SATURDAY 4/19: Jeff Madson at the Clam Shack
Saturday, April 19, from 7 -9 p.m., Jeff Madson performs at The Great Machipongo Clam Shack. Enjoy Jeff’s acoustic classics and rich vocals.
SATURDAY 4/26: Low Country Shrimp Boil at Town Museum
The Cape Charles Historical Society will hold its annual Low Country Shrimp Boil on Saturday April 26 at the Cape Charles Museum from 5-9 p.m. April 26 is also Garden Day on the Eastern Shore, a great time to visit. [Read more…]
SUNDAY 4/27: Blessing of the Worms
Sunday, April 27, from 1:30-3 p.m. Blessing of the Worms at New Roots Youth Garden.
Volunteers Wanted for ‘Clean the Bay Day’
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its partners are recruiting volunteers for the 26th Clean the Bay Day, CBF’s annual shoreline cleanup scheduled for Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. [Read more…]
ESO LIVE at Cape Charles Coffee House Tonight
THURSDAY 4/10: Town Council Budget Work Session
Cape Charles Town Council will continue its series of work sessions on the upcoming budget at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public, but not for public comment. Town departments to be discussed in this week’s session are Public Works and Town Manager.
WEDNESDAY 4/9: Yoga Class Begins at Arts Enter Dance Studio
On Wednesday, April 9, Becky Hopkins will begin teaching yoga in the Arts Enter Dance Studio. The hour-long class begins at 4:30 p.m., and each session costs $10. There will also be Saturday classes from 9-10 a.m. [Read more…]
COMMENTARY:
Promote Economic Development — Not Rezoning
Reprinted by permission from ShoreLine, the newsletter of Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore.
By DAVID KABLER
April 7, 2014
The reasoning behind the proposed revision of our zoning ordinance, we are told, is to pave the way to economic development. In that light, prompt disclosure of Northampton County’s actual efforts towards promoting economic development will be appreciated by her concerned citizens. We have recently hired a $100,000 per year Economic Development Director to direct us towards prosperity, and it behooves us to know what he has been doing these last 12 months to sell our place to the business world.
The Northampton County Board of Supervisors charged him with the task of revising and simplifying our zoning ordinance. That ordinance he has drafted with the aid of considerable staff, albeit lacking certain studies that could validate the work. The point of “simplifying” the ordinance for the benefit of economic development begs many questions: What are our goals? What is our business plan for marketing and selling the Shore to industry and business? What is our marketing budget, our inventory of real estate assets, our infrastructure assets — i.e. labor, training, materials, transportation, etc? What marketing aids such as brochures and pamphlets have been developed? What trade organizations are targeted? What presentations will we host at places where decision makers gather to meet? What advertising and publicity will we generate?
A good business plan includes a vision statement and the Three P’s: Product, Pricing, and Promotion. There is plenty of “product” zoned for business for sale, yet there appears to be no “promotion.” Our Development Director should build a partnership with the Shore’s real estate agents — our best sales people — who are on the front lines of economic development. Put the product up prominently on a shelf, advertise its availability to your customers, and go out and drum up business.
We hope that Mr. McSwain has not been sidetracked for zoning work. How many contacts has he generated, how many visits has he hosted and how many prospects have turned us down because of our so-called “preservationist” zoning? The County needs to entertain some “paying” customers and find out what their needs are before we attempt to fix something that we are not even sure needs fixing. The Supervisors need to supervise our star salesman to make some sales!
Let’s get down to brass tacks and let Mr. McSwain do what he does best. As well, our Planning Commission, and the public, ought to be privy to what our business plan is and how it is being fulfilled. I, for one, would like to see it in black and white or, better yet, in full color.
David Kabler is a Realtor, a local businessman, and a former Northampton County Planning Commissioner.
Submissions to COMMENTARY are welcome on any subject relevant to Cape Charles. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily of this publication.
