Petition to Proceed with the Town Square Beautification

Washington

Washington

Woodville

Washington

Rockville

Like your son, I grew up in Rappahannock County. But as a native and a member of the Virginia Bar, I disagree with your position wholeheartedly. Far from seeing Dave Konick's lawsuit as unnecessarily litigious I recognize that it is a much needed tool to bring transparency to County governance. I am glad some folks are holding County representatives to their duty, to be responsible to their constituents. I just read Dave's complaint. The quoted emails (and particularly comments made by the Inn's proprietor/member of the town council) read, to me, as blase about the wishes of County citizens and, frankly, hubristic. That is no way to run a town. I don't doubt your motives, and I think both sides have the same ultimate goal: to keep the County beautiful. But an autocracy, no matter how benevolent, will do more harm to Rappahannock than good.

As a native of Rappahannock County and a member of the Virginia bar, I find your comments and your petition troubling. You write "it seems that the law is being used as a tool by those who have an ax to grind with members of the council and/or The Inn and that we, as town residents, will stand to lose no matter what the outcome." But Dave Konick suggested that the council hold a special session to correct their mistakes, and only filed suit after they refused. Furthermore, far from seeing the claim as overly litigious, I recognize that it is a much needed tool to achieve transparency in County governance. I am glad some folks are holding County representatives to their duty, to be responsible to their constituents. I just read Dave's complaint. The quoted emails (and particularly comments made by the Inn's proprietor/member of the town council) read, to me, as blase about the wishes of County citizens and, frankly, hubristic. That is no way to run a town. I don't doubt your motives, and I think both sides have the same ultimate goal: to keep the County beautiful. But an autocracy, no matter how benevolent, will do more harm to Rappahannock than good.

I strongly support keeping our extraordinary town beautiful! My husband and I have owned an old home (circa 1885) in town for 15+ years, and though it requires constant upkeep and beautification, our love for this Town, its people, and the natural beauty of Rappahannock have made it all worthwhile. Let’s do the same for this sanctuary in the mountains of Virginia! We must preserve that which is valuable, and can do so by keeping our town and its historic structures from slipping into further disrepair.

Sperryville

I used to travel the East Coast of the United States for business. In every place I visited, I always sought out the "old" towns" mostly because I love the history of people and the architecture of mixing old with new and the preservation efforts of buildings that were salvageable. It amazed me what creative ideas the community came up with to create the sense of community, have a common place for all to participate in with the intention of involving the entire community in the process. I think the Town of Washington needs to do something to keep it from going into non-existence. Rather than spending so much time and energy on criticizing the efforts of a few, would't it be lovely now if, having recognized that an error occured and is being remedied, a core group of citizens, from around the county, worked together to design/plan a place for all to enjoy. I have my own personal ideas of what that could be but boy wouldn't that just start a shouting match that would far exceed this current upset. Suffice it to say, I recognize the need for growth & I applaud the efforts to make the town a lovely viable place for all people to enjoy. Don't give up. Change causes upset, as we have clearly seen, but all things must grow/change- even us as people.

We recently moved to Washington Virginia and eagerly support the effort to beautify the town. Even though, honestly, we have been taken aback by some of the pettiness and spitefullness in this community, we are here to stay and invest in this wonderful town. We hope that the actions of few to not tarnish the image of this beautiful place. When we were looking for a home we stayed at the Foster Harris a few times, and we thank Diane and John for their efforts.

I wholeheartedly agree with this petition and the desire to not squander precious resources on a legal proceeding which will not beautify anything. I believe the uproar over this matter is remarkably overblown and disproportionate to the asserted infraction.

I fully support our local governments efforts to beautify the town square in our county seat, Washington, VA

Thank you!

Thank you for all you are doing. God bless you!

Washington

Thank you for telling the truth in a respectful way.

Sunderland

We love our town and feel so fortunate to have a supportive business environment, fine neighbors and a beautiful place to raise our son. He’ll grow up with fond memories of our regular walks on the perimeter walking path (owned by The Inn at Little Washington, but open to the public), our expeditions to the library and the county park, ping pong at Tula’s, ice cream at the Country Café and visits to the great friends we’ve made in this community. No town is perfect, but we can all work together to shape our future here. The council has made some missteps in the Town Square Beautification Project and those need to be corrected. This petition is simply a way of showing that we believe the council didn’t intend to break any laws and that, once those issues are resolved, we’d like to see the project completed so we can enjoy an even more vibrant town.

Castleton