VB411: Fact or Fiction :: VBgov.com - City of Virginia Beach

VB411: Fact or Fiction?

Debunking fake news, correcting the record and combating misinformation that might be floating around Virginia Beach.

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CORRECTING THE RECORD: Is The City Is Responsible for All Street Lights?

FACT: Dominion Energy owns and maintains the vast majority of the 50,000 total street light fixtures in Virginia Beach.

ISSUE: Why Do Some Street Signs Have the City Seal on Them and Others Do Not?

FACT: The practice was discontinued in 2014 as a cost saving measure and because the Seal is difficult to see from the ground.

RUMOR: There Are Mulching Devices in the Storm Drains That Chop Up Leaves and Twigs Blown Into the Drains

FICTION: Interesting idea (calling all inventors!) but unfortunately, there are no devices inside storm drains that chop up twigs, leaves or any other debris so please don’t dump any kind of material into the storm drains. They’re solely for transporting stormwater runoff away from neighborhoods.

RUMOR: Is There Any End in Sight to the Feeder Roads on Laskin Road?

FACT: The end is near! For the feeder roads, that is. Improvements on Laskin Road are set to begin in the late spring or early summer, and will remove the feeder lanes between Republic and Oriole Roads. The combined $78 million project is shared between the City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

ISSUE: Why Does the City Replenish the Sand on the Beaches?

FACT: The City replenishes the resort area sand every 5-7 years to protect the infrastructure behind it, such as pump stations, the seawall (which is also our Boardwalk), and property that would otherwise be prone to flooding along the shoreline.

ISSUE: What’s the Deal With the Small-Cell Towers Popping Up Around Town? Is the City Able to Do Anything About Them?

FACT: The small-cell towers, often called 5G towers, are being installed by wireless telecoms around our city, and the country. Unfortunately, due to legislation passed by the General Assembly, the City has no regulatory authority over them.