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Onancock council approves $800,000 for Historic Onancock School, funds downtown grants; several routine administrative items pass
Summary
The council voted unanimously on routine items including a No Objection letter for Coastal Square Villages, adding a signature card signer at Truist Bank and forwarding a remote meeting policy for attorney review. Council reported $35,000 in downtown grant awards and thanked donors for an $800,000 appropriation to the Historic Onancock School.
The Onancock Town Council on Nov. 17 approved several routine administrative actions, received committee updates and heard public comments about parks, wayfinding signage and payment methods.
Council approved a "No Objection" letter allowing utility boring and the installation of a waterline to serve Coastal Square Villages, LLC; the motion was moved by Councilmember Lisa Fiege, seconded by Councilmember Cindy Holdren and passed 5-0. Council also voted 5-0 to update the Truist Bank signature card to add Councilmember Lisa Fiege as a third check signer.
In committee and community reports, Councilmember Lisa Fiege said Onancock Main Street's Downtown Investment Grant awarded reimbursements ranging from $500 to $5,000 to nine of 18 applicants, totaling $35,000. Councilmember Sarah Nock thanked the Council for an $800,000 appropriation to address capital needs at the Historic Onancock School and described upcoming fundraising and Artisan's Guild events connected to the school.
Council discussed the FY2026 CIP item for $25,000 to purchase benches, trash cans and alley lighting; Councilmember Cindy Holdren asked Council to consider wooden benches instead of metal. That CIP appropriation had been tabled previously during the town manager transition and Council did not finalize the purchase at the Nov. 17 meeting.
Public commenters raised operational concerns: Mark Sinclair urged inclusion of Little League fields in wayfinding signage; Glenn Smith asked whether the town will accept Zelle or Venmo and urged more frequent cleaning of Northeast Park after vandalism; Jay Miller warned of potential problems with the route of the Coastal Square waterline; and Bonnie Warren said "Cash is still legal tender and the town should not refuse to accept it" when discussing payment options.
Several items were set for future action: a remote meeting attendance policy was forwarded to the town attorney for review and will return to Council on Dec. 15, and Town Clerk Debbie Caton will present an administrative policy for HRSD billing and fund-transfer practices at the Dec. 15 meeting.
The Council entered a closed session at 8:17 p.m. to discuss real estate matters under State Code §2.2-3711(A)(3) and later certified by roll call that the closed-session discussion aligned with the stated purpose. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.
