In late July, the Virginia Department of Transportation denied Middleburg's formal request to close South Madison Street for its weekly, Saturday morning Farmers' Market. VDOT simultaneously approved the closing of South Madison for the rest of the Bluemont Summer Concert Series. Two concerts are scheduled, one on August 1, the other on August 8.

In denying the Farmers' Market permits, VDOT insisted that it "... could not support the routine closure of any roadway in the Highway System without review and analysis of the impact to the traveling public and the businesses/residences located and accessing any particular section of roadway." The Commonwealth of Virginia quite literally owns Middleburg's streets. They're part of the state highway system, and are both maintained and governed by VDOT.

Business owners on South Madison had expressed their concern to Council about the negative effects of closing the street for nearly half-a-year's Saturdays. One filed a formal complaint with VDOT.

To date, all efforts to find a way to accommodate the market, the negatively affected businesses, and the traveling public have failed. South Madison is heavily traveled (it shares the town's only stoplight), and difficult to by-pass, especially for large vehicles and horse trailers serving The Hill School, businesses, and residents to the south of Washington Street, (aka US and VDOT's Route 50, and Middleburg's main street.)

Even if those difficulties could be addressed, Town government sources indicate that the money and manpower required to meet traffic and pedestrian safety requirements might well make a market move to South Madison practically impossible.

Market Flourishes

As for the Farmer's Market, since July 4 it has returned to its traditional location, on Stonewall Avenue, behind the Middleburg Community Center, every Saturday, from 8:00 AM until noon.

By all accounts, it is more popular than ever.

Now governed by an independent Farmers' Market Committee, and a new set of rules and regulations, the number of vendors, the size and variety of offerings, and the number of weekly shoppers have all increased dramatically. Serving as officers for new committee are: Judith Pryor Plescow, Town Council Representative; Cindy Pearson, Market Manager; and Joseph Milehram, Head Vendor. Other members include Hilary Prescott, Susanna Calley, Lisa Patterson, Sally Bolton, and Vaughn Skaggs.

Committee meetings are open to the public, and public comment on how to strengthen and improve the market is encouraged.

The market's new Facebook page may be found at farmersmarket.middleburg.com or through an online search for "Middleburg Community Farmers Market."

Parking, Permits, and Compromise

The town has renewed a lease for 26 public parking spaces behind Middleburg United Methodist Church, in the metered lot bounded by Pendleton and Federal streets.

The new lease replaces an older, five-year agreement, in which Middleburg paid a low base rent, which it supplemented by giving the church a 50% share of the take from the lot's parking meters. In fiscal 2008 that amounted to just over $7,000. For fiscal 2009, at press time, the church was due just over $6,000.

Budget constraints drove the new agreement.

In June the Town informed United Methodist that its new budget would require cutting payments to the church to just under $3,000 per year.

United Methodist, noting that parking lot rental was "an important part" its own annual budget, sought alternatives, including renting part of the lot to a local accounting firm during tax season.

Not so fast, said the Town.

For the church to rent spaces to a third party, new zoning, new permits for a "public parking facility," and other regulatory requirements would have to be met, not the least of which was a $2,000 "filing fee."

Middleburg Town Council Member Trowbridge Littleton and United Methodist's Howard Armfield, renewed talks, and worked with town staff and legal counsel to find a mutually agreeable compromise solution.

The new one-year agreement requires that the town pay United Methodist a flat annual rent of $5,000. The Town gets to keep 100% of parking meter revenue.

Middleburg is also required to keep the church lot "clean and orderly," mow its grass borders, remove litter, maintain its curbing, and remove snow from both the lot and the sidewalks beside the church on Pendleton and Washington streets.

Council justified its decision to continue to rent from the church citing: 1) the council's duty to provide parking downtown for the town's residents and for the customers who support taxpaying businesses; and 2) the need to support the church's charitable work in difficult financial times.

Council approved the new agreement with one abstention, without dissent, at its regular monthly meeting on August 13.

In Memoriam

Town Council has agreed to install a wall plaque in Council Chambers in Town Hall, honoring "those who have passed away that served the town." John Ralph is designing the memorial. Town Clerk Rhonda North has been going through the Town's archives, collecting the names and dates of service of past Mayors, Town Council Members, and Town Managers. At press time, she had covered the past half century, and has noted more than thirty names.

Other News

Town Planner and Zoning Administrator, David Beniamino, reports a flurry of filings and permit activity by Salamander Development.

Heather and Tony Galloway have opened "Mold Me Fitness," at 7 Washington Street (the former location of "Middleburg Fitness."

John Ralph is working on a "Town Map Shadow Box", to be installed in the center of town, on the outside wall of the Home Farm building.

More than 840 people were served at the Pink Box, the Town's official visitor center, during the month of July.