Anonymous
Want to give your 2 cents’ worth — or maybe your 98 cents’ worth? But don’t feel comfortable using your name? By popular demand, the Cape Charles Wave is providing a forum for anonymous opinions. Send them to capecharleswave@gmail.com with the subject “Anonymous.”
GROUND RULES
1. Keep it short, or we’ll shorten it for you.
2. No pot shots — you can criticize, but don’t attack.
3. Be patient -. – an editor has to approve each submission.
——–ANONYMOUS——-
TOWN BUDGET — Cape Charles is running on empty. The idea seems to be that the town can borrow its way out of trouble, which is a sure way to bankrupt the town. Perhaps it is time for certain people to move to a location where they can buy their underwear locally. (6/11/2013)
CAPE CHARLES BY THE BAY WEBSITE – The new tourist website is supposed to show everything about Cape Charles that visitors might be interested in. Restaurants, hotels, night life, and on and on. But they forgot something (maybe on purpose): our Churches. Reading the website, you would think no church existed in Cape Charles, or at least that no tourist would be interested in attending church during their vacation. That’s just not true. The website should recognize the Town’s many churches, which have a proud heritage. (6/9/2013)
PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLUSION? — Last weekend I visited Cape Charles with my wife and another couple from Richmond. On the surface, your town appeared to us as having the potential to be a great place for an active retirement with a small business until I discovered the story behind the deal to sell the old school to a developer. What a shame, as the whole story smacks of “old school” collusion between elected officials and well-funded private sector parties. Anyone who might consider Cape Charles as a retirement home should know about what happened and consider carefully if they want to live somewhere that is run for the benefit of private sector interests ahead of its full time voting residents. I’m not anti-development but I’m very put off by the stench of how this appears to have gone down. (5/24/2013)
GUN BARREL — Due to misplaced priorities the National Park Service appears to be celebrating military history. Is that really their job? I thought the military took care of that well enough. How about we throw the big gun barrel in the water to protect the shore. (5/23/2013)
PARK BATHROOMS – Don Riley’s trip to court to appeal the misplaced bathrooms in Cape Charles Central Park could have been a demonstration of democracy in action. But due to the fact that he did not even get a hearing and his letters and petitions were ignored, it was a miscarriage of justice. (5/13/2013)
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK –Sunday starts national police week this week is dedicated to the men and women of law enforcement who keep our streets, and family’s safe. Sadly every 57 hours one of these officers loose there life and will never return home to there loved ones.The national law enforcement memorial has over 19,000 name of officers killed in the line of duty,and as of today’s date 41 more officers have died in 2013. Please join me this week and put a light on your porch or a candle in honor of the fallen which gave their life to protect others from harm. (5/12/2013)
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE — While I applaud the engagement of the Cape Charles Christian School and its students in our town, I think we need to remember that public institutions funded by public tax dollars, like our new library, are just that: public, and should not be used on recurring basis as an adjunct classroom setting for a private religious school. (5/3/2013)
SAVE KIPTOPEKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL — What is going on at Kiptopeke Elementary School? How can a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence end up in such shambles? Why are we heading into the second testing season in a row with another principal with one foot out the door? Why has KES seen an 11.8% drop in enrollment in one calendar year compared to a 2-3% change at the county’s other two schools? Why isn’t anyone paying attention to the mess? Why are we blaming teachers when it is a clear leadership issue? (5/2/2013)
CENTRAL PARK — The original idea for Central Park was not what it has become. I remember school youth participating in the design of the park. It had sports fields, seating for spectators, and other ideas. Why did it become a showcase for special events and not a park for sports and activities promoting health and fitness? Does anyone know the governmental agency that funded this project? I sure think it would be interesting to know how the park evolved into a walking and sitting place rather than a place where sports are played. Has anyone noticed that the Town Council has no interest in sports for the Town’s youth? First the baseball fields went away. Then the sports fields in the park went away. Recently the basketball court was taken from us. All we have left is the tennis courts. Has anyone noticed how little they are used? (5/1/2013)
RECYCLING — I recently moved into town and when I asked if I could get a recycling can sent to my house, I found out the town doesn’t do recycling. This certainly shocked me. I figured Cape Charles would be an eco-friendly town, and recycling for anyone is really effortless. I have talked to some folks who live in town who recycle as well, and they are just as troubled over the idea as I am why Cape Charles does not have that option. It is a little irritating to know I have to take my own recycling to a place outside of town when I pay monthly for a trash service in town. I think this should definitely be considered and can’t believe it isn’t already a given. (4/27/2013)
TED WARNER writes very nice pieces. His stories are interesting, thought provoking, attentive, and beautiful. It is nice to read anything he composes, as you can sense a genuine heart behind Fake Rolex! (4/9/2013)
BASED ON COMMENTS submitted by readers, in this town it’s better to be a beloved stray dog than a slain waterman. (4/9/2013)
CENTRAL PARK: If you want to do some investigative reporting, check out the amount of money spent on Central Park and what we’ve gotten for it with a focus on at least the following three items:
1. The fountain is broken more often than it flows. There was some discussion that the fountain is built atop a spring, which causes the subsoil to shift, which, in turn, causes the fountain’s basin and plumbing to rupture. I don’t know if that’s true.
2. The sprinkler system appears to be 80% dysfunctional. It’s probably already been ruined by the harsh water, but that should have been in the calculation of which materials to use, and the chemicals or process to adequately flush the system if possible should have been part of considerations. It may be that no system can tolerate our water and that the money should not have been spent at all.
3. The mosquito ponds simply sit there, stagnant, for weeks. If there are routine rains, they never dry. Again, there are legitimate issues, such as the need for compliance with the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, which impacted the grading, drainage, etc. However, for instance, lowering the pond drain in the northwest corner of the park would have a significant impact at least in that area. (4/4/2013)
OLD SCHOOL GIVEAWAY 2: Why did the Town even consider giving away Town property to an out-of-town developer when they refused to even negotiate with Town residents? It seems that it was more important to the mayor to make Echelon Resources happy than to allow the people of Cape Charles to have a community center and a basketball court. We paid Echelon to take it! Our Town wasted more than a million dollars by giving away valuable Town property. How do you explain this giveaway? (3/7/2013)
OLD SCHOOL GIVEAWAY: Cape Charles has really wasted a lot of money on lawyers to give away our historic Old School building, basketball court, and playground parking lot. If the mayor had been willing to negotiate with Old School Cape Charles on the offer to purchase or lease the school, there would have been no lawsuits and the property would either belong to the Town or would be purchased for the community. Now our children have no recreational venue. Now the town should give the old library over for community recreation and services. (3/7/2013)
OLD SCHOOL LITIGATION: Judge Revell Lewis did not live up to his reputation when it came to the Old School in Cape Charles. We had heard that he would listen to the arguments and weigh the case carefully. It appears that all he did was try to get out of a difficult decision. It is a sad day for Cape Charles. (3/4/2013)
HISTORIC DISTRICT REVIEW BOARD 2: No, the Historic District Review Board was not being ridiculous; they were doing what they were supposed to do and providing a community service. Little did they realize that was not what the Town Council wanted them to do. Their decisions were OK when they were in line with what Town Council wanted, but when their decisions were contrary, the Town ignored them as an “advisory group” (Old School) or over-ruled them (hotel). (3/4/2013)
CITIZEN GUIDELINES AT TOWN MEETINGS: Our town mayor picks and chooses who gets thrown out of meetings. A former council member verbally attacked a sitting member and the mayor did nothing. But when she had to listen to a speaker criticize her, the mayor had her gavel IN HER HAND the entire time, just waiting to throw her out. (3/1/2013)
OLD SCHOOL AMENDED CONTRACT: We have all been bamboozled by this project. This is just gross incompetence by the Mayor and Town Council and not good for the Historic Town economically in the long run. (2/28/2013)
HOTEL CAPE CHARLES 2: There is an interesting study done in 2007 called Benefits of Residential Historic District Designation for Property Owners. Perhaps our Town Council members should read this to gain a better understanding of how their actions in the case of the Hotel Cape Charles could negatively impact all property owners of this town. The Town Council’s handling of this situation sets the precedent for businesses and homeowners to simply ignore the historic district guidelines. After all, if our Town Council places no value in the recommendations of the Historic District Review Board and can’t adhere to their own guidelines, how can they enforce these guidelines going forward? Kudos to the Historic Review Board members who took a stand. I’m sorry that their volunteer hours and community service to this town have been in vain. It is sad to say that the decisions made by our Town Council in recent months seem to continuously put their own self-interests and immediate gains over the long-term interests of the citizens of this Town. (2/28/2013)
HOTEL CAPE CHARLES: I don’t live here but I’m what you are looking to woo — a tourist. What does Cape Charles have to offer? No waves, no real night life and now the possibility of destroying your one great asset — the architecture of a bygone time. The hotel thumbed its nose at the Historic Review Board and Town Council decided to be short-sighted. The renovator decided to do what he wanted to do. The door has been opened and an ugly precedent has been set. I commend the Historic Review Board for having the [courage] that Town Council doesn’t have. Now let’s see: this weekend should I go to Cape May, Annapolis, New Castle, DE, Mystic,CT, New Bedford, MA — I think you get the point. (2/27/2013)
HISTORIC DISTRICT REVIEW BOARD: Glad to hear they resigned; they were being ridiculous. (2/26/2013)
BRIDGE-TUNNEL 3: Funny, that’s all I see when I drive down Rt. 13 — traffic and strip malls. As for crime, unless we do something about the plight of the very low income we will see increased crime anyway. Anybody checked the statistics on drug-related crime lately or burglaries and vandalism? Just because some can afford the toll does not mean the majority can. They must do something because doing nothing is sucking the life out of the County. What is everybody afraid of? Progress? Increased wealth? Get a grip! We are not in the dark ages anymore. (2/21/2013)
FLUORIDE: Fluoridation opposition is scientific, respectable, and growing. More than 4,500 professionals (including 343 dentists and 538 MDs) urge that fluoridation be stopped because fluoridation is ineffective and harmful. See statement: http://www.fluoridealert.org/researchers/professionals-statement/text/ (2/20/2013)
BRIDGE-TUNNEL 2: The writer of the anonymous comment [below] has provided incorrect information. The CBBT is not a private business. The Bridge Tunnel District is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia, created by the Acts of Assembly. The Bridge Tunnel Commission is the governing body of the District. Some folks seem to get confused by this since revenue bonds to build the bridge tunnel were sold to private investors. This is no different than the sale of municipal bonds by cities, towns and counties, or the sale of revenue bonds by industrial development authorities or public service authorities. They are issued by government entities and purchased by private investors. (2/19/2013)
BRIDGE-TUNNEL: The first issue that should be addressed is that the bridge was created as a private business and as such, the citizens of Northampton County, the County Board of Supervisors or anyone outside of the CBBT shouldn’t have any influence on prices they charge for their service. I don’t see anyone lobbying for lower prices at Bay Creek for example — which without a doubt, if initiation fees were knocked to $0 would certainly encourage growth. Second, the CBBT has long discussed plans and costs associated with building a new set of tunnels to reduce risk for its passengers, a cost that’s been reported at over $1B per tunnel. It would take quite some time to pay for this even considering $46M in gross revenue/year. Also, why should tax dollars be spent on a private business that clearly can generate its own revenue? The Shore would most definitely become an extension of Hampton Roads despite zoning plans. It won’t take long for some self-serving individuals to become involved to the point where the lower Eastern Shore could be rezoned to allow for additional development. (Look at the individuals pushing for the Commuter Toll — I’ll bet they drive to and from Virginia Beach quite frequently.) For those of you not “From Here,” consider why you moved here, and not Virginia Beach and that should be sufficient for not pushing a commuter toll. (2/19/2013)
PARK BATHROOM 4: It’s a good thing that the bathroom construction has been stopped. The bathroom is in a lake when it rains. The time to choose a different location for the building is before it is built. (2/18/2013)
PRIORITIES: Sadly, it appears that this community cares more about arguing where or where not to put a public bathroom than it does the state of our public schools. They also seem to really care that kids don’t have a place to shoot hoops. How about a decent school for these same kids to get an education in? The apathy over this issue is astounding. (2/6/2013)
INDOOR BASKETBALL: Just a few years ago, I remember the good times my grandchildren had when they went to the Town Community Center in the park for after-school programs and Boys and Girls Club. Now they are teenagers and it would be nice if they could have a community center again where they could play basketball indoors and do other after-school activities. (2/1/2013)
UNINCORPORATE CAPE CHARLES: There appear to be many issues with the town council and mayoral office. There is epidemic discussion of corruption and incompetence. Yet I hear of virtually no one in town who wants these jobs or is willing to do the campaigning necessary to “shake up” the status quo. Are there current term limits in place? Could this be a solution so that others would be willing to run without heavy campaigning to build the necessary name recognition? A more radical thought would be to just unincorporate the town. What services would we really give up? And could our taxes go down? Security could be handled by the county. We don’t have schools to support. And there could still be a historic district. Yes, there would be job losses, but a town doesn’t exist to hire people, it exists to provide services which are in the town’s best interest. And many in the town (including me) don’t believe that this mayor or town council has any interest except self-interest. (1/29/2013)
ALLEGED HOUSING DISCRIMINATION BY TOWN: A private owner of a private rental property does not have to participate in the Section 8 housing voucher program. The owner cannot deny anyone the opportunity to apply for rental housing, however. 24 CFR, part 1 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibits discrimination against applicants or tenants based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion and familial status. The source of income does not apply. The town should make sure they do not violate any state civil rights laws or local ordinances pertaining to housing, including marital status or sexual orientation. (1/25/2013)
TOWN COUNCIL DOESN’T CARE: I remember going to the court to play tennis and seeing all the kids, black, white, red and brown, using and enjoying Central Park. I learned who they were and what they wanted out of life. I played with them, I took them out to McDonald’s after our games. I remember the Boys and Girls Club, which served the needs of the “wrong types” and was closed for such. The old gym where you could play basketball all year, which was closed as unsafe, but was used to have dances and anything else the CCVA chosen ones wanted. Now we lament the removal of the basketball courts, the parking for the kids’ playground and the selling of the old school. But looking further into this ask yourself: What do you expect with the present Town Council? Look at the makeup of this council with no cultural diversity or depth of political leanings. You see no parents of young children (however Frank Wendell is a parent of a teenager), only one person of color, and all approaching or over 60. With the ages closer to 100 than 20 this is the age they are screaming for the kids to get off their lawns, not play on them. How can I put this any simpler: They just don’t care! And until someone challenges this shady, dishonest, unholy cabal you will continue to have the failed, crooked, and corrupt leadership you do. Remember: you get the leadership you deserve — you voted for them.
Disappointed Former Resident. (1/24/2013)
CENTRAL PARK BATHROOMS 3: Once it’s open, they better clean it every day. (1/22/2013)
CENTRAL PARK BATHROOMS 2: The people who live near Central Park should be consulted about the placement and design of the bathrooms. Why should the Citizens for Central Park ignore their complaints and act like they are just an inconvenience? When they look out toward the Park they will have to see that ugly brick building with no windows. We have Historic District Guidelines that state a building should be in character with the surrounding HISTORIC buildings in the neighborhood — not the sewage pumping station that should not be there anyway. (1/22/2013)
BASKETBALL COURT 4: Echelon bought the school and basketball court before Christmas, but now they’re not going to do anything until at least April. In the meantime they got the Town to do their work for them and take down the basketball hoops so that no children can play on the court. They should tell the Town to put back the hoops and let the kids use the court until April. That would be a good neighbor. (1/18/2013)
I DIDN’T SPEAK OUT: First they disbanded the Boys and Girls Club in the old school, and I didn’t speak out because my children didn’t live here. Then they shut down the softball field, and I didn’t speak out because it made no difference to me. Then they took away the soccer goals in the park, and I didn’t speak out because I liked a “quiet” park. Then they gave away the basketball court, and I didn’t speak out because I didn’t want “undesirables” coming to play basketball. Then they raised my taxes due to a shrinking population, and I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore! (1/18/2013)
BASKETBALL COURT 3: So, based on the Echelon contract in regards to removing the basketball goals, the Cape Charles town manager was or wasn’t telling the truth when she stated that removing the goals was a condition of the contract? And the assistant town manager was or wasn’t telling the truth when he stated that the basketball goals were removed to avoid liability — even though the goals by then were private property located on private property. Can someone help me find the truth? (1/17/2013)
RURAL COUNTIES IN DECLINE: Here’s an interesting story from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/12/rural-decline-congress/1827407/ (1/14/2013)
BASKETBALL COURT 2: The Town Council sold our school, basketball court and parking for the children’s playground to Echelon Resources because they cared more about that company more than they care about the children of Cape Charles. Now they think that they can hurry up and put up a new basketball court and everything will be OK. But it won’t. They don’t have as good a place for it as the one that we had. The solution is for Old School Cape Charles to win the lawsuit against the town so that all the mistakes can be walked back and Echelon can leave. (1/14/2013)
TRIATHLON: The Ultra-length” 140-mile triathlon in the Fall will be a boon to Cape Charles and the lower Virginia Eastern Shore. Get involved! The town needs help. (1/8/2013)
SOCCER GOALS: Last year, the soccer goals, promised to be returned, then basketball hoops, next the parking access to the playground, perhaps next the handicap ramps on street corners! Maybe soon a gate at route 13! (1/5/2013)
BASKETBALL COURT: How do you like that? Our town does not have a basketball court for kids to play on. It does not have parking for the children’s playground. But most of town council think they have done nothing wrong. It seems like the town council only cares about tourists. Maybe the people will be tired of that come time for the next election. (1/3/2013)
ANONYMOUS IN 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE: Keep up the fight, Old School Cape Charles. We are going to win this. It is not right for our town council to give away town property to a private “entity” when there is a group of townspeople that have a use for it. Besides, people were already using the basketball court and the playground parking. What is with giving that away? (12/31/2012)
CAPE CHARLES SCHOOL: The town took down the basketball hoops at Christmastime. That shows that the Town Council has no heart. Now the kids in town have no basketball court in the park to play on. It was so sad to read about the boy who was throwing balls through the hoops as they were taken away. It just proves how clueless our Town Council and mayor are about what our town really needs. (12/31/2012)
AQUA: Great, just what the Shore and Cape Charles needs — someone else who knows how to work the system. Go bankrupt, stiff the hard-working merchants, and come back with no debts. Thank you Washington D.C. (12/29/2012)
CAPE CHARLES IS THE NEW GREECE: Cape Charles and Greece have a lot in common: cronyism, nepotism, favoritism, mismanagement, and high taxes. Echelon, you didn’t even need to steal Christmas. It was stolen FOR YOU. (12/28/2012)
HIGH WATER: Isn’t that the model toilet aka sewage pump station behind the new Mercedes? What does the high water do to all those ugly electric switches and pumps? (12/27/2012)
MERRY CHRISTMAS to the group of Old School Cape Charles for keeping up the fight. Keep fighting, and you will win. (12/25/2012)
TALL SHIPS ADVERTISING: Just to let the people of Cape Charles know that the large billboard advertising the arrival of the Tall Ships last spring is still in place just north of the New Church scale (just south of the Md/Va state line). Old advertising like this doesn’t look too good for the town. Please inform the responsible party. Thanks and Merry Christmas! (12/24/2012)
NEWTOWN: I respect Mr. Lindeman’s thoughts on the Newtown tragedy, but I had a different reaction: We have no reason to be surprised by a Newtown or a Virginia Tech or any of the other mass murders that happen from time to time. What we should be surprised and grateful about is that they don’t happen more often than they do. Because our culture worships lethal weapons. We are a nation perpetually at war, both overseas and among ourselves. The so-called ban on assault weapons expired in 2004, and few politicians dare to risk the wrath of the NRA to reinstate it. As long as we manufacture weapons of mass slaughter, somebody will be sick and crazy enough to use them. By themselves, people are not very good at killing. They need guns, bombs, and rockets. Which our society is quick to supply. (12/19/2012)
SAD SITUATION FOR BAY CREEK. Love all the amenities! I don’t place blame on Bay Creek, I applaud their efforts for trying so hard to stay afloat. They have really tried to raise the bar. As a business owner in CC, we are fortunate to be doing well. We are doing well because our market is global. However, where we are having problems is finding qualified help on the Shore. Our employees have to come from across the bay, which increases costs. It’s also hard finding qualified individuals who are willing to travel an hour to work. We may need to relocate soon to grow. (12/18/2012)
KUDOS TO THE COAST GUARD STATION IN CAPE CHARLES for rescuing a kayaker off the Virginia Eastern Shore. This is the kind of good press that makes me proud of our town. (12/14/2012)
FISHING PIER LIGHTS: Has the town drawn plans for the new pier? Do they have lighting plans? Numerous avid fisherman are not fond of the new lights on the pier. I have heard returning tourists complain about the new curlycue lights and asked why they replaced the old florescent lights. The florescent tube lights brought much more light for people to see the marine life such as crabs, fish, jellyfish etc. (12/13/2012)
HEALTHCARE CRISIS: I finally see that the Town Council agenda includes trying to deal with the Healthcare crisis in Cape Charles and that also exists in surrounding Northampton County areas. It is great reading comments about the community trail, old school, Bay Creek, Cape Charles Hotel problems but these problems are small and the real big problems seem to be ignored. If Cape Charles is to survive, much needs to be done about the health care crisis, jobs, education and transportation problems. Let’s get real, taxes are going up everywhere, not just Cape Charles and Northampton County. People demand services and we must pay for them. Our Town Council, Mayor and Northampton officials must make wise decisions considering our limited resources. We will never attract owners and thus new tax income until these basic necessities are dealt with. (12/12/2012)
TOWN FAILED TO FOLLOW ZONING ORDINANCE: One reason the Hotel Cape Charles errant balconies should be forgiven is that the town did not follow its own zoning ordinance: Section 8.31 Inspection by Administrator After Approval — When a Certificate of Appropriateness has been issued, the Administrator or Town Building Official shall from time to time inspect the alteration or construction approved by such certificate and shall give prompt notice to the applicant of any work not in accordance with such certificate or violating any ordinance of the Town. The Administrator or Town Building Official may revoke the certificate or the building permit if violations are not corrected by the applicant in a timely manner. Since work was not stopped by the town, it seems like it is kind of late and overly expensive to ask that the work be redone. (12/12/2012)
OLD SCHOOL LAWSUITS: A hearing on the two lawsuits brought by Old School Cape Charles against the Cape Charles Town Council will be held next Monday, December 17, at 11 a.m. in the courthouse in Eastville. One of the lawsuits is about the sale of the school for $10. The other is about the spot zoning of the property that the school is on, including the basketball court and the parking for the children’s playground. A lot of people wonder if the town council was playing by the rules when they made those decisions. It is sad that our town council had so little respect for the people of Cape Charles that they made a deal like that. (12/11/2012)
CENTRAL PARK BATHROOMS 1: The sewer pump station is not historic. The question of the park bathrooms does not hinge on a couple of people who live near the park agreeing to an eyesore. It hinges, as Roger Munz wrote, on whether the Guidelines of the Historic District are followed. The Guidelines say that the new building should be related to the design character of the historic buildings in the area. The sewer pumping station is not a historic building — therefore, it should not have been used as a model for the bathrooms. (12/10/2012)
