According to Paul Howard, director of environmental services for Culpeper County, the county bought the property last year with the intention of developing a youth sports facility there in the immediate future, and possibly moving either the county s administrative staff or the General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts to the site at some point. Howard is quick to explain, however, that the Board of Supervisors is still doing facilities planning and is yet to make any definite decision about moving anything or anybody. Howard did comment, however, that the future of youth sports in Culpeper is uncertain right now because the county s lease at Moore Golf Youth Park has run out. County Administrator Steve Miner concurs with Howard, saying that the county has strong and growing needs for youth sports facilities, and Moore Golf is inadequate . . . Furthermore, he said, while drainfields and wells would be adequate at first for the park s septic and water needs, the soil in that area is not the best, and connection to a sewer system would likely be necessary at some point.
Nothing is set in stone here.
For their part, members of Board of Supervisors seem to think that a public referendum would be necessary before committing funds to such a project. John Coates, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, explained that the matter would be handled much like the Floyd T. Binns Middle School project, which county voters approved in a November 1998 bond referendum. If such a referendum passed, it would be binding, Coates said. Jimmy Lee, vice chairman of the board and chairman of the Buildings and Grounds Renovation Committee, also said he thought a referendum would be necessary. It s something that Culpeper has been lacking.