Cape Charles Christian Competes in Odyssey of Mind
THUMBS UP!
By TAMMY HOLLOWAY
Cape Charles Christian School
April 7, 2014
Students at Cape Charles Christian School expanded their minds this academic year by participating in the Odyssey of the Mind program. Students in grades 4-7 were able to participate in a weekly after school program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities. Team members are encouraged to apply their creativity to solve problems ranging from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.
The 4th and 5th grade team of six students under the direction of Kate Tayloe worked on a “Not So Haunted House.” They created a haunted house that used mechanisms to create special effects that were intended to frighten, but actually produced a different effect. CCCS teacher Holly Hubbard coached four middle school aged students on the project they selected which was called “Drivers Test.” The overall project was to create a vehicle that moved forward using one propulsion system and backward using a different propulsion system. They had to write a skit that included a driver’s test and accomplished three separate tasks along the way. “Our students put an Eastern Shore spin on the problem by making their driver’s test a boat driving test and including channel markers as their directional signals. They also make mention of Cobb Island, and include a lesson about the harmful effects of mylar balloons on the sea turtle population.” said Hubbard.
“ I was really impressed with the creativity and imagination students put into the projects and that they did all of the work themselves” said Kate Tayloe, CCCS teacher and OTM coach. Students must do all of the work as a team, planning and executing the solution for the problem they select. The role of the coach is to guide students in their problem solving and collaboration, not do it for them.
Cape Charles Christian School along with other Northampton and Accomac students participated in the Tidewater Region 6 Odyssey of the Mind Tournament on March 29 at Tabb High School in Yorktown, VA. As they packed up their projects, they were filled with excitement over participating in this event for the first time. They had no expectations of winning. They were quite simply just excited to participate and of course to embark on a road trip! The CCCS community was humbled by the recognition the middle school “Drivers Test” team received as they were named the Division Two Region 6 champions for this problem. They came back to Cape Charles with happy hearts and eager minds, ready to prepare to compete at the state level on April 26 in Rocky Mount. “Our kids have collaborated to solve a very complicated problem. Odyssey of the Mind is an amazing experience for our students where they are forced to think and problem solve in a hands on project. They are developing skills they will take with them and use in real life experiences,” said middle school team coach Hubbard.
Follow the student’s adventure on the CCCS Facebook page at Cape Charles Christian School. Enrolling now for the 2014-15 academic year. Forward questions about the Cape Charles Christian School to 757-331-1717 or [email protected].
April Fool’s Comes but Once a Year
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
April 2, 2014
Quite a few more readers than we expected were fooled by yesterday’s story reporting that Town Council was selling the Inner Harbor for $10. We thought we had planted enough clues to make everybody realize it was a joke, but in retrospect we realize the story was close enough to reality to be somewhat believable.
For example, after the first sentence reporting the $10 sale, we wrote: “The original offer was $1, but was raised ten-fold as a demonstration of goodwill by the buyer.” But that’s exactly what happened with the old school property: the buyer originally offered $1 and then raised it to $10.
The next clue was the Harbor purchaser: J. David Schmick of St. Petersburg, Russia, owner of Sketch-Along Resourcing LLC. Readers who have closely followed the sale of the school and park property know the buyer was J. David McCormack of Petersburg, Virginia, owner of Echelon Resources LLC. But not everyone remembers that, so it wasn’t enough to give the hoax away.
But then we reported that Schmick planned to turn the Shanty into a Hong Kong style floating restaurant, and that he might rebrand it as a McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant. If that wasn’t a giveaway, we thought that surely the Disney waterslide, jet ski race course, and ferry boat casino would not pass the reality test. An added clue was that Charade Adventures LLC would operate the ferryboat casino. The contract to buy the old school was with Echelon Resources, but the town actually sold it to another McCormack company – Cheron Ventures. [Read more…]
Big Mason Avenue Project Raises Parking Concerns
Developer Patrick Hand supplied this sketch of one of the buildings he proposes to construct on the site of the old Be-Lo grocery.
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
March 31, 2014
Local real estate developer Patrick Hand outlined to Cape Charles Town Council last Thursday his plans to demolish the vacant grocery store building on Mason Avenue and replace it with two new buildings with stores on the ground floors and condos above. But while a prominent eyesore would disappear, so would more than 100 public parking spaces.
Hand envisions an extension of Strawberry Street running through the middle of where the 1950s-era grocery store building is located, with a new structure flanking each side of the street. He suggested that the town buy the property from him needed for the extension and turn it into a pedestrian mall.
The proposed buildings would be constructed and occupied in phases, beginning with a three-story structure across the street from the Wilson Building on the corner of Mason and Strawberry. A second building two to four stories high would be built later, east of the first building. The first building would contain 28 units, five of them ground-floor commercial storefronts and the rest mostly one-bedroom condo apartments. Some corner units would have two bedrooms.
Hand has a contract to buy the 1.45-acre Be-Lo building and parking lots for an undisclosed price. Although Hand does not yet own the property, he has been negotiating with the town to sell it a portion of the property to be turned into a pedestrian mall, and another portion to be used as public parking. Negotiations have so far not been successful.
Hand also is asking the town for several concessions, including a deferral of water and sewer connection fees, a reduced setback requirement, and a blanket parking variance. Hand said he has requested a hearing by the Board of Zoning Appeals, but there are no details on the town website. [Read more…]
Supervisors, PSA Hope to Resolve Town Problem
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
March 31, 2014
The Northampton Board of Supervisors met March 24 with the Public Service Authority in an effort to break the logjam in cooperation with the Town of Cape Charles. Their solution was to form a three-way committee composed of two Supervisors, two PSA members, and two Cape Charles Town Council members.
Representing the Supervisors will be Granville Hogg and Rick Hubbard, and from the PSA are Bob Panek and Sean Ingram. It will be up to Cape Charles Town Council to decide who represents the Council. Recognizing that Town Council elections are May 6, the Supervisors recommended waiting until after that to convene the committee.
The March 24 meeting was the first since Bob Panek resigned as PSA chairman January 28. County Supervisors forced his resignation by cutting off PSA funding so long as Panek was chairman. Panek remains a member of the PSA, appointed by the Town of Cape Charles.
Panek reportedly has recommended that Town Council immediately appoint Joan Natali and Frank Wendell to the joint committee without waiting for elections. Natali is running for re-election and Wendell is running for mayor, creating the possibility that neither of them would continue as a Council member. [Read more…]
County Zoning Controversy Unresolved after Meeting
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
March 31, 2014
After hundreds of residents attended a March 11 public hearing to rally against proposed sweeping zoning changes, Northampton County Board of Supervisors sent the proposal to the County Planning Commission. The Supervisors met jointly with the Planning Commission March 24 to discuss next steps.
Opponents of the proposed zoning changes now worry that the Planning Commission will be forced into a hasty decision, and they blame County officials for not simply withdrawing the zoning amendment and resubmitting it later.
As the Wave reported March 13 (CLICK), the controversy is over sweeping proposed changes to the County zoning code, including removal of special seaside protections that under Federal law are afforded the bayside. CLICK for a comprehensive list of opponents’ concerns.
Inexplicably, although the proposed zoning amendments have been worked on for over a year, the Planning Commission was not involved. When opponents pointed out that under law the Planning Commission must be involved, the draft ordinance was “dropped in our laps with a 100-day review period,” in the words of one Commission member. [Read more…]
American Legion National Commander Visits Wednesday
DAN DELLINGER
By JOE VACCARO
American Legion Post 56
March 31, 2014
American Legion National Commander Dan Dellinger will visit Post 56 and the Eastern Shore Wednesday, April 2 — the first known visit to the Shore of an American Legion national commander.
Post 56 in Cheriton is hosting a luncheon for Dellinger and his staff and anticipates a large crowd, including the American Legion Riders, local elected officials, and dignitaries.
As the national commander, Dellinger is the chief executive officer and official spokesman for the 2.4 million members of The American Legion, with full power to enforce provisions of the organization’s constitution, bylaws and resolutions. He is the veterans’ conduit to America’s elected officials, and has testified before the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees. His concerns and inquires have included the VA claims backlog, VA medical care for women veterans, budget cuts, post traumatic stress disorders, TRICARE cuts, and traumatic brain injuries from IED attacks. [Read more…]
Council Deal to Buy Foster Lots Includes Back Tax
At Town Council meeting, New Roots Youth Garden volunteers Joann Fitchett, Jen Lewis, Tammy Holloway, and Brook Thomas receive town seal to display on the garden fence. (Wave photo)
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
March 24, 2014
In a 5-1 vote March 20, Town Council approved purchasing seven lots at the entrance to town for $100,000 from Bay Creek developer Richard “Dickie” Foster. Council member Frank Wendell opposed the purchase.
As partial payment, the deal includes $61,000 in back taxes owed the town by Foster’s company, Bay Creek LLC.
As reported in the Wave March 20, the town has been paying Foster’s county tax and town tax on the lots since 2010, as well as mowing the grass. A town welcome sign is erected on one of the lots.
The Wave has learned that a comparable lot on the other side of Randolph Avenue east of the Museum recently sold for $4,000 to the owner of Eastern Shore Custom Carts.
No use for the seven Foster lots has been stated, other than display of the welcome sign. Town Council members agreed at the meeting that they do not support the use of the lots for creating a traffic circle as proposed by VDOT and contained in the Comprehensive Plan. A traffic circle would also plow through the New Roots Youth Garden. [Read more…]
Public Hearing Set for Lodging Tax Increase
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
March 24, 2014
Cape Charles Town Council voted 5-1 March 20 to hold a public hearing on increasing the town lodging tax. Only Council member Frank Wendell opposed the action. The Town Code would be amended to raise the 3 percent transient occupancy tax to 3.7 percent, effective July 1, and cap the contribution to the ESVA Tourism Commission. The public hearing will be 6 p.m. April 17 at St. Charles Parish Hall.
In addition to raising the tax rate, Town Manager Heather Arcos is suggesting other “updates” to the Town Code – most significantly, deletion of language allowing Northampton County to levy a 2 percent lodging tax in the town. This provision in the Town Code is in fulfillment of the 1991 Annexation Agreement between the town and the county. Under state law, a county cannot levy a tax within a town without the town’s permission. The town granted that permission to the county when the county allowed the town to annex the property that became Bay Creek on the south side of Cape Charles.
Another “update” is deletion of a requirement that the town treasurer “ascertain the name of every person . . . who fails, refuses, or neglects to collect such tax. . . .”
Councilman Tom Godwin asked Arcos if she suspected there were many violators. Arcos responded, “I would say that the homeowners that rent without a Realtor or management company – yes.” She added that it was “very time-consuming” for staff to try to monitor the tax payments.
Council member Joan Natali noted that one way to monitor rental activity is by checking vacation websites. “If we have any good citizens who would like to dedicate a couple of hours a week, a month, or whatever, to do some of that research and then provide the treasurer with that information, it could then be followed up in a more targeted way,” she said. [Read more…]
