It's all about the water! noted Middleburg business owner Sally Bolton at the August meeting of the Middleburg Town Council. The August 12, Thursday-night, standing-room-only council meeting was dominated by public comments on the possible extension of town water/wastewater service to Dr. Sheila Johnson's Salamander Inn project. Although the council's formal agenda narrowly defined the discussion in terms of the town water service question, concerned citizens took advantage of the forum to present their views on every aspect of Middleburg's involvement with the Salamander Inn.

The greatly expanded scope of the discussion may well have been due to a presentation by Supervisor Jim Burton which took place before the floor was thrown open to public comment. Whatever the case, a cascade of differing and strongly held opinions immediately followed his remarks.

Burton's Concerns

Burton's presentation focused on the difficulties inherent in trying to enforce the terms of Dr. Johnson's adjustments to her plans for the Salamander Inn designed to significantly reduce projected traffic flows.

These adjustments include promises to Loudoun county: that all deliveries to the Inn will be made from a single delivery truck, dispatched from one centralized Dulles warehouse; that special events at the Inn will only happen on Saturdays; and that only one of the Inn's two restaurants would be open for each meal.

The impact of the projected changes on traffic flow will have profound implications for both the future of the Inn and the future of the town.

If, for example, the Inn's projected traffic flow rises above a limit set by county zoning ordinances, approval of the Salamander Inn project would require a Board of Supervisors vote.

On the other hand, if traffic projections remain beneath that legal limit, no such vote would be required, and the Inn would be regulated in terms described legally as "By Right Usage."

"I'm concerned that [the Salamander Inn] is right on the verge of being too large. Squeezing [the size of the project] to keep out of public process is too difficult." said Burton.

During his presentation Burton also read from two memos that he had sent to County Staff member Linda Neri, expressing his concern about the County's inability to enforce Johnson's traffic lowering adjustments.

"Most of these promises appear to be unenforceable by the County," he said. "Certainly, they would be unenforceable should the applicant sell the property to another owner after they receive approval."

Burton further claimed that he had received no reply from the county regarding his memos, and he urged the Middleburg Town Council to make their views on the matters covered in both memos known to the County Government.

"I'm concerned about how the traffic situation is being treated by County staff," Burton noted. "Sooner or later you're going to have to deal with it," he said, addressing the Middleburg council, "and it will affect you more than Loudoun."

In response, the Town Council voted unanimously to send a letter to Supervisor Kirby Bowers referring specifically to Burton's memos.

Public Comment

Middleburg Town Administrator Mike Casey kicked off the "public comment" phase of the meeting with a brief review of impact of the Salamander Inn Project on the Middleburg water situation in general.

Casey pointed out that Middleburg would soon have to make major investments in it's water system even without the Salamander Inn, noting that Middleburg residents are already facing a large water rate increase in order to finance a much needed water treatment plant. "In one day last year, we had 400,000 gallons go through a treatment plant only meant to handle 135,000 gallons" Casey reported.

After Casey's brief overview, Mayor Dimos opened the floor to comment from the public, asking those attending to preface their comments with their name and whether or not they were paying customers of Middleburg's water and sewage utility.

Speeches from the public varied from concise statements of purpose to longer pre-planned presentations, complete with graphs and visual aides.

Several members of the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) spoke. Ed Gorski, for example, presented statistics suggesting that by simply addressing Middleburg's wastewater Inflow and Infiltration problems, enough excess water capacity could be created to serve all growth projected in pre-Salamander Inn planning. Gorski also said he would approach the PEC about commissioning another Salamander Inn traffic study designed to put earlier studies in perspective.

Despite the diversity of the views expressed at the meeting, many common themes emerged. Several speakers raised the issue of annexation, suggesting that simply annexing all or part of the Salamander Inn, Middleburg could clear up most if not all the issues associated with town water hookups, bring considerable tax revenue to the town, and possibly prevent further water rate increases.

"I have a pretty strong feeling the Inn is going to happen in one way or another," said Middleburg resident and former council member Trowbridge Littleton. "An 80% or 90% increase in water rates could hurt the little man and small business . . . .[and water in Fairfax is half the cost of ours."

Middleburg water customer Steve Plesko pointed out that much of the groundwater Middlburg treats simply "disappears" because of old leaking pipes and other water wasters. " We need to finance much-needed repairs to the water system and Salamander could help. They will be our neighbors. Let's not stick our heads in the sand." said Plesko.

Among those opposing Littleton's and Plesko's views was local business owner and Middleburg water customer Valerie Kelley, who telegraphed the essence of her presentation with a sign bearing the slogan: "Middleburg is fragile. Handle with care."

Speakers who lived outside Middleburg also asked that their views be considered, even though they would not be directly affected by issues like rising water rates. Merilyn Grove, who identified herself as someone not served by the Middleburg water system, noted that "Middleburg is a community, not a town. We all take advantage of Middleburg and we want it so stay wholesome."

A common concern, expressed throughout the meeting, was the notion that the town might be setting a dangerous precedent if it provided the Salamander Inn with water taps. Many variations on the theme of slow movement by the Town Council, and the importance of moving only with great care and deliberation, were heard often.

"Future councils will have trouble saying 'Salamander was special, but you're not'." said Marcia de Garmo, a member of the PEC.

The council itself commented only briefly on the many ideas raised by the public, agreeing only to avoid a rush to judgement and to wait for more information before voting.

" What if we had the money to fix everything? We have to look at that." said Council member Betsy Davis.

The debate will continue.