planning?

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-council-oks-townhomes-with-one-way-in-out/article_ec7af32c-b904-5671-a578-d4848fc12f4f.html 

https://www.shenandoahgis.org/#/mwl?zoom=18&location=-78.333591_39.006054

• 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?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7815007@N07/12895520215

attribution: Ken Whytock, Flickr and Creative Commons

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

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. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smiley_crying.svg

author of base image is User:Pumbaa80, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

a drought emergency plus E. coli in the river: you do the math

https://strasburgunderground.blogspot.com/2022/11/how-safe-is-strasburgs-drinking-water.html

North Fork Shenandoah River at Strasburg Park public boat landing in Shenandoah County VA. E. coli levels on Wednesday June 22 versus Thursday June 23, 2022.

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.

who's been minding the store?

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-to-clear-vacant-nuisance-lot-of-trees-brush/article_436acd74-9c90-50fb-9ec8-580f715c5928.html 

answer: nobody.

did you know?

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-declares-drought-emergency-prohibits-some-water-use/article_cba1315d-a8b0-5539-9025-57b439d6db60.html 

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.

classic superiority complex

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-residents-sound-off-about-fire-station-siren/article_8211f687-ca89-5f43-a377-e9870cc0826d.html

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.   

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/superiority-complex  

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-council-censures-fellow-member-over-social-media-comments/article_0cff4579-fb03-55ce-99ef-3d88f5f0da1d.html

many people speak reverently of the volunteer fire department and the siren. perhaps they have short memories:

https://apnews.com/article/ebbcc1d27ded45a2a5c866dfe641dc67 

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.

congratulations, strasburg! welcome to the new millennium!

https://www.whsv.com/2023/08/01/strasburg-council-discuss-new-county-911-radio-system-town-fire-siren/ 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Highway_Post_Office_Bus_at_Strasburg,_Virginia_(2550290795).jpg

attribution: Smithsonian Institution, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

BTW, Strasburg Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies says "So, when I hear it (the siren) I am just thankful that someone is going out to save lives and I know that a majority of citizens feel that same way". Really? How does the mayor know that? Did someone take a poll of Strasburg citizens? If so, I wasn't polled.

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.