Culpeper Times • February 7-13, 2019

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COMMUNITY NEWS

BOS approves pursuit of grant for bell towner Where have the bells gone? It’s a question many Culpeper residents have asked as the courthouse bells haven’t sounded in six months. It’s part of a larger issue with the clock at the Culpeper County Courthouse and on Tuesday the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors voted 6-0 to authorize a grant application to the National Park Service Department for renovations to the bell tower. Laura Loveday, Special Projects and Grants Administrator for Culpeper County, explained that the grant request is under development but will not exceed $200,00 with a maximum local match of $20,000 from previously budgeted items. The tower was built in 1874 and the bell and clock was installed in 1890 for $750 by the E.C. Howard Clock Company. The clock was electrified in the 1950s and has had issues over the years - including the latest where the arm for the bell strike stopped working. Paul Howard, Director of Environmental Services for Culpeper County, said there was a proposal to refurbish the clock before the grant was discovered. Loveday said the grant was established on Dec. 20, 2018, two days before the government shutdown. Since then, she said, it’s been difficult to reach the National Park Service to garner more information. The original deadline to submit an application was March 1 but it has recently been pushed back to April 1. Howard said that years of use has caused build up on the clock, including the use of oil to grease the device when a graphite should have been used instead. The original estimate to refurbish the clock was $38,500. Howard said there is $50,000 budgeted for courthouse renovations, that could be used toward refurbishing the clock. That would not be needed if the county received the grant. “It’s an unusual grant,” Howard said. Catalpa Supervisor Sue Hansohn supported the grant, but wondered if they went back to the original design of the clock would they have to have someone change the weights for the bell every week. Howard explained that they could make it automated so that wouldn’t

CULPEPER YOUTH SPOTLIGHT

Culpeper Youth (Editor's note: This is weekly series highlighting members of Culpeper's Youth Council. To join Culpeper Youth, go to www.culpeperyouth.org to apply.) Culpeper Youth has always been lead by the Youth. This is the best part. We’re different from different organizations in that sense, instead of asking the youth what they want, we simply are the youth. It’s incredible and we are a family. The set up of our organization has allowed us to grow into what we are now because of it. We wrote our own bylaws ( in which there were numerous drafts), we went through a complete strategic planning course and we’ve planned a few events. We make mistakes together, we fail together but we triumph together as well and it is so much more powerful because we did it. As our mission statement states, “Culpeper Youth creates an inclusive and empowered environment where youth works to help the community and is free to express their ideas and opinions. Through our work, we learn leadership, business skills and develop personally and professionally. We create change for youth today and become the leaders of tomorrow.” which is precisely what has occurred. Through our work, over these past two years, we have learned leadership skills as well as business skills. I also know that through Culpeper Youth I have grown professionally and personally. As the current and first President of Culpeper Youth and the Youth Advisory Council, I am incredibly proud to have been at the helm of this organization where the youth is free to express their ideas and opinions. Culpeper Youth, where the Youth today become the Leaders of tomorrow.

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happen. Loveday said the grant has $5 million available throughout the country with the stated goal to rehabilitate historic properties. The other point of discussion is whether this would make it harder for the Town’s Architectural Review Board to allow future changes to the courthouse tower if needed. Loveday said it could add an extra layer but not set further restrictions for the town’s ARB. The supervisors approved pursuing the grant by a 6-0 vote. Cedar Mountain supervisor Jack Frazier was absent. In other business: The county heard from VDOT Warrenton REsidency Administrator Mark Nesbit that a proposed roundabout in the town of Culpeper at the intersection of Route 3 and McDevitt Drive was one of four projects in the Culpeper District that met Smart Scale qualifications. The roundabout is estimated to cost $6.1 million and would relieve congestion in the area that sees approximately 11,00 vehicles per day according to town staff. The area is heavily used by Germanna Community College students and is the site of a proposed Career and Technical Education School for Culpeper County Public Schools. It would be the fourth roundabout in the town of Culpeper.

Culpeper Mid-Day Lions host Bland Concert The Culpeper Mid-Day and Culpeper ‘92 Lions Clubs are sponsoring a musical competition on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. at Culpeper Baptist Church. The contest is open to any student, vocalist or instrumentalist, of elementary, middle or high school age who resides in the state of Virginia. Winners will move on to the Regional Competition held on March 17, 2:00pm at Culpeper Baptist Church 318 S. West St. Specific information and entry forms are available from Justin McFarland at jam6va@gmail.com. The contest is a living memorial to James A. Bland, an African-American who was a popular composer in the late 1800’s. He wrote over 700 songs, the most famous being “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny the state song of Virginia from 1940-1997. Monetary prizes are awarded at the local, regional and state levels of the contest. Community members are invited to attend and cheer on Culpeper’s finest young musicians.