Holtzman travel center development still in early stages

I've been wondering... What's going on at the large parcel (44 acres) in the northeast quadrant of the I-81 interchange with John Marshall Drive? heavy construction equipment, excavation, grading, dump trucks, etc.--but no signs.

Thanks to the Northern Virginia Daily we have an answer.

“The current zoning is B-2, which permits automobile service stations. The M-1, General Industrial, code allows for truck stops through a special use permit process,” Hancock wrote in an Aug. 21 email. “Truck stops are currently defined as having five or more diesel fuel pumps along with provisions for parking and/or servicing five or more tractor-trailers. Depending on the intended design for a travel center and internal customer use (i.e., truck stop vs primarily passenger vehicles), we may need to ensure zoning is in place the way you need it.”

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/holtzman-travel-center-development-still-in-ea rly-stages/article_19a42a15-c02b-5302-86aa-7c81f4eb4e8f.html 

William B. Holtzman

brace for impact. this truck stop, along with the one at Cedar Spring in the southwest corner of the interchange, will permanently establish the area as "truck stop alley". Good luck to all of the nearby homeowners.

good police work

 

https://www.whsv.com/2024/12/11/out-of-state-scammers-arrested-strasburg/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/182229932@N07/48614589533

attribution: EpicTopTen.com and flickr

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

Food Lion: Why haven't recalled Grimmway Farms carrots been removed from the shelves???

ATTENTION FOOD LION SHOPPERS!!!

https://www.grimmwaycarrots.com/status-history/?id=1102 

note the yellow banner at the top:

UPDATE 11/21/2024: GRIMMWAY FARMS EXPANDS RECALL DUE TO POTENTIAL E COLI CONTAMINATION

Why haven't recalled Grimmway Farms carrots been removed from the shelves???

stinkville

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/odor-from-milk-plant-frustrates-strasburg-residents/article_f32367dc-d5b7-5079-af22-74a584657161.html 

It's just like town hall to blow off the PERSISTENT stink from the milk plant. Town hall has a history of blowing off problems (as this blog has documented).

The fact is that anyone who drives through strasburg can attest to the foul smell that surrounds the milk plant. Depending on the daily winds the noxious smell can spread for blocks. It makes you want to hold your nose.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesonflickr/364271619

attribution: Charles Williams and flickr

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

As much as the town would like to blow off the persistent stink from the milk plant (along with its many other problems), they're not fooling town residents, tourists or anyone else who may be looking for a place to live or move their business. 

Who wants to live, visit or work in stinkville?

PS Some comments to the NVD article suggest satisfaction with the status quo. Town hall has a manager job for you! In the words of author Warren G. Bennis, "The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it."

is strasburg the next union level?

https://theforgottensouth.com/union-level-virginia-ghost-town-history/ 

maybe. maybe not. 

strasburg is located in a more populated region than union level. however, strasburg has been losing businesses over the last decade. 

it depends on the town's leaders. will they be able to buck the trend and attract businesses to strasburg? will people be attracted to make strasburg their home?

time will tell. 

Union Level, VA

https://www.flickr.com/photos/retroweb/15821784322/in/photolist-q77MfS-PtZTiM-M3gcvS-PtZTWa-26wMpKw-26wMof7-29dkqyy-29hy2UK-29hy12X-26wMpss-26wMrkq

attribution: Kipp Teague and flickr

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

Strasburg planners delay UDO vote over approval process dispute

"Strasburg's new Unified Developmental Ordinance (UDO) hit a roadblock at last week's Planning Commission meeting, as members delayed a vote in order to resolve disagreements about shifting approval authority from the commission to staff.

At Thursday’s planning commission meeting, a key focus was a proposed shift in the UDO that would delegate by-right development approvals from the planning commission to staff. The change, intended to cut red tape, raised concerns about transparency and accountability. It's made possible because by-right developments, by definition, meet all legal requirements.

Director of Planning and Public Services Brian Otis said the change could could speed the application process up by 30 days.

However, commission members expressed concerns that this change could leave staff isolated in decision-making.

'You'll be a man on an island,' Planning Commission Chairman Vince Poling said.

Vice Mayor Emily McCorryn asked if a compromise could be reached.

'Can we formalize some kind of communication even if it is not approval?' McCorryn asked.

'Just so we don't get caught up on the street and asked what's going on someplace and we don't have any idea whatsoever,' Poling added.

Otis proposed sharing staff reports at multiple stages, such as when applications are received and before final signatures, ensuring transparency. McCorryn welcomed the adjustment, but both parties agreed to finalize the language by the next meeting in November.

The Planning Commission chose to defer the approval of the new Administrative Procedures Manual until November.

Poling said he would have voted no if a vote was called, but recognized the difficulty of redrafting the town's UDO.

'500 pages of stuff with a bunch of changes,' Poling said. 'That's a lot of documents to cover.'"

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-planners-delay-udo-vote-over-approval-process-dispute/article_fe62c867-1cf9-5c86-a0e9-9d044df538b2.html

So, citizens of Strasburg, what do you prefer?

1. "red tape" (e.g. a 500-page UDO. Has anyone at the town ever heard of the KISS principle?)
2. speed
3. transparency
4. accountability
5. town staff making planning decisions
6. town planning commission making planning decisions
7. town council making planning decisions

It seems to me that all of these issues should have been addressed well before a vote on the UDO was called for.

What do you think?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/92501682@N00/5067471752

attribution: Jegi and flickr

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

yada yada

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/its-a-team-that-deserves-another-four-years-brandy-hawkins-boies-seeks-2nd-term-as/article_23eddefe-49ba-5869-9a72-79320bda7b6d.html 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/i-always-knew-that-i-wasnt-done-rich-orndorff-running-again-for-strasburg-mayor/article_12e9c83c-c327-53ef-9c8e-f4dc6512fd55.html 

yada yada. 

Does the performance of either of these two candidates merit another term? Is Strasburg better off or worse because of them?

Unlike mathematics, multiplying two negatives doesn't equal a positive. 

https://flickr.com/photos/quoteseverlasting/8735598299

attribution: QuotesEverlasting and flickr

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

Noise update

Well folks, it's been more than three months since I updated you on the earsplitting noise coming from Shenandoah Valley Drive. That makes more than six months since it began. Birds and wildlife are gone. Folks who used to enjoy being outside have retreated indoors.

I can report that some kind of borrow pit operation is going on. Huge piles of soil, topsoil, gravel subbase, and construction debris are moving nonstop in and out of the area. The noise is deafening. 

From the looks of it, the end is nowhere in sight. 

if only...

• the north fork of the shenandoah river was cleaned up
• strasburg's water supply problem was solved
• strasburg didn't have a smelly and dangerous milk plant and industrial buildings in the center of town
• huge tractor trailer trucks and farm equipment had routes other than US 11 and US 55 to get around the center of town
• children, elderly and handicapped could get safely to and from the madison heights area to town park
• west king street was more pedestrian oriented (eliminate parking on west king and massanutten streets and widen sidewalks)
• adequate parking was provided for shops in the historic district
• the noisy, archaic, 24/7 siren was replaced by one of several modern alert systems, e.g. Active911 or IamResponding smartphone apps, automated text messaging, digital pagers, etc.
• the noise ordinance was enforced 
• birds and wildlife returned
• strasburg had more than one grocery store
• strasburg had a zoning plan that made sense
• strasburg's town council stopped granting zoning exceptions
• town staff and town council were more visionary

then maybe strasburg might become all that it can be.

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  

three juveniles arrested for making bomb/school violence threats

On Wednesday, September 11 the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office responded to two bomb/school violence threats in Strasburg.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/DDQNkfq5dpaE1vn1/

***NEWS ALERT**

Today, on Tuesday, September 17 [sic], 2024, the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident, regarding school threats.

The incident pertained to a suspected 16-year-old female, from Edinburg, VA, at Central High School. The juvenile made two (2) separate verbal threats, involving school violence/threats, which was then reported to school officials and the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.

This juvenile female was charged with:
Two (2) counts of 18.2-83: Threats to bomb or damage buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.

The individual has been taken to a Juvenile Detention Center and is awaiting a detention hearing.

WHSV report: https://www.whsv.com/2024/09/11/three-students-apprehended-separate-school-violence-threats-across-valley/

The Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office responded to two incidents Wednesday in Strasburg.

The first incident involved a Snapchat post created by a suspected 15-year-old girl concerning school violence/threats, according to SCSO. The post was then sent to other students. SCSO filed two charges against the suspect:

• §18.2-83: Threats to bomb or damage buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.
• §18.2-60: Threats of death or bodily injury to a person or member of his family; threats of death or bodily injury to persons on school property; threats of death or bodily injury to health care providers; penalty.

The second incident in Strasburg involved a suspected 16-year-old boy who made a verbal statement pertaining to school violence/threats while riding a school bus. Other students reported the statement to school officials and SCSO. The boy has been charged with the following:

• §18.2-83: Threats to bomb or damage buildings or means of transportation; false information as to danger to such buildings, etc.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/94502827@N00/38910984640

attribution: Brent Moore and flickr

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

strasburg town council caves

https://www.whsv.com/2024/09/12/strasburg-town-council-approves-gas-station-convenience-store-edge-town/ 

strasburg town council ignores the citizens of Cedar Spring and caves to the developer.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/maywind72/49159392253/

attribution: Maayan Windmuller and flickr

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

corridor h

Following is from https://shenandoahalliance.org/project/corridor-h/:

West Virginia’s Corridor H highway project has been in development since the late 1960s as part of the Appalachian Development Highway System. As proposed, the highway is a massive almost 150 mile 4-lane highway running from Interstate 79 east through rural West Virginia ending in Wardensville WV, 7 miles short of the Virginia state border on State Route 48/55 west of Strasburg.

Although sections of the highway are built and operational, Corridor H continues to be controversial in West Virginia as residents question the massive cost of the road to taxpayers and the damage it has caused compared to its modest economic impact. If completed as envisioned by West Virginia legislators, the road will bulldoze through the Virginia state line, into the George Washington National Forest, through the Cedar Creek drainage and create a huge interstate exchange where the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park now lies, while offering almost no benefit to Virginians.

Thankfully, Corridor H isn’t and has never been in any of the local or long-range transportation plans for the state. And, Virginia doesn’t have any plans to build its section from the state line to I-81 or I-66. Still, the Alliance remains vigilant as the project moves forward in West Virginia.

Alliance comments in opposition of Corridor H
Dec 12, 2022

The Alliance agrees with and supports the resolutions recently adopted by Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors and the Strasburg Town Council opposing construction of Corridor H in Virginia.

Strasburg signs on in opposition of Corridor H
Dec 09, 2022

“There appear to be no benefits to the citizens of Strasburg that would result from constructing a Corridor H Highway to connect with I-81 and/or I-66 near Strasburg, Virginia.”

Thanks to Shenandoah Supervisors for Action on Corridor H
Nov 16, 2022

Community members in Shenandoah County are concerned about West Virginia’s proposed continuation of Corridor H to connect with I-81 near Strasburg.

A long history of opposition in Virginia
– 1993: “BE IT RESOLVED that plans to construct the Corridor H highway through Shenandoah County, heretofore described, are opposed by the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors.”
– 1995: “NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Commonwealth of Virginia adamantly cannot support the four-lining alternative of Corridor H in Virginia.”
– 2022: “NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the County of Shenandoah opposes the plans heretofore described to construct the Corridor H highway through Shenandoah County.”

Partners in Opposition
– Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance Conservation Hub
– Stewards of the Potomac Highlands

QUESTIONS:

•  On December 9 and 12, 2022 Strasburg's town council "adopted a resolution by Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors opposing construction of Corridor H in Virginia." Did the strasburg town council vote unanimously in favor of this resolution? If not, who dissented? 
• Is there a connection between the proposed Cedar Spring rezoning and Corridor H? If so, are there those in strasburg who are working to make the connection between the West Virginia line and I-81/I-66 a reality? 
• Likewise, is there a connection between corridor h and west virginia's proposal to annex counties in virginia?    https://apnews.com/article/d9ee8611eb59aedff84160ae1be27d14

inquiring minds want to know.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/59283046@N00/1237052249/

attribution: Bill Benzon and flickr

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

could the developer kill the project from hell that the community can't?

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/developer-wants-strasburg-council-to-delay-vote-on-gas-station-rezoning/article_0d45ed6f-1b4f-547d-af3e-79d5f1ec9234.html

"Claytor previously indicated that rejecting the highway sign could cause developers to abandon the project."

• community concerns
• VDOT concerns
• phase two?
• 25 ft. high highway sign
• outdated (20 years old) traffic analysis
• emergency exit?
• crime concerns
• corridor h? (https://shenandoahalliance.org/project/corridor-h/)

Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies asked if the trees could be removed, but Otis said they are on VDOT property and cannot be removed.

Council member Dane Hooser said "the design of the neighborhood was flawed from the start."

Council member Brad Stover said he wouldn’t interfere as long as the proffers are met. “I’m not going to dictate what you’re going to do with your commercial property,” Stover said.

Council member A.D. Carter IV urged a straightforward approach when the council votes, and asked members not to be side-tracked by residents’ wide-ranging concerns. “We have to be single-minded and say this is what it is, and this is what has been met,” he said. “Here it is.”

“I always thought phase one was residential and phase two was the commercial component,” Otis said. “To me, this is phase two. There is no development left to take place. Now is the time to do it.”

From the looks of it strasburg town government is trying to make the I-81 interchange at Route 55 the next south of the border.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/8557221010/

attribution: Doug Kerr and flickr

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

Despite the mayor, town council, and town staff continuing their efforts to push ahead with this project, and despite the community's continuing opposition to it, this project may collapse of its own weight.

a novel approach to town planning

so, the town is revising its zoning ordinance and they're holding a public hearing for citizens to provide comments and recommendations before the ordinance is adopted. translation: we're just about done and we need to get this public hearing check-mark done so that we can adopt the revisions. ergo, we're too late in the process to fool around with citizen input.

here's a novel approach: https://www.ruralbusiness.com/a-common-sense-approach-to-reinvigorating-small-town-america/

click on "Episode 34: Building Possibility". it's worth your time to listen.

the point: get citizen input BEFORE the town BEGINS the process.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/6282429807/

attribution: Doug Kerr and flickr

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

tiny homes?

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-council-planners-wrap-up-udo-discussions-consider-fowl-and-tiny-homes/article_649d2945-b512-580e-b564-6529ae5764b4.html 

who thinks this stuff up? 

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said:

“Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Everyone is not entitled, however, to their own facts.”

“Personally, I think this would be a neat selling point for Strasburg,” Zeimet said. “I don’t think Winchester has anything like this or the surrounding areas, and it just seems like this would give you a better quality of life versus, you know, a bunch of apartments that go up and up and up and got people just stacked on top of each other.”

Councilmember David Woodson mirrored those thoughts, sharing that he thought it would be a great option for the retired community of Strasburg, along with young couples and single people.

“Most people who retire don’t want to retire to townhomes,” Woodson said. “They want to retire to something like this.”

Mayor Brandy Hawkins Boies also expressed enthusiasm for the tight-knit communities tiny home clusters could potentially create.

“It’s like an instant neighborhood of connections,” Boies said.

Where are the facts to back up the "I think...I don't think...It just seems like...he thought...most people don't want to retire to townhomes. They want to retire to something like this...could potentially create an instant neighborhood of connections...etc."?

Here are some facts:

https://otinyhouse.com/disadvantages-of-the-tiny-house-lifestyle/ 

and this is from a guy (Peter Velin) who is a tiny home advocate who built and lives in his own tiny home. 

Also, if you look closely at the photo below you'll see the wheel. Why wouldn't "tiny home developments look like a trailer park"? dah!!!

Here's an idea. Why don't you research the facts before you leap?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiny_house,_Portland.jpg

attribution: Tammy, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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

if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a...

duck! 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-town-council-defers-vote-on-gas-station-following-continued-neighborhood-outcry/article_91fb0f5e-d552-5d7f-9aa4-ba256b1bfa93.html

homeowners, you're right! There are serious safety concerns. the town planning commission messed up in approving a gas station at this location. they should have approved zoning that is no different from the zoning in your adjacent, much larger, community. 

keep hammering away! don't let the town tell you different from what you already know. building a gas station at this location would be a colossal mistake--an obvious safety hazard to your community and a slap in the face.

don't let the town make you pay for their screw-up!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybugsleaf/41408499/in/photostream/

attribution: Lisa Roukis and flickr

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

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors at town hall? 

• this deal?
• other rezonings?
• zoning exceptions?
• the botched industrial business park?
• Comcast?
• etc.

Would they pass the smell test?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135213460@N06/21473796202/in/photolist-5LNL8c-5uvhEc-hN1djZ-5Sqz9E-oWpjmC-8hqSWY-6hz4pa-iFiov3-c5aijs-KzfYk-fwJWW8-oQVhc6-oQV7tm-4YfsC4-oQWpQk-oQVKjd-LqUe-p8onb9-4N6YBr-KzfYi-5JhY7H-Q58Tt-5uvi7X-88biBa-4XJsz3-7NxQCw-5uzDTU-22jqDM-w55JD-yHyPty

attribution: mmntz and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

What I do know is this: I'm 77 years old and I've been around the block more than a few times. I don't need some nanny or nannies at town hall telling me what is good for me and bad for me. I can figure that out for myself. so can you. 

gridlock

what do you get when you combine an intersection of two US routes with weird geometry, narrow streets, huge tractor trailer trucks, a milk plant, and antique shops, restaurants, and other small businesses lining both sides of the intersecting state highways?

answer: gridlock

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shan213/12199101024/in/photolist-jzZzJ1-jKgLpV/

attribution: Shannon McGee and flickr

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

The intersection of US 11 and US 55 in old town Strasburg VA may be the worst intersection that I've ever seen. 

What's being done about it?

answer: NOTHING

While the current mayor and former mayor tout their supposed accomplishments prior to November's election, NOTHING has been or is being done about the worst intersection that I've ever seen.

yada yada.

PS add street lights in the roadway of US 55 to the weirdest intersection that I've ever seen.

VDH algal mat alert

https://www.whsv.com/2024/07/16/vdh-issues-an-algal-mat-alert-north-fork-shenandoah-river-town-strasburg/

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/harmful-algal-blooms/

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/waterborne-hazards-control/algal-bloom-surveillance-map/

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  

The source of the Town of Strasburg's drinking water is the polluted Shenandoah River. Think about that the next time that you drink a glass of water.

"Pa! a gas station is a-comin!"

**** UPDATE ****

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/mixed-reactions-from-strasburg-council-on-pifer-house-renovations/article_2921ba05-1983-5189-addf-b8d70006440b.html 

They all seem to miss the point. 

What's the point of having zoning if a property (located between the I-81/US 55 interchange and an established residential development, which is zoned "Agricultural/Rural Residential"), is rezoned for a gas station and an office building?

answer: no point

what is it about town council et al that they don't understand that it's a betrayal of the people who live in the Cedar Spring community, to allow a gas station, that will service some of I-81's heavy volume of interstate tractor trailer trucks, to invade their residential community? The residents of Cedar Spring certainly didn't expect that when they chose to live in strasburg. is it callousness? is it arrogance? is it stupidity? or is it something far more sinister? whatever it is, it's strasburg.

****************

"right over yonder! between I-81 and Cedar Spring Drive!"

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!"

https://www.whsv.com/2024/06/05/strasburg-considering-gas-station-other-commercial-development-near-edge-town/

 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/developer-says-hes-made-significant-repairs-to-elijah-pifer-house-in-strasburg/article_d2d467d4-31df-58a0-8c2e-0a64a1e02a8c.html

https://flickr.com/photos/upnorthmemories/5243245263

attribution: Don...The UpNorth Memories Guy and flickr

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

here's the point. the subject property is a relatively small out-parcel bounded by an interstate highway interchange and a relatively new, but established, residential community. it's zoned "agriculture/rural residential".

https://www.strasburgva.com/media/18321

what sense does it make to allow a gas station to be built on this site, leaving the shack as a "historical monument"?

answer: it makes about as much sense as allowing residential and commercial development around a smelly and dangerous (https://strasburgunderground.blogspot.com/2021/07/explosion-and-ammonia-leak-at-milk-plant.html) milk processing plant--with huge tractor-trailers navigating the historical district's narrow streets--fouling traffic while getting to and from it. or, allowing residential and commercial development around a huge, noisy industrial complex in the middle of town. or, allowing townhouses to be built next to the town's other interstate interchange at route 11.

granting an exception for a property immediately adjacent to an I-81 interchange (zoned "agricultural/rural residential") to allow a gas station COMPLETELY changes the development intended for the property. why was the exception even considered? why have zoning laws if such HUGE exceptions are granted? 

it's unlikely that we'll ever know the REAL answers as to who is/are responsible for this egregious zoning exception--and why. in short, it makes NO sense at all--and, it doesn't pass the smell test.

that's strasburg.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135213460@N06/21473796202/in/photolist-5LNL8c-5uvhEc-hN1djZ-5Sqz9E-oWpjmC-8hqSWY-6hz4pa-iFiov3-c5aijs-KzfYk-fwJWW8-oQVhc6-oQV7tm-4YfsC4-oQWpQk-oQVKjd-LqUe-p8onb9-4N6YBr-KzfYi-5JhY7H-Q58Tt-5uvi7X-88biBa-4XJsz3-7NxQCw-5uzDTU-22jqDM-w55JD-yHyPty

attribution: mmntz and flickr

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

the "letter" in your water bill

https://www.whsv.com/2024/07/02/town-strasburg-officials-address-recent-water-quality-concerns/ 

Strasburgians, if you're looking for your "letter", then look in your water bill.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/23206546@N04/32242364412

attribution: Rusty Clark and flickr

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

The town has been searching for a water plant manager for months.

This is your drinking water. Who do you believe/trust? the town? VDH? or a qualified, independent source(s)? 

This is a water quality issue that has never been addressed:

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  

not even in a "letter" attached to our water bill.

'I always knew that I wasn't done': Rich Orndorff running again for Strasburg mayor

https://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/i-always-knew-that-i-wasnt-done-rich-orndorff-running-again-for-strasburg-mayor/article_518e73b4-77a1-5763-a23b-fbabfc030139.html 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/94502827@N00/28311023879

attribution: Brent Moore and flickr

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

noise news

after 3 months of earsplitting construction noise (https://strasburgunderground.blogspot.com/2024/04/demolition.html), 

we finally have some answers. 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-planners-greenlight-plan-to-split-one-shenandoah-drive-into-two-warehouses/article_0d50a8a4-90b5-53c9-981e-715cad5d4da3.html 

being outside during the last three months has been impossible with the nonstop noise. birds and wildlife have vacated the area.

the town is giddy with glee as they congratulate themselves for the project--as if they had anything to do with it. we'll see how it turns out. 

birds, wildlife and yours truly will be glad when the construction is complete. 

PS "landscaping" alone is not an effective way to abate noise. if one can see the source of the noise (direct "line of sight"), then one hears it unabated. that's science. it's also common sense.

https://www.apha.org/Policies-and-Advocacy/Public-Health-Policy-Statements/Policy-Database/2022/01/07/Noise-as-a-Public-Health-Hazard

https://flickr.com/photos/earsaregood/5611573495

attribution: earsaregood and flickr

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

Travelers, BEWARE!

 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-police-release-videos-from-fatal-officer-involved-shooting/article_24236964-b254-5712-ab29-794ad0ce1c29.html

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-police-release-video-of-fatal-december-shooting/article_63f3d6e9-505f-5194-8a50-77e25256b146.html

www.facebook.com/StrasburgPDva/videos/1502542157348173

https://apnews.com/article/ebbcc1d27ded45a2a5c866dfe641dc67

Don't stop in Strasburg!!! 

Stop at a place that has a hospital emergency room--Winchester, Woodstock, Front Royal.

Some day (decades from now), if the Corridor H connector (that will connect Interstate 81 with Interstate 79 in WVA) ever gets built, then a hospital with an emergency room may be built in Strasburg. In the meantime, stop at a place that has a hospital emergency room--in Winchester, Woodstock, or Front Royal.

The life that you save may be your own! 

Questions: (1) Why did the woman who placed the 911 call have to keep repeating herself? (2) Why did it take so long for police backup to arrive? (3) Why did it take so long for EMS to arrive? Town Hall and EMS are located at the bottom of the hill and the Ramada is at the top. Seconds are important in an emergency.

Transparency? Where's the timeline? When did 911 receive the call? When did Officer Rathore arrive at the scene? When did he call for backup? When did backup arrive at the scene? When did EMS arrive at the scene? When was Melissa Tompkins taken to Winchester Medical Center? When did she die? What was the cause of death from the autopsy? Could Melissa Tompkins have survived if she had been helped sooner? 

This investigation took six months. Any investigation worth its salt would have developed a timeline. Both Officer Rathore and Melissa Tompkins needed help. Maybe there's something that can be learned from the response times in this incident. If so, then we owe it to Officer Rathore, Melissa Tompkins, their families, and the public to learn how response times can be improved.

Who has seen the actual investigation report besides the investigators? What we have seen is a prepared video posted by Chief Sager on facebook. Who, independent of those being investigated and the investigators, has seen the actual report? Transparency requires that some independent, unbiased person(s) outside of the investigation review the actual report and report their independent, unbiased findings--e.g. the Northern Virginia Daily. Will that happen? I'm not holding by breath. 

Melissa Tompkins was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It cost her her life, and the life of her unborn child.

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/grieving-family-of-shooting-victim-says-she-struggled-with-addiction/article_942a0b8e-033f-549f-96f1-749fb8153513.html 

It's sad for me to think that if she had been in Winchester, Woodstock or Front Royal, with hospital emergency rooms, that she and her unborn child may be alive today.

• a day ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141290938@N03/27014484070

attribution: wp paarz and flickr

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

get real

 

https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/strasburg-council-reluctant-to-approve-cedar-springs-gas-station-citing-neglect-of-pifer-house/article_03c4b142-6e33-50e2-a9b7-2b25dda3a194.html 

WOW!!! The photo says it all. 

here's another: 

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0100242,-78.3649073,3a,90y,270h,93.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sygh6mvcmzyKd2Csu3GTqsw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?authuser=0&coh=205409&entry=ttu

Question: What is the attraction at this location? a gas station? or a restored log house?  

The answer is obvious. No one is going to stop at this location for a restored log house. Those who want to see restored log houses will visit Strasburg's historic district--which is two miles away. Anyone who thinks otherwise should have their head examined. 

Get real town council!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/6282945448/

attribution: Doug Kerr and flickr

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