Letter from the President – Dec 2020/Jan 2021

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us, but it feels a little different this year. No matter the circumstances, this is a time when we come together to celebrate our various faiths and enjoy the company of friends and family as we also welcome the coming new year. Hopefully, next year will be better than this one we are collectively leaving behind us.

On the local front, our new bridge is just about complete as the temporary bridge is being taken down. As soon as that is done, they will repave a portion of Sandbridge Road and smooth out the new bridge section. We are also looking forward to the repaving of Sandpiper Road (south of Sandbridge Road ) and some of the side streets. The Little Island parking lot is also being resurfaced.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the lights were put up at the firehouse. We used the existing lights from last year and purchased some more this year to add to our display. Though some trees had been cut down, there were still plenty that got some lights. Our vision of a winter wonderland is coming closer to fruition.

I would like to take this moment to express my gratitude to this community for enduring so much this year. I know that it hasn’t been easy for most of us, but we have persevered. I think a lot of it has to do with the type of community that we are and the resiliency that we all share. I can only hope that we continue to face our challenges together and overcome whatever obstacles are presented. Together we are stronger, and together we will survive and flourish.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season. And I look forward to seeing you all again at our next meeting in January. Thank you for all that you do, and remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Best Wishes,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

Letter from the President – November 2020

Hello Neighbors!

We are now officially into the holiday season during some interesting times. By the time you are reading this, Halloween will have already happened. I can only hope that the little ones still had fun trick-or treating this year.

We have all had to make a lot of accommodations, and it’ll be interesting to see how we all adapt for the rest of the season. If there is one thing I know for certain, it’s that we will rise to the challenge.

As it also happens, this newsletter and my letter will arrive after the election. However, it is still worth mentioning that we had our Political Forum this year. It was well attended by candidates for many offices from the federal level all the way down to the city school board.

Many thanks to Jimmy Reeve for allowing us to use the Baja to hold the event. We had a tent and lights, and David Whitley provided a portable PA system for us to use. Joan Davis offered some refreshments for the attendees. Elaine Fekete stepped up as vice-president and expertly emceed the event, introducing each candidate, reading their bios, and maintaining safety protocols as well. I would also like to offer kudos to Merri Tyrrel for helping Elaine organize our Political Forum.

All the candidates were very appreciative to have the opportunity to speak and enjoyed the format
of the forum and the conduct of the membership. As it would turn out, we were one of the few civic leagues to even hold an in-person forum.

Not much else was discussed at our meeting as we tabled most reports to make room for time for
the forum. However, the slate of candidates was presented for the election of officers and board
members. No further nominations were offered, and the slate was approved by the membership as presented by Secretary Jane Stilley.

In local news, there was some clearing of Sandpiper Road by the city, and we were all excited thinking that this was a prelude to paving the road. Unfortunately, this was just routine road maintenance. We are still scheduled to get that road paved. Fortunately, all the city candidates got a firsthand account of what we’ve been saying for a long time now.

Our new bridge is finally open, but I would have expected with all the work that has been done that it would be a little smoother for being a new road. Maybe there’s still some work to be done, but we should probably still lean on the city to ensure that the situation gets smoothed out.

As we head into the holidays, I just want to say that no matter what is happening right now, as challenging as things are, this is a time for celebration of family and friends. Please enjoy each other’s company responsibly and pray for those who are still homebound or who are unable to celebrate or who are recovering from illness.

Encouragingly, while the rest of the country is seeing an increase in cases, notably, Virginia Beach is not one of those cities contributing to the increases. Please continue to stay the course, remain vigilant, and we will eventually see an end to this time of pandemic stress.

As always, remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave, thank a first responder or healthcare worker, and hug your family tightly.

Warmly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

Letter from the President – October 2020

Howdy Neighbors,

We are now out of the summer season, and autumn has made a grand entrance. It’s been awhile since we had a cool start to the fall season. Hopefully, this trend will continue. This is one of my favorite times of year as the air grows brisker, the leaves change colors and the holiday season gets started. Of course, everything is a little different this year with our children starting school from home and football stands devoid of fans. However, I believe in the resiliency of the human spirit, and I know that we will endure and embrace the challenges ahead of us.

Thankfully, we were able to meet once again outside at the Baja Bayview. Thank you to Jimmy Reeve for allowing us to use the space to hold our meeting. At the meeting, we got an update on the status of the
various road improvement projects that are currently underway and about to start. We received confirmation that our new bridge will be opening soon and that road repaving is scheduled for October. There are also a couple of beach access projects that will begin construction, and the City has been clearing the access ways between Sandpiper Road and Sandfiddler Road. We received an update about Nimmo Parkway Phases 7A and 7B with 7A being the one that is closest to being put out to bid. The Princess Anne Road corridor project is still progressing, and we should expect to see that road open sometime next year.

This is an election year. And, as usual, we will be holding our political forum for the candidates running for city offices next month. Hopefully, we will have an appropriate venue to host this event. If there are any issues that you would like the candidates to specifically address, please send those to us so that we can inform the candidates prior to the forum. I would encourage you to attend this event and let your voices and concerns be heard.

As we mentioned previously, we will not be holding the Oktoberfest this year. We will try to schedule a different event when conditions are safe and feasible. We have also canceled this fall’s Sandbridge Community Cleanup, and we encourage everyone to help out by collecting trash whenever you are out on a walk. Every little bit helps.

I know this year has been a difficult one for all of us in many different ways. I’m encouraged by the perseverance that I’ve witnessed and the way the community has come together to help and assist. I know that there is an end to this crisis, and our collective determination and commitment to the cause will bring that end closer. Together we are stronger, and we will survive. In the meantime, please continue to wear a mask when necessary, keep that distance, wash those hands, disinfect those surfaces, and remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Yours Truly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President