Middleburg’s Community Community Newspaper Middleburg’s Volume 14 Issue 8
B E L O CA L BUY LOCAL
OP ITY AND SH R COMMUN SUPPORT OU
mbecc.com
Printed using recycled fiber
Middleburg Humane Steps up to Help
Page 7
LOCALLY
December 14, 2017 ~ January 25, 2018
McAuliffe Announces Preservation Victory at Historic Goose Creek Bridge Page 3
Middleburg Town Council Report Dan Morrow
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Request in homes by Thursday 12/14/17
Adding an artistic elegance to the ambiance of the King Street Oyster Bar are three huge window murals painted by local artist Isabelle Truchon: one of shrimp, lobsters, and of course, oysters. Painted in acrylic on canvas stretched on wood, the panels add a wonderful sophistication to the space while honoring the crustaceans and seafood we higher forms of evolution so enjoy.
PRST STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID DULLES, VA PERMIT NO 723
Art and Oysters
POSTAL CUSTOMER
Photo By Nancy Milburn Kleck
The County’s Plans for Middleburg t 5:00 PM on Thursday, December 14, exactly one hour before its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at Town Hall, Loudoun County Officials were scheduled to deliver a special presentation on the County’s “Comprehensive Plan” focusing on the impact of revisions to the plan on Middleburg and environs. Since July Council member Bridge Littleton has been attending meetings of a 26-person “stakeholders committee” appointed by the County Supervisors, that meets every other Monday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM to solicit opinions and offer advice on the multi-million-dollar exercise entitled, “Envision Loudoun.” According to Littleton, the committee, headed by Ricky Barker, was operating in what he described as “more and more of a contentious environment.” In his view, the committee to date has made has made “decisions that were not in the interest of Middleburg, the rural areas or preserving what went around them.” He was particularly critical of the committee’s apparent approach to housing needs in the county. Instead of doing “good planning” and saying “just because [a study] said we needed another 18,000 houses, we don’t want that”, the committee has said, “where do we put them”. Littleton noted that roughly 83% of members of the public consulted by
the committee said “do not put more houses in the transition area”; however, the stakeholders committee voted to triple it.” “The scary thing,” he said, was that the committee’s document “would be the foundation on which decisions would be made.” “They were,” he said, “generating a ton of stuff to support their recommendations but, his opinion, “they had not done the policy work to actually come up with the right policy statement for the County.” On the other hand, Littleton noted they did a lot of great work with the public input sessions and reported that over 8,000 people participated.” The Piedmont Environmental Council has been active in encouraging the general public and concerned non-profits to become involved in the matter. Town Council in general, and Littleton, in particular, were expected to have sharp questions for the County at the December 14 presentation. The session is open to the public. A $320,000 Tax Refund On November 9 Councilman Mark Snyder moved, and Town Council approved without dissent, an amendment to the Town’s Budget allowing the refund of some $320,000 in personal property taxes paid even though they were not due, and to cover the tax revenues that would not be received this year. Town Administrator Martha Semmes noted that the State Code permitted the Council to refund the past three years’