Just add water: New Gordonsville pool expected to open soon
Long-desired replacement meets community's need for a large, modern pool
Let’s imagine for a minute that Rip Van Winkle took up residence in a linen closet at the Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville and fell asleep in the 1950s. Then, with a start, he awoke on a July day a decade ago, rubbed his eyes and walked over to Verling Park. Why, things looked pretty much the same! As a recreational swimmer (a detail Washington Irving inexplicably deleted from his final draft), Van Winkle was pleased to see that the town’s little pool was still there. He swam a few laps (sidestroke, if you wondered) and then returned to his closet and went back to sleep.
In subsequent years, he woke up a few times and headed straight to the pool. On each occasion, it looked a little shabbier, a little less adequate, than it had before. There were even warm, sunny days when the pool was mysteriously closed. Van Winkle went back to bed feeling sad. But today (June 30, 2025), he awakened in the afternoon, headed over to the park and emitted a guttural cry of mingled shock and joy. Before his extremely well-rested eyes stood a gorgeous new pool, albeit empty and surrounded by orange safety cones. Van Winkle was so thrilled that he actually wept. Change is not always a bad thing, he thought, with a perspicacity rare for him.
After drying his eyes, he conferred with Mayor Ron Brooks (who politely asked him not to climb the fence surrounding the pool). Upon learning that the pool would open in a matter of weeks, Van Winkle vowed to wake up every single morning through Labor Day weekend so he could swim at his leisure and snack on tasty concession treats. For now, he would trade high-fives with the mayor and everyone else celebrating the fact that this sweetest, splashiest of Gordonsville dreams had finally become true.
Today I had a real-life text chat with Mayor Brooks about the new pool, which he hopes will open the week of Monday, July 14, though it may not be until the following week. He told me that the pool project is coming to fruition at a cost of $3.9 million. When I asked whether that amount covered other improvements at the park, he wrote me, “The $3.9 million is for the pool only. We have a grant through the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) that is paid from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund. This grant requires a 50/50 match. DCR reimburses us after we have paid the full amount.
“So, for the $3.9 million pool part, $1.95 million is funded through the grant and $1.95 million is funded through donations, the largest being $1 million from the Manning Family Foundation.”
Brooks said the town has 10 lifeguards and a concession worker lined up, and the pool manager will be Curtis Clark, who managed the old pool that the spiffy new one replaced.
I asked Brooks how it feels to have the pool so close to completion, after many years of planning and raising funds (an activity still underway for the overall park project) and then finally getting construction started. He replied, “It’s a bit surreal to see this project finally come to life. Over the past seven years—throughout my time on the town council and now as mayor—it’s been a major focus. But its roots go back decades, shaped by the hard work and dedication of many.
“This has truly been a community effort. Former Mayor Bob Coiner, previous council members, local organizations, donors, and countless citizens all played vital roles. We’re especially grateful to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Manning Family Foundation, the Piedmont Environmental Council and Town to Trail for their invaluable support.
“Most importantly, though, our citizens have been the backbone of this effort, with over 100 donations ranging from $10 and up. Their continued support will be essential as we take on the ongoing costs of maintenance—no small task for a town our size. But we believe deeply in this project because we see the pool and park as a great equalizer—a place where everyone is welcome and community is built.”
Brooks concluded, “‘Thank you’ doesn’t begin to cover it, but I hope people know how much every contribution, large or small, has meant.”
I also checked in with Vice-Mayor Emily Winkey, who shares Brooks’ excitement about the pool’s opening. “We are so happy to see that the pool will open this season. It’s been a wonderful project, and I know the citizens are happy, just like I am.”
County Administrator Ted Voorhees takes new position in N.C.
Orange County Administrator Ted Voorhees has accepted the position of town manager in Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Voorhees, 61, has run the day-to-day operations of Orange County for five years. After his last day on the job (August 8), Deputy County Administrator Glenda Bradley will take over in an interim capacity until the Board of Supervisors fills the vacancy. Of note: Voorhees earns $229,200 and is the county’s highest paid employee.
An Army brat who lived all over the country while he was growing up, Voorhees graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and from George Mason University with a master’s in public administration. He came to Orange County in April 2020 from Powhatan County, where he was county administrator. Before that, he served in a number of other local government positions, including a 10-year stint as deputy city manager in Durham, N.C., just up the road from Chapel Hill.
In an email exchange, I asked him what he considers his key accomplishments in Orange County. He responded, “Building a great team. Moving us forward though COVID and improving on systems, structures and policies to help the organization modernize as it scales in response to growth and the retirement of a long-tenured board. Orange County is now regularly recognized by state and national organizations for creative solutions and programs. This comes from a leadership team encouraged to be creative and to take appropriate risks and try new things.”
And how about his greatest challenges? “I do think COVID was an extraordinary test on organizations,” Voorhees wrote. “I also started in my position at the very beginning [of the pandemic], so my onboarding to the organization and the community was severely constrained. I also would have implemented some of my goals (like program budgeting and organizational culture work) sooner, but I didn't want to stress the team on top of the stress brought by COVID.”
Voorhees and his wife, Michele, live in Lake of the Woods and have four grown children. Although he is pleased to be moving back to North Carolina, where he previously worked for 20 years and has friends and professional ties, he told me, “It was a difficult decision to leave. I feel very positive about the Orange County organization and community. It is a beautiful and special place with caring people, and it has been a pleasure working in partnership with the Board of Supervisors to help move our organization forward. I will cherish the time I spent here.”
In a county press release, board chair Mark Johnson (District 1) said that Voorhees’s “leadership over the past several years has moved Orange County forward and created an organization that is well positioned for future success. We appreciate his efforts. I have enjoyed working with him, and the Orange County Board of Supervisors joins me in wishing him all the best in North Carolina.”
Orange County Fair rides out another heat wave
Last week’s Orange County Fair was another hot one. In recent years, the Orange County Fair Board has tried to beat the heat by scheduling the popular event earlier in the summer. But this year’s high temps and the looming threat of thunderstorms made things dicey yet again. Nevertheless, the usual crowds showed up, and Byrd Street’s Joe Loftus captured the following scenes on Saturday.
July beckons with sparklers
Perhaps you’ve noticed that it’s been extremely hot and excessively rainy of late. But if you want data to support your “lived experience,” as the expression goes, have a look at the stats Jenny Sheetz at the Northern Piedmont Research Center has sent: a new chart showing high and low temperatures, along with the usual update on precipitation. It may not be possible to run both charts every week, but in a nod to all the weather nerds out there (and I stand with you), I’ll print them whenever space allows.
Byrd Street flower report: Willow Drinkwater sent me these lovely poolside shots from Cedar Hill Paradise Farm, just outside Gordonsville, where she lives with her husband, Alan. Thanks for the summertime treats, Willow!
Obituaries
Jack Eugene Davis, 87, Orange; Debra Ann Durden, 72, formerly of Lake of the Woods; Joseph Marion Good Jr., 64, Orange; Genevieve Mae Nick, 95, Gordonsville.
Coming up soon
Playin’ in the Park Independence Celebration, Booster Park, 5 p.m., Thursday, July 3
Second Annual Independence Day Parade, Main Street, Gordonsville, 9-10 a.m., Saturday, July 5
Virginia Agricultural Expo, Brooke Farms, Locust Grove, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 7
Recent back issues
Anticipated removal of Rapidan dam sparks further debate (June 23)
“No Kings” rally in Orange stays safe while violence mars Culpeper protest (June 16)