Planning continues apace for this year's December 1st celebration of Christmas in Middleburg, with the memorandum of understanding governing how responsibilities are shared between the independent Christmas in Middleburg non-profit, the Town, and the Middleburg Business Association still in force.

The popular Hunt Review is set for 11:00 AM. The parade, welcoming Santa to Hunt Country, steps off at 2:00 PM. To handle traffic from the east a new 1,200-space parking lot with shuttle bus service will be set up on Route 50, just east of Middleburg, at Mickey Gordon Park. Work on in-town traffic and crowd control is ongoing, according to Police Chief Panebianco and the celebration's key stakeholders.

Religious Issues

In response to a number of verbal complaints and at least one formal letter, Council spent a good part of its most recent work session discussing the role of religion in the town's Christmas celebrations.

After reviewing the current memorandum of understanding governing the event, Council Member Kathy Jo Shea noted that "the idea of putting Bible quotes on the event's website" was not covered in the current agreement.

The non-profit Christmas in Middleburg website, at http://www.christmasinmiddleburg.org, contains a "pastoral page" which, at press time urged visitors to the site to: Keep Christ in Christmas! Stop into any of our churches to see the Holy Season decorations and ask about our worship. "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him". Come find what God's love means in our life today. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". Do you want to speak with a pastor during your visit? Call ahead and arrange a time, you will be welcome.

Council member Kevin Hazard told Council that, although he had not seen Bible quotes on the website, he had seen them on the organization's Facebook page, and, in the words of Council's draft minutes, "expressed an understanding of the concerns."

Mayor Davis confirmed that there had, indeed, been "Bible quotes on the event's website" and reported that she had received a letter from an unnamed source who said they would "not return to the Middleburg celebration this year because of it."

Davis said the author of the letter specifically questioned the propriety of Town giving money for the event given the requirement for the separation of church and state.

Economic Development Coordinator Cindy Pearson, agreed that there was religious content on the "pastoral page" and told Council that "the complaint the Mayor received was not the only one."

Council member Bundles Murdock observed that the Town did not own the celebration, but "was only a partner in the event."

Council member Shea then asked whether the Town was "supporting or promoting a religious activity given that the Town was giving the event money."

Hazard said that he thought "religion was not an over arching theme on the website" noting that such comments were "limited to one page."

When Hazard questioned the propriety of saying "that churches could not be a part of the celebration," Shea replied that she "had no objection to having Bible quotes on the pastoral page" but that they "should not be part of the event's general advertising," noting that "she did not want to offend people."

Bundles Murdock observed that the celebration was, after all "a Christmas parade."

Shea pointed out "that it was not held at Christmas."

Murdock countered that it was held "because of Christmas" noting that, "otherwise, it would be called something else"

Council member Mark Snyder at that point observed there was perhaps a way to maintain "a nominal separation."

Given, in his view, that the "Town did not want to take Christmas out of the event," Snyder suggested simply taking the religious quotes off the website's main pages, noting that once that was done people would have to deliberately click on the "pastoral" page to see the religious quotes.

Hazard, then noted that "religious quotes" were being posted on the Christmas in Middleburg Facebook page. Censorship of Facebook postings by the town would be, he suggested, problematic.

Council member David Stewart, an Associate Minister at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, said "he was not aware that there were religious quotes associated with this event" and told Council he needed "to look at the website."

When Hazard reiterated his view "that the Town should not change things because it received one letter out of ten thousand people," Council member Shea reminded him "that it was not just one letter" and said she had also received complaints.

Shea then reminded Council that the Christmas parade had its roots in the business community. The newfound emphasis on "Christ and religion was offensive to some people, she noted.

At that point Middleburg's Town Administrator, Martha Semmes, noted that she had "also heard complaints about the overt Christian message" and in her view "some of them crossed the line."

Mark Snyder agreed, noting that he was "okay with having religious messages on the pastoral page" but "did not want to see overtly religious messages on the website's main page."

Economic Development Coordinator Cindy Pearson agreed to work with Christmas in Middleburg Chairman Jim Herbert to resolve the issue.

Financial Reporting

Following Council's discussion of the role of religion in the Town's holiday parade, Town Administrator Martha Semmes pointed out that the Christmas in Middleburg Organization still owed the Town a financial report from its 2011 event.

In the Memorandum of Understanding for the 2011 event, Town Council had, for the first time, pointedly demanded rigorous financial reporting.

Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk at that point noted that the Town's auditors needed the information as well.

Parking

In the course of discussing an amendment to Town Code pertaining to "Stopping, Standing and Parking" Police Chief A. J. Panebianco reported that his Department was running out of parking tickets. Before placing an order for more, he checked to make sure the Town's fines were in line with the Virginia State Code. He discovered that the Town's fine for illegally parking in handicapped slot was not. Henceforth, the minimum fine for a handicapped parking violation in Middleburg will be one hundred dollars.

Council also agreed that, subject to review after a public hearing, fines not paid within 72 hours would be subject to a $25 surcharge.

Investment of Town Funds

Town Administrator Martha Semmes she and the town's auditors have been reviewing how much the town is paying in interest on the money it has borrowed, and how much it is earning on the cash it has on deposit with local financial institutions.

John Wells, Leesburg's Town Manager reported he has been seeing interest rates on government bonded debt as low as two percent. Middleburg, she noted, is currently paying five percent.

The town also keeps significant amounts of cash in "on call" accounts, which earn little or no interest. She is exploring plans to diverting some of that cash to secure accounts producing higher returns.

Credit Cards

Without opposition Council moved, for the first time, to issue credit cards to Town Employees.

Visioning

Town Planner David Beniamino reminded Council that the Planning Commission was scheduled to hold a community work shop on October 24th to help develop a vision for the future of Middleuburg and suggested it would be appreciated if as many members as possible would attend.

At that meeting the commission will review for all stakeholders the Comprehensive Plan process, the results of the recent Middleburg stakeholder survey and allow members of the greater Middleburg community to speak directly with and to the Commission.

Middleburg Museum

Town Council voted unanimously to rescind its ordinance establishing the Middleburg Museum Committee. The Museum is now formally organized as a federal 501.c.3 non-profit corporation.

Noise Restrictions

Debate about a new ordinance governing the operation of "fitness centers" in Middleburg focused almost entirely on defining and monitoring acceptable noise levels outside such facilities.

After hearing that noise measured at sixty-five decibels "was on a level between a car alarm and an alarm clock" and that a level of forty-five decibels produced noise somewhere between "a moderate rain fall and a refrigerator" Council turned to non-audible vibration and a suggested standard 0.05 inches/second.

At that point Beniamino reminded Council that the Town had no way to measure either decibels or non-audible vibration.

In the end the matter was referred back to the Planning Commission, with Council recommendation that the Police Department purchase a decimeter and not worry about non-audible vibrations.

A public hearing on the new standards will follow.

Red Ribbon Week

Corporal Jarod Corder, a member of the Shenandoah Valley Young Marines, appeared before Council to promote Red Ribbon Week. Corder told Council that wearing the red ribbon honored Enriquee "Kiki" Camerena, a drug enforcement officer who was killed in the line of duty, and helped support eliminating demand for drugs.

Town Council unanimously passed a proclamation declaring October 23-31 as Red Ribbon Week.

Crosswalks

Town Administrator Semmes reported VDOT had presented a preliminary schedule for constructing crosswalks in Middleburg, including a long-sought mid-block crosswalk in the vicinity of the Middleburg Bank and the Post Office.

According to Semmes actual construction would probably not begin before 2014.

Half Open Doors at MPD

Police Chief A.J. Panebianco reported that the new Dutch door he had promised to install at Police headquarters was now, at last, in place.

Installed at the Chief's request so that his department actually looked like it was open when it was, in fact, open, the new door, much to the Chief's chagrin, had to remain closed, top and bottom, while a boiler was being replaced in the Health Center Building. The department is now, however, open for business as it never has been open before.

Editor's Note

In last month's Town Council story the Eccentric reported that Police Chief A. J. Panebianco told Town Council that nonpoisonous snakes had been safely and humanely removed from the town-owned Health Center Building. They were in fact safely and humanely removed from a private residence.