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Top 10 list for Summer in Middleburg Page 23 Middleburg’s Only Locally Owned and Operated Newspaper
June 27, 2013 ~ July 25, 2013
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Middleburg Charter School
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Daniel Morrow
n June 13 Suzanne Callie, speaking on behalf of the Middleburg Elementary Charter School Program Committee, briefed Town Council on the status of the group’s application to transform Middleburg Elementary officially into a Charter School. The Committee has been given a year and what Callie described as “a mandate from the School Board to come up with ideas for making the school viable in the future.” The Loudoun County School Board, she reported, “made it clear that they would be open to a charter school application.” The Committee is meeting with parents as well as community groups and other potential supporters “in order to obtain as much input as possible” for a presentation in July. “Even if it became a charter school, the Middleburg Elementary School would continue to be a publicly funded school,” Callie reminded Council. A “charter” would allow their non-profit organization to apply for outside grants to support and enhance school programs. Callie encourage all those interested in keeping up with the latest developments to check out their new Facebook page: www. facebook.com/TheMiddleburgCharterSchool. New Police Officer Middleburg Chief of Police A.J. Panebianco formally announced that Mark Putnam had been selected from a large and outstanding pool of candidates to become Middleburg’s newest police officer. Putnam formerly served with the nearby Gordonsville Police Department and, according to Panebianco, is “well versed in community policing” and will “fit well” into the Middleburg community. Police Lieutenant Mike Prince As part of the Police Department’s ongoing program of professional training, reform and reorganization, Middleburg’s longest-serving police officer, Mike Prince title has been named the Middleburg Police Department’s first Police Lieutenant. As “Senior Police Officer” (a rank especially created for Prince) he had been carrying out many if not all the duties of a Lieutenant for some time. With the new rank designation Panebianco told Council, Prince’s formal standing in the force’s “chain of command” could be more easily recognized by both civilians and officers from other jurisdictions using standardized ranks and insignia. Pedestrian Safety
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B u s i n e s s Di r e c t o r y : Pa g e 2 2 • F r i e n d s f o r L i f e : Pa g e 2 6
Salamander “Challenge” Course Council discussed at length a request from the Salamander to move forward on the construction of a “recreational amenity” on land protected by a conservation easement co-held by Salamander and the Potomac Conservancy. The “amenity” is a “challenge course,” often used to facilitate “team building” exercises for senior executives. Primary access for teams, families, or others using the course would be via “zip line” built into the trees with no part of it touching the ground. Salamander has contracted with Empower Adventures Operators, LLC to develop, implement and operate the course. EAO currently runs a similar facility for Salamander in Florida. Dev Patik of EAO assured Council that each “station” on the course “would provide an environmental lesson, including a history of the environment.” The entire course will be invisible from both the resort hotel and the town. Devadas told Council his hope was to have everything ready for the opening of the resort. A group from the New York Stock Exchange, he said, is already booked for September 24-25 and, were looking for new ways to challenge their top executives Town Planner and Zoning Administrator, David Beniamino, noted that original 2007 plan for Salamander approved by Council included a provision to allow construction of a “challenge course” on “four acres of land located within the conservation easement area.” All construction within the easement must be pre-approved by both Town Council and the Conservancy. Pendleton St. “Challenge” Course A question raised by Vice Mayor Kirk prompted yet another discussion of the tricky problem of parking along Pendleton Street, next to the Middleburg Safeway, destined to be the thoroughfare leading from Route 50 to the main entrance to Salamander. Councilmember Mark Snyder noted that the two parking spaces at issue, near the corner of Pendleton and Route 50 were authorized “quasi legally” thirty years ago. Cars or trucks parked there make turns in or out of Pendleton dangerous or impossible, especially for large vehicles. As an experiment the Town has decided to park a town-owned car in the critical space near the intersection, have the Police Department closely monitor traffic around, and then make suggestions about how best to handle the problem based on their observations.
Landlords and Development Genie Ford, of the Middleburg Business & Professional Association, briefed Council on that organization’s most recent Landlords Forum. The forum, she said, “was modestly attended; however, a good discussion was held.” All agreed that a professional survey of Middleburg residents should be done “to determine the kinds of businesses they
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Page 4 Salamander Resort & Spa Hires Brightest & Best
There will be “more enforcement at the crosswalks” Panebianco reported, following an accident in which a pedestrian was struck while crossing the street legally. A new, long-planned pedestrian safety education and enforcement program will begin in July with the publication of a new brochure designed for distribution to both pedestrians and drivers. Officers will kick off the program by focusing on pedestrians: first explaining to jaywalkers and other violators the dangers they posed to themselves and others; giving first offenders a brochure rather than
a ticket; and only them moving on to full enforcement. Thereafter a similar program will be put in place for drivers. A repeat of Middleburg’s participation in “National Night Out,” the Chief reported, is set for August 6th.
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Upperville Horse Show
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Volume 10 Issue 3