Fauquier softball coach Mark Ott has resigned to become the Falcons’ assistant director of student activities. Page 9
July 18, 2018
Our 201st year
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Vol. 201, No. 29
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Mosier: 109 apply for 15 new school-security positions By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
A total of 109 people have so far applied for 15 new school-security positions planned to ensure all of Fauquier County’s 20 schools are equipped with armed guards when the new school year begins in August. That’s according to Fauquier County Sheriff Bob Mosier, who gave the Fauquier County School Board an update July 9 on the hiring pro-
cess for new school security personnel. Of the 109 applicants, 13 were found to be qualified for the new positions, which must be filled by current or former law-enforcement officers who have left their departments within the last 10 years. Two of the 13 were disqualified for issues of “moral turpitude,” Mosier told the board, explaining the applicants did not pass the sheriff’s department’s background checks for the new hires. Still, the sheriff’s office will soon fill eight of
the open positions and hopes to have all 15 positions filled, and their new occupants trained, by the time school starts Aug. 15, Mosier said. “I realize that’s ambitious, but by the start of the school year, these [school security officers] will be handed over to you,” Mosier said. The sheriff’s department is still working to hire one school-resource officer and 10 additional school-security officers, Mosier said.
See SECURITY, page 2
County to expand park, add river access in Remington By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
FRIDAY NIGHT FUN AT THE FAIR
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/CINDY GOFF
Amusement rides and games were part of the fun at the 2018 Fauquier County Fair, July 11-14. As usual, activities included poultry shows, bike rodeos, pedal tractor pulls, cattle shows, comedy shows, rodeos, hot dog and pizzaeating contests, just to name a few. See more photos at fauquier.com/multimedia INSIDE Business.............................................14 Classified............................................35 Communities......................................29 Faith...................................................34
Family Time........................................19 Libraries.............................................33 Lifestyle..............................................23 Opinion.................................................5
Fauquier County is partnering with the American Battlefield Trust to expand a recreational park while also preserving land in Remington that was fought over in two Civil War battles. The partnership with the battlefield trust will preserve land of historical importance while allowing the county to put it to recreational use. Making the river accessible to the public for boating is a goal of Supervisor Chris Butler (Lee), but the first phase of park improvements will address the needs of parking, trails and historical interpretation. A Battle of Rappahannock Station was fought on and around the site in 1862 and again in 1863. The board of supervisors voted July 12 to use $227,500 from the $400,000 in the capital improvements project account for the Rappahannock Station park to match American Battlefield Protection Program funds.
See PARK, page 2
Obituaries.............................................7 Puzzles...............................................13 Real Estate..........................................28 Sports...................................................9
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FROM PAGE 1
Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | July 18, 2018
Mosier: 109 apply for 15 new school-security positions SECURITY from page 1 The county’s goal is to have school resource officers in every middle and high school as well as at Southeastern Alternative School and Claude Thompson and Mary Walter elementary schools. The two elementary schools were chosen because they are farthest from the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Warrenton. Claude Thompson is in Marshall, while Mary Walter is in Bealeton.
SROs and SSOs
School resource officers, sometimes called SROs, are sworn law-enforcement officers who are employed by law-enforcement agencies but work in schools. The officers are permitted to carry guns. They typically perform routine security duties as well as other tasks, including teach-
ing occasional classes and interacting with students. Part of the goal for SROs is to familiarize the students with law-enforcement officials. The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors decided last May to augment the sworn officers with “school security officers” at each of the three high schools and at nine of the elementary schools that will not have SROs. The county dedicated more than $776,000 to the new positions last spring. By state law, the school security officers must also be former law-enforcement officers who left their departments in good standing, either because of retirement or some other reason. They must also have specialized state Department of Criminal Justice Services training in firearms, active-shooter situations and school security issues. The Fauquier County Sheriff’s
County to expand park, add river access in Remington PARK from page 1
The battlefield trust has a contract to purchase six parcels. Once the purchase is finalized, the county will give $227,500 to the trust, which will then deed the parcels to the county for inclusion in the existing park. The property will be protected by a conservation easement executed by the trust prior to deeding it to the county. The easement will require that the existing dwelling be removed in about three to five years. The trust will work with county to ensure the easement doesn’t restrict the county’s recreational plan for the park. Before the dwelling is removed it could be rented to handle security and caretaking responsibilities. The proceeds would be used to
defray park maintenance costs. This is planned to be the first of a three-part arrangement to enhance the park. The second part involves acquisition of property priced at $225,000. A third part involves a conveyance of property at no cost to the county. The latest action is a step forward in the process that began in 2006 when the county joined with the Piedmont Environmental Council to raise funds to conserve 26 acres along the Rappahannock River. In 2017, a $19,000 grant from the PATH Foundation and a $5,000 grant from the Kordlant Fund pushed forward efforts to begin the first phase of improvements Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@ fauquier.com
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Office is taking the lead on recruiting, screening and hiring the new officers. Once they are trained, they will become school division employees, Mosier said. But before the non-sworn officers are permitted to carry guns in school, Mosier must sign a document saying they are qualified to do so. “The hitch in the get-along from the very beginning was that I had to sign a document, by law, to allow that former or retired officer to carry a gun in school,” Mosier said. “And I didn’t feel comfortable doing that unless I could do a full background check.” At the end of the process, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office should have 11 SROs working in county
schools, and the school division will have 12 SSOs. Last school year, the school division had eight SROs, which were placed at each middle and high school, as well as two unarmed school security guards working at two of the three high schools. The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors voted in May to authorize the additional positions to address concerns about school safety in the wake of a rash of school shootings last year, including the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students and teachers and left another 17 injured. Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
Internet exchange spot available at Vint Hill The Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office has established a new internet exchange location at the Vint Hill Community Center on Aiken Drive. Signs denote two parking spaces next to the tennis courts for citizens to use to meet buyers or sellers. The location is in a public space, is well-lighted and monitored 24/7 by video surveillance in the Emergency Communications Center in Warrenton, according to a sheriff’s office press release. Other internet purchase-and-exchange locations are available at the public library branch in Marshall and Bealeton and at the sheriff’s office in Warrenton. All locations provide a safe environment to meet for the purchase or exchange of items. They can also be used for other reasons such as child-custody exchange. The sheriff’s office encourages citizens to use these spaces in lieu of a random parking lot or other such location, the press release said. 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 James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 jivancic@fauquier.com ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Jonathan Hunley, Warrenton, Virginia 20186 jhunley@fauquier.com PHONE: 540-347-4222 Leland Schwartz, 540-351-0488 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. 5 p.m. weekdays, lschwartz@fauquier.com 24-hour answering service Sports Editor Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 Publisher pbrewington@fauquier.com Catherine M. Nelson, 540-347-4222 Sports Staff Writer cnelson@fauquier.com Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 jmalmgren@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Editor in Chief ADVERTISING Christopher Six, 540-212-6331 Ad Manager csix@fauquier.com Kathy Mills Godfrey 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 Classified Sales Consultants jpalermo@fauquier.com Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 Web/Copy Editor jcobert@fauquier.com Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 Evelyn Cobert, 540-878-2492 aheincer@fauquier.com 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
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | July 18, 2018
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Warrenton council paves way for residential addiction facility By Leland Schwartz
central-business-district zoning rules, which do not allow residential uses on first floors. Citing financial troubles, the McShin Foundation plans to cease its recovery programs at the Fauquier County jail and at the Rider building at the end of the month.
Times Staff Writer
The Warrenton Town Council voted unanimously last week to allow a building near the Fauquier hospital to become a residential addiction-treatment facility and elected Councilman Bob Kravetz vice mayor. During the council’s July 10 meeting, its first with new Mayor Carter Nevill and new Councilman Renard Carlos, Nevill also read proclamations thanking outgoing former Mayor Powell Duggan and former Vice Mayor Sunny Reynolds (at large) for their service to the town.
Hospital Drive rezoning
Among their first actions, the council voted unanimously to approve a rezoning and special permit allowing a county-owned building at 340 Hospital Drive to be used as a residential treatment center for those recovering from substance-use disorders if a provider can be recruited to provide such a service. The building is now occupied by the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Service Board, which uses it to provide mental health services. The CSB is working to move into a larger space, which would allow the county to make the building available to a private addiction-recovery operator. The CSB, however, has no plans to operate a residential addiction-treatment facility there, according to CSB Executive Director Jim LaGraffe. No provider has yet been found to operate a residential treatment facility, but the county is working toward that goal, according to Deputy County Administrator Katie Heritage. The CSB currently operates Boxwood Re-
Broadview Avenue
TIMES STAFF PHOTO/LELAND SCHWARTZ The newly elected Warrenton Town Council and town officials share a laugh while posing for their official portrait Tuesday, July 10. Pictured: first row, from left: Councilman Renard Carlos, Town Manager Brannon Godfrey, Councilman Sean Polster, Councilman Kevin Carter. Second row, from left: Vice Mayor Bob Kravetz, Town Attorney Whit Robinson, Mayor Carter Nevill, Councilman Alec Burnett, Councilman Brett Hamby and Councilman Jerry Wood. covery Center, an addiction-treatment facility in Winchester. The council’s move follows a January 2018 vote in which the Warrenton Town Council denied a request by the nonprofit McShin Foundation to open an eight-bed residential recovery program in a county-owned building known as the “Rider building” on John Marshall Street in Old Town Warrenton. At the time, the council members agreed that such a service is needed in Fauquier County, especially amid the ongoing opioid-addiction crisis. But they said a residential-recovery center would not comply with downtown Warrenton’s
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The council also voted unanimously to draft a letter to VDOT to express its concerns about the proposed $8 million upgrade to Broadview Avenue. But Councilman Sean Poster (at large) said area business owners remain concerned about aspects of the planned improvements and suggested the council ask VDOT to consider revising the proposal and replacing its project manager. Business owners along Broadview Avenue have said they worry adding a raised median along the roadway will discourage motorists from patronizing their businesses. As proposed, the plan would limit left-turns on Broadview Avenue to four access points along the .87 mile stretch between Frost Avenue and U.S. 17 business. VDOT spokesman Lou Hatter said the agency is considering the council’s concerns but notes the plan aims to deliver the project Warrenton officials applied for through the state’s Smart Scale process “and to do so within the established budget and funding allocation that was approved” by state officials. Hatter also said VDOT is “aware that the business community has concerns about access changes along the corridor.” Reach Leland Schwartz at lschwartz@fauquier.com
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