Mayor
Town Council
Town Manager
Asst. Town Manager
Treasurer
Town Clerk
Code Enforcement
Town Planner
Public Works/Utilities
Harbor
Library
Police
Welcome to the official Town of Cape Charles Newsletter. This publication is available by submitting your email address to gazette@capecharles.org or by contacting the Town Office at 757-331-3259 x10.
The purpose of this electronic newsletter is to pass factual, informative and timely information to the citizens of Cape Charles and to any other individuals who have a business, property, travel or historical interest in our Town.
The information contained in this newsletter is considered to be the “official word" on the Town’s activities as noted by our Town Manager. The Cape Charles Gazette will be a news source that will report weekly events, upcoming Town activities, articles of interest to our citizens, Town projects, safety & security issues, and emergency announcements.
We hope that you will enjoy receiving the Cape Charles Gazette.
For additional information please go to the Town’s website at http://www.capecharles.org/or contact us at gazette@capecharles.org.
CODE ENFORCEMENT
Doug Smith, Code Enforcement Officer, reported that a permit was issued for the first "new residence" in Bayside Village.
A Demolition Permit was issued for the Fish House at the Harbor and at the time of this writing the Fish House has been removed in anticipation of South Port rebuilding the area.
Doug further reported that he met with South Port representative, Eyre Baldwin, to discuss Erosion & Sedimentation Control issues and tree removal at the South Port property.
A Stop Work Order was issued to a building on Mason Avenue for Failure to Remove Construction Debris. The debris had to be removed by a Town hired contractor and a lien will be placed against the property in question to recapture the Town funds for this work project. In this case the contents of a dumpster were discharged at the rear of building undergoing renovations due to the fact that the renter of the dumpster failed to make payments to the refuse company. This created a safety and public health problem for the Town and the Town acted to correct those issues.
Doug also met with a representative of Bay Creek regarding another issue involving the same company listed above regarding a maintenance situation at Heron Point. The issue of maintenance was resolved by Steve Bennett from Bay Creek and the Town thanks him for his efforts in correcting a problem that had originally nothing to do with Bay Creek.
Doug stated that he received the final chapter for Police Procedures during a hurricane from Chief David Eder and Doug will incorporate them into the Town’s Emergency Operations Plan.
HARBOR
Smitty Dize, Harbor Master, reported that the Schooner Virginia has confirmed that they will be joining the vessel Godspeed on Friday, June 13, 2008 at the Town Harbor. Both of these magnificent vessels will be opened to the public on Saturday, June 14, 2008 from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
To help the Town celebrate their arrival, as well as the Town’s own splendid Allianceand Serenity, the Chamber of Commerce will host a Schooner Fest 2008 at Town Harbor on Saturday, June 14, 2008. The Schooner Fest 2008 will start at 6:00 PM and end at 10:00 PM. Food, music and liquid refreshments will be available and children and families are most welcome! Come out and help the Town celebrate these wonderful sailing vessels and their crews!
Smitty and various members of the Town staff met with members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the DEQ. This meeting concerned the permits the Town submitted on "Walker’s Reef" and the Inshore Breakwater and Floating Slips. The meeting was very positive and we thank the Corps and the DEQ for their time and assistance.
Smitty further reported that the Town will attempt to move the gazebo (currently located on the South Port property) to the south side of the inner Harbor basin (U.S. Coast Guard side) within the next week. The Town thanks South Port for their gracious donation of the gazebo and thanks Scott Walker for his hard work in obtaining same for the Town.
PLANNING
Tom Bonadeo, Town Planner, reported that he has been working with Heather Arcos, Assistant Town Manager, and Paul Watson, Town Attorney, on the Alleyways Project. The Town is establishing a data base and maps to formulate a Plan of Action on this project.
Tom provided a great deal of information for this past meeting with the Army Corps of Engineers and is currently working on obtaining zoning information and Town statistics for the Planning Commission. He reported that he finalized the draft Zoning Map for the Planning Commission and continues his work assisting potential developers and builders.
LIBRARY & TOWN CLERK
Ann Rutledge, Town Librarian, reported that the Toddler & Preschool Storytime was held last week at the Town Library and 18 children and their caregivers attended this event. The theme for last week’s event was "It’s My Birthday".
Ann said that on Thursday, May 10, 2008 The Virginia Symphony Orchestra will present Peter and the Wolf at the Cape Charles Catholic Church Parish Hall for our Library. The event starts at 10:15 AM and it’s geared for the entire family. Ann said the orchestra plans on using a variety of musical instruments to portray each character in this timeless classic. Please make plans on attending this great event and bring the entire family!
Ann suggested that if you plan on taking any long car trips this summer you might want to consider taking a "book on tape" with you. Ann said that some of the latest books on tape include Duna Key by author King, Darkest Evening of the Year by author Koontz, Amazing Grace by author Steel, The Appeal by author Grisham, You’ve Been Warned by author Patterson, Change of Heart by author Picoult, 7th Heaven by author Patterson, The Almost Moon by author Sebold, Evening by author Minot, Protect & Defend by author Flynn and Late Bloomer by author Michaels.
Support our Town Library with your used books and used CD’s. More important please visit the Library; the staff is great and they are there to assist the public.
Joy Pelletier, Town Clerk, reported another busy week in her department with FOIA requests, public requests for Town information and preparing for this week’s Town Council Meeting at the Cape Charles Catholic Church (Thursday, May 08, 2008 at 7:00 PM). There will be an Executive Session at 6:30 PM and the Closed Session will address Annexation issues.
RECREATION & PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Jimmy Marvel, Youth Director, reported that he conducted exercises classes with our esteemed senior citizens at Heritage Acres and was assisted by Sophia Harvey who taught the seniors how to use a "hula hoop". Jimmy said that this form of exercise was very well received by the seniors and the Town thanks Sophia for her assistance and innovativeness!
Jimmy said the Park continues to be used by our local children and youth and the Town is planning on another Street Ball Tournament for June 2008.
Dave Fauber, Director of Public Works, reported that the Mason Avenue Pump Station (Pump #3) is "down" and the Town ordered a new pump. Dave reported that the PWD is using the old pump as a backup but complications with the size and location of the pump are making it difficult to extract the old pump. PWD continues to address the problem and expects to have the issue resolved shortly.
The PWD has begun their Discharge Monitoring Report Quality Assurance Study at the Waste Water Treatment Plant for the DEQ on May 01, 2008. The study will end on August 31, 2008. Water is the most important natural resource the Eastern Shore has and we need to ensure that we’re following the DEQ Regulations.
Dave said that the PWD is starting their Annual Drinking Water Quality Report for the Virginia Department of Health and once it’s completed it’ll be distributed to the public for review.
Patrick Christman, Lead at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, attended a meeting of the Virginia Nutrient Exchange Association in Richmond, VA. The Town seeks to reduce the amount of nutrients it is releasing into the Bay and these classes help to ensure that the Town is following the DEQ Regulations.
The Town Hall now has a working heating and air conditioning system; this is another first for the community and it clearly shows the Town’s intentions that we will occupy this building for decades to come. The long range plans call for the Town to eventually move the Town Hall functions into another location within the Town limits and utilize the current Town Hall as a Public Safety Building/Emergency Operations Center.
The PWD continues their Sidewalk Repair Program and the latest repairs were made in the 200 Block of Randolph Avenue by Bowden Construction. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your sidewalk please contact Dave Fauber at 757-331-3259 x17.
Dave is currently in discussion with Davis Disposal to ascertain if the Town can better serve the public with additional trash pickups or altering collection times. The Town thanks Davis Disposal for their assistance and good work.
The PWD installed another Kiosk at the Beach. This was erected for the purpose of passing additional information to our citizens who use the north end of our Beach.
The Town continues its efforts to re-paint the yellow and blue curbing around the Town in order to ensure compliance with State of VA Traffic Regulations.
POLICE
TRAFFIC ALERT TRAFFIC ALERT TRAFFIC ALERT
Chief David Eder announced that the VDOT has eliminated the "EXCEPT RIGHT TURN" sign on the corner of Route 184 and Fig Street (The corner near Rayfield’s Pharmacy). This is now a FULL STOP and the Cape Charles Police Department will fully enforce that fact to drivers who believe otherwise.
The VDOT is in the process of completing their Traffic Study of the Route 184, Fig Street and Mason Avenue areas. They have concluded that this area does not meet the criteria for a traffic signal or a four (4) way STOP sign. They have recommended that VDOT create a thru/left turn lane with pavement markings and move the existing STOP sign on the shoulder (The corner of Rayfield’s Pharmacy) into a traffic island; thus creating a right turn lane that will be controlled by a YIELD sign. They further recommended the removal of the eastbound STOP sign at Randolph Avenue at Route 184 to maintain the mainline free flow of traffic east and west bound on Route 184.
The VDOT Traffic Study revealed that a 12 hour turning movement count and a 24 hour vehicular volume count revealed that this area did not meet the 500 vehicle per hour for any 8 hours. The VDOT study also revealed that the highest volume of traffic took place between the hours of 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM with 368 vehicles entering the intersection.
ASSISTANT TOWN MANAGER & TOWN MANAGER
The Town is currently working on repairing the Cape Charles Volunteer Fire Department’s (CCVFD) siren located on Mason Avenue. This siren has been inoperable since last summer (2007) when some re-wiring of cable assets dismantled the system. The CCVFD no longer uses this siren since the majority of their members reside out of the Town limits and are notified of fire emergencies by pager or cell phones. The Town sees this as an opportunity to utilize this "siren" as an emergency notification device for inclement weather (i.e. the tornado warnings last week) and part of the Emergency Operations Plan for the Town. The Town currently does not have a notification method in which to alert the public to emergencies. Safety and Security for the public are paramount in the Town
Thank you again for the privilege and opportunity to serve this great Town and all the citizens here.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Dr. Martin Luther King
Joe Vaccaro
Town Manager
Town of Cape Charles, VA
757-331-3259 x20
All information contained in this publication is believed to be true and correct at the time of publication.
Not responsible for typographical errors.
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Municipal Corporation of Cape Charles
2 Plum Street
Cape Charles, VA 23310
757-331-3259
Copyright © 2008. All rights reserved.