January Newsletter

Happy New Year.  We hope everyone made it through Saturday's snowstorm and is keeping warm and safe today.

The important public meeting about Aqua Virginia and the Indian River Shopping Center being held by the City at Sparrow Road Intermediate will be re-scheduled for Monday, January 23rd.  We are asking you to attend; a good turnout from the broader community will make sure efforts to fix the issues keep moving forward.   

On Saturday, 1/14, we'll be removing invasive Ivy at Indian River Park, and on Thursday, 1/19, we hold our Annual Meeting to finalize plans for the rest of the year.   Participation by so many community members is what made successes possible in 2016 and we need your help in 2017 to do even better.   Hope to see you at our upcoming events!

Sincerely,
Rogard Ross
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

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Adopt-A-Park Volunteer Work Day
Date: Saturday, January 14th, 9:30 am to Noon
Location: Indian River Park, 2001 Rokeby Avenue

Meet at the park entrance at Rokeby Ave. and Main St. (2001 Rokeby Ave.) which is located just south of Military Highway, i.e. across Military Highway from the Fire Station. We'll be focusing on removal of invasive species, primarily English Ivy. Please wear closed-toe shoes, a hat and bring work gloves. We will have water and lots of snacks. (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 adult supervision.

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Annual Meeting
Date: Thursday, January 19th, 7 pm
Location: Oaklette United Methodist Church, 520 Oaklette Dr.

Join us as we discuss plans and priorities for 2017, which will mark our group's 5th anniversary, and hold elections for our officers and board and discuss plans for coming year. There will be light refreshments and door prizes.

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Public Meeting regarding Aqua Virginia
Rescheduled: Monday, January 23rd, 7 pm  (due to schools closed on 1/9)
Location: Sparrow Road Intermediate School, 1605 Sparrow Road

Please come to this public meeting with the City of Chesapeake concerning Aqua Virginia and the Indian River Shopping Center and please help spread the word and get your neighbors to attend.  The outcome of this meeting directly impacts the ability to redevelop the Indian River Shopping Center. It is important that we have a strong turnout from the broader community at the meeting to make sure resolution of the shopping center water issue is also considered as one of the top priorities. The City and Aqua Virginia have been negotiating a proposal that would have the city establish a cross-connection between the City and Aqua Virginia water systems to allow the City to provide backup water supply to Aqua Virginia service area, including the shopping center, and have Aqua Virginia install fire hydrants in the community, begin a capital construction improvement program to replace its oldest and "dirtiest" pipes. Details of the proposal as it was explained in November can be read at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/2016/12/aqua-virginia-update.html

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Learn about new Rokeby Center
Date: Tuesday, January 24th, 10:30 am
Location: Indian River Library, 2230 Old Greenbrier Road

Meet with Parks, Recreation, and Tourism staff to discuss ideas for the newly renovated activity center in the Park at the corner of Providence and Rokeby.  The facility will focus primarily on serving the needs of Chesapeakes 55+ population.  Learn about feedback they have received, hear the staff's ideas, and share your thoughts.

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Other News

• Read all about area accomplishments for 2016 in our Annual Report.  Volunteer hours for the Friends were up by more than 50%, surpassing 1250 hours. We added Plymouth Community Park to our Adopt-A-Park program, held a major BioBlitz event at Indian River Park, and hosted Clean the Bay Day events at each of these parks. We continued to work closely with the Elizabeth River Project on the Eastern Branch Restoration, including creating Oyster Reefs in the Indian River. Our group was instrumental in a successful grant bid by Chesapeake Parks, Recreation, and Tourism to get funds to establish a canoe/kayak launch site along the Indian River. And we continue to work on planning issues like the revitalization of the Indian River Shopping Center and the recently denied Eastwyck Crossing Apartments proposal.  See the full report at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/2016/12/friends-of-indian-river-year-end-report.html
• If you prefer to see our year's activities in pictures, check out https://www.facebook.com/FriendsofIndianRiver/videos/1313040032094678/
• You can now also become a member of the Friends of Indian River, renew your membership, or make a donation online at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/membership.html