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…]

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Cape Charles Wave Announces Winter Hours

October 20, 2014

The Cape Charles Wave is following the example of Brown Dog Ice Cream by establishing winter hours. The Wave will still publish, but on a reduced schedule.

Readers are invited to continue sending event notices for ON THE TELEPHONE POLE, as well as comments to ANONYMOUS and news to GOSSIP. The CLASSIFIEDS section remains open as well.

LETTERS will be published whenever received, as will COMMENTARIES.

So what’s changing? Essentially, what you read in the Wave will now be largely whenever and whatever the public submits, while the regular reporters hibernate. [Read more…]

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EXTRA: Town Planner Rob Testerman Resigns

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…]

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Town Council Chickens Out

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

October 20, 2014

Cape Charles Town Council spent $25,000 on a chicken study and laid an egg. Council member Chris Bannon provided that cost estimate October 17 at Council’s monthly meeting. Although Bannon did not break down the cost, it presumably is a measure of how many hours were spent on the chicken question by Town Planner Rob Testerman over the past year, as well as the cost for legal counsel to review a proposed town ordinance to allow backyard hens under a highly regulated set of conditions.

Although Testerman clearly wanted to see Cape Charles get on board with the nationwide urban chicken movement, Town Council was not convinced, even though the majority of Historic District residents participating in Testerman’s survey approved of the concept. [Read more…]

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Peacewerks Center for Well-Being Opens on Mason Ave.

October 20, 2014

Peacewerks Center for Well-Being, LLC, announces its opening in Cape Charles at 109 Mason Avenue, Suite A (the former Sullivan’s Building).  Peacewerks is staffed by Gerald E. Boyd and Polly Boyd and exists for the support of individuals, families and communities in the continuous achievement of emotional and spiritual balance and the reclaiming of life. [Read more…]

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WAYNE CREED: New Cape Charles Ignores Gritty Past

By WAYNE CREED

October 20, 2014

Some have described the Stay Tuned Music Fest on Oct 4 at the Shanty as a flop, or even an epic fail. Even if it was, that’s not really a bad thing. Getting in the ring and taking a swing is the most important part — these festival things are hard to predict, and given the limited population and demographic, they sometimes don’t turn out as well as we hope.

I know the promoters, and I’m sure they will collect some Lessons Learned, and make some adjustments for next time (maybe move to coincide with Harbor for the Arts, or go old school with Shore Made Music by Shore Made Musicians — then cook up a pig, some crabs or oysters, with plenty of cold beer).

All this aside, there was still something about Stay Tuned Fest that bothered me; as if something was just a bit off. One evening, after a few martinis, staring at the old brick at Kelly’s, I realized just what was bugging me: it was that holding the event at that location (new harbor) lacked so much authenticity, and was so typical of the New Cape Charles — that is, to completely ignore the old Eastern Shore ways and arrogantly try to impose some foreign aesthetic in its place. [Read more…]

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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…]

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Cape Charles Area Finally Gets a Vet

By DR. NATHAN HIGGINS

October 6, 2014

There are two questions that I generally get when I meet someone new. It’s either, “Do you have family here?” or “What brought you to the Eastern Shore?”

The first one is easy; no, we don’t have family here. The second is much more complicated and multi-faceted. From the moment we stepped on the Shore in April 2013, we found the contrast to our usual hustle and bustle to be so refreshing. Northampton County was filled with unobstructed charm along with caring people who took the time to get to know us.

We saw an exciting small town community that was growing steadily while keeping a safe, family atmosphere. But we were astounded to hear that there was no veterinary clinic in the county, and to learn how far people were traveling for pet care. [Read more…]

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Goodbye Sullivan’s, Hello Long & Foster

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

October 6, 2014

Last week former mayor Dora Sullivan closed her office supply store at 109 Mason Avenue, which had been the informal “town hall” for eight years. She had announced her retirement concurrent with stepping down as mayor last July, but kept the shop open until it could be sold or rented.

Meanwhile, Realtors Lynn Gray and Melanie Brown had closed their Eastern Shore of Virginia real estate office just up the street and joined Long & Foster in Onancock. That’s when L&F listings started appearing on For Sale signs in Cape Charles.

Business must be good, because Long & Foster now has leased the Sullivan’s storefront. No more trips to Onancock will be necessary. [Read more…]

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Bay Creek Property Owners Get Tax Scare

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 22, 2014

It took a few months, but an obscure legal notice published June 6 in the Eastern Shore Post finally attracted the attention of Bay Creek property owners when they heard that the private roads they drive on might be sold for back taxes.

The legal notice listed 47 properties owned by Bay Creek LLC, the company owned by Richard “Dickie” Foster. Most of Foster’s former holdings have been sold to Keyser-Sinclair, operating as Bay Creek South LLC. Another portion – the former Bay Creek Marina, Shops, and Aqua Restaurant – was foreclosed and sold to Robert Occhifinto in December 2012.

More than half the properties listed in the legal notice are lots on Stone Road coming into town that have nothing to do with Bay Creek other than that Foster owns them. Those lots have now been conveyed to another entity, “HJ Rail LLC,” also wholly owned by Foster — but the tax is still overdue.

Before the Stone Road lots were listed to be sold for back taxes, Foster offered six other Stone Road lots to the Town of Cape Charles for $100,000, and the town bought them for the asking price. The terms of sale required the $100,000 to be applied against Foster’s delinquent tax bill, both to the town and the county. [Read more…]

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Mayor Proto Flip-Flops on County Sewage Issue

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 15, 2014

What a difference being mayor makes. Just seven months ago when George Proto was president of the Cape Charles Business Association he wrote a hard-hitting letter to then-Mayor Dora Sullivan, chastising her for failure to answer his questions about processing county sewage at the town’s new treatment plant. “My original questions have yet to be answered after almost 6 months,” he wrote.

Proto and the Business Association were concerned that running a sewer line to Route 13 would promote commercial competition on the highway. “There does not appear to be any significant benefit to the Town of Cape Charles from the proposed connection,” Proto wrote to Mayor Sullivan.

Now Proto is mayor, and acting Town Manager Bob Panek has convinced him, along with all other members of Town Council except Frank Wendell, that piping commercial sewage from Route 13 into town is a good idea. Panek’s argument is that (1) the income received will reduce town utility bills, and (2) if the town doesn’t take the sewage, the county will eventually build a plant elsewhere – perhaps on the Webster property in Cheriton — and the town will have forever lost the opportunity to operate a regional treatment plant.

Panek oversaw planning of the town’s new sewer plant, which with some modifications is large enough to treat all the wastewater in the lower part of the county, were there some means to get it there. Meanwhile, the fixed costs of the plant are eating the town and its ratepayers alive.

Town Council agreed September 11 (Wendell dissenting) to negotiate an agreement with the County’s Public Service Authority to accept wastewater for 1.5 cents per gallon. All Council members agreed that PSA customers must also pay the town a substantial facility hookup fee, even though Panek has opposed such a fee, fearing it would drive away potential customers.

As Business Association president, Proto had urged that the sewer line project be put on hold “until certain significant questions” were answered. The first question was, “What is the projected benefit to the town from the Route 13 sewer line?” [Read more…]

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