If you have driven past the showgrounds this Fall, you may have noticed construction on the Grafton Farm (Hunter) side between the two show rings. Ground was broken in early October on new, permanent bathrooms that will be ready for use during the horse show in June 2025.
Like other recent improvements, the bathrooms have been made possible through UCHS’s Jump In! Capital Campaign, for which construction of permanent handicapped-accessible bathrooms has been a major goal. Plans were accelerated in late 2023 when Wendell Hawken Clatterbuck gave $5,000 to be used solely for accessible bathrooms. An accident in 2011 left Clatterbuck’s adult son a quadriplegic, and since then she has “gone down the rabbit hole and become hyper-aware of (handicap) access.” Other donors also made gifts specifically for this purpose in early 2024, and it became possible to move forward.
The bathrooms are in a shed-row style building that complements the existing buildings on the grounds. There will be four independent units; all will be unisex and two will be wheelchair accessible. A committee of Emily Day, Joe Fargis, Roy Perry, Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Kopp and Nicky Perry worked on the design with Dean Hoover of King Construction, which built the building.
Once the money and contractor were in place, getting permits for the bathrooms proved challenging. It was not practicable to build them with a traditional septic system given their location and the need to protect the show’s iconic tree canopy. The show instead proposed to install a large “pump and haul” septic tank and forgo a septic field. This technique, used successfully elsewhere, was not provided for in the Fauquier County code.
It took nine months for UCHS board member Roy Perry and Holly Meade, Fauquier County’s Director of Community Development, to find a way forward. The County agreed to make an exception to its code and, ultimately, to develop special code provisions to address the Show’s unique situation. The Show was finally granted unanimous approval by the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, the Fauquier County Council, and the Virginia Department of Health. They were persuaded in part by Grafton Farm’s status as an historic site recently added to the Virginia Landmarks Register (2021) and the National Register of Historic Places (2022). In addition, the show committed to installing an alarm system, having the tank pumped out at least daily during the show, and to put insurance and a bond in place.
Completion of the bathrooms is an important achievement of the show’s Jump In! Capital Campaign, which has focused on improving the show’s facilities, strengthening its community, and honoring its history. Permanent bathrooms were once located in the upper level of the grandstand; bringing them back but to ground level will make the show more welcoming for everyone!