President's Page

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Where has this year gone? It seems like just a couple of months ago it was January. Now, here we are in the midst of the Holiday season again and a soon-to-be brand-new year. We have enjoyed a good year here in our neighborhood. Thanks to your active participation in our robust neighborhood watch program, crime here is almost non-existent. As one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Virginia Beach, there are few vacant homes. Homeowner pride is on display with well-maintained homes surrounded by attractive landscaping. We are blessed to enjoy a large city-maintained neighborhood park that is a popular community gathering place. In this post-COVID year, the civic league conducted monthly membership meetings, a huge Easter egg hunt event, the largest fall festival ever, and this month the Christmas Dinner event. Our best- in-class civic league newsletter, the Lake Smith Ripples, was published, printed, and distributed nine times. The civic league’s website (lhgcl.org) has been rebuilt and is continuing to be updated by our webmaster. We have had a good year.

Please mark your calendars for the civic league’s Christmas Dinner event being held on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. This very popular pot-luck dinner event is enjoyed by our residents each year. Don’t miss it. See the front cover of this newsletter for all the details.

Early next year we will be meeting with other civic leagues to determine the future status of the Virginia Beach Council of Civic Organizations (VB-CCO). For this past year, the three remaining board members have kept the organization in an unjustified “hold” status. The VB-CCO is a non-profit 501 (c) (4) organization, the same as this civic league. It is a separate entity from the Virginia Beach city government and should remain as such. We support an active VB-CCO working on behalf of residential neighborhoods throughout the city.

For many of us, dogs are a part of our family household. People walking their dogs are a common sight in the neighborhood. When you do so, please be sure to have bags to use for picking up the feces. This is the same whether it’s in someone’s front yard or in the park. You are required by law to clean-up after your dog when out in public – day or night.

Many of you know I am currently battling a serious health issue. Although the prognosis is very good, it is not fast. I thank each of you for the for the cards, calls, and well-wishes I have received. When this passes and I have returned to normal, I am looking forward to again participating at civic league meetings and events. I thank Sam Hribal and the rest of the civic league board members for filling in for me during this difficult period.

On behalf of the civic league’s officers and directors, Edi and I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Safe New Year.

John Eason