Sperryville 2007

  

"Sperryville: Gateway to the New Economy"
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Old Schoolhouse
Sperryville, VA
8:30 am to 3:30 pm

The sixth annual RRRC Living Towns Planning Workshop, held in the beautiful Village of Sperryville in Rappahannock County was yet another information-packed and enjoyable, well attended proceeding.  The theme of this year's workshop, Sperryville: Gateway to the New Economy, featured a broad range of experienced and knowledgeable presenters on topics applicable to community leaders from both the public and private sectors, together with well-known author and Washington Post reporter, Joel Garreau, as keynote speaker, with a presentation entitled: "The Santa Fe-ing of the Piedmont." Another highlight was a lunchtime bus tour of Sperryville and surrounding vicinity led by longtime Rappahannock County Administrator and RRRC Board Member John McCarthy. Our thanks to all for a most informative day!

But most of all, our thanks to the following for their first-rate presentations and invaluable insights.

• Village of Sperryville Living Towns Brochure
• Workshop Agenda

Presentation materials are available for selected panelists below. All files are in .pdf format.

Welcome & Introductions
John W. McCarthy, Rappahannock County Administrator

Panel #1

• Moderator: Tom Tepper, Member, Rappahannock Cnty Planning Commission
• Claire Collins, City Mgr, City of Covington & former Bath County Administrator (presentation)
• Ann Heidig, President, Virginia Wineries Assn & Owner, Lake Anna Winery (presentation)
• Todd Christensen, Deputy Director of Community Development, DHCD (presentation)

Panel #2

• Moderator: Jim Gannon, Owner and Publisher, Rappahannock Voice
• Sarah Cohen, President, Rt. 11 Potato Chip Company
• Catharine Gilliam, Virginia Program Mgr, National Parks Conservation Assn (presentation)
• Chris Thompson, Policy Analyst, Dept. of Housing & Community Dev. (presentation)
• Keynote Speaker: Joel Garreau, author of Edge City and Radical Evolution, and Washington Post reporter (presentation)

Panel #3

• Moderator: Todd Benson, Fauquier Cnty Field Officer, Piedmont Env. Council
• Caroline Wilkinson, Program Mgr, VA Natural Resources Leadership Institute (presentation)
• Wirt Confroy, Director, Electronic Marketing, Virginia Tourism Corporation (presentation)
• Kim Hart, Contract Manager, Windy Hill Development Foundation (presentation)
• Jeff Trollinger, Watchable Wildlife Program Mgr, VA DGIF (presentation)

Wrap-Up:

Jim Gannon, Owner and Publisher, Rappahannock Voice (article)

Sponsoring Organizations

• Rappahannock County
• Virginia Department of Transportation
• Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission