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Topic
Description:
The
applicant seeks to renew its Special Exception for the
Indian Pipe Outdoor School as well as add a new parcel to
the permit and refine its conditions.
Project
Information:
The
applicant is requesting a renewal of its previously approved
Special Exception conditions. In addition, the following
refinements to existing conditions are requested:
a.
To change from 15-passenger vans to microbuses as
part of the six vans allowed to visit the site per day.
b.
Extend operation from April to November to all year
operation, with the condition that it complies with the
Fauquier County School inclement weather road advisory.
c.
Provide for a ten year term of renewal.
Project
Background:
The Indian
Pipe Outdoor Technical School provides environmental
educational experiences that focus on the lessons of
stewardship of our natural resources. The farm is located
adjacent to the Appalachian Trail and is filled with many
springs that form the head waters of Goose Creek. Two
hundred acres of the farm are in conservation easement with
the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and a recent purchase of 60
acres will be put into easement with the Appalachian Trail
Trust. Activities at the school include learning about
native flora and fauna that are present in streams, ponds,
fields and forest located on the property. Also,
instruction includes learning about organic agriculture
with, Piedmont Organics operating on the site, which was
USDA Organic certified in 2002.
The school’s
hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Monday
through Friday). No more than one hundred people occupy the
site at any given time. On average the typical size of a
field trip is 30 students. The number of employees on site
does not exceed thirty three (33), with a student employee
ratio of one to ten, during programs.
Susan
Leopold, Director of the School, has a Bachelors in Botany,
a Masters in Environmental Planning, and is currently
writing her dissertation on the Environmental History of the
Bull Run Mountains, when completed she will have a PhD in
Environmental Studies. The Indian Pipe Outdoor School has
completed the rigorous process of being accredited through
ACA (American Camping Association). This process included
meeting all their safety and health requirements and being
inspected while in operation by experts in the day camp
industry.
A maximum of
six vans per day may visit the site; due to safety
considerations, the applicant has requested a slight change
in the previously approved condition wording to include
microbuses. The microbus is what the local “Circuit Rider”
bus uses in Warrenton and what many churches and smaller
schools are now utilizing for transportation. This is in
light of new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommendations regarding the use of 15-seat
passenger vans. Typical programs at the school are very
small and usually utilize two vans (or if allowed,
microbuses) in one day. The school has been in operation
for seven (7) years and has not had any accidents, or
concerns from neighbors over traffic use.
The school
serves areas within an hour’s drive of the farm in any one
direction. The main clients have been the Minnieland Day
Care Centers and week long summer programs for Fauquier
County Parks and Recreation. Other programs have included
several local home school organizations. Programs have been
geared toward elementary and school age children. A typical
program group would arrive around 9 to10 am, and leave
around 2 to 3 pm. Students bring a bag lunch. The school
has also conducted educational work shops for adults ranging
from learning about organic agriculture to planting and
harvesting of native medicinal plants. These programs
typically last a few hours with attendance of 20 to 30
participants.
The current
buildings consist of a round outdoor gazebo, which is the
main gathering area, as well as another smaller square
gazebo, there is also an outdoor cooking–serving area.
Permanent structures are restricted to an existing building
on the site and one new building that will not to exceed
5,000 square feet, as per the original approved Special
Exception conditions.
The proposed
use conforms to the provisions of all applicable conditions
outlined in Zoning Ordinance Sections 5 (educational use)
and 9 (outdoor recreation). The applicant requests that the
facility may be in operation 12 months, with the condition
that it complies with Fauquier County School inclement
weather road advisory. (The currently approved conditions
say it shall be operational from April through November).
The applicant also requests overnight camping not exceed
three days, conforming to all Health Department
requirements. The applicant also requests a term of ten
years before it requires another renewal.
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