St. Stephen’s AME
Oldest Church in Town Celebrates 125 Years
Church edifice was constructed in 1885 and purchased in 1889 by St. Stephen’s congregation. (Wave photo)
November 17, 2014
St. Stephen’s AME Church held their 125th Anniversary Celebration Sunday, November 16. The guest speaker was the Rev. Timothy Johnson, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Eastville. St. Stephen’s African Methodist Episcopal Church is the oldest surviving church structure in Cape Charles, according to the National Register of Historic Places. The building was constructed in 1885 as Bethany Methodist Episcopal church and originally was located at the corner of Monroe Avenue and Plum Street across from the Cape Charles School. [Read more…]
Forum on County Rezoning Draws Full House
Audience member Katherine Campbell spoke in favor of proposed zoning changes. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
November 10, 2014
Speakers at a community forum on the Northampton County Zoning Ordinance last Thursday called for the Board of Supervisors to withdraw the proposed ordinance changes being considered.
Some 140 residents braved the rainy evening to attend the forum in the Eastville Fire Station Bingo Hall sponsored by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper and Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore. County Supervisors Granville Hogg and Rick Hubbard were among them. When asked when the supervisors might vote on the proposed changes Hogg answered, “I don’t know.”
Audience sentiment clearly supported withdrawing the proposed zoning changes. But one attendee, Katherine Campbell, bravely asked to speak in favor of the changes and was given three minutes. She said her concern was that the county needed economic development and that the zoning changes would lead to a more prosperous county. In response, panelist Roberta Kellam noted that everyone is interested in a more prosperous county. Kellam questioned how the zoning ordinance’s proposed ban on single-wide mobile homes could benefit low-income residents. “Will developers build affordable homes or waterfront homes?” Kellam asked. [Read more…]
THURSDAY
Experts to Rally Public Against County-Wide Rezoning
Shorekeeper Jay Ford will moderate Thursday’s forum.
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
November 3, 2014
Prominent planning experts and local environmentalists will address a public forum 7 p.m. Thursday, November 6, at the Eastville Fire Department Bingo Hall. Sponsored by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper and Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore, the forum is meant to educate the public on the proposed Northampton County zoning overhaul.
Panelists include former chair of Northampton County Planning Commission Martina Coker and former commissioners and planning officials Roberta Kellam and Mary Miller. They will be joined by David Kabler, a real estate broker with 41 years of experience, and Art Schwarzschild, a marine scientist who directs the UVA research center in Oyster and who is also chairman of the Willis Wharf Village Steering Committee.
Other panelists include retired hydro-geologist Gene Hampton who served on the Eastern Shore’s bi-county groundwater committee for many years, and Ken Dufty, a longtime community organizer.
The forum will be moderated by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper Jay Ford, who will also offer a presentation on the timeline of the rezoning process by the County Board of Supervisors and Planning staff.
Panelists will explain how the proposed zoning could affect residents throughout the county, including those in the five incorporated towns, the 29 hamlets, and the nine villages.
The presentation will also include suggestions on how residents and interested citizens can be more effective in having their concerns voiced and considered by the County Board of Supervisors before they vote on the final ordinance. Organizers say the forum will be “the most comprehensive and informative presentation on this critical issue to date,” and urge county residents to attend.
Organizers are circulating a handout entitled “Proposed Changes to Our Community You May Not Know About.” (CLICK to view.) [Read more…]
Donna Bozza Is New CBES Executive Director
CBES President Arthur Upshur, new CBES Executive Director Donna Bozza, and outgoing CBES Executive Director Denard Spady
November 1, 2014
Donna Bozza is the new executive director for Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore. She succeeds Denard Spady who is retiring after nearly 20 years as director.
CBES, a non-profit organization formed 26 years ago to promote balanced growth in Accomack and Northampton counties while enhancing the quality of life for all citizens and preserving natural resources.
Bozza will be the first CBES executive director to serve full-time, which is being done to expand the organization’s role and effectiveness. The change to full-time work mirrors the move made recently by Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper, which was initially established by CBES.
“We have been fortunate in being able to hire, as our Executive Directors, two people of exceptional qualifications: Jay Ford, who became the VES Executive Director and Shorekeeper last November, and now Donna Bozza, the new Executive Director of CBES,” said Jack Ordeman, board member and past president of CBES and president of Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper. “We are confident that both organizations will increase their influence and better fulfill the goals of their Mission Statements under their capable and inspiring leadership,” he said. [Read more…]
EXTRA: County Won’t Drop Seaside Protections
By KEN DUFTY
October 28, 2014
Northampton County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday (October 27) to reverse an earlier decision to remove the protections of the Chesapeake Bay Protection Act on the lands east of Route 13 and adjoining the Atlantic, otherwise known as the seaside.
At a March 11 public hearing, dozens of residents and former officials expressed overwhelming concern that removal of the protections of the Chesapeake Bay Act on the Seaside would have a profound adverse impact on the aquaculture industry, which is among the largest on the eastern seaboard. The CBPA requires increased setbacks for structures and septic systems, and calls for a vegetative buffer to protect the sensitive aquatic ecosystem from nutrient loading that could result from agriculture and wastewater runoff. [Read more…]
Shorekeeper Thanks Public for Keeping Up Pressure
By JAY FORD
Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper
October 28, 2014
Last night (October 27) the Northampton Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to keep the vital water quality protections of the Bay Protection Act in place county wide. This is a huge step in protecting our delicate intertidal zone and the men and women who can make a living because of our clean waters.
Many of you wrote letters to the county, spoke at countless public comment periods, or joined the over 500 citizens in signing our petition to keep the Bay Protection Act and I want to thank each and every one of you.
Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper will continue to work on additional threats to our water quality included in the zoning overhaul but we also believe in taking time to give credit when credit is due. Please take a moment to contact your supervisor and thank them for keeping the Bay Protection Act in place county-wide. [Read more…]
EXTRA: Town Planner Rob Testerman Resigns
Town Planner Testerman
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
October 21, 2014
Two working days after Cape Charles Town Council shot down the “urban chicken” concept, the brainchild behind the proposal, Town Planner Rob Testerman, submitted his resignation.
Mayor George Proto told the Wave that he learned yesterday (Monday) that Testerman was leaving to accept a “better” job with supervisory authority. Proto stressed that Testerman’s departure is on very amicable terms — the town has been very happy with his work over the past year, the mayor said. [Read more…]
Town Conceals Cost of Job Search for New Manager
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
October 6, 2014
When Cape Charles Town Council approved a $10,000 employee wage study by Springsted Inc. last February, the Wave publicized the action — and a number of readers reacted negatively to the town’s decision. (CLICK to read letter from David Gay: “Town Paying $10,000 for Free Information.”)
Apparently wishing to avoid further bad publicity, when Town Council decided to hire the same firm again — this time to search for a new town manager — they did it behind closed doors. The official minutes following the July 31, 2014, executive session (CLICK) refer only to a motion “to hire Springsted Inc. per their proposal for executive search services for the Town Manager position as discussed.” The “as discussed” part will forever remain secret, as no minutes are recorded for executive sessions. There will be no explanation, for example, why Town Council chose Springsted or whether any other headhunter was even considered. [Read more…]
