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mappaftartnocfe Jieto $—— Established 1877 An Independent Newspaper Published Every Wednesday ARTHUR W. ARUNDEL, Publisher Barbara C. Wayland Sharon Kilpatrick General Manager Editor Ann Brown Cindy Mahan Account Executive Staff Writer and Photographer Peter W. Arundel, President John T. Toler David Smith Executive Vice President Senior Vice President To Subscribe Phone (540) 675-3338 BY MAIL: $19 a year in Rappahannock County $24 a year elsewhere in the United States Back Copies: Recent 2 months, 50 cents Older copies to I960, $5 (as available) Office: Rappahannock News Building, Washington, Va. 22747-0059 ,, Telephone (540) 675-3338 Fax: (540) 675-3088 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1996

Conference Centers The Planning Commission has forwarded to the Board of Supervisors a series of amendments to the Zoning Ordinance that would specify conditions for granting applications for country inns, lodges, retreat centers, resorts and conference centers. Currently the ordinance specifies that a bed and breakfast can have only six rooms for guests. Any facility with more guest spaces must be something other than a bed and breakfast, but exactly what has not been spelled out. These amendments attempt to rectify that situation. Up to 20 double occupancy rooms is a country inn, lodge or retreat center. More than 20 double occupancy rooms is a resort or conference center. , Further the proposed amendments spell out a density restriction. There may be no more than eight double occupancy rooms for each 25 acres in the property. Some speakers at last week’s public hearing on the proposed amendments said they were not restrictive enough. Others said they were too restrictive. That is a pretty good indication that the planners got the restrictions about right. The agricultural and conservation zones of Rappahannock County are ideally suited to such uses, but however much new owners may feel such activities benefit the county, current residents want to make .sure they do not take away from their pleasure in the property they already own. The density might be increased slightly, but the principal that the number of potential guests should be limited by the overall acreage of the property seems sound.

The Schools Rappahannock’s public schools are taking hits again because of the Literacy Passport Test results. While the results in 1996 were disappointing, it should be pointed out that nearly 61 percent of the sixth graders passed the writing test on their first try. In math 77 percent passed on the first try, and in reading nearly 72 percent passed on the first try. While that is fewer than the 94 percent who passed each of the tests on the first try in 1993, nobody knows why that year produced such spectacular results or exactly how to duplicate them. Many of those complaining support private or church related schools, but students at those schools do not have to take the

Literacy Passport Tests. Maybe they would all pass all three tests as sixth graders, but that is far from proven. School Superintendent David Gangel has said results will improve by the spring of 1997. His suggestion that the School Board set as a goal having 80 percent pass all three tests was rejected by the board because a goal of less than 100 percent success seemed unworthy. Dr. Gangel did not say he could guarantee that 80 percent would pass the tests. Let’s wait and see what the current year brings and what the administration’s plans are.