Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 1 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
By Monty Tayloe
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
After a crowded and contentious proceeding, the Rappahannock County Planning Commission voted against Mountain Laurel Montessori’s application to open a 25 student farm school in an existing house on Bear Wallow Road.
The meeting took place last Wednesday before a standing room only crowd in the Rappahannock County Courthouse, a crowd that was overwhelmingly against the application. The following day, Mountain Laurel Administrator Elaine Glier withdrew the school’s application from consideration by the Board of Zoning Appeals, presumably due to the massive negative response of every one of the proposed school’s neighbors.
At the start of the meeting, Glier and Freu Moulton, whose proposed sale of his Bear Wallow Road home to Mountain Laurel touched off the uproar, presented their case for the proposed farm school. Following their remarks, Planning Commission Chairman Charles Strittmatter addressed the audience, some of whom were forced to sit on the courthouse floor, asking if any of them had also come to speak in defense of Mountain Laurel’s application. He received no response. In addition to speaking on their own behalf, the unanimous group of neighbors was represented at the meeting by attorney Clifford Athey.
Athey was hired by Jim Donehaye, the largest property owner on Bear Wallow.
Athey and the public cited many reasons for their objections, but the unsuitability of Bear Wallow road for a large commercial enterprise was the primary factor in the Planning Commission decision.
“I just can’t get over the road. A road like this really limits use,” explained Planning Commission member Thomas Junk.
93.7%