‘Save Happy Creek Coalition’ hopes to build momentum from gathering of about 100 citizens Saturday – including one on the inside of town council

On a cloudy but pleasantly warm Saturday afternoon, November 21st, approximately 100 people over a two-hour period gathered on the banks of Happy Creek near the Prospect Street Bridge to protest the continuation of planned Town floodwater management and stormwater disposal work between Prospect and South Streets on the Town of Front Royal’s southside.

In addition to a protest of the plan to install large rocks known as “riprap” in place of cleared vegetation along the bank and a naturally formed level shelf at the creek’s edge that helps disburse and absorb floodwater, the gathering was utilized by the sponsoring “Save Happy Creek Coalition” of nine environmentally friendly local and regional organizations as an informational meeting explaining problems with the Town’s plan (See the full list of the “Save Happy Creek Coalition” at story’s end).

Shenandoah Riverkeeper Mark Frondorf begins to address one of three groups ‘Save Happy Creek Coalition’ organizers divided Saturday’s crowd into per State guidelines on Phase 3 pandemic social distancing. Who’s that masked man in the Virginia Tech colors? Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video by Mark Williams

The essential problem is that the plan to clear most or all vegetation from the 1300-foot stretch of Happy Creek’s bank and shelf between Prospect and South Streets to be replaced by large rocks, flies in the face of all contemporary “riparian buffer” stream management theory, Shenandoah Riverkeeper Mark Frondorf told one of three informational groupings of about 25 people per current Coronavirus Phase 3 pandemic social gathering guidelines. The other two groupings of 25 got the same message from Tree Steward representatives.

Fortunately, one current Town official, Vice-Mayor Bill Sealock, was present to hear the explanation of fundamental issues with the Town’s plan in the Shenandoah Riverkeeper’s group. Following Frondorf’s presentation, Sealock engaged him in conversation about an optimum method of dealing with the erosion and other problems the town government is trying to address with the work. And from Royal Examiner’s videotaping of that conversation, albeit against a backdrop of obtrusive Commerce Avenue traffic noise, and a subsequent interview with Sealock by this reporter, it would seem that what appeared to be the lone town representative at Saturday’s event and Save Happy Creek Coalition representatives found common ground.

That common ground is that the Town’s plan needs to be revisited and readjusted, and re-permitted if necessary, to correct its flaws. Frondorf agreed with Sealock that some riprap rocks would prove beneficial in certain sections of Happy Creek’s bank in proximity to bridges where trees are not recommended within 100 feet; or where prominent erosion was occurring. And Sealock appeared to agree with Frondorf that blanket replacement of vegetation with riprap rocks the length of the project was not an optimum way to proceed.

Above, as Frondorf continues his explanation of issues with the Town plan, our Tech jacketed vice mayor moves closer – ‘I’m here to listen’ he told this reporter. Below, following Frondorf’s remarks Sealock identified himself as a town councilman and began a discussion with the Riverkeeper on the best path forward in everyone’s best interest.

In fact, during Frondorf’s presentation, he theorized that town officials responsible for moving the project forward may have simply misread the environmental guidelines for the project they were undertaking. We talked to him later about that possible misunderstanding.

“ ‘Where needed’ is what those guidelines say about the installation of riprap,” he pointed out, adding, “And there is no money in the SUP (Special Use Permit) for (recommended) re-vegetation … I don’t know if it was the Town or the Department of Public Works or whoever, but they took the first paragraph of the Supplemental Environmental Project that talked about riprap and just made a mistake in reading it and determined they were going to do the entirety of it that way. And the SUP says ‘where needed’ … if it’s needed, by all means, put it there” – but not the length of the project,” Frondorf said of the use of riprap.

Of Vice-Mayor Sealock’s presence and willingness to listen, learn and trade ideas, the Riverkeeper said, “I thought that was very promising. I was very appreciative that he was here and in a learning mode; and that he was open to what we were doing here.”

And as to what was happening on the bank of Happy Creek Saturday afternoon, Frondorf said he hoped, not only the vice mayor but all those present would work to gain the full council and town staff’s ear. “If half the people option to act, write a note, drop an email, to send a letter, to tell their friend, I think the town council will sit up and take notice that we can stop this. I mean right now it’s a ticking time bomb,” the Riverkeeper said of the Town’s existing project.

“I’ve spoken with the enforcement officer at DEQ (Virginia Department of Environmental Quality) and he said that as long as all the parties come together and agree that there needs to be amendments, that, that can happen. So, I’m hopeful for that. And we’re not asking the Town (to spend) vast sums of money. We’re just simply asking that it be rewritten to protect the stream, protect the immediate, nearby residents …”

What’s happening to my neighborhood?!?

One nearby area resident who spoke with us observed that the Front Street neighborhood facing Happy Creek and the Shenandoah Greenway Trail paralleling it, were given no advance notice of the work or the extent of what was being planned by the Town.

“I came out and asked the town workers what they were doing – I said, ‘What are you guys doing, why are you cutting all the trees down?!?’ And he said, ‘We don’t even really know.’ So they were just doing what they were told to be doing and ripped it all out anyway,” Stephanie Leypoldt told Royal Examiner.

We asked Leypoldt her hopes in the wake of what she had heard that afternoon in the Shenandoah Riverkeeper’s group.

“I hope they stop what the Town’s doing because the riprap rock to me, is just not pretty,” and potentially pretty dangerous to her kids she pointed out. “I moved away from Sterling to come to the country, so it would be country-like. And so they’re taking all the trees out to make it Sterling again. That makes me upset because we walk on the trail every day and with the trees gone, it’ll be really hot with no shade. My kids like to go to the creek to get crawfish, and they can’t do that if it’s all a rock quarry,” she observed of the treacherous riprap landscape currently planned for the length of the stretch of creek in front of her neighborhood.

Above, under the watchful eye of the Royal Examiner camera citizens, including nearby resident Stephanie Leypoldt, blue dress, listen as the Shenandoah Riverkeeper explains contemporary riparian buffer theory which combines natural vegetation and riprap rock placement ‘where needed’. Below, it is not too late to stop, regroup, and replant where necessary to achieve what is in the best interest of citizens, Happy Creek, and the Town’s desire for improved flood and stormwater control, ‘Save Happy Creek Coalition’ organizers believe.

“I’ve lived here 17 years and not once has it ever, well once it filled up,” Leypoldt said of Happy Creek reaching its bank. “But 17 years is a long time. I’m just upset because it’s very, very loud now … with the traffic,” she said indicating her now the unobstructed view of Commerce Avenue and nearby commercial business endeavors across the town’s major commercial traffic thoroughfare.

And speaking of that thoroughfare, a number of passing motorists could be heard giving honks of apparent support of the messages being displayed on that side of the creek.

As to an endgame, Leypoldt told Royal Examiner, “I hope all the people in all these organizations can make a difference. I thought we are the people and the government tries to protect us. So, if you’re going behind our back, not in the best interest of the people then you’re just doing it in your own personal interest. It’s nature,” she said pointing to what is left of Happy Creek’s natural riparian buffer, adding, “That’s the whole reason I moved out here … and when they take it away, it just makes me want to move.”

Some demonstrators took their message to the Commerce Ave. side of Happy Creek where apparent honks of support could be heard from some passing motorists.

Organizers encouraged those present and others concerned to contact their town councilmen about those concerns. They also suggested a presence at Monday evening’s Front Royal Town Council Meeting of November 23. While not sure an opportunity to speak on the Happy Creek work topic would be available – it should be at the initial public comments/concerns portion of the meeting – their presence on the issue would be beneficial in illustrating the level of public concern about the project’s planned direction and the need to revisit and alter that plan, Save Happy Creek Coalition leadership believes.

Save Happy Creek Coalition: Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, Beautification of Front Royal Committee, Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, Front Royal/Warren County Appalachian Trail Community, Front Royal/Warren County Tree Stewards, Izaak Walton League, Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Sustainability Matters – and our affiliate, the Garden Club of Warren County

Citizens expressed their feelings on both sides of Happy Creek Saturday afternoon, Nov. 21.

A basket of informational brochures on ‘Riparian Forest Buffers on the Water’s Edge’ distributed at Saturday’s event. As Tree Steward representatives and others have pointed out, too bad the Town Council and staff didn’t take advantage of the plethora of organizational knowledge about such things that were available to them locally and regionally prior to the implementation of what they believe is a flawed creek stabilization, flood and stormwater control plan.

Where there’s communication, there’s hope for meaningful solutions. Saturday, Vice-Mayor Sealock, seated foreground, opened the door of dialogue between the Council and the Save Happy Creek Coalition. Will his colleagues help keep that door open?