CAPE CHARLES, Va. — After strong public feedback led to a reevaluation of its initial beach master plan concepts, the Town of Cape Charles is moving forward with a revised approach to planning for the future of its iconic beachfront.
Due to required additional work, the Town will be paying the firm of Vanasse Hangen an additional lump sum for the additional work of $39,408.
In response to residents identifying beachfront planning as a top priority during previous Strategic Planning Citizen Surveys, the Town Council in December 2023 awarded a professional services contract to Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) for Phase I of the Beachfront Master Plan. The firm was selected through a public solicitation process that sought qualified candidates for the complex planning work.
Under the original contract, VHB was tasked with reviewing historical meteorological and hydrological data for the area, as well as analyzing previous studies, surveys, and regulatory documents. The firm also worked closely with a special committee formed by the town, made up of representatives from major local organizations, to develop initial design concepts based on community input.
Those efforts culminated in a draft concept presented to the Town Council earlier this year. The draft was approved for public review, but the response from residents was less than enthusiastic.
“The results from this outreach were not well received,” the Town acknowledged in a summary of the process, which noted that the project needed to return “back to the drawing board” to better align with community expectations.
The renewed public engagement and design work were not anticipated in VHB’s original scope or budget. As a result, the Town Council is moving to approve a contract amendment to support the additional work. The amendment incorporates new tasks and reflects the additional effort required to continue progress on the plan.
So, an additional $38,000 for yet another somewhat less far-fetched plan this time after a previous $100,000 plan that went straight into the proverbial “trash can”. This Ronald Regan country club style of management that the Cape Charles Town Council has adopted is getting expensive. Delegating conceptual planning duties to for profit companies before garnering agreement amongst planning commission, town planner, council, and town manager as to what the practicalities of end product should look like is like spinning a roulette wheel in hopes of landing on an acceptable plan through trial and error is a dizzying and costly approach to local governance. Town Council clearly gambling with “house money” here in Cape Charles. Hope we hit this time. If not, “Let it ride”.
Doesnt Cape Charles have about 100 local artists? Should have saved the $138,000 had a contest, and offered $5000 prize for best concept. That would be too out of the box for our growing bureaucracy. Spend ,spend,spend!