Planning & Zoning

I know many of you are waiting to hear about what happened at the Planning & Zoning Meeting this afternoon. I'm going to give you the quick version. Capitol Investments was tables for the third time and it looks like these guys have pretty much run out of air.

As for the Hearne/Orchards Property, the Board passed their changes and they will move forward with 8 conditions. I'm going to stop there and wait for the Daily Times to come out with their article tomorrow because I believe they are going to throw a Comegys Twist to the entire thing and if they do so I'm sitting pretty with information to blast away at them.

I also expect the Daily Times to go after me for what I had to say in the meeting but we'll see what happens in the morning. Could be a fun day tomorrow!

House Fails To Reverse Child Health Veto

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats failed Thursday to override President Bush's veto of their pre-election year effort to expand a popular government health insurance program to cover 10 million children.

GO HERE for the full story

A Message From Bob Caldwell

Good morning! We have another "call for action" today. The Salisbury/Wicomico Co Planning & Zoning Commission meets today at 1:30 pm in room 305 of the GOB.

There are two issues of critical concern, both "quality of life" issues: First; the Hearn property, which seeks to change building plans from high-quality "empty-nester" residences to student housing; and second, The Captains property on Camden Avenue, which seeks to expand its utilization as a "non-conforming use" property.

The Hearn proposal absolutely affects the neighbors, and the neighborhood. While economic changes have created potential hardship for the developers, that's what's known in the industry as "risk!" It is an inherent part of the business, and it is not up to the citizens or our appointed commission members to create a risk-free environment for businesses. I think it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway), that had the plan been presented initially as a student housing project, the outcry would have been significant, and justified. The probability of being approved would have been slim, at best.

The Captain's property has two issues: First, the question as to whether or not it is a "legal non-conforming" property; and second, the impact on the neighborhood. The first question may be an item that can only be determined in court, but the second has no doubt attached. Expanding its use as an apartment building, when it's nestled among strictly single-family detached homes is extremely detrimental to the neighborhood.

I know the time is inconvenient. Some of us cannot attend today because of commitments. But if you're able, PLEASE try to be at the meeting to lend your voice and support to our friends from the two neighborhoods. Hearings are one of the few areas where attending and voicing opinions CAN make a difference. Unless we as concerned, committed citizens make ourselves heard, the degradation of QOL in Salisbury and metro Wicomico County will continue its downward spiral.

Thank you for being in the game, when it would be so easy to sit on the bench and let others carry the load.

Regards.

Bob Caldwell

This Burger King Sucks!

Last night my Grandson asked if we could go to Burger King and get a Kids Meal. Very rarely do we go out and do so but I thought, what the heck. We drove to North Salisbury to the Burger King on Rt. 13 and I walked inside to place his order. As I stood there for a good five minutes, the people behind the counter completely ignored my being there. There was a family of three standing there waiting for their order so I asked loudly enough for the employees to hear, Have You Been Served Yet? They replied, we have, we're still waiting for our food. Since they didn't respond, (the employees) I walked out of Burger King. When I got to the car to explain, I saw the look on his face and thought, what the heck. I walked back in and two guys were leaving and they said, don't feel bad, we waited 14 minutes for our food.

I finally got their attention and they took my order. I asked for a kids happy meal and said, can I have a chocolate milk instead of a soft drink? He gave me the total and as I stood there waiting I looked at the receipt and I was charged for the milk. When I asked him why he said, you substituted the soda for the milk. I replied, yeah, so why am I being charged for the milk, doesn't the meal come with a drink? He said, you substituted it though. I said, OK, then give me the soft drink that comes with the meal too then. We can't do that Sir. I finally gave up and just figured I'd walk away from the whole thing as soon as I got my food. He handed me the bag and I walked out to the car.

As soon as I got to the car I opened the bag, NO KIDS MEAL! As soon as I walked back in he looked at me and said, oh, here you go, before I even said a word. As we drove away I had ordered a burger and I went to open it and it was cold. Now any time I've ever been to a Burger King, their burgers are microwaved hot and I have never received one as cold as the tomato on the burger but this one was. When we got home I then realized the chocolate milk was not a chocolate milk at all, it was simply regular milk.

We all have had bad experiences in restaurants and this is no major exception. However, this is so called fast food and that wasn't the case and when we finally got what we ordered, it sucked! I'll never return to that Burger King and although there were only 5 people in there besides myself, I'm sure this reflects their service and end product.

I'll add, I don't care if the Owner contacts me and offers me a full year of free food, I'm NOT going back. There's your TIP, Idiot!

What's Wrong With This PICTURE?

Yes, my Daily Times finally arrived. However, did it? Could they have delivered the very same paper as yesterday? Nope! It was a new paper, just the same photos two days in a row.

The Daily Times Is A No Show Again

I'm not sure what their excuse is this time but there wasn't a Paper delivered today. I'm sure FOG will be an excuse but the funny part is, the fog has been far worse in the recent past than it is today and they have a 1 hour School delay here in Delmar? I NEED MY MATERIAL TO BLOG WITH! LOL

Going, Going, GONE!

Over the past few months I've watched this barn simply crumble. Once you see these structures become unstable, there's no telling when they're going to finally crash. That's why I was so concerned about that building on Business Rt. 50 the County took care of immediately. I know of several more buildings/barns just like this one locally that are right on the brink of falling over as well and the sad part is, they're still being used.

Someone's Been Listening

What a difference it makes having this vehicle come through the Plaza and clean the grounds. Whenever I walk through that area I'm constantly picking up trash and throwing it into the cans provided just about everywhere you turn on the Plaza. I'm constantly amazed at just how filthy people can be, even on a daily basis. I can be there on afternoon and show up again the next morning and there's trash everywhere.

Nevertheless, it's nice to see the City making some additional efforts to clean things up even more. It truly made a huge difference. I know, go down there and take a look. A new Shop opened up on the Plaza. Somewhat strange, but cool!

May I See Your Permit Please?

If you travel around the City you'll come across these illegal signs all over the place, especially recently. If I were you, DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE! They are breaking the law and do NOT have the right to illegally advertise and hurt others who use the legal system. Are these more FOB's?

Today's Wildlife Photo

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