Council Approves $10,300 for Employee Wage Study

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 24, 2014

Cape Charles Town Council voted February 20 to spend $10,300 for a wage-compensation study for town employees. The study will be performed by a Minnesota firm, Springsted, Inc., that has an office in Richmond and has done work for Accomack County. [Read more…]

3 Comments

Town Commends Neil Lessard, Carol Habel, Mike Mullner

Carol Habel, Chief Pruitt, Mayor Sullivan,  (Wave photo)

Carol Habel, Chief Pruitt, Mayor Sullivan, Neil Lessard (Wave photo)

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 24, 2014

Three local heroes were recognized February 20 by Cape Charles Town Council. Mayor Dora Sullivan presented certificates of commendation to Neil Lessard and Carol Habel for their quick rescue of a boater who fell into the water at Kings Creek Marina January 30. [Read more…]

Business Association to Mayor: Questions Unanswered

February 24, 2014

EDITOR’S NOTE: Cape Charles Business Association President George Proto read the following letter to Mayor Sullivan at the February 20 Town Council meeting and has given permission for its publication in the Wave.

Cape Charles Business Association
P. O. Box 461
Cape Charles, Virginia  23310

February 13, 2014

Mayor Dora Sullivan
Town of Cape Charles
2 Plum Street
Cape Charles, Virginia 23310

Dear Mayor Sullivan,

On August 19, 2013 I sent a letter on behalf of the Business Association relative to the proposed PSA line from Route 13 to the Cape Charles wastewater treatment plant.  This letter requested that the project be put on hold until certain significant questions had been answered.  Subsequently the Town Board met in a work session on September 25, 2013 to discuss these questions.  Specifically, the main topics of discussion were the August 19 letter itself and a financial analysis of the proposal to address specifically one of the issues the letter raised.  At that time it became clear that there was still work to be done and the Board wisely decided to require further analysis.  My original letter is attached for your convenience. [Read more…]

Historic Review Board Agrees: No Chimney Needed

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 24, 2014

Reversing its earlier decision, the Historic District Review Board voted unanimously February 18 to allow removal of a chimney at 621 Jefferson Avenue without requiring replacement with a fake chimney. In reviewing the earlier decision, Board member Joe Ferher said, “In retrospect we could have had more complete information. Other houses on the street have had the chimney removed. A non-functioning chimney is a liability sticking out of a roof.” [Read more…]

LETTER: Town Paying $10,000 for Free Information

February 24, 2014

DEAR EDITOR,

I recently attended a Cape Charles Town Council Meeting and heard that our Town Manager, Heather Arcos, had proposed a wage hour survey be conducted for $10,000 and has already selected her preferred vendor, Springsted Inc., to do the work.  Surprisingly, without any discussion, the Mayor and Town Council approved the request. [Read more…]

2 Comments

LETTER: Chief Pruitt Praised for Quick Work

February 24, 2014

DEAR EDITOR,

On January 30, we had an incident at Kings Creek Marina that required medical attention and our staff called 911. [Read more…]

ORAL HISTORY: Concrete Ships at Kiptopeke

Pocahontas ferryboat steamed between Cape Charles and Norfolk, captained by Bill Evans.

February 24,  2014

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Cape Charles Historical Society has for more than a decade been recording oral histories of the area’s earlier days.  In 2006, Bill and Jan Neville interviewed the late Capt. Bill Evans. A grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities enabled 15 interviews to be transcribed, and the Historical Society has made this one available for readers of the Wave.  All the transcriptions may be read at the Cape Charles Museum.)

Excerpts from a March 31, 2006, interview by Bill and Jan Neville of Ferryboat Capt. Bill Evans and his wife, Grace. 

PART 3

THE CONCRETE SHIPS AT KIPTOPEKE

[Grace]:  Don’t forget to tell them what you did at Kiptopeke. The ships!  The concrete ships!

I put them there.  We had them towed up from Beaumount, Texas, both of them.  And I had several that were already up there in ‘Squito Creek off Newport News.  And anyway, they brought them all to Newport News anchorage and I had to go over there and bring them to Kiptopeke.  I towed them with my tanker, my oil tanker.

That was called the “Kiptopeke” wasn’t it?  The oil tanker’s name?

Yeah.  Well me and another tug, we towed them on over there and put them in their place.  Where they were supposed to be.  In fact, what we done, we put them over there and I remember the last one we brought over, it was kind of getting dark, so we made it fast to the last upper end and we tied up alongside the ships, caught a nap.  Said next morning we’ll sink it when it’s daylight.  Got up the next morning and I start easing down and I saw the ship was gone!  She drifted away and the wire cable I used to make her fast to the other ship, was laying down there in the water.  Oh my goodness, that ship is out there and in the shipping lane and it’s a dead ship and concrete, oh boy!  So we sailed along.  We checked along the shore first and we found her up on the beach.  Up toward Cape Charles.  So we hooked on her and brought her back.

[Grace]:  He said furniture and everything was still on those ships.

Yeah, a lot of things, tools —

[Grace]:  Did you say they had a party on one of them?

Oh yeah.  That was the first one up.  They had that fixed up so you could have parties on that.  That was Chandler and all that gang.  . . . They had plenty of booze.  That was a boozin’ gang.

[Grace]:  Tell them about the hurricane and what happened during the hurricane at Kiptopeke.

Oh that was Hurricane Hazel.  I was on the Pocahontas and we were coming across and they called me from Little Creek and told me tie up when you get to Kiptopeke.  The storm just hit Cape Henry.  So I went in there and tied up the number 2 bridge and unloaded.  Just about the time I got unloaded, that wind struck.  I put out nine 9″ dual lines to hold the bow and that broke everyone of them just like a shoe string.

Good grief!

I blew right around and I blew up on the beach.  I tried to get out, I was going to try to get out through that hole, but it’s a good thing I didn’t because that would have blew me against the concrete for sure.  So what I done, I wound up on the beach.  And I said, oh me, here I am stuck.  I won’t be able to get me off here.  But they got railroad tugs over that night about midnight and got her back out.  But anytime you touch bottom you have to take her to the shipyard.  So that night I took her on up to the shipyard.  Hauled her out, not a bit of damage at all, just a paint that was scraped off where she was riding on the bottom.  So they cleaned her up and we were back out the next day.  That was the Pocahontas. [Read more…]

TUESDAY: Special Election for House of Delegates

Voters in the 100th District, which includes Northampton and Accomack counties, are reminded of the Tuesday, February 25, Special Election for House of Delegates.

The Democratic candidate is Willie C. Randall, and the Republican candidate is Robert S. Bloxom, Jr.
Voting will be at the polling place listed on voter registration cards — NOT where the recent primary elections were held.

MORE STORIES »