Letter from the President – February 2021

Howdy Neighbors!

A new year is upon us! We can finally say goodbye (and good riddance) to last year. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were that easy, that we could just will away the previous year and all its troubles with a simple change in the calendar? If only it were that simple.

Nevertheless, we start this new year with a new presidential administration, some changes in the SBCL leadership, and a new bridge on Sandbridge Road. Well, at least the City says it is finished. We also have Sandpiper Road paving underway after a late start. There are also some new beach access ways being built. In good time, we will have some nice new roads and access ways to traverse when the warmer weather comes back.

City officials are working on a new budget. I’m sure it won’t be easy with all the constraints against them in revenue streams. While I would like to be optimistic about our chances of getting funding for the Little Island Parking Lot expansion, I’m not going to hold my breath. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t at least try. A concerted effort by the community to advise the council on the need for that expansion will help the cause.

Our last meeting was held virtually, and it was a modest success. We used Zoom as the meeting platform, and it worked quite well. We had a solid attendance and a productive meeting. This was a good test case for the online platform, and I’m encouraged to get that initiative moving forward once we have access to a physical space. In the meantime, I believe we will continue to use Zoom for future meetings until the overall situation improves in the community, state and nation.

I hope that everyone is doing well and that you all had a wonderful holiday season. I think the term “unprecedented” has been used far too often. So I will say that the past year has been challenging. Actually, it has been a little more than challenging for a lot of us. All we can do is what we continue to do – wear a mask, wash our hands, stay apart from people and large crowds and get the vaccine when it is available.

My wish for the new year is for everyone to stay safe and well, for the situation to turn a corner and for life to resume to some sense of normal. In the meantime, remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Best of luck and best wishes for the new year!

Yours truly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

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