THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9409240234
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ONANCOCK LENGTH: Long : 125 lines
Planning experts from Scotland, Wales, Canada and the United States converged on the Eastern Shore this week to take a good look at two of Virginia's poorest counties.
What they saw was a parade of paradox.
They witnessed extreme poverty surrounded by a wealth of natural resources. They met with ``genuinely friendly'' people who told them that racial separation and economic problems plague their lives.
They toured safe rural villages threatened by a growing number of drug-related crimes. They boated on relatively clean waterways where the natural fisheries are dying. And they recognized a feeling of isolation in an area surrounded by major cities.
By week's end, the rural planners had come up with a list of recommendations for making the best of what's good on the Eastern Shore.
``Hopefully what we bring is a fresh perspective, an objective perspective with no baggage,'' said Barry Beasley, a growth management specialist from Columbia, S.C. ``They say there's a certain magic to it. People will say things to us that they wouldn't say to their neighbor.''
And that's exactly what happened. The eight experts, who had come to the Eastern Shore as part of the Countryside Stewardship Exchange program, toured the peninsula from Chincoteague to Cape Charles. People talked to them, and they listened.
Tuesday night, citizens of the Eastern Shore's two counties - Accomack and Northampton - met at Nandua High School to talk about what they liked and disliked about their home.
The international advisers acted as facilitators of group discussions. In that meeting, local residents said they loved the peninsula's natural beauty, but hated the separation of the races.
Their beloved, tight-knit communities, they said, were being torn apart by unemployment, increasing drug use, high taxes.
After the meeting, the visitors retired to Hopkins Brothers restaurant in Onancock, where they discussed Eastern Shore people and issues.
Vanessa Brazier, a researcher from Edinburgh, Scotland, was appalled by the poor housing she had seen for African Americans. Why, she asked, were the landlords not being held responsible for minimum housing standards?
``It's criminal,'' Brazier said.
Although team members agreed that declining industries, dying fisheries and unemployment were common in rural areas, they said the Eastern Shore's poverty was notable and extreme.
Ric Symmes, from Ontario, Canada, and Bill Sellers of West Chester, Pa., both thought that the Eastern Shore is in a good position to grow and market specialty food items, like organic vegetables.
``Soybeans and field corn are usually a sign of a limited vision for agriculture,'' said Sellers. He said the Eastern Shore should bring in specialty food scientists to develop a product line that would be known for its quality.
Symmes noted that, although people on the Shore perceive themselves as isolated, they are actually surrounded by huge potential markets - Hampton Roads, Richmond, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
The team was particularly impressed with the Eastern Shore's potential to develop history and culture-based tourism. They had spent part of one afternoon with working watermen on Chincoteague, and found the experience fascinating.
``They know as much as any marine biologist,'' said Beasley, who suggested that out-of-work watermen could capitalize on their experience by hosting tours. ``People would love to spend an afternoon with someone like that.''
But, he said, tourists can wipe out the Eastern Shore's existing culture very quickly.
``It needs to be well-managed in order to maintain the sense of place,'' said Beasley. ``You don't want to be Ocean City (Md.).''
On Thursday, the exchange team presented its preliminary report. Today, they were to go to Baltimore to compare notes with two other teams that were sent to Pennsylvania and Maryland. Then, it's back home.
On Thursday, as part of the team's closing remarks, Rob Owen of Gwynned, Wales, made a final plea to the Eastern Shore.
``Don't destroy your culture,'' said Owen. ``And don't compete against each other. Make the Eastern Shore the country's most sustainable region, and keep it that way.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo by IAN MARTIN/
As a participant in the Countryside Stewardship Program, Nessie
Brizier of Fife, Scotland, visited this courthouse built in 1731.
SIDE BAR
THE REPORT
In its 20-page report, the international team recommended that
the two-county region:
Open a ``one-stop shop'' center to help new and expanding
businesses. The center would be a place where budding industries
could get information and help with financing, zoning, environmental
permits, taxes, labor pools, and a wide range of business-related
issues. Existing agencies, like the chambers of commerce and
planning district commission, would form a partnership to run the
center.
Head off a possible seaside bypass to Route 13 - and the large
land purchases that it would entail - by initiating a major
transportation and land-use study of the Route 13 corridor. Use the
study to solve the problems of safety, access, stormwater management
and strip development along the highway.
Hire tax experts to help the counties come up with a fair tax on
farm land.
Create local laws that make it unprofitable for landlords to
maintain substandard housing.
Use the railroad for transportation, and as a tourist attraction.
Expand shellfish aquaculture to offset the decline of the natural
fishery.
Form a farm water advisory group, and develop regional water use
policies. Require water budgets for all businesses.
Create an upscale tourism industry that doesn't harm the region's
natural resources. Then manage it to prevent a tidal wave of
tourists from destroying the local culture.
Form a regional sewer authority and make regional plans for
wastewater treatment.
Coordinate existing economic development plans into a
comprehensive regional strategy.
Process Eastern Shore timber within the region, rather then
sending it out as raw material.
Grow fewer commodities like field corn and soybeans. Focus on
specialty crops.
by CNB