Supervisors Hear Continuing Opposition on Rezoning
This flier being circulated by Northampton County rezoning opponents stresses that anyone who does not register his or her opposition to county rezoning plans will be judged to be in favor of the rezoning.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that County Supervisors have postponed any action on rezoning until January 2016. But as pointed out in a comment by Ken Dufty (see below), the Supervisors merely extended the window by six months because it otherwise would have expired.)
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 15, 2015
Despite continuing outspoken opposition to rezoning proposals, the Northampton County Board of Supervisors appears set to enact the sweeping measure in advance of November elections — perhaps as early as June 29.
Elections this November will ensure at least one new Supervisor on the Board, because Larry Trala is not running for re-election. And if Spencer Murray succeeds in unseating Board Chairman Rick Hubbard there will be two new Supervisors. Murray is strongly opposed to the rezoning proposals as presently constituted.
Two candidates have filed for Trala’s seat: Robert Grayson Duer and Gwen Cummings-Thompson, both of Exmore. The latter’s position on rezoning has not been revealed, but Duer is known to be opposed.
The only sitting Supervisor opposed to the rezoning is Granville Hogg, but if two like-minded candidates join him on the Board in January, they will have a majority, and the Board could be expected to march in a new direction.
The possibility of a dramatically different Board come January might well have influenced the decision by Economic Development Director Charles McSwain, who is believed to be resigning next month. McSwain has taken the most heat from rezoning opponents, followed by County Administrator Katie Nunez.
The flier above is representative of the efforts by rezoning opponents, led by Ken Dufty and supported by a host of well-known residents including Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore (CBES), Virginia Eastern Shorekeeper, a prominent Realtor, a marine biologist, and a former Planning Commissioner, all of whom spoke at the June 9 Board meeting.
At that meeting, Supervisors once again encountered the full force of opposition to the proposed zoning changes that many feel could destroy the rural nature of the county. The core issues remain protection of the environment, as well as the overall rural character of Northampton — that is, just what will happen if setback changes, PUD (Planned Unit Development) and altered rules for impervious surfaces are put in place. What will happen if large-scale CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) and waste incinerators, mainly poultry operations, set up shop on the lower end of the shore? [Read more…]
Prominent Resident John Schulz Blasts Council for ‘Dumbest, Most Dangerous Parking System in America’
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 15, 2015
Cape Charles resident John Schulz is well known as an author and former Voice of America foreign correspondent. He also has been an Oxford scholar, National War College professor, magazine editor, and a prize-winning poet. But only now has he made the decision to break ranks with the town’s power structure and roast them for enacting “reverse angle parking” on Mason Avenue.
In a letter to Cape Charles Town Council which Schulz requested be made public record, he wrote satirically,
Dear Council Members: Congratulations! Thanks to your well-thought-through decision, we can all now brag about yet another unique feature of Cape Charles: We have the dumbest, most dangerous main street parking system of any town in America.
Thanks to all of you, anyone wishing to park on our commercial main street can now experience all the thrills and adventures associated with turning into oncoming traffic in the opposite lane, reversing, and, though most of us never practice skills at backing into parking places, begin the adventure of re-crossing into the lane we were in. And, hoping not to scrape the cars parked on either side due to our limited skills at this little adventure, slide our cars into place — also hoping not to drive up on to the curb where we might kill a passer-by we didn’t see in our rearview mirrors.
And, for those of us thoughtful enough to go to the end of the block, do a U-turn, and drive head first into the parking space we previously selected, thus avoiding all this maneuvering and extra lane-crossing, there is a parking ticket “just waiting to happen,” hot in the hands of our local constabulary. [Read more…]
PSA Work Session or Playtime?
Bannon, Natali Try to Gag Wendell, Andrew Follmer
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 8, 2015
The traveling medicine show, also known as the Northampton Public Service Authority, made a stop in Cape Charles for a work session with Town Council June 4. The PSA’s leading snake oil salesman, Bob Panek, was on hand with more information about the magic elixir that will miraculously heal all the ills that inflict the Town and County.
The medicine show’s humble beginnings date to 2010, when it was reinstated by the Northampton County Board of Supervisors as a way to help stave off wastewater issues then facing Shore Riverside Hospital in Nassawaddox. Riverside later decided to move on, and with the PSA’ s gaze now focused on the south, no one really knows where it will go, or what it will do.
Shortly after Mayor George Proto gaveled the meeting to order, he announced that Andrew Follmer, president of the Cape Charles Business Association, was there to make comments and ask questions. Councilmen Chris Bannon and Joan Natali immediately raised objections. “I don’t think he should be allowed to speak,” said Bannon — “The public is not allowed to speak here; he shouldn’t be either.”
“Yes,” agreed Natali — “The public is not given an opportunity, so he shouldn’t.”
“Just wait,” said Proto. “Andrew was invited to this session to give his perspective and have a chance to ask questions. He’s invited to speak just as Bob [Panek] was invited.”
With that quashed, Bannon went on to his next target, Councilman Frank Wendell: “Wendell should not be allowed to speak — He owns commercial property on Route 13.” [Read more…]
SOCCER
Northampton Still in Finals Following Squeaker Loss
Number 13 Jesus Maldonado-Lopez drives past W&L’s Alec Westall and Jacob Daiger for a Jacket goal. (Photo: Chris Glennon)
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 8, 2015
With Northampton and Westmoreland County’s Washington and Lee both set to travel to Radford for the state 1A Soccer Championship, the seeding for the event was still not settled until these two teams met for a critical game Saturday night (June 6) on the Eastern Shore. It was a classic match up, with a W&L squad bringing a sturdy, conservative midfield attack, hoping to slow down the high flying, fluid style of the Northampton Yellow Jackets.
There was little feeling out, as from the outset, both teams attempted to set the pace early. Northampton made several early pushes to break the W&L defense, but were generally slowed by a much disciplined group of mid-fielders led by Senior Jacob Daiger. At 17:28, a misplay and lapse by the Northampton defense allowed for a quick rush and goal by W&L forward Tirso Artunez.
With a one-nill lead, W&L went into a classic defense posture reminiscent of old school Arsenal or the great Milan teams of the 1970s. With sometimes five men back, they were hoping to control midfield and thwart the Northampton rush. This was good in theory, until Northampton’s passing and speed began to get its rhythm. With articulate away from the ball movement, and constant pressure from mid Malik McCaskil, the Jackets kept up constant pressure. This paid off with a brilliant goal at 7:00 by Jesus Malando-Lopez. With the score tied at 1, and momentum clearly swinging their way, the Jackets continued to pressure and pound the W&L defense, clearly on its heels and not sure what to do about Northampton’s speed and attack. Despite strong pressure, and several dangerous attempts by Northampton, the first half ended 1-1. [Read more…]
Planning Commission Favors Tourism Tax Breaks
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
June 8, 2015
Cape Charles Planning Commission on June 2 again grappled with the details and implementation of Tourist Zone incentives which it hopes “will foster the town’s development, maintenance and expansion of commercial, tourist and industrial businesses engaged in the tourism industry.” Currently, the entire area of the Town of Cape Charles is designated a tourism zone pursuant to Virginia Code.
To qualify for a tax break or incentive, according to Town Planner Larry DiRe, a business would have to make some form of verifiable capital improvement. The difficult part is coming up with actual dollar figures to be applied. “This all seems OK so far, but we really need to nail down the dollar amounts,” said Planning Commission member Joan Natali.
Commission member Andy Buchholz said, “We may want to look at a tier-based system based on net sales totals, and cap it based on that. The little guy doesn’t have that much capital — this would make it more fair for everyone, to put it on a scale so that everyone gets something instead of just helping out the big guy.”
“Is there going to be a gross cap on this,” asked Commission member Dan Burke. “I mean, how much is the town going to be in this for? What will the obligation be?”
“When you look at the big picture,” said Buchholz, “what we’re really talking about here is a big thank you to business for bringing revenue here. If we’re out some percentage, if you look at the amount of revenue that will be generated, it will more than wash out.”
“This really is to help the little guy — the little guys are the ones that make up this town,” said Natali. [Read more…]
$8 Million Town Budget Contains No Tax Increase
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 1, 2015
Owing to the untimely death of a computer software vendor, there will be no tax increase in the Town of Cape Charles next year. That’s because real estate reappraisals were postponed by Northampton County when the software vendor died, and the town relies completely on the county for property values.
If property had been reappraised in 2015 as originally planned, the values would have dropped and the tax rate necessarily would have increased. Virginia state law requires appraisals to reflect actual market value, and as the Wave has documented in its Real Estate page, most Cape Charles real estate is selling below appraised value — especially empty lots.
When the last reappraisal occurred in 2013 the town was forced to raise tax rates from 18 cents per hundred dollars to 27.6 cents. That rate will continue to 2016. [Read more…]
Cape Charles Gets A Radio Station (Internet, That Is)
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
June 1, 2015
Radio without the antenna — that’s the miracle of the Internet, and now little ol’ Cape Charles has its own radio station: WCCR (Cape Charles Radio, we assume).
AM or FM? No, you don’t get it. It’s Internet exclusive: Click here: http://www.wccr-theresort.com/music.html. If all goes well you’ll find yourself listening to light jazz while continuing to read the Wave.
“We created WCCR-The Resort to emphasize the ‘Resort’ aspects of the lower Eastern Shore,” said founder David LaBonte, whose DJ moniker is “David Bayside.” “Cape Charles is a wonderful small town with beautiful beaches, and multiple surrounding resorts like the Oyster Farm at Kings Creek, Bay Creek Golf Resort, Cherrystone, and Kiptopeke State Park just to name a few — all with their own unique offerings. What we bring you is music to go along with your resort experience,” he said.
LaBonte’s online resume shows him headquartered in Bethany Beach, Delaware, and how he happened to focus on Cape Charles is not stated. LaBonte previously worked for Clear Channel (now iHeart Communications), the country’s largest radio broadcaster. [Read more…]
TOWN COUNCIL
Parking Tickets, Sewage, King Neptune & Patrick Hand
7-foot statue of King Neptune has been donated to the town and will be installed on the Bay Avenue boardwalk between Washington and Jefferson avenuesl
By WAYNE CREED
Cape Charles Wave
May 25, 2015
Even as the previous mayor of Cape Charles successfully fostered a culture of incompetence and ineptitude, and set the bar so low that even the most flexible amoeba would have to find new and creative ways to limbo under it, and even as we thought it was a record that would never be replicated, the current mayor, with his implementation of reverse angle parking as part of Mason Avenue’s “Street Improvements,” has proven that he is more than up to the task of duplicating, if not surpassing, his predecessor’s dubious achievements. However, having the town’s current Planning Commission at his disposal certainly gives him an edge, and puts this goal well within reach.
During the police report to Town Council May 19, Chief Jim Pruitt reported that due to the new reverse angle parking they were able to issue nine parking tickets in just the first week. With the cat somewhat out of the bag, Mayor George Proto nearly knocked over the microphone as he exclaimed, “I just want to say that the town did not do this to make money!”
“I think we need an ordinance for this,” Councilman Sambo Brown said. “Right now, they’re writing tickets based on Virginia Code, and all that says is you need to park on the right side of the road. Even if they pull in head first, they are still on the right side. This could be challenged.”
The town has put up signs, and is issuing tickets without first having an ordinance to back it up.
Councilwoman Joan Natali noted, “We may have fallen short here,” to which Proto responded, “We maybe could have done a better job.”
During Council comments, Vice Mayor Chris Bannon added, “Given so many people’s inability to park, we could start charging a fee to let them parallel park on the other side of Mason Avenue.”
Chief Pruitt also reported that there were three felony assaults against police officers this month. “Would you care to elaborate on this?” asked Councilman Steve Bennett.
“No I would not,” replied Pruitt.
“Are things getting worse here?” asked Proto.
“You just never know when these things are going to happen,” Pruitt said. Whether this scuffle was related to the new reverse angle parking was not disclosed. [Read more…]
