NEW FEATURE:
Now Readers Can Make Anonymous Waves
December 10, 2012
The Cape Charles Wave has upheld a proud tradition of requiring commenters to display the courage of their convictions by including their real first and last names. The policy has worked very well, and has helped maintain a civil level of discourse. And so the policy is being continued for all comments appearing below stories.
But by popular demand, beginning today the Wave is also providing a forum for anonymous opinions. Send them to [email protected]. Your name will not be printed (so don’t bother to provide it) and your return email address will not show.
GROUND RULES
1. Keep it short, or we’ll shorten it for you.
2. No pot shots — you can criticize policies, but be careful about attacking persons by name.
3. Don’t monopolize the forum — give everyone who’s interested a chance.
4. Be patient — your submission will not be printed instantly. An editor has to read it first and approve it.
The ANONYMOUS tab can be accessed at the top of every page, listed between LATEST STORIES and CLASSIFIEDS. Just click on the tab. The most recent submission will always be on top.
SHORE THING:
An Open Letter from George to Mike about AQUA
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 7, 2012
Dear Mike Killebrew,
This morning soon after awaking I checked the latest comments in the Cape Charles Wave. Amid the usual sniping was the eloquent comment you submitted shortly after midnight –- a paean of praise to a magnificent restaurant and to the wonderful people who work there.
You, sir, are both a gentleman and a scholar. Now let me tell you some more about yourself:
In the spring of 2010, when my wife and I first came to Cape Charles, our new neighbors (destined to become our dearest friends) invited us to AQUA Restaurant. Two and a half years later I clearly remember what I ate and who served it.
I ordered the delicious fried flounder, and you, of course, served it.
After years of living inside the Washington Beltway, I had a lot to learn. On the Eastern Shore, dining out does not mean dealing with faceless employees one never sees again. Not here –- the shopkeepers, waiters, town municipal workers, and on and on might be my neighbors, or my acquaintances, or even my friends. Rarely do they remain strangers.
My neighbor is a Realtor, and so I learned that your profession is also real estate. Waiting tables at AQUA is a sideline. But I also quickly realized that while it may be a sideline, you are doing it because you love it. That is evident in the comment you wrote, and it’s also evident to any of your customers. Our meals at AQUA have always been enhanced when you have been our server.
Was it fate that when my wife and I last visited AQUA on November 27, you were our server? At the time, nobody knew what lay ahead, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening.
That was, sadly, our last supper at AQUA. Although the restaurant will not close until December 22, we would not dare show our faces there now. It has been made clear by some staff members that my reporting was resented. The harshest criticism from an AQUA employee came in a private message on our Facebook page: “You are a mean, disgusting soul that should not be part of the town.” [Read more…]
PLANNING COMMISSION
New Fishing Pier and Yacht Center Approved
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 7, 2012
“It’s an ill wind that blows no good,” goes the saying, and Hurricane Sandy was a very ill wind. But at least some good is coming from that wind in the form of a new fishing pier for the Town of Cape Charles.
President Obama has authorized federal aid for areas hit by Sandy, and Cape Charles is a beneficiary. Town Planner Tom Bonadeo told the Planning Commission December 4 that Federal Emergency Management Agency funds will pay for a new pier,
Portions of the pier deck have pulled away, but more serious is the twisted substructure. Bonadeo said the town first will stabilize the pier sufficiently to reopen it for the winter. Come spring, it will be rebuilt, including replacing inadequate railroad tie sleepers with proper pilings.
SOUTH PORT YACHT CENTER PLANS APPROVED
A public hearing was held Tuesday on a conditional use permit for the first phase of the South Port Yacht Center. Permission was requested to conduct boat and marine engine repairs; operate a boatel; occupy a dwelling unit; and erect a 6-foot security fence.
South Port developer Eyre Baldwin urged Commission approval. “I’ve been on this project for four tedious years,” he said, noting that South Port was a $5 million investment. The years of planning included a lawsuit brought by South Port against the town which was settled out of court.
Also speaking in favor of South Port was Rear Commodore Paul Strong of the newly formed Cape Charles Yacht Club. Strong said the yacht center would be a great addition to the town and the harbor. “It will have a very favorable impact on Cape Charles,” he noted. [Read more…]
TUESDAY 12/18: Delegate Lynwood Lewis Town Hall Meeting
Delegate Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr., will hold a pre-session town hall meeting 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 18, at Saint Charles Parish Hall, 550 Tazewell Avenue in Cape Charles. [Read more…]
One Man’s Fight Against a Pig House in a Park
New park toilet was designed by a California architectural firm to match the existing sewer pumping station shown above. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 6, 2012
Last Monday, Don Riley was taking his morning stroll down Monroe Avenue when he saw workmen pounding posts into the ground in Central Park just off Plum Street.
Riley asked what it was all about, and was told that the posts delineated where the new park toilet would be constructed. He further learned that the new building would be the same size, shape, and style as the sewer pumping station just up the sidewalk.
Riley was incredulous. And he was immediately concerned for the owner of 500 Monroe, whose magnificent home sides to the park.
Riley worries that when the owner next comes to town, she will be greeted by a view of a pig house in the park.
That’s the name Riley has given the new toilet, because it reminds him of the brick house built by one of the Three Little Pigs.
Riley said he walked straight to the mayor’s store to ask why a little brick pig house was going up in the park. Whose idea was that?
Mayor Dora Sullivan sent him to talk to Bob Panek.
Panek is the assistant town manager, but the park toilet project is not being managed by the Town of Cape Charles. Instead, it is being undertaken by Citizens for Central Park.
Panek also happens to be the president of Citizens for Central Park. [Read more…]
SATURDAY 12/8: Cape Charles Yacht Club Lighted Boat Parade
The recently formed Cape Charles Yacht Club is sponsoring the inaugural Cape Charles Lighted Boat Parade beginning 5 p.m. Saturday, December 8. [Read more…]
LETTER:
Hotel Owner Gammino: My Investment Was Based on Personal Passion for Cape Charles
December 5, 2012
DEAR EDITOR:
I would like to offer a more detailed explanation to your readers as it regards the Hotel Cape Charles recent request to appeal the decision of the Town of Cape Charles Historic Review Board (HRB).
We will seek the approval of Town Council of the modified design submission, denied on November 20, 2012, by the HRB. I respect the varied opinions offered in response to this process, and hope that additional information will clarify our reasoning and address some of the concerns we are aware of.
It is regretful, and I accept sole responsibility for the fact that the Hotel has become the focus of the community in this unfortunate manner.
While I do not agree with the conclusion of the HRB that the current design is not appropriate within the District, I respect their authority in reaching this decision. I also appreciate their efforts in considering the modified design submission.
However, given our very strong belief that the Hotel represents a beautiful example of modern architecture complementary of its surroundings, we are proceeding to the next level of review and hope for a different interpretation.
There are a number of comments which criticize the decision to seek Town Council approval, and reference the application process and a lack of related approval. I understand and accept this valid criticism.
We did not complete the project as originally submitted. The reason for this relates to a very compressed construction schedule with challenging travel-related logistics. [Read more…]
Hotel Owner Petitions Town for Relief on Glass Balconies
Click above to access the Hotel Cape Charles petition.
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 4, 2012
After receiving a second rejection by the Historic District Review Board, Hotel Cape Charles owner David Gammino is using the Internet to mount a popular appeal.
The hotel has closed for the winter, but according to Gammino, the Town of Cape Charles will not allow it to reopen in March unless the glass balconies are replaced with wrought-iron railings to lend an “historic” air to the otherwise modern facade.
At the Review Board’s meeting in September, Gammino pleaded that wrought iron would ruin the look of the building as well as add tremendous expense. The glass panels had cost $60,000. “We don’t have the money to make that kind of change. We are $800,000 over budget already,” he said then.
At the November Review Board meeting, a proposal by Gammino’s architect for wooden casings around the glass wall edges was considered and rejected. Board Chairman Russ Dunton said the Board’s decision was final, and any appeal would have to be considered by Town Council.
But Gammino’s appeal is to the court of public opinion. In a published comment last night in the Wave, he wrote: “As the developer and contractor, I continue to express my apologies and accept responsibility for this situation. As a business owner I am trying to resolve the issue. We are still hoping that we can seek approval of our design through Town Council. Our petition is as follows: [Read more…]
