THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Dear Friends,
For those of you unable to attend last Thursday's special
meeting of the Virginia Board of Historic Resources, we would like you to know
that the meeting couldn't have gone better. It was estimated that nearly
200 people were in attendance.
After opening the meeting, Chairman Butler called on Ms. Madison
to give a presentation, with a time limit of 20 minutes, regarding the merits
of her petition. This was followed by 20 minutes for the staff of VDHR to
present their position. In turn, this was followed by a brief rebuttal
period. After a recess, public comment was opened with a 3-minute time
limit imposed. Chairman Scott York and Supervisor Sally Kurtz spoke
first, followed by our designated representative, Secretary Susan Sutter.
Without appealing to emotions, she did an exception job of succinctly
articulating the facts about our remarkable accomplishments and successes in
retaining the integrity of the historic district. Property owners within
the village were then permitted to provide comment and then others in
attendance. We were very fortunate to have the Loudoun Convention and Visitors
Association, the Economic Development Commission and the Preservation Society
of Loudoun County speak against the petition and in support of the district and
all it means to the County.
All in all, it was absolutely smashing. Although two of
Ms. Madison's colleagues were present, they did not to provide public
comment. In fact, the three of them chose to exit the premises during
public comment. Board members then individually provided comments and
reactions.
Of particular note, the following information was provided by
the members:
1. They
will reach their formal decision on December 5th at their routine
quarterly meeting in Richmond;
1:30 pm, Virginia Historical Society Meeting Room. The Foundation will
have representation present.
2. It
was noted for the record that it was unfortunate the petitioner chose not to
listen to the comments and concerns of those providing public comment.
3. Those
in attendance who supported the petitioner were asked by a Board member to
stand, and the record was instructed to show that no one stood. And,
4. The
Chairman indicated, in response to a question, that any issues (merit or
procedural) pertaining to the original listing of the district on the Virginia
Register, which was the bulk of Ms. Madison's petition and presentation, must
have been raised within 6 months of the listing.
All the comments were stellar, including those from the Board
members. They remarked quite favorably on the quality and range of the
comments, on their helpfulness in providing additional insight into the issues
of the petition and the history of the district's preservation efforts, and on
the demonstrated commitment and passion of the residents. We are quite
optimistic about the formal decision to be made on the 5th.
If you were unable to speak at yesterday's meeting and would
still like to submit written comments, you may still do so to: Patrick
Butler, Chairman, Virginia Board of Historic Resources, c/o Marc Wagner, 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221. The Board announced that
all comments must be received by noon on Friday, November 30, 2007.
In addition, the office will continue to accept signatures on
our petition until receipt of mail on Monday, November 26th, and
forward the additional petitions to the Board on the 27th.
Thank you one and all!
Kathleen Nancy
Kathleen P. Hughes Nancy J. Doane
President Executive Director
