Now & Then: Bay Haven Inn Remake Reflects Town Pride

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

May 27, 2013

The pictures are worth a thousand words.

On the right is how Bay Haven Inn looks today, after Jim and Tammy Holloway got hold of it.

Below is what it looked like when they bought it.

The transformation at 403 Tazewell Avenue is one of the most dramatic examples of what is being

played out all over the Cape Charles Historic District.

Houses are getting coats of paint, new roofs, new plumbing, electrical work, shored-up foundations, and years of overgrowth are being trimmed from yards.

And something else is blooming like spring crocuses: For Sale signs.

The real estate market is the most active this year since the bubble burst, with numerous owners deciding it’s time to list their house. Houses like Bay Haven Inn are surely promoting confidence in the Historic District.

Bay Haven Inn and the Northampton Chamber of Commerce hosted an “It’s Five O’clock Now” ribbon cutting last Thursday to officially kick off the tourist season in Cape Charles.

Chamber board chairman Linda Buskey, who also is sales manager at Bay Creek Reality, along with Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Director Dave Schulte, joined the Holloways for the ribbon cutting. [Read more…]

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Madonia Family in Bankruptcy; Tomato Farms, Land for Sale

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

May 25, 2013

Batista Madonia and his family, owners of extensive local properties, have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Assets of the family-owned East Coast Brokers and Packers are being offered for sale by sealed bid.

The Madonia family owns property in Virginia and Florida including farms, packing houses, labor camps, a luxury hotel, and a former Bible college.

According to the Packer, an industry newsletter, court records show the Madonias owe more than $15 million in liens and judgments to state and federal governments and crop production services. There also is a $5.6 million lien from Chicago wholesaler Anthony Marano Co.

“After two years of freezes on its Florida farms, a hurricane on its Virginia farms in 2011, and years of challenges resulting from years of cheap imports, a Chapter 11 filing was needed to provide the Madonia family an opportunity to sell assets in an organized fashion,” said Ken Nofziger of Murray Wise Associates, the real estate firm conducting the sales.

“This process will provide enough liquidity to satisfy creditors and allow the Madonia family to reorganize and carry on its operations,” Nofziger said.

Properties for sale in Northampton and Accomack counties include 13 farms totaling 3,000 acres, four packing houses, seven labor camps, and several homes.

Northampton County tax rolls list 26 properties owned by the Madonia family, including three homes in Bay Creek. [Read more…]

Why Did Cape Charles Build a New Sewer Plant?

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

May 24, 2013

Pop quiz: Cape Charles built a new $19 million sewage treatment plant because:

A. The old plant was too small;
B. The old plant was polluting the Bay;
C. Government sewer grants were too good an offer to refuse;
D. Both A and B;
E. Both B and C;
F. None of the above.

(Answer appears at end of story)

In an effort to bring clarity to an otherwise murky subject, the Wave met recently with Town Manager Heather Arcos and Assistant Town Manager Bob Panek. The latter was the driving force behind the new sewer plant.

Panek informed Town Council last week that the new wastewater treatment plant is substantially complete, with the exception of plans to reuse a portion of the effluent currently flowing into the Bay.

The plant has been treating wastewater since April 2012, and has reduced nitrogen and phosphorous discharge into the Bay by 93 percent compared to the old plant, according to Panek.

Arcos and Panek claim that when all expenses have been paid, the project will have cost about $300,000 less than the budgeted $19.2 million.

But whether the Town came in under budget or over budget depends on the starting point.

The $19.2 million includes cost overruns and change orders amounting to $558,000. So even with the $300,000 savings, the final cost is $258,000 higher than originally budgeted.

But there can be no argument that the Town got a good deal on the project: The Water Quality Improvement Fund provided $8 million, and the Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund (funded by the Federal stimulus program) contributed another $6 million, free and clear.

The Town borrowed the remaining budgeted $5.2 million from the same Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund, but at not quite as good terms: this money has to be repaid, albeit at 0 percent interest. [Read more…]

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THURSDAY 5/23: Town Council Reviews Harbor Budget

Cape Charles Town Council will conduct a budget work session 6 p.m. Thursday, May 23.
[Read more…]

USS Missouri Gun Barrel Ribbon Cutting Saturday

By SUSAN RICE
Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge

May 23, 2013

The Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge is celebrating military history and honoring veterans this Memorial Day weekend.

On Saturday, May 25, at 2 p.m. the Wildlife Refuge will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newest refuge addition –- a 120 ton, 68-foot gun barrel which was on the USS Missouri when the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945, ending World War II.

The public is invited to come touch this piece of military history and listen to someone who served on the USS Missouri talk about its storied past.

One can also learn about Fort John Custis, the Army base which was located at the Wildlife Refuge and housed two 16” guns for the protection of the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

There will be pomp and circumstance with a Navy Color Guard, and a Navy veteran playing the National Anthem on the saxophone. [Read more…]

New Historic Review Board Meets for First Time Today

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

May 21, 2013

The newly reconstituted Cape Charles Historic District Review Board will meet 4:30 p.m. today (May 21) at Town Hall.

All but one member of the previous Board resigned after Town Council overruled the Board’s decision not to grant a permanent occupancy permit to Hotel Cape Charles.

The new board is composed of:

John Caton (replacing Dianne Davis)
Ted Warner (replacing Bob Sellers)
Joe Fehrer (replacing Russ Dunton)
David Gay (replacing Jan Neville)
Terry Strub

Terry Stub is the sole remaining member of the former Board, to which she had only recently been appointed..

All members of the Board reside in the Historic District with the exception of John Caton, who lives in Bay Creek’s golf community. [Read more…]

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Town Planner Bonadeo Retiring; Replacement Appointed

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

May 20, 2013

Cape Charles Town Planner Tom Bonadeo had planned to retire November 1, but recently moved up the date. His last day of work now will be Tuesday, May 28.

Town Manager Heather Arcos has announced that Robert Testerman will become the new Town Planner as of Friday, May 31.

Testerman is the Land Use Planner for Accomack County, where he has worked for six years.  He is a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech.

Arcos said that three candidates were interviewed for the Town Planner position.

One of Bonadeo’s final projects is to set limits on residential occupancy in the Harbor District. He has urged the Cape Charles Planning Commission to recommend that density be calculated according to a formula known as Floor Area Ratio (FAR). [Read more…]

COMMENTARY: Wake Up and Trim the Fat, Cape Charles!

By DEBORAH BENDER

May 18, 2013

It has come to my attention that the Town of Cape Charles is having budget problems. There is not enough money and too many expenses.

In order to help, I did a little homework. And after speaking with the Town of Onancock’s administrative assistant, I have some advice: Trim the fat, Cape Charles.

According to the 2010 census, Cape Charles has 1,009 full-time residents. The town of Onancock has 1,263 full-time residents.

The Town of Cape Charles has 10 employees in the administrative offices at a salary cost of $509,875.

The town of Onancock has 3 employees in the town office for a total of $195,000 in salaries. That is $314,875 less spent on employees in Onancock than in Cape Charles.

How does Onancock manage with such a small staff? For starters, their town manager is also their town attorney, thus avoiding the price tag for a town lawyer.

The two people who work in the office do all the billing, accounting, customer service, and take turns taking minutes at the town meetings.

They run the entire town office with just three employees! Onancock does not have a town planner, a treasurer, an accountant, a building code enforcer, a community recreation activities director, or an assistant clerk. [Read more…]

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Developer Rejects Request to Allow Hoops on Empty Court

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

May 16, 2013

Real estate developer J. David McCormack, new owner of the former Central Park basketball court and Cape Charles Old School, has rejected a request to allow basketball hoops to be reinstalled on the court.

The request came from two local civic leaders, Lenora Mitchell of Concerned Citizens of Cape Charles, and Wayne Creed of Old School Cape Charles, LLC.

Mitchell and Creed sent developer McCormack a letter after Cape Charles Town Council postponed the deadline for construction at the old school to August 23.

“During the four months since our Town Council gave our school property to Charon Ventures, the young people in our town have been without a place to play basketball. This is a hardship for both children and their parents, since the basketball court was one of the favorite places for our youths to expend their excess energy,” the letter states.

“We request that you allow the town to reinstall the basketball hoops so that both locals and tourists will have a place to play during the interim period before a new court is constructed,” they wrote.

Yesterday, McCormack told Lenora Mitchell no — he would not agree to allow the Town to use the basketball court.

According to Mitchell, McCormack said his reason for denying use was because Old School Cape Charles was suing him.

The Wave left both a voice mail and a text on McCormack’s cell phone last night requesting his side of the story, but did not hear back as of time of publication.

Although McCormack rejected the request from the two civic leaders, the question remains whether he would reject a request from Mayor Dora Sullivan to use the court. [Read more…]

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THURSDAY 5/16: Public Hearing on Waste Management and Town Council Meeting

Cape Charles Town Council will hold a public hearing 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at St. Charles Parrish Hall. The regular Town Council meeting will immediately follow. [Read more…]

Wave Announces Listings for Faith-Based Activities

May 15, 2013

The Cape Charles Wave was established to  publicize local events open to the public. But until now, faith-based activities have largely slipped through the cracks.

No longer. Effective immediately, there is a specific page in the Wave for information about faith-based activities, entitled, appropriately enough, FAITHS.

It’s not called “Churches,” because a broader designation seemed more appropriate. Several local faith-based activities are not or were not connected with a church.

And although there may be no synagogues or mosques on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, the FAITHS page is intended to be all-inclusive.

The FAITHS tab appears at the top of every page, next to the CLASSIFIEDS tab. Content is wholly dependent on our readership. As with Wikipedia, if you want it to appear, you have to write it and submit it. [Read more…]