Members of the ARTC Navy Color Guard from Dahlgren joined guest speaker Lt. Richard E. Malmstrom, CHC USN, at Colonial Beach’s 11 a.m. Memorial Day service. Various groups placed wreaths at the memorial and all vets and service members present were honored.

photo by Bonnie Gouvisis

At a special meeting yesterday morning, Gary Mitchell, Director of Building and Zoning, presented the latest revision of proposed text amendment changes to Article 8, Commercial Limited C-1 District zoning that many believe adversely impacts businesses in town.  There were approximately 25 business owners and citizens in the audience.
The zoning text amendment revisions began approximately three years ago in response to the proposed creation of a Maritime Commercial district on “The Point” south of Boundary Street that offered to provide appropriate locations for a variety of commercial activities related to water oriented issues.  It offers a mix of residential and commercial uses that includes marinas, restaurants, single family dwellings and hotels and motels among other permitted uses.  It includes front and rear yard setback regulations, height and screening regulations.

A friendly game of tossing the football on the beach led to a tragic event that changed the lives of many people in Colonial Beach.
The May 23 accident started with the ball going into the river. Steven Biggins, an 18-year-old Colonial Beach senior, who, according to his mother, Angie Brann, was an excellent swimmer, tried to retrieve the ball by reaching down from the dock. When Steven could not reach it, he tried to climb back over the railing. He slipped, hitting his chest on the way down. It is believed he was knocked unconscious by the blow and was unable to come back up.

Police Chief Christopher C. Hawkins has resigned his position by way of a letter delivered over the weekend to Town Manager Val Foulds, effective June 28.   Hawkins has accepted a position as assistant police chief in Portsmouth, Va.  
Hawkins was selected and began serving as Police Chief in Colonial Beach on January 3, 2008.  Prior to that he had served for 13 years as a Virginia State Trooper.  Chief Hawkins effectively guided the department through a move to new headquarters.  More recently he led the department through a rigorous accreditation process before the Virginia Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, which resulted in Colonial Beach Police Department becoming one of 79 departments out of 400 total law enforcement agencies in Virginia that have gained accreditation. In a recent report to Town Council, Hawkins was pleased to note that 2009 crime rates have shown a decline in every category.  

As Colonial Beach Town Council struggles with reinventing the noise ordinance, at least one resident feels her hearing health has been put in danger.  Meanwhile, across town, Eleanor Park residents are moving out and the town has no plan on what to do with the waterfront property.

Public Safety
It appeared that the last of the May 27 committee meetings was about to conclude when resident Terri Rankin spoke out and strongly cautioned members on the impact of the new noise ordinance.  According to Rankin, a noise permit has been issued by Town Manager Val Foulds for a five-hour practice session for a nine-piece rock ’n’ roll band.  
Rankin advised members that the decibel level generated by a nine-piece band can reach 120 decibels.  According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, sounds louder than 80 decibels are considered potentially dangerous and can cause hearing loss. Rankin, whose home is next door to the practice session, expressed great concern over issuance of the $50 permit, citing health and safety issues.  
Rankin further told the committee that she “cannot enjoy her home” during the upcoming five-hour practice session. She recommended the current noise ordinance be modified with a three-hour limit on noise and that the “plainly audible” standard be applied.  
Plainly audible, or nuisance noise, is defined as noise that is heard when windows and doors are closed in neighboring properties. Although members appeared sympathetic to Rankin, in light of the fact that a permit has been properly issued, there is nothing that can be done.  Members did, however, instruct Foulds to attempt to “renegotiate” the permit.

Colonial Beach’s mascot and logo got a facelift. At the May 19 meeting, the School Board approved three designs submitted by teacher and coach Jeremy Jack. “Petey” the pirate’s new look was inspired by senior Lindsey Graves’ submission in the competition the school held. Her design was sent to a professional logo company to be refined and finished. The school’s clipper ship logo was also updated.

Quietly, with little discussion or fanfare, the Colonial Beach School Board unanimously voted to take down the hoops at the basketball blacktop at the elementary school during the May 19 meeting.
Until the end of the current school year, the hoops will remain up each school day until the last school activity of the day has ended and then will be removed until the next school day begins.
With summer quickly approaching, it appears there will be one less option for children in the town looking for something to do.

Basketball Hoop Removal
Superintendent Donna Power recommended the board vote to take the hoops down in response to continuing citizen complaints about adults using the blacktop at night creating a nuisance for neighbors.
In a telephone interview, Police Chief Chris Hawkins verified that “the crowd they’re drawing is too big for that place” and that the “risk to the students outweigh keeping it open.”  This is a reversal for Hawkins who appeared before the board in 2008 requesting the hoops to remain up.
According to Board Chairman Tim Trivett, the “onus is not on the school system to provide entertainment — it is the town’s responsibility.”  

When it rains, it pours, or so it seems for the Colonial Beach school system.  Right in the middle of school budget proceedings, federally-mandated high school restructuring, an ambitious plan to add a middle school, and less than a month after school board elections, School Board Member Bronwyn “Anne” Congdon resigned her seat in an e-mail to board chairman Tim Trivett on May 13 effective immediately.  Congdon served two years of her four-year term and had proven herself to be a tireless crusader for students enrolled in beach schools.  Congdon also prevailed in Westmoreland County court last year after an attempt to remove her from the board was initiated by members Trivett and C. Wayne Kennedy.