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Reflections on Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore
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Accomac, Va.–The Eastern Shore Health District has lifted the Swimming Advisories that had been in place at the Guard Shore Beach near Bloxom, Virginia and the Town of Cape Charles Beach in Cape Charles, Virginia. Samples collected on May 30, 2018 by the Virginia Department of Health showed that bacteria levels in the water once again meet the State Water Quality Standards.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters. “The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean, and we test them frequently to confirm this,” said Jon Richardson, Environmental Health Manager. “On the occasions when waters do fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.”
Signs previously alerting the public of the advisories at the Guard Shore Beach and the Town of Cape Charles Beach are being removed. Environmental health officials sample these public beaches weekly during the swimming season from late May through early September.
Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.
For additional information on beaches, contact the Accomack County Health Department at (757)787-5886, or the Northampton County Health Department at (757) 442-6228.
To learn more about the beach water monitoring program in Virginia visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-epidemiology/beach-monitoring/
For more information about recreational water swimming safety, visit the website www.swimhealthyva.com
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam will participate in the 30th annual Clean the Bay Day with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) on Virginia’s Eastern Shore the morning of this Saturday, June 2. After a brief visit to Kiptopeke State Park, the Governor will visit Cape Charles Harbor at 9 a.m. There Gov. Northam will give remarks and clean up litter and debris with CBF President William C. Baker, CBF Board of Trustees Chairman Harry T. Lester, Sen. Lynwood Lewis, Cape Charles Mayor-Elect Smitty Dize, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Matt Strickler, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Director Clyde Cristman, and other distinguished guests and local residents.
A group of Virginians concerned about litter coordinated the first Clean the Bay Day in 1989. It has grown into an unparalleled cleanup event in which volunteers remove trash from land and waterways at hundreds of sites across the state. Last year, about 6,000 volunteers participated in Clean the Bay Day, on foot and in boats removing approximately 100,000 pounds of litter and debris along 450 miles of shoreline. Since 1989 Clean the Bay Day volunteers have removed more than 6.5 million pounds of debris from beaches, shorelines, and state and local parks. Virginia State Parks have been a key longtime partner in this effort to clean up and beautify our creeks, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Advisory: Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Charles Beach – May 30, 2018.
(Accomac, Va.) The Accomack and Northampton County Health Departments have issued swimming advisories for the Guard Shore Beach near Bloxom and the Cape Charles Town Beach in Cape Charles Virginia. Beach water samples collected on May 29, 2018 by the Virginia Department of Health showed bacteria levels in the water exceeded the State Water Quality Standards.
Recreational waters are monitored for bacteria using indicator organisms such as enterococci, the indicator of choice for estuarine and marine waters. “The coastal waters of Virginia are generally very clean and we test them frequently to confirm this," said Environmental Health Manager, Jon Richardson.
"On the occasions when waters do fail to meet the standards, we need to protect public health by letting residents and visitors know.” Signs have been posted at the Guard Shore Beach, and the Cape Charles Town Beach alerting the public of the advisory.
The sign reads:
Warning! Swimming Advisory
Bacteria Levels Do Not Meet State Water Quality Standards
Swimming Not Recommended Until Further Notice
Health officials will continue testing the site, and they will remove the signs and notify the public again when the bacteria levels decrease to levels that meet the standard. Environmental health officials sample Guard Shore Beach and Cape Charles Town Beach on a weekly basis during the swimming season from late May to early September.
Enterococci are a group of organisms used to determine the extent of fecal contamination of recreational waters. While they do not cause illness, scientific studies indicate that their presence is closely correlated to the presence of other disease-causing organisms. People swimming or playing in waters with bacteria levels higher than the standard have an increased risk of developing gastrointestinal illness.
“We encourage the public to protect their health by complying with this advisory,” said Richardson. “Typically, an advisory of this nature is temporary and will be withdrawn once the bacteria levels have returned to a safe level.”
For additional information on beach advisories, contact the Accomack County Health Department at (757)787-5886, or the Northampton County Health Department at (757) 442-6228. To learn more
about the beach water monitoring program in Virginia visit http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-epidemiology/beach-monitoring/.
For more information about recreational water swimming safety visit the website www.swimhealthyva.com.
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Lost Dog – REWARD 250.00
The dog’s name is Butter (Male).
Missing since Sunday night around 915 P.M, broke out of his collar due to the fireworks @ Cherrystone Campground** He’s a fun loving family dog (our family dog) & we just want him back home ASAP. Please if anyone has any information on our baby let me know!
I found please contact Patricia Jester at 302-752-8560
From staff report: Town Council received a petition from the property owner at 640 Washington Avenue (corner of Fig Street and Washington Avenue) for relief from the strict application of Town Code Chapter 62, Section 62-4. The property owner did install a sidewalk along the lot frontage on Washington Avenue, which connects to the existing sidewalk ramp. Being a corner lot there is the requirement to install a sidewalk along the Fig Street lot frontage as well. All sidewalks are constructed in the VDOT right of way and require VDOT land use permit before beginning work. All newly constructed sidewalks must meet the current VDOT standards. The petition cites specific existing conditions within the VDOT right of way on Fig Street as the grounds for requesting relief.
The ordinance which the owners seek relief is Town Code Chapter 62, Section 62-4 which states that the town council “may require and compel the owner of property within the town to construct or maintain sidewalks abutting on the property of such owner along existing streets” and that the town may “constitute a charge upon the property and the collection thereof may be enforced in the same manner as is provided by law for the enforcement of the collection of taxes on real estate in the town.”
The contention of the homeowners is that since the sidewalk is in the VDOT right of way it must be constructed to VDOT standards–but, VDOT wants them to tie the walks in line with the next available sidewalk:
Subject: Waiver of requirement for sidewalk
Our names are Larry and Pam Reynolds and would like to request to be placed on the agenda for the scheduled town council meeting on May 17 2018.
We recently completed construction on our new home located at 640 Washington Ave. The home is located on the corner of Washington Ave and Fig St. We have completed the required sidewalk in front of our home on Washington Ave and were informed that a sidewalk may also be required on the Fig St side of the property. We have consulted with Larry DiRe with the town of Cape Charles, and Dale Pusey, the Area Land Use Engineer for VDOT, has been to the property on 3 occasions in an attempt to find a feasible location for the sidewalk. Because of the existing obstructions on Fig St there seems to be no clear answer to how this sidewalk could be built. As of my last conversation with Mr. Pusey his only suggestion was that it would have to be in line with the next available partial sidewalk that is 2 blocks to the south beside Wendell Dist between Madison and Monroe. This would place the sidewalk in a line that would cover a space that would cover between 12 foot and 17 foot from the curb on Fig St. That would make the edge of the sidewalk at eye level approximately 7 feet from our living room, dining room, and bathroom windows. It would then continue past our screened in porch and end at our property line at our neighbors shell driveway on Jefferson Ave. With Mr. Pusey’s help I have used flags and taken photos the
route the sidewalk would take, the obstructions on Fig St, and also the line the sidewalk would have to take if it were to ever be connected to any existing sidewalk in Cape Charles.
We feel that the construction of this sidewalk would involve an excessive cost and the loss of privacy for us and just be a sidewalk to nowhere with little or no practical function to our home or to Cape Charles.
At the May Town Council Regular Meeting, interim council member Cela Burge argued that the current language in the ordinance was not definitive, that the town does not have the statutory authority to compel the Reynolds to install a sidewalk. During the discussion, it was determined that the issue would require legislative action, rather than administrative. It was determined that the town’s legal advisors should investigate just what the actual authority of the town should be. The current ordinance dates back to the 1930s.
While Mayor Proto stated that he wished to table the request until legal had reviewed it, Burge countered with a motion that Reynolds could not be compelled to put in the sidewalk and that the town, at its expense, could build it if it wanted, noting that 5-foot setbacks would be enforced. The motion passed unanimously.
As of May 18, 2018 the 67-mile Bay Coast Railroad hauled their last train before shutting down.
Reports are that the Bay Coast Railroad filed with the Surface Transportation Board to cease operation. The Delmarva Central Railroad has formally filed with the Surface Transportation Board to operate the upper 15 miles of the Bay Coast Railroad. Buckingham Branch Railroad will operate the Little Creek-Norfolk operations. Both of these operations may be temporary.
A document filed on May 17, 2018 with the Surface Transportation Board by the Delmarva Central Railroad read in part:
Pursuant to regulations of the Surface Transportation Board (“STB”) at 49 C.F.R. § 1150.42(e), Delmarva Central Railroad Company (“DCR”), a Class III rail carrier, hereby gives notice to employees of Cassatt Management, LLC d/b/a Bay Coast Railroad (“BCR”) that as soon as May 29, 2018, DCR intends to lease and thereafter operate a line of railroad owned by Canonie Atlantic Co. (“CAC”) on behalf of the Accomack-Northampton Transportation District Commission and currently leased to BCR extending from the connection with DCR’ s line (leased from Norfolk Southern Railway Company) at approximately milepost 30.9 five hundred feet south of Second Street in Pocomoke City, Maryland to approximately milepost 45.7 at the south side of Taylor Street in Hallwood, Virginia, a distance of approximately 14.8 miles (the “Line”). DCR’s operations will replace those currently conducted on the Line by BCR.
A notice of exemption to authorize the proposed change in operators transaction will be filed with the STB on or shortly after May 21, 2018 in Docket No. FD 36196. DCR anticipates that it will concurrently seek waiver of the normal 30-day effectiveness period for such a notice of exemption, as well as the normal 60-day period for this advance notice, so as to allow the transaction to be consummated immediately. DCR does not expect to hire any additional employees as a result of the change in operators. Employees desiring further information regarding the transaction may contact Amy Smith, Vice President – Finance and Administration, at (412) 426-6600.
As most or all BCR rail traffic on the line is concentrated on the northern end, the DCR will take over operations where there are remaining customers. Railpace magazine reported the Buckingham Branch Railroad will assume operation of BCR operations on the Norfolk side.
The November Accomack transportation minutes reported that Bay Coast lost their largest customer, DCP, on the Little Creek side. DCP stored loaded Butane tanks and was far and away the largest customer on the railroad.
Activity has been very slow for the railroad. In November, Bay Coast Railroad handled 80 carloads. Fifty-one of these were at Little Creek with the top shippers being Dynaric (8 cars), 30 cars for Mid-Atlantic Transload (grit), and 13 cars for Gordon Paper. Eastern Shore location handled the remaining 29 loads with the top shippers being Coastline Chemical with 6 cars, KMX Chemical 5 cars, 7 Pep Up Gas 4 Cars, Sharp Gas 2 cars, and 12 outbound loads from Bayshore Concrete.
Customers using the Eastern Shore end of the railroad have been part of seasonal operations. Pep-up Gas and Sharp Energy are the southernmost businesses using BCR, however, most of that traffic is only December through March. Helena Chemical (inbound liquid fertilizer) in Tasley only a had 13 cars last year, and is also seasonal.
The majority of traffic on the northern end of the line is from Coastline Chemical and KMX Chemical, both in New Church. The rest of the traffic is concentrated north of Tasley.
Bayshore Concrete pledged a commitment to Bay Coast to increase carloadings after a total of only 8 cars the previous year. Most of the large concrete members fabricated there went out by truck and barge, or a combination thereof. With the plant closed and on the market, the fate of Bay Coast operations was pretty much sealed.
“I was outraged to see VDOT chopping two crape myrtles unnecessarily this morning at 8:10! Why? How can they do this? There aren’t even any power lines? This is NOT the way to properly prune this tree!” – citizen report on May 22nd.
A concerned citizen reported the abuse, hacking, and violation of crape myrtles by VDOT crews on Mason Avenue. The Mirror promptly contacted town staff to ask if they were aware of the “pruning” effort. They said the walked out on Mason and did not see any pruning operations. The Mirror next supplied photographic evidence, and the response from the town was, “Yep. That’s a VDOT crew in the VDOT right of way. Presumably doing tasks under a VDOT work order. I suggest you contact VDOT with questions or concerns.”
Probably a little late for that.
For all the preachy talk about Main Street, Community Enhancement or whatever, this seems like a rather lazy, Laissez-faire approach to maintaining a streetscape. Granted, VDOT can ultimately do what it pleases in its right of way, however at what point does the town get in their face over doing things like this? You would think the town would like a heads up when work like this is taking place in town. A little courtesy goes a long way, especially in the business district.
The importance of crape myrtle pruning
Why prune crape myrtles correctly? Correct pruning yields gracefully shaped trees with more blooms that are held upright on strong stems. And flowers arrive earlier than do those on unpruned or mispruned plants.
Crape myrtles bloom on new growth, so prune them in early spring before they break dormancy. Although some gardeners prune their crape myrtles in the fall, I do not recommend doing this. Fall pruning not only creates an unattractive look for winter but also removes the current year’s growth as a buffer against any potential winter damage.
The Cape Charles Christian School has been granted a special restricted parking area on the Strawberry Street side of the school.
The area has been designated as a no parking area on school days from September 1 through early June.
During May’s Town Council Regular Meeting, a resolution of support was submitted for VDOT to approve the restricted area. After discussion, it was determined that the town, leveraging the police department, could cordon off the section without using a more a formal VDOT restricted area.
The motion was approved. Beginning next September, the drop off area will be in effect.
Former Northampton pitcher Tyler Webb, who has spent time with the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers, was called up to join the San Diego Padres on Monday. The left-handed pitcher was originally drafted by the Yankees in 2013.
Webb was claimed by the Padres on April 14 after being released by the Brewers. The pitcher was then optioned to the organization’s Triple-A team, the El Paso Chihuahuas.
Prior to his transfer, Webb appeared in two games for San Diego, taking the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 17 and 18. In 3.1 innings, Webb threw three strikeouts and allowed three hits.
In 11 games with El Paso, Webb compiled a 1.38 ERA, while tossing 15 strikeouts and walking just three batters.
According to CBS Sports, the Padres called Webb up to have an additional arm in the bullpen, after Robbie Erlin was used as the starter against the Washington Nationals on Monday.
Webb has yet to see game action in his second stint with the Padres.