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

Letter from the President – July/August 2020

Howdy Neighbors,

We are in the full swing of summer with long days, lots of sun, cool water and plenty of friends, visitors and neighbors enjoying our little slice of paradise by the water. While our Independence Day celebrations were a bit muted this year, they were still enjoyed by many, and there were plenty of fireworks to be seen (although I don’t condone such activities in our neighborhood.) However, in spite of the continued community response to the ongoing pandemic, we did manage to have our annual boat parade on Back Bay. Unfortunately, I could not participate this year because of a problem with my boat’s outboard  transmission. At any rate, congratulations to the winners this year and many thanks to our organizers and attendees.

In June, we had a vote to amend the Civic League Bylaws, and they were passed. The changes weren’t hugely significant, but they will make it easier to manage the Civic League by shifting our fiscal year to a calendar year basis and by moving the officer elections to the same time frame. The best change is that we will no longer be having those pesky Saturday meetings in the spring and summer. Thank you to everyone who turned in their votes and helped get those changes passed.

The beach replenishment is finally done. Hooray! Now, if only we can get our bridge completed. I’m guessing it will probably be done by Christmas. Since we are on the topic of road improvements, we have been informed by the City that our roads are in good condition and in no need of repaving – Sandpiper Road being the only exception. They will respond to work orders for potholes and other deficiencies. If there is a road problem that needs addressing, I would encourage you to contact Public Works and submit a work order. The City has an app that makes submission of those work orders fairly easy. It is called VB Works and can be found in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

I was very happy to see all the flags on display along Sandpiper Road around the July Fourth holiday. Many thanks to everyone who helped make that magic happen. It was so nice to see the patriotism on display as we entered our community. It is civic displays such as this that make me proud to be your Civic League president and a member of this closeknit community.

As always, stay safe if you must go out. We are not clear of this pandemic yet. Wear your mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and disinfect common surfaces. If we all do our part, we can end this sooner rather than later.

Remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Kindly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President

Letter from the President – June 2020

Hello Neighbors,

Normally, around this time of year I would be writing about all the events that we held in spring as we prepared for our annual summer dance with residents and visitors. However, this year was very different due to the unprecedented circumstances that we all had to face. We saw social distancing, stay-at-home, food and supply shortages, work-from-home and other steps taken to limit the spread of a potentially very deadly virus. In spite of this, we remained strong. We lifted each other up in myriad ways and stayed connected thanks to  technology. If anything was proven over the last few months, it is that we are our best when we face our worst.

As life slowly returns to normal, albeit a new type of normal, we are reminded of the things that matter most – family, friends and community. We are a special type of community in that we share a little piece of heaven with others who seek a refuge from the trials of everyday drudgery. Our neighborhood is, at times, a place of solace for those who seek to reconnect with themselves and those around them. These intangibles are hard to find just anywhere.

I would like to thank, on behalf of everyone in our section of Virginia Beach, all those people who had to face adversity every day: our first responders, our police officers, our essential workers, our work-from-home parents who became teachers, our caregivers, our delivery personnel and, of course, ourselves. We all had to make shared sacrifices in one way or another in a time when it was needed most. While we are not quite “out of the woods,” so to speak, we are making progress towards some solace.

There is still work to be done. More specifically, there is civic league work to be done. In this newsletter there is a ballot to vote on proposed changes to the bylaws. Please send these back by the June 15 deadline. We will be selecting our college scholarship winners, who will be announced in next month’s newsletter. Our aim is to help a few select individuals from the neighborhood realize their educational and career ambitions.

As always, stay safe and remember to greet each other with a smile and a wave – even if that smile is under a facemask.

Yours truly,

Andrew Roper

SBCL President