The Destruction of Warren County

The other day, I saw, for the first time, off Happy Creek Road, where all the trees have been cut down to make way for 98 homes built by Ryan Homes. You can see examples of the expertise of Ryan Homes construction spread all over the area, from the rows of the same-colored homes near Starsburg to just about anywhere in Northern Virginia. They are all the same.  Rapidly constructed out of 2x4s and usually painted a prison grey, they are built within 20’ of each other. I also passed the destruction of woodlands to make way for 94 additional homes near Linden.  Approved by the Town, which overlooked the fact that the area is on the Federal Severe Drought list, they gleefully and greedily, with outstretched fingers, approved these developments using the age-old lie of “this will improve our tax base”.  Really? 8 houses with an average of three people and two cars each, all using two single-lane roads into town, one of which is perpetually blocked by either school traffic or the other blocked by workers coming home.

One thing the Town apparently doesn’t realize is that these homes will need sewer and water. People fight for oil, but they kill for water.  Maybe they haven’t read the Federal report on the severe drought we are in the midst of, which is predicted to get even worse this summer. You can walk across the river in some parts now. The sewage system is stretched to the max, and then there’s that pesky issue of Christendom College dumping sewage, etc., into the River.

But what haven’t the Town leaders done? Well, there are the two derelict eyesores on the Bypass that have been abandoned for at least 40 years. I wonder who really owns them and what muscle they have over the Town Council?  Then there’s Main Street with the Fabulous, Famous, Historic, and derelict Afton Inn (opening in 2023, according to the sign). Nobody famous stayed there, nobody was shot there, and although some Architectural group gushed that it was “one of the few remaining,” the rest of their conversation turned to gibberish. In reality, it is a plain square brick shambles, waiting to collapse on Town Hall. Again, why hasn’t the Council acted, bulldozed it, and sold the bricks?

Another historic eyesore is the old Stokes Market. Nobody can figure out what historic actually occurred here, but there apparently is a brass plaque that nobody can find, that explains what it was. Now, it is covered in graffiti.

One of my favorites is the Shenks Rusco building. It used to have a tattoo shop and has this monster crack in the wall that apparently added another 2” in our last earthquake.

But the award for greed goes to the under-the-table planning for a large data center at the Avtex site. EDA, which is not elected officials yet spends our taxpayer money, decided to sell this site to an AI data center developer. Put your money on this one; the fix is in.  Who has oversight of the EDA? The Town washed its hands long ago, and if you ask the Supervisors, you get six different answers. The ghost of Jennifer still lingers.

“Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Development Authority of the Town of Front Royal & the County of Warren, Virginia (the “EDA” or the “Seller”) Approving Purchase and Sale Agreement with PRA ACQUISITIONS I LLC (the “Purchaser”) for Sale of 113 acres, more or less, located in Front Royal, Virginia on the former site of Avtex Fibers.”

Forget that dozens of communities are saying no to data centers because of their noise, power requirements, and massive water intake (of which we don’t have). Please don’t believe the salesman who said that they are going to put the air conditioners on the inside of the building and recycle the water. So far, no center has been built with these modifications. “But it will bring jobs”. No, sorry, the centers in Winchester are manned by at most 5 people – the guards.  Everything else is done remotely.

It will bring in tax revenue. Yeah, just like the Power plant (we get no power from it and an incredibly reduced tax structure). If it brings in taxes, then why are my tax and electricity bills increasing?   The same goes for the centers.

Three years ago, 69 percent of Virginia residents said they were comfortable with new data centers in their community. That number has since dropped to 35 percent, with 59 percent voicing discomfort. Prince William County has nixed plans for a 1,700-acre campus near the Manassas Civil War battlefield, which would have hosted dozens of data centers.

The County gets special kudos for allowing Shenandoah Farms to build houses without the normal acreage requirements. Thus, a local developer has put eight medium-sized homes right next to a creek that flooded to a depth of 10 feet during the last big flood. When this event was brought up with the Zoning rep, “it’s not listed as a flood plain.” The next one is pretty unbelievable, and you have to see it to believe. They carved a flat spot up on the side of the ravine. The back side ends in an abrupt 10-minute free fall, and the front of the house looks directly at the bulldozed wall 20” away.  The 45 deg driveway ends in a small parking space adjacent to the house (no garage). If you can’t stop, it’s a ten-minute freefall, or you can plow through the house. The  Fire Department sent a guy down into this small, single-lane mess and declared that  “there is no way they will get emergency vehicles down, let alone back”.

The County has tried some incredible nightmares. A medical waste incinerator that would burn highly contagious waste from New York. Somehow, the fix wasn’t in.  Then there was the gun range (at least three times). For some reason, the owners of the Power Plant (you know, that behemoth belching steam?), felt that it was economical to send electricity all the way to New York. Not very economical as they could have put it closer in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Upstate. Instead, they chose Front Royal. Why? The fix was in.

Why so cynical? Why not? This is the age of Jennifer McDonald. She took the hit, and the other conspirators walked away. But much like other drug felons, she will get out as a very rich woman. Thus, every decision is looked at with jaundice

Lessons learned: Never, ever badmouth the Fire Department. I took exception to the planned move of Engine Company 6  to a place that was down a hill on a blind curve, even though they had plenty of room at its current location. Nothing like getting shoved around by irate firemen to reduce your civic enthusiasm. As my next-door neighbor says,” Chief, you aren’t in Arlington anymore.”

Another great lie: “We need to be competitive with our school salaries.” Really? First, the Supervisors advertised a 10% raise and suddenly bashed us with a 19% tax raise!  How do they know how much they even have to work with, as there has been no audit for several years, as required by State law? The County even had the temerity to sign another contract with this failing auditor. It’s all for the children. Bull….

So, we are becoming a county that doesn’t know how much debt it has, but wants to tax us to make up the difference. Sound strange? Take a look at the history of some of the Supervisors. Hmm? What happens when they run out of trees to destroy?

Like my Mother used to say, “Clean up your damned mess before you make another.”

“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank  accounts and that you can’t eat money.” – Alanis Obomsawin

Fritz Schwartz
Warren County, VA

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