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July 4 Parking
For over 30 years the Town of Washington has been the center of a county wide celebration of the Fourth of July.
For most of those years, while there was plenty of ways to spend money in town, the event itself was free. However, those coming to town took up all the parking space in town, frequently blocking town residents from getting in or out.
About two years ago an attempt was made to ban parking on town streets and provide paid parking in lots on the edges of town. 'The Washington Volunteer Fire Department and the Rappahannock Animal Welfare League collected for the parking.
Last year drivers entering town on U.S. 211 business from the .west were supposed to take a red ticket they received when they paid < for parking to a lot behind the Health Department. Many apparently <did not understand this and parked on the streets and then complained they had been charged for parking on the streets.
Even without this confusion, the charge for parking for an event that had been free for years was resented. ; This year the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community (RAAC) has taken on the overall organization for the town’s Fourth of July celebration. They considered and then rejected <an increase to $3 for parking. They intend to continue to charge $2. The funds from parking are to be divided evenly between the Washington Fire Department, RAAC and RAWL, and these organizations will provide volunteers to collect the fees and manage the parking.
These are all worthy organizations. However, we suggest a return to the spirit of a free event and ask them to offer parking and request a contribution rather than charging. They could even specify $2 as a suggested contribution, but that might eliminate the possibility of getting more.
RAWL
The success the Rappahannock Animal Welfare League has had in finding homes for stray dogs in the county is spectacular. For over a year no adoptable dogs have been “put down”; all have been adopted, most outside the county. The dogs available for adoption have been neutered and are in fairly good health.
President Lisa Reid told the members of the Board of Supervisors that people are lined up at the pet supply store in Fairfax where volunteers take Rappahannock’s dogs waiting to adopt them.
From all over the country shelter operators have heard of RAWL’s success and write to find out how to duplicate it. Without the efforts of many extremely dedicated volunteers these results cannot be duplicated. < It is difficult to avoid wondering, however, what could happen if .the some of the energy devoted to finding good homes for the counly’s unwanted dogs could go into finding better homes for some of its children.
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