COMMENTARY by a Chicken-Hearted Resident
Two hens for every boy. (Photo: Stefanie Hadden)
December 21, 2013
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Cape Charles resident Stefanie Hadden made the following presentation Thursday at the Town Council meeting.)
Hi friends and neighbors! Backyard chicken-keeping is a rewarding and educational activity. It is also harmless. Keeping a small number of hens on one’s private property, properly secured and cared for, is a forward-thinking win-win for the community. It is a perfect example of sustainable living, and an important counterpoint to inhumane industrial- scale poultry production.
Hens are friendly, curious and productive! They‘re quiet, clean, entertaining birds and make wonderful outdoor pets. They produce nutritious hormone and antibiotic-free eggs ($4.29 per doz. at the grocery!), keep yards free of ticks and other insect pests, and provide excellent garden fertilizer in the form of their composted droppings.
Did you know the average dog produces 12 ounces of waste per day, where a hen produces a mere 1.5 ounces? [Read more…]
COMMENTARY:
Town Should Engage on County Development
By WAYNE CREED
December 17, 2013
As was reported in the Wave, the Cape Charles Planning Commission continues to mull ideas around Route 13 development. This is a critical role at a critical time, and could be argued is their most important task. There have been comments that Cape Charles is already “business ready” and that development should somehow only be directed towards the Town. I’m not convinced a waste water plant and six policemen constitute “business ready” — the reality is that the County will eventually develop outside of town; it has to. It is important that Cape Charles stays engaged so that we can have a voice in how this development takes place.
Unfortunately, the folks in Cape Charles running point on this issue have extremely limited and somewhat backwards notions of just what development means. As usual, they defer to antiquated, sprawl-promoting plans that include hotels and strip malls. In the end, these industries provide little economic boost, and destroy rural character in the process.
Sustainable rural development must become the fundamental principle which underpins our development goals — a multifaceted approach to managing our environmental, economic, and social resources for the long term. The hope is to reverse out-migration, combat poverty, stimulate employment and equality of opportunity, and ultimately improve rural well-being in not just Cape Charles but also the County.
The focus and framework should be around agriculture, medium-scale industries, rural services, and tourism. These policies should promote development which sustains the Eastern Shore’s rural landscapes by proactively protecting natural resources, biodiversity, and our cultural identity. In other words, meet the needs of the present without compromising the Shore’s future. [Read more…]
LETTER: Holiday Cheer Trumps Grand Illumination Chill
GRAND ILLUMINATION — Chris Glennon shot this photo of the Gazebo with just the right touch of ice on the ‘cicles.
December 9, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
Citizens for Central Park would like to thank all the people who braved the cold wind on Saturday evening to attend the Grand Illumination of Central Park! It was the culminating event in a day filled with holiday cheer!
There are so many different people and groups who had a hand in making the day a success. Many thanks to the numerous volunteers who worked all day to get the luminaries prepared and ready for the event. Special thanks go to the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce and Jim Weiner for their invaluable assistance, Jeb Brady for the use of his trailer, and Wako Chemicals for allowing us to use their space to prepare and store the luminaries.
Thanks also go to the Town staff who kindly worked with us to decorate the park for the holiday season and to many citizens such as Ned Brinkley, Heather Gladden, Zach Hunter, and others who helped us keep the luminaries lit in the windy weather. We are also very grateful to the Cape Charles Business Association for providing hot cocoa for guests, the children from Cape Charles Christian School for their joyful song, and Angie Pheiffer for transporting Santa and Mrs. Claus from their sleigh to the Park to greet the children.
We hope you had the opportunity to visit the Cape Charles Museum’ s antique toy display, Santa’s House at the Cape Charles Christian School, the boat tours and the lighted boat parade sponsored by the Cape Charles Yacht Club, and the lighted golf cart parade organized by Sandy Mayer. We appreciate the willingness of all of these groups to work together to create a magical day in our beloved town.
I do hope the Cape Charles Community Band will accept my apologies for the shortening of their concert in Central Park. As you may be able to imagine, coordinating the flow of events from one venue to another can be difficult. It was out of concern for our littlest guests that we moved the Grand Illumination ceremony along more quickly than planned. The wind was cold and we wanted to be sure that the children had the opportunity to visit with Santa. [Read more…]
COMMENTARY: I Remember Nelson Mandela
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
December 7, 2013
Rarely is anything printed in the Wave that does not relate directly to the Eastern Shore. But the passing of Nelson Mandela compels me to write about what he meant to me. I offer this commentary to those who may be interested, while recognizing that it is not for everyone.
Among the early accounts of Mandela’s death December 5 at age 95 was a striking quote from, of all people, Arnold Schwarzenegger. He said: “President Mandela’s life is the closest thing we have to proof of God.” I would call that an overstatement, but I agree with the sentiment that Mandela, at least within the group of people we label politicians, was heads and shoulders above all the others. Mandela was a modern statesman in a time when the word seems obsolete.
Somewhere in my old collection of VHS tapes I have the Sunday morning recording I made of Mandela’s release from prison February 11, 1990, after 27 years of confinement. At the time I was training for my upcoming assignment to South Africa as a political aide to the U.S. ambassador.
I arrived in South Africa in June, just four months after Mandela’s release from prison. The country was in a state of hypertension, with all races fearful that a civil war would shortly erupt. For more than a decade, the conventional wisdom had been that war was inevitable.
This was where Mandela showed his genius for toughness encased in humility. During the negotiations between his African National Congress and the white ruling government, his eloquence, humility, intellect, determination, and yes – sense of humor – eroded the white power structure’s long-held conviction that a black president would run their nation into the ground, just as they had seen happen in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. [Read more…]
LETTER: Watch Out for Right Whales
Click on photo to watch a YouTube video on the endangered Right Whale.
December 6, 2013
DEAR EDITOR,
Now that the air and water has finally cooled, trucks and boat trailers overrun the parking lot and roads around Cape Charles harbor — sure signs that the rockfish season is now in full swing. This time of year also marks the start of the North Atlantic right whale calving season which begins in November and runs through April. The whales are now migrating from their normal habitat in northeast U.S and Canada to the south coast of Georgia and Florida. NOAA Fisheries reminds boaters to be aware of these whales, and to take precautions to avoid collisions. There are fewer than 400 left, making them the most endangered marine mammal in the world.
The right whale got its name from northeast whalers who called it “the right whale” to hunt. These mammals had large amounts of blubber, were very slow swimmers, and once harpooned, tended to roll over and float, making them easy to strip and clean. Chapters 93-96 in Melville’s Moby Dick describe capturing the whale and the process of cutting the blubber into sections and preparing it for rendering.
Adult whales average 40-55 feet in length, can weigh up to 140,000 pounds, and may live up to 50 years. They spend the majority of their lives in the zooplankton- rich waters off northeastern U.S. and Canada. (Having no teeth, they mainly feed on copepods, euphausiids, and cyprids). In the fall of each year pregnant females migrate south to give birth to calves that are 10-15 feet long and weigh up to 1.5 metric tons. After birth, the calves drink mother’s milk for 8 to 17 months.
The coasts of Georgia and Florida are the only known calving areas for right whales, and NOAA wants to raise awareness of their migratory patterns and movement. The biggest issue is that, even as it would seem easy to spot something as big as a whale, in reality it is very difficult. They are dark, do not have dorsal fins, and swim just below the surface of the water. The only way is to be keenly aware of any changes in the texture of the water surface. [Read more…]
OLD SCHOOL: Messages From and To the Mayor
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is a message from Mayor Sullivan reprinted from the November 20 Town Gazette. It is followed by a message to the mayor from Old School Cape Charles.)
November 21, 2013
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
I am pleased to report that the Supreme Court of Virginia has rejected both petitions for appeal of the decisions rendered by the Northampton Circuit Court filed by Old School Cape Charles, et al. We are looking forward to the developer now moving ahead with the historic rehabilitation of the former school property into an asset that contributes to our economy.
I am hopeful that we can continue to move forward in improving our Town.
Thank you,
DORA SULLIVAN
MESSAGE TO THE MAYOR FROM OLD SCHOOL CAPE CHARLES
The wheels of justice grind slowly, and Old School Cape Charles LLC has not given up the fight to save Central Park property from the hands of a developer who would turn the largest public building in town into an apartment house.
Old School Cape Charles still has the option of requesting the Supreme Court to review the decision of the Writ Panel that rejected our appeals. The question of “standing” looms large in the rejection. Circuit Court Judge Revell Lewis ruled that a community group formed for the sole purpose of saving a public asset does not have standing to question the decision of Town Council. Judge Lewis also decided that he did not have jurisdiction over the case involving the sale. So Old School Cape Charles plans to ask the Supreme Court to review the decision of the panel.
Then there is the question of the Town staff’s ignoring Historic District Guidelines which state that a parking lot should not be allowed in front of the building. Madame Mayor, you have refused to identify the front of the building, but we believe that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will be able to locate the front even without your assistance. [Read more…]
LETTER: Variable-Rate Financing Reckless, Irresponsible
November 16, 2013
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter from Jack Forgosh was read by the Town Clerk at a special meeting of Town Council November 14. Town Council subsequently voted to accept the recommendation of financial advisor Davenport & Company to borrow $1.215 million at a variable interest rate. Mr. Forgosh has given permission to reprint his letter in the Wave.)
DEAR MAYOR SULLIVAN AND COUNCIL MEMBERS,
I just learned of your intention to refinance a municipal loan based upon the recommendation of David Rose at Davenport & Company.
I am a seasonal resident of Cape Charles and I hope to become a full time resident in a few more years. While I am not privy to all of the details of our financing, I can tell you with a very high level of confidence that the fixed rate available to the Council and our residents is at historic lows. I understand the appeal of lowering monthly payments by extending the duration of this loan; however, the risks of a rate increase after 10 years outweighs the short-term savings on our principal and interest payments.
The primary saving is not the difference between a 2.65 percent rate and a 3.1 percent rate but rather from the time extension from a 15-year loan via Sun Trust to a 20-year loan via PNC.
The probability that loan rates [in 10 years] will be higher than the current 2.65 percent is a probability approaching 100 percent. There is also a reasonably high probability that interest rates for this loan, 10 years from now, could easily be reset in the 6-10 percent range. Nobody truly knows where rates will be 10 years from now; however, this Council has the opportunity to refinance the debt of Cape Charles at these historic low rates. [Read more…]
SHORE THING: A$K the Mayor
By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave
November 14, 2013
Before I started causing trouble in Cape Charles, I was causing trouble in Northern Virginia. Over the years we lived in the City of Alexandria, the County of Arlington, the County of Fairfax, and the City of Falls Church. Each of those municipalities offers many attractions, but there is one thing none of them has that Cape Charles does have: double taxation.
That’s right. In Virginia, if you live in a city you pay city taxes; if you live in a county you pay county taxes. Only in towns is there an opportunity to pay double taxes.
There is a little town in Fairfax County with the prestigious name of Vienna. One day I called the Town of Vienna’s information officer to ask: Why does it cost the taxpayer 22 percent more to live in Vienna than just outside the town line in Fairfax County? She immediately answered: “Access — you can call the Mayor on a Sunday afternoon.”
Vienna’s real estate tax rate is 22.88 cents per hundred dollars. Cape Charles, at 27.74 cents, is 17 percent higher. So – if you see where I’m going with this – shouldn’t my mayoral access be mighty good here in Cape Charles?
I had a question for Mayor Sullivan last July. The Town Gazette had just published a “Message from the Mayor” (click here to read) stating that “the Water and Sewer Fund broke even over the last three fiscal years.” I asked the Mayor how that could be, when the 2013 budget showed that the Water and Sewer Fund required a transfer of $172,500 from the General Fund. The Mayor deigned not to answer my question. (Perhaps I should have called her on a Sunday afternoon.)
So I asked our Town Manager, Heather Arcos. To her credit, she said she would check and get back to me. The next day – well, let the emails tell the story: [Read more…]
