Urbanna wants fewer
slips at proposed marina
by Tom Chillemi
The Urbanna Town Council is asking that 47 boat slips be deleted from a proposed redevelopment of the Urbanna Yachting Center Marina on Watling Street.
On Monday, council approved sending a letter in opposition to the plan for 125 slips to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the permitting agency. The town council’s letter has requested that the permit application be modified to have a maximum of 78 slips, which is less than the 86 slips the marina currently has on Urbanna Creek.
The marina is owned by Potomac Timber Investments—the firm that has proposed building 14 condominiums on the 1.47-acre marina parcel, and has filed a $4.5 million lawsuit seeking to have recent town council zoning actions overturned.
The proposed marina development calls for the demolition of two boathouses and most of the existing piers.
The demolition is also part of Potomac Timber’s lawsuit. Urbanna claims the town boundary goes to the middle of Urbanna Creek and a Historic and Architectural Review Board (HARB) permit is needed. Potomac Timber, however, contends the water is out of HARB’s jurisdiction.
The proposed piers would extend 362 feet to the south toward the channel; and between 160 and 210 feet channel-ward to the east, in accordance with a 2006 permit for 43 slips.
With the 2006 VMRC permit already in hand, Potomac Timber can have a total of 102 slips, said Chip Neikirk of VMRC. That means Potomac Timber is essentially asking for another 23 slips, he explained.
Neikirk said the marina currently has 86 slips.
The town council’s objection states, “The tee piers appear to go to the channel line, meaning any boat moored on the end of one would impede boat traffic in the creek. It (the expansion) would also appear to impede boat traffic to the two adjoining marinas and add to the overall congestion in this area of the town.”
The town council’s letter also notes, “Parking space is limited.”
Wetlands permit
Potomac Timber also has a permit pending before the Middlesex Wetlands Board and a public hearing will be held on Tuesday, August 12, at 9 a.m. at the historic courthouse in Saluda.
Potomac Timber is seeking a wetlands permit to demolish the existing boathouses; retain 8 existing slips along a seawall; retain 3 floating piers and 38 slips from a previously approved application; and add 4 new floating piers and an extension to a previously approved pier to create 79 new slips for a total of 125 slips.
The applicant plans to install 277 linear feet of vinyl bulkhead in front of the existing bulkhead.
A copy of the wetlands board application is available at the Middlesex Department of Planning and Zoning. Call 758-3382 for more information.
Fish fry on Saturday to cap
Family Boatbuilding Week
A fish fry this Saturday, July 26, from noon to 2 p.m. will round off the activities and festivities that make up the Deltaville Maritime Museum’s annual “Family Boatbuilding Week.”
This event brings families from all over the country together, at the museum, to build their own “Wright” skiffs. Starting with nothing but pieces of wood, some fasteners, glue and paint, novice boatbuilders are taught the skills to create their own craft. The results are well worth seeing.
The public is invited to come out at 10:30 a.m. Saturday to watch as the newly-built skiffs are raced by their builders around a course on Mill Creek. The newly built “Pierwalk”—8 feet wide and over 300 feet long—will allow everyone to get a close-up view of all the antics as the new “waterman” row, scull, paddle and otherwise propel their newly-built treasures around the course. For most of these craft, it will be the first time in the water.
Will they float? Will slow and steady win? Will fast and furious? Who will cheat at the turn buoy? Come on out and see for yourself!
Fish fry serving will begin at noon and continue until 2 p.m., guaranteeing that all will eat, even if it takes a while to finish the race. Items available on the menu will be trout fillets with bread, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, cole slaw and baked beans. Unsweetened tea(sweeteners available), lemonade and ice water will be served. The price will be $10 for a choice of two sandwiches, cole slaw, baked beans and drink. A la carte is available on request.
Museum events chef Bill Powell said, “These are the same great fillets I fry and serve for the October Seafood Festival. Ya’ can’t beat ‘em. I’ve ordered plenty, so come on out and enjoy!”
The Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park is a facility for all Middlesex County residents, their friends and others. It is located at 287 Jackson Creek Road in Deltaville.
The park, with a Children’s Garden, nature and walking trails, Sculpture Garden and open fields, is open dawn to dusk. Picnic tables are available. Private events may be scheduled.
The museum, exhibiting Virginia work craft, history, and ships models is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. most summer days. Call 776-7200 for current hours. For event schedules and all museum/park information, Google “Deltaville Maritime Museum” or access Deltavilleva.com and click Museum/Park.
Burglary suspect nabbed
Charles Allen Smith Jr., 26, of Warner, has been charged in the burglary of a Hartfield home, Middlesex Sheriff Guy Abbott reported on Tuesday.
According to Sheriff Abbott, a daytime residential burglary was reported to the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office on May 12. The victim, a Twiggs Ferry Road homeowner, called the sheriff’s office at approximately 9:30 a.m. to report finding his home burglarized. The victim had returned home to retrieve an item that he had left earlier, and he found a windowpane over a doorway had been smashed with a pipe wrench and pulled out of its frame.
Three flat screen televisions were among the items listed as stolen from the home, as well as cash from the victim’s wallet.
The two Middlesex felony warrants charging Smith with the alleged burglary were to be served on Smith by the James City Police Department this week. Smith was arrested and charged with residential burglary in York County on May 15, and has been incarcerated there since that date.
Smith is also suspected of having been involved in a string of burglaries in Hampton, Newport News and Gloucester County as well, said Sheriff Abbott.
Middlesex Sheriff Guy L. Abbott reported the following incidents investigated and arrests made between July 7 and July 21, 2008.
On July 7 a boat owner in the 400 block of Jackson Creek Drive in Deltaville reported the theft of a license plate. The Florida license plate was stolen from a boat trailer parked on the premises. The license plate was entered in the NCIC registry.
Investigator P.T. Lyons Jr. was on routine patrol on General Puller Highway at Cooks Corner at approximately 5 p.m. on July 7 when he saw a man fall from a bicycle he was riding near the intersection. Lyons pulled over to see if the man was injured; instead, Lyons found the man to be intoxicated. The cyclist, a 50-year-old Chapel Hill, N.C., man, was arrested for drunk in public. The sheriff’s office secured the man’s bicycle until he was released sober from the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center (MPRSC) in Saluda the next morning.
A business property in the 100 block of Mill Creek Road in Wake was burglarized sometime after dark on July 6. The property owner found the door of the premises kicked in on the morning of July 7. Items taken in the burglary included over $100 worth of liquor.
A Remlik area dog owner called the sheriff’s office on the evening of July 7 to report that a wild fox had just attacked his dog. The dog’s owner, with the assistance of his brother, went out to look for the dog when they heard it crying in the woods. The fox was shot and killed after it charged after the brother of the dog owner. The dog suffered minor injuries from the run-in with the fox, but was current on its rabies vaccination. The state lab confirmed with animal control later in the week that the fox tested positive for rabies. The dog was given a booster shot and is on 45-day home quarantine. There was no human exposure in the incident.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested an 86-year-old Deltaville man July 7 for making annoying phone calls. The man was released on bond by the magistrate and was provided transportation back to his residence.
A Rappahannock Avenue resident in Urbanna reported that money was taken from his home on July 7. The incident remains under investigation.
On July 8 a Courthouse Drive resident reported that her vehicle had been tampered with. The Saluda resident suspected that someone had put water in the gas tank, rendering the car inoperable. A report on the incident was taken and the case remains under investigation.
A 52-year-old Saluda man was arrested at a residence on Courthouse Drive on July 8 and charged with public intoxication.
On July 9 just before 11 p.m., Deputy R. Dean Cable was on routine patrol in Wake when he came upon a suspicious occupied vehicle pulled to the side of a convenience parking lot on Regent Road. As Deputy Cable approached the vehicle, he detected a strong odor of marijuana smoke coming from the vehicle in question. Cable checked identification on the three male occupants of the vehicle, two 18-year-olds and a 19-year-old. Consent to search the vehicle was granted by the owner. Cable’s findings from the search resulted in all three of the Middlesex men being charged with possession of marijuana. Each was released after being issued Virginia Uniform summonses.
On July 11 a resident from the 100 block of Mae Lane in Wake reported vandalism to a vehicle. The vehicle owner found what appeared to be large burn marks to the interior of his vehicle. Sgt. M.E. Epperly took a report on the incident.
On July 11 a resident in the 1600 block of Locust Grove Lane in Topping called in a theft. The homeowner reported that several dock lines had been stolen from his pier on Meachim’s Creek the night before.
Williamsburg police executed a Middlesex warrant on July 11. The warrant charged a 44-year-old York County man with failure to appear in juvenile court on a show cause.
Deputies were dispatched along with the Urbanna Rescue Squad to a home in the 5900 block of Tidewater Trail on July 12. A man called 911 from the residence just after 1 a.m. to report that a relative had assaulted him. The man was checked by rescue volunteers, but declined treatment. He also declined to pursue criminal charges against the alleged offender.
On July 12 Mathews County deputies arrested 38-year-old Michael Scott Polesko on a Middlesex warrant. Polesko was charged with driving in Middlesex County after having been declared a habitual offender.
On July 12 Middlesex deputies arrested an 18-year-old Topping man on Mathews County charges of domestic assault and battery.
On July 12 a burglary scene was discovered at a home in the 100 block of Locklies Creek Road in Topping. The property’s caretaker discovered the forced entry and theft of items while doing a check of the residence. Statements have been obtained from witnesses in the area and evidence was secured from the scene. Deputy Anna Moore included in her report that more than $1,000 worth of aluminum framed door and window units were stolen. The incident is under investigation.
On July 13 deputies arrested a 47-year-old Urbanna man for violation of a court order.
Virginia Beach police detectives arrested 27-year-old John Melvin Croxton in their city on July 13. Sgt. B.M. Burrell obtained a felony grand larceny warrant for Croxton, formerly of Deltaville, on July 1. Croxton was charged with the theft of power tools from a vehicle parked at a home in the 15000 block of General Puller Highway on June 13.
A two-vehicle crash was reported to the Sheriff’s office on July 14 at 7:35 p.m. The accident occurred in the 1300 block of Stormont Road. The Urbanna Rescue Squad transported one person from the accident to an area hospital for treatment. The incident was investigated by Virginia State Police.
Just after 5 p.m. on July 15, a call was made to the sheriff’s office reporting that a vehicle parked at Stingray Point Beach had just been struck by another vehicle that was leaving the scene. Witnesses to the incident were able to obtain and relay to the dispatcher the license plate number and description of the offending vehicle. One of the witnesses followed the suspected vehicle to a residence on Chick Cove Drive. The driver of the vehicle, a 32-year-old Deltaville man, was issued a summons for leaving the scene of an accident involving unattended property.
On July 16 deputies were dispatched to a residence on Pit Road near Hartfield for a domestic dispute. A report on destruction of property was filed and a warrant was later obtained and served on the 23-year-old male resident for damaging a barbecue grill.
On July 1, deputies arrested a 39-year-old Charles City man for domestic assault. The man allegedly assaulted his girlfriend at a residence in the 700 block of Felton Road in Deltaville, just before 3 p.m.
Deputies went to a residence on Pinetop Road in Topping to serve a wanted-person warrant issued out of Chesterfield County on July 18. When deputies entered the residence to take the 18-year-old named on the warrant into custody, paraphernalia and plant-like material in plastic bags were in plain view of the arresting officers. Deputies confiscated the suspected marijuana as well as some smoking devices. Virginia Uniform summonses were issued to all three occupants of the residence for possession of marijuana.
On July 18 a Sturgeon Point boat owner reported vandalism just before 8 a.m. A report was taken by Deputy N.M. Sibley III, documenting the damage to the windshield of the boat.
On July 18 a resident on Fishing Bay Road in Deltaville reported that the decals on his vehicle license plates had been stolen.
The Deltaville Rescue Squad was dispatched along with deputies to the 300 block of Wake Road on July 18 just before 2 p.m. A 911 call was made reporting that a 65-year-old man had been run over by a truck and trailer as he was attempting to off-load a tractor from that trailer. Rescue personnel transported the man to an area hospital with suspected leg and knee injuries.
