First, I’d like to thank the people who are serving the Town of Cape Charles in these elected positions. They’re not getting paid a lot of money but they are certainly working some long and frustrating hours on some of these issues.

However, I’d like to ask how and why the town got in this position of granting “deferrals” to these projects?

Two of these projects, South Port and the Old School, don’t even seem to be off the ground yet and we granted them what amounts to large amounts of taxpayers’ monies.

My question is a simple one: now that we have made these concessions to the latter projects with taxpayers’ monies, when do we expect to see some movement forward in the way of local employment, tax revenues, and the actual construction for these projects? Is there an actual completion date or do they get to hang more nifty signs in the area?

I’m well aware of work schedules, contracts, weather issues, EPA compliances, etc., and I can see what has been accomplished and being done at Bay Creek and The Shanty, but the latter two projects have raised my concerns on what “other concessions” the town will allow next. One of these projects has been bantered around for some 6+ years now and seems stalled at the gate. Good luck to all.

The “deferral” lasts as long as South Port continues to lease Town property. If South Port exercises its option to buy the property, it then would have to pay a “portion” of the deferred utility connection fees. How much that “portion” might be was not specified in the motion. –EDITOR

I, for one, am tired of paying FAT water bills for water I would NEVER drink and water that rots the chains in my toilets every three or four months. If the water does that, what is it doing to the internal organs of the people that drink it? I can’t even let my dog drink this water! For that matter my husband washed my car last week and could barely get the residue of the chlorine off my car!

I am tired of the little guy getting screwed over and the businessmen getting all of the concessions. At least three out of four of the previous comments are right on point.

Agree that the town citizens, many on fixed or stagnant incomes, already bear a rate for water and sewage that is excessive. Example: San Diego, a city built on a desert in a drought ridden state, charges $44.00/ month for 6000gal/water consumption per month. In Cape Charles that same consumption per month would be $47.65. In addition, businesses need to hire or attract labor into CC. Labor needs to know that putting down roots in CC is affordable and has good schools for their children. Schools are another issue that needs attention. Not a water and sewer line to US 13 for a handful of businesses.

Essentially, this is nothing more than corporate welfare in its most degrading form, a methodology of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Of course, in this case, you can always depend on the support of Paul, which accounts for how the same cutting crews continue to infest local government, and the circle of corruption forever goes unbroken.

The argument that this is somehow an incentive for “anybody who wants to invest in this town” is bogus on its face, and is more evidence of the corrupt influences that have infiltrated this town. Wendell is correct that this type of business needs to be part of an understood and agreed upon piece of policy, such as a predefined Special Economic Zone or Technology Investment Region (in other words, you receive uniform tax incentives to move into the zone or region). This form of ad hoc rate reduction methodology is prone to abuse and corruption, as we witnessed with the Old School deal.

Bottom line, we needn’t cry for Southport — anyone that picnics on the Bay in a Hinckley sailboat should hardly need welfare from the town. They’re big boys, and they knew what the cost of setting up shop was long before they poured the first yard of concrete. They need to stop whining like babies with wet diapers, and pay the money they owe, and not try and pass the fees onto the struggling residents of Cape Charles. That goes double for Bay Creek and making good on the Annexation Agreement.

The Shanty should also do the right thing, and refund the money usurped from the blokes on Monroe, Madison, Jefferson and Washington. They seem like they’re doing okay, and Town crews even maintain the lot for them — we can put the cash in an Escrow account, to be used to refurbish the basketball courts, gymnasium and 102 year old stage once the Old School is back in the public domain.