At its regular monthly meeting in May, Town Council learned that improvements are once more under way at the Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department, that progress continues on improvements to the town's water infrastructure, and that next year's budget may well benefit from improved cash flow driven by a slowly recovering economy.

MBVFD HQ $$$ OK'd

Paul Draisey, Treasurer for the Middleburg Volunteer Fire Department, told Council on May 12 that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors' Finance Committee had approved, without objection, a proposal to provide additional funding needed to complete improvements on the Middleburg fire station.

Work had been postponed after the County had failed to obtain bids for the work at the prices originally budgeted.

Fire and EMS Personnel have already moved into temporary trailers as work begins.

The department's giant emergency alert siren has also been disconnected, Draisey noted to applause led by members of Council whose families live near the station.

Draisey thanked the Council for its ongoing support of the project, and praised Mayor Betsy Davis for her personal role in "communicating with the members of the Board of Supervisors regarding the additional funding."

Water

Town administrator Martha Semmes reported the contractors' "punch list" of final changes and corrections necessary before the town's new water and wastewater treatment plants can be formally dedicated is "getting smaller." Once the installation of a security system and final testing of plant equipment has been completed, the system will be ready for a final "demonstration" before handover to the Town and Loudoun Water.

Meter testing and replacement will also begin soon as Middleburg begins to address the significant loss of either water, or revenue, or both, resulting from the disappearance, at least in statistical terms, of well over half the water pumped from its wells. Most of "missing" water, once feared to be truly "lost" as a result of leaks in the town's aging pipes, is now thought to be "missing" only in the sense of being incorrectly accounted for as a result of aging or water broken meters. A 10% loss rate from "leakage" appears to be the "norm" for most systems.

Money

With development of the Town budget for fiscal year 2012 in progress, Council Member Bundles Murdock noted with pleasure the revenues from the town's meal and occupancy taxes appeared to be rising. Though revenues were down during a particularly rainy April, Mayor Davis noted, they are indeed up for the year to date.

Go Green

Without objection Council approved an ordinance to formally establish the "Go Green Committee" as an "ad hoc committee of the Town of Middleburg."

The committee will monitor and advise Council on environmentally sensitive approaches to energy use, recycling, and other "green" practices.

Appointed to two-year terms on the committee were: Rebecca Poston; Jilann Brunett; and Mary Woodruff. Council also voted to appoint Bev Sincavage and "a person to be named and appointed at a later date" to one-year terms. Council Member Kathy Jo Shea will serve as the Council's non-voting representative, with Town Planner and Zoning Administrator David Beniamino serving as an ex-officio representative of the Town administration.

A Town Gas Tank

The Town of Middleburg currently has no "town-owned" gasoline source. It buys its gasoline from local stations (in Middleburg proper there is only one) at the full retail price, including state and federal taxes that it is legally not required to pay.

If the local station is closed, or its pumps are not functioning, or if it is "out of gas" for any reason, Middleburg's emergency response vehicles could find themselves high and dry. That's also the case for motorists who run out of gas in Middleburg at certain "inconvenient" times of day. For these "financial, supply, security, and availability" reasons Town Administrator Semmes suggested the town buy or lease a gasoline tank of its own.

Noting that Middleburg at one time owned an above-ground gasoline tank, and that it had been removed "without the Council's knowledge" Semmes reported that Middleburg could buy a tank for around $5,000, or get one "free" from Holtzman Corporation, provided the town used a minimum of 2,000 gallons of tax-free gasoline a year, or roughly 166 gallons a week.

Town Council opted, unanimously, for the Holtzman option. The most likely site for the new tank will be on the well-secured grounds of the new water treatment plant.

Thanks and Congratulations

Council approved a formal Resolution of Appreciation recognizing Sandra Atkins, CPA/PFS for her thirty-five years in business in the Town of Middleburg.

Council member Shea then noted that there were other businesses in Middleburg that shared Atkins long and distinguished record of service. The Mayor, and council members Snyder and Murdock agreed, and suggested that the Town take a look at just how long its businesses had been active and consider a formal program of recognition, with business allowed to display a gold star, or red fox, or some other agreed-upon symbol of "official" recognition for each five years of service.

One onlooker noted that the Red Fox Inn would be hard pressed to display all it's "ribbons." The Inn has been in business since the late 1720's.

Council Without a Quorum

When Mayor Davis called the regular monthly meeting of Town Council to order on May 12, she discovered that she could not. Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk, Trowbridge Littleton, David Stewart, and Kevin Hazard were absent, with Hazard fighting his way through afternoon traffic on his way home from the District.

For more than twenty minutes Council cooled it heels, unable to convene or conduct business for lack of a quorum.

At council member Mark Snyder's suggestion, the town will adopt a change in its rules of procedure to allow Council to convene, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, go over the discussion items on its agenda, discuss "information" items, and do practically anything else except take binding legislative action.

Wording to that effect that complies with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act is being drafted.

Police Affairs

Resumes from some thirty-five applicants for the post of Middleburg Police Chief have now been received and interviews are being scheduled for leading candidates. The current Chief, Steve Webber, will formally retire on June 28.

Council continues to consider changes in the Town Code, Employee Handbook, and Police Department Rules, Regulations and Standing Orders.

The changes, scheduled for formal council consideration in June, will affect retiring Police Chief Steve Webber's successor and radically change formal oversight of the department.

Chief Webber reported that the Town had been "quiet" during Gold Cup Weekend. He reported that he is recovering well, though not yet fully, from recent surgery.