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…]
Planning Commission Endorses Bank Building Purchase
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
September 6, 2012
The Cape Charles Planning Commission voted September 4 to advise Town Council that the proposed relocation of the Town library to the former Bank of America building would be in compliance with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Planning Commission action is in response to charges that moving the library to the commercial district violates the Comprehensive Plan. Former town manager Timothy Krawczel wrote in an August 3 op-ed column in the Wave that the Town Council violated Virginia State Code when it voted to buy the bank building without consulting the Planning Commission. He further noted that the Comprehensive Plan ”recognizes Mason Avenue as the center of retail activity,” and that “turning the most prominent commercial building on the street into public space . . . not only removes the property from the tax rolls, it eliminates the building as a possible site for a future bank or commercial center.”
Town Planner Tom Bonadeo in his staff report pointed out that the Comprehensive Plan includes relocating the library to a larger space, as well as acquiring “strategic undeveloped properties.” The bank building purchase would be in accord with these goals, as well as providing increased parking for the commercial district and overflow offices for Town officials on the third floor of the building, he said.
Bonadeo conceded that the Town’s purchase of the bank building would cause a loss of real estate and business tax revenue – especially since banks pay a higher tax than regular businesses. But he said that conversion of the old school into apartments would somewhat offset the loss of the bank building tax.
Planning Commission member Joan Natali, who also sits on Town Council, said she found nothing about the bank purchase contrary to the Comprehensive Plan, and made a motion to that effect. The motion passed unanimously.
OTHER PLANNING COMMISSION NEWS [Read more…]
FRIDAY 9/7: Hunger Games Is First ArtsEnter Film of Season
ArtsEnter resumes its monthly film screenings Friday, September 7, at the Palace Theater with the showing of Hunger Games. The public is invited to arrive at 7:30 for snacks and cocktails preceding the 8 p.m. film. A $10 donation is suggested.
Hunger Games synopsis: Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capital of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
