Page County Dot Net

Now that the election is over….

OK, not yet, but after seeing the mountain of progressive energy at the Campaign for Change, it seems as there is a unique opportunity to expand our PCDN community. 

As we have seen from the Campaign, new technology offers us new ways to participate and be informed.  By creating an online community, we can have a greater voice in our local affairs.  Perhaps more importantly, by coming together as a group, we reinforce our shared commitment to making our community a better place to live.

I look forward to “seeing” all of you as we move forward, right here at PCDN.

The article, “County offices worsen as complex project lingers” (Page News and Courier, Aug. 7, 2008) was appalling.  I do not know how in good conscience the county officials can allow the building to stay open to the public and to the workers within.  Bug bites, bug bombs, holes in the ceiling, foundation cracks, pigeon feces and rotting animals, sewage gasses…the building is a candidate for immediate condemning.  The building is old, so the holes in the ceiling are very likely to be exposing the public to lead paint as well as asbestos.  I go into the county office several times a year to pay taxes and get business information.  I would have never stepped foot into that building or taken my kids in with me if I had known what a risk I was taking to my health. 

I think the county owes it to the citizens to test the air, and materials in the building and post a health hazard sign outside.  The public also should be informed when a bug bomb has taken place.  They are very toxic and leave horrible residues on the surfaces around.  I still cant fathom that anyone working in that building is getting paid enough to take the long term health risks they are facing on a daily basis.  “Equipment must be covered due to dust and debris that circulated through the building.”  Seriously, has anyone tested that debris for asbestos?  That should be the number one health concern for everyone going in and out of that building.  I’m baffled.  Aren’t buildings supposed to be up to code in able to operate? 

As a citizen, I’m at caught in a catch 22.  I contemplated starting a class action lawsuit against the county, but did not want to be responsible for the county going bankrupt and halting the school construction.  What’s a person to do?

The Virginia Campaign for Change is opening a field office in Luray, supporting the candidacies of Mark Warner for Senate and Barack Obama for President. The office will be located at 183 Blue Bell Ave., behind the former East End Automotive building.
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I just wanted to make a quick post…there will be a car wash at the Luray Walmart on Friday, August 8 starting at 10:00.  The wash is to support a local girl scout troop and to help them raise money for a group trip in October.  The wash is free but they will be accepting donations. Come on out and support these local girls.

The Obama campaign, which opened a field office in Harrisonburg a mere two weeks ago, held an organizational meeting at the county court house in Luray on Thursday evening. The event was well attended by enthusiastic supporters, who were nevertheless challenged to bring in additional volunteers and double the size of the next meeting.

Meanwhile, the campaign is emphasizing the importance of phone banking and knocking on doors in a coordinated fashion.

Local Obama staffer Camron Gorguinpour even suggested that the campaign would consider opening a Luray office if there were sufficient interest. For now, the nearest field office is located at 124 S. Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg.

Noted tonight via Yahoo’s AP feed, McCain is vetting Page County’s House Representative, Eric Cantor, for the VP slot.
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I’ve created categories for News and Opinion, and have also added some stock divisions of the News category, especially the arts, which gets short shrift in the PN&C.

I’m interested in input about other categories that should be present. I don’t want to veer too far off the focus on positive change within our community, but I also want to allow this to be a place for other news that either doesn’t get covered in the local press, or can’t be covered in a timely fashion by the weeklies.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

PageCounty.net was started as a forum last year, but proved difficult to manage, and wound up with piles of spam. It is being redisigned as a blog, using WordPress, which will also allow us a great deal of flexibility in the way content is presented.

It was initially conceived as a way of helping to bring local non-profits online, and specifically those which were actively promoting positive change in our community. Subdomains are still available for non-profits who fit our criteria. Those already on board include The Gus Bus, Healthy Families, and our local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

But there are also opportunities outside of the non-profit world for individuals to make a difference in our community, and we will be welcoming various partners to write for this site. If you are interested in writing for the site, please register and leave a comment after this post.