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August 15, 2018
Our 201st year
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Vol. 201, No. 33
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More than 1,600 are eligible for Medicaid expansion
Fauquier scientist aims to reimagine the National Air and Space Museum By Leland Schwartz Times Staff Writer
Pieces of history are missing from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and Ellen Stofan has to figure out how to raise $250 million to put them on exhibit and tell their stories. At the same time, Stofan, a resident of The Plains and the museum’s new director, is overseeing a drive to reimagine the nation’s most popular museum. She wants girls to know they are badly needed in the sciences and that exciting and challenging futures await them there. It was no accident Stofan, NASA’s former chief scientist and the first woman to run Air and Space, became a planetary geologist. Her mother was an elementary school science teacher and her father, a NASA scientist. But most girls, Stofan says, are not attracted to the STEM fields. “I think the message kids lose is that science, technology, engineering and math are fun and a way to solve big challenges that the world has,” she said. As the commercialization of space and fields like artificial intelligence and robotics explode, it’s critical they attract a diverse workforce, Stofan said. Otherwise, girls will “lose out economically,” and the sciences will “lose out talent-wise, idea-wise and creativity-wise.” While Stofan, 57, thinks things have improved over the years, diversity in the sciences remains a real problem.
See SCIENTIST, page 2 INSIDE Business.............................................15 Classified............................................36 Communities......................................30 Faith...................................................34
County to add 4 staff to handle new applicants By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/LELAND SCHWARTZ Ellen Stofan, a resident of The Plains and the new director of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, in front of Lunar Module 2, built for ground testing and later converted to match LM ‘Eagle,’ which went to the moon on the Apollo 11 mission.
Fauquier Focus...................................25 Lifestyle..............................................23 Looking Back......................................19 Opinion.................................................4
See MEDICAID, page 2
Obituaries.............................................6 Puzzles...............................................14 Real Estate..........................................29 Sports...................................................9
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Fauquier County officials are expecting a 2-percent bump in the number of residents eligible for Medicaid when Virginia expands the health insurance program for the poor Jan. 1. Currently, 6,252 Fauquier County residents receive Medicaid benefits. That number is projected to increase to about 7,852 in 2019, according to Jack Ledden, director of social services for Fauquier County. Ledden briefed the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors on the impact of state’s planned Medicaid expansion during a work session Thursday, Aug. 9. The Virginia General Assembly approved expanding the program earlier this year to those making up to $16,754 a year, or about 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Virginia’s current Medicaid program is among the leanest in the nation, serving people who make only up to $9,700 a year. Even disabled people were ineligible if they surpassed that income threshold. Also, no able-bodied, childless adults qualified for benefits, no matter how little they made.
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | August 15, 2018
More than 1,600 are eligible for Medicaid expansion MEDICAID from page 1
State lawmakers debated expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income Virginians for five years and finally voted to approve the expanded program — made possible under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare — after sweeping Democratic victories in the November 2017. Several Republican lawmakers voted with Democrats to expand Medicaid in the new state budget, which began July 1. Medicaid is a funded and administered by both the federal and state governments. Although Fauquier County doesn’t pay for Medicaid benefits, it does pay a share of per-
sonnel and operating costs. Fauquier will receive $122,557 in additional funding from the state to offset costs associated with the expected caseload increase. There isn’t a local match required in the current fiscal year, but a 15.5 percent local match of about $110,000 will be needed in the next fiscal year, Ledden said. Costs to implement the program in the midst of the current fiscal year exceeds the state’s allocation, so the county will be providing $87,101. Applications from new enrollees will be accepted starting Nov. 1. To handle the expected increase in applications for benefits, three additional full-time benefit specialists and one additional administrative
staff person will be needed, Ledden said. They will join a staff that currently numbers 19 and includes a program manager, 14 benefits specialists, two case managers and two associates and assistants. Erin Kozanecki, the county’s director of management and budget, said the state is looking to help localities recruit new staff. “Human resources is making its best effort. We’ll recruit as quickly as possible,” Kozanecki said. Ledden said there are 119 localities in Virginia in competition to hire more staff. Time is short. New staffers are expected to be hired in September and undergo training in October. Three existing social services
staff members were in Richmond last week to be brought up to speed on the expansion of the Medicaid program, Ledden said. Medicaid benefits can be used to pay doctors, hospitals, emergency care, prescription drugs, laboratory tests and X-rays, maternity and newborn care, home health care, medical equipment and supplies, rehabilitative care, mental health and addiction/recovery care, wellness exams, nutritional advice and immunizations. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are eligible for Medicaid as are low-income adults and children in low-income households and people with certain disabilities. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@ fauquier.com
Fauquier scientist aims to reimagine the National Air and Space Museum SCIENTIST from page 1 “I can’t tell you how many times I still hear stories from people of color who are made to feel unwelcome” at universities and laboratories, she said. “I think we’re still not there in treating each other as talented individuals.” Too often, she adds, “We still say, ‘Are you a person of color? Are you a woman? So do you belong here?’” The minute others question whether certain people belong in the sciences,
Stofan says, “They start questioning themselves and say, ‘Well, maybe I don’t belong here.’” What’s missing from the museum, which opened 41 years ago, are the stories going on right now in low Earth orbit, led by private companies, some with a vision of space tourism. Also under development is NASA’s new supersonic passenger jet. As part of a seven-year, $1 billion renovation, three-quarters of which will be funded by Congress, the museum wants to redesign its galleries
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and refresh the stories it has always told about the development of flight and, as Stofan puts it, “the struggle of humans against gravity.” The stories need to be modernized, she says, because 21st century audiences are more digital, read less text, and are more inclined towards interactivity. Also, the museum is filled with things Stofan says are “further and further removed” from the visitors’ lives. When it first opened, she points out, most of the population had just lived through the Apollo program, which put the first men on the moon. “That was tangible, and the shuttle had yet to fly.” But with more than 8 million annual visitors split between the museum’s Independence Avenue building in Washington and the newer Udvar-Hazy complex next to Dulles Airport, where the Space Shuttle Enterprise is on display, Stofan said she is confident the museum will raise the funding it will not get from the government. “With that kind of audience, you get to inspire that next generation of explorers, innovators and inventors,” she said. “And when we talk to donors, they get excited because they know we have a reach like no other museum.” Stofan, who has championed NA-
SA’s quest to get to Mars, said scientists are not hoping to go there so we can have another place to live in case something happens to Earth. “Definitely not,” she says. ”I think most people in the scientific community get very stressed about the idea that Mars is some kind of backup colony or backup place for humans to live. In terms of it being Planet B, it just doesn’t cut it,” Stofan said. Mars, she says, is extremely harsh environment where the radiation would probably force people to live underground. Therefore, she says we need to think of Mars like a scientific outpost “more like Antarctica than like Cleveland.” But we need to go there, Stofan says, because scientists believe it is “likely” life should have evolved on Mars and either went extinct or retreated underground. To find out for sure Stofan says we “need a scientific base, you need people, you need lots of rocks.” Earth “is the planet we can live on,” Stofan says. “Don’t take your eye off the fact that this is the planet that supports humanity.” Carl Sagan, she says, “has lovely words on the subject” and Stofan quotes him as saying, “This is where we make our stand.” Leland Schwartz can be reached at lschwartz@fauquier.com
Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540.351.1635 asherman@fauquier.com ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 Published every Wednesday by jtoler@fauquier.com Piedmont Media LLC Staff Writers How to reach us Karen Chaffraix ADDRESS: kchaffraix@fauquier.com 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 PHONE: 540-347-4222 jivancic@fauquier.com FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. 5 p.m. weekdays, Jonathan Hunley, jhunley@fauquier.com 24-hour answering service Leland Schwartz, 540-351-0488 Publisher lschwartz@fauquier.com Catherine M. Nelson, 540-347-4222 Sports Editor cnelson@fauquier.com Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 pbrewington@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Editor in Chief Sports Staff Writer Christopher Six, 540-212-6331 Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 csix@fauquier.com jmalmgren@fauquier.com Managing Editor ADVERTISING Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 Ad Manager jpalermo@fauquier.com Kathy Mills Godfrey 540-351-1162 Web/Copy Editor kgodfrey@fauquier.com Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
Classified Sales Consultants Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com Evelyn Cobert, 540-878-2492 ecobert@fauquier.com Chairman Emeritus George R. Thompson To place Classified and Employment ads: Call 540-351-1664 or fax 540-349-8676, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday — Friday or email fauquierclassifieds@fauquier.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 540-347-4222 Help with your subscription? Call 540-878-2413 or email CirculationFT@fauquier.com Missed your paper? Call 540-347-4222, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays Subscription: $69.68 per year within the United States. POSTMASTER: Send address 41 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Periodicals postage paid at Warrenton, Va. and at additional mailing offices
NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | August 15, 2018
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New Poplar Springs owners aim to focus on events By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Poplar Springs Manor, formerly Poplar Springs Inn & Spa, will follow a course emphasizing event-hosting, according to the Casanova venue’s new owners. The days of “two people being served by a 15-person staff are over,” said Antonio Cecchi, a partner in the venture along with Amara Camara and Sammy Hatami. Poplar Springs will still have a spa. Diners will be served at catered affairs. The menu will offer “a lot more selections,” Cecchi said. Cecchi spoke of the changes to come during an Aug. 7 open house at Foxchase Manor in Manassas, one of the other venues operated by Gala Cuisine. The company also owns and operates Raspberry Plain Manor and Rose Hill Manor in Leesburg. Foxchase has two buildings referred to as North and South. Gala Cuisine bought the 170-acre Poplar Springs for about $4 million in July. Sandy Spring Bank financed the purchase. Cecchi said there will be an official unveiling of the new Poplar Springs Manor on Nov. 4, at which time the public and vendors can check it out.
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/JAMES IVANCIC Antonio Cecchi, center, is shown with business partners Amara Camara, left, and Sammy Hatami. “We wanted to get past the busy season,” Cecchi explained. In the meantime, the property at 5025 Casanova Road is being spruced up. Poplar Springs Manor is getting a “facelift to give it the TLC (tender loving care) it needs and open up the possibilities it always had,” said Cecchi. The new owner, though, said he found the Poplar
Springs complex generally is in “great shape.” “It’s rare that we find everything in place. We don’t have to do any heavy-lifting,” Cecchi said. Poplar Springs Manor will continue to offer overnight accommodations in its 21-room inn, but guests attending events will have priority on the dates of those events. An online booking service accessed through a new website — poplarspringsinn.com — will show open dates. A group booking of 20 suites will carry a price of $4,000, or $200 per room, which is “kind of a different [pricing] model,” Cecchi said. Event packages include a full-service “silver” category that ranges from $110 per person for a buffet or $130 per person for a plated dinner for 50 guests, dropping in per-plate price for 100 and 150 guests. Full-service “gold” prices range from $150 per plate for a buffet and $170 per guest for a plated dinner for 50 guests, dropping in price for 100 and 150 guests. Event packages cover nine hours of service: five hours for the event itself and two hours each for set up and break down. Poplar Springs Manor can be reached at 703-3693638. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com
The Plains weighs rules for short-term rental properties By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
The Plains may join other Northern Virginia communities by regulating short-term rental properties through websites such as Airbnb. Town council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 on an amendment to the town code to require owners earning income from “short-term or transient lodging” to register their properties with the town and pay a $20 fee. The proposal includes a $500 penalty for anyone who does not comply. It’s thought there are “just a handful” of such properties within The Plains at this time, according to Steve Gyurisin, the town’s zoning and subdivision administrator. Others advertised as being in The Plains may not really be in The Plains at all.
“There are listings online with a mailing address of The Plains extending way out into the county,” Gyurisin said. Requiring registration would “let everyone know which rooms and buildings are being used. It would help on the public-safety side” to have that information, he said. Anyone offering such lodging would also need a special-use permit, which carries with it certain compliance standards. The town has been considering this action for a while. “The planning commission has been discussing short-term lodgings for quite some time — since last year. But it was decided to wait for the state to come up with rules and regulations. We didn’t want to pass something and then find out it wouldn’t meet state code,” Gyurisin said.
The Virginia General Assembly last year approved a bill enabling local governments to adopt ordinances requiring people to register if they want to offer their property for shortterm rental. In The Plains, lodging property owners are subject to the 2-percent meals and lodging tax approved by town council last year. Fauquier County has had a 2-percent tax on transient lodgings of all types since 2005, according to Ross D’Urso, the county’s commissioner of revenue. There is no fee to register such properties. The tax applies to areas outside town limits. Fauquier has three towns — Warrenton, Remington and The Plains. Warrenton doesn’t have a shortterm rental ordinance or registry, according to Town Manager Brannon Godfrey.
A response from a Remington official wasn’t received by press time. Other jurisdictions are also regulating the short-term rental market. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on July 31 approved a zoning ordinance change that allows county residents to rent their homes for up to 60 days a year. The number of occupants is limited to six, and there must be adequate parking. Fairfax County will issue a permit good for two years at a cost of $200. A tax equal to 6 percent per contract also applies. The Aug. 20 public hearing and town council meeting in The Plains to consider the ordinance amendment will be held in the second-floor meeting room of The Plains Fire Department, 4260 Loudoun Ave. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@ fauquier.com
‘It’ll fly again’ County auctions two abandoned airplanes By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
They came to Warrenton-Fauquier County Airport in Midland on Friday to check out two planes for sale at auction because the owners hadn’t kept up their tie-down payments. Before the 11 a.m. start of the auction they walked around the two planes, looked at the engines and inside the cockpits. Kicking the tires was pointless since they were flat. The auction drew a crowd of 30 lookers, but a smaller number of bidders, when auctioneer Jackie Sellers, yes Sellers, started the bidding. It was over by 11:20 a.m. Peter Stephany, who has an aircraft-maintenance business in Florida, bought the 1946 ER Coupe for $2,750. The county’s auction notice listed an appraised value of $1,950. Sellers started the bidding at $200. It escalated until Stephany came away the winner. “I’m going to take it apart and bring it back to Florida. I’m doing maintenance on a plane now in a hangar,” Stephany said. He doesn’t intend to strip the Coupe for parts, though. “It’ll fly again,” he said with certainty.
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/JAMES IVANCIC Two men who attended the auction of two planes at Warrenton-Fauquier Airport take closer looks at the Air Coupe before bidding begins. Stephany formerly lived in Fairfax County. He said his daughter is a dispatcher at the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport. Chris Schuldt of Fredericksburg looked over the Air Coupe before the auction. He said he owns one. He figured it would cost $20,000 to $25,000 to get the one for sale ready to fly again, assuming
there isn’t anything wrong with the main spar. The second plane for sale, a Cessna Skyhawk 172, drew a winning bid of $4,000 from Eric Parris of Warrenton. He said he’s hoping to get a cable TV station to broadcast a reality show following his effort to make the plane airworthy again. “It’ll be a pilot [show] about a pilot,” he quipped. Parris said he’ll either move the plane to a hangar at the airport or take the wings off and move it off-site to a garage. “The engine turns over and the avionics and frame look good. It needs a fresh coat of paint,” Parris said. He has taken ground training but isn’t a licensed pilot. The Skyhawk had an appraised value of $3,600. After the auction concluded, the new owners went inside the airport office building to settle up. These were cash transactions with the full purchase price required immediately. The planes were sold as-is and without a warranty. The new owners have two weeks to move the planes off the property or sign a lease to keep them at the airport beyond that time limit. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com