HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS BEGIN: Kettle Run, Fauquier and Liberty kick off golf season. Page 13
August 14, 2019
Our 202nd year | Vol. 202, No. 33 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
Planners visit proposed Delaplane lodge and restaurant site Residents ready their pro-business or opposition arguments By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
The Fauquier County Planning Commission plans to travel to Delaplane Wednesday morning (Aug. 14) to view the site where Brian Roeder wants to build a 42room lodge and a restaurant to serve guests, offer recreational amenities and hold up to 78 events such as wedding receptions, reunions and corporate events each year. The proposal has stirred opposition from those who view it as a commercial development disrupting a rural area with traffic and noise. They say the venture belongs within the Marshall Service District and not outside it.
Roeder says the Lodge at Barrel Oak would fill a need for overnight accommodations, generate up to $200,000 in tax revenue and that he will address concerns about traffic, noise, groundwater and septic service. He points to support from some who agree with him about the need, the tax revenue and employment opportunities that will result. The site is adjacent to his Barrel Oak Winery and Taproom off Grove Lane on 50 acres, zoned agriculture with a house, stable and several outbuildings. The existing 8,300 square foot house would be converted and expanded into a 32,000 square foot lodge with a private restaurant for guests. Roeder said in the statement of justification he filed with the county that most of the property would remain in agricultural use – vineyards and pasture for horses. He said neighboring homes are at least 2,000 feet from the proposed lodge location.
COURTESY IMAGE
This rendering show what the completed Lodge at Barrel Oak would look like. Roeder expects to have eight to 10 full-time employees in the lodge and 16 to 24 part- and full-time employees in the restaurant. He estimates that the project will cost a minimum of $10 million to build.
Roeder needs approval of a special exception to expand and convert the home into a lodge. He needs a special exception to hold up to 78 See DELAPLANE, page 4
School division readies teachers for first day By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/ROBIN EARL
Andrea Peterson, school psychologist, Amanda Osburn, educational diagnostician and Jen Molerski, school psychologist, listen as Fauquier County School Board Chairman Suzanne Sloane asks them to be “one degree better.” INSIDE Back to School....................................25 Business.............................................11 Classified............................................35 Communities......................................28
Faith...................................................24 Health and Wellness............................19 Lifestyle..............................................21 Opinion.................................................8
Obituaries...........................................32 Puzzles...............................................10 Real Estate..........................................28 Sports.................................................13
It was billed as a “convocation,” but “pep rally” might have been a better descriptor. There was spontaneous -- and loud -- cheering for favorite teams (schools) or coaches (educators). There were banners. There was heart-pumping music, provided by the Kettle Run High School Jazz Band. There were inspirational speeches by the school division’s leader, David Jeck, Ph.D. Attendees were even in uniform (matching T-shirts according to school). The only piece missing? The students. But make no mistake. The pep rally was all about them. The parking lots at Kettle Run High School on Monday, Aug. 12, were full and the overflow -- lines of cars along the road – proved that the whole school division was gathering together to celebrate the beginning of the school year. Teachers and staff dressed in See SCHOOLS, page 4