Thursday’s Town Council Meeting began with letters from the group The Concerned Citizens of Cape Charles, ratcheting up their attacks on the Coastal Precast Concrete plant.
Town Clerk Libby Hume read letters for nearly 40 minutes, the majority voicing disgust and anger against the work taking place on the industrial zoned property.
Coastal Concrete reopened the old Bayshore plant after it closed in 2018, supplying jobs to Northampton County residents.
The pressure from the concerned group of citizens is beginning to take on a serious tone. The group is hoping to bring in Delegate Rob Bloxom and Senator Lynwood Lewis to help put a stop to the work, thereby alleviating what they consider the nuisance of dust and noise caused by the folks working at the plant.
The complaints ranged from accusations that the plant was polluting the environment and destroying Cape Charles’ natural habitat, that particulate matter in the form of dust could cause respiratory disease and cancer, as well as claims that the noise was making all the old people irritable.
It should be noted that when taxpayer monies were used to construct the new connector road leading right into Bayshore, not a peep was made because Bay Creek residents were happy to get a shiny new highway for their neighborhood. Now that the road is being leveraged by the working class, all of a sudden it has become an issue.
It should also be noted, that the Mirror has confirmed that several of the complaints are coming from people with incomes in the high six figures, as well as retirees with massive nest eggs.
While the party line of the so-called concerned citizens is “we don’t want the plant to close”, private conversations expose this sentiment as a lie. The ultimate goal is to shut down the plant and remove the last vestige of blue-collar working-class blokes, most of which have been run off and squeezed out by the gentrification of Cape Charles.
Opinion
It seems the apartheid gates of Bay Creek weren’t strong enough to contain the intellectual sludge from leeching into the historic district. The “elites” that have moved here and turned the town into a pathetic joke, will not be content until the will of the northeast liberal Bourgeois has fully eradicated all signs of local shore people.
Unless these people shut up, or hopefully move away, this schism will never be closed. The divide runs very deep, as the last presidential election proved. Cape Charles is nothing but a microcosm of the class hatred and bigotry that defines the new America.
The election of 2020 exposed the deep rift that exists between liberal elites in high density, wealthy urban centers (and who have now moved down here), and the rural working class. The angst generated by Coastal Precast Concrete comes from the fact that these elites that “come here” have no real understanding or appreciation of what it means to be working class. They have nothing but contempt for the kind of jobs available for them, the kind of jobs needed to provide for their families.
The war on Coastal Precast Concrete is a war on the working class. The divide between the “working class” and the “elite” is the defining issue in American politics, especially at the local level.
The folks that make up the working class on the lower Eastern Shore have experienced economic stagnation–social mobility has declined, while inequality has widened as wealthy retirees have moved into their homes, taken over neighborhoods, as well as the town council.
The plant reopening was a wish come true for many that have lived and grown up here.
While the dust and noise generated by ordinary men at work may seem to be the issue, the distrust and disdain expose something more insidious and deep-seated.
About the Author
To all the Karens that are screaming for Coastal Concrete to shut down….GO BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM!
This town was fine before you came here and it will be BETTER ONCE YOU ARE GONE.
FUCK OFF YOU ASSHOLES!
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING!
I agree
What? “ as well as claims that the noise was making all the old people irritable.“
Who you calling old? This is an outrage. We can’t say anything about anyone because of PC , EXCEPT “old people”. The next thing we will be reading about getting rid of grumpy old people (they also smell funny) by driving them into a rest home far from Cape Charles. This is blatant age discrimination and I won’t put up with it. There will be a flash mob of old geezers with torches and pitchforks at the gates.
Note: Old is one thing, old and not paying attention is another. The letter read at the meeting specifically said that the “noise was making old people irritable”, and it referenced some study to supposedly back up the claim. Oy-vey.
Old people are naturally irritable so it’s not really true that noise is making them irritable when they have already gotten there on their own.
You know that you are over the hill, when your mind makes a promise, that your body can’t fill.
Truth be told, there are a lot of old people who do smell funny.
Thank you for your care and concern for the people who appear to have no voice in America today.
Cape Charles has always had Elite Ass Wipe crazies thinking they live in Hilton Head. My grandfather said in 1972 that the best thing for Cape Charles is a good fire in a stiff wind.
He was born here in 1905. So, He knew the real deal.
As a born-on-the-shore resident, this makes my stomach turn. There was something said a few weeks ago on another post to the likes of “If you think your desire for peace and tranquility override another’s necessity to feed their family…” Is this who we are now? The sound of the concrete plant is the sound of progress and stability. There’s no stability in Bay Creek, the harbor, or at the yacht center. Bay Creek and their residents have de-valued this entire community. Who would ever think houses in Cape Charles would be listed for $1.4 mil? All we have to offer is a shoddy Food Lion, and a few t-shirt shops. I live here and understand the value of this town (being the town proper), and at this point, it doesn’t have a value. We don’t supply anyone with anything. We don’t provide a necessary service. And we have absolutely zero essential employees. Boats come and go, and hopefully the yacht center closes its doors for being so greedy and not performing decent work. The town mis-managed the harbor so poorly that we sold it to the lowest bidder, and the same people who ran it before are now yacht center employees making more money for the same poor end result. And the come heres… They are the final nail in this cheap varnished coffin. We were a poor town then, and now we’re just a poor town with unaffordable housing. What’s the draw? My money would be better spent north of here or south of here. I still live here for the people. The salt of the earth folks that have been here for generations keep the vibe alive. If the wealthy come heres all left tomorrow we’d be better off, and sadly- we wouldn’t feel a change in the culture. They’ve come here and offered nothing but bad advice, inflated housing prices, and a poor attitude towards the local yokels. Those who seek to destroy the concrete plant should be seen as the enemy. I’m sure there are a few born-here locals who oppose the plant, too. To those I say:
You have lost sight of what this town was founded upon, and you’ve turned your back on the history and culture of a once-great piece of land.
This town needs an enema.
The enema wouldn’t stay in long enough to work, it is worn out from sodomy.
Well Put.
I suppose that after they get what they want with cement plant, they are happily attempting to remove our watermen from the Cape Charles Harbor.
The local saying goes “These people are dumber than a clam.” It is part of our tourism. I am asked often by them where do they go to see the watermen’s work boats come it. Now that the Yacht club has been gifted with the “CARE” of our harbor. I have said before and will again at the risk of repeating myself, The Yacht club is a filthy, neglected place. But at least they removed that burnt out boat. Pressure was on.
The workman’s dock now has a wonderful cement walkway, beautiful benches and lighting. Do you believe they did it for the working men and women who bring in local seafood?? NO.
I have lived in Cape Charles 37 years, and never had issues with Bay Creek. They came past my home to go to work then bring out and deliver what they make.
What a selfish thing to do. Take away local jobs that give families who love their native home to live and grow. All that just to have your whiny way??
Seems reminiscent of people buying homes and property at the end in the Navy base runways and then complain about jet noise and want to close or relocate the Navy base. How selfish and self centered people get.
The size in height and length is so small it is possible that these new come here might have overlook it when they were touring Cape Charles and looking at houses. One can have a hard time seeing it unless you are standing right next to the property. Most of there equipment is the size of Tonka toys. I have live here for years and just noticed it was there
The Real Estate brokers and agents brought these people here.
Back in the day and now I love Cape Charles! Change happens embrace it!
Have you ever stopped to consider that devolution (descent or degeneration to a lower or worse state) is change?
Should we all be embracing the devolution of the USA into ****hole nation status because change is always good and we should always embrace it, even when it is stupid, idiotic and moronic to do so?
Coastal Precast aka Bayshore Concrete is worthy! Kudos from the working class!
Like what was once
told to the hungry, thirsty hot residents of the desert “MOVE!”. American Manufacturing was once the backbone of this country and contributed directly to why Cape Charles exists. . Think about the jobs, and revenue generated by the cement plant up and down the supply chain. This country nor this town cannot afford to keep chasing manufacturing out of our communities. Let’s not be bad neighbors. Being old has nothing to do with being cranky, many were just born that way.
The concrete plant has been a part of the community, and it continues to provide much-needed jobs on the Shore. And it is mind-boggling that folks who are interested in moving to the Shore do not check out everything about the area before they make the decision to invest in a house and/or property. What gives? And buyers shouldn’t blame the realators, because it’s the responsibility of the buyers to do their homework. This reminds me of those folks who buy property near Wallops Flight Facility and then complain about the aircraft and noise. Duh! It’s a test runway, and it has been there long before most all the nearby houses were built. Use your eyes and ears folks, before you invest! We need the jobs on the Shore!