CAPE CHARLES MIRROR

Reflections on Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore

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Kimb’s #GivingTuesday Fundraiser for Cape Charles Historical Society

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Kimb Denny, Executive Director of the Cape Charles Historical Society, is raising money for the organization via a fundraiser on Facebook. Any amount is appreciated! Please consider sharing this fundraiser with your friends and family too. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match donations made on #givingtuesday, November 28th. You can also donate to the Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center directly through their website at CapeCharlesMuseum.org.

The mission of the Cape Charles Historical Society is very important to our area. They strive to build awareness and pride in the cultural and historical diversity of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, particularly Cape Charles. The society works to create a community center for the presentation of education programs of interest and importance to the community. They preserve and catalog local and regional historic structures, artifacts, photographs, and oral history for tomorrow’s citizens. They also support a regional historic archive and research office for collection. They serve as a welcome center for the town of Cape Charles, with information on the town, local businesses, restaurants, activities, and more. During the warm season, they  sponsor the Cape Charles Farmers Market at the Museum.

Support the Historical Society by Donating Here [Read more…]

Oyster Roast at Cape Charles Museum Nov 25th

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On Saturday, November 25 the Cape Charles Historical Society will hold its 20th annual Oyster Roast from 4 until 8 at the Museum – note the earlier time this year. The menu includes local oysters – roasted and raw, fried chicken, potato salad, chowder, 4 bean salad, homemade rolls, desserts, coffee, and soda, with beer and wine available. Food is served 4 -6 PM, with live classic and acoustic rock music by Mike Proffitt and Dana Silvercloud throughout. Also, a silent auction featuring an array of eclectic items, and the traditional Eastern Shore 50/50 raffle. Seating is available both inside the Museum and outside under the tent (with some heat).

Virginia Oysters

Tickets to the Roast are $40 for adults and $15 for children 7-12. As always, we welcome sponsors ($120 gives 2 tickets; $240 – 4 tickets, etc) and also items for the Silent Auction. Tickets and sponsorships are available in Cape Charles at Periwinkles on 215 Mason Ave by cash or check, and at the Museum by cash, check or credit card. To pay over the internet with a credit card, send an email to ccmuseum@hughes.net stating number of tickets desired, and you will be invoiced through Paypal. ($1 extra per ticket to cover Paypal or credit card costs).

Best to purchase tickets at least 10 days before the event, as we usually sell out and they may not be available at the door. Proceeds of the event benefit the Cape Charles Museum. Call 757-331-1008 for more information. Parking lot parking available just east of the Museum. Remember to bring your oyster knives if you like to use them. They can also be purchased at the event.

Abandoned Railroad Ties were never moved, just buried

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In 2015, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality requested that Bay Coast Railroad, owners and operators of the Cape Charles rail yard, come up with a plan to remove or recycle a massive pile of railroad ties that were piled up behind the Cape Charles Museum. The ties, which were treated with creosote, were  recovered and moved by the Army Corps of Engineers while preparing the containment area for the current dredging spoils site. At the time, Creosote-treated products such as railroad ties were required to be disposed of in an approved landfill or be recycled appropriately. DEQ policy noted that the railroad ties must be treated as hazardous waste.

Those photo taken in 2015 shows the railroad ties amassed by the Army Corps of Engineers outside the dredge spoil site (Photo Credit Cape Charles Wave)

Over the next few years, the property went through a few changes, but the railroad ties were never moved. The corporation Canonie Atlantic, acting on behalf of Accomack-Northampton Transportation District Commission, now owns and leases the property to Cassatt Management, LLC (DBA), doing business as Bay Coast Railroad. Northampton County District 2 Supervisor Larry LeMond is chairman of Canonie Atlantic.

Click Here to View the entire Order

On January 19, 2017, after learning that Canonie owned the Property, and that the ties had not been dealt with, DEQ issued to Canonie a notice for the violation; not complying with the original order.

On April 28, 2017, DEQ met with representatives of Cassatt to discuss corrective action to resolve the violation . During the meeting, Cassatt provided DEQ with an updated status on the conditions of the railroad ties on the Canonie Property. The information that Cassatt provided indicated that “the railroad ties were significantly decayed and appeared to present little or no harm to human health and the environment. It was agreed that the remaining railroad ties may remain in place with a cover of earthen materials and application of grass seed to control erosion.”

Based on the May 27, 2015 and June 11, 2015 inspections, follow-up information and the April 28, 2017 meeting with Canonie and Cassatt representatives, the Virginia Waste Management Board concluded that Canonie had violated 9 VAC 20-81-40 and Va. Code 10. l1408. Canonie was required to pay a civil charge of $7,800.00 in settlement of the violations.

The enforcement action also contained a corrective action plan which required covering all exposed material with earthen material to sustain grass seed and prevent erosion; i.e. the pile of railroad ties remains in place, creosote and all.

Site where decaying creosote railroad ties are buried. No tests were conducted to determine if ground or water contamination had occurred (Mirror Photo)

After receiving information on the order,  the Mirror contacted DEQ again, “In the order, it states that ‘The information that Cassatt provided indicated that the railroad ties were significantly decayed and appeared to present little or no harm to human health and the environment.‘ What data, testing or analysis did Cassatt provide to confirm that the ties posed little or no harm? The soil here on the Shore is very loamy, which presents concerns when items like creosote timbers are allowed to just decay into it.”

The DEQ responded “the information was in the manner of a discussion, which DEQ agreed with based upon the original inspection, that (as stated in the order) “the railroad ties were significantly degraded and were considered to present little or no harm to human health and the environment”.

No tests or analysis were performed on the site to determine whether there was evidence of ground or ground water contamination.

Supervisor Larry LeMond’s signature on the violation consent.

Charles Landis: Confederate Monuments, time and significance

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Confederate monuments are being linked to rise of Jim Crow in early 1900’s and resistance to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950‘s-1960’s. The truth of the matter, however, is the earliest monuments were erected immediately after Reconstruction ended in 1877 and Union occupation forces were withdrawn from Southern States; by wives, widows, and daughters of Confederate veterans. The money was raised at tea parties, bazaars, and book sales. Economic conditions did not allow for construction of many monuments until the early 1900’s. Monuments erected at beginning of Civil Rights Movement coincided with Civil War Centennial (1959-1965) and 100th anniversary of adoption of 13th Amendment.

Kirk C. Mariner Collection
Private Collection
1919

Those who believe monuments should be removed need to have a better understanding of the history of bondage in America and why these monuments are inscribed with words that speak of honor and the cause they fought for was considered in defense of freedom and resisting tyranny.

Bondage of one person by another goes as far back as Babylon in the 18th century BC. The word slavery derives from 10th century AD German expansion eastward to Slavic areas. So many Slavs were captured the generic name became slave. [Read more…]

Wetlands Board discusses progress at Cape Charles Beach

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Last year, the Cape Charles Town Council tasked the Wetland and Dunes Board with coming up with a series of Beach Management recommendations. The main concern was how to manage the sand and the rising height of the dunes. Since that time, a few recommendations have been implemented. Town Council held a joint meeting with the Board on Thursday June 29th to get an update on the beach’s progress.

According to the Wetlands Board, they have walked the beach during the winter, and few times during this summer season. This integrated approach to beach management has led to several best practices and a list of further recommendations including:

1. The swale at Madison and Monroe needs to be addressed, possibly with more fencing, or even a grass island construct.
2. Volley ball courts need to be moved—they are too close to the dunes.
3. Modify beach grooming—mechanical cleaning should stay several hundred feet from the base of the dunes to give beach grass a chance to take hold.
4. Move trash cans closer to the water (grass issues again)
5. More sand fencing during the winter, to help slow sand movement.
6. Make the entrance at Jefferson narrower.
7. Create elevated walkways at every entrance (they only approved method of beach access via dunes).

According to chairwoman Ann Walker, the goal is to keep as much of the sand on the beach as possible, and in the process, create on single dune from the north to south end of the beach. The dune system should be low and wide, supported by a mature system of beach grass. Dealing with a dynamic system like a beach, a strong dune system is the only way to manage erosion, and protect town property (the boardwalk and Bay Avenue) from large scale storm surge.

As was noted several times, this is a process that will take time to implement. The town has added $40k in additional funding to help this along.

Grasses taking hold on Cape Charles dunes (Mirror Photo)

Swimming Advisory Issued for Cape Charles Beach

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ADVISORY ISSUED FOR CAPE CHARLES BEACH

(Nassawadox, Va.) The Northampton County Health Department has issued a swimming advisory for the Cape Charles Town Beach in Cape Charles Virginia. Recent testing conducted by the Virginia Department of Health showed that 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 District Health Director, David O. Matson, M.D., PhD. “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 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 [Read more…]

Annual East Coast She-Crab Soup Classic, Crabby Blues ready to celebrate our blue crab

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On Saturday, April 8, local restaurants and the Culinary Institute of Virginia (CIV) in Virginia Beach will be hosting the 9th Annual East Coast She-Crab Soup Classic. The event will take place at 4thStreet Park at the Ocean Front.

Image: http://www.deadliestcatchfan.com

According to Greg Burroughs of CIV, “The blue crab is the iconic representative of all that is great about this amazing resource that is our home. Being a good steward, responsibly harvesting and celebrating blue crab is as much a duty as it is a birthright for locals and those like me, who by longevity, have come to think of ourselves as locals.”

While this is all well and good for folks across the bay, the 6th Annual Crabby Blues Festival presented by Cape Charles Christian School will take place on May 20th from 3:00 to 8:00. Cape Charles Central Park will be filled with music, food, art vendors, bouncers/inflatables and LOTS of fun for all ages! For more information on our festival, or to be a vendor or sponsor, please call Debbie at 331-1717 or email questions@capecharleschristian.org.

Cape Charles HGTV Beachfront Bargain Hunt!!! Finally! Will Air April 2nd 8:00PM

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The latest episode of HGTVs Beachfront Bargain Hunt, Down by the Chesapeake Bay will air April 2nd at 8:00. This episode was shot in Cape Charles.

Phillip and Jordan love visiting Cape Charles, Virginia, with their three young sons. Located along the Chesapeake Bay just 90 minutes from their home in Suffolk, Cape Charles is the perfect place to visit the beach and relax. Wanting to take advantage of the small beach town feel and historical charm, this family is seeking a historical beach home with a budget of $375,000.

Board of Zoning Appeals questions legitimacy of Watch House on Salt Grove

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Salt Grove, a quiet section of Cherrystone Creek, known for its bucolic peace and beauty, has in recent months become the scene of turmoil, tumult and even assault. The Virginia Marine Resource Commission and the Northampton County Wetlands Board have weighed in with fines for gross environmental violations at the site. The Northampton Board of Zoning is the latest entity to be pulled into the conflict. Thornton Tayloe, who owns property adjacent to the Salt Grove “complex” owned by Eyre Baldwin and Salt Grove, LLC appealed the decision of the zoning administrator to grant a zoning clearance for a “watch house” for the purported shellfish grounds on the property owned by Salt Grove LLC.

Luxury accommodations for the watch stander at Salt Grove.

The structure had been used as an event/vacation rental sometime in the past, however the 2016 zoning ordinance removed that use, which prompted the owners to submit an application for a new use as a shellfish watch house. The definition for a watch house is somewhat slippery, if it even exists at all. It was noted during the BZA hearing that there was occupancy by a caretaker, or watchman where he might sleep over on the premises. The county zoning administrator Melissa Kellam stated that the county was careful that the structure would not be considered a residence or have a residential use. “I thought a watch house might be some place where a person watches over a property, like a caretaker, so I did keep this in mind if there are sleeping quarters, it cannot constitute a residential use,” Kellam said. [Read more…]