With both Mayor Betsy Davis and Public Safety Chair Bundles Murdock away, Vice Mayor C. Darlene Kirk presided over the regular monthly meeting of the Middleburg Town Council on Thursday, May 10.

Budget Hearing

Council scheduled the required public hearing on the Town's annual budget to coincide with its May 24th work session.

According to Town Administrator Semmes, Middleburg's real estate tax will not being "increased" under the proposed budget, but "equalized." An increase in tax "rates" will be required to balance the Town's budget, but individual taxpayers, for the most part, will pay approximated the same dollar amount of real estate taxes as they did last year The budget also projects a six percent increase in utility rates.

Semmes told Council she had prepared an ad to notify citizens of the increase in on a quarterly basis, but had been reluctant to do so while Council was still considering moving to a bimonthly billing system.

Parking

Town Administrator Semmes reported that, in 2006, the last time the Town had a parking permit program, it charged $300/year per space. Only one or two permits were sold.

She suggested that if the Council wanted institute a new program, ten spaces be set aside and offered for an annual fee of $320/space.

On a motion by Mark Snyder Council then directed Town Staff "to develop and implement a parking permit along those lines, with the $320 fees payable in quarterly increments.

Thanks to Chief Klugh

At its Thursday, April 26, work session Council unanimously adopted a resolution "extending its appreciation to William F. Klugh for his service as the Chief of Police for the Town of Middleburg."

Councilmember and Public Safety Chair Bundles Murdock said that it had "been an honor and a pleasure to work with Chief Klugh" noting that "he left the Town better than when he arrived."

Council expressed special thanks to Klugh "for the time he spent helping the Council hire his replacement."

Chief Klugh thanked Council for the opportunity to serve and said that he had told everyone who applied for the job the "he could not have been asked to be treated better."

Noting that he still had mixed feelings about retiring; Klugh said he was confident that Middleburg's new Chief, A.J. Panebianco "would do a great job."

The New Chief

Middleburg's new Chief of Police, A. J. Panebianco reported that he was working hard to meet as many people as possible in the community, and had recently attended his first Bizz Buzz meeting. He has assigned officers to address speeding and other traffic issues raised by Council at its last work session, including the identification of visibility problems caused by overgrown trees and shrubbery

Noting that he has been genuinely overwhelmed by the warm welcome he has received, Panebianco told Council that "the town has more than lived up to his expectations; and, he truly hopes to live up to theirs."

Panebianco has already visited Middleburg Elementary School and The Hill School, and reports he and his officers are looking forward to hosting National Night Out on August 7, and to offering Middleburg area children and families "something fun to do that was related to safety."

Pilates Studio Application

Joan Strahler, a resident of the Middleburg since 1991, appeared before Council on May 10 to ask their help with regulations preventing her from opening what she termed "a small Pilates studio on the second floor of 101 West Federal Street" The studio, she said, would have only one room and a few pieces of simple equipment. It would serve private clients and small groups no larger tan four or five people.

When she asked the Town Office what would be required for her to open, she said, she was informed she would need to apply for a special exception permit, like that required to open "a large commercial gym."

Suggesting that operating a small Pilates studio was more akin to running a physical therapy office than a Gold's Gym, Strahler told Council that "if she had to get a special exception permit it would be a financial hardship and she would not be able to afford to open the studio"

Town Administrator Martha Semmes later reported Town staff was working with Strahler; and would like to discuss the possibility amending the Town's legal definition of a "fitness center" at the next Council work session. A distinction could and should be made, she noted, between large and small operations.

Notng that Strahler wanted to open as soon as possible, she suggested discussing the options at the Council's next work session.

Town Planner David Beniamino then noted that just such a change in the Town's zoning ordinance had been discussed by the Planning Commission several years ago and they had rejected it. He asked for Council guidance before approaching the Commission again.

Town Administrator Semmes suggested Beniamino draft language for the work session discussion; Council agreed; and Beniamino reminded all concerned that "amending the ordinance would be a lengthy process."

When Councilmember Trow-bridge Littleton suggested Council give Ms. Strahler a waiver, Council-member Kathy Jo Shea observed that "this was not the only situation where the ordinance applied."

Mark Snyder then observed that simply granting a waiver might well constitute the first misstep on a slippery slope.

Beniamino agreed, noting that a passing a legal waiver "would require the same length of time as an ordinance amendment."

Town Administrator Semmes suggested that, at the very least, Town Council and the Zoning Commission might hold joint public hearings to save time.

Christmas in Middleburg

Councilmember Kevin Hazard reported that he has already received e-mails from Jim Herbert, Chairman of the Christmas in Middleburg Committee, outlining first steps toward building a larger donor base for this year's celebrations.

Hazard said the Middleburg Players will soon be asked to be part of the parade, and that the committee was doing its best to discover other things people would like to do in Middleburg during the celebrations.

Councilmember Kathy Jo Shea asked whether the Christmas in Middleburg Committee addressed the "Christian" comments that went out in the advertising last year, noting that she heard concerns expressed by one of the businesses about Bible quotes regularly posted on the event's website.

Hazard said that he was not aware of this issue.

Town Administrator Semmes observed that, in any case, the material appeared on the home page of the independent Christmas in Middleburg organization, not on the Town's official website.

She suggested, however, that "from a Town perspective, caution needed to be exercised."

Councilmember Hazard said he would bring the matter to the Chairman's attention.

DeLeon Metro Coordinator

Phil DeLeon, Middleburg's longtime Town Engineer, appeared before Council for the first in a new capacity: as Project Coordinator for the Dulles Metro Rail Project for of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

DeLeon urged everyone in Middleburg to let their County Supervisor know their views on the proposed Phase II extension of the rail to Loudoun County.

A public input session is scheduled by the Supervisors, he noted, for June 4, in preparation for a July 4 decision.

Executive Director Change at Piedmont Community Foundation

The Piedmont Community Foundation begins a new era this month with the retirement of long-time executive director Karen Krei and the arrival of her successor, Amy Owen, after a 10-year stint as executive director of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation.

Ms. Krei and her husband Michael, the director of competitive shooting for the National Rifle Association, who also is retiring on May 31, had long planned a move to the state of Washington. They'll be living in Cusick, Wash., about 70 miles north of Spokane.

Ms. Owen joined the EWVCF in 2001. She and her husband Don are relocating to Unison. Don Owen serves as executive director of the Land Trust of Virginia and they have two adult daughters.

Ms. Krei joined the PCF in the summer of 2004 at a time when it was being run by five volunteers, without any professional staff. The foundation had $80,000 in assets and only two active funds — the Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center and Fresh Air Full Care, which helped low-income families provide day care for their children.

The PCF now has 29 funds overall and in 2011, went over the $1 million mark in assets for the first time. The same year, it exceeded the million-dollar mark in grants awarded (now at $1.2 million), also for the first time.

"When I first arrived, it was a blank slate in terms of where to start and how to start building permanence into the charitable funding base," Ms. Krei said. "They needed someone to come in and develop assets, provide a formal structure for grant-making, to set policies and provide guidelines of operation leading to certification of national standards which all sets the table for philanthropic credibility and engagement with the community."

"We've only been able to do it because of the incredibly dedicated efforts of our officers and directors. Equal credit goes to those have responded to our efforts with support for the Community Fund or are building their own unique philanthropies using PCF. At times, it was a struggle, but it just shows what people dedicated to doing the right thing for the community can do."

Ms. Krei said she was particularly proud of the PCF's grant-making program for youth, the S. Murray Rust and Mary H.C. Rust Student Philanthropy Project, made possible by a grant from The Rust Foundation.

The program started in 2006 with a grant of $50,000 and a goal to encourage and empower permanent strategic student philanthropy. The curriculum is designed to build the skill sets of philanthropic leadership and stewardship in each generation of students.

There are now 19 high schools, public and private in Loudoun and Fauquier counties that participate in a program that has included over 150 students involved in grant-making in their areas.

"In addition to giving funding support for youth community service projects the program has had a major impact on the student grant-makers themselves," Ms. Krei said. "I knew the educational value would be good when we started, but I didn't realize how good."

This year, a program to connect the elderly and shut-ins with young family members, an "all girls" engineering project that builds community service projects, and money for youth to upgrade a homeless shelter are three of the 2012 recipients of five grants totaling $5,000 awarded by Loudoun and Fauquier high school students who are advisors for youth grant-making at the Piedmont Community Foundation.

The other two grants were awarded in a new collaboration with the youth Step-Up program, a community service project fair run by the Youth Advisory Council of Loudoun Youth Inc. in Loudoun County Public Schools. The 2012 Step-Up grants support a green environment club building a box garden project at Lunsford Middle School, and before and after school tutoring by academic honors students to help struggling students at Freedom High School.

Ms. Krei said she was "totally optimistic" about the future of the PCF.

"We've been able to demonstrate that we are a good landing zone for people to help the community and also have private donor-advised funds. We're building permanent resources for the community and we can meet emerging needs. My time here has been a wonderful opportunity. It's been a gift for me, as well, to work on something of substantive value."

Brad Davis, president of the PCF, described Ms. Krei as a "highly dedicated, committed individual who really knows the ropes concerning philanthropy and charitable organizations. She's in early, weekends, and she's done a magnificent job. We're going to be really sorry to see her go."

At the same time, Davis said the PCF was "extremely fortunate" in finding Amy Owen to replace Ms. Krei.

Under Ms. Owen's leadership over the past decade, the EWVCF grew from just over $1 million in endowed assets to more than $16 million today.

"I think we can anticipate tremendous growth in this region," Ms. Owen said. "All of us in the Community Foundation arena—there are more than 700 across the nation— struggle with helping people understand what a community foundation is. I'm coming to an area where philanthropy and endowment are understood and endorsed, and that's an excellent launching point. I look forward to getting to know the board members and our current donors. I know what heavy lifters they are and it's important to keep the momentum going."

Ms. Owen is a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama. She also has a Masters degree from West Virginia University and had a background in both non-profit and foundation work before she joined the EWVCF.

Said President Brad Davis, "Amy has a comparable background to Karen, after running the EWVCF for a number of years. She's very oriented toward the marketing aspect to help us build and grow and she's got the technical capability to make sure it's done correctly.