street lights in east king street

I've never seen anything like it--street lights in east king street! 

I've seen utility poles in the sidewalk before. unfortunately there are many of these in strasburg--including east king street. but, I've never before seen street light poles located in the street. amazing!

why didn't they narrow east king street down to 22 ft. wide (or less) and put the street lights and utility poles behind the curbs as is customary? I know that east king street is narrow, but the speed limit is 25 mph and 10 or 11 ft. lanes may have even helped to calm traffic. because the traffic signal at the intersection with massanutten street is a separate phase for each movement, the separate right turn lane from east king to north massanutten could have been eliminated. 

so, what's the mission of the town? to accommodate large tractor-trailer trucks through old town? or to preserve a historic district that is attractive to strasburg residents, strasburg businesses and tourists? 

the sprawling intersection at king and massanutten doesn't handle tractor-trailer trucks well now. one solution would be to return the intersection to a conventional old town configuration--one lane in each direction for each of its four legs with NO separate turn lanes--with sidewalks, and street lights and utility poles located behind the sidewalks, as is customary. 

it's a matter of choice. what does the town prefer? a sprawling intersection that doesn't work well now? or an intersection that's more consistent with the character of a historic district? there are multiple solutions--one may be that the companies that service factories and businesses in strasburg with tractor-trailer trucks may need to use smaller trucks. 

in any event, 10 or 11 ft. wide lanes without obstructions is better than putting street light poles in the street.

condolences

Strasburg Town Council member concerned for family member’s safety in Afghanistan 

our condolences to councilman John Massoud and his family. the events in afghanistan that are playing out on our tv screens are tragic. we pray that your cousin and other americans trapped in afghanistan will be allowed to leave the country safely. 

 

bad idea

 bad ideas: 

• not wearing a mask before the vaccines were developed
• not getting the vaccine--including medical workers, teachers, state governors, etc. 
• denying that the climate is changing NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming
• yard crawl

common sense is supposed to tell us when an idea is bad. 

common sense isn't so common anymore.

the first time that I saw it, I knew that yard crawl is a bad idea. common sense told me so. Route 11 Yard Crawl makes its return this weekend 

Rt 11 Yard Crawl (notice that VDOT is conspicuously absent in the sponsors list.)

route 11 is a US route. roads with this designation are primary roads--backbones in a state's roadway network. 

in many locations route 11 is one lane in each direction with no shoulders. the speed limit is 55 mph. during yard crawl people set up tables within a couple of feet of the pavement. I witnessed people walk onto the pavement without looking. I've even seen people stand on the pavement chatting without any regard to the fact that they're standing in a primary road with a 55 mph speed limit that barely holds one vehicle in each direction.

yard crawl is an accident-waiting-to-happen. 

was there "arm-twisting" involved in obtaining approval for this accident-waiting-to-happen? 

in the sad event that a fatal accident does occur (I sincerely hope that it doesn't), then I hope that the names of the arm-twisters and those who approved yard crawl are made public. 

yard crawl is a really bad idea.

VDH EXPANDS HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOM ADVISORY FOR NORTH FORK OF THE SHENANDOAH RIVER FROM DEER RAPIDS TO RIVERTON – PUBLIC ADVISED TO AVOID WATER CONTACT WITHIN LOCATIONS OF THE RIVER IN SHENANDOAH AND WARREN COUNTIES

August 10, 2021

VDH Expands Harmful Algae Bloom Advisory for North Fork of the Shenandoah River from Deer Rapids to Riverton – Public Advised to Avoid Water Contact within Locations of the River in Shenandoah and Warren Counties  – Newsroom 

Algal Bloom Surveillance Map – Waterborne Hazards Control (zoom in, +) 

the affected length of the north fork of the shenandoah river includes willow grove, woodstock, mauertown and strasburg in shenandoah county to the riverton boat ramp near the confluence with the south fork of the shenandoah river in warren county. The total affected length is approximately 52.5 miles long. 

CRISIS IN THE SHENANDOAH – HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS PUT RIVER AT RISK

August 9, 2021

Potomac Riverkeeper Network and Shenandoah Riverkeeper called on the Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Health to expand water testing in the Shenandoah River and to develop enforceable standards for deadly cyanotoxins found in blue-green algae in the river, in response to the state’s issuance of its first ever public health advisory for the Shenandoah. Harmful algal blooms containing dangerous cyanobacteria led the state to warn people not to come in contact with a ten mile stretch of the river.

The health advisory, warning river users to avoid contact, and the data collected by state scientists supporting it, clearly show that the Shenandoah River’s health is at great risk, and now the public’s is as well. In fact, toxic cyanobacteria has been discovered; the danger of it cannot be overestimated. State regulators and lawmakers need the political will to take strong action before it’s too late and the river is permanently degraded. "We cannot allow that to happen, for the sake of this beautiful river and the valley communities it runs through," said Mark Frondorf, Shenandoah Riverkeeper.

... Potomac Riverkeeper Network also calls on lawmakers in Richmond to increase funding to DEQ and other agencies, to enact enforceable standards for toxic algae, hire staff to monitor water quality, assist farmers to adopt better practices and take action against polluters. Other stakeholder communities relying upon a clean, healthy river – such as outfitters, restaurants, campgrounds and lodging – should enjoy the same level of support for their business interests as farmers.

CRISIS IN THE SHENANDOAH – HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS PUT RIVER AT RISK - Potomac Riverkeeper Network 

the "...ten mile stretch of the river..." referred to includes where the town's water intake for our drinking water is located. needless to say, residents of the town of strasburg are "stakeholders". 

stakeholders, what do you know of the mayor's and town council's  efforts to protect our drinking water? nada? (that's me. as usual, I've heard nothing from the town on the town's efforts to protect our drinking water.)

stakeholders, are you OK with this? are you OK with being "left in the dark" about what your elected town representatives are doing about this and other important issues that affect you? I'm not. 

food lyin'

five times a week food lyin' takes deliveries at its strasburg store. it must be near the end of the line for the nc chain. no one seems to know what's going to be in the delivery truck--not even the store manager. just because they had strawberries, creamer, paper towels, gatorade, etc. last week doesn't mean that they'll have them this week. "why?" you ask. "because they weren't on the truck" is the standard answer. 

"quality" is a myth at food lyin'--scrawny, over-ripe or under-ripe produce, poor selection, fluctuating prices, etc. 

on the bright side, there's always a WIDE selection of beer and pork rinds at food lyin'. YIPPEE!!! 

don't get me wrong--the people who work at food lyin' are friendly and nice. it's just that they, along with other strasburgians, deserve better.

(BTW, food lyin's piped-in music REALLY sucks!)