December Newsletter and Events

Happy Holidays!

• Upcoming Events
• Saturday, Dec 14, 2024: Adopt-A-Park - Invasive Species Workshop
• Wednesday, Jan 1, 2025: First Day Hike @ Indian River Park
• News
• "Main Street" Holiday Lights Contest
• November Recap

Upcoming Events

Saturday, Dec 14, 2024: Adopt-A-Park - Invasive Species Workshop

• 
  From 9:00 am to Noon.  
• Location: Indian River Park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2003 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station.
• Learn to identify various invasive plant species that threaten Indian River Park and natural areas across the Tidewater region.  Those found in the park include English Ivy, Chinese Privet, Multifloral Rose, Linden Viburnum, and others.  
• Then we'll have a work effort to clear some outbreaks of the English Ivy. The more volunteers that come out the more that we can accomplish! 
• Please wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, a hat and bring work gloves. We'll be working both to remove Ivy on the ground and on trees.  Bring pruning clippers, loppers, screwdrivers (which are amazingly useful in prying ivy off tree trunks) and/or pruning saws if you have them.  We will have water and snacks but we also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles. Participants under 18 years of age must have alt supervision.
• Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/TiE99BfvXenCzEKi8, suggested but not required.

Wednesday, Jan 1, 2025: First Day Hike @ Indian River Park

• 
  1 pm to 2:30 pm
• Location: Indian River Park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2003 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station.
• Join us for our New Year traditional nature hike in Indian River Park. Learn about the history of the park, the native trees and plants in this century old forest on the Indian River flood plain, and its value to maintaining the health of local butterfly, bird, and wildlife populations. Note: the forest trail has uneven surfaces and minor elevation changes.
• Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/PN7G16x1QEpFCo457 suggested but not required

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News

"Main Street" Holiday Lights Contest

We are bringing back our “Main Street” Indian River Holiday Lighting & Decoration Contest this year. The contest is open to all businesses along Indian River Rd from Oaklette Bridge to Military Highway and along Sparrow Road from Nautilus Ave. to Fontana Ave. To participate, just decorate your storefront! 

Judging will be between 4 pm and 7 pm on Tuesday, Dec 17, and based on overall appearance, festiveness, and being fresh and appropriate for site.  Top 3 winners will be announced by Thursday, Dec. 19.  Winners will receive $25 prize money and be recognized in our newsletter and social media channels.

November Recap

A big thank you to the 10 volunteers who came out this morning for our Adopt-A-Road cleanup in mid-November.  We were able to work from around St. Lawrence to Sparrow, including under the bridge, and collected nearly 400 lbs. of litter and debris.  The haul included lots of small stuff like food wrappers, cups, bottles, cigarette butts and the like that now won't get washed into the river.   Also, some bigger and heavier items including a chair.

Our guest speaker at our November meeting was State House Delegate Bonita Anthony.  She gave us a good overview of the upcoming General Assembly meeting in January and encouraged us to stay involved and let her know of our priorities.  

In November, the Friends of Indian River also wrote another letter to the City asking that the City look at making safety improvements along Indian River Road, especially with the opening of Blue Heron Landing Park. At the City Council meeting on November 19, under New Business, Council Member Don Carey formally asked City staff to provide recommendations on crosswalk options to get across Indian River Road to get to Blue Heron Landing Park.  We thank Council Member Carey for raising the issue.  The Friends will continue to push for action to make Indian River Road safer for everyone.  

Have an idea for an article for our newsletter?  Send your submission, max 250 words, to us at info@friendsofindianriver.org along with a photo and we'll consider it for our next edition.

November Newsletter and Events

• Upcoming Events
• Thursday, Nov 21, 2024: Monthly Meeting - Guest Speaker Virginia State House Delegate Bonita Anthony 
• Saturday, Nov 23, 2024: Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road 
• News
• Local Election Results
• Blue Heron Landing Grand Opening
• Indian River Design Guidelines
• October Recap

Upcoming Events

Thursday, Nov 21, 2024: Monthly Meeting - Guest Speake Delegate Bonita Anthony 

• 
  7 pm to 8:30 pm
• Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Drive
• Our guest speaker will be Virginia State House Delegate Bonita Anthony. We'll have a chance to learn about the upcoming General Assembly meeting in Richmond and issues that affect our community.  
• All are welcome.  We'll also have the latest community news and updates!  There will be light refreshments after the meeting.  

Saturday, Nov 23, 2024: Adopt-A-Road Cleanup along Indian River Road 

• 
  From 9 AM to 11:30 am  
• Meet at Lilac Avenue and Indian River Road Park along Lilac Avenue by the Norfolk Highlands Primary School.
• We need your help with our quarterly cleanup.   Join us for a few hours to clean up the mile of Indian River Road from the city limits at Wingfield Avenue all the way to MacDonald Road and at Blue Heron Landing Park. 
• We are also asking all business owners along Indian River Road - and everywhere really - to make sure they sweep up in front of their storefronts as part of the effort.   And if you can't make it out for our organized cleanup please take 15 minutes and cleanup the street and ditches in front of your home; pass the word to your neighbors!
• For our main cleanup on Indian River Road, the city will provide garbage bags and orange safety vests.  Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves and other items that may be useful.  Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.
• Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/cVryTjexKN6noRsu8 (suggested but not required)

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News

Local Election Results

Congratulations to the winners of the City Council and School Board Elections:

    Mayor Rick W. West

    City Council Member S.Z. "Debbie" Ritter

    City Council Member-elect Les Smith, Jr.

    City Council Member-elect Patricia Y. "Pat" King

    School Board Member Angie B. Swygert

    School Board Member Norman G. Pool

    School Board Member-elect Malia L. Huddle

    School Board Member-elect Elijah Colon

We look forward to continuing to work with our City Council to  improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods of Chesapeake!

Blue Heron Landing Park Grand Opening

On Wednesday, Oct 23, Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism help the Grand Opening event for Blue Heron Landing Park.  Along with Mayor West and members of the City Council, the Friends of Indian River participated in the unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremonies.  The new park features a broad boardwalk, a floating kayak launch, and a restored living shoreline complete with oyster castles to form a new oyster reef, marsh areas, and what will grow into a new upland forested area.  The site has always been a popular fishing spot and in the two weeks since the opening, the new park is resuming its role as such.  

The park site is relatively small, only 0.5 acres, and when the designs were drawn up it was clear that the park could never support a large parking area, not without sacrificing all the natural aspects that make it a living, natural space.  So, it was designed to be primarily a walk-in park with limited parking spaces.  Concurrent with the design of the park were plans to re-design Indian River Road to make it safer, the City Council approved funds in 2022 but implementation is still pending.  The Oaklette Bridge Rehabilitation work that started in September certainly complicates the situation in the near term. We continue to push the City to implement safety improvements on Indian River Road, including reducing speeding and installing a safe crosswalk to enable people to cross the road to reach the park.

Indian River Design Guidelines

The same evening as the park Grand Opening, the Planning Department hosted an Open House to share the latest for the Indian River Design Guidelines.  The Design Guidelines "focus on the creation of a vision and unique sense of place for the development or redevelopment of the three key commercial corridors of Indian River Road, Providence Road, and the eastern portion of Military Highway. " We expect to see an updated draft document released in the coming weeks.  Learn more at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/3217/Indian-River-Design-Guidelines

October Recap

Earlier in the month, we held an Adopt-A-Park event at Indian River Park to help put our native plant garden to bed for the winter, weeding and mulching the garden. A big thank you to the 11 volunteers who came out to help.  We also had a great chance to interact with a lot of park visitors!    

On the Saturday after the park opening, we partnered with Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism to do a History Walk.  Started at Norfolk Highlands Primary School, we went over to the new Blue Heron Landing Park on the Indian River, then over to the Oaklette Historic District including the Colonna's Boathouse. We had a great turnout with over 30 attendees who learned a ton about the history of the area from the original native Chesapian people to European settlement to the turn of the 20th century suburbanization to today. 

We also got reports of dolphins visiting the river!  Thank you Lynn!

Have an idea for an article for our newsletter?  Send your submission, max 250 words, to us at info@friendsofindianriver.org along with a photo and we'll consider it for our next edition.

October Newsletter and Events

• Upcoming Events
• 10/7/2024 - Early Voting Starts at Indian River Library
• 10/19/2024 - Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park - Native Plant Garden
• 10/23/2024 - Grand Opening of Blue Heron Landing Park
• 10/23/2024 - Indian River Design Guidelines Open House
• 10/26/2024 - History Walk from Norfolk Highands Primary to Oaklette Historic District
• News
• Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes
• Comp Plan Open Houses
• September Recap  

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 7: Early Voting Starts at Indian River Library and other Satellite Locations

• 
  Early Voting is underway.  Satellite voting sites start to open on October 7. See the full list of Chesapeake voting locations at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=357
• "Any registered voter can vote early in person without needing to apply to do so. If you decide to vote early, you can vote at any of the locations below (you don’t have to stay in your precinct).
• Voter Registrar’s Office (411 Cedar Rd.)
  September 20 – November 2, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  Saturday, October 26 and Saturday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  Sunday, October 6, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
• Satellite Locations - Central Library, Indian River Library, Major Hillard Library, Cuffee Community Center
  October 7 - November 2,
  Monday – Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  Saturday, October 26 and Saturday, November 2, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• *All satellite locations will be closed on Monday, October 14.
• Western Branch Community Center
  October 21 – November 2
  Monday – Thursday from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  Saturday, October 26 and Saturday, November 2 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• The deadline to register to vote, or update an existing registration is October 15, 2024. (Voters may register after this date, through Election Day, and vote using a provisional ballot).  Election Day - the last day to vote - will be Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Need to register to vote, check your status, or update your voter registration?  Visit https://vote.virginia.gov/ today.

Saturday, October 19 - Adopt-A-Park at Indian River Park - Native Plant Garden

• 
  9 am to Noon
• Location: Indian River Park 2003 Rokeby Ave. 
• It is time for our fall gardening at Indian River Park.  We'll be tending to the native plant garden at the park entrance, including weeding and preparing the garden for the winter.  We may also do some trail work, pruning, weeding, and cleanup.
• Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves.  Long pants are recommended.  If you can, bring shovels, rakes, pruners, saws and other gardening tools.  We'll have water and snacks available.  We also always encourage folks to bring their own water in reusable bottles to minimize use of plastic bottles and cans. 
• Participants under 18 years of age must have adult supervision.
• Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/ir4JZSacttP7xmFs5 (suggested but not required)

Wednesday, October 23 - Blue Heron Landing Grand Opening

• 
  3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
• Location: Blue Heron Landing Park.
• Please join the City of Chesapeake and the Friends of Indian River to celebrate the opening of our newest park.  Blue Heron Landing Park features an elevated boardwalk, oyster castle sill, living shoreline, accessible ramps with railings, and an ADA-accessible floating kayak launch. Parks, Recreation and Tourism will be there to demonstrate all the ways to enjoy the new park. There will be kayak demonstrations, kids' craft activities, bird-watching equipment, and a fishing display. Event is free and open to the public.
• Parking is not available on-site. Please park at Norfolk Highlands Primary School (1115 Myrtle Avenue).  Shuttle service will be available.

Wednesday, October 23 - Indian River Road Design Guidelines Open House

• 
  5:00 pm - 7 pm
• Location: Indian River High School, 1969 Braves Trail
• Hosted by the Planning Department. The Indian River Design Guidelines focus on the creation of a vision and unique sense of place for future development or redevelopment of the three key commercial corridors of Indian River Road, Providence Road, and the eastern portion of Military Highway.  They would establish site standards for commercial development including circulation (vehicular and pedestrian), parking, streetscape design, public spaces, sidewalks and pathways, and street furnishings, lighting and signage, and landscaping.  They also look at architectural standards for building setbacks, heights, lot coverage, spacing, and orientation, building massing and scale, façade treatment, and materials.
• Learn more at https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/3217/Indian-River-Design-Guidelines

Saturday, October 26 - History Walk

• 
  Time: 10 am to Noon
• Location: Meet on Lilac Avenue by Norfolk Highlands Primary School, 1116 Lilac Avenue
• Take a stroll into the history of our community on this walk around Norfolk Highlands and Oaklette.  We'll start at Norfolk Highlands Primary School, the core of which was built in 1913, stop by the new Blue Heron Landing Park to talk about the history of settlement along the Indian River, and then cross the bridge to walk around the Oaklette Historic District including a look at the outside of the famous Colonna's Houseboat.
• We'll be walking for about 1.25 miles over 2 hours and it will all be standing.  
• Recommended age at least 12 and up.
• Please pre-register at https://forms.gle/whP7vMAxLtPLwdHcA

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News

Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes

At our September meeting, Amy Weber, Chair of the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council (CEIC), briefed us on the new "Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes" program is being developed by the CEIC to recognize even healthy and beautiful yards across the City. The program will ask participants to commit to Seven Principles for maintaining a landscape that supports wildlife and promotes a healthier environment including:

1. Protect Your Trees.
2. Right Plant! Right Place!
3. Consider Wildlife Needs.
4. Reduce Lawn Maintenance.
5. Reduce Runoff.
6. Avoid or Remove Invasive Plants.
7. Limit Chemical Usage for Clean Waterways. 

This is the successor to the CEIC long-running Notable Yards program, although instead of being a contest, everyone is encouraged to join.  Participants who demonstrate a commitment to following these principles will receive a Chesapeake Healthy Landscapes garden flag and a kit with more information and tips.  The Friends of Indian River are excited to promote and support this program once it kicks off!

Comp Plan Open House  

• 5 pm to 6:30 pm
• Location: South Norfolk Community Center, 1217 Godwin Avenue, Monday Oct 7
• Get the latest updates on the revisions to the City's Comprehensive Plan and provide feedback.
• Also at Western Branch Community Center, Thursday, October 3, Great Bridge Primary School, Wednesday, October 16, 5 pm to 6:30 pm and Fire Station #7 in Southern Chesapeake on Thursday, October 24, 2024 

September Recap

A big thank you to the 10 volunteers who came out for the International Coastal Cleanup event.  We had a beautiful day to work around the bridge and removed well over 200 lbs. of litter and debris.  This included a surprising number of aluminum cans that we took over to the can recycling drop-off at the Chesapeake Animal Services building (proceeds go to help the animals at the shelter).

The tickseeds were in full bloom along the power line corridor in Indian River Park in September, giving us quite a treat during our Second Saturday Hike.  Later in the month, after all the rain, there were quite a variety of mushrooms in the park.  

Have an idea for an article for our newsletter?  Send your submission, max 250 words, to us at info@friendsofindianriver.org along with a photo and we'll consider it for our next edition.