ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SOFTBALL? Fauquier, Liberty and Kettle previews. Pages 16, 17, 18
March 6, 2019
Our 202nd year | Vol. 202, No. 10 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
Warrenton leaders consider smaller budget for FY 2020 By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
The Warrenton Town Council is considering upgrades to information technology assets, additional staff and a possible storm-water management fee or tax as it develops a new budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Warrenton Town councilmen and staff met Friday, March 1, for a nearly five-hour-long retreat at the PATH Foun-
Council mulls adding a storm-water management fee or tax dation headquarters on Walker Drive to review revenue, expenses and needs. Discussions will continue with a series of work sessions aimed at finalizing the town’s fiscal year 2020 budget in June. Interim Town Manager Brandie Schaeffer reviewed the town’s financial data and trends while department heads shared their accomplishments and needs.
Council members and staff seemed to agree that the computer hardware and software that staff uses to perform their work needs updating. Councilman Brett Hamby (Ward 3) suggested developing a timetable to replace technology and tackle the needs “chunks at a time” rather than wait until the town can afford a complete update.
“The more we can improve our technology the better we can serve,” observed Councilman Sean Polster (At Large). “If they can do the job more efficiently and effectively, it’s a cost savings.” “Just tell us what you need,” Hamby said.
See BUDGET, Page 4 Educators and members of both the Fauquier Education Association and Advocating for Change gathered at the Warren Green building on Friday to ask fellow educators and their supporters to attend the March 12 Board of Supervisors budget work session at Fauquier High School. TIMES STAFF PHOTO/ KAREN CHAFFRAIX
Budget meetings
Fauquier teachers respond to budget shortfall By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Some Fauquier teachers are taking a stand in the wake of a proposed budget for next school year that falls $1.4 million short of the local funding Superintendent David Jeck requested to operate the county’s 20 public schools. Dressed in “Red4Ed” clothing, members of Fauquier INSIDE Business.............................................13 Classified............................................34 Communities......................................29 Faith...................................................27
Educators Association and “Advocating for Change,” an organization pressing for more money for teachers, stood in front of the Warren Green Building in downtown Warrenton Friday afternoon to film a video. The appeal asks supporters to attend an upcoming meeting to press the board of supervisors for more money for public education.
See TEACHERS, Page 4
Family Time........................................21 Libraries.............................................31 Lifestyle..............................................23 Opinion.................................................8
The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors will hold public sessions leading up to its March 21 vote on the new budget. Meetings will be held: • Thursday, March 7, 4:30 p.m., work session • Tuesday, March 12, 4:30 p.m., work session • Tuesday, March 12, 7 p.m., public hearing, in the Fauquier High School auditorium • Thursday, March 14, 4 p.m., joint work session with school board • Tuesday, March 19, 2 p.m., markup/ mark down • Thursday, March 21, 4 p.m., final vote, in the second-floor conference room, Warren Green Building Most meetings will be held in the firstfloor meeting room in the Warren Green building, 10 Hotel St., Warrenton. The Tuesday, March 12, public hearing will be held at Fauquier High School. The March 21 meeting will be held in the second-floor conference room of the Warren Green building.
Obituaries...........................................32 Puzzles...............................................12 Real Estate..........................................28 Sports.................................................15
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | March 6, 2019
Robin Earl named new managing editor of the Fauquier Times Staff Reports Catherine Nelson, publisher of Piedmont Media, has announced that Robin Earl of Bealeton has joined the Fauquier Times staff as managing editor. A lifelong journalist, Earl held the position of managing editor of the Fauquier Times-Democrat between 1996 and 2007. She said she’s delighted to be back in the familiar newsroom. “With new owners at the helm and a 24/7 media environment, it’s a different job now than it was 10 years ago,” she said. “But I have always ROBIN EARL loved learning and writing about my neighbors in Fauquier County. Every person has a unique story to tell.”
Between 2008 and 2019, Earl worked as public relations specialist at Fauquier Hospital. She has also been a writer, editor and web-content manager for other Fauquier publications and organizations. Living, working and raising three children in Fauquier, Earl has cultivated local connections for 24 years. Nelson said Earl’s appointment allows Jill Palermo — who had been handling managing editor responsibilities for both the Fauquier Times and the Prince William Times — to focus on Piedmont Media’s Prince William Times, which is poised to expand its news coverage and its readership in the coming months. Palermo, a resident of Montclair for 15 years, wrote for the Potomac News in Woodbridge in the early 1990s and went on to work for daily newspapers in California, Illinois, Florida and North Carolina before returning to Prince William County in 2004. Piedmont Media’s mission is to educate readers
about local and regional issues while highlighting the challenges and strengths unique to each county. Its new nonprofit, the Piedmont Foundation, will further that work with in-depth coverage of select issues affecting our entire readership area. Earl and Palermo encourage residents and business owners in both Fauquier and Prince William counties to get in touch if they have story tips or other suggestions. “I would love to include as many voices as possible in our papers,” Earl said. “The tapestry of Fauquier County is wide and varied. I want to cover it all.” Earl can be reached at rearl@fauquier.com. “The goal of the Prince William Times is to accurately tell the story of our times here in the second-largest county in Northern Virginia and to be a central source of information and debate for our residents,” Palermo said. “We want to hear from you.” Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com.
Green Meadows subdivision in Opal getting water fix By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Green Meadows subdivision residents in Opal could have clear tap water in a couple of weeks, after three filters are replaced. A malfunction in one of the filters on Feb. 18 prompted the Fauquier Water and Sanitation Authority to shut off the filters and begin supplying the community of 92 homes with water brought in by tanker from Bealeton. Clear water comes from the tap when the filters are working as they
should. When the valve on one of the filters malfunctioned, residents saw pink, green and brown water. Though WSA Director Benjamin Shoemaker said the water is safe to drink, he understood the different colors were unappealing. Shoemaker said that because the water system that was installed by the subdivision’s builder is now 18 years old, he’s opted to replace rather than repair the three filters to avoid another failure. The replacement work could cost $100,000 — a cost that will be
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spread among all WSA users. Shoemaker met with about 20 members of the Green Meadows community for about 90 minutes Monday night in the depot at the Bealeton public library. He answered questions about the recent problem with the water, as well as concerns about usage rates, the taste of the water (which some residents don’t like), and chalky buildup on water filters. Shoemaker said he’ll look into providing a credit to Green Meadows residents for extra water usage
ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-347-4222 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Managing Editor, Fauquier Robin Earl, 540-347-4222 rearl@fauquier.com Managing Editor, Prince William Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com
that has been caused by WSA’s advice to run water from their taps to get rid of discoloration. The WSA director said he’ll be contacting residents and their homeowners association once he knows more about when the valve replacement work will be done. He also said that he is working to develop a communications plan to more quickly notify residents when incidents like the one at Green Meadows occur. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com.
Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540-351-1635 asherman@fauquier.com Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 jtoler@fauquier.com Staff Writers Karen Chaffraix, kchaffraix@fauquier.com James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 jivancic@fauquier.com Sports Editor Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 pbrewington@fauquier.com Sports Staff Writer Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 jmalmgren@fauquier.com ADVERTISING Ad Manager Kathy Mills Godfrey 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Classified Sales Consulatant Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | March 6, 2019
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Chick-fil-A plans second drive-thru lane, expanded kitchen By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Business at Warrenton’s Chickfil-A is good; in fact, it’s too good. Franchise owner Paul Brock will shut the restaurant for several weeks this summer to expand the kitchen, add a second drive-thru lane and address traffic that stacks up on the main road during busy lunch and dinner hours. “We’ll make sure the community knows” when the six-week closure is going to occur, said Brock. Construction was originally planned to begin Aug. 1 but he’d like to see it start in June. “August is typically busy, June not as much,” Brock explained. He’s been working with town officials for a year for a solution to the customer traffic that can back up onto West Lee Highway. “It’s a safety thing. We want to take one drive-thru lane and make
PHOTO BY CARSON MCRAE Traffic backs up onto West Lee Highway during the lunch rush at Warrenton’s Chick-fil-A on Monday. it two,” said Brock. Currently, staff members get drive-thru customers their food more quickly by engaging drivers where they wait in line. They
use iPads to record orders for pick up at the restaurant window. Brock said that 65 percent of his restaurant’s business is takeout
drive-thru business. Overall sales, drive-through and sit down, total $6.2 million. Brock expects that to increase to at least $8 million after the expansion. “I’ve had 8 to 10 percent growth per year,” said Brock. The Warrenton restaurant opened on March 20, 2008. Redesigning the parking lot will leave the restaurant with the same number of parking spaces — 36 — that it has now, Brock said. Traffic making a right turn into the restaurant parking lot will do so at an entry point closer to neighboring BB&T bank, Brock said. The seating area inside the restaurant won’t be changing. Brock said he has 65 employees. He’ll retain 75 percent and pay them during the shutdown. Brock is now working to secure the necessary permits from the town for the renovation. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com.
Walker Drive town center project foes move to appeal judge’s ruling By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Residents who filed a lawsuit challenging the Warrenton Town Council’s 2017 approval of a development along Walker Drive have filed a notice of appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court. The residents’ attorney, Bradley Pollack of Woodstock, Virginia, recorded the notice of appeal with the 20th Circuit Court in Fauquier County on Feb. 22. Plaintiffs in-
clude Carol Hegwood, Lee T. Rowland, Kathlyn Rowland, Craig A. Updike, Elbert Michael Ussery and Elizabeth S. Ussery. Bill and Bob Springer and Kim and Mike Forsten want to develop 15 parcels on 31 acres with up to 116 apartments and condos as well as a town-center-type development. The neighbors of the proposed development lost their case at the circuit court level when Judge Jeffrey W. Parker ruled in the town’s favor Feb.
5. The suit dealt mainly with traffic issues and impacts to residents in the immediate area of the future development. Parker ruled the town council considered the traffic and transportation impact information. The Warrenton Town Council approved the rezoning from light industrial (which does not allow residential) to mixed-use overlay development on July 11, 2017. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com.
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