SUNDAY 9/16: Eyre Baldwin Gives Lecture on the Lawn at Salt Grove
This year’s last Lecture on the Lawn is 2 p.m. Sunday, September 16, at Salt Grove, 19489 Robin Road, in Cheriton.
Eyre Baldwin will relate the importance of Salt Grove to his family’s Eyre Hall home, how the facility got its name, what part it played in the Eyre Hall property, and the creative reuse of the property.
The public is invited to bring a lawn chair and a beverage and join the Northampton Branch of Preservation Virginia for a glimpse into the past at another historic site on the Shore.
Admission is $15, or $10 for PVA members. For more information or for tickets, call Catie Hubbard at 757-678- 6017.
The Northampton Branch of Preservation Virginia (formerly the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) has been engaged in preservation activities since 1913. This year’s program features three Lectures on the Lawn by members sharing their experiences in the restoration and preservation of their homes.
Town Council Discusses Ways to Pay for Library
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
September 13, 2012
“You wanted a building and we got you a building,” Cape Charles Mayor Dora Sullivan told the audience at a Town Council work session September 11. She was referring to plans to buy the former Bank of America building for use as a library.
Vice Mayor Chris Bannon said public response to the proposed new library building has been “fantastic.”
The Town intends to transfer $219,000 from a bond issued in 2010 to connect two new wells to the water supply. That includes $7,000 annual interest on that portion of the bond.
Councilman Frank Wendell asked about the legality of taking bond money intended for the wells and using it to buy the bank building. Town Manager Heather Arcos said Town staff checked with the bond council and was told it was OK.
Wendell asked if a written plan existed for replacing the money for the wells. Arcos said no, but that staff was working on one. Mayor Sullivan said she wanted to replace the funds as soon as possible.
Town Planner Tom Bonadeo said the wells had been drilled but not connected. The unspent money in the bond issue was for connecting them, but current water demand is not high enough to require additional wells.
The estimated cost of immediate repairs and required upgrades to the bank building is $67,000. The biggest cost is $50,000 to repair a leaky basement. Minor costs include electrical upgrades, a handicap-accessible bathroom, higher balcony railings, removal of teller stations, and bringing exit doors up to code. [Read more…]
Local Artisans Exhibiting Sea Glass at National Festival
Cape Charles Mayor Dora Sullivan puts the finishing touches on her original sea glass creation which she will show at the 2012 North American Sea Glass Festival September 15-16 in Virginia Beach. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
Sea glass, or beach glass, is big business. If you live in Cape Charles you already know that. Several shops on Mason Avenue sell sea glass, including “Dora’s Beach Glass.”
That’s Town Mayor Dora Sullivan, who doesn’t just sell glass – she also crafts it.
This week Sullivan has been putting the finishing touches on some decorative fish with scales made from green and beige sea glass. She’s taking the artwork to exhibit at the North American Sea Glass Festival in Virginia Beach September 15-16.
The festival is a big deal: 10,000 people are expected to attend.
As a sea glass expert, Sullivan was selected to address the festival. She plans to tell about Cape Charles, and why it’s such a good source of sea glass.
But there’s one thing she won’t be telling: where she gets her sea glass. That’s her secret recipe. [Read more…]
LETTER: Tree Removal Belies ‘You’ll Love Our Nature’
September 12, 2012
DEAR EDITOR,
“You’ll love our nature.”
That’s the mantra for both the Eastern Shore and the Town of Cape Charles.
Recently on my daily walk I observed the transformation of the old sewage plant on Bayshore Road. In the past, the perimeter was planted with a canopy of pine trees, and the understory was dotted with 15- to 20-foot weeping yaupon hollies that were loaded with berries.
The berries fed wildlife and numerous species of migratory birds using the area to rest and re-energize before moving on.
The Shore has always been a magnet for bird watchers young and old — in fact we have a festival coming up in October, which is very important to the economy. Hotels and restaurants benefit from our love for nature.
That love for nature was altered two weeks ago when yaupon hollies were pulled out of the ground and destroyed for no apparent reason. [Read more…]
Town Estimates $67,000 for Bank Building Repairs, Upgrades
Town could close on Bank of America building purchase by October 15. Money for repairs has not yet been budgeted. (Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
September 11, 2012
Cape Charles building code official Jeb Brady estimates that near-term repairs to the former Bank of America building could cost roughly $56,500. A further $10,500 is required for modifications.
The Town has signed a contract with Bank of America to buy the building for $200,000 plus $8,000-$12,000 in closing and due diligence costs.
The intent is to use the building for a new library on the first floor, a computer lab on the second floor mezzanine, and future overflow municipal offices on the third floor. The bank vault would hold Town records.
The bank property includes two lots on Randolph Avenue which the Town plans to use for parking. Land directly behind the building would become an alleyway.
Town Council only learned about the bank offer on July 12, when Bank of America gave the Town one week to match what it said was an existing offer of $200,000. As part of the deal, the Town had to pay a $20,000 non-refundable deposit. The Town then was allowed 30 days to inspect the property and make a final decision about buying it. The decision deadline is Friday, September 14. [Read more…]
SUBSCRIBE — It’s the Smart Way to Read the Wave
September 10, 2012
Much as we’d like to feature a new story every day in the Cape Charles Wave, until more folks volunteer to write, it’s just not possible.
In the meantime, there’s a smart way to avoid any disappointment of calling up the webpage only to say, “I already read that.”
Just subscribe. It’s free of course, and you’ll receive an email every morning when a new story appears in the Wave. If there’s no new story, there’s no email.
Here’s what a typical email looks like:
Each new story is shown by headline and the first couple of sentences. If something looks interesting, just click on the headline and go straight to the story.
Subscribing is a two-part process:
FIRST, enter your email address in the subscription box found in the Wave’s advertising column to the right. You’ll be asked to decipher some script to prove that you’re a human and not some spam-generating device.
SECOND, check your Inbox for an email from Feedburner. Reply to the email, and your subscription is activated! (This is for your protection, to be sure you want to receive the service.)
Feedburner is provided by Google, and don’t worry — your email address will never be sold or shared.
The Wave now has several hundred subscribers, but almost 50 would-be subscribers never replied to the Feedburner email. Some have told us they never received an email from Feedburner. Perhaps it landed in their spam filter. If you don’t get a response from Feedburner, please just enter a new subscription request.
You can also “like” us on Facebook. Look for the Facebook box in the righthand column. Clicking on the “Like” button results in links to Wave stories appearing on your Facebook page. Here’s an example: [Read more…]
TUESDAY 9/11: Town Council Work Session on Purchasing Former Bank Building
Cape Charles Town Council will hold a work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 11, at Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public, but no public comments will be heard. The only agenda item is to receive an update on the Bank of America building and adjoining properties.
SHORE THING: Just Another Walk on the Beach
(Wave photo)
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
September 7, 2012
We walk on the beach most every day — after all, that’s why we came here. Rarely, however, do I carry my camera. I don’t even wear shoes — why would I want to be bogged down with a camera?
But the other evening at low tide seemed a great opportunity to snap a picture of the WADS.
What? You know — WADS — Wave Attenuating Devices.
Whoever came up with that acronym had to have served in the military.
On the way to the WADS, we passed a human interest story playing out — a dog riding a boogie board.
Human interest? Or dog interest?
The doggie’s expression says worlds: “I hope you realize I’m not doing this for myself — it’s all just to please you. I will do anything for you, because you feed me.” [Read more…]
