HOW I SEE IT: Angler’s water and sewer plan a bad idea

We are at a point in the history of our town and county when the choices we make will change Culpeper forever. One of those choices, to accept or deny the proposal to enter into public-private partnership with Angler Development, should be of utmost concern to every citizen in this county — not just those in the Stevensburg District.

Aside from Angler’s dubious record in this community and others, the urban infrastructure that is proposed in this plan, with a sewer line that runs from Three Flags to Brandy Station, will surely lead to an untold number of rooftops. This system will provide the backbone for unbridled development that will eventually consume and destroy much of the richest farmland in the county.

I was born and raised here, and grew up on land farmed by my father and his father before him. After living in Fairfax County for several years, I moved back to Culpeper in 2001. I rediscovered my home and all that makes it unique and wonderful: the people, farms, history, culture, and a vital downtown surrounded by farms and beautiful views of the mountains and countryside. We enjoy a quality of life here that is unmatched in any place I’ve ever been.

The Angler proposal, and in fact the Comprehensive Plan on which it was based, threatens to destroy our quality of life. The plan is flawed & shortsighted at best, greedy and sinister at worst. This giant sewer system is far larger than anything needed in a primarily agricultural community. It will require rooftops to support it — many, many rooftops.

Some members of the Board of Supervisors have said that this huge system is needed for economic development, to provide infrastructure to entice companies that pay higher wages. Can that not be accomplished in other ways, with package plants in the planned industrial parks?

Several of the supervisors have said repeatedly that “You can’t preserve everything” and “You can’t shut the door and not let anyone else in. You can’t stop growth! Might as well prepare for it.”

This clearly indicates an unwillingness to even try. You can’t totally stop someone from breaking into your house either. But you take precautions to slow them down. This plan is the equivalent of turning on the porch light, leaving the door open, and leaving warm milk and cookies on the counter for the developers.

People who live in Culpeper, whether by birth or by choice, live here because of the quality of life, and are adequately served by the infrastructure that is in place. This treatment plant and cross-county sewer pipe are not needed or wanted by any of us living here now.

This system will only benefit those who haven’t moved here yet, lured by the cheap tract houses that are sure to spring up. Do we truly need Willow Run and Mounty Dumpling, which this plant will serve?

We must preserve our way of life and our farmland. We must pay attention to what our elected officials are doing. We must let them know that rushing into this decision without allowing adequate information or time for their constituents to consider all of the ramifications is unacceptable.

Our future depends on it.

Beth Burns is a resident of Culpeper.