THE VOICE MAY 2011
VIRGINIA BEACH COUNCIL OF CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS NEWSLETTER
Post Office Box 9252, Virginia Beach, VA 23450-9252 Vol 52 No. 5
THE NEXT VBCCO GENERAL MEETINGWILL BE HELD
WEDNESDAY June 1, 2011
IN THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AUDITORIUM AT 7 PM
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PROGRAM
The program for the Wednesday, June 1, 2011 General Meeting will presentations on High Speed Rail by Thelma Drake and Light Rail by Delceno Miles.
MAY GENERAL MEETING
The Honorable Glenn R. Davis, Virginia Beach City Council Member, Rose Hall District presented information about the City Budget process informing us that it takes 6 votes to get it approved. Real estate taxes will not increase. However, there is a call for storm water increase of $2.25 per household and implementation of a trash fee. SPSA will not be with us in 2018, and the trash fee is to be held in an account strictly for revenue when SPSA is gone. Members and guests found Mr. Davis to be very willing to answer all of our questions without hesitation. We are appreciative of his attending our meeting.
Representatives from Bellamy Manor Estates Civic League brought attention to the fact that there is a plan to locate a high density apartment complex at Princess Anne and Kempsville Road, the previous location of the Kempslanding School, an area of already highly congested traffic.
Larkspur Civic League Representative, Floyd Gilbert, is the Chairman of the 2012 Banquet Committee. Those desiring serve on the committee were invited to contact him at 467-6435 or .
VBCCO Director Jay Kerr is the Chairman of the Fundraising Committee. His goal is to get enough sponsors to cut the cost of attending the annual banquet.
Oceana Gardens Civic League President Sam Reid is the Chairman of the Awards Committee
PARTY IN THE PARK
The Wednesday July 13, 2011 VBCCO General Meeting will be a social event at Mount Trashmore Park Shelters 1 and 2.
Volunteers are needed to help set up for the Party in the Park. Those desiring to help are invited to contact Program Committee Chairman Sam Reid at 284-1067.
MEMBERSHIP FEE
As of this date, membership payments have been reported received from the following member organizations:
If your civic group is not listed and your treasurer has not already done so, please mail a check for $25 payable to VBCCO to:
Treasurer VBCCO
P.O. Box 9252
Virginia Beach, VA 23450-9252
CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH CURFEW LAW
With the summer months approaching, the Virginia Beach Police Department is gearing up for our Summer Operations at the Oceanfront. Every summer, we send additional resources to the Oceanfront area to ensure that all our residents and visitors can safely enjoy themselves at the resort area in one of the safest large cities in the nation. For public awareness/education of the city of Virginia Beach’s curfew law, please pass along to the public that Officers assigned to the Oceanfront this weekend will be heavily enforcing the city code for curfew. We are striving for voluntary compliance from the public. In order to help achieve voluntary compliance, we are making the public aware of our enforcements that will be taking place this weekend (similar to announcing when we conduct traffic safety checkpoints). We are also wishing to educate the public on what the exact curfew laws are, since they vary from city-to-city. If we come in contact with a juvenile past 11 pm, he/she will be detained and a parent/guardian will have to come to the Second Police Precinct to pick the child up. The juvenile will be cited for the violation and he/she, along with a parent/guardian, will be required to appear in court. We have also asked VB High Schools to make a morning announcement to remind students of the curfew law and that it will be enforced. The school announcement is provided to you below. I have also attached below that a copy of the VB City Code for curfew. The short version is anyone under the age of 18 cannot be out in public between 11 pm and 5 am, without a parent/guardian.
Any questions, please feel free to contact me. Adam L. Bernstein, Public Information Officer/ Spokesman, Virginia Beach Police Department,385-4097(desk), 630-3493 (cell), <mailto:>.
Virginia Beach adopts new measures to save money, energy and the environment
Energy costs are rising, particularly those that fluctuate relative to fuel prices. So, in addition to affecting expenses related to your daily commute, and driving up the grocery bill, rising gas prices now mean higher electricity costs as well.
In 2008, Virginia Dominion Power raised its fuel rate to 3.893 cents per kilowatt-hour. This amounted to about an 18 percent increase for the average residential customer. Now, the power company is returning to the State Corporation Commission with a request for another hike. If approved, staring Sept. 1, the monthly bill of a typical residential customer will increase another $4.
These types of price hikes impact not only individual household budgets, but the City’s operating expenses as well.
During the 2009/2010 fiscal year, the City spent nearly $20 million on energy. And, for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1, the City projects a $2.3 million increase in the cost of electricity alone.
When expenses increase, in order to cover the additional cost, most municipal governments either have to generate additional revenue by raising taxes, or reduce spending, usually in the form of cuts to important city-funded programs. But the City of Virginia Beach is taking additional steps to mitigate the impact of rising energy costs and be more environmentally responsible by becoming an Energy Star Partner with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR Program.
The City is committed to:
Measuring and tracking our facilities’ energy performance
Developing and implementing a plan based on Energy Star guidelines
Spreading the word about the importance of energy efficiency to city staff and the community
Supporting the “ENERGY STAR Challenge,” a national call-to-action to help improve the energy efficiency
The Virginia Beach Convention Center (VBCC) was one of the first buildings in the City to adopt these energy practices by joining the EPA program for commercial buildings in 2007. By implementing relatively simple changes to the way the building’s lighting and HVAC systems operate, during the first year alone, the VBCC reduced electricity and natural gas consumption by more than 2.5 million kilowatts and 140,000 cubic feet respectively. This 22 percent reduction in electricity and 40 percent reduction in natural gas usage translated into a total savings of more than $204,000 in one year. This building is now featured by the EPA as an ENERGY STAR success story:
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Following this example, the Virginia Beach Visitor Center staff seized the opportunity to audit the center’s energy consumption when the time came to replace the its aging HVAC system. Their ultimate goal was to reduce energy usage by 10 percent.
Robert Maholchic, project manager for Public Works Engineering and a certified energy auditor, performed the visitors center audit and delivered his report to a combined taskforce from Public Works Facility Management, the Convention and Visitor Center and the Energy Office. Based on his findings, the team recommended several improvements including:
Replacing the HVAC system with a newer, more energy-efficient unit.
Swapping bulbs in parking lot lights, external wall fixtures and internal lighting with more energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) technology or compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs
Installing motion-activated sensors that shut off lights during inactivity
Purchasing programmable thermostats that automatically adjust temperature settings during periods when the building is unoccupied
Installing timers on water heaters so water is only heated when the building is in use.
Disconnecting obsolete electric strip heaters following the installation of the new HVAC unit.
Installing switches for promotional light boxes so they can be turned off when the building is empty
Changing computer power settings.
And, eliminating a vending machine
Results:
Despite a historically cold winter with record snow fall, energy use at the visitor center was down an impressive 37 percent December 2010 - March 2011 relative to the same time period in the previous year.
Based on performance to-date, these improvements are expected to reduce the center’s energy usage by 37 percent saving about $5,000 annually and reducing the building’s carbon footprint by an estimated 76,000 lbs. of CO2.
The visitor center has also been certified “Virginia Green” for its other initiatives which include low-flow water fixtures and recycling.
Additional buildings slated for similar upgrades such as lighting retrofits or HVAC improvements include the Virginia Aquarium, the Judicial Center, three recreation centers, and multiple buildings in the city’s municipal park.
For great tips on how to make your home more energy efficient, visit
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For more information about Virginia Beach’s Energy Management Program, visit <
CITY COUNCIL VACANCY
Those interested in applying to serve the remainder of Rita Sweet Bellitto's term may apply by following the instructions on this Website:
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Please note the deadline cited on the web page is June 23, 2011.
OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AND [CHAIRS]