Bloom - August/September 2018

AUGust/September 2018

A Vision for the Valley

Harrisonburg City Planner Thanh Dang Makes Her Mark Flip Magazine Flip Magazine Over To Read Over To Read On Local Government &

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Planning For The Future Harrisonburg City Planner Thanh Dang puts the community first.

August/September 2018

Staff Corey Tierney, editor Lauren Hunt, copy editor Justin McIlwee, staff writer Shelby Mertens, staff writer Daniel Lin, photography Jennifer Dehoff, design Rhonda McNeal, advertising director Bloom is a publication of the Daily News-Record Copyright © 2018 231 S. Liberty St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801 For advertising information, call 540-574-6220.

Cover photo: Daniel Lin Cover: Harrisonburg City Planner Thanh Dang poses for a photo in front of a map of the city.

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your HEALTH

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Dietitian Warns Against Fad Diets

By Shelby Mertens

D

uring the early 2000s, the low-carb Atkins Diet was all the rage among those looking to lose weight fast.

Another low-carb trend has recently taken its place in the fad world, but this one is more extreme. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein diet that requires a severe restriction of carbohydrates. It was originally developed for children with epilepsy.

“The idea is to starve the brain of glucose, which is its main fuel source, in hopes to decrease the neurological brain process that causes seizures,” said Emily Shaber, the lead clinical dietitian at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

“The goal is to achieve the state of ketosis, which is the state of carbohydrate deprivation.” The body is then forced to burn fat instead of carbs, resulting in quick short-term weight loss. “It’s definitely a popular diet, but 2

it’s not something we advise people to do,” Shaber said.

Celebrities have praised the diet on social media and it has become a popular diet for diabetics. Actress Halle Berry claims the keto diet has “reversed” her type 2 diabetes.

Although many claim they’ve lost significant weight on the keto diet, Shaber said that while you may lose weight in the short term, the keto diet is not long, sustainable weight loss management. The weight that you lose, Shaber said, is water weight. “It’s important to make a distinction between evidence-based research and anecdotal collections regarding diet and weight,” she said.

Numerous side effects can occur from the keto diet, including electrolyte imbalance, fatigue from the lack of glucose, and a lack of fiber.

People who start the diet

August/September 2018

typically experience what is called “keto flu,” according to a Women’s Health article, which includes nausea, headaches, cramps and diarrhea, all of which usually last no more than a week, the article reported.

For longterm weight loss, Shaber recommends drinking more water and less sodas and sugary drinks, as well as eating more lean proteins and plant-based proteins.

Not all carbs are bad, she said. The body needs some

carbs in order for healthy bodily function. “Our bodies are meant to consume a variety of different foods,” she said. “[Carbs are] a necessary part of what our bodies need.

The majority of foods out there — fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains — those things are what humans have lived on for centuries, and I think this is just a myth perpetuated by diet culture that carbs are bad. [It’s] another gimmick to make us spend more money.”

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Planning For The Future City Planner Thanh Dang Puts Community First

By Shelby Mertens

Photos by Daniel Lin

A

s a young, eager government employee, Thanh Dang wanted to make a difference in the Harrisonburg community.

But oftentimes, government work comes with red tape that slows down the process of getting things done. So, when the Bluestone Trail was finally built in 2014, Dang, who was working for the Harrisonburg Public Works Department at the time, felt proud to see the fruits of her labor come into fruition.

“I think my most proud accomplishment is having worked on getting the Bluestone Trail constructed,” Dang said. The Bluestone Trail is a 1-mile, 10-foot-wide shared use path that cuts through Purcell Park, connecting bikers, joggers and walkers to the James Madison University campus from Stone Spring Road to Port Republic Road.

Dang’s role in the project was negotiating with affected property owners, securing grants that funded a significant portion of the trail, along with allocated funds from the city’s budget, and working with JMU. Dang was just one person among the dozens involved, but her work was important, not only in moving the project along, but helping to get the community on board.

“Getting the Bluestone Trail on the ground was the opportunity to show our community that yes, this can happen. It might take some time working with adjacent property owners, figuring out what the best location for the trail would be, but now we have this trail and I felt like once we got it down people were like, ‘Oh, I get it. This is really nice. I can actually take my kids to a place that’s not adjacent to vehicular traffic and we can go ride our bikes, or go on our jog.

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Harrisonburg City Planner Thanh Dang works on her computer.

It’s a safe, fun place’” she said. “I think it helped people imagine the potential of what more trails could be in our community.”

In the next few years, the trail will continue to cut through the JMU campus all the way to the other end of downtown. “All these pieces are starting to come together,” Dang said. “What started out as a 1-mile trail potentially could be an 8-mile trail that runs north and south through the city.”

The 35-year-old is now the city planner for Harrisonburg. Dang left public works in 2016 after 10 years of service. During her time at public works, Dang focused on stormwater management and transportation, whereas in her new role, Dang oversees private land uses in accordance with the city’s planning and zoning laws.

‘Doors Of Opportunity’ Dang never planned to be a city planner, but her path to it came naturally over time as her role in the city evolved. Dang grew up in Fairfax and attended James Madison University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in integrated science and technology in 2004.

After graduation, Dang volunteered with AmeriCorps for one year.

AmeriCorps is a volunteer federal government program that operates like a domestic version of the Peace Corps.

“I was working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Park Service division for this group called Maryland Conservation Corps,” she explained. “[I was] involved with working in the parks, building trails, doing environmental education, working on historic properties and renovation projects in St. Mary’s

FROM LEFT: Harrisonburg city senior planner Alison Bank, planner Thanh Dang, zoning inspector Frank Hopkins and zoning/ planning specialist Rachel Drescher look over a zoning map of the city in the community development office.

“I live in Harrisonburg, so this is my home and my community, too, so I care very much about it.”

—Thanh Dang City in southern Maryland.”

After her AmeriCorps service, Dang was a environmental scientist for Computer Science Corporation in Alexandria for a year.

She then returned to the Shenandoah Valley in 2006 to work for the Harrisonburg Public Works Department. “This is home now, here in Harrisonburg,” Dang said.

Outside of work, Dang volunteers with the Central Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners Association and the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition. She obtained a cycling instructor license through the League of American Bicyclists.

Dang initially intended on pursuing a career in environmental science. She was first hired as an environmental technology specialist in the public works department and served in that position until September 2008 when she was made a public works planner. In the summer of 2014, Dang then became the transportation and environmental planning manager. “Doors of opportunity open up that you might not be aware of, and [you] go with it if it feels good,” she said.

“That’s how it was for me.”

In addition to the Bluestone Trail, Dang was also involved in the Bike-Pedestrian Plan, Safe Routes to School and the Downtown Streetscape Plan. Taking on stormwater management responsibilities grew into transportation planning. And transportation planning was the segway for her to become a city planner in 2016. Dang is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Adam Fletcher, the director of the city’s Planning and Community

Development, was impressed by Dang’s efforts in public works. “I was hiring her to fill my old role as the city planner,” Fletcher said.

“I had pretty high expectations for the person who was going to take over my position. I was looking for someone with high energy, integrity and planning skills.” Fletcher said going into the interview, he knew what kind of person she was, which is “a person you could rely on — someone that you ask to do something and you don’t have to follow up on — a lot of initiative. A leader.”

In 2014, Dang was the recipient of the governor’s Transportation Safety Award for Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and the Virginia Highway Safety Office. She was also the Public Servant of the Year in 2012, an honor from JMU’s Master of Public Administration Program in the Department of Political Science.

Dang describes her role as city planner as using “regulations like the Zoning Ordinance to ensure that developments and how land is used in the City is consistent with the community’s vision, which is described in planning documents like the Comprehensive Plan.”

Her job also involves facilitating discussions of projects and issues in the community, to ensure that the voices of the citizens are heard.

By organizing public workshops, Dang is able to bring the city and its citizens together to reach an understanding about issues that affect the community. “She works well with the public as a great listener and to take things and translate it to the public and what it means [for them],” Fletcher said.

On a day-to-day basis, Dang is reviewing applications from citizens for projects ranging from a backyard shed to a multi-acre commercial and residential development.

Dang said one misconception about her job is the value of zoning regulations. “I know it’s not an exciting term that gets people excited, but regulations help provide a lot of things,” she said.

An example Dang gives is sidewalks. Prior to 2008, the city didn’t require sidewalks on both sides of a street. “That was something that our community valued and wanted more sidewalks,” she said. “Now, the city requires sidewalks to be constructed on all new streets, on both sides of the street, and when a property is redeveloping, they

August/September 2018

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have to provide that sidewalk. That’s where regulations come in.”

Dang presents new regulations on land uses and zoning to the planning commission. The city staff review it and a public hearing is held for the public to weigh in, and then it gets presented to the city council, who eventually vote on it after further review.

Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed said Dang has continued to be a “valued asset” for the city. “The knowledge she gained from working at the Public Works Department is serving us all well as she continues her work with the Planning and Community Development Department,” Reed wrote in a message.

The best part of her job, Dang said, is getting out in the community and hearing from residents. “That’s something that I enjoy about working for the city,” she said. “I live in Harrisonburg, so this is my home and my community, too, so I care very much about it.”

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August/September 2018

Some of the issues that Dang and her department will be looking at moving forward is parking options downtown, as well as regulations for short-term rentals like Airbnbs.

“Some people really love it; some people really don’t want it. Some people are concerned about what a short-term rental may or may not do to the neighborhood when they don’t know the people coming in and out of the home next door to them,” Dang said. “Other people see it as an opportunity to supplement income or support visitors.

They want to be hosts and let people stay in their house to get to know this beautiful community.”

Dang said her department is currently trying to figure out how to regulate Airbnbs. “Lodging tax off of short-term rentals is important for some people because it’s competing with hotels and other traditional short-term rentals. … Those traditional facilities have to pay taxes. Right now, we don’t have the ability to collect that from Airbnbs and things like that,” she said. “I think because of technology changing, of phone apps and Airbnb being available, this is something that we’re having to deal with and address that we hadn’t had before.”

This year, Dang’s priority has been updating the city’s Comprehensive Plan, a process that started in 2016. As the project lead, Dang is tasked with compiling the city’s top 15 priorities, which are goals for the city in areas ranging from education and parks and recreation, to transportation and economic development. The plan is reviewed and updated every five years.

“In a nutshell, the Comprehensive Plan is a vision plan for what kind of community the city wants to be, and also identifies some

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potential strategies and ideas of projects and programs that we might put in place to make those visions, goals and objectives happen,” Dang said. “I hear a lot from the community, and it would not be right for me to hole up in my office and sit there and write the Comprehensive Plan thinking, ‘What is Thanh’s vision?’ — that’s not the way we do it. We went through a fairly active engagement process.”

The city holds several public meetings to gather input, and a 48-member advisory committee of citizens was established. “What we’ve been doing is reflecting on this list we have of about 70 objective statements of things that the community is interested in — things anywhere from alternative transportation to statements about the type of housing we want, to having parks facilities,” Dang said. “There was a draft presented to the Planning Commission with about 15 objective statements that we felt [were] the common things that we were hearing from the community members and were being discussed at city council and at planning commission meeting as objectives that our community should be pursuing.”

the final version to the planning commission, and then it will finally reach the hands of City Council. Dang said she hopes the Comprehensive Plan is completed and adopted by the end of this year.

The last update was made in 2011, and as Thanh Dang works on one of the fastest her computer. growing communities in Virginia, there was a lot of changes to be made, Dang said.

GETTING IT DONE

“The Comprehensive Plan is a vision plan for what kind of community the city wants to be, and also identifies some potential strategies and ideas of projects and programs that we might put in place to make those visions, goals and objectives happen.”

—Thanh Dang

Dang has also worked with the other city departments in developing the content for the plan. “It’s the biggest planning effort, I admit, that I have done,” she said. “It’s definitely been a big undertaking, but it’s been fun.”

Fletcher said the city planner must balance the city’s vision with the needs and wants from citizens. “It takes a person who’s got a lot of integrity and ethics,” he said.

Fletcher said Dang quickly started the Comprehensive Plan process when she joined the department two years ago. “We wouldn’t be where we are in the process if it hadn’t been for Thanh’s leadership there,” he said. “She’s done a phenomenal job facilitating and leading that process.”

There is one more opportunity for public input on the Comprehensive Plan at the end of summer. The date is to be determined. After that, Dang will present

One of the biggest challenges for Dang now that she has settled into her role as city planner, is having to wait longer for projects to come into fruition. She was able to be more hands-on in the public works department, with projects like the Bluestone Trail which only took a few years to complete, she was able to see change happen first-hand. “That’s something that I struggle a little bit with,” she said. “When I was at public works working on public projects, even though it might take a few years for some of the projects to come to fruition, that was definitely something that I was excited about. …

I don’t have quite the opportunity in this office to be as hands-on with physical infrastructure projects; that’s in the realm of other city departments.”

However, Dang expects several city projects will spin off of the Comprehensive Plan. “I’m looking forward to having opportunities to see some projects in the coming years that I was part of, helping to conceptualize, or helping to support a rezoning or something that ended up making that project that somebody else did, come into fruition,” Dang said.

When asked what’s her vision for Harrisonburg, Dang said a priority is to preserve the tight community and neighborhood-like feel of the city. “I’m willing to embrace change. Each of us have opinions on what’s good and bad change, but I don’t want us to lose … the sense of community that’s here, the ability for me to walk around my neighborhood and meet my neighbors and talk to them,” she said. “What makes Harrisonburg very special is the people that are here and the diversity that we have. When I think about that, some of the work that I do, I think about housing, the services and things we can work to support the people that are here and who will be coming here.”

In her two years in Planning and Community Development, Fletcher said she’s quickly earned the respect of the department.

“She has so much drive and determination,” Fletcher said. “People look to her for her wealth of knowledge and experience. She’s just an all-around great person.”

August/September 2018

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your CAREER

Photo by Justin McIlwee

Patty Baugher, a former kindergarten teacher at Blue Ridge Christian School, retired after 25 years at the Bridgewater private school.

The Final Chapter: Blue Ridge Christian School Teacher Retires After 26 Years

By Justin McIlwee

P

atty Baugher’s lead up to summer vacation this year was different than past school years. When she left the classroom, the same one she’s occupied for the past 26 years, she wasn’t just be leaving for the summer; she left for good. Baugher bid adieu to Blue Ridge Christian School when she retired at the end of the school year.

“I started to think about things I want to do on my bucket list,” Baugher said. “I have a stack of books that I bought, and they don’t have pictures or say ‘Dr. Seuss,’ that I want to read. I have a list of 10 people I want to go see. There’s things I want to do.”

Baugher, who lives in Elkton, didn’t start out wanting to be a teacher. In fact, after graduating from James Madison University with a degree in home economics, she didn’t know what her plan was. Originally, she worked a few part-time jobs. Then, she and her husband had their first son, who had some health problems, so she was a stay-at-home mom for a few years.

But after realizing she needed to go back to work, Baugher sought advice from her dad as to what her next step should be. “I talked to my dad, and he said, ‘Why don’t you go back [to college] and go into teaching? You’ll make a good teacher,’” she said. “I grew up in a family of six kids so I’m used to kids. Since I was a sophomore in high school I

worked with kids in Sunday school, church and Bible school.”

She went back to JMU and by her late 30s had earned her teaching license in early education. She was on her way to securing a teaching position in a public school when something stopped her. “I had done an Easter unit and I couldn’t talk about Jesus; I couldn’t talk about what Easter was all about,” she said. “I decided to be true to myself and my faith. An opening came up [at Blue Ridge Christian School] and I started teaching here 25 years ago.”

Baugher has spent 25 of her 26 years at Blue Ridge as a kindergarten teacher. She said she was initially drawn to kindergarten while student teaching under Linda Stephens at Elkton Elementary School. “Her enthusiasm, experience and dedication were so very inspirational to me,” Baugher said. “She not only showed me how to handle a whole classroom, but how to manage hands-on learning with love and patience.”

She added that she stayed in kindergarten throughout the bulk of her career because there’s never a dull day when teaching 5- and 6-year-olds. “Every day is different,” she said.

“They are humorous little people, and they don’t mean to be. I just enjoy that age. I also love reading, so teaching that was a thrill for me. Saying, ‘Hey, you know that word. You can sound that out and put that together,’ I love all of it.”

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Along with the X’s and O’s of teaching, another thing Baugher had to learn was how to integrate faith and religion into her daily teachings. “When I first started, even though I was in my 30s, I wasn’t as mature a Christian as I am now,” she said. “As you go through the years, you gain maturity because you have people studying Scripture with you, praying with you and you’re growing in the Lord. I learned that I wasn’t integrating the Bible through curriculum; I’m integrating the curriculum in my Bible.”

“Every day is different. They are humorous little people, and they don’t mean to be.

I just enjoy that age. I also love reading so teaching that was a thrill for me.”

—Patty Baugher

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She said she’s spent time the past two years praying about her decision to retire, and through a knee surgery and the death of her mother, she knew it was time. “I just felt this regret that I hadn’t spent the time I could have & spent with her,” Baugher said.

Despite having 26 years of memories and lessons to walk away with, Baugher said the biggest thing she’ll take away from Flip Magazine Flip Magazine teaching is a continued love for Over To Read Over To Read children. “My husband and I had our two sons,” she said. “Then, God said, ‘They don’t have to be your own for you to love them.’ I’ve WEDDINGS WEDDINGS loved over 400 kids in kindergarten, and they feel like my own.”

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August/September 2018