President's Page

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Winter is upon us. Maybe we will have a white Christmas this year

– or maybe not.

We had a good turnout at our November civic league meeting.

Officer David Schoenbach gave an excellent presentation on current

crime trends and steps each of us can take to keep from becoming a

victim of crime. The audience was very engaged and asked excellent

questions. Mike Graham won the 50:50 drawing, but it appeared Paula

Graham took possession of the winnings – we guys know how that

works.

This month our civic league is hosting the annual Christmas Pot-

Luck Dinner event in lieu of a membership meeting. See details on the

front page. I hope everyone will be able to prepare or purchase a side

dish to share and enjoy a great evening with your friends and neighbors.

This year we have a live entertainment surprise. If you would like to

volunteer to fill in for Santa, please contact me at 757-642-4844. We

have a Santa suit and all the accessories.

We received an update on the project to repair the erosion in the

storm-water drainage canal between Lake Smith Terrace and Lakeview

Shores. Originally the project was expected to begin construction in

October with a completion date in February 2025. I always believed

that was an overly optimistic schedule. As it has turned out, the

permitting process has caused a setback to the timeline. Any time you

are working with water, the permitting process goes through several

different agencies – each of which can cause delay. As of now, the city

expects to put the project out for bids in February with a projected

construction start date sometime around June 2025. More to come as

we receive further updates.

The Cypress Point Shopping Center has been purchased by Boyd

Homes. We long anticipated a move of this type with that deteriorating

shopping center. I had a conversation with one of the owners at Boyd

Homes regarding their plans for the site. There is no final plan as of

now but based on our conversation, I believe their goal for the project

is to blend well with the surrounding area. 

The ongoing saga of the proposed traffic light at the Paul Revere/

Wakefield – Independence intersection is still with us. Walt Stone and

Megan Earlenbaugh are our committee members focused on this issue.

Walt researched every applicable section of the Federal Manual for

Uniform Traffic Control Devices and authored a forty-four-page report

that essentially debunked the original case for the traffic light at that

intersection. We believe the original data from the 2016-2020 period is

outdated and inaccurate and no longer applicable. On 22 November

Megan, Walt, and I met with L.J. Hansen, Virginia Beach Director of

Public Works, where the report was presented. It is a great deal of well

researched data that should cause a complete rethink of this project.

The public meeting at Independence Middle School scheduled for 4

December has been postponed to a yet to be determined date after the

first of the year. Unfortunately, we have no support from our District 9

councilman, a resident of Thoroughgood, for ending this project. More

on that later.

Edi and I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and

Safe New Year.

John Eason - President