Middleburg’s Community Community Newspaper Middleburg’s Volume 15 Issue 2
B E L O CA L BUY LOCAL
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Public Input for Envision Loudoun Page 9
Y OP LOCALL ITY AND SH R COMMUN SUPPORT OU
mbecc.com
May 24, 2018 ~ June 21, 2018
Alison Robitaille: Upperville Is Her Hometown, Kids & Horses Are Her World Middleburg Town Council Report Dan Morrow
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In 2015, Alison started planning her comeback campaign with Michelle Grubb. A little over two years ago, she acquired Ace, a gray 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. “He has a good bit of “blood” for a big horse, and he was always nice to ride, but it took time for us to get to know each other,” Alison said. “Now when I think it, he does it. We have a real partnership.”
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Photo by Lauren R. Giannini
Council Engages Envision Loudoun t press time the Middleburg Town Council announced that it would hold a special meeting at 6:30 PM, Thursday, May 24, at John Champe High School, 41535 Sacred Mountain Street, in Aldie. The purpose of the meeting, according to the announcement, is “to attend, participate and provide input during the Open House related to the Envision Loudoun process and the Draft Loudoun 2040 Comprehensive plan. Council’s regular monthly “work session,” essentially a meeting of the entire Council as a working “committee of the whole,” was moved from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM that same evening, at its regular meeting place in the Town Offices at 10 West Marshall Street. Council urged all citizens with an interest in the future of the County and our Town to attend. Mayor-elect Bridge Littleton has agreed to write a report giving his views on the meeting for public distribution by the Eccentric and other media. Watch www.mbecc.com Sale of the Town’s Iconic “Health Center” Building A required public hearing “related to the potential sale of the Town-owned “Health Center Building,” originally scheduled for the 6:00 PM work session on May 24 was canceled. It will be rescheduled and the time and place advertised as required by law. The building, on the west side of South Madison Street, was given to the town with the proviso that “profits” from its operation as a rental property would be donated to
worthy charities. At one time the Health Center served not only as home to several private businesses but as headquarters for the Middleburg Police Department. In recent years charitable contributions formerly funded by Health Center “profits” have been augmented by money taken from the Town’s tax-based “general fund” Shakespeare in the ‘Burg The popular Shakespeare in the ‘Burg program, funded in part by a grant from Middleburg’s Town Council, celebrates its fifth season in 2018. According to a report to Council from JoAnn Hazard, the fifth season was “our best year to date.” The grant from the Town allowed the program to hire a professional marketing firm which led to “more exposure for both the town and our event in media outlets that had not covered this before.” Advertising support set a new record, she noted, “with several new advertisers” Their Saturday night performance produced the largest crowds in the history of the program. Standing Room Only. Their One-Act-Play competition/Sunday Brunch was a sell-out. Shakespeare in the ‘Burg works closely with the internationally renowned Folger Shakespeare Theatre, and for 2019 hopes to expand joint efforts to include workshops and children’s performances. Fireworks Council discussed at length whether the Town’s annual July 4 Fireworks should be funded as part of Middleburg’s Economic Development program or as a separate free-standing line item in the Town Budget. Noting that the 4th of July, like Christmas in Middleburg, was with-