Post by Logan on May 3, 2016 6:08:52 GMT -6
Oyster shells, costs piling up in Virginia Beach for non-existent oyster restoration plan
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Oyster shells collected from restaurants that were supposed to be used to build a reef in the Lynnhaven River have been piling up at the city landfill for more than six years, Virginia Beach’s auditor says.
In a report released Monday, Auditor Lyndon Remias said that Virginia Beach has allocated more than $600,000 for the effort to help restore the Lynnhaven oyster population. But there has been no plan for making the reef project happen, he said.
“I think the council has been misled in what it is actually being used for,” Remias said of the money. “The fund itself is to get the oysters back into the Lynnhaven River, and that hasn’t been happening.”
According to Remias, Virginia Beach has signed no official agreement with the nonprofit Lynnhaven River NOW, which received most of the money from the city’s Oyster Heritage Plan. Last year, the city gave the organization about $32,000 to collect oyster shells from 25 restaurants and drive them to the landfill off Centerville Turnpike. The city fund balance is currently $55,800.
Read more: pilotonline.com/news/government/local/oyster-shells-costs-piling-up-in-virginia-beach-for-non/article_f4b86ffb-09b7-57aa-b49a-ae9f6119d233.html
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Oyster shells collected from restaurants that were supposed to be used to build a reef in the Lynnhaven River have been piling up at the city landfill for more than six years, Virginia Beach’s auditor says.
In a report released Monday, Auditor Lyndon Remias said that Virginia Beach has allocated more than $600,000 for the effort to help restore the Lynnhaven oyster population. But there has been no plan for making the reef project happen, he said.
“I think the council has been misled in what it is actually being used for,” Remias said of the money. “The fund itself is to get the oysters back into the Lynnhaven River, and that hasn’t been happening.”
According to Remias, Virginia Beach has signed no official agreement with the nonprofit Lynnhaven River NOW, which received most of the money from the city’s Oyster Heritage Plan. Last year, the city gave the organization about $32,000 to collect oyster shells from 25 restaurants and drive them to the landfill off Centerville Turnpike. The city fund balance is currently $55,800.
Read more: pilotonline.com/news/government/local/oyster-shells-costs-piling-up-in-virginia-beach-for-non/article_f4b86ffb-09b7-57aa-b49a-ae9f6119d233.html