Blue Ridge Leader News -
July 18, 2010
Earthquake Weather
No, I don’t have any intelligent reactions from local officials on this one; I was jolted out of bed at 5:04 a.m. on Friday morning, though. My first thought was, “Oh, no, another plane crash in Leesburg.”
After that stint of about five such incidents in about an 18-month period back in the earlier part of the decade, I guess a lot of folks had the same idea.
My neighbors felt it, too.
Tom Lickey said he felt his bed shake for several seconds; I was jealous- I’d only felt the one big ‘bang.’
In fact, short of an aircraft disaster, the thing sounded and felt pretty much like a giant truck speeding by your house, hitting a bump on the highway- magnified by at least 100 times.
Even though the US Geological Survey only registered the quake at 3.6 on the Richter Scale, it seemed pretty big at the time.
I would imagine the presence of so much rock under our soil contributes to the jostling sensation.
Probably safer in the long run than all that sand out in California.
Remember the Three Pigs.
What Housing Slump?
Well, the Supervisors completed another piece of the Eastern Loudoun puzzle this week, and it fell to development; I expected the Kincora application to go forward, but I know a lot of people are disappointed about the placement of so much construction- and congestion- just off the junction of two major transportation arteries in that part of the County. The vote gives the go-ahead for office, commercial, hotel and residential units in the giga range on 336 acres off Route Seven and Route 28.
They’d already approved a baseball stadium and other office footage at the site; the project includes a performing arts center and a fire/rescue station.
County staff had recommended denial, and some of the dissenting Supervisors tried to delay the vote to air this thing out a bit more before the final decision.
Yes, they’re building road connectors as part of the deal, but will it offset the extra traffic?
Well, now it’s all over but the shouting.
And the development.
Wire Ire
You know those high-wires going up between Leesburg and Purcellville? Like some more?
Well, just wait and you might get ‘em.
The PATH project should be rearing its ugly head again later this summer.
In fact, in anticipation of these developments, a bunch of organizations are holding a meeting about the thing this week.
The scoping session- set for Tuesday at 4 PM at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, takes input from the National Park Service, the US Forest Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
These groups are all planning an environmental impact statement in readiness for the re-emergence- in upcoming weeks, supposedly- of the Potomac Appalachian Transmission Highwire (PATH).
You’ll recall that they withdrew their plans months ago- ostensibly due to a change in the timeline for electrical demand.
Their earlier plans called for 275 miles of high-voltage transmission lines across three states, crossing northern Loudoun in the Lovettsville area.
I’d say, look for Allegheny Power and American Electric Power to refile later the summer.
And you know how much faith I have in the State Corporation Commission making the right decision on this.
They’ll use about as much restraint as Richard III did in killing his friends and family members.
So: Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville- on Maple Avenue- Tuesday at four in the afternoon.
Christmas in July
“Oh, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” Well, not really- in fact, not at all, but I get the feeling that’s a big part of the impetus to rethink a local decision that barred all displays from the Historic Loudoun Courthouse Square in Downtown Leesburg.
The County Supervisors plan to take the issue up at Tuesday’s meeting; they decided last year to allow 10 displays on a first-come, first served basis- in response to local clamor, no doubt; this came after the initial ban on such outbursts of fervor- religious or otherwise-by the Courthouse Grounds and Facilities Committee.
The Town of Leesburg officially supports the re-allowance of displays.
Local judges asked for a delay in the vote so they can put in their two- or more- cents (or sense?) worth.
What started all this?
The local Rotary put in their annual request to erect a Christmas Tree in the Courthouse Square of all things (an annual example of the grace that can exist in the best of Loudoun County), and the Committee felt compelled to deny the application, because an approval would have legally forced them to allow similar displays from whatever hooligans or devil worshipers or even Irish (that’s a joke, son) had thrown together an application.
Why is it that, as time goes on, common sense seems increasingly a thing of the past?
So, for Tuesday’s vote, I expect nothing.
Nothing satisfying, that is.
Mark my word.
…Of All
And, speaking of sentiment, I admit to turning a bit wistful each year at this time; yeah, it’s getting close to that shortest of weeks in the calendar: Fair Days. The Loudoun County Fair starts a week from today- Sunday, July 25.
The midway gets bigger every year, they have expanded facilities- and activities- but many of the traditional favorites return, like the fundraising Kiss-a-Pig Contest, the 4-H Livestock Auction, and Sunday’s crowning of Miss Loudoun County Fair 2010.
Activities run pretty much morning til evening for the full week: rodeo, demolition derby, animal judging, fundraising barbecue dinners, 4-H craft displays and lots of fair food.
All out in the healthy outdoors of the Loudoun County Fairgrounds- nestled in the shoulder of the Catoctin Hills- just off Dry Mill Road about 3 miles west of Leesburg.
My recommendation: leave your cell phone- and your watch- at home, and just go see what you see for a couple of hours some evening- the midway looks pretty romantic as the sun disappears over the Blue Ridge.
If you really need the complete schedule of events and such- here’s their official website: www.loudouncountyfair.com.
