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agricultural-recreational character of Rappahannock County.” He also deleted any reference to retail sales or mechanical rides for children.
Moore e cooperation with worried citizens and concerned members of the Board of Zoning Appeals is a step in
the rijgfrt direction. The application currently before the Board is much more restrictive than the original and should go far tb allay some of the fears expressed by Rappahannockers at the public hearing.
However, there are many doubts that still remain. '
Is the sewage disposal facility for the ski area in a flood plain, as charged by Dr. Werner Krebser, and if so, what danger does this arrangement pose? Is there enough water available to satisfy the needs of hot summertime customers?
Moore has maintained that these concerns are the province of the Health Department. If this is the case, then a representative from the Health Department should be at the BZA’s January 12 evening meeting to reassure Board members that the Rush River will not be pulluted and that water supplies are adequate.
No one has yet mentioned erosion and sediment controls that obviously will be necessary while the mountain is carved up for the snowless Alpine Slide, the key to Moore’s profitable summer operation. How does the ski area management plan to keep portions of the mountain from washing away during construction?
A representative from the Highway Department should also be at the January 12 public hearing to explain the impact that maintenance of the Harris Hollow Road will have on the county’s secondary road budget.
Most important, someone needs to show up with dollar-and-cents estimates on what it will cost the Rappahannock taxpayer if the year-round operation is approved versus the financial benefits the county can reasonably expect to derive from skiing and snowless sledding.
We want to know, on one side, how many jobs the ski area will provide.
How much does an average family spend for a day’s recreation? What does this expenditure translate into in terms of the one cent of sales tax that comes back to the locality for education? These are questions we’d like to have answered by the ski area promoters.
Without a planning staff, the county is at a disadvantage in assessing all of the aspects of expanded recreation facilities in Harris Hollow. We hope that responsible and involved Rappahannockers will show up at the January 12 meeting.
We’d also like cost estimates for road maintenance and figures on probable increases in market value of property surrounding the ski area, and data on unemployment compensation resulting from seasonal layoffs.
Until all the plusses and minuses are out in the open for everyone to see and consider, we don’t feel that a responsible decision can be reached on the ski area’s special use permit application.
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