our 11th annual CPRV Art Walk a success. A special thanks to the Riverview Coffee Parlor, the Lydia Roper home, One Eleven Art Gallery, and Christ the Redeemer Church for graciously offering to be hospitality stops for our guests. The McDonalds also deserve our gratitude for feeding a hungry mass of artists and volunteers after the show and giving us a place to celebrate.
This year’s co-directors would like to share a bit more with you, our neighbors, about the Art Walk’s history and evolution. This event originated 11 years ago with the idea of showcasing the fine artists who were residents in Colonial Place and Riverview. Over the years, this show has seen a number of event volunteers, coordinators, and committee members, all working together with one goal: to highlight the unique, creative communities of Colonial Place and Riverview. However, from show to show, ideas have changed over the best ways to feature our artists. Some years have seen strictly fine artists, while others have included a variety of crafts people. Sometimes we have elected to include a featured outside artist to draw more attention to the show, while other times we have chosen to focus solely on our residents. Professionals have always been a part of the show, but amateurs have also been welcomed. As our sense and definition of “community” have evolved, so too have each year’s guidelines for participation. Ultimately, we strive to preserve the idea of showcasing these amazing neighborhoods and the wide variety of creative, talented people who seem to be drawn here (those who produce art, and those who support art and CPRV).
The Art Walk is traditionally held on the second Sunday of October every year. If you are interested in being a part of 2010’s show, please consider filling out the volunteer form which is always on the back of the newsletter. This is OUR event, and is only made possible by the fantastic neighbors who put in an enormous amount of time and energy to put the spotlight on CPRV!
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