‘Trust. But verify’
President Ronald Reagan was known to state, “Trust, but verify,” which I think is appropriate when hearing Supervisor Ron Frazier, during the April 4, 2022, Board of Supervisors meeting, state that the newly opened Washington Post Office had no exterior lighting so was too dark for some citizens to get their mail late in the day.
I had previously heard similar comments elsewhere, so drove over there at 8 p. m. on a rainy night for the photo I took which shows lights streaming out, giving me the ability to have plenty of light to retrieve my mail.
Other comments during that BOS meeting were concerning as well. However, overall, board members seemed to be working to accomplish goals stated in the county’s comprehensive plan which, on page 91, stated, “… undertake joint or feasible actions with the Town government and independent county authorities.”
When Chair Debbie Donehey mentioned some county residents’ fear of the unknown, perhaps it was that that, in my opinion, could have played a part that might have torpedoed the People, Inc., proposal to buy the Washington Schoolhouse for its subsidized housing project ( the project also mentioned by Supervisor Christine Smith during the same April 4, 2022, meeting) several years ago.
Despite the suggestion during one of the Town Council meetings ( Rappahannock News, Dec.
12, 2012) regarding the project by Council member Patrick O’Connell, owner of The Inn at Little Washington, that visuals might help to allay fears of effects of subsidized housing, the People, Inc., representative Rob Goldsmith, gave no indication he would provide any. Who would blindly agree to something without knowing anything?
With negative criticisms over time about the Town’s efforts to grow, to re- establish the energies many remember and long to have again, it was disheartening to hear Supervisor Christine Smith’s comments in recent weeks questioning the existence of the Town at the meeting as well ( some might remember the controversy when Jim Abdo bought some long unoccupied properties in town with goal of establishing viable businesses to benefit the Town).
To conclude, Supervisor Van Carney told Mr. Chuck Akre, whose Rush River Commons border adjustment was being discussed, that some residents are just very resistant to change, to which Mr. Akre responded that he understands the desire for some to have absolutely no change.
Luckily, Rappahannock News General Manager Jan Clatterbuck had included in her Down Memory Lane column on April 7 several paragraphs on “Woodville: Celebrating 200 years of history, Aug. 26, 1998.” There she stated, “In 1833, Woodville was a thriving town along a major route. It boosted four mercantile stores, two taverns, one school, 30 homes, one tan yard, three blacksmiths, one saddler, one boot and shoemaker, one cabinetmaker, one carpenter and house joiner, one tailor, an attorney, and two physicians.”
My point? Change has been happening seemingly without notice by many. There has never been “absolutely no change.” What many want is just a return to the vibrant days many remember. Those days need not be just a wistful memory. They can be our future again when some recognize actual facts and possibilities. Again, that simple “Trust, but verify.” Discover our actual past like Woodville’s and be creative in reconstituting the happy days of yore where we can, together.
Sheila Gresinger Washington