Loudoun Now for Feb. 16, 2023

County Amasses Western Loudoun Public Land

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

If the planned purchase of 143 acres just west of Purcellville for a new Western Loudoun Recreation Center goes through, it will tie together more than 700 acres of publicly owned land stretching from Round Hill to Purcellville, much of it parkland.

The swath of public land would begin just east of Sleeter Lake, where the Town of Round Hill owns 28 acres which hosts the 11-acre Sleeter Lake Park. The lake itself is about 100 acres and is privately owned by the

PUBLIC LAND continues on page 37

New Western Loudoun Rec Center to Bring Relief for Swimmers

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

County supervisors on Feb. 7 voted to buy 143 acres of mostly vacant land just west of the Purcellville town limits for $6.9 million for the construction of a Western Loudoun Recreation Center.

And for many Loudouners, especially

those who swim competitively, the facility can’t be built fast enough.

The land is just west of the Catoctin Meadows HOA and between Rt. 7 and West Main Street, across from the Loudoun Golf and Country Club and a short walk from Franklin Park. If the purchase goes through, closing will likely be this summer. The land is assessed at $1.8 million.

“This is a huge deal for western Loudoun County,” Supervisor Tony Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked about the site for the Western Loudoun Rec Center. This is centrally located throughout western Loudoun, so it’s easily accessible for

WESTERN REC CENTER continues on page 38

high school swim team practices at the Round Hill Aquatic Center in January. The team has to fit all of its swimmers in the four lanes at the center.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Loudoun County Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) stands on land the county is hoping to buy for a new Western Loudoun Recreation Center. If the purchase goes through, it will connect more than 700 acres of publicly owned land from Sleeter Lake to Woodgrove High School.

TOWN OF MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

Fiscal Year 2024

The Town of Middleburg proposes to increase property tax levies. This is a result of an increase in property value assessments, which are controlled and assessed by Loudoun County. The Town Council is proposing to lower the current tax rate. Pursuant to Code of Virginia Section 58.1-3321, a Public Hearing on the increase will be held on March 23, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the Middleburg Town Office located at 10 West Marshall Street in Middleburg, Virginia.

1. Assessment Increase: The total assessed value of real property, as of January 1, 2023, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 10.51%.

2. Lower Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment: The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as the current year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate, with the exclusions mentioned above, would be $0.1239 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the "lowered tax rate."

3. Effective Rate Increase: The current tax rate is $0.1369 per $100 of assessed value. The Town of Middleburg proposes to adopt a tax rate of no more than $0.1276 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the lowered tax rate and the proposed tax rate would be $0.0037 per $100, or 2.99%. This difference will be known as the "effective tax rate increase," even though the tax rate is being lowered. Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater or less than the above percentage.

4. Proposed Total Budget Increase: Based on the higher proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total General Fund budget of the Town of Middleburg is proposed to exceed the current year's budget by 10.00%.

Questions may be directed to the Town Manager at 540-687-5152.

Danny Davis, Town Manager Town of Middleburg, Virginia

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

The Town of Lovettsville proposes to increase property tax levies.

1. Assessment Increase: Total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 11.3 percent.

2. Lowered Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment: The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate with the exclusions mentioned above, would be $0.146 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the “lowered tax rate” or “equalized tax rate.”

3. Effective Rate Increase: The Town of Lovettsville proposes to adopt a tax rate of $0.1725 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the equalized tax rate and the proposed rate would be $0.0265 per $100, or 16.31 percent. This difference will be known as the “effective tax rate increase.”

Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater than or less than the above percentage, depending upon the type of dwelling and individual property assessments.

4. Proposed Total Budget Increase: Based on the proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total General Fund budget of the Town of Lovettsville will exceed last year’s by 2.9 percent.

The Town Manager’s proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget is based on a real property tax rate of $0.1625 per $100 assessed value.

A public hearing on the proposed real property effective tax rate increase will be held by the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, VA 20180, at which time all persons desiring to speak or provided written comments will be given an opportunity to do so on the proposed real property effective tax rate. If the public hearing is canceled for any unforeseen reason, the public hearing will be held during the next Town Council regular business meeting.

School Board Votes Not to Release Independent Report

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

In a 6-3 vote the Loudoun County School Board on Tuesday voted not to release an independent report into how the school division handled the sexual assault of two students at different high schools in 2021. The assaults spurred a special grand jury investigation that resulted in criminal charges against the division superintendent and public information officer.

“Loudoun County citizens are in charge of this board. We are in charge of the superintendent; the superintendent runs the schools. We commissioned this study and I really, truly believe that we need this report to our superiors,” School Board member John Beatty (Catoctin) said. “The same way that we fired the superintendent for his performance, we’re due a performance review by the people, and I believe that the report will rebuild the trust needed to continue to throughout the rest of this term and also to help my colleagues to be re-elected or move on to other positions.”

“Really, the only way forward is

through, and if we keep trying to delay, the wounds caused by the assaults in our schools will continue to fester,” he said.

School Board member Tiffany Polifko (Broad Run), who drafted the motion to release the report asking for the vote, agreed.

“We have a duty to serve our constituents with integrity and the only way to see that through is to unapologetically and courageously embrace sharing the truth and to release the report, with any necessary redaction to protect minor confidentially,” she said.

Polifko said given the choice between advocating for children and families and protecting the school system, she will always choose children and families.

“It may be uncomfortable, and it may lead to unfavorable consequences, but in the end, the truth will always produce what is good, and when we confront things with truth and courage, then what happens as a result will be good,” she said.

Denise Corbo (At-Large) said it was incumbent upon her and the entire board to take the recommendations made in the special grand jury report on the scandal

into consideration. Those recommendations included greater transparency and that “the School Board should limit the degree to which legitimate matters and information of public concern are shielded from the public under the cloak of attorney-client privilege.”

Corbo said she understood when the firm of Blankingship and Keith was hired to conduct the investigation in March 2021 that the report would be made public.

Those comments got applause from the audience.

Erika Ogedegbe (Leesburg) reversed her position, saying although as a candidate she supported releasing the report, she would now vote against doing so. There were audible gasps form the crowd when she announced she no longer supported making the information public.

“Ultimately to be fully transparent the entire report would need to be released. It was clear to me after having read the report in detail that the report was not meant to be shared,” she said.

She said to be compliant with the federal law a significant portion of the report

Purcellville Town Manager Mekarski Resigns

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpamapaloni@loudounnow.com

The Purcellville Town Council on Tuesday voted to terminate the employment of Town Manager David Mekarski after a closed session meeting.

The termination came four days after the council voted to accept his letter of resignation following another closed session meeting on Friday.

Tuesday’s motion to terminate read by Vice Mayor Christopher Bertaut stated, “Since the Town Council vote last Friday to accept the town manager’s resignation, it has come to our attention that the parties did not have a mutual understanding of the terms. Therefore, further action is required. Since the Town Council does not wish to accept the terms that were attached to the town manager’s proffered resignation, the Town Council would like to terminate the town manager’s employment contract in accordance with its terms.”

The terms of Mekarski’s contract as stated in the motion include a 60-day written notice, which began immediately and will continue until April 15, with Mekarski remaining on administrative leave

during that period, a lump sum severance payment of six months of current annual base salary plus 157 hours of accumulated annual leave, and employee-only health insurance coverage through Oct. 31.

The terms cited in the original motion to accept Mekarski’s resignation only

included four months of severance pay.

Mekarski has worked for the town for almost five years. He declined to comment.

Loudoun Now has requested a copy of Mekarski’s resignation letter and employment contract from the town.

This is the second resignation from senior town staff since the November elections, with town Zoning Administrator and Planning Director Don Dooley resigning in January.

Also during its Friday meeting, the council voted to bring back John Anzivino to serve as interim town manager. The municipal management consultant brings long experience to the role, and has held the Purcellville position before.

He served as town manager of Warrenton for more than 12 years, and county administrator for four years in Caroline County and six years in Amelia County. He authored chapters in the Virginia Municipal League Handbook for Mayors and Council Members and the Virginia Association of Counties Handbook for County Supervisors and is a past president of the Virginia Association

MEKARSKI RESIGNS

continues on page 39

would need to be redacted, which she said would leave more questions about what was left out. She said the facts of the case are largely in line with what was published in the grand jury report.

“I think its important to consider how much we can rely on a report that was produced under the oversite of a superintendent we’ve terminated,” School Board member Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian) said.

Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) said waiving attorney-client privilege is fraught with pitfalls. He said transparency is important but so are the rights of students and staff members to receive legal counsel without it being heard by others.

Serotkin, Ogedegbe, Reaser, Harris Mahedavi (Ahsburn), Jeff Morse (Dulles) and Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) voted against the release.

Many in the crowd were upset and shouted at the board, calling them “criminals” and calling on the board to resign.

Scott Smith, the father of one of the victims, shouted, “what are you covering

ASSAULT REPORT

continues on page 39

Council Reverses Course, Will Hold Special Election

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

The Purcellville Town Council on Tuesday voted to petition the Circuit Court for a special election this November to fill a seat on the council vacated by the election of Stanley J. Milan to mayor.

The motion comes after conflict between council members on whether the special election was required by law amid conflicting town charter and state code requirements.

After the seat was vacated by Milan on Jan. 1, he made a motion to appoint Ron Rise Jr. to the seat which carried 4-2 with council members Erin Rayner and Mary Jane Williams opposed. Rise had campaigned on a slate with Milan and council members Carol Luke SPECIAL ELECTION

continues on page 39

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Town Manager David Mekarski speaks to the staff during a Jan. 24 council meeting.

Loudoun

Supervisors Advance Rural Land Protection Changes

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors on Feb. 7 advanced two efforts to protect rural land from development and stop the westward creep of suburban sprawl, appointing a committee to advise on protecting the best soils for farming and raising income caps on county assistance for conservation easements.

The best soils for agriculture are also the best soils for septic systems, leading to the years-long project to revise the county’s zoning to protect farmable land. In particular, county zoning allows more homes on the same land if developers cluster those homes closely together. Intended to maintain uninterrupted green space, some supervisors have said the rule also incentivizes clustering development on the best farmland.

But others, including Supervisor Caleb E. Kershner (R-Catoctin), have argued changing that zoning could also reduce the value of the land, changing the math for people considering putting land under conservation easement, which protects

the land from development and comes with tax benefits including an income tax credit of 40% of the value of the land.

“What we really have are two big players right now: we have the developers

Assessments Show Home Value Growth Slowing from COVID-19 Highs

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Loudoun Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz’s annual update on real estate assessments showed the growth in homes values slowing from their meteoric pandemic-era rise, while land near Metrorail stops continues to outpace all other areas and data centers continue to dominate.

Despite the slowdown, Loudoun real estate values continue to grow quickly, with residential year-over-year revaluations ranging from 5.8% year for condos to 13.6% for single-family homes in the west.

Wertz reported residential values peaked around April 2022, although they remain higher than this time last year.

And although the General Assembly

PEC Counts 13 New Conservation Easements, 1,675 Acres, in County

STAFF REPORT

who want to go out and buy large parcels of land and develop them, and we have a handful of 10 or 15 folks who are buying land and placing the conservation easements,” Kershner said. “And if we are not real careful, we will make the one group go away, and then all we will have is developers seeking to buy land, and we will see western Loudoun developed.”

Supervisors appointed a four-member committee to hash it out, with two representatives from Loudoun’s farmers and two conservation easement holders. From the farming world, Loudoun Farm Bureau president and Hanging Rock Hay owner Chris Van Vlack brought along Save Rural Loudoun member John Lovegrove, and JK Moving founder Chuck Kuhn, whose family has put thousands of acres under conservation easement, brought along Tri-Tek Engineering president Kevin Murray.

“Our goal with this is to protect more prime ag soil than we’re currently

RURAL LAND

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Thirteen new conservation easements were created during 2022 protecting 1,675 acres of Loudoun from development, according to figures compiled by the Piedmont Environmental Council.

“Conserved lands provide the important public benefits of clean air and drinking water, natural flood controls and carbon reduction, wildlife habitat, scenic views that attract millions to the region, and strong agricultural, forestry and recreational economies,” Piedmont Environmental Council President Chris Miller stated. “Virginia is fortunate that so many families have the desire to preserve its invaluable open spaces and that so many conservation organizations and agencies are willing and able to shepherd them through the process of permanent land protection.”

The new easements now protect approximately 17 acres of wetlands, 754 acres of forest, 7.5 miles of streams, 747 acres along scenic rivers, and 1,161 acres of prime farmland. They also protect 246 acres in historic districts, 710 acres in the Appalachian Trail viewshed, and 299 acres along scenic byways.

introduced some uncertainty to county revenues when it stepped in to regulate how data centers are assessed, the state appears to have actually increased those tax bills, Wertz told county supervisors at their Feb. 7 meeting.

“Although we were anticipating a decrease in the value of data centers due to legislation enacted last year that affected how fixtures within data centers are to be valued for property assessment purposes, we did not receive specific cost data that would indicate the necessity for reduction,” Wertz said. “To the contrary, the assessed values for data centers went up significantly.”

The assessed value of data center real estate in Loudoun grew 56.3% to $18.4 billion. However, he said, there are further changes to that legislation under consideration in Richmond now.

His office’s report showed the biggest

slow-down in growth was for singlefamily homes with central water and sewer service—in other words, in the county’s east. In 2022, those homes appreciated in value by 16.1%. In 2023 they grew by 7.5%. And the slowest year-over-year growth was for townhouses and condos. New townhouse construction also continued to slow.

And the average assessment for single family homes this year is $863,266. For townhouses, it’s $567,421.

In all, residential real estate makes up 64.8% of the total value of real estate in Loudoun. Data centers alone make up 12.9% of the real estate value in Loudoun, more than the rest of the commercial sector combined.

Wertz’s report also shows commercial property values in the Metrorail service district have taken off since 2021, more than doubling over the past two years to a total value of $13.5 billion.

ASSESSMENTS

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The new easements last year brought the total land under conservation easement in Loudoun to 67,866 acres. That includes only voluntary easements; together with development easements, created as part of a developer’s zoning application, the county government counts more than 75,000 acres under conservation easement.

Across the PEC’s nine-county region, there were 50 new conservation easements created last year totaling 6,651 acres, bringing the region total to 439,782 acres, or just over 687 square miles. Landowners partnered with a range of land trusts and conservation organizations to create the easements, including three new easements with the PEC itself.

One of those, the PEC noted, was the 381-acre Belmont Hill Farm in neighboring Fauquier County, a working cattle farm owned by owners Hans and Anne Wachtmeister. From there, one can see miles to the west and south to spot Warrenton, Airlie, the Warrenton Training Center, the Clifton Institute and Wildcat Mountain.

EASEMENTS

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Cows stand in a pasture adjacent to a residential development in February 2020.

Striking Transit Workers Push Supervisors to Intervene

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Striking Loudoun Transit workers rallied outside the County Government Center on Tuesday evening to push supervisors—particularly those who took campaign donations from unions in their last election campaigns—to back them in their battle with contractor Keolis.

“Throughout this entire pandemic, we took them where they needed to go. You had a doctor needed to get to the hospital, we made sure he got there. You had a nurse who needed to go home, we made sure they got there. If you needed medicine, who took you there? That’s right, we did,” Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 President Raymond Jackson said. “Transit workers across this country stood up, and now how do they repay us? In the middle of a pandemic, they cut our health insurance, and cut our wages, and we’re demanding better. We’re demanding that these politicians stand up and do what they said were going to do. They took our

Rural land

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protecting, which really is zero if you look into our ordinance, and do that without killing conservation easements, because there are people who are buying large chunks of land in western Loudoun county and putting them into conservation easement, and we don’t want that to stop,” Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) said.

Loudoun’s continued rapid development has meant farmland is disappearing quickly. The most recent 2017 Census of Agriculture found that Loudoun had lost 10% of its farmland over the previous five years, compared to 6% statewide and 1.6% nationwide in that time.

Buffington said he hoped to have that zoning ordinance work done before the end of the current Board’s term. Currently, the county is targeting a public hearing in May. Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) sought unsuccessfully to put an April 1 time limit on the committee’s work.

“We’ve seen, in our advisory bodies, a lot of mission creep. A lot of staff time gets sucked up in these types of bodies,” she said.

No other supervisors supported that idea.

“I imagine they’re going to finish their work pretty swiftly because it behooves

money when they was running them campaigns, and now we’re going to hold you to it.”

Demonstrators outside the Board of Supervisors’ finance committee meeting pressured the county to fine the contractor for not delivering transit services. Bus routes have been reduced or stopped as members of ATU Local 689 have now been on strike for more than a month in their dispute with Keolis North America, the winner in 2021 of a five-year, $101-million contract to run Loudoun Transit buses.

The transit contract combines two previously separate contracts for local and commuter routes, of which only the commuter bus drivers were previously unionized. After the combining the contracts, the employees both bus systems voted overwhelmingly to be represented by the union.

At the heart of the dispute is the contractor’s decision to cut back employee benefits and to pay local bus drivers much less than commuter bus drivers, continuing a disparity that existed in the previous

everyone for them to finish their work very swiftly,” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said. “But I’m also not going to tell four people who are volunteering to do this work that if they don’t get it done by this date, we’re going to disband them after all the work we’ve done already.”

“This is so important to the west, this process and what we’re trying to do here. … The individuals involved in this are highly motivated to try to get this right, but I don’t want to put them in a box,” Kershner said.

Supervisors voted 7-0-1-1 to appoint the committee, Briskman abstaining and Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) absent.

And with conservation easements still mostly placed by wealthy people like Kuhn, in part due to the land surveying and legal costs involved, supervisors also voted to raise the income limit to get county assistance covering those costs.

The county maintains at $150,000 Conservation Easement Assistance Program fund to help cover those costs, and will cover up to 50% of costs, capped at $25,000 per landowner. Households with incomes above $155,938 were not eligible, and the program, which has been tweaked several times, has never been fully utilized—in January, the board needed only $38,079 to replenish the fund from the previous year.

Tuesday, supervisors in another split vote raised the income cap to $500,000.

contracts. The union went on strike Jan. 11. Since that time, bus service has been reduced, with commuter buses, in particular, stopped.

The county’s agreement with Keolis specifies fines for service shortages, ranging from $50 per occurrence for leaving a stop more than five minutes behind schedule, to $500 for not making a scheduled trip, to $1,000 for failure to report an accident or maintain a wheelchair lift. Even before the strike began, bus service had not been up to the county’s original plans, with the roll-out of new Metro connection routes delayed by a staffing shortage.

In a press release before the demonstration the ATU pointed to a “rising tide of unrest” among Keolis employees, with members of Teamsters Local 639 at Keolis in Prince William County. The demonstrators in front of the county building included support from a wide range of other unions in the county and region, along with one elected official.

“The politicians have a lot to do with this problem,” Leesburg Town Council

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said that was too high.

“If you’re making three four, five hundred thousand dollars, do you really need the county’s money in order to do this? And if you have that kind of income, are you really telling me that’s why you’re not doing it?” he said. “…I have trouble saying to the rest of the taxpayers that somebody up in that income bracket needs county assistance in order to be able to do this.”

Buffington and Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) said they would support removing the income cap entirely. And Randall called the expense a “pay me now or pay me later” moment, pointing

Easements

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“With its high visibility across this part of the county, 230 acres of forest, and 115 acres of pasture, Belmont Hill Farm has long been a conservation priority for PEC. And within a one-mile radius, the farm is surrounded by roughly another 745 acres of protected land, so its protection enhances the conservation impacts of them all,” PEC Rappahannock-Rapidan Conservation Initiative Coordinator Maggi Blomstrom stated.

Albemarle County, on the other end of the PEC’s territory, leads the region with 111,305 acres in easement including 1,715 acres put into easement last year.

member and state Senate candidate Zach Cummings said. “It’s the folks who will say whatever they can to get elected to get your support, and then when they’re sitting it office, they can’t find the way to help fix the problem.”

“I remember specifically, I left out of my house in Prince George’s County to drive all the way down here to Leesburg to knock on doors for Phyllis Randall when the election was going on, and so now I’m kind of taking it personal that we’ve been on strike this long and the board refuses to do anything about it,” striker Niya Banks said.

“You ain’t getting a dime from us come November,” ATU Local 689 President Raymond Jackson said. “You better win it on your own, because like we stood out in the cold, we’re going leave you in the cold come November. When you’re looking for them checks, if you’re looking for them checks don’t look here. 689 will save some money.”

See bus route updates at loudoun.gov/buschanges. n

out if land that doesn’t go under conservation easement can be developed—which comes with its own costs.

“The reason we’re sitting here right now with discussion about Rt. 15 is not because the county has approved any new homes on Rt. 15—the county has not. In fact, not even one. We’re having this discussion because of all the … by-right development. And so it’s not as if not doing anything at all doesn’t cost us money. It costs us big money in infrastructure.”

Supervisors are considering more than $450 million in projects to improve traffic cand safety conditions on Rt. 15, according to preliminary cost estimates. n

“The challenge is to ensure that the abundant public benefit of the Piedmont’s exceptional resources are available for future generations,” PEC Director of Conservation Mike Kane stated. “As such, PEC has a goal of working with landowners and other conservation organizations to protect one million acres, representing about half of the land in our nine-county service area. We believe this goal is achievable. The tremendous interest landowners have expressed in voluntary land conservation over the past generation combined with the continuing commitment on the part of both PEC and our preservation allies to sustain conservation partnerships with landowners make this possible.” n

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Protestors opposed to Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj edge their way into the crowd of supporters backing her press conference announcing her campaign for reelection Monday, Feb. 13.

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj formally launched her reelection campaign Monday afternoon against a backdrop of both supporters and protesters.

don’t like change,” Biberaj said. “We have national operatives and Fox News [who] have attempted to make Loudoun County into a political football and try to pit us against one another. And it is clear that the governor and the attorney general want to tell Loudoun what to do. They did not win here, and they will not dictate to us.”

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“I ran on the values of justice, equality, transparency, and integrity to build a justice system that is fairer and more responsive to the needs of our community,” Biberaj said. “I ran to deliver the change that Loudoun County residents sought: a Loudoun County that is safer, smarter, and fairer on crime. We have delivered real change.”

Biberaj said her term has made the county safer than before, pointing to falling violent crime rates reported by the Sheriff ’s Office since 2019. And she said her office’s policies geared toward keeping fewer people in jail pre-trial has saved the county tens of thousands of dollars a day.

She pointed out her election marked many firsts—such as being the first woman elected to Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney, and one of the first Muslim elected officials in Virginia. And she said she has focused her office’s resources on prosecuting violent crime and protecting victims.

She said she is “battle-tested and Loudoun strong.”

“I promised to bring change and I am delivering change, but we know that there are members of the old guard who

She debuted her campaign with support from former Virginia Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, who served under Gov. Ralph Northam and was in attendance, and endorsements from Loudoun NAACP President Michelle Thomas, Arlington U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-8) and a number of current and former General Assembly members.

And in addition to the small crowd of people holding campaign signs supporting Biberaj was another small crowd holding signs that read “Boot Buta,” chanting and heckling during the announcement.

Although Biberaj’s campaign launch came with endorsements from Loudoun state lawmakers including Sens. John J. Bell (D-13), Jennifer B. Boysko (D-33) and Barbara A. Favola (D-31) and Del. David Reid (D-32), county-level elected Democrats so far have not supported Biberaj’s reelection. Two local elected representatives, Loudoun Supervisors Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) and Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg), are backing the primary challenge by attorney Elizabeth

Biberaj Launches Reelection Campaign Amid Protest

BIBERAJ CAMPAIGN continues on page 7

Politics

Biberaj campaign

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Lancaster.

Biberaj defended questions about high turnover and vacant positions in her office.

“Turnover is amazing. You know why? Because it’s a new administration. It’s exciting. Nobody hired me to do the same old job,” she said. “I didn’t take a job to do the same old job. I took the job to make transformative change, and to make transformative change, you have to change the culture. [To] change the culture, you have to change the people.”

Biberaj’s campaign announcement came on the heels of news that she filed Freedom of Information Act requests for documents and communications about herself and her office from county government officials, also particularly seeking communications with political opponents, former prosecutors and reporters. In particular, she sought communications from Lancaster; former Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Sean Morgan, who is campaigning in support of Lancaster; and two former prosecutors under the previous commonwealth’s attorney, Jason Faw and Alex Rueda. She also sought communications with WJLA ABC7 reporter Nick Minock, FOX 5 DC reporter Lindsay Watts, Loudoun Times-Mirror reporter Evan Goodenow, and Loudoun Now Deputy Editor Renss Greene.

In an interview after the announcement, Biberaj said that request was not aimed at possible retaliation but getting full information from members of the Board of Supervisors, who she said have sought to undermine her with selective releases of information. In particular, she said she sought information about a survey of turnover and working conditions in her office.

“When we’re asking for those conversations, it really is trying to figure out, what is the information that is not being shared by these county officials that the community should know about? Why, for three years, has it been a point for them to undermine the great work we’ve done in this office? Safety is up and crime is down. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for in the prosecutor’s office,” she said. n

Loudoun Now Deputy Editor Renss Greene, who is named in this article, is the author of this article. An interview with Biberaj about her FOIA requests was conducted in concert with Editor-in-Chief Norman K. Styer.

Assessments

continued from page 4

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) also asked about making sure parcels are accurately valued and the owners know how to dispute those assessments, after parcels in the historically Black western Loudoun community of Howardsville were found to be greatly over-valued in county assessments, driving those tax bills up.

“There are some people In Loudoun

County who don’t have computers, who can’t get ahold of you, who can’t reach you, who may not even have the wherewithal to know if their assessment is correct or not. And by the time they figure out it’s not correct, we may not even be able to help them get the money that they paid, that’s owed to them, back,” Randall said to Wertz.

Wertz said his office has started hosting “real estate assessment road shows” to let people know how assessments work.

Real estate assessments are online at loudoun.gov/parceldatabase. Proper-

ty owners who believe their assessments are incorrect may file an Application for Review with the Commissioner online at loudoun.gov/reaa by March 10. Thereafter, appeals may be made to the Board of Equalization until June 1.

Real estate tax bills are calculated based on the assessed value and the local tax rate, which the Board of Supervisors will set during its annual budget deliberations in March with a final vote expected in early April. n

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Leesburg Dentler Proposes $873K Bump to Police Pay in FY24 Budget

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler is recommending the Town Council maintain the current real estate tax rate as part of his proposed fiscal year 2024 budget that includes $1 million in new spending for the Police Department and prepares to open a new 141-acre park after 20 years of planning.

The budget was presented Monday night by Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel as Dentler was out on a family matter, kicking off a six-week review period.

The spending plan totals $157.5 million, a 2.8% increase over the current fiscal year 2023. The General Fund is proposed at $77.9 million, up $5.2 million or 7.1%. The Utility Fund is relatively flat at $29.5 million, compared to $27.7 million in the current budget. Spending on capital improvement projects is slated to decline slightly from $52.9 million this year to $48.1 million next year.

Holding the real estate tax rate at the 17.4 cents per $100 of value will be a tax bill increase for most residents. On average, property values increased by 8.9%. For the average single family detached home, now valued at $728,347, the proposed budget would result in a $80 increase. On average, townhouse owners

Park by next summer.

would pay $58 more and condo owners $29, according to the town’s calculations.

To hold tax bills level, on average, the council would have to adopt a 16.53-cent rate.

To reduce the tax rate by 1 cent, the council will have to reduce the budget by $1.1 million. Markel said it was the first time in the town’s history that a penny on the tax rate has equated to more than $1

million, reflecting the town’s growing real estate tax base.

Markel noted the town’s other local revenue sources also remain strong. Consumer tax revenues—including the meals tax, the sales tax and business licensing taxes—are projected to make up 37% of the General Fund Revenue, while real estate taxes comprise 25% of the revenue stream.

The primary General Fund initiatives focus on the Police Department. The proposed budget includes compensation increases to boost staff recruitment and retention. Dentler is proposing a 5% salary increase for all officers and dispatchers, with another 5% for those with two or more years of experience with the department. The budget also proposes increasing the starting salary for officers from $62,000 per year to $65,000. The compensation package would be a $873,000 increase over fiscal year 2023.

For the rest of the town staff, Dentler is proposing 4% average staff raises along with a 3% cost of living adjustment, at a cost of $1.8 million.

Also in the Police Department, the proposed budget includes a new IT systems administrator to support the 911

BUDGET continues on page 9

Town Council Eyes Lower Downtown Speed Limits

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Following complaints by residents along Memorial Drive and months of work by the town’s Residential Traffic Commission, the Town Council is poised to reduce speed limits in the downtown business district to 20 miles per hour.

The council was briefed Monday night by the town’s new transportation engineer, Niraja R. Chandrapu, on the results of a speed study that examined compliance with the existing 25 mph

limits on Market, Loudoun and King streets.

The study resulted in a recommendation to post 20 mph signs on streets in the downtown core, but to leave the 25 mph limit in place on the blocks leading into that area.

That means several segments where the study showed drivers most often disregard speed limits would continue to have 25 mph limits, including the western sections of Market and Loudoun Streets between Dry Mill Road and Morven Park Road, and King Steet between Union Street and North Street.

While council members were supportive of lowering the speed limit, some questioned the effectiveness of not applying the lower speed limit to more areas, especially those that show a high number of speeders.

An area of particular concern raised by Mayor Kelly Burk was the western block of West Market Street that registered the highest driver speeds during the study as well as high levels pedestrian traffic.

Chandrapu and Renée M. LaFollette, director of Public Works and Capital Projects, said those speeding concerns should be better addressed through

traffic calming measures, such as new pavement markings to narrow the lanes, that could be examined in another study.

State law allows localities to reduce speed limits to as low as 15 mph in designated residential or business districts as long as the changes are supported by an engineering and traffic study and speed limit signs are lawfully placed. Town Attorney Chris Spera said the changes may be enacted by a council vote, with no public hearing required.

The issue is expected to be brought back to the next council meeting for action. n

After two decades of planning, Town of Leesburg is posed to start building the infrastructure and amenities to open Veteran’s

Budget

continued from page 8

call center and other agency applications at a cost of $129,500.

The investment comes after the department was hit with departures and retirements of officers during the pandemic—some spurred by the Town Council’s vaccine mandate for the government’s staff members—and amid a search for a new police chief after Gregory Brown left to lead the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy.

Another proposed new hire is a safety and risk management position that initially would focus on the town’s water and wastewater treatment plants and then transition to town-wide risk management, at a cost of $129,500.

The second biggest budget initiative, behind the Police Department investments, is to open Veterans Park at Balls Bluff. The town acquired the 141-acre property adjacent to NOVA Park’s Balls Bluff Regional Park in 2001 and completed a master plan for its use in 2012. The

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.”

This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

park is slated to open by next spring or summer. The proposed budget includes $349,600 for maintenance trucks, picnic tables, a boat launch, and other amenities, mowers, landscaping, and staffing.

On the utility front, the budget calls for a 4.5% increase in water and sewer rates, implementing the final increment of annual increases recommended in a previously adopted five-year rate plan.

The proposed six-year Capital Improvements Program includes 82 projects with a total cost of $415.5 million.

During fiscal year 2024, $50 million is planned to advance 46 construction projects.

Among the projects planned during the next budget cycle are continuing the downtown streetlight replacement program at a cost of $2.3 million, moving forward with construction of the $26.4 million police station expansion, starting the $15.5 million Town Shop expansion, $125,000 to improve the storage of video collected by camera on the town’s traffic signals, and $228,000 to build pickleball

courts at the Ida Lee Park tennis complex.

The Town Council is scheduled to hold the first of three budget work sessions Feb. 27. It is expected to hold a public hearing and adopt the personal property tax rate Feb. 28. The formal budget public hearing is scheduled for March 14, with final adoption planned March 28.

The full budget and a comment platform are available online at leesburgva.gov/budget. n

fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov www. fairhousing.vipnet.org

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Education

Board Refines Selection Policies for Instructional Material

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

The School Board’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee on Thursday night heard a proposal to divide its policy governing the selection, review and challenge of instructional materials into three separate policies and create a new one centered around Family Life Education.

The policy came under scrutiny after Tiffany Polifko (Broad Run) said the policy conflicted with procedures for the parental notification of instructional materials with sexually explicit content, Policy 5055, that was created and adopted by the board Nov. 29.

That policy was created to bring the division into compliance with state-mandated guidelines. Board members asked in December, then again in January that materials selection procedures, Policy 5045, be reviewed to be consistent with the new policy.

Deputy Superintendent Ashley Ellis and Interim Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Ashley Cramp proposed the split during the Feb. 9 meeting to bring greater clarity to several topics within the policy.

“When we looked at [Policy 5045], you can see there are multiple pieces that are part of 5045 or seem to be missing from it,” Cramp said.

In the proposed split, Policy 5045 would focus on criteria and selection of supplemental instructional materials, a new Policy 5046 would focus on the selection of school classroom library materials and new Policy 5047 would focus on the review of instructional or library materials and the process to remove material from student or teacher use.

Ellis noted that 5045 only dealt with supplemental instructional materials because there is already a policy in place that deals the selection of textbooks and core instructional materials.

Cramp, who was just instated in her position in early January, said the review of the policy began in late November with meetings happening twice a week.

“When the team began the work, the conversations were around splitting it into three policies so we can clearly address each of the topics in and of themselves,” she said.

Ellis said when Policy 5055 was being developed administrators realized the selection needed to be revised.

Policy 5055 requires advance notification to parents when teachers plan to use

Arizona Firm Hired to Lead Superintendent Search

STAFF REPORT

GR Recruiting has been chosen by the Loudoun County School Board to lead a nationwide search for the next superintendent of the division.

The Arizona firm has conducted similar searches for other districts in Virginia as well as throughout the country.

“The firm’s strength is engagement with stakeholders and recruiting outstanding candidates that match the superintendent’s profile,” according to a press release.

The process to hire a new superintendent includes gathering feedback from staff, parents, elected officials, business and community leaders to identify leadership qualities those stakeholders feel

best serve students in the division. GR Recruiting will conduct a survey in the coming weeks for parents and guardians to share what they want to see in the future superintendent.

The initial survey will include information on leadership themes in the job listing and recruitment process, according to the release.  Updates on the search and feedback process will be posted at lcps.org/search2023.

“Hiring a new leader to execute a vision of excellence for all students is a critical responsibility of the School Board,” Chair Ian Serotkin said. “The Board understands that recruiting and retaining an experienced, long-term leader is essential to student success and we are committed to gathering input and insights from our community

throughout the process. We are confident that GR Recruiting has the experience and track record of success to help us identify the division’s next superintendent.”

The search process is expected to continue through the spring, with plans to have the new superintendent in place prior to the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

On Dec. 6, 2022, School Board voted unanimously to fire Superintendent Scott Ziegler immediately and without cause following a two-hour closed session. The firing came a day after the report by a special grand jury empaneled to look into how the administration handled two sexual assaults by the same student was unsealed.

Two days later, Daniel Smith was

instructional materials with sexually explicit content and to let parents review the materials and select an alternative option.

The policy mainly concerns instructional materials in high schools and a few materials used in middle schools, according to Chief of Staff Neil Slevin.

The division’s practice prior to the creation of the policy allowed parents to ask for alternative materials if they weren’t comfortable with the instructional material.

“A couple of things struck us right away, and that was the clarification of library materials and when they are and are not considered instructional materials,” Ellis said.

She said discussions with the staff, as well as discussions in recent School Board meetings, made them realize they needed clear definitions of words like “culturally responsive” and “diverse” and to tighten up the language within the policy.

“In the process we realized there is a lot of content in 5045, and it’s super confusing if you sit down to read it start to finish. We anticipate this being much more clear,” Ellis said.

Cramp said as the staff was working to split the policy, they discovered a need to address Family Life Education and

SELECTION POLICIES continues on page 13

appointed acting superintendent to serve until a permanent superintendent is hired.

During the past two superintendent searches, the division hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates of Schaumburg, IL. That firm led recruitment effort following the retirement of longtime superintendent Edgar Hatrick in 2014 that resulting in the hiring of Eric Williams. The firm was contracted in 2021 to find Williams’ replacement after he left to take a job in Texas. That process resulted in the promotion of Ziegler, the division’s assistant superintendent for Human Resources and Talent Development, to the top post.

Loudoun County Public Schools is Virginia’s third-largest school division serving more than 82,000 students across almost a hundred schools. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Curriculum and Instruction Committee members Erika Ogedegbe (Leesburg), Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) and Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian) vote during a Feb. 9 meeting.

NOVA Students Get Path to IT, Data Center Careers

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Students at Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun Campus got a look at internships and careers in IT and data centers as AFCOM Potomac kicked off its 2023 internship program Feb. 13.

AFCOM is a professional association for career advancement of IT and data center professionals, according to a press release. The internship program is centered around building the data center industry by offering scholarships to students at NOVA as well as offering summer internships that lead to jobs.

First Vice President of CBRE and AFCOM Potomac board member Stuart Dyer presented the CBRE Data Center Market Intelligence Report and gave the gathering of students and professionals a look at how the market is going to grow over the next 10 years and the critical need for the data center workforce to grow with it.

CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, according to a release. Dyer said AFCOM is building a bridge between academia and the data center industry by offering scholarships and internships.

Students take the data center operations class at NOVA at no cost with the scholarship, according to Dyer. Then through sponsorship dollars the students are given a paid 11-week summer internship with the goal of having those students hired in the data center industry by the end of it.

“The biggest challenge in the data center community has been workforce development. Finding enough people that have the skills and are prepared to walk in and add value in the data center arena,” Dyer said.

Dyer said they plan to fund at least 15 interns this summer through the Wendy Darling Scholarship, named after Dyer’s mother.

“She always had a real focus on my education and continued development so I’m proud to be able to give back in her name and make a positive impact on these students,” Dyer said.

The scholarship was created two and a half years ago and offered $2,500. Now, according to Dyer, it now has $20,000 to go toward scholarships for students in data center operations classes at NOVA. Dyer said the goal is to continue to grow that amount and said every dollar donated

Foxcroft to Host STEM Challenge for Girls

STAFF REPORT

Foxcroft School will host 30 teams of girls Feb. 25 for the “Be Green” STEM Challenge.

The competition will bring middle and high school girls from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC to Middleburg to participate in challenges like keeping global temperature increases to a minimum, using science, technology, engineering and math to explore the effects of global climate change and methods to combat it.

goes to helping fund the students either to pay for their data center operations class at NOVA or to pay them as interns.

“Last year I’m proud to say we had 11 interns and out of the 11, eight of them got hired,” he said.

Dyer said last year was the first year AFCOM Potomac had established a working relationship with NOVA and said they are trying to provide a pipeline to the industry through scholarships and internships.

He said NOVA has recognized workforce development is a key issue to building the future of the data center industry.

“Teaching data center operations as part of a college curriculum is something very few people are doing, so we are on the cutting edge of this,” he said. “Northern Virginia is the biggest data center market on the planet by far…we are in the right place to do this. So, it’s how do we teach them the skills and the curriculum to go get an internship then enter the job force.”

AFCOM board member Paperfish Creative owner Jen Andos said they decided to hold the kick-off event at NOVA because of the school’s data center operations program.

“Students get certified as a data center operator and when they are done, they can get a job at a data center. Pretty much every kid that comes out of here comes out with a job,” she said.

She said they also wanted to let other students know what types of jobs are available for them in Data Center Alley.

“The DCO [data center operator] kids are perfect but also kids in all types of fields of study here at NOVA can work there. We need electricians, plumbers, cyber security, construction, physical security. There are a million options. We want to bring awareness to the jobs that are available here in Loudoun County,” she said.

Carrie Goetz, author of the book Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers, told attendees she has worked in the data industry for 40 years and wrote the book to be a quick weekend read that provides students with the tools and information they need to get a job in a data center.

“It’s really hard to get people into the industry if they don’t know what it is, and there are a million onramps into the industry,” Goetz said. “I think that if we take out some of the intimidation and help people understand just the basics of what the industry is, you don’t have to know all the ins and outs, but just enough to get the depth and breadth.”

She said there are more jobs involved in the data center than just coding and said skilled trades are needed in building the massive centers as well as people involved with selecting sites, understanding the storage facilities and more.

“Once you understand how it all fits together than it demystifies the whole thing a bit,” she said.

For more information visit afcom.com/potomac. n

The girls will work in teams of four and rotate through challenges in several fields of science including biology, chemistry and physics. Winners will be announced for each challenge as well as an overall winning team for each division.

One of the challenges is being hosted by event sponsor Stryker Corporation, a medical technology company in Leesburg.

Students can also answer trivia questions about climate change mitigation to earn raffle tickets and compete for prizes ranging from gift cards to tech devices.

The high school competition will take place at Foxcroft’s Athletic/Student Center. Visiting teams include Bullis School from Potomac, MD, Wakefield School from The Plains and a homeschool group.

A panel presentation featuring female engineers from Stryker will be held after the competition to allow students the chance to ask questions.

The middle school competition will take place in the afternoon with teams from Blue Ridge Middle School from Purcellville, Edlin School from Reston, Hardy Middle School from Washington, DC, and Norwood School from Bethesda among others.

Middle school parents and visitors are invited to two informal roundtable sessions while their students compete. The first will explore ways of supporting girls in STEM featuring Foxcroft Head of School Cathy McGehee; the second will be a panel of female Stryker engineers. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Author of the Amazon best-selling book Jumpstart Your Career in Data Centers Carrie Goetz talks about different jobs in data centers on Feb. 13.

Selection policies

continued from page 10

decided to create a policy that outlines how the course is taught in the division.

Ellis said there has never been a policy created for Family Life Education within the division, but that they had followed the Virginia Department of Education guidelines “lockstep.”

Ellis and Cramp said draft policies weren’t available for the committee to look at yet because they were still being worked on but asked members what they would like to see.

Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian) suggested the staff look at other divisions’ Family Life and Education polices for ideas.

Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) suggested the staff look at the current textbook policy to make sure it has the same level of clarity as the new policies.

All four policies will be presented to the Curriculum and Instruction Committee on March 6. A review and feedback process will follow with an information item going before the board in May or June, according to Ellis. n

SCHOOL Notebook

Loudoun Student Performs at Carnegie Hall

Ethan Chisholm, a sophomore at St. Paul VI Catholic High School, performed Feb. 4 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Chisholm was selected to perform with the Honors Symphony Orchestra by the High School Performance Series, a program that assembles young musicians to perform under master conductors at world renowned concert halls. The orchestra was conducted by Charles Peltz.

Chisholm has been playing the violin for seven years and the piano for 10, and is a member of the Paul VI Honors String Ensemble and a junior organist at St. Veronica Catholic Church.

“I was thrilled to play beautiful music with high school students from across the United States and the world who are passionate about music. It was an amazing

WORKFORCE HOUSING IS ABOUT LOUDOUN’S FUTURE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY

$205,000 is the income needed to afford the median home price of $641,000 in Loudoun.

Housing affordability is typically thought of as a low-income household concern, but that’s no longer true.

Workforce Housing is not an issue about charity, It’s about the future economic prosperity of Loudoun.

Let’s shape Loudoun’s future.

WON’T YOU JOIN US? workforcehousingnow.org

experience,” Chisholm said.

Musical pieces included Symphony No. 5 Finale by Dmitri Shostakovich, the overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein, and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach, arranged by Arthur Luck.

Chisholm was accepted to the Honors Performance Series for the Royal Festival Hall, London, England in 2020, and the Wiener Musikverein, Vienna, Austria in 2022.

St. Paul VI Catholic High School is a Catholic preparatory school for boys and girls in Chantilly. For more information visit paulvi.net.

Lovettsville Elementary to Name Field After Coach

The School Board on Tuesday reviewed a request to name the Lovettsville Elementary baseball fields “Coach Larry Wenner Sr. Memorial Field.”

Wenner, a Lovettsville resident who recently died, coached for the town’s little league teams for over 30 years and was passionate about the game. His children and grandchildren attended the school.

Principal Linda Textoris submitted the name change request with support from School Board member Denise Corbo

(At-Large) and nearly 670 signatures from community members. A background check required by the division’s naming policy, resulted no negative findings.

The School Board invited the Wenner family to its Feb. 28 meeting, when the approval vote is expected. The name change would be for 10 years.

Loudoun Youth Leadership Program Accepting Applications

Applications are being accepted for Loudoun Youth, Inc.’s 2021 Loudoun Youth Leadership Program. It’s a weeklong program designed to introduce youth to leadership concepts and to provide exposure and interaction with local business, government, and community leaders.

The program is open to all rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, public or private, who live in Loudoun County. Participates can choose one of two sessions on either July 10 - 14, or July 31 - August 4, 2023.

Applications will be accepted until March 10 and can be found at loudounyouth.org. Tuition is $495/student.  Financial aid is available. n

Housing Now

Workforce

is an initiative of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties.

Chisholm

Public Safety SAFETY briefs

Former Teacher Wins $5M Civil Suit Against Loudoun Detective

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

After a weeklong civil trial, a Loudoun jury took just over two hours Friday afternoon to hand down a $5 million judgment against a Loudoun County deputy who charged a public school teacher with taking indecent liberties with a student.

The case against Kimberly L. Winters was dropped by county prosecutors for lack of evidence to support the charge.

The allegations against her were made in October 2018 about conduct alleged to have occurred the previous year with a student at Park View High School. The charge was dropped in early 2019.

Winters’ Loudoun County Public Schools contract was not renewed at the end of the school year. She has been unable to get a new teaching job, or any employment matching her previous $75,000 salary in part because of the lingering impact of her highly publicized arrest, according to testimony at the trial.

The civil suit was filed against the arresting officer, Det. Peter Roque.

Over the course of a five-day trial, Winters’ attorney Thomas Plofchan argued that Roque failed to adequately investigate the allegations made by the student and his mother before filing the charge. Specifically, they claimed to have phone records and texts that would provide proof of an improper relationship starting when the student was 17 years old. However, that evidence did not exist, and the mother later admitted to “bluffing” about having it.

That claim about having evidence documenting the relationship formed the basis of Roque’s arrest warrant presented to a magistrate, although the detective had not seen it.

Plofchan said Roque failed to conduct a thorough investigation before bringing the charge, including that he did not subpoena phone records of any of the parties involved, did not interview Winters’ neighbors, family members or coworkers, and did not conduct searches of Winters’

home or classroom, among other possible investigative actions.

To win a civil judgment for malicious prosecution, the six-member jury had to find that Roque lacked probable cause to file the criminal charge, and that he acted with malice—defined in the case as acting in bad faith or with disregard for others.

Plofchan termed Roque’s actions as “malice by indifference” by failing to assemble evidence before seeking an arrest warrant.

“He acted recklessly in this case. He knows it and you know it,” Plofchan told the jury during his closing argument. “He did it and she’s the one who paid the price.”

Roque’s attorney Alexander Francuzenko urged the jury not to “Monday morning quarterback” the detective’s actions. “This case is not about whether you believe Det. Roque could have done a better job,” he said.

CIVIL SUIT continues on page 15

Sterling Man Dies from Injuries in Battery Fire

STAFF REPORT

The resident who was rescued from his burning Sugarland Run home on Feb. 6 died from his injuries.

According to Loudoun County Fire-Rescue, Jason Urchasko, 47, died Feb. 8 at Inova Lansdowne Hospital where he had been undergoing treatment since firefighters found him unconscious in his Thrush Road home.

The agency stated Urchasko’s family was working to donate his organs to help other families in need.

According to Loudoun Fire-Rescue, emergency crews from stations in Cascades, Kincora, Sterling Park and Fairfax County responded to the Thrush Road home after a fire was reported just before 4 a.m. Feb. 6.  Upon their arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke and fire at the rear of the home.

While the engine crews worked to extinguish the fire, rescue squad personnel forced entry into the home to search for

occupants. They found Urchasko unconscious. Paramedics initiated advanced life support treatment and transported him to Inova Lansdowne Hospital. Loudoun County Animal Services responded to as-

sist with two dogs and one cat that did not survive.

FATAL FIRE continues on page 15

Schools Plan Meetings on Fentanyl Dangers

Loudoun County Public Schools has announced a series of public information sessions to warn parents and students of the dangers of using opioids like fentanyl.

Fentanyl is now the primary cause of overdose deaths in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The sessions come after recent news of drug overdoses in nearby school divisions. They will feature school division staff members and substance use or mental health specialists from within the community as well as law enforcement representatives. There will also be information on how to recognize and opioid overdose, how to treat it and treatment programs.

Information session will be held at Loudoun County High School on Feb. 21, Independence High School, on Feb. 28, Woodgrove High School on March 7 and Broad Run High school on March 23. All will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Park View High School was the first school to hold an information session on Feb 11.

Sterling Woman Charged in 2 Robberies

The Sheriff ’s Office has arrested a Sterling woman in connection with armed robberies of two Enterprise Street businesses in November.

According to the report, Briar K. Ford, 34, is the suspect in the Nov. 27, 2022, robbery at the Family Dollar, and the Nov. 28, 2022, robbery at the Little Caesars.

Ford was charged with one count of robbery, one count of attempted robbery, and two counts of firearm use in the commission of a felony. Ford was held without bond at the Adult Detention Center.

A preliminary hearing in Loudoun County District Court is scheduled March 16.

SAFETY BRIEFS continues on page 15

Loudoun Fire-Rescue Firefighters responde to a Feb. 6 house fire in Sugarland Run.

Civil suit

continued from page 14

He said Roque’s “whole life has been about public service,” but that when faced with difficult decisions “sometimes you get them wrong. Is that malice?”

The jury found it was.

It awarded $4.65 million in compensatory damages for economic losses suffered by Winters. The jury also awarded $350,000 in punitive damages against Roque, the maximum permitted in Virginia.

Fatal fire

continued from page 14

The Fire Marshal’s Office estimated the damage at $351,000.

Investigators determined the fire was caused by a malfunctioning lithium-ion battery pack on a bicycle.

The home did not have working smoke detectors.

“Two important safety messages should be taken away from this tragedy,” Fire Chief Keith Johnson stated. “Have working smoke alarms and use caution with these lithium batteries that are being used in more and more household products. I am sending our Loudoun firefighters and community outreach specialists out to the Thrush Road neighborhood Thursday afternoon to spread critical fire safety information and offer smoke alarm assessments. Please take advantage of this

SAFETY briefs

continued from page 14

2 Charged with Attempted Thefts from Utility Site

The Sheriff’s Office on Saturday arrested two men in connection with a burglary reported at an electrical storage yard on Dominion Energy property near Aldie.

At 12:38 a.m., Feb. 11, deputies were called to Auburn Farm Road for a report of two man cutting a fence at the storage yard that Dominion Energy had leased to another entity. Deputies caught two suspects along with a bag with wire cutters.

Christopher J. Macmillan, 51, and Joshua L. Settle, 38, both from Manas-

Sheriff Michael Chapman also was named as a defendant on the lawsuit as Roque’s supervisor, but he did not participate in the trial. The Sheriff’s Office has not responded to requests for comment.

“The jury’s verdict vindicates Kim Winters, a wrongfully accused teacher,” Plofchan said in a statement after the trial.” More importantly, it validates the citizens’ willingness to hold law enforcement accountable. Law enforcement yields great power. They also have great responsibility. Reckless charges can ruin reputations and destroy lives. This is a step in giving Kim Winters her life back.” n

free community service to keep you and your family safe.”

Loudoun County Fire-Rescue offers free smoke alarms that can be requested at loudoun.gov/smokealarms.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, the problem with lithium-ion batteries, which store a large amount of energy in a compact package, is that they are sometimes not used in the proper way, and some can be defective, leading to overheating, catching fire or exploding. The organization recommends following the manufacturer’s instructions, using the charging cord provided at purchase, using the batteries only on the device it was designed for, removing the battery from the charger once fully charged, and storing and charging the batteries away from anything flammable. Signs of defective batteries include an odor, change in color or shape, high heat, leaking and odd noises. n

sas, were charged with possession of burglary tools, attempted larceny, trespassing, destruction of property, and conspiracy to commit larceny. Both were transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Macmillan was held without bond. Settles was given a $7,500 secured bond.

While there is heightened concern nationwide about potential attacks on the power grid, the agency said it appeared the pair were intending to steal copper wire. Dominion Energy officials confirmed there was no breach of an adjacent power substation, according to the report.

The Virginia State Police and the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter assisted in the investigation. n

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF PROPOSED REAL PROPERTY TAX INCREASE

Pursuant to Section 58.1-3321 of the Code of Virginia, the LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 1st Floor, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 at 6:00 P.M. on March 21, 2023, in order to consider a proposed increase to real property tax levies.

The County of Loudoun proposes to increase real property tax levies as follows:

1. Assessment Increase: Total assessed value of real property, excluding additional assessments due to new construction or improvements to property, exceeds last year’s total assessed value of real property by 10.59 percent.

2. Lowered Rate Necessary to Offset Increased Assessment: The tax rate which would levy the same amount of real estate tax as last year, when multiplied by the new total assessed value of real estate with the exclusions mentioned above, would be $0.805 per $100 of assessed value. This rate will be known as the “lowered tax rate.”

3. Effective Rate Increase: The County of Loudoun proposes to adopt a tax rate not to exceed $0.89 per $100 of assessed value. The difference between the lowered tax rate and the maximum proposed rate would be $0.085 per $100, or 10.56 percent. This difference will be known as the “effective tax rate increase.”

Individual property taxes may, however, increase at a percentage greater than or less than the above percentage.

4. Proposed Total Budget Increase: Based on the maximum proposed real property tax rate and changes in other revenues, the total budget of the County of Loudoun will exceed last year’s by 12.24 percent.

Board of Supervisors public hearings are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings. Public input may be provided by electronic means at Board public hearings. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, will be accommodated without advanced sign-up during the hearing, however, members of the public are strongly encouraged to signup in advance. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on March 17, 2023, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 21, 2023. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. All speakers will be limited to two minutes and 30 seconds so that all in attendance may have the opportunity to speak. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia, 20177 or by e-mail to loudounbudget@ loudoun.gov. If submitting written comments, information or materials at the hearing, 10 copies should be provided for distribution to the Board members and for the Clerk’s records.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF: PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 2/16 & 2/23/23

BUSINESS

Signups Open for Spring Farm Tour

Loudoun County is seeking rural businesses to participate in the Loudoun Spring Farm Tour, a chance for farms and businesses to showcase their products and connect directly with the public.

The farm tour draws thousands of visitors from around the region, this year May 20- 21. There is no cost to participate, and Loudoun Economic Development will promote participating farms across its marketing channels.

To be part of the in-person tour, farms must be open and available to the public from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the event and provide an educational activity for visitors who stop by.

Farms offering in-person experiences, such as animal meet-andgreets, farm demonstrations, property tours, food, and other seasonal activities tend to do well on the tour, according to Loudoun Economic Development.

Rock Ridge Grad Helps Create Fashionable UPF 50+ Clothing for Women

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

When L.U.V. Director of Analytics Snigdha Sangisetti and Founder and CEO Erica Sullivan Feggeler started school at Virginia Tech they had something in mind for their future. Sangisetti, a 2017 graduate of Rock Ridge High School and the Academies of Science, planned to dive deeper into computer science and data analytics. Feggeler, a Charlottesville native, planned to go into fashion merchandising and design.

“I always loved clothing and seeing retail do new and innovative things,” Feggeler said.

The two met in 2018 at Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Women in Business Club and began working together in leadership positions within the club.

“I remember my first interview with Erica was in a local Blacksburg Starbucks where we met for the first time,”

Sangisetti said.

In the spring of 2019, Feggeler learned her mom had been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, causing her to dive head first into research on the skin cancer and to look for protective clothing, altering the course she was on.

Feggeler had had her own skin cancer scares at a young age.

“I found a huge gap in the market for sun protective apparel designed for women that made women feel confident and comfortable,” she said. “It was the perfect opportunity to solve a problem and fill a need.”

Low UltraViolet clothing was founded in December 2019, an online clothing store geared toward women that focuses on UPF 50+ sun protection clothing.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and things got a little crazy for the startup.

They launched their first product, a t-shirt with their logo and motto “Outshine skin cancer” in October 2020.

Erica said it was all they could do because they couldn’t get manufacturers to do more.

From there, the two worked through supply chain issues and several manufacturers, designed clothing, gathered feedback from customers and created protective athleisure and casual clothing for women.

They also worked through being told “no” a lot as manufactures told them they didn’t want to invest their time in a startup company.

“The manufacturer we are currently working with told us no at first, but they ended up working with us because we were very determined and probably a little annoying,” she said. “But we felt so passionately and strongly about these products.”

Feggeler said the entire production is

L.U.V. continues on page 17

The Loudoun Farm Tour began in 1993 as the “Loudoun Colors Tour,” intended to showcase the leaf change in Loudoun. Since then, it has evolved to focus on businesses, drawing visitors and residents from across the Washington, DC, region.

To participate in the Loudoun Spring Farm Tour, fill out an application at biz.loudoun.gov/farmtourapp. Applications are due by March 6.

WestJet Expands to Dulles with Calgary Route

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Monday that WestJet Airlines will

BUSINESS BRIEFS

continues on page 17

Contributed/L.U.V.

L.U.V. Founder and CEO Erica Feggeler helps a customer at a pop-up shop for their UPF 50+ clothing.

L.U.V.

continued from page 16

community driven and designed because they take polls with their customers and use the feedback to create and improve their clothing.

“We take feedback from everywhere, pop-up shops, in person, we’d have someone say, ‘I like what you are doing with this, do you have it in long sleeves?’ So, we’d create that.” Feggeler said.

She said they wanted to keep the colors simple and avoid the “garish” patterns that had typically been associated with sun safe clothing in the past.

“We made it our primary purpose to keep it fashionable but versatile,” she said, keeping in mind the women who would buy the clothing.

“It’s casual, you can wear it on a walk, but it’s also extremely versatile. You can layer our long sleeve or short sleeve shirts with a blazer or one of our shawls to dress it up,” Sangisetti said.

They also wanted to keep it affordable, listing items from $28 dollars for a sunsafe shirt to $98 for one of their biggest selling items, the All-Star Tennis Dress.

“I was 23 when I started looking for sun protective apparel and I couldn’t find anything affordable on the market. I couldn’t spend $150 or $200 for a dress. It was super frustrating, and I wanted to find an affordable solution,” Feggeler said.

“It’s not a luxury to protect your skin,” she added.

Another aspect they wanted for their brand was longevity. They wanted it to be worn, washed and worn again and offer just as much protection on day 10 or 30 as it had on day one.

Feggeler created the dress in 2022 when supply chain issues had settled. She said it’s a dress you can wear anywhere, from the “board room to the board walk.”

Feggeler designs the clothing, then takes her designs to Sangisetti who refines them.

“I always have these crazy ideas and the vision because of my background, then I take it to Snigdha who says things like, ‘let’s move the collar up’ or ‘let’s add pockets.’ I see the big picture and she takes it all and refines it,” Feggeler said.

“We think very differently. Erica’s background is fashion design, and I work as an engineer full time and my degree is in data analytics and computational modeling, but we come together and that is

the beauty of our background,” Sangisetti said.

Today, Feggeler’s mom is thriving and getting ready to meet her first grandchild.

Sangisetti and Feggeler want their work to be known as more than just a clothing company. They want to be a support to other skin cancer survivors as well as be an educational resource. They have partnered with the Melanoma Research Foundation, a Washington, DC-based organization working to eradicate melanoma. They host a weekly podcast and blog with resources like dermatologists, connecting with other skin cancer survivors and education.

“It sets us apart from the rest of the industry,” Sangisetti said. “It didn’t happen by chance; it was a conscious effort because we take it very seriously. The community you build around the company is what sets you apart from the others.”

The company’s next big step is to make UPF 50+ clothing for children.

L.U.V. does pop-up shops throughout the region with one planned for Ashburn sometime this summer. For details on the products and upcoming pop-up shop go to lowultraviolet.com. n

continued from page 16

begin new nonstop service between Dulles Airport and Calgary International Airport on June 2.

Flights, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, will initially operate three times a week through October—on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Calgary will become the 60th international destination from Dulles Airport and WestJet will be its 40th air carrier.

The Dulles route will be the sixth U.S. gateway for the Canadian carrier.

Calgary International Airport has a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Pre-Clearance facility, which enables arriving customers to Dulles to exit as domestic passengers, according to the announcement.

Flights can be purchased now at  westjet.com/en-us. n

Chamber Leadership Award Winners Name Grantees

STAFF REPORT

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties has made $1,000 grants to the organizations selected by the winners of the 2023 Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Awards, and one winning organization made another two $1,000 grants to two more nonprofits. Award winners pick an organization to receive the grants, which are sponsored by the Community Foundation.

$3,000 in grants will go to LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services after three winners selected that nonprofit. Inova Loudoun Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine Chairman and Medical Director Dr. Edward Puccio, Road Runner Wrecker Service, and Loudoun Education Foundation Executive Director Danielle Nadler all selected LAWS as their grant recipient.

Award winner HHMI Janelia Research Campus selected the Loudoun Free Clinic, and Janelia Community Relations

Manager Monti Mercer selected Loudoun Hunger Relief. Janelia also made its own $1,000 donation to Loudoun Cares, which Mercer chairs, and the Northern Virginia Science Center.

“Team Janelia had a hard time limiting our selection to just one Loudoun-based nonprofit. HHMI Janelia is matching our CLA grants through the Communi-

Attention: Community Service Providers

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is seeking applications to establish grant awards to agencies providing comprehensive suicide prevention and opioid addiction programs for Military Service Members, Veterans, and their families throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

To learn more about this grant program, scan the QR code below or go to bit.ly/dvssosrfa to access the Request for Application (RFA).

Don’t delay. Applications for grants are due February 28, 2023.

Questions? Contact Vivian.Doobay@dvs.virginia.gov or 804.482.8505

ty Foundation to maximize our support to include two more nonprofits,” Mercer stated. “We are honored to participate in community giving with four local nonprofits whose missions support human services and STEM development in Loudoun.”

For more information, go to communityfoundationlf.org. n

Loudoun County Magazine Plans Writer, Artist Workshop

Loudoun County Magazine will host a workshop for writers and artists age 11 to 14 at the Sterling Community Center April 3 – 7, timed to coincide with Loudoun County Public Schools’ spring break.

Attendees of the Young Writers and Artists Institute will learn from experienced writers, artists, and photographers and create an accordion book, mixed media self-portrait, “I am” poems, and metacognitive narrative work. They will also learn about Loudoun history in Sterling.

Tuition for the week is $199. To learn about tuition assistance, email Richard Cabellos at the Sterling Community Center at richard.cabellos@loudoun.gov.

With questions, email Loudoun County Magazine Program Director Jessica Monte at jessica@ loudouncountymagazine.com or call 202-415-0333. Register online at loudoun-community-press.square.site. n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now HHMI Janelia Research Campus Community Relations Manager Monti Mercer at the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Community Leadership Awards Friday, Jan. 20.

Towns AROUND towns

Purcellville Hosts Civility Training for Council and Staff

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Members of Purcellville’s Town Council and staff attended a Wednesday night training session by the Virginia Risk Sharing Association on practicing civility in local government.

The session was hosted by the town and members of other local jurisdictions were invited to attend, although Hamilton council member Heather Beardsley, was the only attendee from outside Purcellville. Mayor Stanley J. Milan, Vice Mayor Christopher Bertaut and councilwomen Erin Rayner and Mary Jane Williams attended, as well as several members of Purcellville’s senior staff.

The training was presented by VRSA Director of Education and Training

Thomas Bullock and covered a variety of topics including the differences between discussion and dialogue, the top 10 consequences of incivility, why conflict occurs, respectful interaction, the importance of listening, and confirmation bias.

The session incorporated interactive activities including a questionnaire to help determine the attendees’ emotional intelligence.

Milan said he was attending in the hopes of improving some of the recent problems between council members and

staff.

“We just started a month and a half ago,” he said. “And it feels like it’s been two years already. I know we have some issues that we are hopefully here to resolve and explain why.”

The Virginia Risk Sharing Association

is Virginia’s largest group self-insurance pool, according to its website. It provides comprehensive coverage plans including auto, property, liability and workers’ compensation, as well as other services and resources to local governments, schools and other authorities. n

Lovettsville Approved for Two Speed Display Signs

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounow.com

The Loudoun Board of Supervisors last week approved two new pole-mounted speed display signs for the Town of Lovettsville to help curb speeding.

The signs will be installed on Berlin Turnpike and were approved after the town requested assistance from the county in April 2022.

A study conducted by the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure in June of last year found that drivers are typically going at least 16 miles per hour above the posted speed limit on the northern section of Berlin Turnpike,

and 14 miles per above on the southern section.

The speed limit on Berlin Turnpike begins at 45 miles per hour at the town limits

and quickly decreases to 35 and 25 miles per hour as the road approaches downtown. The study was conducted in the 35 and 25 mph areas.

The study also examined traffic on East Broad Way but found that the average speeds, while above posted speed limits, did not qualify for a speed display sign.

Residents have been raising concerns about speeding through town for years, claiming it has become an even bigger issue since the opening of the town’s community park in April of 2022.

Karen Parrish has lived on Broad Way

MIDDLEBURG Council Sets Max Tax Rate

The Town Council will begin its budget deliberations with a plan to shave nearly a penny off the real estate tax rate.

During its Feb. 9 meeting, the council directed Town Manager Danny Davis to advertise a 12.76cent tax rate, down from the current 13.69-cent rate. Because of increased property assessments, that would still result in a tax bill increase because property assessments increased by 10.51%. The average single family detached homeowner would pay an additional $61, according to the town’s calculations.

The equalized tax rate, which would keep most tax bills level, is 12.39 cents. The council’s advertised maximum rate is the equalized rate plus a 3% inflationary factor, similar to the town’s rate-setting approach last year.

However, it’s likely the rate will go lower as the town is experiencing new development of homes at the Salamander Resort and continues to have strong tourism and meal tax revenues.

The council, which is scheduled to begin its budget review Feb. 23, is required to adopt a tax rate by April 1 and the full budget by June 22.

ROUND HILL County Plans Round Hill Speed Studies

Loudoun County supervisors have approved a number of studies aimed at tackling speeding all around the Town of Round Hill. With the town undergoing several pedestrian projects and hosting annual events that attract visitors, county transportation staff recommended “a proactive and holistic review” to bring down driving speeds around town.

That includes speed limit studies on Airmont Road from Yatton AROUND TOWNS continues on page 20

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Virginia Risk Sharing Association Director of Education and Training Thomas Bullock presents to members of Purcellville’s council and staff Feb. 8, 2023.

LOVETTSVILLE SPEED SIGNS continues on page 20

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now The Berlin Turnpike street sign in downtown Lovettsville.

Obituaries Biberaj Pitches Prosecution Plan to Middleburg Council

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj is continuing her effort to scale back the involvement of her prosecutors with uncontested District Court cases, last week meeting with the Middleburg Town Council to address concerns raised about the proposal.

Biberaj said she also plans to meet with leaders in other towns as she continues to shape the program with the District Court judges and area law enforcement agencies.

with cases.

Biberaj attended the council’s Feb. 9 meeting to provide an update.

“There has been a significant amount of concern from our community. The residents and citizens are unsure what this means, what the impacts will be. Our businesses are really concerned because they don’t know what it means and we don’t have answers,” Littleton said.

Nnene Anabelle Ezeonyim

It is with deep ache in my heart that I write to inform the Students, Teachers, Friends, Family and the Nigerian community, the cause of my daughter’s death as obtained from the autopsy result. Nnene died in her sleep while vacationing in Nigeria on July 20th 2022. Autopsy result indicate as follows; Death Summary: Ms. Ezeonyim died as a result of a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. In this regard, the autopsy revealed a heart showing cardiomegaly (enlarged heart) The essence of the autopsy was to know the cause of her sudden death. Nnene was a physically active teenager, an avid swimmer, who also enjoyed music and had planned to try out for volleyball in high school. Nnene was fully vaccinated prior to travelling to Nigeria with me. I use this opportunity to thank all those who helped to facilitate the return of her remains to the US, through Physical, Financial and Emotional support and to thank especially those who took time out to be with us during her funeral ceremonies, in my hometown of Amokwe-Enugu State Nigeria and in our hometown of Leesburg VA here in the US. Again thank you for your continued support in this trying time of our life May God bless you.

Bibi Ebele Ene-Ezeonyim Nnene’s Mom For the Family

To place an obituary, contact Susan Styer at 703-770-9723 or email sstyer@loudounnow.com

In a Dec. 30 memo to the District Court judges, Biberaj said her office would shift its focus to cases involving violent crimes and felonies, while other minor cases that do not involve jail time and are uncontested by lawyers would be handled in court by the law enforcement officer who brought the charge.

The announcement provided fuel for critics who have decried Biberaj’s threeyear tenure as being too soft on crime. But it also raised alarm among other civic leaders who objected to the unexpected and unilateral nature of the decision and its uncertain implications.

Biberaj said the concerns were unfounded and attributed the confusion over her plan to the “erroneously released” letter to the judges, a communication, she said, that would not be easily understood by those without experience in courtroom processes.

Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton last month said he was worried the initiative could encourage lawlessness. He’s also concerned about the extra responsibility being placed on the town’s police officers and questioned claims that the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office is overwhelmed

Lovettsville speed signs

continued from page 19

for 18 years and sees a different type of traffic these days, with drivers more in a hurry and less likely to stop for pedestrians.

“There is sign in the middle that says ‘crosswalk’ that was repeatedly run over,

AROUND towns

continued from page 19

Road to the 25 mile-per-hour zone, with an eye toward reducing the speed limit there from 35 to 25 miles per hour, and on Loudoun Street between Rt. 7 and

Biberaj said the effort is focused on making better use of her attorneys’ time and following procedures that are used in other courts around the commonwealth and across the country.

“This is a best practice. This is not a Buta Biberaj initiative,” she said.

Addressing the biggest misconception, she said, “the bottom line is all case will be prosecuted.”

She said the intent is to limit the involvement of county prosecutors in District Court cases—where some 30,000 cases are pending—to those in which jail time would be sought based on the nature of the crime and the suspect’s criminal history. And, she noted, it is not uncommon for police officers to present minor cases in court without a prosecutor.

“There is no case that is not important to us. There are just some cases that demand our attention more than other cases,” she said.

“I’ve been in Loudoun County for 30 years. I would never do anything to jeopardize safety,” she said.

While council members said they were a bit more comfortable following her presentation, several said the community at large should be included in the conversation.

“The community, I think, views your

and that was very disturbing to see. Oh my gosh, that could be us,” she said at a May 2022 council meeting.

Residents also formed an ad hoc stakeholder working group in 2020 designed to help develop a Transportation Master Plan for the town which was adopted in September 2021.

The plan states, “The Town of Lovettsville Comprehensive Plan sets policy

Evening Star Drive. The county also plans studies for possible speed display signs at East Loudoun Street and Evening Star Drive, Evening Star and Main Street, New Cut Road and Airmont Road, and on West Loudoun Street and at the town limits on Woodgrove Road. And they will

attempt to streamline some of this as rather high-handed, conducted without much consultation with your stakeholders. Obviously, that’s not true,” Council member Morris “Bud” Jacobs said. “But the fact that there is this misapprehension is deeply troubling to me. You have stakeholders in the courts and in law enforcement. I would argue that your biggest stakeholder of all is your community—the community that you serve. No one is questioning your right as a politically elected official to make determinations that you believe are appropriate and correct. However, you’re also the county’s chief law enforcement officer and as such, I believe you have an obligation to communicate what you’re doing clearly and concisely.”

In an interview Monday, Biberaj said that she is continuing to work with the judges and other stakeholders to finalize the procedures for the sorting process that would determine which cases would be prosecuted by her staff with the hope of implementing the program March 1, rather than in January as originally planned.

“We’re still working with our law enforcement partners to ensure their comfort, because I think their concern was that their offices would not be ready,” she said, adding that officers in the field already have experience presenting minor cases in court are more comfortable with the plan than some of the leaders of the agencies.

“When we explained it to them saying this doesn’t change anything that you haven’t already been doing and we were fortunate we had some of the law enforcement officers at the base level who were going to court and understood that—that’s when it became a little bit more comfortable for their leadership,” she said. n

guidance on land and infrastructure development. The Transportation Master Plan is a volume of that document, forming the policy foundation for local standards, regulations, capital improvements, and development proposals.”

The signs were approved with $53,500 of funding from the fiscal year 2023 Capital Improvement Program contingency account. n

ask consultants for other possibilities for managing speeds in town if those studies don’t produce results that meet VDOT guidelines for lowering speed limits and putting up those signs.

Supervisors set aside $132,000 for those studies. n

LoCo Living

‘Hope Despite Hardship’

Loudoun Arts Orgs Celebrate Diversity In New Productions

BY JAN MERCKER jmercker@loudounnow.com

Representation matters. It’s a running theme in this winter’s Loudoun’s arts scene. From community theater to youth symphony, works by artists of color are front and center as Loudoun observes Black History Month.

This month brings the local debut of William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony” by the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra on Feb. 18. The follow-

THINGS

LOCO LIVE

to do

Live Music: Anthony Semiao

Friday, Feb. 17, 5 p.m.

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville

Details: twotwistedposts.com

Semiao grew up on ’80s metal and glam rock but just can’t get enough of the acoustic guitar sound.

Live Music: The Brahman Noodles

Friday, Feb. 17, 5 p.m.

Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights

Details: facebook.com/harpersferrybrewing

It’s a fun evening of jug funk and “jamcoustic” sounds from the Brahman Noodles with new songs along with old favorites from Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and more.

Live Music: Elements of Kindred

Friday, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m.

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg

Details: lostbarrel.com

This high-energy acoustic duo performs an eclectic mix of favorites.

Live Music: Lillian Hackett

Friday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m.

Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont

Details: dirtfarmbrewing.com

16-year-old Lillian Hackett performs a range of genres on acoustic guitar and ukulele with vocals that draw comparisons to longtime favorites like Dolly Parton and contemporaries like Phoebe Bridgers.

Live Music: Clark Peklo

Friday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville

Details: flyingacefarm.com

Peklo’s repertoire of cool, unexpected covers features a strict No Eagles policy.

Live Music: John Cowan and the New Grass All Stars

Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30-9 p.m.

Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville

Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

This special concert is a chance to check out the soaring vocals of John Cowan, legendary performer and innovator of the “new grass” sound. Cowan applies his powerful pipes to genres from country, bluegrass, and gospel to soul, jazz and rock. Tickets are $25.

Live Music: Rowdy Aces

Friday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.

ing weekend marks a groundbreaking community theater event in Loudoun with Sterling Playmakers’ production of Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play “A Raisin in the Sun.”

LYSO Presents “Afro-American Symphony” Feb. 18

LYSO music director Hayden Denesha wanted to shake up the repertoire for the group’s Philharmonic Orchestra, its highest-level ensemble. William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony,” the first

symphony written by a Black composer to be performed by a leading American orchestra, was the perfect place to start.

“Symphony orchestras in general—and the Loudoun Symphony is part of this— are trying to do more with programming underrepresented groups in our communities and concert halls,” Denesha said. “I wanted to make sure the youth orchestra was doing their part, too … Youth orchestra at the end of the day is still a teaching

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville

Details: monksq.com

This raucous bluegrass, country rock band plays traditional bluegrass, newgrass, country, classic rock and southern rock–both covers and originals.

Live Music: Smells Like Nirvana

Friday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg

Details: tallyhotheater.com

This live tribute to Nirvana brings back the

THINGS TO DO continues on page 23

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Hayden Denesha leads the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra during a Feb. 12 rehearsal of William Grant Still’s “Afro-American Symphony” at Stone Bridge High School.

LOUDOUN ARTS continues on page 22

Loudoun arts

continued from page 21

environment. … Kids are very passionate about these ideas, and they’re very much a part of the current change and dynamic in our culture. I wanted them to feel included in this.”

Still’s 1930 symphony, inspired by the work of noted African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and combining traditional symphonic form with jazz and blues rhythms, was a perfect fit. In addition to rehearsing the music, the group has also discussed the historical background of the piece.

“It’s a great starting point for them,” Denesha said. “It’s a great conversation.”

Denesha knew the students in LYSO’s top youth orchestra were ready for the challenge. And the piece has been met with enthusiasm from young musicians and their families.

“The parents tell me their kids are so excited about it because it’s so different from what they play in school, from what they would normally play in youth orchestra. It’s just great for everyone involved— the kids, the parents, the community at large,” he said.

“This piece is more modern than the classical pieces I usually play. The feeling is different. … It’s a mix of jazz and classical music. It was a big milestone for jazz music, the combining of both styles,” said LYSO violinist Alyssa Pryor, a sophomore at Riverside High School now in her second season with LYSO.

“It’s very jazz-like, bridging the gap between jazz and classical. The way the instruments are used—it’s not something we get every day in the orchestra. It’s a different experience,” added percussionist Daniel Burbano, a Briar Woods High School junior in his fourth season with LYSO.

For the group’s director, now in his third season with LYSO, bringing Still’s work to Loudoun is a way to inspire young musicians and audiences alike.

“With Black History Month, celebrating William Grant Still and the history of America’s place in classical music is important,” Denesha said. “I’m a firm fan and believer in this piece and everything it stands for, and I hope the community feels the same.”

Loudoun Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Philharmonic Orchestra presents William Grant Still’s complete “Afro-American Symphony” as part of the LYSO win-

ter concert Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at Lightridge High School. Admission is free but advance registration is required. For registration and information, go to loudounsymphony.org.

Sterling Playmakers’ ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ Feb. 24-March 5

Director Lauren Baker has strong personal and artistic ties to Lorraine Hansberry’s iconic play “A Raisin in the Sun.”

“I’ve grown up with this play,” Baker said. “My parents taught me from a young age the importance of African-American culture, arts, history … everything.”

Baker’s parents met during a 1970s production of the play in Baltimore when her mother, Shirlyn, was the director and her father, Calvin, was cast in the play. Now, as a board member with Sterling Playmakers, Baker and her board thought the time was right to bring a play about an African-American family, written by an African-American playwright with a predominantly Black cast to Loudoun. The Playmakers production runs Feb. 24 through March 5 in Sterling.

“I’ve always been a big believer in creating opportunity when I feel like there’s not an opportunity,” Baker said. “This type of show was probably the first that Playmakers was able to do with a predominantly African-American cast. Stories like these sometimes get overlooked.”

Sterling Playmakers is partnering with the City of Fairfax Theatre Company, which will produce “Clybourne Park,” Bruce Norris’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 21st Century spin-off to “A Raisin in the Sun,” following the Loudoun production.

“That’s what I feel like community theater is all about. Representation matters,”

Baker said.

Hansberry’s iconic play, which debuted on Broadway in 1959, is set on Chicago’s South Side. It delves into divergent dreams and conflicts among three generations of the Younger family after the death of the family patriarch leaves a hefty life insurance policy. The play’s well-known characters include Walter Lee Younger, his wife Ruth, sister Beneatha and mother Lena, known as Mama. Lena dreams of a new home in a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee wants to buy a liquor store and run his own business while Beneatha has her sights set on medical school.

Loudoun actor Robin Lynn Reaves, who plays Lena Younger, has appeared in several Sterling Playmakers productions. She applauds the company for using alternative casting (casting actors of color in traditionally white roles) in several recent productions but says the current production goes a step further.

“‘Raisin in the Sun’ is a Black story. It’s written by a Black playwright about a Black family starring Black actors. That’s extremely unique,” Reaves said. “I applaud Lauren for stepping up and being part of the board and choosing this phenomenal story. … These are stories that this community has been wanting to be told. I hope that this is just a start of many, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Newcomer Tyrus Sanders, who recently moved to Sterling from Montgomery County, MD, is cast as Walter Lee Younger.

“‘Raisin in the Sun’ is one of the first plays I ever read. It introduced me to theater as a whole but also to Black theater as well,” Sanders said. “I do applaud Sterling Playmakers for moving into this diverse

base of casting. This is a natural progression. Once I saw this opportunity, I just had to jump on it–the iconic role of Walter Lee.”

The play’s iconic roles have also drawn actors of color from around the region.

Prince George’s County, MD-based actor and singer Angela Whitaker has dreamed of playing Beneatha since seeing the classic 1961 movie based on the play.

“This is a girl who really has a lot going for her,” Whitaker said. “She’s intelligent and she thinks differently. She seems to be pushed aside, but she doesn’t let that deter her.”

Fairfax County-based attorney Marguerite Driessen, a returning actor with Sterling Playmakers, has embraced the role of Walter Lee’s wife Ruth Younger.

“Current events have contributed to my embracing her more than I would have five years ago. I identify with this person who has a dream, is at a place in life where she wants to protect her family,” Driessen said. “It’s hard to be hopeful for generations when we are in 2023 fighting battles I know my parents fought… [Raisin] is a timeless story of life in the struggle to hold onto hope despite hardship, despite disappointment–to try to forge a path to make things better if not for yourselves at least for your children. And that is something I so identify with and wanted to be part of. ” n

Sterling Playmakers’ production of “A Raisin in the Sun” runs Feb. 24-26 and March 3-5 at Seneca Ridge Middle School. Tickets are $18. For tickets and information, go to sterlingplaymakers.org.

Robin Lynn Reaves, playing Lena “Mama” Younger, and Tyrus Sanders, playing Walter Lee Younger, star in the Sterling Playmakers’ production of “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Be Still Photography

JOHN COWAN & THE NEW GRASS ALL-STARS

Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Franklin Park Art Center franklinparkartcenter.org

THINGS to do

continued from page 21

grunge-filled angst and rock prowess of the 90s icons. Tickets are $15.

Live Music: Chris Bowen

Saturday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m.

Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville

Details: creeksedgewinery.com

Enjoy great tunes from Western Loudoun singer/

BEST BETS

THEATRE OF CRUE

Saturday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. (doors)

Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

songwriter and one-man band Chris Bowen.

Live Music: Joe Del Gallo and Frank Driscoll

Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.

Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn

Details: lostrhino.com

This local duo plays a mix of classic rock and country favorites plus some fun originals.

Live Music: Liberty Street

Saturday, Feb. 18, 3 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville

Details: flyingacefarm.com

Kick back with soft rock favorites from Eric Stanley and Doug Wall.

Live Music: 90s Night with the Live Keys

Saturday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m.

1836 Kitchen and Taproom, 34 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville

Details: 1836kitchenandtaproom.com

ROCK THE RINK

Sunday, Feb. 19, 6 p.m. Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink purcellvilleva.gov

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville

Details: monksq.com

Pictrola gets Monk’s dancing with a fun mix of traditional and modern bluegrass

Live Music: Theatre of Crue

Saturday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg

Details: tallyhotheater.com

The Live Keys play favorite singalong tunes and take audience requests.

Live Music: Pictrola

Saturday, Feb. 18, 8 p.m.

This Motley Crue tribute is a throwback to the glory days of hair metal. Tickets are $15.

THINGS TO DO continues on page 25

Town of Leesburg Employment Opportunities

Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online.

Resumes may be submitted as supplemental only. EOE/ADA.

Regular Full-Time Positions

Summer Internship

To review Ida Lee (Parks & Recreation) flexible part-time positions, please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs. Most positions will be filled at or near the minimum of the range. Dependent on qualifications. All Town vacancies may be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 67 and Verizon FiOS Channel 35.

Construction Project Manager/Project Engineer

Meridien Group, LLC is seeking a motivated, qualified individual to handle all aspects of construction project management. Duties include Preparing, scheduling, coordinating and monitoring the assigned projects. Monitoring compliance to applicable codes, practices, QA/QC policies, performance standards and specifications.

Interacting daily with the clients to interpret their needs and requirements and representing them in the field.

We are looking for an accountable project engineer/project manager to be responsible for all engineering and technical disciplines that projects involve. You will schedule, plan, forecast, resource and manage all the technical activities aiming at assuring project accuracy and quality from conception to completion.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Engineering/Construction Management or relevant field

• Prior federal government project experience is preferred, but not required

• Entry-level/mid-level Position

Contact Info:

Katherine Hicks

208 South King Street Suite 303

Leesburg, VA 20175

Send Resume to: khicks@meridiengroupllc.com (703) 777-8285

THINGS to do

continued from page 23

Live Music: Jessica Paulin

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville

Details: twotwistedposts.com

Jessica Paulin returns to Two Twisted Posts with a bank of well-loved hits from the 60s through today: rock, country, oldies, alt, folk and pop.

Live Music: Jake Phillips

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville

Details: flyingacefarm.com

Jake Phillips is a singer/songwriter who has traveled the world. With a powerful voice and dynamic guitar skills, Phillips’s repertoire includes original music and an eclectic set of classic folk and alternative covers.

Live Music: Michelle and Jason

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2-5 p.m.

The Barns At Hamilton Station, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton

Details: thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

Michelle and Jason bring chart topping original independent country/Americana music and favorite classic country covers in their Barns debut.

Live Music: Ken Wenzel

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro

Details: breauxvineyards.com

Wenzel returns to Breaux with his signature rootsrock, country-jazz take on love, learning and life in America.

Live Music: Juliet Lloyd

Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m.

Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro

Details: doukeniewinery.com

Singer/songwriter/pianist Juliet Lloyd returns to Doukénie with pop, rock and classic soul favorites.

Rock the Rink Concert

Sunday, Feb. 19, 6-9 p.m.

Bush Tabernacle, 250 S. Nursery Ave., Purcellville

Details: purcellvilleva.gov

Purcellville Parks and Recreation’s Rock the Rink concert features great tunes from Sheltered, Sidetracked and the Darby Brothers. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Wine and beer will be available for sale.

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Samedi Gras at Breaux Vineyards

Saturday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m-6 p.m.

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro

Details: breauxvineyards.com

Breaux Vineyards’ annual pre-Mardi Gras celebration features dancing, festive beads, king cake, costume contest and live music with Billy Thompson Band and Voodoo Blues. Tickets are $15.

Leesburg Mardi Gras Bar Crawl

Saturday, Feb. 18, 4-9 p.m.

Downtown Leesburg

Details: facebook.com/loudounbrewing

Put on your festive beads and masks while visiting favorite local breweries. Designated drivers encouraged.

Mardi Bras Benefit

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.

Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg

Details: bdsrotary.org

The Rotary Club of Broadlands’ ninth annual Mardi Bras event benefits the nonprofit Free the Girls which provides a source of income to women freed from human trafficking in developing countries. Admission is $35. Bring a new or gently used bra to donate. n

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO CONSIDER RENEWING THE EXISTING FRANCHISE WITH WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT COMPANY

Pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 15.2-2100 et seq., notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia, will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA

to consider the adoption of the following ordinance:

AN ORDINANCE RENEWING THE EXISTING FRANCHISE WITH WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT COMPANY

The proposed ordinance to renew the franchise permits Washington Gas Light Company to continue to use and occupy the streets, alleys and other public grounds of the Town of Leesburg for the construction, maintenance and operation therein of a system of pipes, mains, connections, meters and other equipment and appliances as necessary or convenient for the transmission, distribution, and sale of natural gas in and to any part of the Town of Leesburg.

Pursuant to requirements under Va. Code §§ 15.2-2101 and 15.2-2105 for renewals, the Town has posted an Invitation for Bid on the Town’s Bid Board to invite bids for the franchise permits to be granted in this ordinance. Bids shall be in writing and delivered by 3:00 p.m. on February 15, 2023, to the Town Attorney’s Office, and shall be opened in the public hearing.

A copy of the proposed ordinance is available from the Town Clerk, located in Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); or by calling Eileen Boeing, Town Clerk, at 703-771-2733.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

2/16/2023 & 2/23/2023

NOTICE OF JOINT PUBLIC HEARING BY THE TOWN OF HILLSBORO, VIRGINIA

Notice is hereby given that the Planning Commission and Town Council of the Town of Hillsboro, Virginia (the “Planning Commission” and “Town Council”) will hold a joint public hearing to receive public comment on an application for a special exception use permit for a Bed and Breakfast Homestay pursuant to the Hillsboro Zoning Ordinance section 11-53. A summary of the application is provided below. Complete copies of the application are available for review at the Town office at 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, VA, 20132 between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM, Monday through Friday, holidays excepted.

Summary of special exception use permit:

The application proposes a change of use for the existing single-family dwelling located at 36982 Charles Town Pike to a Bed and Breakfast Homestay. The subject parcel fronts Charles Town Pike and is further identified as Loudoun County Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 517208708000. The Bed and Breakfast Homestay would allow for whole house rentals by one party or groups of all three bedrooms by no more than 6 adult occupants. No alterations to the structure or property are proposed.

The public hearing, which may be continued or adjourned, will be held before the Town Council and Planning Commission on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, at Hillsboro Old Stone School located at 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, VA, 20132. Any person interested in the application may appear at the public hearing and present his or her views. The Town Council may set time limits on speakers and other rules and procedures for the conduct of this public hearing.

Written comments regarding the application may be delivered prior to the public hearing in care of the Mayor at 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, Virginia 20132, or e-mailed to tohadmin@hillsborova.gov. All comments received will be presented to the Town Council and Planning Commission during the public hearing.

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING COUNTY OF LOUDOUN, VIRGINIA

Proposed Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024 Proposed Tax Rates for Tax Year 2023

Pursuant to Section 15.2-2506 and Section 58.1-3007 of the Code of Virginia, the County of Loudoun, Virginia (the “County”), gives notice of its proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024 (the FY 2024 Proposed Budget); and the proposed tax rates on real and personal property for Tax Year 2023, beginning January 1, 2023, and ending December 31, 2023. The budget is prepared and published for informative and fiscal planning purposes only. The inclusion in the budget of any item or items does not constitute any obligation or commitment on the part of the Board of Supervisors of the County to appropriate any funds for that item or purpose. There is no allocation or designation of any funds of the County for any purpose until there has been an appropriation for that purpose by the Board of Supervisors.

The estimated local contribution for the school budget is $1,151,074,067. This is the local tax revenue proposed for the Loudoun County Public Schools to fund its Fiscal Year 2024 budget for public schools, as compared to the estimated minimum contribution required by state law in the amount of $438,025,435.

Two public hearings on the proposed budget and the proposed tax rates will be held by the Board of Supervisors in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. An additional session of the public hearing will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. in the School Board Meeting Room, Loudoun County Public Schools’ Administration Building. Any member of the public may address the Board of Supervisors on these matters; however, each member of the public wishing to address the Board may speak at only one of the sessions.

The Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room is located in the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, SE, Leesburg, Virginia. The Loudoun County Public Schools’ Administration Building is located at 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, Virginia. Copies of the FY 2024 Proposed Budget may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The FY 2024 Proposed Budget is also available online at www.loudoun.gov/budget

Public hearings conducted from the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23, and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings. All members of the public who desire to speak will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Public input may be provided by electronic means at Board of Supervisors public hearings. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, will be accommodated without advanced sign-up during the hearing, however, members of the public are strongly encouraged to sign-up in advance. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on February 16, 2023. Advanced sign-ups will close at 12:00 p.m. on March 1, 2023, for the two sessions held on March 1, 2023; advanced sign-ups will close at 5:00 p.m. on March 3, 2023, for the session held on March 4, 2023. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. All speakers will be limited to two minutes and 30 seconds so that all in attendance may have the opportunity to speak. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Board of Supervisors, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177 or by e-mail to loudounbudget@loudoun.gov. If submitting written comments, information, or materials at the hearing, 10 copies should be provided for distribution to the Board members and for the Clerk’s records.

The following is a brief synopsis of the budget:

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

SUMMARY OF PROPERTY TAX RATES

Pursuant to Va. Code § 58.1-3007, the Board of Supervisors gives notice of the proposed increase or other change in certain local property tax rates for Tax Year 2023 as indicated below:

Type of Taxable Property

All Real Estate (including mobile homes used as residences); and Public Service Corporation Real Estate & Tangible Personal Property (except automobiles, trucks & aircraft) (Va. Code § 58.1-2606)

Commercial and Industrial Real Estate in Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District (Va. Code § 15.2-4607); and Public Service Corporation Real Estate &Tangible Personal Property in the district, except automobiles, trucks & aircraft, (in addition to the general rate applicable to all real estate in the County and the rate for any other service district where the property is located, if applicable)

Real Estate in the Hamilton Sewer Service District (in addition to the general rate applicable to all real estate in the County and the rate for any other tax district where the real estate is located, if applicable)

Real Estate in the Metrorail Service District; and Public Service Corporation Real Estate & Tangible Personal Property in the district, except automobiles, trucks & aircraft (in addition to the general rate applicable to all real estate in the County and the rate for any other service district where the property is located, if applicable)

Real Estate in the Loudoun Gateway-Airport Station Service District; and Public Service Corporation Real Estate & Tangible Personal Property in the district, except automobiles, trucks & aircraft (in addition to the general rate applicable to all real estate in the County and the rate for any other service district where the property is located, if applicable)

Real Estate in the Ashburn Station Service District; and Public Service Corporation Real Estate & Tangible Personal Property in the district, except automobiles, trucks & aircraft (in addition to the general rate applicable to all real estate in the County and the rate for any other service district where the property is located, if applicable)

Real Property – Owned by Surviving Spouses of Certain Persons Killed in the Line of Duty (Va. Code § 58.1-3228.2)

Tangible Personal Property (to include all categories of tangible personal property unless the category and rate is set out separately in this notice), including automobiles and trucks of Public Service Corporations (Va. Code § 58.1-2606 (B))

Tangible Personal Property Used in a Research and Development Business (Va. Code § 58.1-3506 (A)(7)); and Machinery and Tools (Va. Code §§ 58.1-3507 et seq.) $2.750

Tangible Personal Property – Motor Vehicles of Eligible Elderly and Disabled (Va. Code § 58.1-3506.1; Chapter 873 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County) $2.100

Tangible Personal Property – Aircraft and Flight Simulators (Va. Code § 58.1-3506 (A) (5)), including aircraft of Public Service Corporations (Va. Code § 58.1-2606 (B)) $0.010 $0.010

Tangible

Tangible Personal Property – Satellite Manufacturing, Testing and Operating Equipment within Route 28 Highway Transportation Improvement District (Va. Code § 58.13506 (A) (21))

Tangible Personal Property – Furniture, Office and Maintenance Equipment (except motor vehicles) owned and used by Homeowners Associations (Va. Code § 58.1-3506 (A)(24))

Tangible Personal Property – Motor Vehicles, Trailers and Semi-trailers of Interstate Motor Carriers (Va. Code § 58.1-3506

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF: PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR

LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL

LEGAL NOTICE and NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

An Ordinance proposing to sell and grant a Franchise Agreement for electricity distribution, transmission and sale in the Town of Lovettsville, Virginia, and for installing broadband facilities for use by third parties and Inviting Bids therefor. Further details regarding this Invitation For Bid can be found in the “Project Requests for Bids” section of the Town of Lovettsville website at: https://www.lovettsvilleva.gov/project-request-for-bids/ or a copy is available the Town of Lovettsville Town Hall.

AN ORDINANCE

To grant the right for the term and upon the conditions herein stated to use the streets and alleys of the Town of Lovettsville, Virginia, and to acquire, construct, install, operate, maintain and use, and to the extent now construct or installed to operate, maintain and use, poles, towers, structures, attachments, wires, cables, conduits, ductways, manholes, handholes, meters, appliances and other equipment necessary or useful in the distribution, transmission or sale of electricity in, over, along, on and under the streets and alleys of the Town of Lovettsville, for the purpose of distributing, transmitting and selling electricity at any point within the corporate limits of the Town of Lovettsville as the same now exist or may hereafter be extended or altered, together with the right to attach, operate, and maintain, additional cables, including but not limited to fiber optic cables, wires, attachments, and other transmission facilities, and all equipment, accessories and appurtenances desirable in connection therewith, including the right to increase or decrease the number of wires for the purpose of transmitting voice, text, data, internet services, and other communication services, including the wire and attachments of third parties; the right to lease or license the right to transmit signals, data, or other communications through broadband facilities to third parties as may be useful or practical, including the rights to transmit third party data and the right to lease or license surplus communications capacity to third parties through broadband facilities; and the right to install such additional pole, guys, and anchors on said property as may be necessary for the purposes of the safety and stability of broadband facilities.

The LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will open and review any and all bids, including those submitted from the floor, then close bid submission, and hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, for the purpose of awarding a Franchise Agreement to the most responsible and responsive bidder that aligns with the best interests of the Town of Lovettsville. The Town reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

All persons desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting.

A copy of the full text of the Ordinance is available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. Call 540-822-5788 for more information or visit www.lovettsvilleva.gov. In the event the meeting is cancelled, the public hearing will be convened at the next regular scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

2/16, 2/23, 3/2/23

Public Notice

The Town of Leesburg Board and Commission Vacancies

The Town of Leesburg is soliciting applications for multiple Board and Commission vacancies. Current vacancies include: Commission on Public Art, Diversity Commission, Environmental Advisory Commission, Technology and Communications Commission and a NW resident for the Residential Traffic Commission. Citizens interested in serving on a board or commission can find additional information, membership requirements, or may apply via the Town’s web site at www.leesburgva.gov/ government/boards-and-commissions. Applications will be kept on file for one year. Any questions can be sent to the Clerk of Council via email at eboeing@leesburgva.gov

2/16 & 2/23/2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the Town of Leesburg (VMRC #2022-2573) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install a 47-foot by 18-foot, ADA accessible boat launch adjacent to Leesburg Veterans Park situated along the Potomac River in Loudoun County. You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2022-2573) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/comments/. We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within 15 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg 96, Hampton, VA 23651.

2/16/23

ATTENTION LOUDOUN COUNTY BUSINESS OWNERS

MARCH 1 DEADLINE

Notification of 2023 business tax filing requirements has been mailed to each business and self-employed person on our tax rolls. The notification contains the account number and owner name necessary to report both business receipts and business equipment online.

BUSINESS LICENSE RENEWAL DUE MARCH 1

Business owners who possess a 2022 Loudoun County Business License must obtain a 2023 license by reporting their calendar year 2022 gross receipts and paying the applicable license tax or fee at www. loudoun.gov/efile. The annual FILING and PAYMENT DEADLINE is midnight, March 1. After reporting the business’ receipts online, filers will be provided with a link to pay online as well. Owners of new businesses must obtain a license within 30 days of beginning business. Owners of businesses located in one of Loudoun’s incorporated towns should contact the respective town regarding business licensing requirements.

BUSINESS EQUIPMENT REPORTING DUE MARCH 1

Owners of business equipment that was located in Loudoun County on January 1, 2023, must report it for taxation at www.loudoun.gov/efile. The reporting of original cost, year of purchase, location, and item description for all business equipment in the county is due by midnight, March 1, 2023. Resulting semi-annual tax bills for this equipment must be paid to the Treasurer by the May 5 and October 5 deadlines. The reporting of business equipment is made to the Commissioner of the Revenue for all businesses in the County whether within or outside of an incorporated town.

Business owners subject to local business taxes must file annually, even if there is no tax due or property to declare. Mailing address changes and notification of business closure should also be reported at www. loudoun.gov/efile. Most transactions with our office can be done online. For more information or filing assistance, please visit www.loudoun.gov/cor or contact my office at businesstax@loudoun.gov or 703777-0260. You may also write or stop by my office weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. So that we may better serve you, taxpayers are encouraged to email or call prior to visiting the office.

Robert S. Wertz, Jr.

Commissioner of the Revenue Loudoun County

Loudoun Tech Center Office

46000 Center Oak Plaza, Sterling

Government Center Office

1 Harrison St. SE, 1st Floor, Leesburg

MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 8000, Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

Phone: 703-777-0260

E-mail: businesstax@loudoun.gov

Website: www.loudoun.gov/cor

2/9 & 2/16/23

FIND OUT ABOUT THE COUNTY’S REAL ESTATE AND CAR TAX RELIEF PROGRAMS FOR ELDERLY OR DISABLED RESIDENTS

Commissioner of the Revenue, Robert S. Wertz, Jr., encourages eligible property owners at least 65 years old or totally and permanently disabled to learn about Loudoun’s property tax breaks for eligible residents. Qualified program participants are relieved of 100% or 50% of the real estate taxes on their primary dwelling and lot up to 3 acres and may have their car taxes reduced. The qualifying net worth limit for real estate relief is $920,000, excluding the home and up to 10 acres. The qualifying gross combined income limit for real estate relief is $77,000. Disability income, income of a relative providing bona fide care, and $10,000 of income of a spouse or relative in the home is excluded from the $77,000 limit for real estate relief. The net worth and income limits are $195,000 and $52,000 for car tax relief.

The Commissioner’s Office will be holding information sessions at the following locations and times to explain the county’s tax relief program and answer residents’ questions. Attendance is free and no signup is required. For additional information, please contact the Tax Exemption and Deferrals Division at 703-737-8557 or taxrelief@loudoun.gov.

Cascades Library Potomac Falls

Library Leesburg

March 8, 2023

Monday, March 27, 2023 10:30 AM

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

CMPT-2022-0008 & SPEX-2022-0043, GOOSE CREEK SUBSTATION EXPANSION

(Commission Permit & Special Exception)

Dominion Energy Virginia of Glen Allen, Virginia, has submitted applications for the following: 1) Commission approval to permit a Utility Substation, Transmission; and 2) a Special Exception to allow the Utility Substation, Transmission use in the JLMA-20 zoning district. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. The proposed use requires a Commission Permit in accordance with Section 6-1101 and the Utility Substation, Transmission is listed as a Special Exception use in the JLMA-20 zoning district under Section 2-1303. The subject property is located within the QN (Quarry Notification) Overlay District (Luck Note Area), partially within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 noise contour, and partially within the FOD (Floodplain Overlay District) (major and minor floodplain). The subject property is approximately 34.32 acres in size and is located north of Cochran Mill Road (Route 653) and south of Crosstrail Boulevard at 41990 Cochran Mill Rd, Leesburg, Virginia, in the Leesburg Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 151-45-9554. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Leesburg Joint Land Management Policy Area (JLMA Employment Place Type)) which designate this area for light and general industry employment uses at a recommended Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of up to 1.0.

SPEX-2022-0012 & ZCPA-2022-0007

BELMONT CHASE II COMMERCIAL

(Special Exception and Zoning Concept Plan Amendment)

Regency Centers Acquisitions LLC of Jacksonville, Florida, has submitted applications for the following:

1) a Special Exception to develop an automobile service station with carry-out restaurant in the PDCC(CC) (Planned Development – Commercial Center (Community Center)) zoning district; and 2) a Zoning Concept Plan Amendment to revise proffer language relating to the specific location of outdoor amenities. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed automobile service station is listed as a Special Exception use under Section 4-204(B)(2). The subject property is approximately 4.7 acres in size and is located south of Leesburg Pike (Route 7), east of Claiborne Parkway (Route 901), and north of Russell Branch Parkway (Route 1061), in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 083-27-7956 (portion). The area is governed by the polices of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Mixed Use Place Type)), which supports Retail and Service Commercial uses at a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of up to 1.0.

ZMAP-2021-0023

DEFENDER DRIVE

(Zoning Map Amendment)

NFD Acquisition LLC, of the District of Columbia, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 13.8 acres from the PDH-4 (Planned Development – Housing 4) zoning district and the CR-1 (Countryside

Residential – 1) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance to the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/ Multifamily Residential Affordable Dwelling Unit) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to develop a maximum of 208 dwelling units comprised of 67 single‐family attached and 141 stacked multifamily units with a maximum density of approximately 15.07 dwelling units per acre. The subject property is approximately 13.8 acres in size and is located south of John Mosby Highway (Route 50), east of South Riding Boulevard (Route 2201) and north of Mountain View Drive (Route 834), in the Dulles Election District. The property is more particularly described as follows:

PIN ADDRESS

128-48-4437 N/A

128-48-8353 43394 Valley Vista Ln., Chantilly, VA 20152

128-48-9540 N/A

128-48-9920 43405 Valley Vista Ln., Chantilly, VA 20152

The subject property is located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 airport noise contour and within the QN (Quarry Notification) Overlay District, Chantilly Crush Stone Note Area. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area), in the Suburban Commercial Place Type), which designates the area for larger format retail commercial establishments and smaller commercial establishments within a “main street” style environment at a total Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.0 and also within the Suburban Neighborhood Place Type which designate this area for predominately Residential uses on medium-tolarge lots with a residential density up to four dwelling units per acres, or up to six units per acre for infill development, and a total non-residential FAR of up to 1.0.

ZMAP-2021-0008, SPEX-2021-0028, SPEX-2021-0029, SPEX-2021-0030, SPEX-2022-0044, ZMOD-2021-0035, ZMOD-2021-0036, ZMOD-2021-0091, ZMOD-2022-0036, ZMOD-2022-0037, ZMOD-2022-0038 & ZMOD-2022-0082

VILLAGE AT CLEAR SPRINGS

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exceptions & Zoning Modifications)

Clear Springs Development, LLC, of Aldie, Virginia, has submitted applications for the following: to rezone approximately 245.95 acres from the AR-1 (Agricultural Rural) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance to the PD-H6 (Planned Development – Housing), administered as R-1 (Residential), R-8 and R-16)) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to develop 1,180 dwelling units consisting of 242 single-family detached (SFD) dwelling units (including one existing SFD dwelling unit and 131 age-restricted SFD dwelling units), 578 single family attached (SFA) dwelling units (including 157 SFA age-restricted dwelling units), and 360 multi-family attached (MF Attached) dwelling units (including 180 MF Attached age-restricted dwelling units); and Special Exceptions to permit playing fields and courts with lights, a private club or lodge, and to modify the required yards within the portion of the property administered as R-8 and R-1. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed uses are listed as Special Exception uses under Section 3-504(I), Section 3-504(J), Section 7-803(C)(1)(a), 7-803(C)(1)(b), 7-803(C)(2)(a), 7-803(C)(2)(b), and Section 3-104(C)(4). The applicant also requests the following Zoning Ordinance modifications: ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION

§7-803(B)(2), R-8 Single Family Residential District, Lot and Building Requirements, Lot Width.

§3-511(A), R-8 Single Family Residential, Development Setback and Access from Major Roads, Private Streets.

§1-205(A), Interpretation of Ordinance, Limitations and Methods for Measurement of Lots, Yards and Related Terms, Lot Access Requirements.

§4-110(B), Planned Development Housing, Site Planning-Internal Relationships.

§7-903(B)(2), R-16 Townhouse/Multi-family District, Lot and Building Requirements, Lot Width.

§5-1404(B), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening, and Landscape Plans, Buffer Yards, Use Buffer Yard Matrix, Table 5-1404(B).

§5-1303(B)(4), Tree Planting and Replacement, Canopy Requirements, For development requiring a plan of subdivision, but not a site plan, property not zoned A-3, A-10, AR-1, AR2, i.e. single family and duplex dwellings.

§5-1303(A)(3)(4), Tree Planting and Replacement, Canopy Requirements, Site Planning.

§5-1404(D), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening, and Landscape Plans, Buffer Yards, Buffer Yard Widths and Plant Requirements.

Reduce lot width from 24 feet to 20 feet.

To allow single family detached dwellings to front and access from a private road.

To allow single family detached dwellings to front and access from a private road.

To allow single family detached dwellings to front and access from a private road.

Reduce lot width from 24 feet to 20 feet.

To eliminate buffer yards.

To eliminate the street tree requirement.

To permit the calculation of minimum tree canopy to be tabulated overall for the entire development area.

To permit a Type 1 roadway buffer to be provided in a 5-foot width, rather than a 10-foot width.

The subject property is approximately 245.95 acres in size and is located east of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621), west of Dulles Greenway (Route 267) in the Catocin Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as:

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS

234-36-7151 41346 Springfield Ln Leesburg, VA 20175

234-37-0852 41352 Springfield Ln Leesburg, VA 20175

234-37-4941 N/A

234-37-2906 41350 Springfield Ln Leesburg, VA 20175

234-27-2750 N/A

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS

234-17-2596 41406 Springfield Ln Leesburg, VA 20175

235-46-5476 19736 Evergreen Mills Rd Leesburg, VA 20175

235-46-0954 19724 Evergreen Mills Rd Leesburg, VA 20175

234-16-2147 19680 Evergreen Mills Rd Leesburg, VA 20175

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Transition Policy Area (Transition Compact Neighborhood Place Type and Transition Small Lot Neighborhood Place Type)) - which designates the area for Residential and Public/Civic uses with residential densities of 3 to 5 dwelling units per acre, and a maximum non-residential floor area ratio Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.2.

REVIEW AND RENEWAL, MODIFICATION OR TERMINATION OF THE MIDDLEBURG EAST AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTAL DISTRICT

The current period of the Middleburg East Agricultural and Forestal District will expire on July 17, 2023. The District has a four-year period and a subdivision minimum lot size of 50 acres. Pursuant to Chapter 1226 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County, the Board of Supervisors has directed staff, the Agricultural District Advisory Committee (ADAC), and the Planning Commission to conduct a review in order to determine whether to continue, modify, or terminate the District. Parcels currently enrolled in the District are located within an area generally south of Sam Fred Road (Route 748), Cobb House Road (Route 629), and Stonewall Farm Lane, west of New Mountain Road (Route 631), east of Landmark School Road (Route 776) and Foxcroft Road (Route 626), and north of and adjoining the boundary of Fauquier County, in the 2022 Little River Election District.

During this review, land less than 5 acres, or 20 acres or greater, in size that is currently enrolled in the District will be automatically renewed. However, any parcel containing at least 5 acres but less than 20 acres will be ineligible for renewal and inclusion within the District unless the owner submits an application on forms provided by the Department of Planning and Zoning and one or more of the following criteria is met:

1. Management Plan that specifically states that the property owner(s) are accumulating the required 5-year production records in order to qualify for agricultural, to include horticulture, land use tax deferral.

2. Animal Husbandry including Equine uses (commercial or non-commercial) with a Management Plan that relates the pasture carrying capacity to limit the number of animals allowed.

3. Forests and woodlands with a management plan that specifies the actions required to maintain and enhance the stands.

4. Wetlands, flood plains, streams and/or rivers that have Management Plans that set forth the terms for their maintenance and enhancement.

During this review, land within the District may be withdrawn, in whole or in part, at the owner’s discretion by filing a written notice with the Board of Supervisors at any time before the Board acts to continue, modify, or terminate the District.

Landowners of the following parcels, currently enrolled in the Middleburg East Agricultural and Forestal District, were notified by certified mail of the District’s review.

Parcel Listings:

* Indicates a parcel whose owner is withdrawing it from the District.

** Indicates a parcel containing at least 5 acres but less than 20 acres whose owner did not properly apply for renewal.

The ADAC held a public meeting on January 30, 2023, to review and make recommendations concerning whether to continue, modify, or terminate the Middleburg East Agricultural and Forestal District, and to review renewal applications and requests for withdrawal of land from the District. The report and recommendations of the ADAC will be considered by the Planning Commission, along with any proposed modifications, at its public hearing on February 28, 2023. The reports and recommendations of the ADAC and the Planning Commission, along with any proposed modifications, will be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its public hearing.

In accordance with Section 15.2-4307 of the Code of Virginia, the applications may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by calling 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies or electronically at: https://www.loudoun.gov/adac 1-30-2023 ADAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: https://www.loudoun.gov/pc (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for Public Hearings Packet).

REVIEW AND RENEWAL, MODIFICATION OR TERMINATION OF THE MIDDLEBURG WEST AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTAL DISTRICT

The current period of the Middleburg West Agricultural and Forestal District will expire on July 17, 2023. The District has a four-year period and a subdivision minimum lot size of 50 acres. Pursuant to Chapter 1226 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County, the Board of Supervisors has directed staff, the Agricultural District Advisory Committee (ADAC), and the Planning Commission to conduct a review in order to determine whether to continue, modify, or terminate the District. Parcels currently enrolled in the District are located within an area generally south of Beaverdam Bridge Road (Route 733), Quaker Lane (Route 630), and Newlin Mill Road (Route 790), east of Willisville Road (Route 623), west of Leith Lane (Route 767) and Polecat Hill Road (Route 696), Foxcroft Road (626), and Landmark School Road (Route 776), and north of and adjoining the boundary with Fauquier County, in the 2022 Little River Election District.

During this review, land less than 5 acres, or 20 acres or greater, in size that is currently enrolled in the District will be automatically renewed. However, any parcel containing at least 5 acres but less than 20 acres will be ineligible for renewal and inclusion within the District unless the owner submits an application on forms provided by the Department of Planning and Zoning and one or more of the following criteria is met:

Legal Notices

1. Management Plan that specifically states that the property owner(s) are accumulating the required 5-year production records in order to qualify for agricultural, to include horticulture, land use tax deferral.

2. Animal Husbandry including Equine uses (commercial or non-commercial) with a Management Plan that relates the pasture carrying capacity to limit the number of animals allowed.

3. Forests and woodlands with a management plan that specifies the actions required to maintain and enhance the stands.

4. Wetlands, flood plains, streams and/or rivers that have Management Plans that set forth the terms for their maintenance and enhancement.

During this review, land within the District may be withdrawn, in whole or in part, at the owner’s discretion by filing a written notice with the Board of Supervisors at any time before the Board acts to continue, modify, or terminate the District.

Landowners of the following parcels, currently enrolled in the Middleburg West Agricultural and Forestal District, were notified by certified mail of the District’s review.

Parcel Listings:

* Indicates a parcel whose owner is withdrawing it from the District.

** Indicates a parcel containing at least 5 acres but less than 20 acres whose owner did not properly apply for renewal.

The ADAC held a public meeting on January 30, 2023, to review and make recommendations concerning whether to continue, modify, or terminate the Middleburg West Agricultural and Forestal District, and to review renewal applications and requests for withdrawal of land from the District. The report and recommendations of the ADAC will be considered by the Planning Commission, along with any proposed modifications, at its public hearing on February 28, 2023. The reports and recommendations of the ADAC and the Planning Commission, along with any proposed modifications, will be considered by the Board of Supervisors at its public hearing.

In accordance with Section 15.2-4307 of the Code of Virginia, the applications may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by calling 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies or electronically at: https://www.loudoun.gov/adac 1-30-2023 ADAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: https://www.loudoun.gov/pc (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for Public Hearings Packet).

Unless otherwise noted above, full and complete copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances and/or plans, and related documents may be examined in the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-777-0220, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www.loudoun.gov/pc. For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246.

Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing. If you wish to sign up in advance of the hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703777-0246 prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the hearing. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 3rd Floor, MSC #62, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun.gov. If written comments are presented at the hearing, please provide ten (10) copies for distribution to the Commission and the Clerk’s records. All members of the public will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the public hearing if special arrangements for additional speaking time and/or audio-visual equipment will be requested. Such an organization representative will be allotted 6 minutes to speak, and the Chairman may grant additional time if the request is made prior to the date of the hearing and the need for additional time is reasonably justified.

Citizens are encouraged to call the Department of Planning and Zoning on the day of the public hearing to confirm that an item is on the agenda, or, the most current agenda may be viewed on the Planning Commission’s website at www.loudoun.gov/pc. In the event that the second Thursday is a holiday or the meeting may not be held due to inclement weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend, the meeting will be moved to the third Tuesday of the month. In the event that Tuesday is a holiday or the Tuesday meeting may not be held due to inclement weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend, the meeting will be held on the following Thursday. The meeting will be held at a place determined by the Chairman.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings at all other locations. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246. Please provide three days’ notice.

BY ORDER OF: MICHELLE FRANK, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

Legal Notices

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR:

JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR ZONE 2, IFB No. 592786 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, March 14, 2023.

Solicitation forms may be obtained 24 hours a day by visiting our web site at www.loudoun.gov/procurement. If you do not have access to the Internet, call (703) 777-0403, M - F, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHEN CALLING, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT.

2/16/23

NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES

This notice is to inform the owner and any person having a security interest in their right to reclaim the motor vehicle herein described within 15 days after the date of storage charges resulting from placing the vehicle in custody, and the failure of the owner or persons having security interests to exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the time provided shall be deemed a waiver by the owner, and all persons having security interests of all right, title and interest in the vehicle, and consent to the sale of the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction. This notice shall also advise the owner of record of his or her right to contest the determination by the Sheriff that the motor vehicle was “abandoned,” as provided in Chapter 630.08 of the Loudoun County Ordinance, by requesting a hearing before the County Administrator in writing. Such written request for a hearing must be made within 15 days of the notice.

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO ZONING ORDINANCE

3, 6, 7, 9, 10 AND 15

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, March 2, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 W. Market Street, Leesburg VA 20176 to consider the following amendments to the Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance (TLZO):

1. Amending TLZO Article 3 to specify an inactivity period for Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications in the Old and Historic Overlay District.

2. Amending TLZO Article 7 to specify an inactivity period for Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) applications in the Gateway Overlay District.

3. Amending TLZO Sec. 3.8 to require additional information for Wall Checks.

4. Amending TLZO Sec. 10.4.4.F to reconcile State Code requirements for Boundary Line Adjustments that result in a Lot Consolidation.

5. Amending TLZO Articles 6 and 9 to include the use “Trade/General Contractor”.

6. Amending TLZO Sec. 9.1.5 to remove the term “Transient Housing” as a prohibited use.

7. Amending TLZO Sec. 10.4.5.C.9 to allow pool covers in lieu of fencing around resident owned pools.

8. Amending TLZO Sec. 15.2.5 to include a size limitation for Temporary Signs.

9. Amending TLZO Sec. 15.3 to create a definition for “Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Sign”.

10. Amending TLZO Sec. 9.4.5 to increase sign area for electric vehicles, and to permit illuminated signage. Copies and additional information regarding each of these proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments are available at the Department of Planning & Zoning located on the 2nd floor of Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market Street, Leesburg VA 20176 during normal business hours (Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or by contacting Michael Watkins, Zoning Administrator, via email at mwatkins@leesburgva.gov, or via telephone at 703-737-7920. This zoning ordinance amendment application is identified as case number TLOA-2022-0010.

At this hearing all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of the Commission at (703) 771-2434, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

2/16/23 & 2/23/23

ABC

LICENSE

Buford’s Biscuits trading as Buford’s Biscuits, 7 W Market St, Leesburg, VA 20176. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Mixed Beverage license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Charles Schech, Owner

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

2/9 & 2/16/23

PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE

The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed proposals electronically via the Commonwealth’s e-procurement website (www.eva.virginia.gov), until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, March 20, 2023, for the following:

RFP NO. 100161-FY23-47 PROCUREMENT SOFTWARE

The Town of Leesburg (the “Town”) is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified firms to provide a procurement software solution in support of the Town’s Procurement Department.

For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard

2/16/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046598-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Chloe Love Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

Shakita Love, Mother; Willie Huff, putative father, and Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold a foster care review hearing and review of foster care plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282 and 16.1-281 for Chloe Love.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Shakita Love, Mother; Willie Huff, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before March 7, 2023 at 2:00pm

&

ATTENTION LOUDOUN COUNTY COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS INCOME AND EXPENSE SURVEYS DUE MARCH 1

To facilitate the establishment of accurate real estate assessments for tax year 2024, as authorized by the Code of Virginia § 58.13294, I am requesting that owners of incomeproducing real estate provide a certified statement of income and expenses for calendar year 2022. This information, which shall be kept confidential in accordance with the Code of Virginia § 58.1-3, will be utilized to determine fair market values for tax assessment purposes. The survey forms are available online at loudoun.gov/income-expense and should be returned to my office by email or regular mail by March 1, 2023.

Commercial property owners are encouraged to review and verify our record of property characteristics online at loudoun.gov/parceldatabase to assist us in ensuring fair and equitable property valuations. For information or filing assistance, please visit loudoun.gov/cor or contact my office at commercialre@loudoun.gov or 703-777-0260.

Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue

Loudoun County

Leesburg Office

1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office Loudoun Tech Center 46000 Center Oak Plaza

MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

Phone: 703-777-0260

Email: commercialre@loudoun.gov

Website: loudoun.gov/cor

2/16 & 2/23/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ044816-03-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Alexander Beers

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

John Beers, putative father and Cathryn Beers, mother

The object of this suit is to hold a permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Alexander Beers.

It is ORDERED that the defendants John Beers, putative father and Cathryn Beers, mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before March 7, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

1/26, 2/2, 2/9 & 2/16

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SETTING TAX RATES ON PERSONAL PROPERTY (SECTION 20-22), VEHICLE LICENSE FEE (SECTION 32-84), MOTOR VEHICLE TAX REDUCTION (SECTION 2025), AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RELIEF (SECTION 20-30) FOR TAX YEAR 2023, AND AMENDING LEESBURG TOWN CODE SECTION 20-30 AND APPENDIX B – FEE SCHEDULE

In accordance with the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, §§ 15.2-1427, 46.2-752, 58.1-3000, 58.13007, 58.1-3503, 58.1-3506, 58.1-3506.1 et. seq., 58.1-3515 and 58.1-3524, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA.

at which time the public shall have the right to present oral and written testimony on the following proposed amendments to the Leesburg Town Code:

• The Town Manager proposes tax rates for personal property (per $100.00 of assessed value) for tax year 2023 to remain unchanged, as follows:

• Aircraft = $0.001

• Motor vehicles = $1.00

• Motor vehicles of eligible elderly and disabled (Town Code Sec. 20-25) = $0.50

• Tangible personal property (excluding public service corporations) = $1.00

• Bank capital = $.80 per $100.00 of the net capital of banks located in the Town.

• The Town Manager proposes personal property tax relief for tax year 2023 under the provisions of the Virginia Personal Property Tax Relief Act and Leesburg Town Code sec. 20-30, as follows: a personal property tax relief rate of 35% shall be applied solely to that portion of the value of each qualifying vehicle that is not in excess of $20,000.

• The Town Manager proposes that the vehicle license fee for tax year 2023 remain unchanged at $25.00 per vehicle.

Copies of the proposed ordinance are available for public examination prior to the public hearing in the office of the Clerk of Council at Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA, during normal business hours. For more information about the ordinance, please contact Clark G. Case, Director of Finance and Administrative Services at 703-771-2720.

Persons requiring reasonable accommodations are requested to contact Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the public hearing. For TTY/TTD services, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 2/16/23;

FY 2024 LOCAL ARTS GRANT FUNDING APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

The Town of Lovettsville is accepting applications for FISCAL YEAR 2024 LOCAL ARTS GRANT FUNDING through WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023. Applications are available on the Town’s website at https://www.lovettsvilleva.gov/fy-2024-local-arts-grant-application/. Applications may be submitted at Town Hall at 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, VA during the hours of 8:30AM4:30PM Monday-Friday or submitted via email to the Town Clerk at clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov. A confirmation email will be sent upon receipt. Questions regarding this application can be addressed to Town Clerk, Lizzy Fontaine, at 540-755-3001.

2/16/23

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Virginia Electric and Power Company (VMRC #2022-2734) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install one aerial fiber optic cable to existing utility poles across North Fork Catoctin Creek at three locations adjacent to Charles Town Pike in Loudoun County.

You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2022-2734) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/comments/. We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within 15 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg 96, Hampton, VA 23651.

2/16/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH

OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ041604-07-00, JJ041604-08-00; JJ043080-04-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Diana Gissel Medina Lainez and Gabriela Medina Lainez Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Jose Medina, Putative Father

The object of this suit is to hold a foster care review hearing and review of foster care plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282 and 16.1-281 for Diana Gissel Medina Lainez and Gabriela Medina Lainez, and; hold a hearing on placement in a qualified residential treatment program pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1281(E) for Diana Gissel Medina Lainez.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Jose Medina, Putative Father appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his interests on or before March 22, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

2/9, 2/16, 2/23 & 3/2/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

Case No. CL-21-6494

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re SOPHIA MARIE CARVAJAL VS. SOPHIA MARIE LOZADA

The object of the suit is to: CHANGE NAME OF MINOR It is ORDERED that Arlene Carvajal appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before March 24, 2023 at 2:00PM.

2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046599-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Briston Love

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

Shakita Love, Mother

The object of this suit is to hold a foster care review hearing and review of foster care plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282 and 16.1-281 for Briston Love

It is ORDERED that the defendant Shakita Love, Mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before March 7, 2023 at 2:00pm

&

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA CODE §§ 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Case No. CL-22-6473

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176

CHRISTINE MICHELLE STRANO RONALD ROCCO MACK

The object of the suit is to: name change for Kylie Kathleen Mack Barbiere

It is ORDERED that Ronald Rocco Mack appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before March 24, 2023 at 10 AM.

2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23/23

2023 TAX EXEMPTION INFORMATION

Pursuant to §58.1-3604 of the Code of Virginia, the Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue has determined that the 2023 aggregate assessed value of all real property exempted from taxation under §§58.1-3607 and 58.1-3608, and Articles 3, 4 and 5 of Chapter 36 of Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia is $9,221,996,370. This aggregate assessed value represents 6.6 percent of all real property assessed in the County.

The total reduction in tax revenues resulting from such exemptions is $82,075,768 based on the maximum proposed tax rate of $0.89 per $100 of assessed value.

Robert S. Wertz, Jr.

Commissioner of the Revenue Loudoun County

Government Center Office

1 Harrison St. SE, 1st Floor, Leesburg

Loudoun Tech Center Office

46000 Center Oak Plaza, Sterling

MAILING ADDRESS:

PO Box 8000, Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

Phone: 703-777-0260

E-mail: realestate@loudoun.gov

Website: www.loudoun.gov/cor

2/16 & 2/23/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ045610-04-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Kelvin Menjivar

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v

Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father

The object of this suit is to hold a permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code § § 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Kelvin Menjivar

It is ORDERED that the defendant Rene Alavarenga Buezo, putative father appear at the above named Court and protect his or her interests on or before March 14, 2023 at 10:00 am. 2/2, 2/9, 2/16 & 2/23/23

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LVCU 2022-0002, APPLICATION FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-2204 and 15.2-2286 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, to consider an application for a Conditional Use Permit filed by One Family Brewing LLC to increase the building setback from Lutheran Church Road beyond the 40-foot maximum setback permitted in the CRA-1 Commercial Residential Annexation zoning district pursuant to Lovettsville Town Code Section 42233(d)(3). The parcel of land that is the subject of this request is identified as Loudoun County Parcel Identification Number (PIN): 371-39-4189 and is 27.07 acres in area. The property is located at 12890 Berlin Turnpike.

All persons desiring to speak will be given the opportunity to do so at this meeting.

Written comments regarding this item can be submitted to clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov by 3:00PM on the day of the meeting. Members of the public may access and participate in this meeting electronically. The proposed Conditional Use Permit is available for review on the Town website at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov/government/planning-commission/ You may also request a copy be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning Director at (540) 822-5788 between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays, holidays excepted. In the event the meeting is postponed, the public hearing will be convened on the next regularly scheduled Town Council Meeting at the same time and place.

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2023 - JUNE 30, 2024

Pursuant to Section 15.2-2506 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chamber, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, at which time the public shall have the right to provide written and oral comments on the proposed budget for fiscal year July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

This budget is prepared for informative and fiscal planning purposes only. Such preparation, publication, and approval shall not be deemed to be an appropriation. No money shall be paid out or become available to be paid out for any contemplated expenditure unless and until there has first been made an annual, semiannual, quarterly, or monthly appropriation for such contemplated expenditure.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE

The Purcellville Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) will hold a public hearing in the Town Council Chambers located at 221 South Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, Virginia on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:00 PM for the purpose of receiving comments on, considering, and possibly voting on the following item:

A Zoning Determination Appeal, identified by the Town as “BZA22-01.” The appeal concerns the use of a 20-acre property located at the southwest corner of the Hirst Road and North Maple Avenue intersection. The property is identified by Loudoun County as Parcel Number 452-25-4468, and is owned by Branko Stupar, Trustee. The property is zoned “CM-1: Local Service Industrial.”

The appeal of Zoning Determination 22-01 is filed by KMG Hauling, Inc. (“KMG”), the contract purchaser of the property.

KMG appeals a zoning determination dated November 21, 2022, which concluded that KMG’s proposed use of the property for the storage and light maintenance of waste hauling equipment and vehicles associated with KMG’s waste hauling business was not permitted in the CM-1 zoning district.

Additional information regarding the zoning determination appeal is available for review at the Purcellville Town Hall, 221 South Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, Virginia from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, holidays excepted.

At this public hearing, all persons desiring to present their views concerning this matter will be heard. Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Town Council Chambers. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation to participate in this meeting as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability, contact the Town Clerk at 540-751-2334; please provide notice of the accommodation at least three days in advance of the meeting.

Eric

PUBLIC NOTICE

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE

Business, Professional and Occupational License tax for 2023 is due on March 1, 2023. Failure to receive a renewal application does not relieve penalty and interest charges.

Elizabeth B. Krens, Treasurer

Town of Middleburg, Virginia

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITATION TO BID ON A NONEXCLUSIVE LEASE/FRANCHISE TO CONSTRUCT, INSTALL, MAINTAIN, EXTEND AND OPERATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ON PROPERTY OWNED BY THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBURG

Notice is hereby given that the Council of the Town of Middleburg, Virginia, a Municipal Corporation of the Commonwealth of Virginia, pursuant to § 15.2-2102 of the Code of Virginia, as amended, and after advertisement required by §§ 15.2-1800 and 15.2-2101 of the Code of Virginia, as amended, and in the mode prescribed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, intends to receive bids and adopt an Ordinance for the lease/franchise of Town-owned property located at 25 Stonewall Court for cellular communications equipment and associated facilities for a term of up to 25 years. Bids shall be in writing and delivered to Council Chambers, Town Office, 10 West Marshall Street, Virginia on Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., local time, in open session of Council, to the Clerk of Council. After the council has had a public hearing concerning such grant of lease, bids shall be opened in public session and marked for identification by the mayor or other presiding officer.

All persons desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting.

Copies of the proposed budget are available on the Town website and are available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. Call 540-822-5788 for more information or visit www.lovettsvilleva.gov. In the event the meeting is cancelled, the public hearing will be convened at the next regular scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

If an acceptable bid is received, the Town Council may adopt an Ordinance to grant nonexclusive use of the Town’s property to the successful bidder. Such Ordinance shall include required terms, such as, monthly lease amount, length of lease, and tenant’s obligations. A copy of the full Ordinance is available at the Town Office, 10 West Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia, from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

The Town reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

Trowbridge Littleton, Mayor Town of Middleburg 2/9 & 2/16/23

Zimmerman, Board of Zoning Appeals Chairman Town of Purcellville

On The Path

We’ve asked several times about the inexplicable push by county government leaders to unionize the public workforce: How will collective bargaining improve services, increase operational efficiencies, or benefit residents and businesses?

While those benefits continue to remain unclear, a new concern is added to the mix.

This week, striking bus workers in a battle with a private contractor amped

up the pressure for county supervisors to intercede on their behalf. Their incentive? A threat to cut off campaign contributions—in an election year no less.

Perhaps it is better to insert this classic image of union bosses wielding power early in the negotiation process. It’ll be one more thing county supervisors and School Board members won’t be able to claim to be surprised about after they’ve committed the government to this path. n

LETTERS to the Editor

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: They say assessments went up 7.5% on average. How did your house rate?

Say No

Editor:

Starting in the 2000’s Loudoun County experienced exponential growth and became the fastest growing county in the U.S.

People moved here not just because the county provided safe neighborhoods, a growing economy, proximity to the metro area, and scenic, rural areas, but also because we had an excellent, nationally known school system.

Due to our expanding tax base, we could afford to offer teachers a better than average salary, and employed teachers that were knowledgeable and creative in order

to develop curriculum and methods that put us light-years ahead of other systems. We did not buy into the federal Core testing program. Instead, we developed our own testing program–the Standards of Learning, with higher standards than those required by the federal government. Loudoun regularly scored as one of the highest districts on those tests. We had administrators from all over the nation visiting us to see what we were doing.

But now our school system is in disarray and known nationally for something other than the quality of our educational system. Yet, surprisingly, our teacher pay has risen, not

diminished. Loudoun teachers are among those who receive the best pay and benefits in the state. In 2022 starting salary for a Loudoun teacher, with only a bachelor’s degree and no experience is $55,611. The median salary in 2022 for teachers across the state is $51,249. Beginning teachers in Loudoun make more than teachers with a minimum of ten to fifteen years’ experience, all without the need for collective bargaining. In fact, the current school board has already approved a salary of $55,889 for beginning teachers in

Norman K. Styer, Publisher and Editor - nstyer@loudounnow.com

ADVERTISING

Susan Styer, Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.com

Tonya Harding, Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.com

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Western Loudoun’s on tap for a rec center. What are the priorities for your neighborhood? Share

PO

Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Vicky Mashaw, Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.com

Public land

continued from page 1

Round Hill Owners Association, which prohibits swimming, wading, diving, and ice skating.

In 2019, the Board of Supervisors bought 106 acres next to the park, which created a contiguous connection to the 199-acre Franklin Park. And once the planned Purcellville to Franklin Park trail is complete, it will only be less than a mile’s walk or ride along West Main Street. to the new Western Loudoun Recreation Center land.

The rec center land reaches from West Main Street to Rt. 7. At the northeast edge of that property, the county plans to build a new interchange with Rt. 690—although that project faces some uncertainty awaiting a decision from the Town of Purcellville—and although that interchange is still in the design phase, it is the county’s practice to build pedestrian and shareduse connections into those kinds of road projects.

That would connect the rec center land to another 226 acres of county-owned land,

LETTERS to the Editor

continued from page 36

the coming school year.

One teacher told Loudoun Now: “Collective bargaining is not all about the money.” She needs to review her history. Collective bargaining was a movement started by workers to force private business tycoons to provide better salaries and working conditions for workers. This was achieved by strikes, sabotage, and violence. Loudoun County is not a private business, but a publicly funded service paid for the taxpayers of Loudoun County. Nor does it need coercing, as evidenced by the currently proposed budget.

However, that teacher is correct concerning one thing: it “is not about the money.” History shows that once in place collective bargaining moves on to control other aspects. At risk is hiring, transportation, curriculum, special services, etc. The list goes on and on. Once you open the door to collective bargaining, community control is gone.

It is also expensive. Loudoun Now reported that Acting Superintendent Smith stated that schools need an additional $3.5 million and 14 full time staff

which on the north side hosts Woodgrove High School and to the south is the site of plans—also facing roadblocks from the town—for the Fields Farm Park sports complex and Western Loudoun park-andride lot.

It amounts to just shy of 710 acres from the banks of Sleeter Lake to the Woodgrove High School stadium, count-

to implement collective bargaining, $3.5 million dollars more in taxpayer money that could be better spent in student services.

Currently, Virginia is a right-to-work state, but political pressure makes it difficult for elected leaders to say “no” when unions constitute many votes and campaign contributions. I sincerely hope the residents of Loudoun pressure the School Board to cancel the collective bargaining initiative.

— Karen LaBell, Lovettsville

PLAs Work

Editor:

Your Feb. 8 article, “Loudoun County to Look for Gov’t Procurement Disparities,” fails to provide a complete picture of project labor agreements, portraying them as an unfamiliar and unknown tool in the construction industry.

In fact, PLAs are widely used in our region, including in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. The tried-andtrue tool is used to make construction projects more efficient, to help ensure that workers on projects are highly trained and skilled, to discourage unscrupulous contractors and to safeguard taxpayer funds. And, crucially, PLAs are used to set requirements for hiring of mi-

ing smaller parcels such as 2.6 acres the county acquired toward those interchange plans, and four town-owned acres near Woodgrove High School where the Town of Purcellville plans a water tank and possibly its new police station. That doesn’t count the state-owned roads.

“It’s a big deal for western Loudoun, but it’s also a big deal for all of Loudoun

nority and women workers and contractors, as well as of local residents.

One need only look to the construction of the Dulles Metro Rail to see a fuller picture. The project’s first phase was completed safely and within schedule and budget. That phase was built with a PLA. For the second phase, a PLA was not used. That phase was finally completed years behind schedule, millions of dollars over budget, and with construction defects that put the safety of metro riders at risk, resulting in huge cost overruns to fix the shoddy work.

In short, PLAs work—wherever they’re used, including in Loudoun County.

County because it will be open to whoever wants to come out here and use it,” Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) said. “So it’s just one more great parks and recreation amenity that’s available to anybody in Loudoun County, and really folks outside Loudoun County as well.”

It’s also not the county’s only recent move to vastly expand its park land—in northwestern Loudoun, the county and its partners recently finished the years-long project to donate land to the state for the future Sweet Run State Park, around 884 acres.

“When we were looking at updating the comp plan during the last term, one of the biggest things we heard from folk who provided input into the process was that they wanted more parks and open space, recreation centers and things like that,” Buffington said.

Supervisors on Feb. 7 voted to buy the 143 acres for the Western Loudoun Recreation Center for $6.9 million from JK Moving founder Chuck Kuhn. The deal will go through a due diligence period, with closing likely set for the summer. The land, which includes both open space and farmland, is assessed at $1.8 million. n

the desegregation of the Purcellville Library in 1957.

— Dennis Cotter, Middleburg

Trickle Down

Editor:

The Republican anti-individual-rights disease has trickled down from Washington to Richmond and Leesburg.

— Dennis Martire, Vice President, Regional Manager,

A Place to Start

Editor:

LiUNA

Perhaps the schools-renaming people could move Emerick Elementary up to the top of the list?

This school is named after Oscar Emerick who was a prominent figure in the 1950s trying to deny public library services to black people.

It would be so much better to name the school after Samuel and Josie Murray, the brave Purcellville couple who forced

The Loudoun County Electoral Board has decided to eliminate a few hours of early voting on a Sunday, enacted two years ago, after board membership changed from two Democrats and one Republican to two Republicans and one Democrat. The only reason for such a change is a mean-spirited determination to allow as few citizens as possible to cast their votes, since more votes usually means more Democratic votes.

People need to be aware of how their choices have consequences. This change in board membership is a direct legal result of the governorship being won by a Republican in 2021.

New Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the GOP response to the State of the Union address that the choice is no longer between the right and the left, but between normal and crazy. How right you are, Sarah—but in reverse.

— Michael Fruitman, Asbhurn

Loudoun Now

A map depicting the 143 acres Loudoun County supervisors are planning to buy just west of Purcellville town limits for a new Western Loudoun Recreation Center.

Western Rec Center

continued from page 1

everybody no matter what part of western Loudoun you live in.”

And, he pointed out, it’s much more land than the county needs for the rec center. That could give the county government options for other amenities on that site, particularly as it struggles to get Purcellville government approvals on road projects, the Fields Farm Park sports complex and a western Loudoun parkand-ride inside the town limits. Buffington on raised the possibility of a new Purcellville-area library, a project listed in the county’s construction plan but without a specific budget or timeline yet.

The idea of a Western Loudoun Recreational Center had been talked about for years but was formally put into the county’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Master Plan in 2021, according to Loudoun County Parks Recreation and Community Services Communications Manager Kraig Troxell. The project was then accelerated by the Board of Supervisors during the fiscal year 2022 Capital Improvement Program development process. And Buffington noted projects in the CIP “are only aspirational until you actually have a site.”

Now with a site picked out, plans can go forward on building the center.

Troxell said bidding and pre-construction are slated for 2025, and it should take 30-36 months before the center will be opened to the public.

Overcrowding at county pools long has been a concern, according to several high school swim coaches. Not only are they competing with 17 other high school teams for lanes, but also club teams and people swimming for exercise.

Woodgrove High School Head Swim

Coach Tami Carlow said the biggest problems facing her team during swim season, which runs from November through February, are late night practices and an inadequate pool facility where they practice twice a week.

Each high school team is given three hours of practice time a week at pools because of space limitations, according to Loudoun County Public Schools Assistant Director of Athletics Derek Farrey.

Farrey schedules the teams’ practice times based on pool availability and location. High school teams can have up to 25 girls and 25 boys.

School teams practice at the Town of Leesburg’s 10-lane Ida Lee Park Recreation Center pool, the county-owned Claude Moore Recreation and Community Center and Dulles South Recreation and

Community Center, which both have 25yard by 50-meter competition pools, 10 lanes, a moveable bulkhead and starting blocks; and the county’s Round Hill Aquatic Center, the only such pool in western Loudoun, which has four 25-yard lanes, is 4.5 feet deep and limited to 54 people.

“The current pool that we have in western Loudoun County is ridiculous, in my opinion, and I don’t even consider it a swim facility. So, this swimming facility that would go at our Western Loudoun Rec Center would be no different than any other rec centers in the county,” Buffington said.

Two teams have arranged to use private pools. Broad Run High School swims at The Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion and Riverside High School swims at the Lansdowne on the Potomac pool.

Meets can start as late as 9 p.m. because of the limited availability of pools. Woodgrove High Schools’ practices at Ida Lee start at 9:30 p.m. And several high school coaches said pools can’t accommodate morning practices because they reserve that time for club teams and lap swimmers.

“It’s frustrating to go to Dulles South and Claude Moore and they have an Olympic-sized pool and double the amount of lanes, and they are trying to cram all the western Loudoun and Leesburg teams into Ida Lee and it just doesn’t seem to work,” Heidi Adair, the mother of a Heritage High School swimmer, said.

Woodgrove and Loudoun Valley also share practice time at the Round Hill Aquatic Center. The center, which many argue is inadequate, was built through a 1991 proffer from Oak Hill properties, according to Troxell.

an earlier practice time, but no starting blocks.

“Not having blocks is a big hinderance. A huge chunk of most high school teams do clubs, so they are getting block time, but for a kid that is not swimming yearround, they have no block practice and it throws them off, especially for freshman who have never done it before,” Riverside High School Coach Joel Getis said. “It can be intimidating and a fear they have to get over quickly.”

For students swimming with a school and club team, the late-night practices mean a quick turn around and little sleep before they are back in the pool the next morning, some as early at 4 a.m. Webb said one of his swimmers wakes up at 3:45 a.m. to get to club practice in Fairfax.

“The pool is incredibly small; we’re trying to fit 40-50 people in this pool. It’s very shallow so we can’t dive, and we only have four lanes,” Carlow said. “There are not enough facilities to accommodate what we need to do for swim teams.”

She also said because of the depth of the water swimmers often can’t do proper flip turns and scrape their knees on the bottom of the pool. Carlow said the number of lanes and how they have to place swimmers in those lanes based on their speed—often cramming 10 or more swimmers in a lane—makes it hard to practice.

“It hurts both ends of the spectrum. The fast person is always catching up to someone and the other people are always getting caught up to,” she said.

Independence High School swim coach Ryan Webb agreed.

“There aren’t equitable facilities. The reason [some teams] get strong throughout the season is because they have more lanes to work with and they can work off intervals that work with that lane specifically,” Webb said.

Webb, whose team practices at the Dulles South Recreation Center, said busy pools also often have poor air quality because of chlorine and the constant flow of people that the air circulation can never balance out. He said he’s had many swimmers on an inhaler because of respiratory issues.

“If someone had a few million dollars and were willing to spend it on a good pool facility, they would get their money back in two or three years,” he said.

All events at swim meets, with the exception of backstroke, dive off of starting blocks to start a race. The Riverside High School swim team practices at Lansdowne, where they have more lanes and

Getis, who previously coached at Tuscarora and had late practices, said the mix of early and late practices isn’t a healthy environment for kids and can lead to them getting sick or hurt. He said it can also impact whether a kid chooses to swim for the high school.

“For sure this county would thrive off more facilities. These kids want to be better and be the best in the state. The area is known to provide a lot of great athletes, having greater accessibility of pools would be huge,” Webb said.

“We need more pool facilities. Loudoun County is a pretty strong swimming area. Lots of kids do it. Most teams are cramming 10-13 kids in a lane during practice and only getting four lanes, and it’s not efficient, then limited practice time on top of that,” Getis said. He said more facilities, especially in western Loudoun, would help grow the swimming program.

“We have very good teams and swimmers around here, but Loudoun County high schools don’t win state championships. There hasn’t been one since the Riverside girls team won in 2017,” Getis said.

The announcement of plans for a pool facility in western Loudoun and now a location is exciting, but Carlow said it’s still a long time to wait before its up and running.

Webb said opening one new facility, like the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center expected to open in summer of 2025, might alleviate some crowding at the other pools like a domino effect but said “western Loudoun one thousand percent needs a pool facility. It will make the county flourish even more.”

“It would be amazing to go to swim practice right after school and be home at a decent time,” Webb said.

Supervisors on Feb. 7 voted to pursue the land purchase 8-0-1, Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) absent. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Woodgrove High School swimmers in crowded lanes at practice. Space is limited making lanes crowded and it difficult for swimmers to finish a set at the wall.

Assault report

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up?” before the board recessed for 15 minutes.

The release of the report has been a topic during public comment sessions at several board meetings, including Tuesday night when people from both sides of the political aisle spoke up and asked for it to be released. Leesburg Town Council member Todd Cimino-Johnson asked for the report to be released at the end of his comments supporting collective bargaining.

Additionally, the Board of Supervisors have sent letters to the School Board asking them to release the report over the past two months.

“There is not only intense public interest, but intense interest on the Board of

Mekarski resigns

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of County Administrators.

In 2017, Anzivino stepped in as Purcellville’s interim town manager after the departure of former interim town manager Alex Vanegas, who was fired amid a management and town council scandal.

After 24-year Town Manager Rob W. Lohr Jr. stepped down in 2017 amid friction with some council members, the council appointed Vanegas, then the Public Works director, to serve as interim town manager over Assistant Town Manager Danny Davis. Davis also left the town shortly after.

Anzivino served for four months until Mekarski started as town manager. And most recently, Anzivino consulted with the town on its staffing needs and on way to overcome friction between council and staff.

Once again, he will seek to bring stability to the town government as council members in recent months have publicly bickered over whether to hold special election for one of its seats, stalled county road and park projects, and frequently berated staffers and each other during meetings.

Since their departures, Lohr has been an in-demand contractor for other towns, and after a stint in the private sector Davis serves at the town manager of Middleburg. n

Supervisors as to just how these incidents were able to occur, how Loudoun County Public Schools administration has addressed the cracks in the system, and how the public can have confidence that systems have been changed to a degree that incidents like this will be prevented in the future,” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) wrote in the first of two letters. “Until the public has access to the findings of your internal report, it will be difficult to restore confidence in LCPS and turn the page from this unconscionable episode.”

Serotkin and Mahedavi defended the School Board’s decision to keep it entirely secret in a letter back claiming attorney client privilege.

“Customarily, such reports, when prepared by attorneys under those circumstances, would remain attorney-

Special election

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and Mary “Boo” Bennett, but did not get enough votes for a seat on the council.

Under that motion, the majority stated Rise would serve in the seat for the remaining two years of the term, as permitted by a clause in the town charter. However that action ran contrary to the advice provided by Town Attorney Sally Hankins since December that a special election in November was required by state law.

Special elections to fill town council seats are not uncommon, as members of town councils move out of town, win election to other offices or simply step down.

During a Jan. 24 meeting when the council was expected to request the special election, Milan and Vice Mayor Christopher Bertuat announced that a member of the Virginia Municipal League had advised them an election was not necessary and the council voted 4-2-1, with Rise abstaining and Williams and Rayner opposed, to send a letter to the Circuit Court that the position had been filled and to not request a special election.

After that meeting, letters obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request showed that VML General Counsel Roger Wiley had a week earlier, on Jan. 17, emailed Milan advising him state code requires a special election, despite differing language in town charter. That email was not disclosed publicly or shared with all council members or the town staff before the vote.

“Under the state code section, which is

client privileged. Waiving the privilege by releasing the report in some form or another raises complex issues beyond just the contents of the report itself and would have implications for ongoing or future legal matters involving the school division and its employees,” they said.

A second letter from the county board, this time signed by eight of nine supervisors, dismissed that argument.

“As we both know — or should know — ‘attorney-client’ privilege belongs to the client and not the attorney. Any client at any time can waive the privilege. It’s important to point that out before going any further. Any claim of or allusion to a failure to release this report on this basis should be accurately framed as a choice and not a requirement,” the letter reads.

And they reiterated that the School Board could release a redacted report, and wrote waiving the attorney-client

controlling, the town council may make an interim appointment, but that appointment only lasts until a special eviction [sic] can be held to choose a permanent replacement. I don’t believe, therefore that the council can simply make the interim appointment for the entire two years remaining on your council term,” Wiley wrote. “Instead, the council will need to ask your circuit court to schedule a special election to fill the council seat for the remainder of the term.”

Hankins also had written a confidential memo to the council advising them that failure to request a special election could be found as failure to carry out a duty, potentially exposing members to a misdemeanor criminal charge.

Rayner and Williams who said they support holding the special election filed a Writ of Mandamus against Milan, Luke, Bennett, and Bertaut on Feb. 3 seeking a Circuit Court judge to order the council to act in accordance with the law.

The issue returned to the Town Council agenda Tuesday night, with Hankins again urging the council to request the special election. “My advice remains to correct the mistake,” Hankins said.

She noted that the Town Council and each of the individual members would be responsible for retaining legal counsel for the court proceedings because she would have to recuse herself, and the town’s insurance company had declined to defend the case.

“They are interpreting this as a willful action against the law,” she said.

Milan and Bertaut said they talked with other attorneys who supported their position because of ambiguity over whether

privilege is done in a case-by-case basis, rather than creating a precedent. They again urged releasing either the full report with redactions or an executive summary.

“Anything less will leave the public and—frankly the Board of Supervisors— with grave concerns,” they wrote.

Former Leesburg District school board member Beth Barts expressed anger over the decision.

“For decades protecting the system was the role of a part-time school board member. In 2019 a group of Democrats ran on changing that mindset and putting the needs of their constituents first,” she said. “Tonight, that same group, with the exception of the at-large member, chose to protect the system instead of the students, families and potential future victims.” n

the town charter or state code provisions would apply. Under questioning Milan did not name that attorney.

Hankins said there was no ambiguity.

The matter appeared headed for court until Milan called a recess in the meeting. When the council reconvened, Rise, who had abstained from previous discussions on the matter, made the motion to request a special election.

“I have consistently tried to stay as neutral as possible,” he said. “I felt that anything I could say one way or the other could be used. I think it’s time that I make a brief statement. I am so humbled and appreciative of those council members that have stood behind me even in the face of such scrutiny. I took this appointment to serve the people of Purcellville, I never wanted this to dominate the conversation.”

The motion carried unanimously, although Bertaut said he was voting “under protest.”

The debate highlighted the continuing tensions among council members.

Milan said he was disappointed in the action taken by Rayner and Williams adding, “but I am not surprised.”

Williams said she took the action because she did not want to be charged with a crime.

Milan said the lawsuit was part of a bigger conspiracy.

“This idea that the council is doing things illegal is erroneous,” Milan said. “This is false. There is a second town council: the formal one you see here, and those that are working in the shadows to manipulate staff into doing what they’ve decided.” n

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