Town Crier Articles

Personally, our two felines are indoor only, except for the screened porch, which they enjoy year round watching, birds, bunnies, squirrels and the occasional other wildlife, like foxes, possums, snakes, and other critters who live here among us in New Town.

Letting cats roam outdoors unsupervised might sound ok, but it’s actually a risky business. The Nextdoor App is frequently full of news about cats gone missing. Unsupervised cats face a slew of dangers—from getting hit by cars to encountering unfriendly wildlife or other territorial cats. They might also catch diseases, get injured, or sadly go missing. Additionally, their natural hunting instincts can wreak havoc on local wildlife, turning your fluffy friend into a feathered fiend for birds and small mammals. I have witnessed this by a beautiful cat who often is let outdoors, and who also occasionally uses our mulch bed as a litter box! Not nice. Bad girl! 

 

To keep cats safe and the neighborhood wildlife intact, it’s best to keep them indoors ensuring everyone stays happy and healthy!

 

 

New Town Pool Volleyball starts today - Monday, July 1.  The NTRA Activities Committee is sponsoring Family Pool Volleyball using a light ball on Monday evenings between 6:00  and 7:30pm.  Everyone, from kids to seniors, is invited to play and no experience or swimming skills are necessary. Come and join the fun!  

   

Any questions, contact Liz Fones-Wolf at efwolf@wvu.edu.

Zoom Room (5129 Main Street) is a nationally franchised training center for people and their pets. The focus of each Zoom Room is on positive reinforcement for dogs to help them with socializing, agility and obedience. 

 

New Town Zoom Room owner, Tamara Lembke got involved with Zoom Room about a year and a half ago. Her background in marketing combined with her experience training animals at SeaWorld Orlando was a key motivator for her opening the local center. She chose Zoom Room especially due to the focus on positive feedback to the animals and their owners. There is no “bad dog” shouted at the pets and no use of shock collars or other negative training methods. 

 

Every Zoom Room employee must undergo a minimum of 40 hours of offsite training conducted by the national headquarters. Consistency in employee training and methodology is key to ensuring that every dog and owner are made to feel special.

 

Tamara and her family (husband, four children and two dogs) are Williamsburg transplants and consider themselves permanent residents. They love the feel of Williamsburg, the kindness of the folks who call Williamsburg home and how good it feels to raise their family here. 

 

Zoom Room is open seven days per week and currently has five employees. Since it’s part of a respected franchise (with over 64 locations in the USA) consistency is key. Each Zoom Room franchise is decorated the same, uses the same training equipment, the same training methods and offer the same items for sale. Training gear, toys, treat, beds, bowls, collars and leashes are all available for purchase. Some of the treats had very interesting names; Peanut butter Himalayan chew and Bacon Himalayan chew are a few examples. 

 

Every dog that comes into Zoom Room must be on a leash and dogs are not permitted to engage socially face to face. All dogs must have up to date vaccinations and special puppy classes are held on weekend mornings for the very young pups. In order to ensure cleanliness the entire room is cleaned, swept and mopped every night. 

 

Puppy programs start at eight weeks. Puppy Plus programs start at four months. Puppy agility classes start at five months of age and adult dog agility class starts at eight months of age.  When I inquired as to why agility training is needed for pups and young dogs, Tamara said it helps especially with dogs that are shy and those that might be coming from pasts that may have had issues. Training and education are key to help owners know how their dogs are growing mentally.   

While I was talking with Tamara, I watched as Rachel, one of the trainers conducted a class for four dogs. Each dog and owner were at corners of the room and were being coached through several exercises. As part of the training, I watched as Rachel went around the room past each dog with a pair of crutches, gently tapping the crutches on the floor as she walked around. One young dog stood at the edge of his training mat and then sat quietly as Rachel passed by. All the while the puppy was given positive encouragement by the owner and Rachel. She did the same with a walker. It was wonderful to observe, something I would not have thought of – using crutches and walkers as training aids. Tamara pointed out that part of the training uses different sounds, different items – all to help install calmness into each dog for as many situations as possible. 

 

I asked Tamara and Rachel what their favorite dogs were to train. Rachel quickly replied, “rescue dogs and service dogs” and Tamara said she loved the puppies. As we discussed various breeds of dogs Tamara noted that retriever pups need training as early as possible. They love to chew on things! As an owner several times of golden retrievers I can heartily concur and wish we had a chance to have our goldens, Pepsi and Ruff trained when they were young. Would have saved us chewed brake lines, air conditioning wiring (low voltage thank goodness) and a kid’s pool that had a hole chewed in it the very first day we set it up! 

 

When asked about special memories of a dog they helped train they both laughed and said the same thing. A 219-pound mastiff. “Wow” was all I could say. 

 

The energy and positivity of Tamara and Rachel and their love for animals was clear. I certainly gained a lot of admiration for how they train the dogs and owners and as a New Town resident who walks frequently, I can only hope that many of the cute puppies and dogs my wife and I encounter daily have been trained at Zoom Room.   

 

For more info on Zoom Room: https://zoomroom.com/location/williamsburg/

 

Six years ago, churches and other organizations in the James City County, Williamsburg and Bruton district of York county came together, along with the Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels and the Lions Club, to find a way to prepare and deliver lunches to school age children in the summer when those kids were not able to receive the free lunches provided while schools are in session.  Per Catherine S. Upton, CEO of Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, 
 

“Summer break, a time that should be filled with laughter, joy and exploration, poses a significant challenge for numerous vulnerable children and their families. For many of these young children, school provides a lifeline – a source of nutrition and stability that is abruptly severed when the final bell rings. Sadly, this interruption leaves them vulnerable to hunger, malnutrition, and its devastating consequences.” 
                       

Last summer, volunteers from eleven local churches, a William and Mary fraternity and several faith-based organizations met daily at Williamsburg Indoor Soccer Complex (WISC) in the Good Food Provisions Cafe to prepare meals for delivery to approximately 300 children each Monday through Friday. Volunteers gather to make sandwiches and package them along with individual juice boxes, pudding cups, applesauce and treats such as granola bars, crackers, chips and home baked cookies or brownies (no nuts permitted). Once the meals are packed, volunteers from the local area Lions Club deliver the meals to local apartment complexes and hotels where kids in need and their families live. 

 

Fast forward to June 17, 2024. The number of kids signed up to be a part of this year's

Summer Meals program has increased to  468! Obviously, this means much more donation of food and funds as well as more volunteers are needed to help prepare the sandwiches and pack lunches. My wife and I have several friends who have volunteered the past few years to help prepare the lunches and were so moved by the community's generosity of time and funding that we felt compelled to join them this summer. We look forward to gathering with folks we may or may not know but have a common goal – making sure kids have a lunch every weekday! 

 

The approximate cost for one meal is between $1.80 and $2.20. Sandwich items (bread, meat, cheese, mayo and when available fresh fruits) are sourced through Meals on Wheels. Other food items are donated, and several churches hold food drives specifically for these items. Funding for the same 300 kids as last year will require approximately $33,000 and for 468 kids the amount increases to just over $51,000. All funding is through donations and fundraising drives by the local churches and the local Meals on Wheels. Food costs can be reduced if enough donations are received in the form of individual drink boxes, snacks, etc.

 

If you are interested in making food donations there are several churches holding food drives over the coming weeks. They are: 

• King of Glory Lutheran Church – Sunday June 2 - 7:30a.m. – 12:00 noon
  4897 Longhill Rd. Williamsburg 23188
• St. Martins Episcopal Church – Sunday June 16 - 7:30a.m. - 11:30a.m. 
  1333 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg 23185
• Williamsburg United Methodist Church - Sunday July 14 - 8:00a.m. - 12:00 noon

  500 Jamestown Rd. Williamsburg 23185

  Williamsburg Community Chapel – Every day through August 16th

  3899 John Tyler Hwy. Williamsburg 23185
• DayBreak Church – Daily throughout the summer
  Call – 757-725-1691

Flooding may result from a variety of causes to include overflowing waterways, dam failures, heavy rains, or clogged storm drains. Further, per the National Center for Environmental Information “Ninety percent of all natural disasters involve flooding.”

 

For many reasons and also because a single inch of flood water can cause $27,000 in damage to a home, it’s important to take steps in advance of a flood to mitigate any possible damage.  

 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has some suggestions in this regard:

• Know your area’s type of flood risk.  Visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center at https://msc.fema.gov/portal for information.    
• Sign up for your community’s warning system.  The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio and provide emergency alerts.  Register for Williamsburg JCC Alerts at https://www.jccalert.org/.
• Learn and practice evacuation routes and shelter plans, and flash flood response.  
• Gather supplies in case you have to leave immediately or if services are cut off.  Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medications.  Don’t forget the needs of pets.  Obtain extra batteries and charging devices for phones and other critical equipment.  
• Obtain flood insurance.  Homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding.  If you need help finding a provider, go to https://FloodSmart.gov/flood-insurance-provider or call the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) at 877-336-2627 or your home insurance agent or a private insurance provider.  
• Keep important documents in a waterproof container.  Create password-protected digital copies. 
• Protect your property.  Move valued items to higher levels.  Declutter drains and gutters.  Install check valves.  Consider a sump pump with a battery.    

Two major new developments are poised on New Town’s doorstep and are progressing through the James City County rezoning review process: Westwood Park and Cardinal Ridge. In order for either development to be approved, the James City County 2045 Comprehensive Plan will also need to be revised to change the area designation from public land (PL) to multiuse (MU). This Master Plan revision process is expected to occur concurrent with the rezoning actions. 

 

Neither site is scheduled yet for public hearing before the Planning Commission, since comments from County staff are still being addressed. Stay informed about these important zoning actions and do your homework with the plan links provided below in preparation for any future opportunities for public input.

 

Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms.  By definition a tornado is a violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. 

 

Here in Williamsburg, we occasionally hear about “tornado watches,” but less often about “tornado warnings.” You may ask, “What’s the difference?” The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Tornado Watch when weather conditions in an area indicate an increased risk for severe weather that may be capable of producing a tornado. However, when the NWS issues a Tornado Warning, it does so when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. In this case, one should take shelter IMMEDIATELY.  Warning times vary in the range of 10 to 15 minutes.

 

The 6 warning signs that a tornado is approaching may include:                            

• The color of the sky may change to a dark greenish color.
• A strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm.
• A loud roar that sounds similar to a freight train.                                                                    
• An approaching cloud of debris, especially at ground level.
• Debris falling from the sky.
• A rotating funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm.