August 2021

Our Elected Officials……………………….3

Mayor Derrick: Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Sheriff Chitwood: Lost to COVID: law enforcement lives

A Native Remembers ......5 Save Our Neighborhoods: SON Update ………………...6 From the Chief of Police………………….………7 Leaving Lockdown ..……8

Yes, we’re in person again! (It’s

amazing!). Food and music in community are soul restorative.

Here’s something you may not know. What you see is that we start serving food at 6 and our meetings begin promptly at 6:30, but making it happen behind the scene are our volunteers, who are on a different schedule. You don’t see them doing the hard work.

The day before our meetings, Nancy gets the needed supplies and shelf stable foodstuffs. The morning of our meeting, she does the food shopping. At around 4 p.m., Nancy and Donna generally start cooking. Reba joins them as they prepare to transfer the food from kitchen to tables.

Music (and being able to really hear the speakers) adds a great touch to

the gathering. Sean has been a big help with the audio portion of our meetings. He set up, monitored, and took down the speaker stands ensuring quality audio—and as you know, Schnebly can echo. Sean is more than audio: at our last meeting, he purchased covers for the stage tables. We appreciate that kind of community commitment so much—thank you, Sean!

Frank has been handling the 50-50 table for many years and is usually the first person to greet the members as they arrive.

We always start our

meetings with the pledge followed by a police report. This last month we

had Captain Scott Lee giving us a combo police report and a code report.

(con’t on next page)

WE’RE BACK!!

Join us at the Schnebly Center on Thursday,

August 19th!

Meal at 600 p.m.

Meeting at 630 p.m.

($5 suggested donation)

Dinner:

Spaghetti and meatballs!

1101 N. Atlantic Ave.

Bella

ire Community Group

AGENDA

1. 6pm Dinner 2. Call to Order and Pledge 3. Crime and Safety Report- D.B. Police Chief Jakari Young 4. Featured Program: Chad Macfie, Marine Science Center Manager: The Health of the Indian River Lagoon 5. 50-50 Drawing 6. Adjourn 7. Go home with a Smile

Our featured speakers and authors were Derek Catron and Jeffrey Boyle. Mark Barker joined me in our conversation with these local authors. I had the pleasure of reading Derek’s two published books and three of Jeffrey’s published books. This program was unique to our usual programming, and the reaction from our members was very positive.

We concluded with our 50-50

drawing. (Here, Nancy just awarded Lisa with her winnings, and Mark had pulled her winning ticket.)

This month we are excited to

welcome Chad Macfie, Manager of Marine Science Center. He will be

covering the importance of our Indian River Lagoon: what is the current condition, and what can we do to help? (See page 4 for more!)

Paul and I had the pleasure of meeting with Chad about two months ago when he offered to share with our group. Paul and I both left our meeting realizing just how knowledgeable Chad is about the science behind marine life. I look forward to the photos and discussion with Chad.

I hope you can join us. Thanks for the journey, Steve Koenig

Bellaire Community Group

2000 N. Halifax

Daytona Beach, FL 32118

2021 Officers Chair

Steve Koenig Office: 386.257.6700 Cell: 386.795.0023

steve@koenigrealty.com

Vice Chair Paul Zimmerman, Founder

386.316.6259 ptzimm@bellsouth.net

Treasurer and

Marketing Manager Nancy Koenig 386.679.3363

nancy@koenigrealty.com

Contributors Paul Zimmerman

Jakari Young Weegie Keundig Mike Chitwood Derrick Henry Steve Koenig

Vol 15, Issue 8: August 2021

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OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Derrick Henry Mayor of Daytona Beach

After postponing January’s

typical start for my annual Mayor’s Fitness Challenge, the popular program is scheduled to begin next month. The first session is at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the Midtown Community Center, 925 George W. Engram Blvd. The session will feature a weigh-in as well as further details regarding the 8-week program. Registration is only $20 per person. Classes will be on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m.

The heathy program features a schedule of fun activities for adults of all ages and fitness levels. Biweekly sessions include

activities such as yoga, Zumba, line dancing, strength training, walking and a variety of other indoor and outdoor activities.

There will be a weigh-in at the beginning of the program and again at the end to track results. The man and woman who lose the most weight while completing the program will receive prizes. Additional prizes will be awarded. For more information or to register, visit www.codb.us or contact Assistant City Manager Betty Goodman at (386) 671-8203.

Mike Chitwood

Volusia County Sheriff

Just when it seemed like things might be getting back to normal, covid-19 is back in a big way. The truth is it never really left. Now it’s looking worse than ever before. As someone who had covid early on in this pandemic, I can guarantee you don’t want to go through it. Even if you don’t end up hospitalized or worse, you run the risk of the worst sickness of your lifetime. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

A few days ago, the Port Orange Police Department lost one of their own, Officer Justin White, to covid-19. He was only 39. The same day, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced it lost Deputy First Class Craig Seijos at age 54. Those are just two recent examples of what has become the leading cause of line-of-duty death in law enforcement. The Officer Down Memorial Page listed 332 covid-related deaths of law enforcement officers since last year, 100 more deaths than all other causes combined. Those are just the cases we know about so far. As tragically common as it has become to see our men and women in uniform senselessly gunned down and murdered, the truth is that covid-19 has killed at least 4 times as many law enforcement officers as those shot and killed in the line of duty since 2020. I’m seeing plenty of my own deputies, colleagues and friends get sick, and even unexpectedly hospitalized, and all I can do is pray that they make a full and fast recovery. There’s one thing we all can do to help stamp out this virus. We can get a vaccine, just like we have gotten for so many other diseases throughout history. I know there are some who can’t get vaccinated because of medical conditions or other reasons, but for anyone who is eligible and still hasn’t gotten the shot, I’m just asking you to consider it, and talk to your doctor. I got

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mine as soon as I was eligible, and I have no regrets. The vaccine isn’t perfect, and just like the flu shot, it doesn’t guarantee you 100% immunity. But it does give you a ton of protection that in turn protects so many of those around you, including our first responders, nurses, healthcare staff and front-line workers.

There’s a lot of B.S. out there, and a lot of politics at play when it comes to covid-19. But it shouldn’t be “us vs. them,” it’s just us vs. covid. I know that the quicker we stamp out this virus, the sooner we can get our lives back to normal. We can still save some lives that don’t need to be lost.

I wish you all good health and am praying for the safety and

protection of everyone in our great community!

Best, Sheriff Mike Chitwood

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To Our Advertisers

A NATIVE REMEMBERS Paul Zimmerman Vice Chair, Bellaire Community Group

We are blessed to be living here in Volusia County where there is a variety of environmental marvels for us to enjoy. Unfortunately, all are feeling the negative effects of either natural cycles or man-made pressure. Development west of Daytona Beach clear cuts hundreds of acres of wetlands, not leaving a single tree. Developers then pave roads and pour concrete slab, sidewalks and driveways covering over what used to be a watershed for our aquifer which supplies our drinking water. Mosquito Lagoon is a major spawning ground for fish, and other sea life is being choked with algae. The algae growth is being fueled by nutrients that are byproducts of humanity’s intrusion. Our Atlantic Ocean beach is feeling the effects of erosion and higher sea levels, threatening the most valuable asset we have in Volusia County. There are more examples including the negative effects to our springs, rivers and lakes. So what are we doing about it?

The Sons Of the Beach, along with the CEO Business Alliance, have been working together to address the erosion to our Atlantic Ocean Beach. The SOBs and the Alliance teamed together in early 2020 to bring Dr. Thomas Goreau, Phd, of BioRock Technologies, to Daytona Beach. Dr. Goreau was to give a presentation to local, state, and federal officials on his near off shore reef system. Unfortunately, Covid hit and forced the cancelation/postponement of Dr. Goreau’s presentation. BioRock Technology reefs use a very low voltage current to stimulate shellfish, coral, and sea grass growth. BioRock reefs are engineered and strategically placed in a staggered formation. The reefs act like baffles in a muffler, scrubbing off the wave energy prior to hitting our beach. That wave energy is what causes erosion. Dr. Goreau has established reefs all around the world which have mitigated the effects of erosion and actually “grown” beaches.

A little over a year later, on March 31, 2021, Dr. Goreau gave an online presentation to members of the county council, county staff, and representatives of the SOBs and the Alliance. The presentation was well received, and the county asked Dr. Goreau to present an estimate for him to do a detailed assessment of our area beaches for the suitability of one of his near shore erosion preventing reefs. Dr. Goreau consulted with his divers and

engineers and sent an estimate of $65,000 to the county for the assessment. That price included airfare and accommodations for Dr. Goreau and a team of 4 divers and engineers for a period of two weeks to assess and develop plans to build a prototype BioRock reef here. Besides the benefits of establishing a reef to mitigate erosion, BioRock reefs create multiple ecotourism opportunities, such as fishing, diving, and surfing. But besides all the benefits of the reef system, BioRock Technologies, if placed in Mosquito Lagoon, could have a dramatic effect on cleaning up the lagoon. As mentioned, the BioRock system stimulates shell fish and sea grass growth. A single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day and many of the manatee deaths are from starvation because they have no sea grass to eat. Using BioRock’s systems, oyster beds could be grown and used to filter thousands of gallons of contaminated water every day and also to stimulate the return of the sea grass. A similar technology is currently being used in Chesapeake Bay to save its ecosystem. We are talking here of a system that could mitigate erosion of our beach and mitigate the contamination of Mosquito Lagoon. One is easily the county’s most valuable asset, and the other is a spawning ground for much of the marine fishing industry. Here it is, folks. The county has balked at paying Dr. Goreau and his team to come here. We have the technology, if not to stop, to at least mitigate, the destruction of our environment. Do we have county politicians and county staff who have the will and wisdom to spend $65,000 (out of a billion dollar annual

to bring someone here to show us how to use that technology? Will we be caught whistling past the graveyard?

‘til next time, Paul

budget)

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SAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS Weegie Keundig Past Chair, Save Our Neighborhoods Dear Bellaire Neighbors and Friends:

I don't know about you, but I am growing weary of others telling me to "leave" if I want to see change or am opposed to the way things are. It's not a new response to criticism of opposing ideas. Those of us of a certain age remember "America, Love It Or Leave It." The idea has resurfaced during these nationally politically divisive times but also has reached down to the local level. I have been told numerous times to leave during disruptive special events if I don't support them. The latest salvo came from someone who said that if I didn't like ADU's (Accessory Dwelling Units) that I should move to an HOA. Well, guess what? I am staying put and will continue to express my opinions about certain ideas if I think something else might be better.

ADU legislation in our city has become a hot button issue for many. It is a design and development idea that seems fashionable now. An ADU is a "secondary housing unit on (or in) a single family residential lot". When our city first broached this concept, it was promoted as Affordable Housing. I am not seeing that reasoning. The stringent, necessary regulations (so we don't legally permit unsafe dwellings in a yard or inside a home or violate the existing zoning rights) make it unlikely to me that these units will be affordable. I think it is a way for single family homeowners and landlords of single-family homes to make money. Among others, it is being promoted by the same group of homeowners that support short term rentals in single family neighborhoods. I find that concerning. And I think the idea of stabilizing our neighborhoods is threatened by this.

Some of my other concerns include enforcement, including licensing and permitting of such units. I live in a neighborhood where zoning permits ADU's of a sort already. Many homes were built long

ago with garages that had apartment units in them. Unfortunately, there are non- conforming units in homes and garages as well. Those non-conforming units are supposed to cease to exist when a property sells, but this hasn't always happened.

Our Code Department is expanding. We have four boards (and lawyers) at this point that deal with violations of our laws and we have hired a lot of Code Officers and support staff to deal with the backlog because of years of neglect of our housing supply. This will add to that burden. Code Enforcement is governed by State Statute. New ADU's will be difficult to monitor for legality (you might not be able to see them from the street) especially if a complaint has not been filed, so Code will continue to be complaint driven, instead of proactive. And we can no longer file a complaint anonymously, which may have an effect on how successful we are at dealing with violations. I am for taking care of our current housing supply and buildings first and foremost.

I also wanted to address The Hotel Garage in my neighborhood and bar hours, but I must save those for another time. Until then, thanks for the opportunity.

Weegie Kuendig dkuendig@aol.com 386-451-6470

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FROM THE CHIEF OF POLICE Jakari Young, Chief of Police of Daytona Beach

Captain Scott Lee and everyone else involved in our Problem Oriented Policing (POP) Unit work tirelessly to eradicate drug houses in Daytona Beach. Their efforts are making a big difference and we just had another example recently of how they’re making a difference.

Three Daytona Beach residents were placed in handcuffs earlier this month after a search warrant turned up various kinds of narcotics and drug paraphernalia in their beachside home. Officers entered the structure at 105 Braddock Avenue around 5:00 p.m. on August 3rd, detaining everyone inside the home at the time.

This raid came as a response to numerous complaints from the public that the home was being used for drug sales. We found that there was a lot of traffic coming in and out of this home and that led us to take a closer look at what was going on.

Prior to the raid, one of the residents of that home turned over a bag filled with 5.9 grams of methamphetamine to a police officer. We found 14.3 more grams of meth in the home during the raid along with smaller amounts of amphetamines, fentanyl, heroin, morphine, and oxycodone. Various types of drug paraphernalia were also discovered by officers while executing the search warrant.

All three residents are now facing a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges, including trafficking in methamphetamine.

Without the help of those who reported what they saw, none of that may have happened. I thank those people for coming forward and doing the right thing. It was a big help to our investigators. More importantly, it helped clean up this neighborhood.

I also want to extend my appreciation to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) Bomb Squad. While searching the home, officers found a small incendiary device in one of the bedrooms. VSO’s Bomb Squad responded around 6:30 p.m. and took possession of the device for proper disposal. Investigators are now trying to determine who it belongs to.

This is the seventh such raid conducted by the POP Unit since last December. Ten people in total were charged following raids at a home on Live Oak Avenue last April, a home on Goodall Avenue last March and a home on Ribault Avenue last January. 15 people in total were charged in the two raids at the Best Southern Sun Plaza Motel and the raid at the Camellia Motel.

Anyone who would like to report similar issues where they live can contact DBPD POP Unit Sergeant Kevin Connelly at ConnellyKevin@DBPD.us or (386) 671-5162. Sincerely, Chief Jakari Young

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LEAVING LOCKDOWN I’m telling you, I feel like I should revert back to

the original title of this little column: LIVING IN LOCKDOWN. Thanks to Delta, and its status as the Florida variant, I’m feeling locked in just like I was this time last year. But we are moving forward regardless, and I am still, technically, strictly speaking, sort of, kind of, leaving lockdown. I am. Really.

For one thing, I have taken two trips involving airplanes. (I’m so bold! So brave!) This is significant—not only did it challenge my social anxiety about being around anyone, it allowed me to test my new personal brand: representing science.

This shirt is my new travel outfit. I don’t think of this shirt as political—science is not about politics. It is pure scientific reasoning, and medical recommendations based on science evolve as the science evolves.

As a University professor, I know that science is about inquiry: what is the truth? And you can only get there by continually asking: what facts do we have? (Remember when science said the sound barrier couldn’t be broken? Then we got newer data.) When there’s additional data, we adjust our hypotheses accordingly and wait to see what happens next. What, if anything, would people do when I wore this shirt? I was eager to find out. A little social experiment, if you will. (I’m a teacher, y’all. This is the stuff I live for!)

So I wore this shirt on a flight to visit my dad in Vermont, where it attracted a lot of smiles and nods in that highly vaccinated state, and on the flight to visit my father in law in Wisconsin, where it attracted…well, somewhat fewer smiles. And yes, science is not political, but I was amazed to see one guy on a plane vehemently shaking his head at me (without actually coming at me). Like, it’s science. What exactly was he disagreeing with?

Admittedly, it was a small sample size, but this little social experiment also showed me that far more

people commented favorably on the shirt than showed some sort of negative reaction. Nobody actually said anything negative to me, which was interesting in itself. (Although that might have been because my rather imposing husband was directly behind me, and he might or might not have been looking…imposing.)

So that’s the “random public” reaction. I am headed back to my (private) college campus next week, a much smaller and self-selected sample size to test my shirt on. (I’m so bold! So brave!) The campus has mandated masks and distancing and required testing for the unvaccinated. These kids are paying (well, someone’s paying) a ton of money to come to this school, and so we shall open up as openly as we can. I am leaving my protected shell and going out into the world, sharing my vaccinated air with the students I love dearly. We will definitely be talking about critical thinking in class, and media literacy is top on my list of activities for one class. Last year at this time I was huddled in front of my computer, teaching virtual classes, waiting for my chance at a vaccine. This year…so different.

I’m leaving lockdown. I’m also praying we don’t have a massive outbreak on campus, but that’s probably next month’s column!

I wrote a couple of months ago about the things that are staying the same and the things that are different in this “new normal” we’re in. Here are the things that stay the same: needing to support each other, wanting to hug each other, finding ways to stay in contact. Here are the things that are different: how we do those things like support, hug, and connect. We’ve learned a whole lot about working from home and that will change a lot of how corporations and employees think about each other.

You know what else is the same? The Florida hurricane season. The tides on the beach off my local beach approach. The happy pups taking their parents for morning walks in the neighborhood. The smiles I get from the folks at Publix. The feral kittens being born in my back yard. The lubbers who are now big enough to be almost impossible to kill. The sound of lawnmowers at 7 in the morning. The desperate need for air conditioning in the Florida August. My Amazon bill.

See you next month, friends. Please get your shots. Oh, and keep washing your hands.

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386-747-5358

KOENIGR E A L T Y

Steve Koenig, Broker Nancy Koenig, Realtor

386-257-6700KoenigRealty.com

Your Local Full Service Real Estate CompanyYour Beachside Specialists

Locally Owned& Operated.

Celebrating Our18th Year in Business!

THANKS FOR THE JOURNEY!

A1A Condos: Steve and Nancy Koenig Bel Aire & Driftwood: Jamie Love &

David Hermann Boylston (east end): Frank Stein Boylston (west end): Marc Reside Brookline: Donna Hiatt Chaffee Place: Sherry & Bill Phillips Cobblestone Village: John McGuinness Columbus: Tammy Schreck Euclid: Janice & Mike Felisko Flagstone: Lisa Barr Golf: Lisa Gall N. Grandview: Winter Potter-O’Neal Hartford: Dana Cowne Jacaranda and Chipeway: George

Burden Manhattan: Sheryl Cola Morningside: Ted & Cindy Beers

N. Oleander, Auburn, Cornell, Bucknell: Dan Stockman Nautilus and Flushing: Carrie Sutton N. Peninsula (North end): Judy Schroeder N. Peninsula (South end): Lawrie Davidson Plaza: Stacy Prestwood Seabreeze High School Area: Paul Zimmerman Stanford: Netta Weiner Williams: Megan O’Neill Waverly: Margaret Fathi and Jules Lemos Woodland: Don Hietala and Kim Medina Zelda: Elly & Rachael Petersen N Halifax, Pelican, and Seaview: Nancy Koenig & Nikolai Hargreaves

Special thanks to our other volunteers: Frank Stein, Donna Coles,

and Reba Peters. A special thanks to Hannah King for her clerical expertise!

THANKS FOR THE JOURNEY!

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The following streets do not have someone assigned to deliver newslettersto: Pelican & SeaviewWe also need people who can fill-in when our regular volunteers are not available. You can deliver to a street other than the street on which you live.If you could help deliver newsletters once a month please contact Nancy at386-257-6700 or Nancy@KoenigRealty.comThe time investment is less than 1 hour monthly. Please volunteer to helpour community group. Many hands make light work!

Thank You!

BCG Volunteers Needed to deliver newsletters...

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