HAWKS’ FEVER: Highland’s boys and girls basketball teams head into the state tournament red hot. Pages 15, 18
February 27, 2019
Our 202nd year | Vol. 202, No. 9 | www.Fauquier.com | $1.50
What’s with the water?
Opal subdivision sees rainbow of colors coming from tap By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Pink, green and brown. The water from the taps in Mindy Gray’s Opal house was all of those colors at different times last week. She wasn’t alone. Her neighbors in the Green Meadows subdivision were seeing colored rather than clear
water. Off-putting for sure, though safe to use and drink, according to the Fauquier Water and Sanitation Authority. The WSA shut off the filtering system in the community’s water system and is filling the storage tank serving the 92-home Green Meadows community daily with water
More trails, more pools?
brought in by tanker from Bealeton while it works to replace the faulty equipment.
WSA: Not a health risk
Soon after discovering the strangely-colored tap water last week, Gray and her neighbors called the WSA and checked its website for
answers they felt were slow in coming. The first complaint was called in on Presidents Day, Monday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 p.m. The WSA office was closed for the holiday and an answering service took the call. The volume of calls to the WSA picked up on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
See WATER, Page 4
Fauquier parks and rec begin first long-range plan in 26 years By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
Fauquier County’s Parks and Recreation Department is supposed to complete a long-range comprehensive plan every five years, but it hasn’t happened since 1993. Parks and Rec Director Larry Miller said the department has been completing projects and renovations but hasn’t had funding to focus on a strategic plan for the future — until now. In March 2018, the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors allocated $75,000 to develop a “Parks, Recreation and Open Space Comprehensive Plan.” It will provide guidance for the capital-improvement projects staff submit each year to the county board for funding. Funds to develop the comprehensive plan, dubbed “comp plan,” will be available in fiscal 2020, which begins July 1. The plan will articulate recreational needs for fiscal 2020 to 2024, but Gary Rzepecki, assistant director of the department, said the planning document takes into account population and needs projections for the next 20 to 30 years. The county’s procurement department is currently reviewing the “request for proposals” document that will be used to solicit bids from qualified firms to update the plan. Rzepecki said that he hopes the RFP will be advertised in March or April. Proposals will be evaluated to decide which company is best suited to do the work, Rzepecki said.
One-wheel wonders The Unistars Unicycling Showtroupe demonstrated their feats of skill and balance Saturday during a demonstration at the Vint Hill gym. Riders, ages 10 to 18, navigated ramps and dazzled the crowd with their choreographed formations. The event was held in conjunction with Fauquier County Parks and Recreation. Above, Caroline Lawrence, Ryan Granche, Virginia Lawrence, and Noah Stubbs perform the flying turn. Left, Jackson Turner is helped by Michelle Carrico and Ellie Evans after the show when anyone was able to try a unicycle. PHOTO BY RANDY LITZINGER
See PARKS, Page 6 INSIDE Business.............................................13 Classified............................................34 Communities......................................28 Faith...................................................26
Health and Wellness............................20 Libraries.............................................30 Lifestyle..............................................22 Opinion.................................................8
Obituaries...........................................31 Puzzles...............................................12 Real Estate..........................................27 Sports.................................................15
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NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | February 27, 2019
Podcast explores black experience with Fauquier County roots By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
National Public Radio’s WAMU is promoting five new podcasts produced by broadcast novices. One of these is “Perpetual Blackness,” which tells the story of how one world traveler discovered “home” in Fauquier County. Nichelle Calhoun, 38, was born in Washington, D.C. and was living in Miami, Florida. Master’s degree work in Latin American and Caribbean studies allowed her to travel to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. She was deep into research on the African diaspora (how Africans spread out because of the slave trade). Through it all, she was looking for a connection, PHOTO BY ROBIN EARL she was looking for “home.” Calhoun published a book in 2017 Nichelle Calhoun has produced a podcast called “Perpetual Blackness” that titled, “Songs of Yemaya,” about a talks about her Fauquier County ancestry. black goddess. She said, “I put toIn the fall of 2017, Calhoun moved Calhoun was speaking with gether 24 black women’s voices from AAHA collections manager Norma to Maryland, where she teaches Enaround the world.” glish language learners at Mount HeLogan. “I had explored the black ex“Norma said, ‘Lawson, that’s my bron High School in Ellicott City. She perience all over the world. I was line.’ She started texting me pictures. continued her genealogical research surrounded by friends who were I’m sitting in Miami, looking at my from the closer vantage point. She proactive in explaining the black ex- phone, seeing photos of my second said, “I was talking to my friends perience,” she said. “But I didn’t see great-grandmother.” about the book idea and they said, myself reflected in history. I had a Logan confirmed: “My ‘That’s a podcast.’” lack of clarity about how the black ex- great-grandmother, Mary Frances Calhoun was listening to WAMU perience informed Lawson, is her last July 4 when she heard about their American culture.” great-great grand- “Pod Shop.” As she prepared “When society tells “They were advertising for mother.” to write a second you your story doesn’t After beginning D.C.-area residents to apply for a probook, something belong, that’s when genealogical re- gram that would train podcasters and changed her focus. search through the produce a pilot episode. The applica“I saw a photo on you realize you have a AAHA, Calhoun tion was due July 5,” she said. my mother’s dress- story to tell.” Calhoun spent seven hours on the thought she might er. She had retrieved write her second application. A week later, she was NICHELLE CALHOUN book on her ances- called for an interview. Five podcastit from my grandmother’s nursing ers were chosen from 540 applicants. tors. home,” she said. AAHA received a grant from the “I was very cuThe 1921 photo was of her grand- rious about the black women who PATH Foundation for $65,765 to fund mother’s parents, who were from the came before me. What did their lives the podcast as well as an oral history Waterloo section of Fauquier (near look like? I wanted to draw a bigger project called “Listen the CommuniOrlean). “It was something I’d never picture from those individual lives. ty Speaks.” see before. It showed me ‘home.’” About $42,800 is designated for I wanted to do something through In a quest to learn more, Calhoun AAHA and was going to look for the podcast. Christy Connolly, presicalled the Fauquier County Historical grants to support the project. dent and CEO of PATH, said, “Every Society and was directed to the Af“When I called Karen [White, community can benefit as history is ro-American Historical Association AAHA’s executive director and told through the eyes of its earliest in The Plains. co-founder], I felt like I was calling residents. This in-depth understand“I called there and a sing-song Beyoncé. What she and the others at ing of the local history of our rural voice answered and asked me what AAHA have created, it’s amazing. African-American community will my family line was. I told her that my Karen was totally supportive. I met encourage education and open diagrandmother used to say, ‘my mother with Karen, met with the board. I logue, important aspects for a vibrant was a Bailey,’ and that I am also part wanted to be a part of this ship,” she community.” At the twice-a-week Pod Shop said. of the Smoot and Lawson lines.”
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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 Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
“Perpetual Blackness” is a podcast that explores black history through the experience and ancestry of Nichelle Calhoun, whose family resided in Fauquier County for two centuries. Listen at: https://radiopublic. com/the-pod-shop-8X49de/ep/ s1!4607a or through iTunes. training sessions, Calhoun learned about audio engineering, how to chose equipment and how to interview. She said, “I am comfortable with writing, but the audio part was something new. It was like a graduate seminar. We all would bring in our audio interviews and critique one another’s work.” Calhoun’s boyfriend, who is from the island of Grenada in the West Indies, sparked the idea for the podcast’s name. Calhoun said, “He told me that I’m the most pro-black person he knows. He said, ‘My life with you is perpetual blackness.’” Calhoun is planning seven initial episodes of “Perpetual Blackness.” “I have collected so much beautiful tape from black people in the D.C. area, telling their stories. I would sit down next to them and open a conversation. Never did they disappoint,” she said. The podcast blends Calhoun’s family history in Fauquier with the histories of other residents of the D.C.-metro area. It is filled with different accents from all over the world. Some voices are young, some more weathered. “I didn’t just want to tell my family story, I wanted to find a cross-section across time and space. I’m just a curator,” she said. “We all carry these stories, but people don’t feel comfortable sharing them. When you get them in the family room talking, they all come up. My family has lived in this area for more than 200 years, but I never heard these stories,” she added. “When society tells you your story doesn’t belong, that’s when you realize you have a story to tell.” Reach Robin Earl at rearl@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 Chairman Emeritus George R. Thompson
To place Classified and Employment ads: Call 540351-1664 or fax 540-3498676, 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 changes to: Fauquier Times, 41 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Periodicals postage paid at Warrenton, Va. and at additional mailing offices
NEWS
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | February 27, 2019
Fauquier Hospital opens new cardiac lab By Karen Chaffraix
gan, and for 28 years ran, the cardiology catheterization lab at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, about 75 miles east of Fauquier Health has opened a cardiac-catheter- Pittsburgh. “The stars lined up, and my wife and I were able ization laboratory that will enable local patients to receive diagnostic and low-risk cardiological pro- to move here, close to our children and grandchilcedures that previously were not available in the dren,” Stenberg said on Monday. “Right now, we are just doing diagnostic procecounty. dures, but using a step process,” Stenberg said. “We’ll “We’ve been sending patients to Fairfax, Prince be adding procedures such as coronary angioplasty William, Winchester and University of Virginia and stent placement, intravascular ultrafor these kinds of services,” hospital CEO sound, pressure wire measurement of arteChad Melton said Friday. rial blood flow and eventually intra-aortic The “cath lab,” a $2.1 million investballoon pump insertion.” A balloon pump ment funded by Lifepoint Health, owner of stabilizes the critically ill patient who will Fauquier Hospital as well as 89 hospitals in then be sent to centers equipped to treat 30 states, opened Monday at 550 Hospital high-risk cardiac cases and perform openDrive in Warrenton. Staffed by its director heart surgery, which the lab does not do. and six employees, it has a treatment caAs both Fauquier hospital and the Fairpacity of 300 patients, Melton said. fax Heart and Vascular center are Inova “We are actively recruiting another genfacilities, the lab’s default recommendation eral cardiologist and in time will be adding for high-risk procedures such as bypass a vascular surgeon,” Melton said. DR. ROBERT and other “open heart” surgery will be reCardiac catheterization is used to diSTENBERG ferred to the Fairfax center, Stenberg said. agnose congestive heart failure, coronary “It’s not customary for small-town hosheart failure, coronary artery disease, dispitals to do open-heart surgery,” Melton had said ease in the valves of the heart and certain congenital earlier. “Those always get referred to cardiac speheart conditions such as atherosclerosis, cardiomy- cialty centers.” opathy and atrial and ventricular septal defect. Melton said surveys of the community and local The lab’s medical director, Dr. Robert Stenberg, physicians have long shown a local cardiac diagnosis an Inova employee. Inova partnered with Fauquier tic facility to be “number one” on their list of wishhospital to guide the lab’s development, Melton said. es. A behavioral health facility was number two. “They have been part of the relationship since The hospital is building a new cancer care center, day one, helping us with recruitment, streamlining scheduled to open by November, Melton said, and a processes, learning best practices, giving us depth behavioral health center is in the evaluation stage, a in that service line, our consultants,” Melton added. couple of years down the road at best. Stenberg is a cardio vascular physician who be“Thirteen years ago the hospital was looking at Times Staff Writer
3
starting a cardiac cath lab and it never got any traction,” Melton said. “This latest effort has been underway for the last two years. We applied for a certificate of public need in 2017 and got approval from the state in January 2018.” Construction on the cath lab’s 600-square-foot area, built within the physician offices building next to the main hospital, was finished in December 2018. “Cardiology has been offered here [in Fauquier] for a long time via the Carient [Heart and Vascular] group and through Prince William cardiology, but we’ve never had a real program ourselves,” Melton said. “This lab will allow us to provide higher acuity care. We’ll be be able to do diagnostic and interventional procedures in the lab, any open procedures in one of the hospital’s eight operating rooms.” Fauquier hospital has always been “chest-pain-certified,” Melton said. “That’s how we take care of emergency room patients. We will be applying for chest-pain certification with PCI, percutaneous coronary interventions,” formally known as angioplasty with stent. “That will take two years. Right now, depending on the acuity of the heart attack, we have to fly them out.” “The lab is a great thing for continuity of care for our patients,” Melton added. “We can save them money and inconvenience by treating them here locally. And Dr. Stenberg, being part of Inova Heart and Vascular [in Fairfax] – they’ll have continuity of care. Their records will be there, and they’ll have transportation.” The cardiac catheterization lab and Dr. Stenberg are located at 550 Hospital Drive. Appointments may be made by calling 540-316-DOCS (3627). Reach Karen Chaffraix at kchaffraix@fauquier. com.
Second data center proposed for Remington By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Remington could soon be home to another data center complex if a request for a 139-acre development from McLean-based Convergent VA LLC goes forward. The Convergent Technology Park, as it would be called, is the second such application for the Remington area. Fauquier County supervisors in March 2018 approved zoning changes for Remington Technology Park, a data center project of Point One Holdings, on 234 acres between Lucky Hill and Remington roads. Convergent Technology Park would be on vacant land south of the intersection of U.S. 29/15 and James Madison Street. Like Remington Technology Park, a phased construction of several data center buildings is anticipated over five to seven years. Convergent Technology Park represents a $1 billion investment. Its data center buildings could employ 110 workers. “I was elected to bring tax base to the county and reduce the burden on taxpayers. If approved, this project accomplishes that,” said Fauquier County Board of Supervisors Chairman Chris Butler, who represents the Lee District, which includes Remington. He is seeking re-election in November. “Here is an application within the service district that eliminates 190
roof tops and [puts] hardly any strain on services,” Butler continued. “Buses won’t be stopping there, and school seats and other services won’t be needed.” The proposed Convergent site is on land previously approved for a 198unit housing development. The applicant’s statement of justification notes the Remington Service District has the infrastructure needed to support data centers. There are existing and planned fiber routes. High-voltage lines already bisect the property overhead. The data center will have back-up natural gas and electrical power systems as well. An electrical substation will be built onsite. There will be a water-storage tank for fire suppression. Water service from the town of Remington would be needed but won’t be used to cool the data center operations. Sewer service is in place. The data center would use an existing gravity sewer system along U.S. Business 15. Sewage flow would go to the Tin Pot pump station and then to the Remington Wastewater Treatment Plant. The applicant said existing stands of mature trees will screen the eastern and western property frontages. Additional landscaping and earthen berms will provide more screening. The Lees Glen subdivision borders the east side of the property and single-family homes on Fifth Street sit along the southern property line.
The applicant needs an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan as well as a rezoning of 104 acres to the business park classification and 35 acres to R-2 residential. The latter will be used for passive recreation. The applicant also needs a special exception to place a 500,000-gallon water tank on the property for fire suppression. The Fauquier County Planning Commission is expected to review the application in April meeting, according to Holly Meade, director of community development. The commission will schedule a public hearing and vote on a recommendation to the board of supervisors,
which will also hold a public hearing before voting. As of last November, Point One of Alberta in Canada, was working on detailed designs and securing necessary permits for the other data center project, Remington Technology Park. The county supervisors approved a special exception in December for a temporary aboveground water-treatment and storage facility needed for the first phase of on-site work. Colin Clish, Point One’s vice president for development, said a site plan and a request for a permit for construction of the first phase is forthcoming. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@ fauquier.com.
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