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.

Since then there have been a number of actions and events relative to the PSA Line proposal, mostly at the County level.  At this point it’s unclear whether this proposal will go forward or not and what the actual status of the line is.  The recent proposal to change the original special tax district structure does make it appear that this is still a viable option as far as the county is concerned.  At the same time my original questions have yet to be answered after almost 6 months.

Based on this I have the following questions which encompass those in my original letter with some additional ones:

1.  What is the projected financial benefit to the Town from the PSA line? This would include, for example, reduction in wastewater utility rates, reduction in connection fees, etc.

2.  Are there any technical benefits to the Town (e. g, reduction of the smell that occurs from time to time?)

3.  What is the mid- to long-term plan for wastewater treatment in the county in the immediate vicinity of Cheriton and areas north and south of 184 on Route 13.  For example, as we go forward would the plan be to connect Cheriton and additional Route 13 commercial property to the same or a via second PSA line going into Cape Charles?

4.  Given the questions in item 3, there are a number of possible expansion scenarios that could occur.  When do we need to expand the capacity of the existing plant, and how do these scenarios affect timing for that?  More importantly, how would the expansion be paid for, given it would likely need to be made sooner if the existing plant supports connections out in the county.

5.  Finally, what is the current status of the PSA Line plan as far as the town is concerned?  Is it on hold?  Has the town committed to doing this yet?

I appreciate your attention in this matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

George R. Proto
President, Cape Charles Business Association