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.   

On Saturday, May 8, Smith Point Sea Rescue responded to a call from a 42” deadrise that was dead in the water and pressed up against a pound net just south of the Great Wicomico River. Those aboard the deadrise had made a cell call to family members requesting someone bring fuel. Two teenagers set out in a 22-foot skiff with 5 gallons of fuel. With 25 mph wind and 4- to 5-foot seas, those aboard the skiff successfully passed the fuel over to the deadrise. The skiff then swamped and flipped over inside the pound net, putting the two teenagers into the water. One of the boys was able to get hold of the net and get onto the deadrise. The second was briefly trapped under the skiff and had to remove his life jacket so he could get out from under the overturned boat. One of the boys got his hand caught between the two boats and received a deep gash in the palm of his hand At this point Smith Point Sea Rescue was called by those aboard the deadrise to assist. Six Sea Rescue members responded to the two boats docked on Cockrells Creeek.

It appears that Mayor Rummage overstepped his authority this past weekend, telling visitors they were allowed to park in the grass on Town Hill if they were patronizing Riverboat Restaurant. This resulted in several tickets being issued and many citizen complaints. Now Town Manager Val Foulds has issued a statement suspending the collection of tickets issued for parking on Town Hill until the matter could be investigated more closely.
A statement from council member Karen Payne said she discovered the mayor’s actions saying, “Unfortunately the mayor was under the impression that he had the authority to direct the Police Department not to enforce the new law.”
The new law Payne refers to is a parking ordinance that is the result of more than a year of council listening and responding to residents’ requests to make visitors pay for their messes.
“The new Parking Ordinance was passed by everyone on council after more than a year’s discussion and public hearings,” Payne said. “The council was responding to an overwhelming number of comments from citizens complaining about ‘freeloaders’ who were coming into town, leaving their trash behind, and not spending any money in the town. This costs the town citizens in police enforcement and Public Works trash pickup costs, to name just a few of the problems.”  

With an election seven days away for three council seats, the sitting town council has its plate full. Revenues are projected down by $163,230 for the proposed 2010-2011 budget; someone is flushing diapers and children’s clothing, which is clogging the pump at the Stratford Pump Station at the expense of thousands of dollars and hundreds of staff man-hours; and the recently passed noise ordinance will to have to be repealed before tourist season begins or town businesses will suffer. These issues and others were discussed in council committee meetings and will be on the agenda for the town council’s May 13 meeting.
At the Tuesday Budget Committee meeting held on Tuesday, April 22, Town Manager Val Foulds presented committee members with a draft budget for fiscal year 2011. Although this year’s budget continues on a downward economic spiral, no new taxes were included.
According to the draft budget, general fund revenues for the town will be down $163,230 from fiscal year 2009-10 and general fund expenses will be down $166,521, leaving the general fund with a surplus of approximately $3,000.

Colonial Beach may be a small town facing big problems, but the upcoming election on May 4 for three seats on Town Council and

two seats on the School Board has brought out 10 citizens who believe they have what it takes to turn the tide.

Colonial Beach Police want to remind folks that town decals are due on the windshield by April 30 for both cars and golf carts.
Colonial Beach Police Chief Christopher Hawkins said police have received grant money to conduct enforcement projects that will include checking vehicles, be it cars or golf carts, for proper title, registration, proof of insurance as well as town stickers and state inspections stickers.