Thursday, August 19, 2004 • Kilmarnock, Virginia • Eighty-seventh Year • Number 45 • Three Sections • 50¢ Town pays $100,000 for parking lot by Robb Hoff the town. However, he suggested Hood Capps to seek a real estate requested that a town offi ce com- KILMARNOCK—The town that the town consider selling the appraisal of the four-acre town mittee be reinstituted to research council last Monday unanimously unused part of the parcel. offi ce complex at 514 North Main construction of a new public approved paying $100,000 to The property is to be purchased Street. works building on the property. acquire a .767-acre lot on Waverly from Joseph H. Adams. A condi- “I’d like to know and I think the “I don’t think we need to drag Avenue near its intersection with tion of the purchase is a 15-foot people of this community ought our feet on it because we have a South Main Street. right-of-way perpetual easement to know exactly what this piece building in the back (for public The action to purchase the for entrance and exit to adjacent of property is worth,” said Mayor works) that’s been condemned property came following a public property owned by Adams. Mike Robertson. for almost a year,” said Jones. hearing, with no public comment. Funds for the purchase were Town attorney P. Christian However, Capps said prelimi- The purchase price had not been approved from the town’s general Stamm Jr. added that upcoming nary work is under way to plan advertised prior to the meeting fund. The lot currently has 22 changes in accounting procedures a new public works building on or publicly discussed prior to the parking spaces with an entrance for government auditing purposes property near the town’s waste- vote. and exit. It is adjacent to a larger will eventually require that the water treatment plant. He said a Currently, .3-acre of the prop- parking area that is leased by the town’s assets be appraised. request for proposals to bid for erty is used for parking. The town. The property is also the Council last month declined to the construction project could be remaining .467 acre is green site of the historic Kilmarnock sell the property to a developer developed within 60 days. space. Christmas tree. for $480,000. Robertson said he would Councilman Paul Jones said In another land issue, council Future use of the complex was appoint a new town offi ce the parking area is needed by authorized town manager Lee further addressed by Jones, who complex committee per Jones’ request. Wastewater plant Councilman Gerald Sellers said the town’s water and wastewater infrastructure committee will meet August 23 to consider engi- neering companies qualifi ed to study the wastewater treatment plant’s capability to meet envi- ronmental standards for treated discharge. Robertson said requests for proposals to conduct the study would address projected nutrient loads for phosphorous and nitro- gen in addition to current viola- tions of zinc and copper levels, which he said have occurred for the past four years. In one of her mother’s favorite photographs, Karly Davis Robertson authorized Capps to plays on the beach during a family vacation. notify the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality about the town’s progress toward handling nutrient loads and correcting vio- Karly Davis faces lations. He said town offi cials agreed on June 29 to inform DEQ Kilmarnock councilman Emerson Russell (left) and town manager Lee Hood Capps visited the within 60 days about the prog- challenges with help three-quarter acre Waverly Avenue property approved for purchase by the Kilmarnock town ress. council on Monday for $100,000. The property has 22 parking places, nearly a half-acre of open “I just want to make sure we space, and the historic town Christmas tree. (continued on page A13) from enzyme therapy by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi SHARPS—Karly Davis awoke from her afternoon nap Monday fl ashing a big smile. New information rescues ferry project She threw off her blanket, hopped down from the living room sofa and immediately burst through the front door, call- ing for her beagle Copper. by Reid Pierce Armstrong though this is grant money, Given these numbers, a “She has so much energy now,” said her mother. “She HEATHSVILLE—It was beginning to it is still taxpayer dollars,” two-vessel operation using wasn’t like that a year ago, before the treatments. She can run look like the Reedville-Crisfi eld ferry proj- Eades said in a July 29 Economic boost? 20-knot catamarans would and jump like other children and not get tired.” ect was a “no-go.” letter to Maryland offi cials. A February 2001 study carry 220,000 vehicles and Four-year-old Karly had spent most of her time curled up The early results of a feasibility study con- “We do not want to spend regarding a ferry route 500,000 passengers per on an oversized chair, watching television. Playing for more cluded that a two-boat system traveling 16.5 any more money if this between Reedville and the year. than just a few minutes at a time would cause fatigue and to 20 knots could break even in terms of project cannot be feasibly Eastern Shore of Virginia “Financially, the pro- labored breathing. operating costs and revenues, but would not done.” estimated local economic posed service would gen- In the past year, however, a remarkable new drug has given be able to support the capital costs for new But last week a clarifi - development benefi ts at $1 erate suffi cient revenues Karly the energy to run and play like a typical preschooler and vessels and access improvements. cation from the consulting million per year in wages not only to cover all oper- given her parents, Ryan and Sarah Davis, hope. This is not what Northumberland County group conducting the study and $700,000 in purchases ating expenses but also offi cials wanted to hear. shed a light of hope on the from local businesses, $1.5 to provide at least $1 The diagnosis Sen. John W. Warner, Sen. George Allen project, convincing super- million to $1.3 million Karly was 19 months old when doctors at the Medical Col- million in new sales by lege of Virginia told her parents she’d probably die by age 5. and Rep. JoAnn Davis have warned that visors to give it one more local businesses and $6 mil- in excess revenues,” said it could be a struggle, though possible, to chance. Savage. “This result, cou- She has a rare genetic disease. It’s proper name is Muco- lion a year in tourist spend- polysaccharidosis (MPS) I. It’s commonly known as Hurler obtain money for the terminal improvements, Before proceeding with ing. These fi gures would be pled with the growing but that it would be impossible to get the the next phase of the study, congestion and delays on syndrome and comes in three severities from mild (Scheie revisited in later phases of syndrome) to severe (Hurler). Karly suffers from Hurler- necessary funds for the vessel construction. Eades asked PB Consul- the current study. the drive-around alterna- “It was always our understanding that both tants “to convince my board tives, makes it one of the (continued on page A13) localities would seek federal funds to build that it would be feasible to most attractive opportuni- the ports or terminals, and an operator would continue with the study.” ties for private investment provide everything else,” said county admin- Responding by email, Joe Savage said in ferry operations today.” istrator Kenneth D. Eades. “The Reedville to Crisfi eld ferry route is the He agreed that funding for the terminals Unwilling to invest any of its own money best opportunity for successful vehicle-pas- would be easier to obtain since the facilities and disheartened by the prospects of federal senger ferry service on the east coast today.” could be used for other purposes besides the funding, Northumberland supervisors were Savage rephrased the conclusions of the ferry, “such as a community center, a public on the verge of calling the study off two study, noting that he used the most conser- dock for excursion and other commercial weeks ago. vative assumptions (high end of cost ranges and large private recreational vessels, and a “I must also point out that a lot of and low end of ridership expectations and passenger cruise ship terminal facilities that money has been spent on studies, and even fares). (continued on page A13) Rezoning request is resurrected LANCASTER—The county planning commission will meet today, August 19, at 7 p.m. in the Lancaster general district court- room to reconsider a rezoning request by the New Tides LLC Placing a ridgeline roof on the school, as shown in this rendition of a modernized middle for the former Tides Lodge prop- school, would add $500,000 to the cost of the renovation and addition to the existing erty. structure. Several supervisors object strongly to a fl at roof on a new or modernized school As proposed, some 9.43 acres because the current school’s fl at roof has caused so many problems. The new school esti- would be redeveloped to accom- mates refl ect a ridgeline roof. modate a 65-unit condominium and 56 boat slips on Carters Creek. The rezoning request seeks County and school offi cials multi-family residential zoning (R-2). It is currently zoned for Karly Davis and her parents, Ryan (left) and Sarah, were general residential use (R-1).