The Northampton Board of Supervisors tabled a Special Use Permit that would have destroyed 130 acres of prime agricultural lands along Cherrydale Drive. Hecate Energy had plans to build a massive solar farm on this parcel. Despite lukewarm assurances from the company that it would increase the tax base as well as create a few temporary jobs, the BoS, as well as most of the public, was not buying what they were selling. The tradeoff, giving up a big chunk of productive farmland, as well as a pound of our agricultural heritage, seemed too high a price tag.
Archives for February 2016
Riverside Heart-to-Heart Day at Little Italy on February 29th
NASSAWADOX VA– Heart disease is the number 1 killer of both men and women in the U.S., but careful monitoring and lifestyle changes can cut risk factors for most folks.
On February 29th at Little Italy restaurant in Nassawadox, Riverside is sponsoring a program that offers a generous helping of education and heart-related medical screening along with a tasty lunch.
The event kicks off at 8:00 a.m. with important screenings to give you a good indication of your overall heart health. At 10:30, Dr. David Jones will share his expert advice, along with speakers John Peterman and Jennifer Barnes who will provide an update on the new Riverside campus and on hospice services.
The cost of the event is $10 and includes a tasty lunch from 11:30 to 12:30. To purchase tickets in advance as recommended, visit the Cardiology department at the hospital, at the YMCA in Onley or at Little Italy in Nassawadox. Call 414-8320 for more information.
Shore Health Services and Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital are affiliated with Riverside Health System (RHS) in Newport News, Virginia. RHS is a 501c(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health and saving lives. RHS is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors, as is each of the Riverside affiliates throughout the region.
On the Eastern Shore, Riverside’s services are anchored by Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Riverside Shore Rehabilitation Center and our Riverside Medical Group Doctor’s offices. Services include: Emergency Care, Critical Care, Surgery, Newborn Care, Cancer Care, Diagnostic Imaging, Family Medicine and Specialty Physicians, Long Term Care, Physical Therapy and Home Care.
For more information, go to www.riversideonline.com/shore.
Clearing Ghost Pots: How ES Waterman can fight the winter blues
As was reported in Scientific Reports, a new VIMS study focuses on a collaborative 6-year program to remove abandoned crab traps in the Chesapeake Bay, which showed that the effort generated more than USD 20 million in catch value for local fishermen. For Eastern Shore waterman, this may not be the be all to end all, but it does offer a way to supplement winter income, while relieving the bay of rogue pots.
The research, which was conducted by Professors Andrew Scheld, Donna Bilkovic and Kirk Havens, with support from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, was funded through disaster-relief funds made available in 2008 after the US Department of Commerce declared the Bay’s blue crab industry a “commercial fishery failure” following several years of downward trending harvests.
[Read more…]
Can Resiliency Parks fight Sea Level Rise in Cape Charles?
Bay waters are already rising due to climate change and land subsidence. This combination increases the relative rate of sea level rise in the region: during the last century, the relative sea level has risen approximately one foot in the Chesapeake, nearly twice the global average. Scientists predict that the bay’s relative sea level could rise anywhere from 1.3 feet (0.4 meters) to 5.2 feet (1.59 meters) by the end of this century. Of greater immediate concern is flooding from tropical storms, hurricanes and nor’easters. Storm surge associated with extreme weather events will threaten both natural and human infrastructure in the bay.
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LaMer Design: Everything Must Go Winter Clearance Feb 12-20
Science & Philosophy: Prequels to the United States Constitution, Feb 19, 2016
Science and Philosophy Seminar of the Eastern Shore of Virginia has scheduled a seminar, “Prequels to the United States Constitution.” The free 90-minute seminar will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb 19 in the Lecture Hall of the Eastern Shore Community College, 29300 Lankford Hwy, Melfa, VA 23410. This Seminar was rescheduled from January.
Mau VanDuren will lead the Seminar and will discuss “The Many Heads and Many Hands” that inspired James Madison to design his “More Perfect Union.”VanDuren is a retired international consultant, author, and political campaigner. He and his wife Jackie found nature and friends in Accomack, Virginia.
These seminars are occasionally rescheduled on short notice. Prospective attendees are urged to check the Seminar’s website (www.SciPhi.org) shortly before a scheduled date.
Science and Philosophy Seminar is an informally organized group that meets more or less regularly to explore and discuss a wide array of topics, ranging from philosophical speculation to scientific research. All Seminars are open to the public. Admission is free.
Contact: Terry Malarkey
757-710-3001
Event date: Feb 19, 2016
Queen Anne’s Minutemen March: Ceremony Feb 9th 1:00, Northampton=Courthouse
Cape Charles: Home of the Sweetheart Deal?
When we ran the story about the hookup charges for the proposed Brew Pub on Peach Street, several folks wrote or commented that we should investigate the sweetheart deal that the Shanty got from the town, mainly that hookup charges were waived for that project. Even as these charges were waived, we wondered if that still constituted a ‘sweetheart deal’; this writer has followed the Shanty project from before there was a ‘Shanty’, and given the details of that development, didn’t necessarily think ‘sweetheart’ is a label that accurately fit that deal.
Shanty proprietor, Jon Dempster, supplied the Mirror with his perspective, “The town got the “sweetheart deal” here. They leased an empty lot to someone who invested $700k on improving it to open a business that provides them with over $100k a year in meals taxes, pays all the property and real estate taxes they previously were responsible for, purchases over $300k a year on the shore, and employs up to 60 locals during peak season with no security on the investment. Should we fail they now have a turnkey operation they did not pay for that they can lease or sell for a higher amount. At the same time they are the property owner which is the main difference between us and the brew pub. I argued that we should not be responsible for paying water / sewer hookup fees for land we do not own. Let’s say you had an empty lot in town. You then decided you wanted to improve the value of that lot. So you put an ad out in the paper that read “Great rental property at a low rate for anybody willing to build said property and pay property owners town water and hookup fee.” How many eager responses do you think you would get? Maybe just like the town you’d get one person crazy enough to think it was a ‘sweetheart deal’.”
Michaux Update: Interim Harbormaster injured during heroic rescue
While the Mirror has so far been unable to get a statement from the town regarding the status of Barbara Michaux, sources have been able to fill in some of the details.
Sources tell the Mirror that a man fell off a floating dock into the water at Cape Charles Harbor, and in what can only been called a heroic effort, Ms. Michaux and another harbor employee, James Jones, along with Officer Chelsea of the CCPD orchestrated the rescue. The man was pulled from the water, with the only injuries being somewhat cold and wet from the frigid water temperatures. Michaux, however was taken by ambulance to Riverside Shore Memorial due to a severe back injury. Sources tell the Mirror that Michaux has undergone a second back surgery, but this has so far not been confirmed.
Due to HIPPA regulations, the Town is limited in the information it can release in regards to the incident, however staff has told the Mirror it will release as much information as it can once it determines what can be made public under the current regulations.
Town Capital Improvement Plan: get ready for massive spending
In preparation for working on the Town’s 2017 budget, council met for a work session on Thursday in order to prioritize budget items. The ‘A List’ for 2017 is listed below:
IV.1 Town Council Priorities
• Prepare and maintain a rolling 5 year CIP
• WTP and WWTP Improve Facilities
• Business Development. Create Economic Development Committee
• Future Land Use Plan – Boundary Adjustment
• Establish a Corridor Overlay for Routes 184 and 642
• Continue Alley Easement and Ownership Project
• Work to eliminate substandard housing in Town
• Work with non-profits to aid property owners who cannot repair their homes
• Comprehensive Review of Town Code
• Continue a Recreation Program
• Continue Support of Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
• Establish a Town Community Center
• Develop Town Parking Solutions • Promote water and energy conservation
• Research Chesapeake Bay Meteor Impact interpretive center
• Continue more cooperative agreement with County Sheriff and more flexible Police Schedule
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