Accomack EDA Head: Airport Traffic Could Increase from Wallops Overflow

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By Linda Cicoira — Accomack Airport could see an increase in traffic if commercial overflow from Wallops Island is sent there, Chairwoman Stella Rohde, of the Accomack Economic Development Authority, told members of the county board of supervisors Wednesday.

Rohde has been talking with Dale Nash of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and Peter Bale, CEO of Sentinel Robotic Solutions LLC. She also said she has been on several tours of NASA lately to learn about the industry. The chairwoman said the traffic could be diverted to Melfa because airspace is so restricted on Wallops. 

Rohde also thanked the supervisors for providing her group with an office at the county airport. She boasted that the EDA members are all dedicated and bring different insights to their board. “It really is wonderful. They might discuss stuff but they don’t argue stuff.” There is “outstanding support and assistance of Accomack County to get it all to meld together.”

Margaret Lindsey, a certified public accountant from Roanoke, Va., has been named the new Accomack County finance director, County Administrator Mike Mason announced Wednesday at the county board of supervisors meeting. Lindsey is expected to report to work in early August and will be introduced to county supervisors later that month.

Mason, who served in the finance capacity for years, said Lindsey “interviewed fabulously” and is already emailing him about Virginia Retirement System investment assumptions. She most recently worked for the City of Roanoke and has more than a decade of experience in government accounting for both municipalities and public school systems, Mason continued.

Lindsey is licensed in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. She graduated from Roanoke College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. 

“Prior to working in the public arena, she was an auditor for KPMG (an auditing network of professional firms) and worked for other accounting firms as well,” said Mason. “Her interest in government accounting started when she served on audit teams for state and local municipalities. She and her husband, Will, an avid fisherman, are excited to be moving to the Shore and look forward to becoming Shore residents.”

Accomack supervisors also voted to amend the fiscal 2020 budget to reflect $8,382,558 in federal and state funding, other initiatives for public schools and for $5.1 million for the Public Library and Eastern Shore Heritage Center construction project.

Assistant County Administrator Rich Morrison also reported to the board about the county’s new construction and environmental self-service permit portal, which will be going public from the county website https://co.accomack.va.us on Aug. 1. 

The new feature will allow contractors and residential users to apply for permits, pay fees, request inspections, check on a neighbor’s construction, and more. 

“You don’t have to come in anymore,” said Morrison. “You can pay online too. Will have two kiosks in the office too … It’s a really great tool for the community.”

Appointment to various commissions and committees were also made and include Ricky Ross to the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission, Richard Jenkins to the Accomack-Northampton Regional Housing Authority, Jay Davenport to the board of directors of the Eastern Shore Public Library, John Harvey to the Greenbackville Harbor Committee, and Beth Onley to the local finance board.

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