Unsolicited- Yeah, right!

James Clements
Published: March 9, 2008

I'm sure it was like a scene right out of Casablanca the day Warrenton-based Angler Development dropped an "unsolicited" proposal for a new water system on County Administrator Frank Bossio's desk.

Allow me to take liberties with that moment: Instead of a smoke-filled bar with tuxedoed waiters and roulette tables, you'll just have to picture Bossio sitting at his desk reading the morning mail.

Bossio: "I'm shocked, shocked, to receive a proposal for a water system for the county."

In the 1942 classic, it's Claude Rains' Captain Renault character who feigns surprise over learning there's gambling going on in Rick's Café. In the present Culpeper version, it's Bossio who's amazed someone would think the county would be interested in building its own water and sewer system when for years it's been publicly trying to work out a joint authority with the town.

There's nothing simple about the new "Culpeper County Water and Sewer Project" developed by Angler's recently formed "Culpeper Utility Partners." The plan, which includes up to three wells, million-gallon water storage tanks, and thousands of feet of pipe, is itself hundreds of pages long and includes eight appendices. But one thing does jump out, the term "unsolicited" is only a legal one. This plan didn't just drop out of the sky without warning.

In other words, Bossio and the Board of Supervisors have been playing coy on a joint water/sewer authority with the town for years (all while watching the town get blasted for their part in the impasse), only to "all of the sudden" find a proposal for just the infrastructure they'll need to get into the sewer business themselves.

That said, does it really make a difference if the county had a plan to find a developer to build a water/sewer system all along- So what if a few years ago it looked like residential growth would attract that project, and instead, it's the possibility of commercial growth that gets it built- In the county's favor, at least it shows they had a plan behind the authority holdup.

The more complicated side to this project goes beyond the proposal and into the hearts of all of us. This is as much a "feeling" issue as it is a "thinking" one. And the news of these projects opens a window into your own innermost views on development and growth.

There are plenty of grumblers who'll tell you life was better in Culpeper before you moved to town. At the same time, there are some lifers here who are thrilled to eat at IHOP.

Personally, while I'm in no hurry to see Culpeper become the next Fairfax., I know that Angler and other developers deserve less blame for the growth than they get. Look up and down U.S. 29, and you'll find plenty of "by-right" zoning. Those property owners can develop at will on their land. When it comes to growth on the U.S. 29 corridor, the dam has broken, and the idea that we're going to stop the flood by refusing to issue water taps is a lost cause.

I'm not sure how much of the future development will be Angler projects, but I applaud them for starting with this one. At least they're thinking that if they propose a new interchange, the public utilities and infrastructure should be in place before they start.

Earlier this week, hundreds of our neighbors lined up for a chance to talk to Terremark at the job fair. Still more would have liked to, but we were working 75 miles away that day. The possibility of a technology corridor blossoming right on our front door, and the prospect of ending those daily commutes, is a good thing for many in our community. And when those businesses come, they'll need water and sewer.

I made light of how this project found its way to Frank Bossio's desk, and as a town resident, I'm annoyed at the gamesmanship of it all.

But one way or another, through a joint authority or through a project like this one, the county is going to get all the water taps it can sell. And so, for the County Board of Supervisors and Angler, "this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

James Clements is a Culpeper resident and
independent columnist who appears each Monday.
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