attribution: Vdoeoccs, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Friday, December 8, 2023
Monday, December 4, 2023
drought
Woodstock monitors, studies and plans. Strasburg???
source: FSSP NF Shenandoah River E. coli levels on Wednesday June 22 versus Thursday Jun 23 - FOSR - FOSR 816.4 CFUs per 100 ml !!!--one would expect E. coli levels like this in an open sewer!!!
Friday, November 24, 2023
.png)
Monday, October 23, 2023
THANK YOU
A BIG thank you to the town for their Fall and Spring Large Items Pick-Up. These have been a BIG help to us, and I presume others--especially those of us who are elderly and don't have the resources (e.g. vehicle, strength, etc.) to dispose of large items ourselves.
The Pick-Ups are very well organized. The staff and equipment from Public Works have just what is needed to do the job--namely, equipment, hard-workers, strength, courteous and friendly.
Thank you again for this wonderful service.
attribution: Marco Verch Professional Photographer's photostream and flickr
Monday, October 9, 2023
cold case murder
https://wcyb.com/news/nation-world/murder-suspect-arrested-victim-identified-9-years-after-case-went-cold-shooting-perry-county-pennsylvania-strasburg-virginia-skeletal-remains-michael-holober-dna-genealogy
question: This story received wide media coverage everywhere except __________?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
(drum roll)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
answer: That's right! . . . Strasburg.
correction. WHSV's 9/29/23 report:
Monday, August 28, 2023
planning?
- 29 townhouses on 3.3 acres
- snuggled up to the I-81 interchange
- questionable access
- traffic
- noise
- change to the Comprehensive Plan approved 7-0 by the Strasburg town council
This is planning?
attribution: Ken Whytock, Flickr and Creative Commons
Sunday, August 27, 2023
another one bites the dust
I'm sad to say that The Pancake Underground closed permanently on July 2. (I suspect that many of you didn't know this--me too.)
The Pancake Underground was one of the good ones. On weekends they were packed. Their food was great.
What happened?
It isn't completely clear to me why they left. taxes? lease? It certainly wasn't because of a lack of customers.
What is clear is that the owners are opening up a cocktail bar and kitchen (The Catamount Lounge) in Front Royal.
Maybe Front Royal/Warren County's business taxes are more favorable than Strasburg/Shenandoah County's.
Too Bad. It's Strasburg/Shenandoah County's loss and Front Royal/Warren County's gain.
author of base image is User:Pumbaa80, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Thursday, August 24, 2023
a drought emergency plus E. coli in the river: you do the math
source: FSSP NF Shenandoah River E. coli levels on Wednesday June 22 versus Thursday Jun 23 - FOSR - FOSR 816.4 CFUs per 100 ml !!!--one would expect E. coli levels like this in an open sewer!!!
A drought emergency + an E. coli level of 816.4 CFUs per 100 ml = safe drinking water???
NOT according to my calculations.
It shouldn't take a miracle for the town to provide safe drinking water, and for the town's customers to be confident that its water is safe to drink.
Just the same, I'm praying that the water that the town sells to us is safe to drink.
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
did you know?
if you didn't know, then welcome to the club.
as most of you know by now, the town depends on its citizens to check its website for important information. what the town fails to realize is that if you aren't notified directly by the town that there's a drought emergency, then how do we know that a drought emergency exists?
then the town ridiculously expects us to "spread the word".
while it's obvious that neither the town's website alone nor "spread the word" are effective in notifying citizens in emergency situations, the town doggedly persists in not notifying us directly in emergencies and other "need-to-know" situations.
maybe the town will include the drought emergency notification with the next water bill. I hope that none of y'all get cited for a violation before the next water bill arrives.
the town of strasburg--not ready for prime time.
Thursday, August 3, 2023
classic superiority complex
classic superiority complex arises when some people think that they're better than other people just because they've lived in a place longer and/or they have a job that they believe makes them more important than others.
many people speak reverently of the volunteer fire department and the siren. perhaps they have short memories:
perhaps they should grow up and save their reverence for church.
bottom line: to activate the siren during the middle of the night just for the hell of it (for 100% of emergency calls even when it's not needed) is just plain stupid.
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
congratulations, strasburg! welcome to the new millennium!
.jpg)
attribution: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
And while we're on the subject, EMS vehicles, in addition to their sirens, can be heard all over town blowing their horns. Is this really necessary? Some people panic when they hear an EMS vehicle behind them with siren blasting and horn blowing. And, with some of Strasburg's antiquated streets and congested intersections, it can be next to impossible to find a safe place to pull over. Perhaps Strasburg's EMS drivers need some training in professionalism.
Saturday, July 29, 2023
Did you know--the Town of Strasburg has a noise ordinance?
As a matter of fact, I didn't know. Following is the lead article in the July 2023 Strasburg Signal:
So, my first question is: where can we find it (Strasburg's noise ordinance, so that we can read and become familiar with it)?
My next questions are: are there "guidelines"? If so, then where can we find them?
My last question is: why isn't the noise ordinance being enforced?
Loud motorcycles, cars and tractor-trailers roll through town revving their engines 24/7. To make matters worse, some motorcycles and cars have music playing at maximum volume. Clearly, this is "loud ... disturbing ... objectionable noise ... that disturbs the public peace and rest."
It's good to put articles in the Strasburg Signal that are of interest to us "townpeople". It would be even better in this case if they included links to the noise ordinance and "guidelines".
It's good to know that Strasburg has a noise ordinance. However, having a noise ordinance and guidelines don't solve the problem. If the noise ordinance is to be effective, then it has to be enforced.
BTW, it isn't always "townspeople" who are making the noise. In fact, I believe that most of the noise is not coming from "townspeople". With any law it doesn't matter who breaks the law. It's like speeding. Speed limits apply to anyone who exceeds the speed limit in town--"townspeople" and "non-townspeople" alike.
Saturday, July 8, 2023
trail or East Palestine Ohio?
rail WITH trail is a bad idea. rail TO trail (only) is the ONLY way to go.
CTB, NOW is the time to approve the Front Royal to Broadway rail-TO-trail project. We don't want another Norfolk-Southern railroad disaster in Shenandoah County!
attribution: National Transportation Safety Board, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Citizens, contact your government representatives (including: https://www.ctb.virginia.gov/) TODAY.
Friday, June 30, 2023
sequel
Shenandoah County supervisors vote to allow livestock on 1-acre lots | Nvdaily | nvdaily.com
politicians!
I get the 4-H. but, in a county where the north fork of the Shenandoah River is polluted by animal waste, does adding more untreated animal waste to the river make sense?
and in a county that's stuck in the last millennium, is this any way to attract new development--like the rest of the forward-thinking world is doing?
local politicians! what are they thinking!
Oliver Wendell and Lisa Douglas would be pleased. They could move to Shenandoah County and have it all! (as long as they don't mind living near a polluted river that's the source of drinking water for many of the county's residents and living in a county that's stuck in the last millennium.)
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
nonsensical
one week the town is asking residents and businesses to conserve water.
the next week the town is upgrading to self-watering hanging flower baskets.
what are the town's priorities?
- conserving water?
- flower baskets?
- taxes that residents and businesses pay to the town?
is spending tens of thousands of dollars for flower baskets, water, horticulture foreman and workers, overtime, etc. a good use of the taxes that residents and businesses pay to the town?
does any of this even make sense?
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
lower water levels in the river equal higher concentrations of E. coli
E. coli colonies grow during drought-like conditions. they get "flushed" during large rain events.
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
could it happen here?
could it happen here? could someone who works for the town pump sewage into the river? with or without the mayor's (or former mayor's) knowledge?
maybe it's already happened here.
Is this report reliable? I believe that it is. It's an independent source that is reporting test results. Why would any unbiased person believe this report to be unreliable?
If you live, work or visit Strasburg, then you should find these photos extremely disturbing. The E. coli level on Thursday 06.23.2022, 816.4 MPN CFUs per 100 mL at the NF Shenandoah River @ Strasburg Park Public Boat Landing, is more than 16 TIMES the previous day's reading (50.4). It's 3.5 TIMES the pre-October 2019 Virginia water quality standard for primary recreational use (235). One would expect a reading this high (816.4 MPN CFUs per 100mL) to occur only in an open sewer.
The intake for Strasburg's water supply and the outfall for its water treatment plant are less than a half mile upstream from where these samples were taken.
the town owes its citizens an explanation.
if it happened in Glen Lyn, then it can happen in strasburg.
**********************************************************
PS Jay McKinley, strasburg's public works director, has an impressive resume.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-mckinley-b55a3266 In addition to his academic qualifications, Jay's resume states that he has been "Largely focused on the upgrading and repair of an aging water/wastewater/public works infrastructure" in strasburg for nearly 30 years. strasburg is fortunate to have him.
that notwithstanding, we will continue with many others in strasburg who drink bottled water. why? because of the fact that the e. coli level in the river near the boat ramp in town park on 6/23/22 was 816.4 MPN CFUs per 100 mL.
We have similar qualifications, Jay.
- the courses in water supply and wastewater management that I took in college were probably very similar to the courses that you took.
- I grew up in northern virginia in the 1950s. my wife and I worked and raised a family there.
- I was in high school when the beltway was being built.
- I remember when the public was advised not to swim in the potomac river because sewage from combined sewers was being dumped into the potomac during high rainfall events.
- I remember "mount trashmore"--fairfax county's landfill.
- I was involved in a project at blue plains that the engineering firm that I worked for at the time had.
- I served as a citizen representative on a committee that examined the viability of fairfax county's proposed solid waste recovery plant. I know that it's the closest plant to strasburg. I know that strasburg trash goes to the county's landfill and not to an energy recovery plant as was stated on the town's website.
- I've observed in the 6+ years that my wife and I have lived in strasburg how the town operates:
- the lack of transparency
- the lack of real-time communication with its citizens
- how when some citizens received abnormally high water bills that the town insists that the problem is theirs and not the town's. I also know that failure to have functioning air release valves at high points in water lines can cause air to get into a service line that results in an abnormally high water bill.
- some time ago I followed the links on the town's website to get the yearly water quality report advertised on the town's website. when the link didn't provide the report in question, I contacted the roanoke engineering firm that was contracted to supply said reports. I didn't receive the report nor an explanation.
- there are many other examples of the town's lack of transparency in this blog.
So, Jay, excuse me if I'm skeptical about the safety of our water. with your qualifications and experience, I'm sure that you can understand that actual test results (816.4 MPN CFUs per 100 mL) hold great weight with those of us with STEM backgrounds. thank you for your service to the town.
*********************************************************
PPS one thing is for sure. the town is big on cheerleading. but, when it comes to providing important public information in a timely manner, e.g.,
- dangerous algae blooms in the river
- an extraordinarily high e. coli reading
- abnormally high water bills
- trespassing and vandalizing a private citizen's property
- the milk plant explosion
- a shotgun being fired from a boat on the river next to town park
- lack of safe access to and from town park for children, pedestrians and cyclists in the vicinity of madison heights
- lack of security on riverwalk
- lack of enforcement of leash and pet cleanup rules/laws
- comcast
- etc.
The town has an obligation to provide important public information in a timely manner to its citizens FIRST. The town seems to have a misguided belief that it's providing important public information to its citizens via facebook and/or the town's website. it ignores the fact that citizens aren't clairvoyant. how are citizens supposed to know that there's important public information on facebook or the town's website--unless they monitor facebook and the town's website 24/7? ABSURD! furthermore, some citizens don't have or want access to facebook. others have more important things to do (like jobs, paying bills, children, grandchildren, etc.) than searching facebook and the town's website 24/7 for important public information.
one of the reasons that I started this blog, strasburg underground, is to provide important public information to strasburg's citizens--because the town isn't meeting its obligation to do so.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
strasburg: by the numbers
in general, strasburg is "below average" in Virginia and in the US. "below average" is good in some categories--not so much in others.
looking at the "big picture", the thing that struck me is how different that the real strasburg is from what those in town hall make it to be.
what surprises you? why?
attribution: Nick Youngson
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
secrets--what you don't know CAN hurt you
after more than six years living in strasburg, I've come to the conclusion that the town deliberately keeps important public information from it's citizens.
- did you know that a test of the e. coli level in the river (not far downstream from the intake to strasburg's water supply plant) near the boat ramp in town park on June 23, 2022 showed an astonishing 816.4 e. coli colony-forming units per milliliter. one would expect an extremely high reading like this to come only from an open sewer! Strasburg VA underground: how safe is strasburg's drinking water?
- did you know that in january 2019 that a man fired a shotgun from a boat in the river next to town park? Strasburg VA underground: riverwalk safety and security: man fires a shotgun from a boat in the shenandoah river next to riverwalk
- in 2020 town citizen Melissa Schleig attended a meeting of the town's recreation, parks and trails committee. she asked an important question: how can her children walk or ride their bikes safely from their house in madison heights to town park? do you know that the committee blew her off? Strasburg VA underground: Melissa Schleig revisited
- do you know why that there's virtually no security on mile-long riverwalk? do you know why the inoperable "emergency phone" sign posts haven't been removed because the phones (presuming that they previously existed) have been removed? do you know that people who use the trail without their own personal cellphone are helpless in case of an emergency? do you know why leash and pet cleanup rules aren't enforced? do you know that some riverwalk users report that unleashed dogs have attacked and bitten people, the dogs' owners fled and the victims of the attacks had to get painful rabies shots?
- do you know who in the town finalized the agreement with comcast to provide its services to every citizen in the town without informing its citizens beforehand? Strasburg VA underground: SURPRISE!
- do you know why the town insists that it isn't their fault that some citizens received extremely high water bills? Strasburg VA underground: water bills mystery
- do you know why the town of strasburg hasn't joined the 21st century--communicating important public information "real-time" with its citizens rather than relying on the archaic and unreliable "spread-the-word-with-your-neighbors" method of not communicating important public information directly with citizens in a timely manner?
- do you know why the town of strasburg has secrets?
there are other examples of the town not providing important public information to its citizens. think about it. the only time that we hear important public information affecting the citizens of this town is when an outside news media source reports it. needless to say, outside media sources don't report all of the important public information that strasburg citizens need to know from the town.
what you don't know CAN hurt you.
we deserve better.
.png){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
basic town services
basic town services:
- water that's safe to drink
- properly treated at the plant
- a distribution system that doesn't leak and is well maintained and serviceable
- air release valves--so that customers don't get charged for air as if it's water
- customer water meters where customers can compare readings on the meter with readings recorded on the bill
- water bills that include actual gallons used--no fictitious numbers. it's not complicated: gallons used x rate = $ due.
- wastewater
- a wastewater collection system that doesn't leak, is well maintained and doesn't discharge odors into the air
- proper treatment at the plant before it's discharged into the river
- trash
- dependable weekly trash service that requires customers to put their trash out only once each week (as opposed to multiple times due to customers not being notified in a timely manner of schedule changes)
- roads, streets, sidewalks, street lighting
- a road, trails and sidewalk system that allows for safe access by motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians from their homes to town park and other locations in town
- properly maintained
- advance notice of construction and non-routine maintenance activities
- town park & riverwalk
- properly maintained
- enforce pet waste cleanup and leash requirements
- police
- a police department that is properly sized with due consideration that Shenandoah County (sheriff) and the Commonwealth of Virginia (state police) also have law enforcement responsibilities in strasburg
- taxes
- strasburg citizens pay town taxes, county taxes, state taxes and federal taxes. town taxes are more than enough to cover basic town services. but, basic services are not being fully provided. basic services come first. everything else (like the facade program, expanding town staff and space, marketing, etc.) comes second.
- important public information
- provide important public information to ALL citizens of the town in a timely manner
- as long as the town uses a flyer in the water bill (untimely), facebook (not everyone has facebook; not everyone who has FB accesses the town's FB page 24/7), the town website (not everyone has 24/7 access to the internet, those who have 24/7 access to the internet don't access the town's website 24/7 searching for important public information), and word-of-mouth (unreliable, untimely), then the town will NOT be meeting its obligation to provide ALL citizens with important public information in a timely manner. THE BURDEN TO PROVIDE IMPORTANT PUBLIC INFORMATION IS ON THE TOWN--NOT ON THE TOWN'S CITIZENS.
IT's NOT COMPLICATED.
Monday, February 27, 2023
SNAFUburg: I reckon that we won't be seeing this in the attachment to the next water bill
***** UPDATE *****
Developer roulette in SNAFUburg:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
no water service and no advance notice
we arrived home this morning to find that we had no water service. no advance notice. no "heads-up".
typical.
nice going, town!
Sunday, January 15, 2023
trash talk
it's a frustrating game. when will the trash be picked up this week?
the fact is that no one knows. not even the town. the town's "2023 trash holiday schedule" was included with one of last year's water bills. it shows each month for 2023 with some days shaded in blue, green or yellow indicating the days that trash won't be picked up according to the normal schedule. the problem is that there are errors in the schedule.
for example, the 2023 schedule clearly shows that there will be a one-day delay in trash pickup for the first week in January. the problem is that the trash was actually picked up the day before--on the regularly scheduled day. an error in the first week of the year! so much for the reliability of the rest of the information in the schedule.
upon closer examination, there are more errors:
- january only has 30 days--jan 1 is omitted.
- may has two may 31 and no may 30.
- june starts on a thursday, not on a wednesday as shown.
- june has 31 days instead 30 because june 4 is shown twice.
- november has two november 26 and no november 24.
the town is good at not putting out important public information to it's citizens. the town continues to insist on the unreliable "pass-the-word-to-your-neighbors" method of disseminating important public information. on the rare occasions that the town does put out important public information in a timely manner, there's a good chance that there are errors in it.
so, to all those who may be considering relocating to strasburg, consider yourselves forewarned. you'll never know for sure when your trash is going to be picked up.
Friday, January 13, 2023
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
gunshots
thank you Chief Sager and the rest of the police department, including the two alert officers who heard gunshots while they were on patrol.
as Commissioner Reagan says on Blue Bloods: "excellent police work!".
thank you Alex Bridges and The Northern Virginia Daily for your coverage of this incident, including reminding the public that discharging a firearm within town limits is prohibited.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)