million, highlighting the financial burden of climate impacts on coastal infrastructure. Downtown development presents another delicate balance. “We’ve got the historic downtown and there’s some properties down there that if it came up for sale, I personally don’t want to see a three-story hotel in the heart of historic downtown,” Bowden emphasizes. “You’ve got to be careful with some things and at the same time, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got your economy still going strong.” Looking ahead to the next 18-24 months, priorities center on activating the new sewage infrastructure while maintaining community character.“Getting this sewage online and hopefully revitalizing downtown a little bit better with maybe some specialty places,” Bowden outlines, seeking businesses that enhance rather than overwhelm the island’s scale. For Chincoteague, success means threading an increasingly narrow channel; preserving authenticity while adapting to modern pressures, maintaining affordability while property values climb, and protecting natural resources while sustaining the tourism they attract. The wild ponies may not understand their economic influence, but their human neighbors grasp the stakes perfectly. PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Underground Connections www.underground-connections.com Underground Connections is redefining underground utility construction across the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia, including Virginia’s Tidewater region. Specializing in trenchless horizontal drilling, the company delivers high-performance installations of water, sewer, electrical, and fiber-optic lines with minimal surface disruption. Their sustainable, low-impact methods accelerate timelines and reduce costs—earning the trust of industry leaders like NASA, Dominion Energy, and Virginia American Water. 28 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 08
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