‘Freshwater Frank’ Gets Surprise 60th Birthday Party

March 11, 2013

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REPRINT: Northampton PSA Tries Again

March 9, 2013

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following report on the Northampton Public Service Authority is reprinted by permission from SHORE LINE, published by Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore. Whenever possible, the WAVE reprints articles from other sources concerning Cape Charles.)

After failing to attract grant funding for either an Exmore/Nassawadox project or a Cheriton-area project, the Northampton Public Service Authority (PSA) is proposing a smaller wastewater system for commercial areas around Cheriton and Cape Charles.

But a July, 2012, survey of area commercial property owners to gauge interest yielded a “poor response,” PSA Chair Bob Panek told the Northampton Supervisors in January.

Follow-up meetings in the fall of 2012 with 64 owners of 85 mostly vacant parcels yielded a “thin response” of five “yes,” four “no” and one “maybe” when asked about commercial sewage treatment, but the Fairview Mobile Home Park has expressed interest in connecting with any wastewater system in the area.

There is still no grant money available for a primarily commercial sewage treatment project. PSA proposals to the Supervisors for generating loans to construct a $1.5–$2 million system for commercial users in the Cheriton, Rt.13, Rt. 184 and Bayside Road area included:

• A PSA loan with a County “moral obligation bond” guarantee;
• A Special Tax District could be created in which the users would be taxed to fund the debt service over 20 years;
• A county-wide tax rate increase on real estate to repay the construction loan; or
• “Blending” the above funding options.

Construction costs and debt service would most likely be in addition to user hook-up fees and monthly fees for the costs of treatment at the Cape Charles treatment plant and operation and maintenance. [Read more…]

Wastewater from Highway Could Mean Higher County Taxes

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

March 7, 2013

Cape Charles wants more sewage for its new treatment plant, and if the Public Service Authority gets its way, County taxpayers will contribute.

PSA Chairman Bob Panek told Northampton County Board of Supervisors January 8 that a 1-cent real estate tax increase could help fund sewer infrastructure for commercial properties on Highway 13.

Panek  proposes that the Board approve a sewer line from Highway 13 to the new Cape Charles treatment plant.

Additional funding would come from “private capital contributions from the business owners,” Panek told Cape Charles Town Council February 21.

Panek is also Assistant Town Manger for Cape Charles. Reached at Town Hall by the Wave, he was not willing to discuss non-Town business.

Funding could be arranged through a “moral obligation bond,” Panek told the Board of Supervisors. He said that the PSA could arrange primary funding through government bonds.

But local funding is required for debt service on the bonds. There could be a special tax district, a county-wide property tax increase, or connection and availability fees, or a combination of all three. [Read more…]

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LETTER:
Group Seeks to Preserve Cape Charles Colored School

March 6, 2013

DEAR EDITOR,

There are no front yard signs in support of “the other Old School Cape Charles.” However, there is definitely an effort gaining momentum to preserve the history of another Cape Charles former public school building.

This movement has been characterized not by spirited debate and public hearings, but by the same quiet dignity and determination that led to the creation in 1928 of the Cape Charles Colored School.

The school is situated just over the hump from the Historic District to the Bay Creek golf community. It is an unassuming red brick building. Spray paint evidences its brief history as an eel processing plant. The modest structure belies the storied and important history of the school. [Read more…]

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ANALYSIS: Judge Dismisses Old School Lawsuits

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

March 4, 2013

Circuit Court Judge Revell Lewis has dismissed lawsuits contesting the sale and rezoning of the old Cape Charles school and parkland.

The local civic organization Old School Cape Charles had submitted a litany of reasons to the court why the sale and rezoning were illegal, including improper notice, defective application documents, violation of the Town of Cape Charles Comprehensive Plan, unlawful “contract zoning,” arbitrary and capricious votes by Town Council, and violation of equal protection and due process.

Judge Lewis declined to consider any of the complaints, finding instead that no legal provision exists to contest them.

Lewis found that the Virginia code “contains no provision authorizing an action contesting a decision of a local governing body to sell or dispose of its real estate or an appeal thereof to this Court.”

Lewis also cited a Virginia Supreme Court opinion that severely limits a third-party challenge to a governmental action, and therefore found “no statutory authority” for challenging Town Council’s actions.

The judge’s ruling would appear to give carte blanche to municipalities. While the Town is bound by state law, the judge saw no way for a group of citizens to compel adherence by the Town to any law — at least not in the Circuit Court. [Read more…]

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Fishing Pier Reopens Today in Wake of Hurricane Sandy

CAPE CHARLES WAVE

March 1, 2013

Four months after Hurricane Sandy twisted the Cape Charles fishing pier like a piece of taffy, it’s ready for use again.

Public Works Director Dave Fauber said workers finished repairs Thursday and the pier would reopen as soon as he inspected the work.

The cost for repairs was about $4,500, down from an earlier estimate of $10,000.

The Town had hoped that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) would bear the cost, and so waited three months before taking up the work.

But FEMA officials finally explained that any repairs in Cape Charles would take a back seat to restoration work in New Jersey, where hurricane damage was far worse.

Fauber said it’s still possible that FEMA will eventually reimburse the Town for the repairs. [Read more…]

Barrier Islands Center Fundraisers Exceed Goal

February 28, 2013

The Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo has surpassed its fundraising goal of $2.6 million.

Additionally, the annual BIC Oyster Roast held February 23 was a sell-out, and contributed to the general operating fund, educational outreach, and free admission.

The Barrier Islands Center was founded in 1996. Visitors can learn about how people once lived on the Eastern Shore and on the barrier islands that protect it.

The islands’ rich history includes hunting and fishing lodges that attracted presidents, and battles in the Civil War.

The museum preserves century-old photos and artifacts that depict the hard life of islanders and watermen who lived on the Eastern Shore in the 19th century.

The non-profit organization raised $2.9 million in two years, and is the first of 10 organizations to complete a $500,000 challenge grant.

The money will go for the center’s educational programs, community outreach and operating expenses, as well as capital funds for completion of renovations to the historic property. [Read more…]

Old School Contract Amended to Allow Low-Income Housing

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 27, 2013

Cape Charles Town Manager Heather Arcos has amended the contract with the purchasers of the Old School in Central Park to allow the possibility of low-income housing.

The original contract, signed June 28, 2012, by Mayor Dora Sullivan, stated: “To the extent permitted by law, Purchaser shall not operate the Project as a low-income housing facility under any state or federal program.”

The Town sold the Old School and adjoining parkland for $10 on December 20, 2012.

Three weeks ago, on February 7, Arcos signed an amendment to the contract removing the low-income prohibition.

The removal comes after three prominent civic leaders protested to elected state officials over alleged discriminatory housing practices by the Town. [Read more…]

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TOWN COUNCIL:
Historic District Board Resigns After Being Overruled

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 26, 2013

Cape Charles Town Council voted 4-0 February 21 to overrule the Town’s Historic District Review Board and approve the balcony design of Hotel Cape Charles.

In so doing, the Town gained a hotel but lost a Review Board. As of yesterday, four of the five persons on the Review Board had either resigned or intended to do so.

The Review Board twice refused to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the hotel, which was needed in order to obtain a permanent Certificate of Occupancy.

With Town Council’s override, Hotel Cape Charles now will be allowed to reopen March 1. [Read more…]

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HISTORIC DISTRICT BOARD:
Is Yogurt Bar in Town’s Future After All?

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 25, 2013

Well before the Brown Dog Ice Cream Shop opened last summer on Mason Avenue, the  Delisheries building next door displayed a sign: “Yogurt Bar coming soon.”

But the next sign seen on the building was a STOP WORK order by  Cape Charles Code Enforcement official Jeb Brady.

Brady issued the order after asbestos was found in the building. Eventually the “Coming Soon” sign disappeared, and nothing has happened in the building since.

But at the February 19 meeting of the Town’s Historic District Review Board, town planner Tom Bonadeo reported that he and Brady have been meeting for several months with the building owners and their architect regarding rehabilitation plans.

The original plans for the yoghurt shop were approved long ago by the Review Board.

Bonadeo said he believes that a yogurt bar is still planned for the building.

The plans also include adding two floors of residential apartments — one on a new second floor and one on a third floor.

No ongoing construction is apparent, and no opening date for a yogurt bar has been announced.

In other business at the Historic Review Board meeting, Bonadeo announced plans to hire consultants to train members of the Board. [Read more…]

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TOWN COUNCIL:
Final Appeal Tonight on Hotel Cape Charles

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

February 21, 2013

The scene: A 1950s movie. Two teenagers in hotrods are playing a deadly game of chicken on a deserted dark highway. As they roar head-on toward one another, one of them has to swerve. If neither gives up, they both die.

Tonight, the Town of Cape Charles and Hotel Cape Charles face off in their own version of “chicken.” Either one party wins and the other loses, or if neither side gives in, they both go down in flames.

The stand-off is over the design of the hotel building — specifically the glass-walled balconies. When hotel owner David Gammino originally submitted his design proposals to the Town’s Historic District Review Board, the balconies were shown in wrought iron, and that’s what the Board approved.

Gammino later changed his mind, but never advised the Board. And although the Town was supposed to monitor the construction, no one noticed that the building didn’t look like the approved design until it was too late.

The hotel received a temporary occupancy permit, allowing it to open last summer. Meanwhile, the Historic Review Board instructed Gammino to go back to the drawing board and come up with balcony walls that looked more “historic.”

Gammino dutifully sent new architectural drawings showing wood surrounds on the glass. But the Review Board rejected the proposal, and turned the case over to Town Council.

And so tonight, six citizens who have never claimed any expertise in historic architectural style will determine whether Hotel Cape Charles is allowed to reopen. [Read more…]

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