Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman Has Not Answered My Coleman Bridge Toll Letter

On February 19, 2017 I sent Virginia Congressman, Rod Wittman a letter via his government website. The topic of my letter was removal of the toll from the George P. Coleman Bridge. (See letter below) As of the publishing of this article; the only response I have received from Congressman Wittman is the automatic reply email that is also shown below.

While I understand Congressman Wittman is a busy man; I do not understand why I have not received some sort of official reply from him or his staff. Maybe it is because there are not enough people in Gloucester and the rest of the Middle Peninsula who want the toll removed from the bridge.

If you find the toll on the Coleman Bridge unacceptable and want to see it removed sooner than later; take a few minutes to call or write to Congressman Wittman and let him know how you feel. His contact information can be found below.

13 News Now Reporter, Niko Clemmons is interested in speaking with people about the toll on the bridge. Contact him at nclemmons@wvec.com and on Facebook at Niko Clemmons

Let your voice be heard.

Kenny Hogge, Sr.

Gloucester Point, Virginia

Helping To Drain The Swamp

Letter to Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman:

Hello Congressman Wittman,

I am contacting you because of my concerns about the toll on the George P. Coleman Bridge and how it has and continues to stifle growth in Gloucester County and other areas of the Middle Peninsula.

After considerable research and conversations with numerous people, I understand; when it came time to replace the bridge during the 90’s, there was a concerted effort, by the local governing bodies to our south and parties here in Gloucester, to prevent the federal government from becoming involved in the replacement process, to the extent that reinstating a toll on the bridge was the only option to cover replacement costs.

I further understand; our southern neighbors’ objectives of reinstating a toll were to stifle the unprecedented growth that occurred in localities north of the bridge when the toll was removed from the old bridge. I further understand; our southern neighbors supported reinstating a toll to stop people from moving from those areas to the Middle Peninsula. I further understand; there were certain influential persons in Gloucester who wanted growth stifled because they want Gloucester turned into a retirement community. I further understand; some players wanted growth stifled until such a time as they too would be able to profit from growth in Gloucester. I further understand; if the federal government had been included, in the same manner as it was in the replacement of two bridges in West Point, there would not have been a need to implement the toll.

When the Coleman Bridge replacement plan was presented to the residents of Gloucester, they were left with the impression that the toll would be required for 20 to 25 years. A year or so ago we were informed the toll will remain for another 20 to 25 years. Within the last few months Gloucester Supervisor, Phillip Bazzani has made efforts to have the toll restructured to relieve some of the financial burden the toll primarily places on Gloucester residents. I appreciate Mr. Bazzani’s efforts, but feel traveling the path through the Commonwealth process will result in minimal to no relief.

Whether or not my understandings of how the toll came about are correct or not is basically dependent on whose version of the story one chooses to believe. There is one thing everyone seems to agree on; the swing span portion of the bridge is necessary only because of the Navy ships that navigate the York River.

I am wondering what the possibility would be of moving legislation through Congress, in which the Navy pays off any outstanding debt and assumes permanent financial responsibility of at least, the costs of operations, maintenance and replacement of the span portions of the bridge; or better yet, of the entire bridge.

If such a shift in financial responsibility occurs, there will no longer be any justification for the toll that has stifled growth in a large portion of the Middle Peninsula. It will also relieve the residents of Gloucester County and other affected localities of an unnecessary tax and restriction on travel.

Thank you for the good job you have been doing and for your time.

Respectfully,

Kenny Hogge, Sr.

Gloucester Point, Va.

Automatic reply from Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman:

• Rob Wittman <Congressman.Wittman@mail.house.gov>
 
• Feb 19 at 3:19 PM

To

• Mr. Kenneth Hogge, Sr., Sr.

Message body

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting me.  I am eager to answer your questions and to assist you in any way I can.  If you need urgent and immediate assistance with a federal agency, please call my Washington office at (202) 225-4261. You can also call my offices in Stafford (540-659-2734), Tappahannock (804-443-0668), or Mechanicsville (804-730-6595).

Your thoughts and ideas are incredibly important to me as I represent you in Congress.  Please be assured that you will receive a response soon.  Feel free to print this email for your records.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll consider signing up for my enewsletter, which I use to keep folks up to date on my activities here in Washington and across the First Congressional District of Virginia.  You can also stay engaged with me via Facebook and Twitter, where I post videos, answer questions, provide updates, and interact with constituents on the issues important to you.

In addition, my office is able to provide a number of other services to First District residents.  A list of these services can be found here.  Whether you need help with a federal agency, are interested in finding tickets to various tourist attractions in Washington, or are considering applying to a service academy, I am eager to serve you.

Thank you again for emailing me.  I am committed to serving you to the best of my abilities.

Sincerely,

Rob Wittman

Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman’s contact information:

• Rob Wittman <Congressman.Wittman@mail.house.gov>
 
• Today at 10:27 AM

To

• kennysr61@yahoo.com

Message body

Hi Friend- As your voice in Congress, I rely on hearing from you whenever issues arise that concern you and your family. I make it priority to engage with folks in Virginia in a number of different ways. Just last week I heard from and responded to more than 45,000 constituents through email, letters, meetings, social media, and direct outreach. And over the past few weeks I have had two Tele-Townhalls, each with over 1,500 First District constituents participating. During both calls we discussed a myriad of issues from health care reform to our nation's security. I’d like to invite you to join me on one of my upcoming Tele-Townhalls so I can continue to have these successful discussions. Please use the resources below to stay in touch with me!                                              Click the icons below to connect with me! I stand ready and willing to listen to you and want to hear your thoughts. Sincerely, Rob  Offices Hanover Office 6501 Mechanicsville Turnpike Ste. 102 Mechanicsville, VA 23111 Phone: (804) 730-6595 Fax: (804) 730-6597 View Google Directions Stafford Office 95 Dunn Drive Ste. 201 Stafford, VA 22556 Phone: (540) 659-2734 Fax: (540) 659-2737 View Google Directions Tappahannock Office 508 Church Lane Tappahannock, VA 22560 Phone: (804) 443-0668 Fax: (804) 443-0671 View Google Directions Washington D.C. Office 2055 Rayburn H.O.B. Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4261 Fax: (202) 225-4382 View Google Directions

Gloucester Virginia Animal Control Trolling For Unlicensed Fish?

The above picture was sent to us from a concerned citizen who took the picture after watching Animal Control driving around what used to be called Yacht Haven and is still the Yacht Haven area.  Were they looking for unlicensed fish there?  Did someone file a complaint about unlicensed fish seen swimming in the York River?  By what right does Animal Control have in patrolling areas outside of county owned land and even then, by what right do they have to even do that without a complaint being filed?

  Just more waste from the county of your hard earned tax dollars.  If these folks are that bored, then they are not needed and the county can save a lot of money by getting rid of this excess bloat.  It was reported as vehicle number 73.  Date was April 21st, 2015 at 10:40 AM.  This isn't even patrolling, this is just down and outright trolling.

  The picture was taken with a cell phone and we edited it by fixing some of the colors and straightening out the picture.  Who knows?  Maybe they had to pick up a very special delivery.

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Gloucester, Sacred Va. Indian Site May Become National Park

RICHMOND – Land along the York River that archaeologists believe was the center of a vast Indian empire before the first Europeans settled in Virginia is gaining White House attention as a possible addition to the National Park System.

Read the rest of the story here about Pocahontas and Captain John Smith along with the Powhatan Tribe.
 http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2014/05/26/sacred-va-indian-site-may-park/9599489/

This could give the much needed reason to move forward with an up river crossing.  

As noted in the picture above of a Gloucester Map that we drew an overlay on that shows what looks to us like what the plans are for future development, the new park is right along the line where the up river crossing would be put in.  The yellow line is present route 17.  To the left is where the crossing would be put in across the York River.

  Present concerns are certain aspects of local politics that need to be adjusted in the proper directions in order for the funding to properly go through.  If certain aspects of local politics do not straighten out, then funding could be lost.

  What all of this means to everyone in Gloucester and surrounding areas is as follows, at present we have the historic triangle that includes Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown.  This would change to the Historic Circle if this funding goes through and an up river crossing is put in.  This would finally put Gloucester on the National map where it belongs.  That also means massive development throughout Gloucester that would eventually create something akin to what Williamsburg presently looks like and bring in all kinds of development and jobs.

  This also means that there is some very serious investments that anyone with the money can make now to profit from these future concepts, however, it's still prudent to wait and see how the funding for all of this works out and we are looking at long term investments.  Again we have leadership issues in this county that need to be corrected in order for this to happen though we seem to be in a somewhat better position today than we were last year thanks to the addition of 3 new board of supervisors that seem to be watching out for the people of the county that in our view was very much lacking in the past.

  This is an area everyone should keep a close eye on.

An email went out to top officials in this county and reads as follows:

The proposed Werowocomoco National Park will open the doors to a level of growth never before seen inGloucester County.  Along with the National Park also comes Gloucester’s inclusion in the Historic Tourism Triangle which will now become a circle. The triangle is currently made up by Jamestown, Williamsburg andYorktown. 

 

Hotels, timeshares, restaurants, theaters, theme parks and more will soon become interested in bringing their businesses to Gloucester.  These types of businesses are not going to squabble over how much it will cost to cross Rt. 17 with water or sewer service; they will simply want permits issued as expeditiously as possible.  These businesses will not complain about landscape requirements as the public’s opinion on the appearance of their establishments is very important to their success.  If the park is truly realized, a second York River crossing will be constructed sooner than later to complete the transportation circle. 

 

This type of growth will be good for the County only if it is managed properly.  Growth of this nature is what was truly in mind when the Highway Corridor Overlay District (HCOD) was developed in 1991 due to the growth spurt that occurred during the few years in which there was no toll on the Coleman Bridge.  Many are now calling the HCOD a form of government regulation that is restricting business growth; when in fact it was concisely developed for growth management purposes.  All one needs to do to get a snap shot of Gloucester’s new found growth potential, is to take a look at Richmond Rd. and the surrounding area in Williamsburg, to include the Newtown and High Street mixed use developments.  This link to the Historic Tourism industry will provide Gloucester with the necessary anchor required to ensure the success of such mixed use developments.

 

Over the past several years there have been persons inGloucester County who have somehow known this scenario of growth was coming in the near future.  Some of these persons have used this information to secure lucrative future gains through calculated land acquisitions and purchases.  Some have also used the information to set a plan in motion to cause the rerouting of the connection of Rt. 17 to Rt. 14 through land owned or controlled by them or their associates.  These types of insider knowledge behaviors must be eradicated as part of enhancing the appearance of Gloucester as a good place to establish a business, visit, reside or raise a family.

 

There are numerous areas within the County’s administration and services departments that need immediate attention.  The Public Utilities Department is one of the primary areas in need of serious work. If this department is currently struggling to meet current demands and certain areas of the systems are inefficient and or near collapse; there is no way the demands of rapid growth will be met.  Gloucester’s water and sewer systems should be one of the top items on a list of areas that require immediate intervention, significant improvements and or complete overhaul.

 

The image of the School Board and public school system is another primary area requiring immediate attention.  Residential growth associated with inclusion in the historic tourism circle will not flourish if Gloucester cannot or refuses to transform its public education system into one of being reputably and statistically successful.  The School Board’s only focus should be on ensuring that an above average, efficient and equal education opportunity is provided for all students. The division and dysfunction that currently exists between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors and the School Board and the Gloucester Community must be alleviated before any remarkable success will be achieved; as it will take both boards and the community working together to transform the public school system into all it can possibly be.

 

There are other areas within the County that will require varying levels of improvement or modification before substantial growth can take place.  Plans to accommodate this future growth should be established post-haste. Analysis of all County departments and functions relative to such growth plans should be conducted and appropriate steps taken to ensure each department can adequately manage and capitalize on future development of this magnitude.   

 

The new National Park and everything that will accompany it will provide substantial revenue and create many jobs for Gloucester’s adults and work eligible youth.  Personal property and real estate tax rates for citizens could actually decrease and property values could increase if future growth is managed properly.

 

Kenneth E. Hogge, Sr.

Gloucester Point

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Suntex Ventures Acquires York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester, Virginia

Suntex Ventures with its subsidiary Suntex Marinas, the Dallas-based owner and operator of marina properties, is pleased to announce the acquisition of York River Yacht Haven in Gloucester, VA. York River Yacht Haven is a full-service destination marina located near the mouth of the York River on the lower Chesapeake Bay, only miles from the ICW in Sarah’s Creek.

 The 14-acre site is in a natural “hurricane hole”, storm protected from every quadrant, making it a very sought-after home for some of the finest yachts in the Chesapeake Bay. The marina includes 325 covered and open slips, boatyard, restaurant, ship’s store, pool, and a marine and boat repair facility.

“Suntex is thrilled to add York River Yacht Haven to its network of marinas along the Eastern seaboard,” Chris Petty, Suntex Marinas President, said. “With the change in ownership, York River Yacht Haven will soon see more amenities, better services, and a new restaurant tenant to better serve our customers and make the boating experience the best it can be.” The restaurant will be under lease to the owners of Riverwalk Restaurant and will be reopening soon.
Mr. Martin Lucas has been chosen to lead the property as General Manager. Martin has decades of yachting and marina management experience and has most recently served as the Director of Customer service for an internationally acclaimed marina company. Martin will be supported by the talented York River Yacht Haven team that has worked diligently to serve their customers’ needs.
Suntex Partners have owned and operated 31 marina properties and are very excited about adding York River Yacht Haven Marina to our current portfolio of 17 marinas in Texas, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Iowa and St. Maarten. The Suntex vision is to be the pre-eminent resort marina company in the world and is actively seeking premier marinas around the world for acquisition.

About Suntex Ventures:

Suntex Ventures is a Dallas-based real estate investment fund with focus in mixed-use waterfront properties including marinas and other select assets. Through its subsidiary, Suntex Marinas, the firm provides marina and property management services throughout its portfolio. Based upon proprietary underwriting, experience, and historical success, they are focusing on high-end resort destinations.

http://www.allatsea.net/suntex-ventures-acquires-york-river-yacht-haven-gloucester-virginia/  Link back to original article on All At Sea website.

In case you missed it, Gloucester's Yacht Haven filed bankruptcy months ago.  It was announced in the local papers only in the legal announcement section.  No news story was done about this.  The is some good news for the area however.  Welcome Suntrex to Gloucester, Virginia.

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• Liberty's Kids 28, Not Yet Begun To Fight, Battle of the Hook Pre Show

Yorktown, American Revolution Special Edition

Liberty's Kids, episode number 36 of 40 episodes.  Yorktown.  We are almost through with this section of our Liberty Education Series and it has been a pure pleasure to work with these videos.  They are impressively well researched and presented.  Though we found a few faults and a few areas of question, those areas were minor and not worth arguing overall as we also considered the audience for these videos.

Today we are presenting a number of special e-books as they relate to this episode and are a real education to the founding principles of this nation.  So this is an extended series today.

We are beginning with Peggy Owen.  The story of a Quaker family.  Quakers were against every form of war, until it was realized that the American Revolution was more than just a war for freedom to govern ourselves.  It was a total revolution of the principles of Christianity itself.  Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, liberty, independence are all tied together for a reason.  They are the foundations of this nation and there has never been freedom from religion as so many want you to believe.

Peggy Owen At Yorktown - American Revoltution from Chuck Thompson

Free downloads of this e-book are available on our SlideShare site.  You will have to sign in with either a Facebook account, LinkedIn account or create a free account to access the free download.  You can read it here online by clicking the icon in the lower right hand corner to enlarge the book into a full size screen view.

  Our next book are letters written by General Lafayette to a host of famous people of the period.  It is a first hand look of what the situation really looked like.

Memoirs of General Lafayette from Chuck Thompson

Both of these books are full and complete and represent incredible detail to the War for independence.

Pictured above is the schooner, Alliance, sailing the York River.  In the background is Gloucester, Virginia.  This shot was taken from the yorktown beach.  The area where the Battle of Yorktown was fought and American Independence won.

The above is a picture of one of the types of canon found on the ships during this war.  This canon is from the Kalmar Nyckel, taken while docked in Yorktown.

This picture gives you a real world idea of what fortifications actually looked like and how they were used.  If you were charging towards these, you had no easy way of penetrating them.  

  

Actual canons used in the American Revolution at Yorktown.  These are on permanent display along with a lot more all over Yorktown.

Tomorrow we have more special surprises prepared for this series.  Stay tuned for more incredible content. 

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Virginia to preserve Pocahontas home

by Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

Pocahontas, Capt. John Smith and Chief Powhatan get their due Friday in a dedication ceremony that preserves the village site that made them famous.
Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell and Native American tribal officials will dedicate the Werowocomoco (WER-ruh-wo-KOM-uh-ko) site near Gloucester, Va., in a day-long event. Now an archaeological site, the village appears to have held a longhouse, judging from postholes, where Smith famously encountered Powhatan after the founding of Jamestown in 1607.

"One of the most significant archaeological sites in North America, it is where settlers and Native Americans first encountered each other," says archaeologist Martin Gallivan of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
A renowned part of colonial-era folklore (and a Disney movie), the rescue of Capt. John Smith by Pocahontas would have occurred at the site, if it really happened, which historians largely doubt. First recounted in a 1624 book, the story goes that after capturing Smith and bringing him to their chief's longhouse, Powhatan's tribesmen were ready to "beate out his braines," when Pocahontas took his head in her own arms to stop his execution. Smith didn't write about the rescue in his earliest accounts of the colony, but he did provide a description of the location of Chief Powhatan's village and longhouse in later accounts that match Werowocomoco. Already on the National Register of Historic Places, the village was the capital of Powhatan's kingship over Virginia's Tidewater region and will be precluded from residential or business development.

"It's a tip of the hat to the first 15,000 years of the American story," says Charles Mann, author of 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. "Powhatan and the empire he put together were major players in 16th- and 17th-century East Coast history - important in their own right and not just because they were unlucky enough to be descended upon by the English."
In Smith's accounts of his capture by Powhatan's tribe, he describes a chief's longhouse that in its floor layout matches the 72-foot-long-by-20-foot-wide floor plan seen at the site. A longhouse was typically built with trees bent over in a semicircle with woven mats fixed across the top and sides. Some historians say Smith mistook a tribal induction ceremony as a near-brush with beheading in his account of his capture in 1607.

Gallivan and his team have uncovered more than a dozen copper scraps at the longhouse site, ones that chemically match European trade items used by Jamestown's colonists and also found at that site, which was about 16 miles away from Werowocomoco. Werowocomoco was located on a shallow bay on the York River, while Jamestown was on swampy ground on the James River. "Only chiefs controlled copper at the time. Its red color was ritually significant in their mythology," says Gallivan, who will speak at the dedication ceremony.
In 2001, landowners Lynn and George Ripley had collected artifacts on their farm, which led to excavation of the site. "They have been very generous and put up with us ripping up their front yard for 10 years," Gallivan says. The archaeological work was conducted with the input of six Native American tribes related to the Algonquin group descended from Powhatan's tribe.

After 1609, which was a very hard year - "the Starving Time" for Jamestown - fewer and fewer Native Americans appear to have lived at Werowocomoco. Powhatan relocated to villages farther west, for example. The ultimate goal would be to see the site become a national park, Gallivan says. "Jamestown and Williamsburg only tell one part of the story from the colonial era, we could tell another side at Werowocomoco."

http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/2442547  Link back to original story site.

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