Chincoteague Beacon
July 9, 2009
Panel urged to plan bridge opening
By Greg Merritt • Staff writer
CHINCOTEAGUE -- Town Vice Mayor John N. Jester proposed Monday that the Town Council appoint a committee to plan for the new bridge opening ceremony.Advertisement
The new drawbridge to Chincoteague remains on schedule for completion on Nov. 9.
"VDOT has been less than forthcoming with our community," said Jester. "We need to start now."
No vote was taken and Mayor Jack Tarr ended the segment of the meeting by saying, "We'll start something soon."
Town Manager Robert Ritter stated the town office had 22 business days in the month of June and fielded 1,874 phone calls and 1,114 office visits. The staff also received 1,292 pieces of mail during the month.
Ritter said that overall the town's revenues exceeded expenses by $56,000 in the fiscal year that just ended
Chincoteague's dispatch center handled 2,800 calls in June, including 349 calls for police assistance.
It also handled 209 9-1-1 calls and 67 ambulance calls, Police Chief Edward Lewis said at Monday night's Town Council meeting.
The police department made 13 arrests, issued 80 traffic citations, gave out 30 warnings, had three incidents of driving under the influence of alcohol, one drug arrest, two breaking and entering reports and responded to 20 animal complaints.
Town Planner Jared Anderson said Monday the town had been successful in obtaining through a grant a new police "travel trailer."
The trailer is equipped with radar and can be placed on streets to get an idea of how many speeders are on a given street.
It will be used as an evaluation tool and not a device to ticket drivers.
Jester said he witnessed a boat going up and down the channel "full blast" in front of the Robert Reed Downtown Park during a recent performance produced by the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance. The boat was a distraction and a hazard to other boats in the channel.
The council asked the town manager and the harbormaster to check into the U.S. Coast Guard's response to the traffic on the main channel.
Jester also mentioned the remains of the boat behind the Landmark Crab House may be a hazard to boats that navigate through the main channel.
Councilwoman Ellen Richardson informed the meeting that the picnic tables placed at the Donald Leonard Park were provided by the Chincoteague Church of God.
The council voted unanimously to approve a new street name. Steve Katsetos had requested a name change for the road that turns into his Steve's Cottages, off Taylor Street. He asked the town to change the name from Yvonne's Lane to Katsetos Lane. The council agreed.
The council unanimously approved a request to vacate a subdivision lot line on property owned by Douglas and Evelyn Taylor along Ridge Road.
Ginny and Jack Van Dame were the only two citizens to speak during the council's public comment period. They gave very brief statements about the council's budget concerns for tick spraying. Councilman John Howard had earlier stated that to spray by airplane for ticks would cost between $30,000-50,000 per spray. That compares with a charge for spraying for mosquitoes that costs from $5,000-6,000.
The council introduced the July edition of the town's newsletter, prepared by Ruth Lane. The new newsletter will be less fancy than the old one and will be available in the town office, the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, convenience stores on the island and local restaurants.
Councilman Terry Howard gave the report of the Harbor Committee and was taken on the carpet for reporting the committee rented a trailer space to a business for the purpose of loading crabs. Mayor Tarr stated the committee didn't have the power to rent a non-conforming space. But a late-arriving Town Attorney, Jon Poulson, came to Howard's rescue and found the ordinance that did give the committee and the harbormaster the power to grant the use.
The Town Council ended the session by going into executive session to get an update on the town's efforts to hire a new Public Works Director. The position has been vacant since the resignation of Michael Cosby three months ago.
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This article is redistributed by permission of the Chincoteague Beacon.
