[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6517446,"mediaKeyId","5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6","parentId",5418371,"title","County staff to send registered notices over unpaid wetland mitigation fees for Captain’s Cove projects","audioSeconds",563,"startMs",4380000,"endMs",4943000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6&start=4380&end=4943","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6/thumbnail_4380000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6517446/Accomack-County/Virginia/County-staff-to-send-registered-notices-over-unpaid-wetland-mitigation-fees-for-Captains-Cove-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517446-3847dc33c44e9eecfd40010487c295e3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770494562&Signature=PIqLUJB84IXFpk95yzPKLKS0xqkZprZ8lXp3fvOFVPxSu7yf6uKeCdM3a4PlnXzBtj0NulhYxZxWVxx0ZyL8znX9a5fOtnr6gIDKnpNnVGzEqn9ANzRM6v78wUqbS123GrIMZnGunaMDdH4E3yeEGpswqIWTWucyPxbY4Nt~aDqOi05XceH~DpwM63UWY3rbbocwOng5Loe6Cu5LCmfbHOseFRJ9ScLHLrNnmhbX9MzekvR48T0E1x7Vly9NQDOoKaKdXt8H4azmzwFBfFSbdyMZ4Kj4mYhqMGNwq1hDHMEsgepz9ik~6WRSbBbsGGkmoz1tdzKD~CmHak79rYa7Kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Accomack","date","2025-07-17T00:00:00Z","article","Accomack County staff told the Wetlands Board that three Captain’s Cove bulkhead projects have unpaid mitigation or in-lieu fees and the board instructed staff to send registered letters and pursue a hearing if property owners do not respond.

Why it matters: Mitigation fees reimburse or otherwise fund off-site wetland conservation required when on-site impacts cannot be avoided. Staff told the board the unpaid amounts stem from earlier replacement bulkhead projects and identified three cases with outstanding balances.

Paul Watson said he had audited prior projects and identified three Captain’s Cove bulkhead replacements for which mitigation or required application steps were never completed. He listed amounts associated with JPAs from past years: JPA 2019 ($1,400), JPA 2021 ($2,470) and JPA 2023 ($1,360). Watson said one property (the Kaleid/Khalee spelling varies in records) had since been sold and the buyers, the Olsens, told staff they were willing to pay a small outstanding amount (staff cited $36). The other two properties remain in their original owners’ names and staff said previous letters had not produced a response.

Board members and staff discussed enforcement options. Staff recommended sending registered mail to the property owners to create a documented receipt of notice; the board agreed. Watson said if owners still do not pay, staff will schedule a hearing and could pursue a civil collection or court judgment to recover unpaid mitigation amounts.

The board did not set a specific immediate enforcement action at the meeting but directed staff to use registered letters as the next step and to report back if owners fail to respond.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Accomack - Wetlands Board - Jul 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff reported unpaid in-lieu mitigation fees from three Captain’s Cove bulkhead projects and the board instructed staff to send registered letters and consider hearings if owners do not pay.","taxTitle","Accomack County, Virginia","taxId",73497,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6517451,"Wetlands board approves 2-foot bulkhead replacement in Hopkins, requires 10 sq ft mitigation",497,3853000,4350000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6&start=3853&end=4350","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6/thumbnail_3853000.jpg","/articles/6517451/Accomack-County/Virginia/Wetlands-board-approves-2-foot-bulkhead-replacement-in-Hopkins-requires-10-sq-ft-mitigation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517451-771352f6efe229d60a8eb3a7f2781b58/orig.mp4?Expires=1770494562&Signature=kMSfRE3DgozAHcxXBzSyNaCfX7Shh3tgXW~lWJrUcknvYgL0QOjShXkFRrz67oGkr67C82iB5JKGHQjXYUGBy2nZRbZfqKpe7TN1kaWXSC5cfMU94uwHiGXQfZ-Ywntpuz9BprHVn1fVcdb32Qmo-Tto24ILXux1BCKmuVWt222AZfECBTA4Ulvzqpv7mFLfRzFCm62FbO8nMvqbTG6OtHWkct7~yjQVprjJRAu-bFSVlyYJq0IPWhOHLC5CyQ7D6K3e4FlUPcWsXfRgfvvYx6j5HmeSBGarBwezRezpsW~jkBCFxFIMWGus1vSe-HifZVb7M7CtZbDndmDgFKmm8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Accomack County Wetlands Board voted to accept a bulkhead-replacement application for a man-made boat basin in the Hopkins area and attached a mitigation requirement of 10 square feet of non-vegetated-wetland credits to the approval.

Why it matters: The permit allows a two-foot seaward replacement bulkhead and related dock adjustments in a partially man-made basin leading to Dix Cove and Bagwell Creek. The board’s approval included a requirement that mitigation for the 10 square feet of non-vegetated wetlands be purchased from an approved in-lieu fee or mitigation program.

Paul Watson, deputy director of Code Administration, described the project as a typical bulkhead replacement with a new wall two feet seaward of the existing bulkhead. Watson said the work affects roughly 10 square feet of non-vegetated wetlands and that a boat lift included in the application is treated like an open-pile pier and therefore exempt from separate review.

John Mudd of Mudd Construction, representing the applicants, told the board the project is a straightforward bulkhead replacement and that two small sections contained mud that produced the non-vegetated-wetland area the staff identified.

Board discussion focused on the appropriate form of mitigation. Members agreed the correct remedy for the identified non-vegetated wetland was to purchase mitigation credits from an approved program or in-lieu fee fund. The motion adopted by the board approved the application as presented with the 10-square-foot mitigation condition; the vote was recorded in the meeting as approved by the members present.

The board instructed staff to confirm the approved mitigation mechanism (in-lieu fee program or wetland mitigation bank) and to complete final permit documentation after the mitigation selection is confirmed.","The board accepted a replacement bulkhead two feet seaward at a man-made boat basin in Hopkins, and required the applicant to purchase 10 square feet of mitigation for non-vegetated wetlands from an approved program.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6517456,"Accomack County wetlands board orders restoration plan after rip-rap placed on Starboard Street marsh",3483,193000,3676000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6&start=193&end=3676","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5418371-3232f4dc57e5aab1f9ee0d269826d1d6/thumbnail_193000.jpg","/articles/6517456/Accomack-County/Virginia/Accomack-County-wetlands-board-orders-restoration-plan-after-rip-rap-placed-on-Starboard-Street-marsh","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517456-88e266a25fcea589988b3e93beb8469d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770494562&Signature=E49ZvAcRNsiTqiSPAmvOm~5xvwPUhnS4A4bQyrZ65foAx7NNUJy85AcnSPeklrVzBM2wQlqK5eojUDeB2hr6WeIflCLOikC-VPUQ8lXUc~lQgZgRU2jbDk1p3vP0-RAdRdYs4sKYGc5Kv5pUAJ2IyEXEJ-DU4OnzF-C6ri8Tf0mpBiTVNfOK~MzTvJ4QqZ9arRuNZe2DOvAVlxk9tVXEFO8rqeVH8wjWboYkaByZgJS9pG0S9YS5e0~ozJ19xXWScPU7bEVwKBzsdLPY74H7S2NaLif8HX5SVzQmXpgbbukH9uQRKdeUB4ktDBaxEcVpAD8VcTdVe5pBagObwZIQhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Accomack County Wetlands Board on Thursday voted that property owner Michael Pulaski must submit a staff-approved restoration plan, raise the low area to the adjacent vegetated-wetland elevation and submit to three years of monitoring after rip-rap was placed on marshland at the end of Starboard Street.

The board’s action follows testimony and photos showing rock placement on a marsh fronting an undeveloped lot near Pulaski’s house on Chincoteague Bay. Paul Watson, deputy director of the county’s Code Administration Division, told the board the affected wetlands area measured about 204 square feet and that staff observed rip-rap placed “directly on the wetlands.”

Why it matters: The board enforces the Virginia Marine Resources Commission policy of “no net loss” for wetlands within the county’s jurisdiction. Restoration plans and monitoring are the standard remedy when permitted work or construction is found to have harmed wetlands, and the board’s decision sets requirements the landowner must meet before the matter is closed.

At the hearing, Pulaski disputed that his work or his contractor caused significant wetland damage. Pulaski said he and his contractor removed much of the gravel from the marsh and that most of the marsh had eroded before their project. “I respectfully request that the charge against me be dismissed,” Pulaski said after recounting photos and prior erosion at the site. He also said he has invested about $70,000 in shore protection work and has filed separate complaints with state and federal agencies, including the Virginia DEQ and the Army Corps of Engineers.

County staff and several contractors who spoke at the meeting described a different timeline. Watson said staff visited the site in March after receiving complaints and observed rock placed on the marsh. Claire Gorman, a county environmental staff member who worked on the permit, said the revetment and breakwater applications were submitted in 2023 and then permitted, and that calls followed once construction began and rock was observed in the marsh.

Board members debated remedies. Several members favored a restoration plan matched to the existing permit rather than an in-lieu fee payment. The motion the board adopted directs the applicant to submit a restoration plan approved by staff, require three years of monitoring, and raise the low area to the adjacent vegetated-wetland elevation. The board also set an administrative expectation that staff will return the matter to the board if a plan is not filed within roughly 60 days.

The board did not order a fine at the meeting. Members noted the marsh has shown signs of regrowth in many places but identified a roughly 10-by-10-foot low spot where vegetation has not returned. The board’s remedy focuses on elevating and replanting that low area so the marsh can recover.

Pulaski told the board he may pursue civil or agency complaints separately and asked the wetlands board to assist if state or federal investigations proceed. Board members explained the board’s role is limited to permitting and restoration remedies and that some allegations Pulaski raised (for example, removal of an older gabion seawall by other parties) fall outside the board’s direct permitting authority.

The board’s motion passed by voice vote with the members present voting to approve the restoration plan requirement.","The Accomack County Wetlands Board voted to require a staff-approved restoration plan, three years of monitoring and elevation work after rip-rap was placed on a marsh at the end of Starboard Street. Property owner Michael Pulaski disputed the assertion that his work caused significant wetland damage and asked for dismissal of the charge.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

County staff to send registered notices over unpaid wetland mitigation fees for Captain’s Cove projects

Wetlands board approves 2-foot bulkhead replacement in Hopkins, requires 10 sq ft mitigation

Accomack County wetlands board orders restoration plan after rip-rap placed on Starboard Street marsh