Letter from the President – March 2020

Howdy Neighbors!

It was reported that the world’s most famous weather forecaster had seen his shadow and that we would have an early spring. I don’t think any of us envisioned it being as early as it has been several times this past month. Let’s hope that temperatures normalize and keep our plants and trees from budding too early. Personally, I’d like us to have a nice colorful spring bloom when spring does arrive.

I’m proud to report that we have received feedback from the City regarding our requests from the January meeting. Parks and Rec will talk with building maintenance and inquire about keeping the public restrooms at the Sandbridge Market parking lot open all year. The City is already slated to pave the Little Island parking lot, so that is good news. Unfortunately, they will be unable to complete the third parking lot at Little Island Park due to the fact that Public Works has built a storage facility on the proposed location for the beach maintenance equipment. I should be meeting with Public Works later this month and I will express our desire to have the second row of trash cans on the beach at each accessway.

At our February meeting, we heard from the president of the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations, Mr. C. Douglas, Jr. He spoke about the VBCCO’s mission and focus and how, under his leadership, they are striving to get more civic organizations involved in the VBCCO so that they can represent the various communities to City Council and to keep us informed about important issues regarding our respective neighborhoods. I wish him success in his endeavors and hope that he achieves his vision.

We also heard from Arden Reed with the Virginia Supportive Housing Foundation. She described the foundation’s mission of providing permanent housing and supportive services for homeless persons. They own and maintain several apartment complexes in the Hampton Roads area with two of them in Virginia Beach. The foundation has had some great success and they’re proud of their work and are willing to showcase it with guided tours. Anyone interested can contact Ms. Reed (www.virginiasupportivehousing.org).

Also in this newsletter, there is a web link you will want to check out that will let you monitor up-to-date developments on the sand replenishment that is finally happening on our beach. Public Works and Corps of Engineers representatives will also be at our March meeting to update us on the progress of sand renourishment. You won’t want to miss this meeting!

Spring is right around the corner and that means a flurry of activity in Sandbridge. In the coming months we’ll have our Spring Cleanup, our Community Yard Sale, Easter Egg Hunt and Memorial Day Parade.

As always, be kind to each other, lend a hand when needed, and greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Respectfully,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

Letter from the President – February 2020

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and a good start to the new year. My family and I were able to enjoy the time together with each other, our friends and neighbors and our extended family.

Our first meeting of the year got off to a very productive start with a healthy attendance of members on a cold winter night. I guess Mother Nature finally decided to remind us that we are still in the winter season. Greg Kram, of GK Plumbing, was kind enough to grant some time with us and talk about how we can safeguard our homes and properties from water damage due to frozen and busted pipes in the upcoming winter months. His emphasis: time is the enemy and to know your homes. Drain outside pipes, disconnect garden hoses, and protect water pipes that are on outside walls by opening cabinets when possible. At the very least, if your home will be vacant for a while, turn off the water at the valve at the street.

Mike Maloney also updated us on the Scholarship Committee and the changes the board approved for the upcoming graduation season. Instead of the traditional three tier scholarship program we had, we are moving to offer four scholarships and, if the business community blesses us with another contribution, a fifth scholarship for the most deserving and earnest students of Sandbridge.

Also at our January meeting, the community! We discussed a range of topics from Nimmo Parkway to the TIF fund and projects in Sandbridge. We’ll be contacting the city about the possibility of keeping the public restroom at the market parking lot open year-round, getting Little Island Park expanded and paved (as previously promised), and placing a second row of trash cans on the beach at the openings of the accessways. We also decided to incorporate the Neighborhood Watch program as an entity of the Civic League. This move will allow us to keep that initiative thriving and provide additional resources to strengthen the Watch’s presence and attendance.

As was evident, a lot can happen in one meeting and we can get things done when we work together. I’m looking forward to future meetings as we deliberate the issues involving our community and the ways in which we can solve these problems, enhance the community, and promote our way of life. Thank you for your help. As always, remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Sincerely,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

Letter from the President – December 2019

Season’s Greetings!

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving this year. We have so much to be thankful for in Sandbridge. Once again, our community played host to the annual Charlie Normile Turkey Trot benefitting the Navy Seal Foundation and the Noblemen’s Toys for Tots drive. Attendance was huge this time with nearly a thousand racers, a gentleman who sang in the style and sound of Frank Sinatra, Mayor Dyer, and, of course, a visit by good ole jolly St. Nick. I’m pleased to announce that another highlight will be coming to Sandbridge as the Navy Seal Foundation is looking to place a memorial in our community. The location is still to be determined and more information will be forthcoming in the upcoming months.

Did you notice the lights at the firehouse? Instead of a tree this year, we have opted to work towards lighting all the trees on the front corner property of the firehouse. This year was just the start. Next year, we will purchase more lights and cover more trees. Of course, we will gladly accept any donations for this cause. Thank you to all who came out and helped string up those large trees and cover the hedges. On December 8, we had a visit to Sandbridge once again from Santa Claus. This time, he was in town to hear what the little ones wanted for Christmas and to officially light up our trees. Special thanks to Jonnie Mellen for arranging the always popular event and to everyone who helped.

At our November meeting, we heard from the city engineers and from the Back Bay Restoration Foundation about flooding in Sandbridge and the surrounding areas. There was a lot of information and some good ideas about how to address flooding for the long term and to mitigate the issue from the wind tide that pushes the water from the Back Bay into our neighborhood. While not much was offered in the short-term, we did hear a variety of opinions and acknowledgement that the city is still working on their modeling data to give them the data they need to come up with some plans.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone that we need your help. Attendance at the meetings is helpful in ensuring that the needs and concerns of the community are being properly addressed and to help shape our vision of Sandbridge for the future. It can’t just be the few of us on the executive board and the handful in attendance being the voice of Sandbridge. Please consider spending a little time with us in supporting your neighborhood and fellow neighbors.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Please stay safe, be kind to each other and remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave.

Warmly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President