Post 56 Raises $7,000 for Victim of Vicious Assault
November 14, 2013
The American Legion Post 56 dinner/fundraiser for a young woman assaulted in Oyster was a huge success. The Post will present the victim with a check next week for more than $7,000.
Post 56 held a spaghetti and seafood dinner November 9 at the American Legion Hall in Cheriton (click here for story) to support their “Neighbor from the 180th” who was brutally assaulted in October in Oyster.
The event drew a large and festive crowd of nearly 300. More than 280 meals were served, and the kitchen staff reported over 48 pounds of dry spaghetti were cooked in addition to several gallons of red sauce and over 1,500 clams. [Read more…]
Town Council Rolls the Dice on Interest Rates
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
November 13, 2013
Cape Charles Town Council is poised to refinance nearly $1.2 million in debt at its Thursday, November 14, meeting, when Council members are also expected to endorse a proposal to borrow an additional $1 million.
Most of the existing debt was for water and sewer infrastructure. Money allocated to hook up new wells was instead used to buy the new library building, so now the Town needs to borrow $300,000 for the wells, among other projects.
Current Town debt is at a fixed interest rate. But the Town has contracted with a Richmond financial advisor, Davenport & Company, who recommends paying off two fixed-rate loans in favor of a cheaper variable-rate loan.
Anyone with a home mortgage is likely to understand the difference between fixed-rate and variable-rate loans. Fixed-rate loans are issued at a higher interest rate because the bank bears the risk if interest rates go up in future years. Variable-rate loans have lower rates at first, because the customer (in this case the Town) bears the risk of future interest hikes.
In 1992 the Town borrowed $1.58 million to construct the water tower. That was a 40-year loan at a fixed rate of 5 percent, and there are 19 years left to pay. Davenport recommends paying off that loan and replacing it with a 20-year loan from PNC Bank. The PNC interest rate would be 2.65 percent for the first 10 years, which amounts to a substantial reduction in annual payments.
But there’s a catch: In 2023 the interest rate would change to reflect whatever the rate might be at that time. While that future rate is anybody’s guess, almost no one thinks it will match the present historically low rates. And some people fear that hyper-inflation could bring sky-high rates in future decades. [Read more…]
Plenty of Empty Rooms at Local Inns, Owner Says
Click above to hear Fig Street Inn Bed & Breakfast owner Donna Kohler address the Cape Charles Planning Commission.
By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
November 12, 2013
Perceptions that Bed and Breakfasts in Cape Charles are doing a booming business are not accurate, Fig Street Inn owner Donna Kohler told the Cape Charles Planning Commission November 5. The reality is that occupancy last year averaged 28 percent among the five B&Bs in town, she said.
Kohler addressed the Planning Commission after the Wave reported October 3 that Commissioners wanted more motels on Route 13. Commissioner Joan Natali said, “I’d love to see two or three hotels out on Route 13. The occupancy of our hotels has been consistently full. The reason is we have become a wedding destination.”
Not so, refuted Kohler. Even in August the occupancy rate was only 53 percent. “There is the idea that we need more rooms because we’re becoming a wedding destination and we need places for these guests to stay. Speaking only for my bed and breakfast, wedding guests aren’t staying at my inn . . . they make up under 10 percent of my business,” she said.
Kohler noted there are “multiple weddings” on any given weekend. “We know that the guests are coming, but we also know that they’re not choosing to stay in town.
“Is it appropriate for the Town to be concerned about a market that is basically a pass-through?” Kohler asked. “They’re here for one reason only – a wedding – and they are literally in and out in less than 24 hours.
“There is not enough demand for the inventory that already exists,” Kohler said. “If there were, I would think that the Hotel Cape Charles would be open year-‘round.
“You might want to say that we’re a summer destination and we need places for people to stay in the summer months,” Kohler continued. “That is not necessarily true. For August 2013, my inn had an occupancy rate of only 46 percent – far below what anyone would expect of a peak season. [Read more…]
Town Property Tax Bills Mailed; Due December 5
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
November 11, 2013
(NOTE: A link to a list of delinquent Town taxpayers appears at the end of this story.)
Town of Cape Charles property tax bills were mailed November 8, just before Veterans Day, when mail will not be delivered. Although most local residents received their bills on Saturday, many Town homeowners maintain primary residences elsewhere, and will not receive bills before November 12 at the earliest.
Taxes are due December 5, or 24 days after November 12. Payments postmarked after December 5 are subject to a 10 percent penalty in December and monthly interest thereafter.
Town Treasurer Kim Coates informed Town Council October 17 that Northampton County sent out property tax bills in September, “but their IT staff didn’t get the file to our admin staff until last week.” (The Town relies on County records to generate its tax bills.) [Read more…]
Big Turnout at American Legion Benefit for Assault Victim
American Legion Hall in Cheriton was full Saturday night in support of a young woman hit and assaulted near Oyster. (Wave photo)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
November 10, 2013
To demonstrate community support and concern for the victim of a shocking assault in Oyster, a few hundred people turned out last night for a fundraiser spaghetti and seafood dinner at the American Legion Post in Cheriton.
An Oyster resident jogging on Sunnyside Road October 24 was struck by a car, then assaulted, and then abducted, but was able to escape despite her injuries. She was released from the hospital in satisfactory condition. A suspect was quickly arrested and charged.
By 7 p.m. last night the Post had sold 240 dinners, with two hours to go.
Cape Charles businesses were well represented by donations to be raffled off at the benefit. All proceeds will be given to the victim as a demonstration of community support.
Granville Hogg Defeats Willie Randall for Supervisor
Granville Hogg and Willie Randall outside District 1 polling place Tuesday. The two are back-door neighbors in Butler’s Bluff. (Wave photo)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
November 6, 2013
A wave of voter discontent propelled Granville Hogg’s victory yesterday over incumbent Willie Randall as District 1 Supervisor for Northampton County. The preliminary count was 517 votes for Hogg and 400 for Randall, with absentee votes still to be tallied.
The results were vastly different from four years ago, when Hogg and Randall ran in a three-way race where Hogg received only 87 votes to Randall’s 272.
Voter turnout Tuesday on a picture-perfect day was a whopping 62 percent higher than 2009 when Randall first won his Supervisor’s seat. Now running not only as an incumbent but also as Chairman of the Board, Randall had to face voter dissatisfaction over issues such as the impending loss of the County’s only hospital, failing schools, and higher tax rates on declining-value properties.
District 1 voters clearly were also unhappy with County plans to create a special sewer tax district for commercial properties on and near the Route 13 traffic light between Cape Charles and Cheriton, which Hogg opposes. The issue may have precipitated Hogg’s candidacy after the Board of Supervisors removed him from his seat on the Public Service Authority in retaliation for his opposition. [Read more…]
Shannon Dunham Edges Tamsey Ellis for School Board
Shannon Dunham and Tamsey Ellis at polling place in Cape Charles. As depicted, the race was a friendly one. (Wave photo)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
November 6, 2013
Eastville attorney Shannon Dunham defeated retired teacher Tamsey Ellis for the District 1 seat Tuesday on Northampton County’s first elected school board. Dunham received 488 votes to Ellis’ 435, with absentee ballots still to be counted.
The race had been a friendly one, with Dunham declaring that “I’m not running against Tamsey — I’m running for the School Board.”
Neither candidate carried the burden of incumbency, as dissatisfaction with County schools is running high. Incumbent Delores Lindsay had filed to run in District 1, but later changed to contest an at-large seat voted on County-wide. Lindsay was unsuccessful in the at-large race, however, losing to Randall Parks 2,170 to 1,442.
In the other at-large contest, Jo Ann Molera defeated Nykia Robinson 2,122 to 1,328. [Read more…]
American Legion Benefit Dinner for Victim of Brutal Assault
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was revised at 6 p.m. November 1 to correct erroneous information.)
November 1, 2013
Following a shocking assault of a woman hit by a car while jogging near Oyster, the local American Legion Post plans a fundraiser spaghetti and seafood dinner with all proceeds donated to the victim.
An Oyster resident was jogging on Sunnyside Road Thursday, October 24, when she was struck by a car just outside Oyster, across from the Parsons House at 6235 Sunnyside Road.
AMERICAN LEGION SPAGHETTI & SEAFOOD BENEFIT DINNER
6-9 P.M. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
AMERICAN LEGION POST 56, CHERITON
$10 PER PLATE, EAT IN OR TAKE OUT
According to the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, the victim said that after she was hit by a car, she was assaulted with a blunt object and forced into her attacker’s vehicle. A few minutes later she was able to escape and call 911. [Read more…]
