- Upcoming Events
- 4/13/2024 - Saturday - Second Saturday Hike at Indian River Park
- 4/20/2024 - Earth Day Festival
- News
- Proposed City Budget
- Our Updated Goals
- March Recap
- Tree Pledge
Upcoming Events
Saturday, April 13: Second Saturday Hike @ Indian River Park
- Time: 9 am to 11 am
- Location: Meet at the Indian River 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.
- Join us for a walk in the 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/3n3UAgoa6WQv9hAM6 (suggested but not required)
Saturday, April 20: Earth Day Festival
- Time: 12 pm to 4 pm
- Location: Campostella Square Park, 2019 Windy Road (next to Cuffee Center)
- Come out for Chesapeake's first big Earth Day festival at Campostella Square Park. There will be games, music, and educational activities. There will be free native trees and plants available for adoption, thanks to the Virginia Cooperative Extension - Chesapeake and the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council Tree Board. Come out and celebrate Earth Day!
News
Proposed City Budget
The proposed City Budget for 2024-2025 was released by the City Manager on Tuesday 3/26. The Capital Improvement Program proposes two new items that directly affect the Indian River area:
- An Indian River Façade Improvement Grant (#16-290) would allocate $40K per year to fund a competitive grant program allowing commercial property owners in the Indian River Planning Area to apply for funding to facilitate improvements that may include, but are not limited to, façade improvements, landscaping and hardscape improvements, signage, outdoor eating areas, and pedestrian enhancements. The 1:1 matching grants will be approved and undertaken by the Chesapeake Economic Development Authority on a case-by-case basis, with all applications being reviewed by an interdepartmental committee. These kinds of grants have been established for Great Bridge and South Norfolk and getting them for our area has been one of our goals.
- $2.3M is budgeted to rebuild the intersection of Military Highway and Rokeby Avenue (#41-290), with design funding starting in 2026. The redesign will prohibit left turns from Rokeby Avenue (north or south) onto Military Highway. We're concerned that the preliminary designs did not include a pedestrian crossing of Military Highway at Rokeby. We've already raised this issue with the City and we plan to re-iterate that the design must include a pedestrian and bicycle crossing at this intersection to provide access to Indian River Park.
There are several other projects in the budget that have been previously funded, but that we are still waiting to see construction start. These include:
- (#65-230) Philmont Ave Septic System Disconnection (and replacement by sanitary sewer system) - this project has been delayed so long that $1.1M of appropriations in this project lapsed as of November 19, 2023. This amount will need to be reappropriated as of July 1, 2024. It now has an estimated completion date of December 2025.
- (#52-250) Norfolk Highlands Stormwater Improvements - $620K in 2025, $500K in 2026, $1.32M in prior years funding
- (#40-270) Indian River Road Bike Lanes - $130K in prior years funding
- (#56-230) Oaklette Bridge (Indian River Road) - Replacement/Repair - $6.4M in prior years funding
The good news is that work is underway on several projects, including construction of the new Blue Heron Landing Park and design work for the Cuffee Community Center Pool.
- (#50-270) Indian River Road [Commercial] Design Guidelines - $175K in prior years funding
- (#15-240) Blue Heron Landing Park - $1.5M in prior years funding
- (#72-270) Cuffee Community Center Pool - $20M in prior years funding
The Public Hearing on the Budget at the City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23. We are planning to make comments about our priorities at the hearing. You can find the full proposed budget at Budget Department | Chesapeake, VA (cityofchesapeake.net)
Our Updated Goals
The mission of the Friends of Indian River is to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods of Chesapeake, Virginia, by promoting and preserving a healthy and clean river, shorelines, parks, and green spaces connected to the surrounding community.
We've updated our goals to reflect our current efforts to:
- promote attractive streetscapes,
- encourage sustainable gardening and landscaping methods,
- promote and preserve a healthy and clean river, shorelines, parks, and green spaces connected to the surrounding community,
- energize local business development,
- and support broader civic activities to improve the community.
These include our on-going cleanup activities, garden maintenance, and work at local parks. They also reflect our work to protect and plant more trees, recruit more River Star Homes and Businesses, improve safety of our streets, and revitalize our "Main Street" along Indian River Road.
Take a look at our full list of goals at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/goals.html
March Recap
A big thank you to everyone who became a new member or renewed their membership in March. We met our spring membership drive goal, raising $1620. But it's not too late to join! The Friends of Indian River are an all-volunteer, local, 501(c)(3) non-profit, and we depend on member contributions to advance our mission to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods. You can become a member, renew your membership, or just make a contribution online at http://www.friendsofindianriver.org/p/membership.html
Tree Pledge
Will you take our Tree Pledge to protect trees in our community?
Click here to help protect trees: https://forms.gle/xNCG9XMuBWPExmWt6
Striving to improve the quality of life for all the residents of the Indian River neighborhoods of Chesapeake, Virginia, by promoting and preserving a healthy and clean river, shorelines, parks, and green spaces connected to the surrounding community.
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