Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Bluemont Citizens Association
Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Bluemont Citizens Association Meeting Minutes October 5, 2022
E.E. Lake Store – Second Floor
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In Attendance: (10)
Peter Weeks, John Sullivan, Tom & Marilyn Rust, Gail Kelly, Julia Falke, Bill Bogard, Judy Anderson, Scott & Lisa Seeberger
Meeting called to order: 7:06 PM, Peter Weeks – presiding
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President’s Remarks:
We were hoping to hear a report on the fair – unfortunately Cynthia Morris and Dave Ewald were unable to attend tonight. Cynthia wanted to share that it was a very successful fair and she also wanted to thank everyone. Even today I spoke with someone outside the community who said how wonderful it was. They felt it was the best year yet!
Treasurer’s Report:
Moved to next month….
Standing Committees:
• Bluemont Heritage
The Plaster Museum is now officially closed and we will be returning artifacts and loaned items on Monday. Lee Sisk will also be taking back his tractors. As always, it was a great deal of work and we reached out to many different people, including Tom Rust who provided a rare ~ 1954 photo of his mom at a local barn dance. Dave Ewald and Kevin Hart have been working on updating our website, with Kevin spending hundreds of hours archiving artifacts and exhibit information. After a number of years, we can begin rotating the exhibits. One thing that makes it easier is we have identified who our vendors are, such as the Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling. There is a meeting room at Heritage Farm for mini exhibitions and the executive director of the museum has offered Bluemont this room to display panels from our past exhibits.
Community Organizations/Events:
• Loudoun Historic Villages Alliance
The alliance consists of 13 villages, such as Aldie, Waterford and Bluemont. Loudoun County has asked the villages to develop a Small Area Plan (SAP). This will provide an opportunity for us to set our village boundaries and present a community plan for maintaining the historic nature of Bluemont. Our SAP committee consists of 6 -7 diverse and very professional members. Three of us met yesterday, to include Bill Bogard. All ideas and planning will be shared with the community. One size does not fit all for the villages and this is being taken into account. We will likely hire a professional to help develop our plan, as the county has not provided a template. This is a long-term situation and is not expected to be formally endorsed until 2024.
• Neighbors Helping Neighbors
This is not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas… for example, there is a dead tree leaning over a house on Snickersville Tnpk. and the residents cannot afford to take it down. The BCA has made arrangements to have the tree removed. We do learn about situations in the community and address them when appropriate. During the Holidays, we still provide grocery gift cards and presents for those in need in the area. We may be able to work with the USMC Toys for Tots program to provide local children with toys.
• Snickersville Turnpike Association
John Constant, president, was unable to attend tonight. There will be two signs erected designating that Snickersville Tnpk. is now on the National Register of Historic Places – one will be near Aldie and the other near Henry Plaster’s home.
Old Business:
- Traffic Calming Measures –We have been working with Tony Buffington’s office and the proposal to fund measures for slowing traffic in town should hopefully pass at the next Board of Supervisors meeting. This is a safety issue and is also something recommended by VDOT. There is a great deal of support for the measures.
New Business:
Fire Trucks and 41 Bridges – The current Loudoun County Fire Chief, Keith Johnson, has a vision that everything should be LARGE. The expansive fire dept. complex in Purcellville (seen from Rt. 7) is his template for all areas of the county, including rural ones. The reason the buildings are so large is because the new fire trucks are huge and extremely long. The county receives a discount if they order the same trucks and they can then provide the same training for all employees. For years people in the west have warned these trucks will not get down their driveways. A number of stables and homes have burned to the ground because of this. Loudoun recently identified 41 bridges, including Hibbs bridge, that need to be changed because they cannot handle the weight of the trucks. This is causing a ruckus and the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance is involved. The village SAPs will also address this.
Bluemont Heritage Celebration – On Sunday, October 16, we will gather together at Snickersville Academy to celebrate Bluemont’s heritage. This will be a potluck affair from 12:30 – 2:00 PM, with the Short Hill Mountain Boys providing entertainment. We are looking for help with set-up/tear down and for a few volunteers to greet guests and encourage BH membership/renewal for 2023. Parking along Snickersville Tnpk. will be for seniors, all others please park at Epling’s.
Additional Comments – Tom Rust noted there are one or two street lights out. Peter needs the pole numbers and will ask Charlie Billman to contact Dominion.
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Adjournment: 8:41 PM
Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 2, 2022 @ 7:00 PM
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Notes by: Lisa Seeberger
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