The First Time We've Seen This
Middleburg is now 16.5 inches of rain behind since the start of 2024, and in October Council argued about how worried to sound. The Town Manager said the system was holding. A Councilmember said that wasn't the point. The Mayor said that for the first time in memory, the Town had to ease off one of its main wells because it couldn't keep up. Meanwhile the Asbury Church came back positive for asbestos and lead paint, the police take-home cars got a good report, and solar developers asked the county's mayors for help and didn't get it.
Council met October 9 with all members present and October 23 with Councilmember Bud Jacobs absent. Mayor Bridge Littleton votes only to break a tie.
The First Time We've Seen This
On October 9 Town Manager Danny Davis reported that Middleburg was eight inches of rain behind for the year, and that Northern Virginia's groundwater and streams were at emergency levels ▶ video. Well L wasn't recovering the way it used to. Well 4 had stabilized only because the Town was easing its load: feeding the low-pressure side from the Stonewall plant, and blending in Well 3. Well 3 now has a variable-speed drive that pulls water slowly enough to keep it clear. Routine hydrant flushing and water tank maintenance were skipped to save water. The Town stayed in voluntary conservation.
Jacobs objected to the tone, not the facts. "I want to disagree a little bit with the tone of your presentation. You said there's no cause for concern. There's great cause for concern." He cited the County's new water report on the danger to towns that rely on groundwater, and asked staff not to say things like "we're in a good place" when that may be true only in the short term. Councilmember Cindy Pearson said the County report was opening people's eyes. Davis said other Loudoun well towns were seeing the same declines, and that things could turn to a crisis quickly if the drought continued. Vice Mayor Chris Bernard and Davis pointed to new demands coming, including a proposed winery within 2,000 feet of one of Round Hill's wells.
On October 23 operator Vince Gugliotta reported all three main wells steady or improving ▶ video. Littleton wasn't reassured. If Well 4 looks steady because the Town is pumping less from it, he said, "that feels artificial." He said the Town had to cut back on Well 4 "because it was not keeping up with the normal demand." "It's not that we're running out of water," he said, "This is the first time we've seen this stress like this." It might take 15 years to matter, he added, "I just don't like that it's happening." Davis agreed the concern was well founded: Well 4 was drilled 25 years ago, and its water level seems to have settled at a lower "new normal." Staff is putting a sensor right above the pump so the Town can see exactly how far it draws down.
The Coalition of Loudoun Towns forgot to talk about water at its October meeting, Littleton admitted, and the mayors are now asking the County to restart regional water resource planning.
Asbestos at Asbury
Town Clerk Rhonda North reported on October 9 that hazardous-materials tests at the Asbury Church found asbestos and lead paint, and possibly PCBs. "No surprise," she said, but removal will now be part of the restoration ▶ video. Workers will open a few covered spaces so the architect can see inside the walls, and the architect will meet the County building official about what the planned uses mean under the building code. Littleton and Phyllis Cook-Taylor recorded the voiceover for the oral-history film; Littleton called the draft "really good." By October 23 Davis was praising Glave & Holmes's team, which includes architectural historians, and said they were focused on the timeline and the budget.
Also This Month
- Take-home cars: Chief Shaun Jones reported the program working well, with higher morale and no major maintenance problems ▶ video. He credited it for the last two full-time hires. Two officers drive their cars home and three park at fire or police stations. Littleton figured the cars add about 20,000 miles a year each, against a national average of 12,000 to 14,000. Davis said fuel costs actually looked lower than a year ago, and Council will get a report every six months. - Solar: at the coalition meeting, large-scale solar developers asked the mayors to back a state bill that would bar localities from blocking solar projects that meet set standards. Littleton said the mayors saw it as another step toward statewide zoning, like short-term rentals. When the developers complained their applications kept getting denied, he told them that was the democratic process, and that they should do the public engagement everyone else does. - Christmas in Middleburg: Michelle and Doug Myers previewed a Kids' Zone with Foxcroft and the Community Center, and the Pickwick Singers on the Emmanuel Church porch ▶ video. Councilmember Darlene Kirk asked about selling merchandise with the new logo. Myers said they had been "apoplectic about doing swag." Littleton agreed that the Em Sharp ornament is right, and that sweatshirts and hats "starts to cheapen it." - EDAC: Chair Vicki Bendure reported the first Placer.ai visitor data, a weekday marketing push, and the sidewalk-sign program nearly ready ▶ video. - Other business: - Council will vacate an unused, unbuilt stretch of Independence Street right-of-way next to 404 East Federal Street, appraised at $9,250; the hearing is in November. - The County will enforce the state's new erosion and stormwater rules in town under an agreement coming early next year. - The PLAYroom donated six kids' ride-on cars from the Rallye Middleburg race, accepted 5-0. - First-quarter meals and lodging taxes beat both the budget and last year. - All Town videos must be captioned by April 2027 under federal accessibility rules. - The third graders at the charter school held a mock Council meeting. - The second meetings in November and December are canceled. Staff gets $100 gift certificates, and committee members get golf umbrellas. - Trey Adams joins the Economic Development Advisory Committee. - Littleton noted the death of the Reverend Swann.
Public Comment
October 9: no one spoke.
October 23 ▶ video
- Punkin Lee, The Plains Road, praised the Community Walk with the Chief and urged others to join the next one, November 1.
- John McAuliff, a candidate for the House of Delegates who lives outside town, introduced himself and noted his two offices in Middleburg.
Tips & Wags (opinion)
Tip of the Hat to Bud Jacobs. When the water is dropping, the words matter. Fine for the moment is not the same as a good place.
Tip of the Hat to the Mayor for telling the solar developers what everyone else is told: come to the public meetings and make your case.
Wag of the Finger to the Coalition of Loudoun Towns for forgetting to talk about water in the middle of a drought. The mayors caught it by morning, but it shouldn't need a text.
Coming Up
- November 1: Community Walk with the Chief.
- November 4: Election Day.
- November 13: Council, with the Independence Street right-of-way hearing.
- November 17: draft audit to the Strategic Finance Committee.
- November 18: Mayor's State of the Town Address.
- December 11: audit to Council. December 13: Jingle in the Burg. December 19: employee luncheon.
Sources: the meeting videos (October 9, October 23), the Town's minutes (pending approval) and the transcripts attached to them. Quotes come from the Town contractor's transcripts; each ▶ link opens the video at the start of that agenda item.