ACROSS THE BAY
Robots, Laser-guided Carts, and Northampton Supervisors

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 27, 2012

Members of the Northampton County Board of Supervisors went on a field trip last Thursday. They visited the Stihl manufacturing plant in Virginia Beach.

“I heard it was a good trip to see how high quality businesses function,” said board Chairman Oliver Bennett, who is also a teacher. “I wanted to see the operation, and see what we should be teaching our students.”

Bennett drove the small white activities bus that took the group to the factory. The building was huge — more than 2 million square feet of interior space on 150 acres, with 1,900 employees.

Most of the work was done by enormous robots, with a skilled technician manning two or three machines at a time. Long assembly lines filled several buildings, with people in high-tech workstations fitting, measuring, and inspecting the products in 12-hour shifts.

“What are you looking for in a student coming out of high school?” asked Supervisor Willie Randall. [Read more…]

Council Gives Final OK to Turn Old School into Apartments

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 24, 2012

Cape Charles Town Council voted Thursday night to rezone the Town’s old school, basketball court, and playground parking area from Open Space to R-1 Residential, and also to allow a 17-unit apartment building to be built in a single-family residential area.

The vote in each instance was 5-1, with Councilman Frank Wendell dissenting.

Some 100 people turned out for the meeting in the Fire Hall. Mayor Dora Sullivan laid out several ground rules but was unsuccessful in enforcing them. “Be respectful and stay on topic,” she said – no personal attacks or accusations. She informed Wendell that he could speak during the public hearing or during Council discussion, but not both.  However, Wendell insisted that when he was elected a member of Council, he did not lose his rights as a public citizen. Ultimately he was allowed to speak at length.

During the Public Hearing, Town Police removed two of the speakers from the podium, and a member of the Planning Commission threatened to assault a member of the press for photographing him.

Wendell urged Council to heed the advice of former town manager Tim Krawczel to put some conditions in the conditional use permit. That should include heeding the recommendation of the town’s attorney for a buyback option and performance bond to protect the Town’s interest in the property in case the developers were unable to carry out their plans. Wendell also moved that the Town retain the basketball court and playground parking lot, suggesting that Echelon build a parking lot across the street for the apartment house. The motion did not pass. [Read more…]

4 Comments

Survey: Northampton County on Wrong Economic Track

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 21, 2012

What do the people of Northampton County want for the future?

Jobs.

That’s according to two public surveys. One was done by the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, which telephoned 350 local residents. The other  was by the County Planning Commission, involving 221 residents in an extensive public meeting process.

“Some of the main messages are not dissimilar,” said Sandra Benson Thornton, Northampton County Director of Planning and Zoning and head staffer for both projects.

But the methods and objectives of the two groups are very different. The Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) began their process with the assumption that the County “was on the wrong track” in its planning and zoning process, and set out to prove it.

“It’s accurate to say they started with that assumption,” said Thornton. “I think they felt there were major issues that need correcting. They felt [the public meetings] didn’t draw from a broad enough representation of the population, and the input didn’t accurately reflect the feelings of the citizens and property owners.”

The CPAC telephone survey was funded by the National Association of Realtors. Its first goal was “to obtain community input on future land uses preferences for use in updating the Comprehensive plan.” [Read more…]

3 Comments

3 Candidates File for November Town Council Election

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 20, 2012

When Cape Charles voters enter the election booth on November 6 to choose their next President, senator, congressman, and more, they will also see a local race that for the first time in Town history is sharing space with a national election.

Way down at the bottom of the ballot will be a three-way race for one Town Council seat. The candidates are: Steve Bennett, Dan Burke, and Larry Veber.

Unlike the national contests, the local candidates will not be identified by political party, since Council races in Cape Charles are non-partisan.

Because the special Town election will take place concurrent with the Presidential election, no extra expense is incurred.

Virginia election law does not provide for runoffs. Whichever candidate receives the most votes wins. Where three candidates are vying for one seat, the winner hypothetically could receive as little as 34 percent of the vote if each of the other candidates received 33 percent.

Town Council elections normally are in May. The November special election is due to the death of Don Clarke, who was elected May 1 to Town Council but passed away in June before taking office.

After Clarke’s death, Town Council appointed Veber to serve in an interim capacity until a special election could be held.

Steve Bennett and Larry Veber were both elected to Town Council in 2008, and were both defeated for re-election in May 2012. Of the five candidates running in May, three were elected, Veber placed 4th, and Bennett came in 5th.

When Town Council had to pick an interim replacement for Clarke, the majority supported Veber. [Read more…]

3 Comments

Town Council Responds to Old School Cape Charles Lawsuit

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 17, 2012

Cape Charles Town Council has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought against it by the citizens’ group Old School Cape Charles.

After Town Council voted June 14 to sell the old school and surrounding property adjoining Central Park to a private developer, Old School Cape Charles, LLC, sued.

Led by local resident Wayne Creed, Old School Cape Charles had offered to lease or buy the school property for use as a community center. The group contends that the Town rejected its proposal “without . . . logical basis or explanation,” choosing instead to sell the property to Echelon Resources, Inc., for $10. The lawsuit seeks a Circuit Court order declaring the Town Council’s actions “unlawful and invalid.”

In its response August 7, the Town’s attorney argues that:

— Old School Cape Charles lacks standing to appeal to the Court;

— The Town’s resolution is not a zoning decision that can be appealed, and issues concerning zoning actions “are not ripe for determination”;

— Alleged procedural errors have not been proved;

— Old School Cape Charles failed to state how the sale of the property was not in compliance with the Comprehensive Plan; and

— Old School Cape Charles also failed to state why a “lame duck” Town Council may not bind a future Council, and why the Council’s decisions were “arbitrary, capricious, or violative of constitutional rights.” [Read more…]

2 Comments

Northampton County to Tax Delinquents: Pay up or Else

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 16, 2012

Northampton County’s new stand on back taxes is far-reaching: pay up or face seizure of assets, garnishment of wages, garnishment of bank accounts, or liens on property — and no payment plans or relief will be offered.

“We are not trying to cause difficulties in people’s lives, but we are trying to get their attention,” said Northampton County Administrator Katie Nunez at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.

Nunez said “tax delinquency” is defined as not having paid that year’s assessment by December 5. First, she said, the County treasurer will send out notices to those who are delinquent. They will have 30 days to pay, after which the sheriff can be sent with a warrant to seize property.

Supervisors Oliver Bennett and Willie Randall were clearly uncomfortable with the harshness of the new policy.

“What happens if an elderly couple miss a tax payment?” asked Bennett. “Within a month, do they lose their car?” [Read more…]

3 New School Principals Face a Challenging Year

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 15, 2012

Northampton County Schools are starting the new school year with three new principals — one for each school in the County.

The new principals attended yesterday’s Northampton Board of Supervisors meeting, where they were introduced by Northampton Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Clemons.

Alvin Coleman is the new principal at Northampton High. Previously he was a principal in the Hampton City school system.

Elizabeth Fennell is taking over at Kiptopeke Elementary. She comes from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, where she was an assistant principal.

The new principal of Occohannock Elementary is Ron Yorko, moving from Northampton High, where he was assistant principal.

“I’m excited about what we’re about to do in the 2012/13 school year,” said Clemons. His new hires come after a year of turmoil in the school system, and two of the three schools are not expected to obtain full state accreditation.

Clemons told the Northampton supervisors that Occohannock Elementary will probably earn accreditation this year, but Kiptopeke Elementary does not meet state standards for its math scores, and may not be accredited. [Read more…]

2 Comments

SHORE THING
Local Man Follows the Path of Leonardo

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 14, 2012

Italy has Leonardo da Vinci.

The United States has Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

And the Eastern Shore has Ettore Zuccarino.

All are “renaissance men” – individuals who excel in a wide variety of fields. And anyone who knows Zuccarino would agree that he fits the renaissance definition to a “T.”

Zuccarino and his wife, Carol, live across Old Plantation Creek from the golf course area of Cape Charles – a very short way as the crow flies, but several miles’ drive on dry land. But the couple are very plugged in to the Town, and we rightly claim them as our own.

I first heard of Zuccarino through a little advertisement he ran last winter in Joan Natali’s Cape Charles Happenings:

Quo Vadis Workshops: Where are you going? Try to Google the words “We can’t go on like this.” The hits are in the millions. Wonder why? To facilitate the understanding of this paradigm shift, a series of 12 workshops is offered at the Cape Charles Public Library during which we’ll explore together various wisdom traditions. . . .

I was intrigued. What kind of workshops would I find at the little Cape Charles library – and more importantly, whom would we meet? My wife and I signed up. The course was thought-provoking, but what lingers most in my memory is the person who planned it, advertised it, and conducted it with discipline and humor: Ettore Zuccarino. [Read more…]

TOWN COUNCIL
$96,000 Peach to Washington Sidewalk Study Approved

By DORIE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 13, 2012

Cape Charles Town Council voted August 9 to award $96,000 for an engineering study for the next phase of the Town’s “multi-use trail system” – also known as sidewalks.

Land Studio Professional Corporation will “develop construction documents for implementation of the multi-use trail along North Peach Street and Washington Avenue of the Cape Charles Community Trail Master Plan.”

Land Studio PC also did the engineering studies for Central Park.

In addition to sidewalks, the trail system includes lighting, drainage, and trees and shrubs.

Town Manager Heather Arcos displayed a map of the Community Trail planned phases. The first phase was the walkway in Central Park, completed at a cost of $1 million.

Grant funding through the Virginia Department of Transportation provides 80 percent of trail costs, with the Town paying the rest.

The trail will include a median on Peach Street from the park to Washington Avenue and sidewalks on either side. Trail construction could begin in 2014 if funding is allocated.

“Further phases of the project will continue until the Town is linked by trails. It will be many years before the full Multi-Use Trail Plan has been implemented,” Arcos told the Wave.

The next scheduled phase will be the south side of Peach Street. [Read more…]

5 Comments

Young Green Thumbs Celebrate Bountiful Garden Harvest

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 12, 2012

The New Roots Youth Garden produced 194 pounds of vegetables this summer — and 18 young gardeners. At their Green Thumb Picnic on Saturday, they celebrated both the bounty of their harvest and — for the adults — the success of a public/private partnership that made the program possible.

“The Cape Charles Rotary donated about $6,000 and over 300 man-hours,” said Rotary president Bill Payne. “Eyre Baldwin donated workers to put up the fence. We couldn’t have done it without him.”

The Town provided land for the gardens at the corner of Randolph and Fig, as well as the services of Jen Lewis, Cape Charles Recreation Coordinator.

Project leader Tammy Holloway said the summer program lasted eight weeks, with a different “garden guru” teaching each week. The kids, aged 6 to 12 years old, learned about the soil, insects and parts of the plant. They learned what grows on the Shore, and what products are made from local agricultural crops like cotton and soybeans. They even learned how the Shore’s harvest impacts the state, Holloway said.

Fifteen adult volunteers shepherded the young gardeners and accompanied them on field trips, including to the Mason Beach Fruit Farm in Pungoteague to see the blueberries. [Read more…]

6 Comments

TOWN COUNCIL
Cape Charles Endorses Highway Sewer Hookups

By KAREN JOLLY DAVIS
Cape Charles Wave

August 10, 2012

The Cape Charles Town Council voted August 9 to provide capacity for the proposed “southern node” of a regional wastewater treatment system. If built, the new sewer lines will serve the strip of commercial properties on Route 13 from SunTrust Bank running south to the Corner Mart and out to the Fairview Mobile Home Park.

“This is a starter system that could be expanded if grant funding becomes available,” said Bob Panek, assistant town manager and chairman of the Public Service Authority that is seeking to build the regional system.

Frank Wendell was the only Council member voting against accepting the Route 13 sewage. He pointed to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, which envisions a protected gateway into Cape Charles, preserving the rural viewshed.

“You ride down front street [Mason Avenue] and you see an empty grocery store, and another one coming into town,” said Wendell, who believes that more commercial development on nearby Route 13 will have a negative impact on local businesses. [Read more…]

5 Comments