LINDEMAN: The Summer of Our Discontent

By BRUCE LINDEMAN

September 26, 2012

“I wonder what this is — hope it’s not something that belongs here,” my neighbor Dave observed. I looked at the plant he had just pulled out of my yard.

“No, it’s definitely a weed.”

I had just arrived back in town to attend to the chores of moving to a new vacation home.  Although we were only moving from Monroe to Tazewell, there was still plenty to do.

We’re not full-timers in Cape Charles yet, but we’ll get there eventually.  We had kids a little later in life and they’re entrenched in their Richmond school and friends.

So, we come and go, but we come and go often.  We relish the moment we reach the bridge-tunnel, as the temperature drops and the briny scent tells us we’ve left the hustle and bustle of city life — if just for a while.

I had been weed-whacking our flowerbeds left unattended by the previous owners, who were residents for some 20 years.  Along the way they lovingly restored their home – our new home – to its 1890s glory.  But after time the flower beds had languished.

Dave had ridden his bicycle into our yard, beer in hand, and begun pulling weeds.  Almost an hour later, he was still weeding.

What Dave was doing would never play out back home in Richmond — at least not where we live.

Don’t get me wrong.  Richmonders are a friendly lot.  My wife and I love our neighborhood for its handsome architecture and abundance of neighbors out and about, quick to stop and chat. We have great neighbors.  But I can’t recall anyone pulling up in my yard and weeding our flowerbeds. [Read more…]

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Moonrise Jewelry to Toast Success at Grand Opening

By DONNA BOZZA
Special to the Cape Charles Wave

September 25, 2012

Two months ago, 7^th generation Shore native Meredith Restein took a chance and expanded her wholesale jewelry business by opening a retail showroom and working studio in Cape Charles on Strawberry Street.

Since then, Restein says, her Moonrise Jewelry business has been phenomenal.

“It’s far exceeded my most optimistic expectations — it’s been so outstanding we’re expanding to the next building so we have more room for production,” she said.

Customers have been mostly tourists, folks with second homes here, and boaters — along with local people bringing in visiting family and friends.

But “it was my Shore customers who kept me going in a down economy,” said Restein. “They didn’t let me lose faith.”

Restein has heard many women express surprise to find a sophisticated shop like Moonrise Jewelry in the area.

The same can be said for her Strawberry Street neighbor, “Drizzles,” which markets upscale oils, coffee, and condiments. Drizzles opened only a few months before Moonrise Jewelry, and together, the two shops are transforming Strawberry Street.

Restein started her Shore-based business 10 years ago. But her big break came this spring, when her coastal-inspired jewelry was hand-picked by the “queen of women’s shapewear,” Spanx founder Sara Blakely, for the company’s Leg Up promotion. [Read more…]

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Will Town Council Make a Boat Load of Trouble?

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 24, 2012

First it was political signs, now it’s boats.

One Town ordinance bans display of political signs until 45 days before an election (that’s September 22). Another ordinance prohibits boat parking on the street for more than 48 hours.

Both ordinances are illegal.

Display of political signs on private property is a First Amendment right that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1994.

Boat parking on Town streets is a little more complicated. Town streets are controlled and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation. VDOT allows towns to regulate vehicle parking, but not to differentiate between types of vehicles.

A car or a truck is a vehicle. So is a boat on a trailer. So if the Town permits parking by cars or trucks, it has to allow boats as well.

The Wave surveyed every street in the Historic District yesterday, and found a total of 12 boats parked on streets.  There had been high winds that day, and presumably few small boats were out on the water.  So the 12 boats would seem to be roughly all the boats parked on Town streets at this time of year. [Read more…]

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Old School Group Asks Judge to Overturn Zoning Decision

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 21, 2012

Following a contentious public hearing August 23, Cape Charles Town Council voted both to rezone the old school property adjoining Central Park and to issue a conditional use permit allowing the school to be converted to an apartment building in a single family residential area.

The contention has not gone away. Now the issue has landed in Northampton Circuit Court, where Old School Cape Charles LLC and two property owners are asking the judge to declare the Town’s zoning and conditional use ordinances illegal.

This is the second lawsuit filed by Old School Cape Charles. On July 18, the group filed suit to block the sale of the old school to a developer, Echelon Resources, Inc.

Old School Cape Charles maintains that Town Council’s decision to sell the school property without requesting bids, and refusal to consider a competing offer from Old School Cape Charles, was both arbitrary and illegal.

The latest lawsuit, filed September 20, also asks relief for two adjoining property owners, Laura Hickman McSpedden and John L. Hickman, who claim the Town failed to notify them of the public hearing as required by law.

Echelon Resources is also named in the suit as a “party in interest” that is the beneficiary of the zoning and conditional use ordinances.

The legal appeal lists six additional reasons why the Town ordinances should be overturned: [Read more…]

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USA Today, on Oyster Trail, Discovers (Hotel) Cape Charles

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 20, 2012

USA Today is the third major publication in almost as many months to highlight little Cape Charles.

First came Southern Living magazine, which rated Cape Charles among the five “Best Little Beach Towns” in the southeast. (Read the Wave’s report here.)

Then the Washington Post chimed in with a travelogue about the Eastern Shore. (Read the Wave’s report here.)

And now it’s USA Today’s turn. Although the story is mostly about oysters and their comeback on the Chesapeake, the writer also recommends a stay in Cape Charles.

Reading all three publications, it would appear that the USA Today writer read the Washington Post story about Cape Charles, but missed the Southern Living story.

The Southern Living story appeared in the June issue, which hit the stands in May and was probably written much earlier. Under “Where to Stay,” Southern Living wrote: “Rent a house or villa at Bay Creek Resort (from $250). Or, opt for Cape Charles House Bed and Breakfast or Fig Street Inn (both from $140). These updated, turn-of-the-century homes have easy access to downtown.”

But when the Washington Post’s Becky Krystal wrote her story in late July, the tony Hotel Cape Charles had recently opened. And Krystal’s story turned out not to be so much about Cape Charles as about Hotel Cape Charles. She loved it — especially the air conditioning and the hotel mascot, Roxie — Ned Brinkley’s beagle-cockapoo.

Now it’s USA Today’s turn to make the Eastern Shore rounds. Writer Jayne Clark gives Cape Charles only a mention in passing — but guess where she passes: Hotel Cape Charles. [Read more…]

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HISTORIC DISTRICT REVIEW BOARD
Back to the Drawing Board for Hotel Cape Charles

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 19, 2012

Hotel Cape Charles developer David Gammino came to Town Hall yesterday with his hat in his hand. After spending $2.4 million on a “destination hotel,” he has been unable to receive a permanent certificate of occupancy.

That’s because the completed hotel doesn’t look exactly like the plan the Town approved in April 2011.

In a September 11 letter to Town Planner Tom Bonadeo, Gammino apologized for not sticking to the original plan. “In retrospect, I should have consulted with Town officials . . . my assumptions regarding historic guidelines are informed by many historic tax credit projects, but they are clearly inaccurate with respect to the Town standards. For this, I accept responsibility and apologize.”

Gammino blamed “a rapidly changing business plan” for not keeping the Town informed about architectural changes. At first, he intended only to do “a light remodel” of the old, defunct hotel. But, “we came to the conclusion that reopening the hotel in its existing configuration would be a disservice to the Town of Cape Charles and limit the hotel’s demographic appeal,” he wrote.

That’s when the budget soared from $500,000 for updates to over $2 million for a major overhaul.

The hotel needs to bring in $30,000 a month to remain viable, Gammino said. [Read more…]

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Town Removes Entrance to Cape Kids Playground

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Town Council Defers Action on Randolph & Fig Intersection

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 17, 2012

Cape Charles Town Council members agreed September 13 that something needs to be done about the dangerous Randolph Avenue-Fig Street intersection. But they also agreed that now is not the time to do it.

Until 2008, the intersection of Randolph and Fig was controlled by three-way stop signs: all traffic was required to stop except for vehicles on Randolph heading west into Town.

That traffic pattern was blamed for an accident and a number of near misses.

In January 2008, Cape Charles Police Department recommended four-way stop signs for the intersection.

The Virginia Department of Transportation owns Town roads and has authority over signs. At the Town’s request, VDOT performed a traffic study, but the result was not what the Town expected.

Instead of adding a stop sign, VDOT removed the eastbound stop sign on Randolph Avenue to improve traffic flow.

At last Thursday’s Town Council meeting, Council member Frank Wendell urged Council to request a four-way stop. He said the intersection was dangerous because of the number of golf carts, bikes, and children using it.

Police Chief Sambo Brown reported some near misses but no serious accidents at the intersection since 2008.

Town Planner Tom Bonadeo observed that a roundabout might be a better traffic calmer for the intersection. Four-way stops require too many decisions and can cause accidents, he said. [Read more…]

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SHORE THING: Rules for Fools

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 14, 2012

I’ve lived around the world, including what I thought was the bureaucracy capital of the universe — Washington inside the Beltway. Then I moved to Cape Charles.

This Town has more rules than anywhere I’ve lived before.

Example: Here, less than two months before a presidential election, it is illegal to display a political sign in your yard.

“For Sale” signs are OK. Prayer signs are OK. The jury is still out on Community Center signs. But “political” signs? Oh, no.

And it’s not as though the sign rule is some forgotten silliness buried in a dusty book of Town rules. Here it is, front and center in the September 11 official Town Gazette:

It’s the Political Season again and this means everyone will be advertising for their candidates running for the November 6, 2012 election. Please remember that political signs may be displayed 45 days prior to the election, that’s September 22, 2012 and need to be removed 7 days after the election, that’s November 13, 2012.

So – the Town recognizes that it’s the “Political Season” again.

The Town believes that “everyone will be advertising for their candidates.”

And, presumably, the Town wishes to spare us, the longsuffering residents, from being subjected to political advertising.

While you’re at it, could you please ban all TV political ads until 45 days before the election? [Read more…]

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Larry Veber Pulls out of Town Council Race

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 14, 2012

Larry Veber has withdrawn his candidacy for Cape Charles Town Council in the November 6 special election.

Speaking at the conclusion of last night’s Town Council meeting, Veber said he wanted to devote more time to his business.

Veber served on Council for eight years before being defeated in last May’s election. But following the death of councilman-elect Don Clarke, Veber was appointed to serve until a special election could be held.

“Some good things have taken place in Cape Charles in the past eight years that I have been on Council,” Veber said. He praised the Town staff and thanked his colleagues on Council.

With Veber’s withdrawal, the Town Council election becomes a two-way race between Steve Bennett and Dan Burke. [Read more…]

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Town Council Discusses Ways to Pay for Library

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

September 13, 2012

“You wanted a building and we got you a building,” Cape Charles Mayor Dora Sullivan told the audience at a Town Council work session September 11. She was referring to plans to buy the former Bank of America building for use as a library.

Vice Mayor Chris Bannon said public response to the proposed new library building has been “fantastic.”

The Town intends to transfer $219,000 from a bond issued in 2010 to connect two new wells to the water supply. That includes $7,000 annual interest on that portion of the bond.

Councilman Frank Wendell asked about the legality of taking bond money intended for the wells and using it to buy the bank building. Town Manager Heather Arcos said Town staff checked with the bond council and was told it was OK.

Wendell asked if a written plan existed for replacing the money for the wells. Arcos said no, but that staff was working on one. Mayor Sullivan said she wanted to replace the funds as soon as possible.

Town Planner Tom Bonadeo said the wells had been drilled but not connected. The unspent money in the bond issue was for connecting them, but current water demand is not high enough to require additional wells.

The estimated cost of immediate repairs and required upgrades to the bank building is $67,000. The biggest cost is $50,000 to repair a leaky basement. Minor costs include electrical upgrades, a handicap-accessible bathroom, higher balcony railings, removal of teller stations, and bringing exit doors up to code. [Read more…]

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