Meeting Minutes - October 1, 2025

Social – Cash Bar (6:30pm)

Call to Order (7:00pm)

Presentation on Voting Referendum

Presenter: Tim Anderson (Attorney, Former Delegate)

“Should the method of city council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach Charter be changed from a modified 7-3-1 system to a 10-1 system”?

• Tim Anderson described the differences between the 10-1 and 7-3-1 voting system that citizens will use to vote on city council members.

  • 10-1: City is currently divided into 10 zones and each citizen can vote for one council person to represent their zone. Each citizen also has one vote for mayor. Voting would occur every 4 years.

  • 7-3-1: City will be divided into 7 zones with 3 at-large representatives. Each citizen can vote for 1 council person to represent their zone, and can also vote for 3 at-large representatives. Each citizen also has one vote for mayor. Voting occurs every 2 years.

• Deb Favaron clarified that the previous "7-3-1" system is different than the one currently proposed, to clear up any confusion.

• Member clarified that we can only vote for a representative representing our district. Tim Anderson responded that yes that is correct, but each citizen would also be able to vote for 3 additional representatives to serve in the at-large positions.

Rosemary Wilson, City Councilmember

• Added information about the 10-1 versus 7-3-1 voting system.

• Celebrated the plans for the new development of Rudee Park.

  • Updated members that the city will not be building the parking garage originally intended for Rudee Park, decreasing the budget to $42 million.

  • Explained that she also hopes to increase private donations to the overall budget.

Old Business:

1. Approve meeting minutes from April 23, 2025

   • Motion to approve minutes. Minutes were approved.

2. Recap of Fall and Summer events

   1. Spring Fling - cancelled twice due to weather. The board attempted to reschedule for the fall but we were unable to due to various factors.

   2. Booze Cruise - we sold 140 tickets in 48 hours. The event was hosted with live music and an on-board photographer. Future Booze Cruise events will remain in the Rudee Inlet due to feedback received from the attendees.

   3. Ice Cream Social - nearly 100 kids in attendance.

   4. Shadowlawn Surf Club - occurred 6 out of 8 scheduled weeks due to weather. VB Surf Sessions provided free lessons and surfboard rentals to all attendees. Pizza was provided the first and last weeks.

   5. National Night Out - two locations this year with 40-50 people at Kennedy/Carribbean and approximately 125 at High Point/Carribbean. Mounted police, VBFD, VBPD, Po Folks food truck, and bounce house

   6. Summer Giving

      • Shadowlawn purchased a new bike, bike lock, and $50 gift card for an employee of Junior Market who was in need of transportation.

      • Caring for Cooke fundraiser - Shadowlawn raised nearly $2500 purchasing new clothes and items for the children at Cooke Elementary School.

New Business:

1. Membership Update

   • Prior to the start of this meeting, we had 315 active members.

   • There are a total of 1600 homes/condos in Shadowlawn.

2. Treasurer's Report

   • Started year at approximately $16k in the bank.

   • By the end of August, we now have approximately $20k.

3. Update on Winston Salem Ave.

   • Dennis Ozowara, Project Manager

     • Moving into the next phase of construction next week.

     • The city currently has 3-4 different crews working on various parts of the project.

     • Hopeful that road closures will end by the end of the year.

     • Member asked about the plans for development that was intended for the north side of Winston Salem Avenue. The President clarified that those plans are currently not active but we will not receive information about plans for development unless they are posted publicly.

     • Member asked about construction in front of her property on the south side of Winston Salem Ave, asking if she could get better communication about the construction that impacts her direct property. Denis encouraged her to reach out to the Project Management team with ongoing concerns to get a resolution.

     • Member asked about rerouting vehicle and bike traffic. Denis clarified that there will be open lanes after road closures are complete.

     • Member asked about the estimated completion date. Denis stated the date is July 2026 but they hope to be finished before then.

     • Member asked about safety concerns in the large parking lot in front of Water Table and Docktails. Denis clarified that the parking lot is private property so that may need to go through Code Enforcement.

     • Denis encouraged residents to visit the website for updated information: https://communications.virginiabeach.gov/hot-topics/building-our-vb-future/winston-salem

4. Tour de Shadowlawn

   • Saturday! October 4th

   • 4 stops starting at Rudees (11:15am), Rockafellers (1:00pm), Big Sam's (2:45pm), Icehouse (4:30pm) until you shuffle home.

   • Checkpoint Cards: get a stamp from the bartender at every checkpoint for a chance to win a gift card and shirt from every restaurant that participates.

   • Ultimate goal is to include all neighborhood restaurants with a checkpoint card and allow participants to visit each restaurant on their own time the day of the event.

   • We strongly discourage golf carts due to limited parking.

5. Shadowfest

   • October 25th

   • Live music, band, face painter, bounce house, crafts for kids

   • Halloween Parade staging starts at 801 High Point at 3:00pm, parade will move through the neighborhood and end at the corner of Arctic and Winston Salem Ave. Event ends at 7pm.

   • Chili Cook Off - sign up via email.

   • Costume Contest - categories and details will be submitted via email.

   • After-party at Big Sam's.

6. Shadowlawn Shine Down

   • Holiday decorating competition, voting occurs December 22nd.

   • Categories will be announced via email and will be the same as previous years.

7. VB Oceanfront Christmas Parade Float

   • Shadowlawn has had a float in this parade in the past and there would be many kids and adults who may be interested.

     • If you would be willing to volunteer to lead the build-out, please reach out to us.

8. Breakfast with Santa (Shadowlawn Eats)

   • Would include free breakfast for kids and adults, visit with Santa. This event is in the planning stages.

Community Reminders/Updates

Voting Day- November 4^th, early voting is already open.

Adjourn/Social

We’d like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to BJ and Rockafeller’s for hosting us this evening. 

Agenda - October 1, 2025

Social – Cash Bar (6:30pm)

Call to Order (7:00pm)

Presentation on Voting Referendum:

“Should the method of city council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach Charter be changed from a modified 7-3-1 system to a 10-1 system”?

Old Business:

1. Approve meeting minutes from April 23, 2025

2. Recap of Fall and Summer events

3. Summer Charities

New Business:

1. Membership Update

2. Treasurer's Report

3. Update on Winston Salem Ave.

4. Tour de Shadowlawn

5. Shadowfest

6. Christmas Events

7. Shadowlawn Shine Down

8. VB Oceanfront Christmas Parade Float

9. Breakfast with Santa (Shadowlawn Eats)

Community Reminders/Updates

Dates to Remember:

Oct. 4th - Tour de Shadowlawn

Oct. 25th - Shadowfest

Nov. 27th - Shadowlawn Shinedown opens (ends before Christmas)

Dec. 11th - Civic League Meeting

Voting Day- November 4^th, early voting is already open.

Adjourn/Social

We’d like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to BJ and Rockafeller’s for hosting us this evening. 

Meeting Minutes - April 23, 2025

Social – Cash Bar (6:30pm)

Call to Order (7:00pm)

President, Blake Roberson, congratulated our Secretary, Morgan Burnett, on the arrival of her new baby girl.

Old Business:

 1. Approve meeting minutes from February 12, 2025

• Motion to approve minutes. Minutes were approved.

New Business:

1. Membership Update

• 301 memberships as of tonight's meeting.

2. Wags for Waves

• Suzan Vaughan Gridley, a former Shadowlawn resident, announced Wags for Waves.

• Wags for Waves is a dog surfing event, open to anyone with a dog and a surfboard.

• 2 options: push your dog on a surfboard into their own wave or ride with your dog tandem.

• There will also be a dog costume contest at the end of the day.

• Registration is $50.

• Date: September 13th

• Location: 8th Street.

• Oh My Dog is offering a discount if you mention "surf dog."

3. VBPD Community Liaison

• Denis Ozowara was not present at this meeting.

• Agenda topic was removed from meeting agenda.

4. Shadowlawn Scholarship

• The board would like to establish a scholarship of $400 for high school seniors.

• Committee will be established of at least 3 individuals.

• SCL will receive all applications, redact the names, and assign each application a number.

• Scholarship requirements:

  • Family must be a member at least 4 months prior to the scholarship deadline.

  • Scholarship checks will be mailed directly to the school.

  • Scholarships can be

  • 
    

• President opened the floor to discussion.

  • Member Question: Would this also involve technical schools.

    • Yes.

  • Member Question: What is the rubric for scholarship applications and decisions?

    • The board would love to have input from members regarding scholarship requirements, directions, applications, etc.

  • Member Question: Could we increase the scholarship?

    • Yes. The board is looking into additional scholarship-building events and opportunities.

  • Member Question: Is there an opportunity to donate directly to the scholarship?

    • Yes. We will organize this to allow members to donate.

  • Mike Camden offered to chair this committee.

  • Motion was made to form a Shadowlawn Scholarship committee.

    • Motion was seconded, and approved.

  • A Volunteer List was passed around during the meeting to obtain contact information from individuals who may be able to help at future events and meetings.

5. Treasurer's Report

• Budget is currently set for 325 members ($8,125) annually.

• Plans for additional items including signage ($300 est.), Surf Club logo ($350 est.), meetings expenses ($125 per meeting), SCC fee ($25), and website fees = $330.

• Budgeted events:

  • Spring Fling = $1200

  • Shadowlawn Surf Club = $350

  • Ice Cream Social = $375

  • Movie Nights = $200

  • Shadowfest = $3,000

  • Tour de Shadowlawn = $200

• President confirmed current bank balance of $18,533.54 as of April 23, 2025.

  • There is room to increase scholarships, event budgets, etc. however, we would also like to see our membership continue at this level (300+ members) before making additional changes.

• Vice President clarified that merchandise sales are not included in current budget.

• Sponsorship opportunities will be available and will be announced likely by the end of the week.

6. Update on Winston Salem Ave.

• President read aloud an email sent from Denis Ozowara regarding the Winston Salem Avenue project. (copied below Meeting Minutes)

• If members have questions, comments, or concerns about this project, they are open to all communications. Denis Ozowara: DOzowara@vbgov.com

7. Tax Updates

• Meal tax will increase by 0.5%.

  • This will place Virginia Beach as the 3rd highest in the country.

•  Boat tax will increase by 150,000,000%, from 0.0000001 to $1.50 per $100 value.

  • SCL posted on facebook on this topic last week, which was viewed by over 51,000 people and generated significant social media conversation.

• President encouraged members to write to City Council members with comments.

8. Spring Fling

• Food from Big Sam's, Gringo's, Rudees, Junior Mart, Shadowlawn Eats

• Big Sam's offers happy hour prices during the event.

• Raffle: Rudee Tours, Virginia Beach Fishing Center, Booze Cruise tickets, restaurant gift cards, Ocean Breeze passes, and gift baskets.

• Live music by Borderline Crazy Duo.

9. Shadowlawn Booze Cruise

• Increasing the numbers to include 140 people this year.

• Live music on the boat.

• We will announce the Booze Cruise date and the rain date at the same time.

• Member Question: Can we increase the prices for the Booze Cruise to donate toward the scholarship.

  • We would like to maintain low prices for this event due to the financial commitment (babysitters, cruise tickets, drinks, food, etc.); however, we will look at other options for raising money via donations for this event.

• Member Question: Can we put out a donation box?

  • Yes. We may consider this at all future events.

10. Community Reminders/Updates

• Light the Night Red for fallen firefighters. April 27th – May 4th

• Surfers Healing Registration is open until April 25th for children on the Autism spectrum.

11. Community Reminders/Updates

• Member Comment: Can we create a Beautification Committee to maintain the area around the neighborhood signs?

  • Yes. We can also add that to the budget.

• President reminded members of our Military Welcome Home Committee. This is available for any military member returning home after a 3+ month deployment. American flags will be installed down the street from the entrance on Norfolk Avenue to the family's home.

Adjourn/Social (7:55pm)

We’d like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to BJ and Rockafeller’s for hosting us this evening. 

**Please take care of your bartenders and tip generously!

Email from Denis Ozowara, Project Manager, regarding the Winston Salem project:

Email dated April 20, 2025.

Good Afternoon Everyone,

There has been a bit of reshuffling of tasks since the last update in order to keep all of the private utility companies moving in the right direction.  This caused us to delay our phasing change by a couple of weeks but NOW we are progressing towards the end of Phase 1 and the start of Phase 2.  Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on starting tomorrow:

Mediterranean to Baltic (Phase 1)

A few additional items needed to be installed as well as extending the duct officially past Baltic Ave.  Now Dominion, Verizon and Cox have all mobilized to get their wires installed.  Dominion will wrap up installing their transformers within the week and will begin cutting in services the week of the 28th.  Though all power outages will be minimal, As soon as I have specific dates, I’ll send out an update.  Verizon will begin cutting over their service lines to Ocean Way Condo’s this week.  Cox is about 2 weeks out from beginning their service tie ins on Mediterranean and Baltic.  When I have an exact dates for all of these tie-ins, I’ll send out another update to the affected properties.  

Our crew installing water main down near Pacific will jump back to Med to get a small amount of storm drain installed, by the end of the week.  Once they are done, we’ll begin to wrap up our concrete work by first adding the 2nd driveway apron to fisherman’s wharf, and then starting the curb and gutter along the northside near Baltic Ave.  Street lights should also be starting within the next 2 weeks.  One they are completed, we’ll be adding any missing sections of Sidewalk where we can until all of the utility poles have been pulled.  Grading of the road has also begun, and our plan is to put down base asphalt once everything is done along the street and stop there.   We’ve made a minor change in plans in regards to Mediterranean.  The intersection requires a full depth rebuild, so we’ve decided to NOT include it with this first phase, and push it to after summer as to not impede traffic to the local businesses any more than necessary.  With that, we will wait to mill and overlay the southern end Mediterranean until AFTER the summer season so that we can have one uniform surface pavement.  Our goal is to have this entire phase mostly built with the exception of landscaping, by the time the summer season official hits, roughly around the last week of May but, we’ll update the timeline at the end of next week.

Baltic to Arctic (Phase 2)

Tomorrow, we’ll close down the next segment of the project officially between Baltic and Arctic.  All of the detour signage for the area will be relocated to reflect our “Phase II” detour plan.   Crews have already poured the next section of ductbank on the south side of the road.  The duct bank crew will continue down Winston Salem towards Arctic, stopping at the next Dominion Vault C which will be placed in the next few weeks.  The contractor plans to install a temporary fence along the sidewalk to create more of a barrier between the work and pedestrians who elect to walk around the site towards the western end.  The ductbank work will be the main focus for rest of April and May, and we’ll everyone on the progress at the end of next week.

Arctic to Pacific (Phase 3)

The 2nd pipe crew should wrap of the waterline connection this week including tying the service lines.  Once they’ve completed their work in the area, that will be it until the end of the summer season.

As a reminder, we are always looking for ways optimize where ever we can so if we think of something that could help speed things up, we’ll keep you updated.  Additional, the team will also put safety at the forefront.  Give us a little time to make sure that the detours signs are correctly in place and then we’ll switch to making sure that the business signs are properly placed.  I will work with all parties to make sure the signage is up to date for those who are impacted in this next phase.  As I’ve stated previously, please help us to communicate to our neighbors that we are doing A LOT of work in a very small area especially in this next phase.  Things will be tight, dump trucks are moving in and out all day long, large excavators are moving back forth on this very old road, so please be patient with the crews.  IF you see something concerning, please bring that concern to inspector on site or myself and we’ll address it immediately.  We are also letting the utility companies know that they should not be taking up parking for potential customers.  However, they may need to set up near their service tie-ins on occasion.  We are working towards the goal of giving this area a much deserved update but there will be pains along the way.  Work with us as we grind through the bit of this phase and work towards completing it and moving on to the next phase.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out.  I’ll meet with you individually on site if needed.

Thanks,

Denis Ozowara Jr., P.E., Assoc. DBIA

Project Manager, Transportation