n LOUDOUN
Pg. 5 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 6, NO. 17
Pg. 8 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
Pg. 11 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 24 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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MARCH 25, 2021
Supervisors Cut Back Prosecutor’s Budget Request BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
crosshairs of they are criticizing. The publication last week of a report by conservative news site The Daily Wire detailed the efforts by participants in a closed Facebook group, which includes
County supervisors have dramatically cut back proposed increases in the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj—and frozen all increases until she signs an agreement with the county extending Loudoun’s personnel, procurement, payroll and human resources systems to the office. Although Biberaj, as a constitutional officer, is an elected official who does not answer to the Board of Supervisors, the majority of her office’s budget comes from the board. Biberaj, who began her first term in January 2020, has been pushing for increases in staffing since partway through the year, and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget included 12 new positions and more than $1.6 million in additional funding and for the office. But county supervisors pared that back by eight positions and $1.1 million after two sometimes-contentious exchanges during budget work sessions. And Biberaj will get none of the remaining increase until she signs the cooperative agreement common to constitutional officers, extending services like payroll and procurement to the office and county human resources policies to its employees.
BOARD UNDER FIRE continues on page 26
BUDGET REQUEST continues on page 34
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
Loudoun Parents for Education Spokesman Ian Prior talks outside of the School Administration building March 23 during a press conference in which the group announced plans to attempt to recall six School Board members.
As Students Return to Classrooms, School Board Again Under Fire BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@louduonnow.coom
For a year, Loudoun’s School Board meeting room has been a battleground for parents pushing for students to return to the classroom, as division leaders were
paralyzed by often conflicting guidance provided by local administrators and state and federal authorities. Just as schools appear to be on a road to a full return, a new fight has erupted, with some of those same parents remaining on the frontlines—and perhaps in the
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County Officials Urge Against Spring Break, Holiday Travel LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
As the county is gearing up vaccinations for an expanded group of essential workers, the Health Department also is urging residents to avoid non-essential travel, particularly for spring break and upcoming holidays, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and limit the potential to bring variant forms of the coronavirus back into the community. “While we have been vaccinating more and more people each week, we are also starting to see another increase in the number of COVID-19 cases reported over the past couple of weeks,” Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend said. “The pandemic is not over yet, and I strongly urge families and young adults to stay home for Kara C. Rodriguez/Loudoun Now
Inova Loudoun Hospital’s child life team includes nurses Emily Phipps, Meghan Kenison, Cami Frickman, and, inarguably the hospital’s most popular staff member, a six-year-old Golden Retriever named Jeremiah.
SPRING BREAK continues on page 21
Inova’s Child Life Team: Here for All Patients BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ krodriguez@loudounnow.com
More than a dozen years into Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Child Life program, the nurses and furry friend that make up the hospital’s current team have seen their mission evolve, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses Emily Phipps, Meghan Kenison and Cami Frickman all took different paths before deciding to be child life specialists. Phipps was already studying psychology and child development in college, so the marriage was perfect. Kenison and Frickman were turned on to their career path after already deciding to pursue nursing and then seeing the opportunity to work more closely with children experiencing challenges as too good to pass up. Every March hospitals nationwide celebrate Child Life Month, in recognition of their nursing team devoted to normalizing the hospital experience for children, and bringing comfort to hospitalized kids and their families. In 2017, the Child Life team at Inova Loudoun added perhaps the hospital’s most popular staff member—a now sixyear-old Golden Retriever named Jere-
miah, who lives with Dr. Jill McCabe, the medical director of the pediatric emergency room and hospitalist services. Jeremiah works about 24 hours a week, and is always led by a child life specialist. While his bread and butter is comforting children, in the past year he has become equally as essential to the hospital’s staff as it navigates the COVID-19 pandemic. “He’s a good morale booster,” Frickman said. Frickman recalls one day in particular in the past year that was particularly tough for the hospital’s respiratory therapist team, perhaps one of the most tested groups working on the front lines of the pandemic. A few pets and hugs with Jeremiah brought smiles and comfort in a difficult time. “He works his magic without words,” Frickman said. While things at the hospital had to change as the pandemic took hold last spring, Jeremiah only went about a month without being able to see patients. The Child Life team, however, stayed just as busy, and saw some of their own duties evolve. Frickman acknowledged that hospitals, already scary places for some children, became even more intimidating for some during the pandemic, as doctors, nurses and staff had to don more PPE to protect
themselves. Child Life nurses did their best to make light of those changes, comparing their construction hat-esque headwear to Bob the Builder or other cartoon figures. The Child Life team has also had to use expand its toolbox to help with bereavement support for children and their families. In the past year, that meant having sometimes more video calls as opposed to in-person support, though they admit the latter is the preferred method. The Child Life nurses now make the rounds through the emergency and pediatric departments, as well as radiology, the ICU, and bereavement support. A big misnomer of the Child Life program is that their duties extend only to hospitalized children when, in fact, the nurses provide comfort and support to entire families. This can mean working with children whose parents, grandparents or other loved ones are hospitalized or in end-of-life care. The nurses can also provide support to youth or teens in the hospital awaiting placement at a mental health facility. The Child Life team began assembling coping kits with shampoo, soap and hygiene products, stress balls and coloring books, along CHILD LIFE TEAM continues on page 21
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
A nurse administers a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a Vaccine Equity Pilot Program at the First Baptist Church of Sterling on Saturday.
Clergy Lead Effort to Expand Vaccine Access BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
A special outreach project is tapping Loudoun’s interfaith leaders to ensure COVID-19 vaccines reach the county’s minority communities. On Saturday, residents lined up at two historically Black churches in Sterling to VACCINE ACCESS continues on page 21
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Traffic goes by the Old Lucketts Store.
County Supervisors Advance Rt. 15 Widening Plans BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
The Board of Supervisors has launched the next phase of Rt. 15 work, with plans to widen the road between Montresor Road and the village of Lucketts and install safety improvements in the corridor north to the Point of Rocks bridge. But construction won’t start anytime soon. The first step will be the amend the Countywide Transportation Plan, part of the county’s comprehensive plan. That planning process is expected to take 10 months. County transportation planners are proposing several projects on the road: widening the road to four lanes with a median north to Lucketts; adding turn lanes and shoulders from Montresor Road to near the village of Lucketts; building a bypass around the village; connecting Limestone School Road and Montresor Road at one roundabout with Rt. 15; aligning Newvalley Church Road and Spinks Ferry Road at another roundabout; expanding the road to a two-lane divided road north of the village to Saint Clair Lane; and widening the road shoulders from St. Clair Lane to the Point of Rocks bridge. Those plans are already controversial among some people who are worried that will harm the rural nature of the road and divert business away from Lucketts stores. “I do believe that all these businesses along there will be able to survive, and I actually think will be able to do much bet-
ter, if we do a good job in engineering this,” said Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin). Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) disagreed, and pointed out the previous Catoctin District supervisor, Geary M. Higgins, was skeptical of that kind of work as well. And he wondered how building a bypass around the village would bring business in. “Let’s do roundabouts where needed. Let’s talk less about traffic signals on these rural roads where roundabouts could be the solution,” Buffington said. “Let’s talk more about improving these shoulders for fire safety as needed, but let’s talk less about widening these major historic roadways out in rural western Loudoun to four lanes and doing bypasses. I doubt the village wants a bypass.” But Buffington was the only supervisor to oppose beginning a county comprehensive plan amendment to allow for that work. Supervisors last week voted 8-1 to move forward with the initiative, with Buffington opposed. “This just starts the process of the [comprehensive plan amendment],” Kershner said. “We’ll have lots of public input. I think with that public input well be able to make lots of improvements.” County planners expect to begin public outreach and solicit feedback from April to June, and go through the legislative review process, including public hearings at the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, from June to December. n
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MARCH 25, 2021
American Rescue Plan Staves Off Metro Cuts; Loudoun Opening Delayed Again BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles), the Loudoun County and Virginia’s representative on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors, told his colleagues on the county board March 16 that the latest COVID-19 stimulus bill, the American Rescue Plan, has staved off dramatic cuts for Metrorail. The transit agency had been looking at making deep cuts to personnel and service as it struggles to right itself and balance its budget. But Letourneau said that while the details of the bill’s impact on Metro are still being worked out, it looks like possibilities like closing some stations and further extending waits between trains will be off the table. Those had been talked about for January 2022, and the closures could have included the Loudoun Gateway station near the intersection of the Dulles Greenway and Old Ox Road. Letourneau said the agency would likely continue at its current, approximately 80 percent, service level, into 2022. However, Metro is also facing further delays.
Supervisors Endorse Resident Curator Proposal BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
Loudoun County supervisors have taken another step toward a program that could let people live in, maintain and curate county-owned historic properties. Supervisors voted 8-0-1 on March 10, with County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large) absent, to adopt a local ordinance allowing that program. Next, the staff will work with the county’s Heritage Commission to develop program guidelines and bring them back for another board vote. “We still have more work to do on this,” said Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge), who first proposed the program in July 2019. “I look forward to that. Anyone who wants to be part of that, there will be a public process as always.” Piedmont Environmental Council
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
The Silver Line at Dulles International Airport.
He also said the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which is building the Silver Line extension into Loudoun, now expects substantial completion of the project around Labor Day, although the handoff to Metro will happen sometime later. But with that project still working through a variety of probrepresentative Evan McCarthy applauded the program during the board’s March 10 public hearing. “This cooperation and collaboration will ensure that historic properties are maintained and provide educational opportunities for Loudoun visitor and residents alike,” McCarthy said. The new program will give the county a way to preserve and maintain publicly owned historic properties by leasing them to qualified parties with an agreement to manage, preserve, maintain, and operate them. That could include allowing the public to visit the properties. Applicants to the program would have to demonstrate their financial ability to meet their responsibilities, as well as submit an acceptable work plan. The county government owns a number of historic structures, including the E.E. Lake General Store in Bluemont and the Carver School in Purcellville, which have both been renovated, along with others that need work, such as the Old Arcola School. n
lems with the construction, that assumes all those issues have been resolved by then. Metro had planned on opening the Silver Line extension sometime this year, but Letourneau said he’s been told that the extension into Loudoun is now not expected to begin service until 2022. The
County Raises Electric Vehicle Charging Fees BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
As Loudoun County prepares to open parking garages at the Silver Line Metro stops, supervisors have set the additional fee that electric vehicles owners will pay to park at charging stations at $2.10 per session. That is an increase over the $1.44 per session cost established in 2011 for the Harmony Park & Ride in Hamilton, currently the only county government-owned parking with electric vehicle charging stations. At the time, the fee was meant to defray the cost of operating and powering those stations. County staff members have indicated that price is no longer enough to cover those costs. Thirty more charging stations will be installed at the two county-owned Metro parking garages, which will also charge for parking when the Silver Line starts service in Loudoun, prompting a new assessment of that price. Vice Chair
Metro staff has told the Metro board they expect to open that track in the first quarter of 2022, possibly February. Letourneau represents Virginia as a principal director on the Metro board, the first person from Loudoun to do so. He was appointed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. n Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) urged his colleagues to provide those charging stations without any additional fee, but the majority of supervisors voted to impose charges. “You’re frankly going to have the same people using this over and over again in all likelihood, given commuting patterns, so I wouldn’t want those same relatively few individuals to benefit from this,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). “It is standard practice on the commercial side to charge for electricity.” He also said he didn’t want to be in the position of doing away with the charging station fee, then later having to reinstitute it as more and more electric vehicles begin using the stations and costs grow. “I don’t think we should pay for other people’s parking, unless someone wants to pay for my gas,” said County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large). Supervisors on March 16 voted 8-1 to establish the fee, with Saines opposed. n
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
PAGE 7
County Expands Clean Energy Financing Program to Residential Projects BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
Loudoun County supervisors have adopted local ordinances to allow Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program financing to cover residential and stormwater projects. Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, loans allow low-cost financing of clean energy, water-saving or energy-sav-
ing, allowing for a longer loan period compared to typical commercial loans. The property owner’s loan is secured by a lien against the property and may be repaid over a period of decades. No local government lending is involved; instead, the program enables third-party lenders by allowing for the lien, and the county contracts with the Virginia PACE Authority to administer the program. Supervisors approved the first PACE legislation in 2019, but only allowed loans
to cover commercial projects. At that time, Loudoun was one of the first localities in Virginia to allow the program. With a vote March 16, supervisors expanded the county’s enabling legislation to cover residential projects with five or more units and stormwater management projects. According to a county staff report, Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) pushed the expansion as local contractors and the Virginia PACE Authority have
told the county government expanding the program would increase participation. More expansions are coming; supervisors also directed county staff members to prepare more ordinance changes to reflect changes to state code this year that also allow retroactive financing for projects for up to two years previous. Supervisors approved the measure unanimously. n
Courthouse Construction Milestone Celebrated BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com
Although it is still more than a year from completion, county and town leaders gathered Monday to mark a milestone in the construction of a new District Court building. Elected leaders, judges, public employees and construction company representatives gathered to hold a topping out ceremony, signing their names to the last structural steel beam that will be installed on the structure. Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Deputy Director Bruce Johnston said it would be attached sometime in the next week. “It really was where enslaved people were sold. It really is sometimes where people’s hardest days are spent, in these courthouses,” said County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large). “There’s also the days when people get married, and adoptions are settled, and all kinds of things, so the courthouse is really the heart of a city or a town. […] So much happens in there that is heartbreaking, and so much happens in there that is heartwarming.” The $100 million, 92,000-square-foot Loudoun County District Courthouse is expected to be complete in 2023, as part of a larger project to renovate and expand the courts complex and parking in downtown Leesburg. Mayor Kelly Burk said that while it makes sense some government offices to be located in other areas of the county, it was significant that the courts remain in Leesburg. “While there are and should be satellites around Loudoun, this represents a relationship between the town and the county and courts, which is really very important,” she said. n
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MARCH 25, 2021
Leesburg
Leesburg Council Adopts $134M Budget, 18.4-Cent Tax Rate BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ krodriguez@loudounnow.com
By the time the final vote was cast on Leesburg’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget, council members did not deviate much from the budget document originally presented by Town Manager Kaj Dentler. The council voted Tuesday to adopt a budget just under $134 million, comprising $65.4 million in the General Fund, $43.6M in the Utilities Fund, and $25 million in the Capital Fund out of which the town’s Six-Year Capital Improvements Program is funded. The Fiscal Year 2022 CIP includes 33 capital projects. The adopted 18.4-cent real estate tax rate is the same as the current rate, and the same rate proposed by Dentler. Despite the level tax rate, a more than 8% increase in residential assessments means Leesburg taxpayers should expect to see slightly higher tax bills, between $4 and $7 monthly increases, depending on housing type. The council was looking at a slightly higher tax rate of 18.44 cents per $100 of assessed value entering Tuesday’s meet-
ing. Monday night, in a non-binding straw vote, the council supported a proposal by Mayor Kelly Burk to add $37,000 into the General Fund for new holiday decorations targeted for the downtown area. Burk said that the holiday decorations are a real draw for visitors to the downtown area during the holiday season, and said she believed more will be eager to visit this year as the town comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to budget adoption Tuesday, however, Councilwoman Suzanne Fox advocated moving forward with a staff suggestion to use $37,000 from the current fiscal year’s budget, which Dentler said could be absorbed using vacancy savings from fiscal year 2021. That would mean the decorations would be purchased ahead of the end of the fiscal year, June 30, Dentler said. The council unanimously supported that change. On Monday the council also added $60,000 back into the General Fund, with those funds eyed for improvements to the Loudoun Museum. The $60,000 line item was initially proposed by Dentler to use for leasing office space for the mayor and council members, but a council majori-
ty instead favored utilizing office space within Town Hall. With some town staff likely moving to Loudoun Museum’s log cabin, a town-owned property, to make way for the council, Dentler said the lease with the museum will need to be tweaked. Museum staff have already discussed needed improvements to the museum’s main building on Loudoun Street, including upgrades to the HV/AC system and bathrooms. Fox found support for adding the $60,000 back into the General Fund as a placeholder for museum improvements, though the total cost of upgrades is not yet known. A year following the stateside arrival of the pandemic, Tuesday’s finalized budget document came after a year of belt tightening at Town Hall to combat declining government revenues, with consumer taxes, parks and recreation fees, and the town’s investment income hit particularly hard. The town has been operating with a $5.2 million deficit in the current fiscal year, but Dentler has expressed confidence that the deficit will be closed by the end of the fiscal year. As part of the budget deliberations, Dentler and finance staff also advocated for the
Sheetz Opens Second Leesburg Location You will soon be able to get your Shmagel at a new spot in Leesburg. Sheetz announced the opening of its second Leesburg location this Thursday. The new store is located at 601 California Drive NE, on the corner of Battlefield Parkway and Fort Evans Road. As part of the grand opening, Sheetz is donating $2,500 to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, a partner of Feeding America. The food bank meals to more than 115,000 individuals each month in 25 Virginia counties through a network of more than 200 food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, churches and other nonprofit groups. Additionally, Sheetz is donating $2,500 to the Special Olympics of Virginia. As a supporter of Special Olympics for over 25 years, Sheetz provides financial contributions, product donations and event volunteers.
creation of a revenue stabilization fund, which the council can utilize if revenues are not sufficient to cover expenses. Dentler emphasized throughout the budget process that the Fiscal Year 2022 budget contains no growth, and only gets the town back to where it was preCOVID. The only new additions to the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2022 are an additional $300,000 for emergency response and snow removal, and the continuation of the King Street outdoor dining promotion through 10 months of the year, at a little more than $177,000. While many have expressed confidence that the economy will rebound, Dentler has urged the council to consider how to plan, and pay for, current and future needs of the commonwealth’s largest town, including additional lane miles to pave and maintain; a larger population and more households to serve; dozens of staff positions still frozen or vacant; and many maintenance projects deferred to close the deficit. The tax rate, budget and CIP adoption were all approved unanimously. n
Yard Waste Collection Resuming in April
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Northeast Leesburg is getting its second Sheetz store with the March 25 opening of the newest location on California Drive.
The Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain operates 618 locations across Virginia, Pennsylvania, North
Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland, with all locations open 24/7, 365 days a year. n
Beginning Monday, April 5, Patriot Disposal Services will begin weekly collection of yard waste for those living within the corporate limits of the Town of Leesburg. Yard waste is picked up on Mondays. A maximum of 10 biodegradable paper bags, or 10 properly marked trash cans, will be picked up at each home per week. There are no exceptions. Yard waste is limited to grass clippings, leaves, weeds and small twigs and must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day of collection. Yard waste must be in biodegradable paper bags or in cans clearly marked as yard waste. The Town of Leesburg will provide residents with free “Yard Waste” stickers. Residents may request stickers by calling 703-771-2790 or emailing trash@leesburgva.gov. Yard waste may not be placed in plastic bags or boxes, and should not be mixed with trash or recycling. No dirt, mulch, root balls, rocks or sod will be collected. For more information, go to leesburgva.gov/yardwaste. n
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
PAGE 9
Town of Hillsboro Traffic-Calming & Pedestrian Safety Project
ReThink9: Powering Into the Homestretch 19th-Century Hillsboro Welcomes 21st-Century Utilities
Hillsboro circa 1900, with public water spigot at left. Below, sanitary sewer mains and laterals installed for the Town’s new wastewater system.
For its first 268 years, the only thing under Hillsboro’s “main street,” Charles Town Pike, besides soil and rock was a small iron pipe dating from the 19th century, that faithfully carried water to residents from the Short Hill Mountain’s Hill Tom Spring a half a mile north. Three culverts carved under the road in the 20th century helped direct deluges of stormwater flowing from the mountain into North Fork Catoctin Creek. In its 269th year, under the same narrow path, well established before 1776, is now buried the most modern of 21st-century utilities, delivering services and Hillsboro 2020, as installation of a amenities, built from scratch and to last another century. new water main begins, delivering
What’s Going on Down Under
Deep below the “wet” utilities is buried a massive, concrete-encased Dominion electric cable duct bank, connecting miles of conduit to carry electrical trunk lines to a series of deep manhole vaults, each distributing power to transformers and then into a crisscrossing web of service laterals under Charles Town Pike. Atop the electric duct bank are Verizon conduits carrying copper cables to handholes and splice boxes from which another web of laterals and service conduit reach each Hillsboro residence and carry fiber cables through Town to points west. Hillsboro has also installed its own conduits, laterals and connection boxes to provide broadband access to each address, and the Town’s streetlight poles are linked by miles of Above: The bottom half of one of seven electric vaults buried conduits and laterals to power its LED state-of-the-art, dark-sky deep under Charles Town Pike. Below: Verizon, Dominon and compliant lighting system. Town conduit splice boxes and Hillsboro streetlight controls set
Through a “build it all at once” strategic approach that has maximized efficiencies and productivity, leveraged resources, ensured worker, resident and motorist safety and—most important—the hard work of skilled laborers and craftsmen, machine operators, engineers and designer, an intricate and artfully crafted mosaic will soon be revealed. The authentic 19th-century village will reappear, it’s modernity muted by use of context-sensitive and appropriate materials, attention to details, the removal of overhead utilities, extensive landscaping and restoration of the historic tree canopy. What will be less visible, of course, is the innovative engineering, design and toil that took place below the surface that made it possible.
With miles of duct banks and conduits buried deep below Rt. 9, Dominion and Verizon are mobilized to install cables
safe drinking water and ending a two-decade-long Boil Water Order.
Alongside the brand new drinking water main (raw and treated) and dozens of laterals, meter boxes and service lines, is buried a new sanitary sewer system, comprised of miles of low-pressure force mains, laterals and service connections. The new drinking water source, treatment, storage facility and delivery system has freed Hillsboro from a twodecade long boil water order. The municipal sanitary sewer system, upon completion of a treatment facility in March 2022, will avert a looming public health and environmental crisis and provide opportunity for new economic activity. And buried above and beneath drinking water and sewer lines is a stormwater management system comprised of massive drainpipes, catch basins and outfalls, fed by street gutters and storm sewer inlets.
The Final Phase—Ahead of Schedule
RETHINK9 MILESTONES
With all buried cables energized, utililty poles come down and street surface work finished.
into place. All utility poles and overhead lines will be removed.
A worker pulls cables into a pedestal to power up one of the Hillsboro’s 40 new, dark-sky compliant streetlights.
For the latest project updates, visit ReThink9.com
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
PAGE 10
MARCH 25, 2021
Public Safety
Child Pornography Investigation Leads to Conviction of New York Man
Jury Acquits 1 Man Charged in Stabbing BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com
A jury March 11 found Tyrell Jefferson not guilty of two felonies stemming from a hotel stabbing six months ago that left a man in the ICU. Shortly before midnight on Sept. 1, 2020, investigators say, Lawrence Terry Charles was stabbed by at least two men five Jefferson times in the fourth-floor hallway of the Hyatt Place in Sterling. According to an affidavit filed by Sheriff ’s Office Det. Sean McCormack, Charles was talking with a woman named Nicole Robinson in his hotel room before he stepped out into the hallway to get ice, at which point he was stabbed. After being found, Charles was taken to the hospital and placed on a ventilator. Using security footage appearing to show Jefferson, Robinson and James and Daren Burr leaving the hotel following the attack, the Sheriff ’s Office
charged Jefferson and both Burrs with felony aggravated malicious wounding and felony malicious wounding by a mob. It also charged them with aggravated malicious wounding. Following a three-day trial for Jefferson’s case, a unanimous jury on March 11 found Jefferson, 37, not guilty on both felony charges. Probable motives for the crime, according to case documents, include revenge and robbery; McCormack said Charles told him that $700 was missing from his hotel room following the attack, and, according to the Sept. 8, 2020 criminal complaint, the stabbing was “arranged by Nicole Robinson as a retaliation to the victim.” But in January, prosecutors agreed to not prosecute Robinson’s felony aggravated malicious wounding charge. According to a document filed in General District Court by Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Phillips, Robinson cooperated with the investigation. James Burr still faces a March 31 to April 6 jury trial and Daren Burr faces an April 19-27 jury trial. n
An investigation initiated by the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office into allegations of child pornography will result in a 15- to 50-year prison sentence for a New York man come June. Matthew Holland, 29 of Newark, NY, pleaded guilty last week in federal district court to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 50 years. He will be sentence by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, in the Western District of New York on June 17. The charges follow an investigation handled by the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office that led to the discovery of dozens of victims in New York. The investigation began when one of Holland’s victims in Loudoun reported to authorities that Holland had coerced her into sending sexually explicit photographs and videos. The investigation found that Holland, who was formerly employed as a teaching assistant in the Newark Central School District and as a teacher at the Canandaigua YMCA, engaged in a series of child exploitation and child pornography crimes between 2016 and 2020. Those crimes included posing as a 14- to 16-year-old and using a Snapchat account to coerce minors to produce child pornography via social media; surreptitiously recording minors in states of undress in their homes, at a YMCA, and at his Newark photography studio; and downloading hundreds of images and videos of pre-existing child pornography from the internet. n
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MARCH 25, 2021
PAGE 11
Education
Schools Plan Expansion to 4 Days of In-person Learning BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
Loudoun County Public Schools administrators announced last week that hybrid learning students will switch to four days of in-person learning starting April 20. Students who opted to continue distance learning when schools began re-opening during the second semester will be required to continue on that track. Only about one-third of students selected the hybrid program, which currently offers two days in the classroom each week. According to information provided by the school division as part of the announcement, the parent choices made in November will be binding for the remainder of the school year. Administrators cite space limitations, scheduling challenges and teacher assignments as reasons for not allowing more students to opt-in to the expanded program.
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Classroom desks will be moving a bit closer together this month as Loudoun schools expand in-person learning to four days per week.
However, exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis when space is available. Students receiving special education or English learner services, students who do not have internet access at home, and those who are below grade level or are in
danger of failing, or have been identified by the staff as needing additional support will be given priority for those available seats. Families seeking to switch into hybrid learning should contact their school be-
tween April 5 and April 9, with decisions to be made by April 14. Schools will continue to employ COVID-19 mitigation measures, including the requirement for all students, staff and visitors to wear face coverings. However, the schools, for the first time, will be reducing the distance between students to as little as 3 feet from nose to nose. That reduced spacing is based on the latest guidance from the Virginia Department of Education and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which previously listed a 6-foot separation recommendation. Under the school division’s policy, in-person learning could be suspended for individual classes or entire schools if outbreaks of the virus occur. Since returning to in-person classes last month, only one outbreak has been reported. That was at Independence High School and traced to students who traveled together to a cheerleading competition in Richmond.n
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MARCH 25, 2021
SCHOOL notebook Community Foundation Scholarship Deadline Friday
If you value quality local journalism ... Tell them you saw it in Loudoun Now.
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The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties serves as stewards for multiple scholarships funds, each with unique requirements that range from choice of study, to specific high-school attendance, to those seeking vocational career training. However, the application window is quickly closing. The deadline is Friday, March 26. Interested applicants may download the foundation’s universal application form, as well as a listing of all available scholarships at communityfoundationlf.org/students/. Applicants must complete the form for each scholarship. For more information, email scholarships@communityfoundationlf.org or call 703-779-3505 ext. 1.
Little Tree Huggers School Eyes Next Expansion In celebration of Earth Day, Little Tree Huggers, a Leesburg-based 501c3 nonprofit, is hosting an Earth Day Art Gallery
the weekend of April 24 to help benefit expansion efforts. The showcased art will reflect the school’s mission in preserving the natural world. The art will be auctioned in a hybrid, in person and virtual format. Tickets are available at littletreehuggers.org. Little Tree Huggers is a bilingual, earth-centered education initiative dedicated to breaking down the barriers of sustainability. The school is looking to expand to a 32-acre tract behind its current facility to be used as a wildlife habitat and environmental education and arts center, serving upwards of 60 children. For more information, contact Jake Mazzoccoli at j.mazzoccoli@littletreehuggers.org.
Shaffer Named Schools to Watch Director River Bend Middle School Principal David E. Shaffer has been named as the director of Virginia Schools to Watch. The program is sponsored by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, the Virginia Middle School As-
sociation and the Virginia Department of Education. Schools to Watch recognizes academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational strucShaffer tures and processes in middle level education. Virginia joined the Schools to Watch program in 2003. Loudoun County is the only school division in the commonwealth to have all 15 of its eligible middle schools receive the Schools to Watch designation. Brambleton and Willard middle schools are not yet eligible. River Bend’s principal since 2014, Shaffer received bachelor’s degrees from Cedarville University in sports management and health and physical education. He received his master’s degree in educational leadership from Shenandoah University. Shaffer is a doctoral candidate in educational leadership and policy studies at Virginia Tech.
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PAGE 13
Northam OKs Return of In-person Graduations; Loudoun Schedule Set BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
With last week’s announcement by Gov. Ralph Northam that schools would be allowed to hold in-person commencement events this spring, Loudoun leaders have rolled out a high school graduation schedule. The ceremonies, planned on the campus of each high school between June 4 and June 17, may be the first concrete example of school life returning to a sense of normalcy. Only the Academies of Loudoun will hold its graduation virtually, under the current plans. Northam is scheduled to formally lay out the parameters for the gatherings April 1. Loudoun school leaders were already exploring options to hold graduations at the high school stadiums. That move was necessitated in part because the venue used by many of the county’s schools for their ceremonies, EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, has been repurposed as a COVID-19 vaccination site and has canceled its graduation contracts. According to the governor’s initial announcement, graduation events may be held outdoors with up to 5,000 people or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less. Indoor graduations would be capped at 500 people, or 30% of the venue capacity, whichever is less. Attendees would be required to wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines. Last June, Loudoun’s high school graduates receive their diplomas in individual ceremonies held at their schools scheduled over the course of several weeks. n
Here is the proposed graduation schedule, with each ceremony except the Academies, to be held on the school’s campus: ACADEMIES OF LOUDOUN,
Monday, June 7, 7 p.m. virtual BRIAR WOODS HIGH SCHOOL,
Thursday, June 17, 2 p.m. BROAD RUN HIGH SCHOOL,
DOUGLASS SCHOOL, Friday, June 4, 10 a.m.
LOUDOUN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL,
RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL,
Thursday, June 17, 8 a.m.
Thursday, June 17, 9 a.m.
FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL,
LOUDOUN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL,
ROCK RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL,
Saturday, June 12, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 12, 9 a.m.
HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL,
PARK VIEW HIGH SCHOOL,
Wednesday, June 16, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 12, 2 p.m.
INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL,
POTOMAC FALLS HIGH SCHOOL,
Wednesday, June 16, 9 a.m.
Thursday, June 17, 9 a.m.
Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m.
WOODGROVE HIGH SCHOOL,
Thursday, June 17, 6 p.m. STONE BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL,
Friday, June 11, 7 p.m. TUSCARORA HIGH SCHOOL,
Thursday, June 17, 8 a.m.
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LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
Nonprofit
Hanley Energy Donates Cereal, Truck to Loudoun Hunger Relief BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
Irish-headquartered Hanley Energy celebrated its roots in both Ireland and Loudoun on St. Patrick’s Day by delivering a box truck loaded with more than 5,000 pounds of breakfast cereal to Loudoun Hunger Relief—and then throwing in the truck as well. The donation marked both the holiday and the company’s five-year anniversary of establishing its flagship American operation in Ashburn, where it serves the energy needs of manufacturers and the data center industry. Both the food and the truck will come as welcome help as the nonprofit has seen its work skyrocket over the past year, said Loudoun Hunger Relief President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery. “Hanley has been really a remarkable partner to us in the last year, beginning with a spontaneous visit that [Hanley Energey CEO] Clive [Gilmore] made to our parking lot last August when we looked crazy and wild and things were crazy,” Montgomery said. “But he wanted to come see for himself the kind of work that was going on here, so in addition to the support that they’ve given to us financially, they’ve provided extras along the way.” That also included a matching grant
LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Loudoun Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer, Loudoun Hunger Board of Directors President Carole Barbe, Loudoun Hunger President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery, Loudoun Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), and Hanley Energy CEO Clive Gilmore stand with a donated truck and truckload of cereal March 17, 2021.
during last Tuesday’s Give Choose day of charitable giving. County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) pointed to the important role of nonprofits like Loudoun Hunger Relief in helping people through the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their partners in the for-profit business world. She remembered the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Loudoun just over a year ago, when many people suddenly found
themselves out of work as businesses were forced to suddenly close to the public. “We saw the needs for our nonprofits go up, and we saw the donations to our nonprofits go down. We saw that almost immediately,” Randall said. “And so what we learned right away was the village had to get really big, really very quickly, and the village for us were our businesses. And HANLEY continues on page 15
HeroHomes Secures Property for Next Project BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com
Work by Purcellville-based HeroHomes to build a new home for a combat-injured Marine veteran and his family got a boost last week with the purchase of lot near Round Hill for the nonprofit’s next construction project. Earlier plans were to build a house for Jimmy and Pat Ochan on Yatton Road south of town, but a delay with approvals there required a pivot. With the help of Realtor Bob Caines, HeroHomes purchased another lot on Williams Gap Road north of Round Hill. The landowners agreed to a discounted price and
Give Choose Raises $805K
Caines reduced his commission to complete the deal. The Ochans grew up in Uganda, then ruled by Idi Amin. Jimmy escaped to the United States as a 14-year-old refugee. He enrolled in high school, became a U.S. citizen and was attending college in Washington, DC, at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He enlisted in the Marine Corps three days later. He was deployed three times, twice to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and once to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During his deployment in Iraq, Ochan’s unit was hit by an IED blast and he sustained injuries that required several surgeries. The inju-
ries left him with TBI/PTSD, migraines, back pain and knee problems. He medically retired from the military in 2015 after 11 years of service and later returned to complete his college work, earning a degree in criminal justice. Through the all-volunteer construction effort supported the donations of many area business, the home should be complete next year. The Ochans already have met some of their future neighbors as Caine and HeroHomes co-founder Mark Lowers live just down the road from the property. For more information about the organization, go to herohomesloudoun.org. n
Contributors to the 2021 Give Choose campaign set a new record for charitable donations March 16, contributing more than $805,000 to 122 nonprofits serving Loudoun County. The annual one-day giving campaign, organized by the Community Foundation of Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, targets organizations that address a wide variety of community needs. Loudoun Hunger Relief, the county’s largest food pantry, was the top fundraiser, clearing $60,000. “GiveChoose was an amazing community wide effort to support a wide range of nonprofits doing great work. Loudoun Hunger Relief is extremely grateful for the help our GiveChoose campaign represents for those who need food,” said Loudoun Hunger President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery. “We are equally grateful to be among so many nonprofits keeping other aspects of our community going through these difficult times.” Friends of Homeless Animals, a no-kill shelter near Aldie, was second, with more than $42,000. Middleburg music therapy center A Place to Be collected just over $37,000 to place third on the campaign leaderboard. Twenty-nine charities received donations of $10,000 or more. Last year, the campaign generated donations totaling $620,000. Since its inception in 2014, the event has raised more than $2.6 million for Loudoun nonprofits. n
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
PAGE 15
Microsoft Grant Helps Expand Bee Population at JK Community Farm A new hotel has been constructed in western Loudoun. It won’t do much for wedding guests, but it will boost pollination at the JK Community Farm. With a grant from Microsoft, farm volunteers built the 6-foot by 6-foot bee hotel, which provides a special nesting site to draw more species of bees to help with pollinating. The next step in the project is to look for a mud door covering the entrance—evidence that the first guests have checked in. The hotel, which joins several other
hives on the property, will be a part of the farm’s food education nature walk offered to students who tour the farm to learn about food production. The nonprofit JK Community Farm is located on 150 acres and, using volunteer support, grows more than 50 varieties of vegetables, fruits, protein and herbs without the use of chemicals. The produce is donated to area food pantries. Learn more about the farm at jkcommunityfarm.org. n
Volunteers Josh Powers, left, and Nathan Hughes pose by the new bee hotel they installed at JK Community Farm south of Round Hill.
Contributed
Hanley continued from page 14 our businesses jumped right in and started working with our nonprofits, and Hanley Energy was one of the first businesses that did that.” The March 17 ceremony also included a video message from the Irish Ambassador to the United States, Daniel Mulhall. “It’s a fitting way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their arrival in the United States, and it’s even more fitting that that should happen on Saint Patrick’s Day 2021, when, unfortunately, we’re having to celebrate in a virtual environment,” Mulhall said. “I applaud your passion, your dedication, your selflessness and your energy to do the greater good in this community,” Hanley Energy CEO Clive Gilmore told Loudoun Hunger Relief. “I’m also reassured that Hanley Energy’s monetary support thus far has assisted Loudoun Hunger Relief to purchase up to $70,000 of food each month.” Loudoun Hunger Relief is serving between 800 and 1,000 families each week directly, in addition to also providing food through partner organizations. In part because of those partnerships, such as serving as the central distribution service for JK Community Farm, Loudoun Hunger has had to expand its fleet of vehicles. Loudoun Hunger also uses around 900 boxes of cereal each week through regular service. The donation of cereal will help the nonprofit provide each family with cereal during March and April. In 2020, Loudoun Hunger provided 2.6 million pounds of food to people in need in Loudoun. Gilmore closed with a quote from Irish poet Oscar Wilde: “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” n
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MARCH 25, 2021
Business
Google Announces $600M Expansion in Loudoun LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
Google has announced it will invest $600 million in expanding its data center footprint in Loudoun, according to the Loudoun Department of Economic Development, adding to its $1.2 billion investment in Loudoun so far. “I’m thankful to Google for choosing to do business in Loudoun,” stated Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge). “Their investment is mutually beneficial as it helps keep taxes low for our residents while ensuring a high quality of life for their employees. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership.” Google arrived in Loudoun in 2019 and has two data centers in the county, as well as office space in Reston, where it will take over an additional floor of Reston Station. In 2020, Google supported the purchase of hot spots and devices to ensure more students had access to virtual learning during the pandemic, and supported programs to provide teachers with best practices for remote classroom instruction. The Loudoun expansion is part of Google’s plans to invest more across the country. “I believe a lasting economic recovery will come from local communities, and the people and small businesses that give them life. Google wants to be a part of that recovery. That’s why we plan to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the U.S. and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the U.S. this year,” stated Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet. n
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Top Level Engineering, a Sterling-based structural engineering firm, is celebrating its five-year anniversary, doubling in size since its founding in 2016 by Kirby Hartle. “From our humble beginnings in my basement, our company has grown, survived a pandemic, and moved to a space we helped build,” Hartle said. “We are thriving, grateful and poised for additional growth.” Prior to starting TLE, Hartle spent more than 20 years working for several large engineering firms in the Washington, DC, area. Before starting his own business, the Virginia Tech civil engineering grad designed exhibits for clients like The Smithsonian Institution and worked overseas in Asia. As the workload continued to increase, Hartle added more professional engineers and moved out of his basement and into a commercial workspace in 2018. Surviving the pandemic despite an initial slowdown in projects, TLE was able to retain staff, add another engineer, and plans to hire more team members in the coming months.
Kirby Hartle
Top Level works with customers throughout the DC region, designing commercial, retail, recreational, federal and local government, multi-family residential, mixed-use, data centers and BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS continues on page 17
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
Announcements continued from page 16
office buildings. The company also provides structural assessments and designs structures such as concrete and masonry retaining walls, pre-engineered building foundations, site and utility structures and equipment supports.
Greenstreet Earns Equity Interest in Kalani Richard Greenstreet, president of Leesburg-based Kalani Consulting, Inc., has earned partial ownership of the company. The fast-growing HUBZone firm is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business providing information technology services to the federal government. Under the leadership of Greenstreet, and majority owner Duane Nathaniel, Kalani Consulting’s FY 2020 revenue grew by 300%. Greenstreet joined Kalani Consulting in 2019 with 35 years of experience in government consulting, working for companies including Chenega, Price Waterhouse Coopers, CSRA, NCI, Inc., and Oracle Corporation.
Bertram to Lead Telos’ Global Sales Telos Corporation announced that Troy M. Bertram has joined the company as a vice president to lead global enterprise sales teams across state and local governments, education, regulated industries and
PAGE 17
commercial business verticals. Bertram brings more than 25 years of experience from government and transformative technology companies to the Ashburn-based company. Bertram “Troy’s extensive experience working in business development, sales and industry partnerships will prove invaluable as we increase the momentum in our commercial and regulated industry business,” said CEO and Chairman John B. Wood. “He will be instrumental in further developing our global business and channel strategy.” Bertram joins Telos from Saildrone, where he served as chief revenue officer. He previously held a general manager position at Amazon Web Services, where he built global business development and partner channel teams that supported enterprise, government, education and nonprofit customers around the world. Before joining AWS in 2013 Bertram spent more than a decade at Dell Technologies building and leading sales, services, operations, merger and acquisition and business development teams. Bertram is a veteran of the U.S. Army where he served as a communications officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. He earned an MBA from Saint Edwards University and a BS in Business and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota.
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PAGE 18
MARCH 25, 2021
Our Towns
TOWN notes HAMILTON Town Installs Exercise Equipment in Park The Town of Hamilton has installed exercise equipment for adolescents and adults in the community park. The equipment includes a sit-up station, a joint use pull-up bar station and a step-up fitness station. Learn more and view photos of the equipment at hamiltonva.gov/public-notice.
HILLSBORO Town Thanks Businesses for Feeding Road Work Crews
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
Rt. 9 through Hillsboro will reopen to east and westbound traffic at a limited capacity beginning March 30.
Hillsboro Plans Limited Reopening of Rt. 9 Starting Tuesday town from midnight to 9 a.m. and again from 2 p.m. until 9 o’clock the following Monday morning. The road will remain closed Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide utility crews safer work zones to complete the installation of miles of buried power and communications cables and to remove all overhead cables and utility poles in town. That work is being coordinated by CES Consulting. The town has also announced there will be no need for a formerly planned 30-day full road closure this spring. Mayor Roger Vance credited that to the “extraordinary
BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com
Come April, drivers accustomed to cutting through Hillsboro along Rt. 9 won’t experience as many headaches when routing their trips. Town leaders are planning to reopen the highway through town to limited two-way traffic beginning March 30. On Saturdays and Sundays, east and westbound traffic will be allowed through the town at all times. From Monday to Thursday, traffic will be allowed to cut through town from midnight to 9 a.m. and from 6 in the evening to 9 a.m. the following day. On Fridays, traffic will be allowed to cut through
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
The east end roundabout in Hillsboro.
RT. 9 REOPENING continues on page 20
Hillsboro town leaders recently thanked the various businesses that have contributed food to feed the engineering and construction crews working on the town’s $14.3 million Rt. 9 road project since March 2020. Those businesses include the Stoneybrook Farm Market, Andy’s Pizza of Lovettsville, the Hill Tom Market, Andy’s Market in The Gap, Fieldstone Farm B&B Inn, the Virginia Picnic Basket Company, It’s A Peace of Cake, Dinner Belles Kitchen Cupboard, Archer Western Corp. and Volkert Engineering. Last week, the town treated crews to a traditional St. Patrick’s Day lunch of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots, served up by the Stoneybrook Farm Market.
LOVETTSVILLE Kids Invited to Town Green to Visit with Easter Bunny Area children are invited to visit the Town of Lovettsville’s Walker Pavilion on the Town Green March 31 to take a photo with the Easter bunny and pick up a pre-filled Easter basket. Pre-registration is required to secure a 5-minute time slot at the event. Each Easter basket costs $5. For more information, call the Lovettsville Community Center at 540-822-5284 or go to loudoun.gov/1686/LovettsTOWN NOTES continues on page 20
MARCH 25, 2021
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Mekarski Proposes $19M FY22 Budget with Utility Rate Hikes BY PATRICK SZABO
pszabo@loudounnow.com
While Purcellville businesses could soon pay more equitable fees for the water they use, it’s looking like residents should expect to pay more for water, after years of stagnant rates. Town Manager David Mekarski presented his proposed $18.6 million Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget to the Town Council during a virtual meeting last Wednesday. That proposed budget features a stabilized real estate tax and Fireman’s Field Tax District rate, along with a 3% increase in water rates and a 5% hike in sewer rates. Those utility rate increases come after years of urging from town consultants and advisors who have cited a need for the town to shore up its shrinking utility funds. Mekarski said the proposed rate hikes are consistent with recommendations made by Stantec, the town’s utility rate consultant, and Davenport & Co., the town’s financial advisor. They also go hand-in-hand with a move away from the town’s traditional 17tier rate system by switching to a four-tier system designed to reduce water fees for commercial businesses that use large amounts of water. The water fund, which Mekarski has proposed to be 11% down from FY 2021, features a $270,000 drop in availability fee revenue. The sewer fund, which he has proposed at 12% less than FY 2021, features a $227,000 drop in availability fee revenue. Mekarski cautioned the Town Council to keep an eye on those shrinking revenues in the years to come, as fewer developments are built and hooked up to the town’s utility system. In the General Fund, Mekarski proposed to keep the real estate tax rate steady at 22 cents per $100 of assessed value. He noted that because residential property assessments grew by 5.7% over last year, the average residential tax bill should go up by about $55. He also pointed out that commercial assessments are down by 5.9%. Mekarski also proposed to maintain 85 full-time equivalent positions within the town staff, and to increase operating expenditures by 3% to provide staffers with salary increases. Councilman Stanley Milan said the town should be “a little sensitive with that” because “a lot of our citizens have lost jobs.”
Town of Purcellville
The breakdown of Purcellville residents’ tax dollars put to work in the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
“We have to show that the merit for increasing the staff ’s or management’s salary when the citizens are not feeling the benefit of their salaries increasing,” he said. Mekarski pointed out that half of the town staff continues to work from home
while the other half are deemed frontline workers. Mekarski thanked all staff members for their work to keep the town operational through the pandemic. “I want to say thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your ded-
ication, your commitment to place the delivery of services to our citizens first even above the needs and challenges of your PURCELLVILLE BUDGET continues on page 20
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Rt. 9 reopening continued from page 18 collaboration, creativity and quality commitments” of town leaders, Volkert engineers and Archer Western Corp. crews. The limited reopening will follow 56 weeks of work on the town’s $14.3 million traffic calming project, which is seeing Archer Western crews install two roundabouts on each end of town, bury utility lines under the road and install sidewalks, parking bays and retaining walls. Since the project began March 4, 2020, town leaders and work crews closed the highway through town to all traffic for 104 consecutive days, from May 4 to Aug. 15 last year. During that full closure, crews were able to install a new water main and complete more work than what was originally planned in that time. Now, town leaders have announced the infrastructure and traffic-calming aspects of the project should wrap up in May. But those will be followed by other infrastructure projects, like the extension of drinking water mains, sewer mains and town communications conduits under four other roads in town, in addition to three multimodal trails and the construction of the town’s new postal kiosk at the historic Lawson-Goodrich House. Vance said the new wastewater treatment plant should be completed by March 2022. For updates on the road project, go to ReThink9.com. n
Purcellville budget continued from page 19 own families,” he said. Mekarski’s proposed budget also comes with a proposed $3.8 million Capital Improvement Program. Mekarski noted that although the CIP is up by 134% over FY 2021 across all funds, the expenditures are largely offset by state, county and private-sector funds totaling $1.2 million from VDOT, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, Loudoun County CIP grants and developer proffers. Within the proposed CIP is $2.3 million set aside for improvements to the
TOWN notes
continued from page 18 ville-Community-Center. The Easter bunny will also visit kids in their neighborhoods, and will leave the community center at 11 a.m. Friday, April 2 to drive through Lakeview Village, New Town Meadows, Kingsridge Estates, Lovettsville Town Center, Heritage Highlands, South Loudoun Street, South Locust Street and Frye Court. Look at the route at facebook.com/Lovettsville-Community-Center.
MIDDLEBURG Community Center to Host Kids’ Soccer Programs Happy Feet Soccer will begin playing at the Middleburg Community Center on April 10. Kids ages 4-6 will play from 9-9:55 a.m. each Saturday from April 10 to June 5 and kids ages 2-3 will play from 10-10:30 a.m. each Saturday during those same eight weeks. Registration fees for the older group is $140 and $130 for the younger group. Learn more by calling 703-966-2195, going to happyfeetsoccernova.com or emailing info@happyfeetnova.com.
Spring Arts Exhibit Planned Artists in Middleburg will host a “Spring is in the Air!” juried exhibit from April 17 to May 16. Artists looking to submit work to the exhibit should do so before 5 p.m. April 2. All mediums are accepted, including painting, drawing, pastel, sculpture, mixed media and photography. Entry Hirst Reservoir and costs associated with the cast iron water main replacement. Both improvements will be financed through a 40-year, low interest USDA loan. Mekarski said his team plans to close out the FY 2021 budget on June 30 with revenue exceeding expenditures, as the town has done every year. That FY 2021 budget was adopted by the Town Council in two separate installments. In June 2020, the council adopted a $4.8 million operating budget accounting solely for the first quarter of FY 2021 to alleviate the need to hold too many public meetings during the state of emergency amid the pandemic and because there was
costs are $45 for non-AiM members and $30 for members. Artists will be notified by April 7 or before. AiM will award the Anita Baarns Award, $200, for best in show. To apply and for more information, go to theartistsinmiddleburg.org.
PURCELLVILLE Town to Host First Nonprofit Expo The Purcellville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board is planning the town’s first Non-Profit Expo this spring and is inviting organizations to participate. The event will be held virtually and will highlight up to 20 nonprofits that serve town residents. They can include civic, sports, arts, scouts, and more. The event will be a chance for the organizations to share information about their operations and solicit involvement from residents via recorded videos. Nonprofits interested in participating should apply by April 5 at purcellvilleva. gov/984/Purcellville-Non-Profit-Expo. The final videos will be available to view on April 24 on the Purcellville non-Profit Expo page of the town website and on the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Facebook page at facebook.com/ PurcellvilleParksandRec.
Town Offers Tree Planting Workshop March 25 The Purcellville Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee will host a free virtual workshop on planting trees at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 25. Jordan Herring, the senior area forester with the Virginia Department of Forestnot enough data at the time to accurately predict the pandemic’s economic impact on the town, according to the town staff. In September, the council adopted a $14.7 million operating budget for quarters 2-4. More than a year since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Kwasi Fraser said he felt the town is recovering well. The Town Council will next discuss Mekarski’s proposed FY 2022 budget March 24. On April 13, a public hearing will be held and the council will tentatively adopt property tax rates. The council is expected to adopt the full budget by June 16. n
MARCH 25, 2021
ry, will lead the workshop and will teach participants how to determine the best locations to plant trees, identify the species that are most appropriate for the space available, and plant trees so they thrive. Register for the workshop at signupgenius.com/go/5080e4baeac28a4fa7-howtoplant. The workshop is part of a project for which the town received grant funding from the Virginia Department of Forestry. The town will host two additional workshops about trees throughout the year, in addition to tree plantings at the Suzanne R. Kane Nature Preserve.
Franklin Park to Host 2 Musical Performances The Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center will host a musical performance this Saturday, March 27 and Tuesday, March 30. Tom Teasley will perform at 5 p.m. March 27. He will perform using more than a dozen instruments and end with a talk about the creative process and his experiences traveling and collaborating with musicians in the Middle East as a cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State. Guitarist William Feasley will perform March 30 and showcase music from the CD he is recording, “Diferencias,” which features music from the Spanish renaissance to Bach and Tarrega. Feasley will also play several pieces inspired by artwork from Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Both programs are 45 minutes in length. Seating is limited to 50 people. Tickets are $15 per person in-person and $8 for virtual tickets. Learn more at franklinparkartscenter.org.
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
Town Manager David Mekarski.
MARCH 25, 2021
Spring break continued from page 3 spring break, avoid crowds of people and continue practicing critical prevention measures.” An investigation of a recent COVID-19 outbreak suggested that news of vaccination efforts and the arrival of warmer weather have resulted in more people becoming less concerned about maintaining social distancing, avoiding crowds and complying with quarantine recommendations, according to the Health Department. In addition, health officials warn, the more Loudoun residents travel to areas where more highly contagious variant COVID-19 cases are spreading, the greater the potential that they will bring those variants back to Loudoun. Loudoun is reporting about 85 new cases per day and last week COVID-related hospitalizations began to increase, ending the sharp decline that has been ongoing since January. On Friday, the Health Department expanded the selection of residents eligible to receive vaccines, to include all essential workers in the Phase 1b category. According to the tally posted by the county government, now there are more than 100,000 qualified residents on the waiting list. Loudoun has not yet extended eligibility to the final priority group, 1c, although some Virginia localities have moved on to that list. After the 1a, 1b and 1c groups have been vaccinated, the program is expected to open in May to all res-
Vaccine access continued from page 3 receive their first inoculations. By the end of the day, some 800 people were expected to receive shots at First Baptist Church of Sterling and the Oak Grove Baptist Church. On April 4, another 1,000 doses are planned to be administered at the ADAMS Center mosque in Sterling. The program is a joint effort of the Loudoun NAACP, religious leaders, the county Health Department and Medspack Pharmacy. NAACP President Michelle C. Thomas, who is the pastor of Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries in Lansdowne, said the virus has had a disproportionate impact on people of color, who are more likely to end up in the hospital or to suffer fatal consequences from the disease.
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
In addition to the vaccination effort, Loudoun is continuing to offer free, drive-through COVID-19 testing events. Beginning March 30, testing events will be held on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at a different location each week: MARCH 30: Franklin Park, 17501 Franklin Park Drive, Purcellville
APRIL 20: Dulles South Recreation &
Community Center, 24950 Riding Center Drive, South Riding
APRIL 6: Philip A. Bolen Memorial APRIL 27: Ray Muth Sr. Memorial Park, 42405 Claudia Drive, Leesburg Park, 20971 Marblehead Drive, Ashburn APRIL 13: Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac Falls
To help reduce wait times, people who plan to attend the testing events are encouraged to complete a registration form for each person who will be receiving a test prior to arriving at the testing site. The form is available at loudoun.gov/COVID19testing. idents age 16 and older. As of Tuesday, nearly 125,000 vaccine doses have been administered to Loudoun residents, with more than 43,000 fully vaccinated. “We have made significant progress on vaccinating members of the current priority groups and we are beginning to see consistent increases in supplies of vaccine, which makes this expansion possible now,” Goodfriend said of the 1b expansion. “This expansion will enable us to vaccinate more members of our community in the coming weeks as the pace of vaccination also increases. We will continue to prioritize our over-65 population and our 16-64 populations with underlying medical conditions, as well as other 1a and 1b groups as they sign up.” The Phase 1b list of essential workers
includes police, fire and hazmat personnel; corrections and homeless shelter workers; childcare and PreK-12 teachers and staff, both public and private; food and agriculture workers, including veterinarians; manufacturing workers; grocery store workers; public transit workers; mail carriers, both U.S. Postal Service and private carriers; officials needed to maintain continuity of government, including judges and public-facing judicial workers; clergy and faith leaders; and janitorial and cleaning staff. Anyone who has not yet submitted a pre-registration form for a COVID-19 vaccine may do so online at vaccinate.virginia.gov. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may call 1-877-VAXIN-VA, or 1-877-829-4682. n
“What we have to do is have vaccine access and make sure we’re creating opportunities for people of color to have access to vaccines,” she said. While Thomas acknowledged that there may be some veracity in reports of vaccine hesitancy, she said, “the greatest issue in the African-American community is access to vaccines. We are 50% more likely to be hospitalized and 50% more likely to die and 50% less likely to get a vaccine.” Bishop Leslie Patterson, of First Baptist Church of Sterling, agreed. “The reluctance sometimes is the misunderstanding that there is a distinction between faith and science. There is no conflict in the faith community with faith and science,” Patterson said. “We clearly understand that everything may have complications but the biggest complication for our community is, as Pastor Mi-
chelle said, the lack of access.” “Vaccines are just the start of the things the interfaith community in Loudoun County are going to be doing,” he said. “Everyone has to do their part. Today, the clergy community stands in solidarity—the interfaith community of Loudoun stands together in solidarity—to say we’re ready to do our part. We’re ready to vaccinate those members of our congregations who are underrepresented. We see you. We understand you. We buried your loved ones and we want to be the ones to bring those solutions to our community,” Thomas said. In Loudoun County, 58% of the 922 COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization were Latinx, Black or Asian. Those communities comprise 32% of the county’s 263 COVID-related deaths, according to the Virginia Department of Health. n
PAGE 21
Child Life team continued from page 3 with resources and literature on things like deep breathing techniques, to provide some level of comfort in what can be an uncomfortable situation. Teens, in particular, are perhaps Jeremiah’s favorite audience, as they often allow him to take long naps on their hospital beds, a service duty he thoroughly enjoys, Phipps said. “A lot of it is dealing with the family as a whole,” Kenison said of Child Life’s charges. That can also mean acting as an advocate for families, like seeking permission for a parent to accompany children on ambulance rides. A significant amount of networking also comes into play for the team, like ensuring pediatric patients are linked up with care providers at another hospital if they are transferred. Preparing pediatric patients for surgery also is a common charge for the team and, a few years ago, the hospital added the “Snoozer Cruiser” for patients to drive to the operatory room. The Child Life nurses also give tours ahead of a procedure to familiarize young patients with hospital equipment and what to expect. With COVID, some of that has gone by way of video, but the nurses say that capability helps them to provide that support to patients at a time when trips to the hospital are either prohibited or not quite as enticing. The video capabilities also provide the Child Life team another way to connect with the local community, from young students eager to learn more about the services they provide, to first responders who may not be as familiar with them. “We continue to do what we normally do, but in a different way,” Kenison said. That has also meant adding a bubble gun to their toolbox, as Jeremiah’s favorite activity of popping bubbles had to change a bit during the pandemic. Gone for the moment are bubbles being blown by Child Life nurses, but a bubble gun now does the trick so Jeremiah can perform for his patients. Phipps, Kenison and Frickman said they can all see a day where Child Life specialists are more commonplace outside of hospitals. There has been a big push to make them mainstays in another anxiety-inducing environment for young children—dental offices. More information on Inova’s Child Life program, along with some resources for young children, can be found at inovachildrens.org/child-life-services. n
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MARCH 25, 2021
THINGS to do
Loco Living
LOCO LIVE Live Music: Cary Wimbish
Friday, March 26, 5 p.m. Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg Details: spankyspub.com Richmond-based Wimbish returns with covers of traditional country, bluegrass, classic rock, and blues songs along with crowd-pleasing originals.
Live Music: Mark Cullinane
Friday. March 26, 5 pm. Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights Details: facebook.com/harpersferrybrewing Cullinane brings his signature acoustic classic rock tunes to Harpers Ferry Brewing.
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Hayley Walker, Charlotte Alto, Laurel Wedemeyer, Sarah Cohoon and Georgia Riccobene stand with some of the awards that the Loudoun Valley High School yearbook has won.
Recording the ‘Saga’ of a Year Like No Other BY JAN MERCKER jmercker@loudounnow.com
What does a high school yearbook look like in a year like no other? Martha Akers, the legendary yearbook advisor at Loudoun Valley High School, retires this year after 41 years at the school. For Akers, her team of five senior editors and their staff, the past two editions of the school’s award-winning “Saga” yearbook have brought plenty of challenges. But putting out a yearbook during COVID has also bought opportunities for growth and a chance to take a fresh approach. Akers says her students have consistently impressed her with their creativity and dedication over the decades, and this year is no exception. “Watching what students can learn from producing a book and especially the quality book that we do now has been amazing,” she said. “Yearbooks and newspapers were
project-based learning before it was a common educational term” Akers had considered retiring at the end of the last school year, but realized she had to stick with the program to help her staff get through an incredibly challenging academic year. Akers wanted to help her editors, with whom she has worked with for the past four years, see the project through uncharted territory. “I wanted to leave knowing that we’re in a good place,” Akers said. “When they looked at me and said, ‘We really want you to stay another year,’ kind of knowing this would be a difficult year, I had trouble saying no. ... They’re so dedicated to creating a product that will reflect these times.”
Breaking Habits and Staying Positive For those editors, graduating seniors Charlotte Alto, Sarah Cohoon, Georgia Riccobene, Hayley Walker and Laurel
Wedemeyer, producing the 2021 edition of “Saga” has required flexibility and innovation, and it’s pushed them to find new ways of capturing and covering the school year. The students told Loudoun Now that wrapping up the 2020 edition was tough, with an abrupt end to the school year. But it was nothing compared to the challenges of the current school year. Last year, the team had all student portraits and many candid shots and reports already in pocket, while this year, every aspect of production required extra planning and creativity. “At the beginning, it was more of an experimental-type feel. We weren’t really sure what we were going to get back from the students and receive from people we interview,” Walker said. It’s definitely a lot harder to reach out to people in this setting. It’s more difficult, but it’s worked out so far.” Getting student portraits was a challenge with secondary students learning onYEARBOOK continues on page 25
Courtesy Dave Goodrum
Live Music: Dave Goodrum
Friday, March 26, 5 p.m. Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro Details: harvestgap.com Acoustic music at its most fun--covering a range of genres from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and today.
Live Music: Chris Hanks
Friday, March 26, 6 p.m. Social House South Riding, 25370 Eastern Marketplace Plaza, Chantilly Details: socialhousesouthriding.com Hanks returns to Social House for an evening of country favorites.
Live Music: Sun Dogs Rush Tribute
Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27, 7 p.m. Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg Details: tallyhotheater.com Fronted by vocalist Mark Schenker of KIX, Sun Dogs pays tribute to 40 amazing years of Rush. Tickets are $20-$30 for this fully seated show.
Live Music: Steve George and Friends
Saturday, March 27, 1-4 p.m. The Barns At Hamilton Station, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton Details: thebarnsathamiltonstation.com Rock, country, blues and beyond from a local favorite. Their Barns shows always draw a crowd with plenty of space to spread out.
THINGS TO DO continues on page 24
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MARCH 25, 2021
9/3/19
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10:58 AM
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
HELP WANTED AT FAMILY PRACTICE Large family practice in Loudoun County with 6 locations and 28 providers looking for FT LPN’s or MA’s with a dedication to excellence. New LPN graduates welcome to apply. Pediatric and or family practice experience preferred. EHR experience highly recommended. We offer competitive pay rates, health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401K and many other benefits. Please send your resume to: lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-726-0804 attention Lisa
HELP WANTED AT FAMILY PRACTICE Experienced Lab Tech Or MA – Busy Family Practice office in Lansdowne, VA looking for an experienced lab tech or MA to collect and process Covid 19, Flu & Strep samples. Must be familiar with manual and automated methods. EMR experience preferred. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401k and many other benefits.
Please send your resume to lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-726-0804
Position
Department
Salary Range
Closing Date
Building Technician I or II
Public Works & Capital Projects
$41,353-$76,882 DOQ
Open until filled
Capital Projects Manager
Public Works & Capital Projects
$82,999-$141,929 DOQ
Open until filled
IT Systems Administrator
Information Technology
$70,374-$120,339 DOQ
Open until filled
Police Officer
Police
$53,233-$89,590 DOQ
Open until filled
Senior Engineer (Capital Projects)
Public Works & Capital Projects
$70,374-$120,339 DOQ
Open until filled
Senior Systems Analyst
Information Technology
$70,374-$120,339 DOQ
Open until filled
Traffic Technician I
Public Works & Capital Projects
$48,295-$83,805 DOQ
Open until filled
Utilities Project Manager
Utilities
$76,941-$131,689 DOQ
Open until filled
Utility Inspector II
Utilities
$56,956-$97,512 DOQ
Open until filled
Utility Plant Operator: Trainee, I, II or Senior
Utilities
$41,353-$89,790 DOQ
Open until filled
Utility Plant Supervisor
Utilities
$61,857-$105,896 DOQ
Open until filled
Summer Position Position
Department
Maintenance Worker
Utilities
Hourly Rate $15.00
Closing Date Open until filled
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.
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See the full job listings at NowHiringLoudoun.com
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
PAGE 24
Obituary
MARCH 25, 2021
THINGS to do
Shirley Lee Hamilton McGowan Duley Shirley Lee Hamilton McGowan Duley passed away peacefully at her home per her wishes in Leesburg, Va., on April 3, 2020 after a bravely fought battle with cancer. She is survived by her daughter Brenda Duley of Brunswick, Md., many nieces and nephews, and—because of her love—many adopted family members to include sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Lillian Millicent Baker and Charles Wilbur Hamilton, nine brothers and sisters, and two sons—Steven McGowan (1992) and Craig McGowan (2016). She was lovingly known as Mom, Nannie, Grandma and friend. All who met her immediately grew fond of her. That fondness quickly grew into love. Her passion in life was to always help others and to remain positive. Her motto was “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” A memorial service will be held Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 12:00pm at Loudoun Funeral Chapel Leesburg, VA.
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.
fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov • www.fairhousing.vipnet.org
Saturday March 27, 4 p.m. B Chord Brewing, 34266 Williams Gap Road, Round Hill Details: bchordbrewing.com Kick up your heels with old-time, bluegrass, country, jazz, rockabilly and swing from Pittsburgh, PA as live music returns to the lawn at B Chord. Tickets are $20.
continued from page 22
Live Music: Britton James
Saturday, March 27, 6 p.m. Social House South Riding, 25370 Eastern Marketplace Plaza, Chantilly Details: socialhousesouthriding.com With a repertoire of high-energy covers and originals, James is a regional favorite. Courtesy The JJ Billings Band
Live Music: JJ Billings
Saturday, March 27, 1 p.m. Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts Details: vanishbeer.com Rock tunes from Tom Petty, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Aerosmith and beyond for an afternoon of fun.
Live Music: Jim Steele
Leesburg Animal Park Easter Egg Hunts
Live Music: Kara Davis
Saturday, March 27, 1 p.m. Bear Chase Brewing Company, 18294 Blue Ridge Mountain Road, Bluemont Details: bearchasebrew.com Davis serves up great tunes spanning the decades in a gorgeous setting. Saturday, March 27, 2-5 p.m. Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn Details: lostrhino.com This guitar and percussion duo is known for great vocals, strong musicianship and a soulful sound.
Live Music: Nathaniel Davis
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Saturday, March 27, 4 p.m. Crooked Run Brewing, 22455 Davis Drive #120, Sterling Details: crookedrunbrewing.com With his top-notch vocal and guitar work and inventive approaches to both classic and popular music, Davis is a Loudoun favorite.
Live Music: Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers and Dirty Grass Players
Sunday, March 28, 2 p.m. Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro Details: breauxvineyards.com Southern by way of the Rust Belt, Scott Kurt’s brand of country blends old-school outlaw grit with elements of guitar-driven rock.
LOCO CULTURE
Saturday, March 27, 1 p.m. Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro Details: breauxvineyards.com Fun covers and originals from a longtime winery circuit favorite.
Live Music: Mama’s Black Sheep
Live Music: Scott Kurt
Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Animal Park, 19270 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg Details: leesburganimalpark.com Easter egg hunts are held in two sessions each day and broken down by age group. Tickets are $15.95 for adults and $18.95 for children age 2 and up. Egg hunts will also be held April 3 and 4. Advance registration is required.
‘The Hamilton Murders’;
Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28, 7 p.m. StageCoach Theatre Company, 20937 Ashburn Road, Suites 115 and 120, Ashburn Details: stagecoachtc.com StageCoach Theatre’s original play explores six possible conspiracies, based on historical facts, surrounding the death of Alexander Hamilton in 1804. Tickets are $25. Performances continue through April 11 with no shows Easter weekend.
Music For Dessert: William Feasley
Tuesday, March 30, 7 p.m. Franklin Park Arts Center Franklin Park’s Music for Dessert concert series continues with guitarist William Feasley whose latest album features music from the Spanish renaissance to Bach and Tarrega. He will also showcase several pieces inspired by artwork from the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Seating is limited,
As journalism business models evolve in the wake of shifting advertising and subscription trends, it is clear that readers like you will play an increasingly important role in underwriting the costs of operating our newsroom. Across the country, newspapers big and small are cutting back on content or closing down altogether. We know that Loudoun residents and businesses value—and expect—comprehensive coverage of local governments, our neighbors, and issues affecting our quality of life.
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Yearbook continued from page 22 line for most of the school year. Yearbook staff members set up a series of socially distanced shoots at the school to try to catch as many students as they could and gave students the option to submit their own photos. Akers says they’ll have more students missing than usual this year, with individual portraits for around 80% of underclassmen and 75 to 80% of seniors. And this year, unlike in the past, they’ll list every student not pictured in the book. “I think that’s just one more way the book will capture the circumstances we were under,” Akers said. Putting out a high-quality yearbook during a pandemic has also created opportunities for creativity, student editors say. This year, they’re organizing the yearbook thematically rather than chronologically as they do in a typical school year. “It kind of broke our habit of making the same yearbook design every year. This year we’ve had the opportunity to break away from that and design a little bit more out of the box to fit the unique nature of this year,” Riccobene said. COVID has brought lots of pivots in how the staff covers activities, including a shift to events outside of school, including family holidays and student jobs. In addition to working with staff photographers, the staff has “crowdsourced” photos from students and parents “Pictures are a challenge right now,” Alto said. “Everybody’s at home, but the way the community has helped us a lot is parents and students have sent in photos. The photographers have done a great job going to practice fields and going to [students’] jobs.” The editors acknowledge the struggles and sadnesses of a school year without the usual rituals and milestones but also spotlight the positive. “We definitely wanted to approach it with a more optimistic sense. There’s a lot of disappointment, and we wanted to acknowledge that but still not make it like this Debbie Downer collection and lean into the positive side,” Riccobene said. For the teen editors, having a physical yearbook is more important than ever in today’s digital age—and maybe even more meaningful this year. “I love having the physical memory—to show your kids years from now. Having a physical copy of something just makes it even more special because everything is digital. We take so many pictures it’s kind of lost its meaning and things can be deleted so easily,” Riccobene said. This year has meant lots of virtual col-
LOUDOUNNOW.COM laboration and lots of work from home, along with socially distanced in-person collaboration. And while the editors are continuing with distance learning this semester, in recent weeks, they’ve been able to work together in the yearbook room to access school desktops and the all-important full-scale printer. “That’s been a silver lining for me,” Wedemeyer said. “It’s a really fun time to be with everyone, and it’s easier to collaborate with everyone when we’re together.”
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Hayley Walker, Sarah Cohoon, Laurel Wedemeyer, Charlotte Alto and Georgia Riccobene.
‘You Have to Up Your Game’ Akers joined the staff at Loudoun Valley fresh out of Bridgewater College in 1980. She was hired as an English teacher, but she’s pretty sure her passion for yearbooks snagged her the job. Akers grew up in Christiansburg in southwest Virginia and was a passionate yearbook staffer from middle school through college. “The appeal was the opportunity to capture something that people valued, that they appreciated and didn’t typically throw away,” Akers said. During her senior year at Bridgewater, she got a tip from her college yearbook rep that Loudoun Valley didn’t have a yearbook advisor and urged her to apply for a job. Akers made sure to mention the yearbook advisor role in her cover letter and was hired right away. At the time—and for the first 20- years of her career—yearbook was an extracurricular activity instead of a dedicated class. Yearbook has been a for-credit elective in LCPS since the early 2000s. For Akers, the ’80s were an exciting time as yearbooks transitioned from straightforward picture books to a more creative endeavor. “I came advising at a time when yearbooks were starting to take on a more journalistic approach,’ she said. “Today, they really are a journalistic product.” Akers has moved through the transition from manual typewriters and hand-drawn layouts to desktop publishing. Her staff now uses Adobe graphic design programs
like InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Things are certainly more sophisticated now, but the number of choices presents challenges in itself. “You do have to up your game,” Akers said. “It is easier in many ways. The hurdle to overcome for us often is how many different ways we can do something and how long do we keep tweaking it?” Akers said. Akers’ passion has helped make yearbook a popular extracurricular at the school and one of the state’s top programs, a decades-long string of awards. “Saga” has had an impressive winning streak in Virginia High School League competition, with 35 consecutive years of trophy class rankings—the highest award the organization gives. The book is regularly recognized by the National Scholastic Press Association, and last year’s edition is once again in the running for that organization’s annual Pacemaker award, recognizing the top one percent of yearbooks nationwide. “The school has a really strong reputation for good journalism and good products. [Students] like being part of that. ... They take a lot of pride in it,” Akers said. Akers has also focused on giving agency to students over the years. She’s a teacher and facilitator, but makes it clear that the staff is running the show and making decisions. The book has a $75,000 to $80,000 annual budget, much of which is generated by ad revenue. Students are responsible for photography, writing, graphic design, sales and marketing, working directly with vendors, suppliers and advertisers. “The yearbook is really a business,” she said. “Yes, I check a lot of things, but they’re making the decisions. The themes are theirs, the content is theirs, the photos are theirs.” And Akers’ students appreciate the independence, agency and constructive criticism. “She pushes to be very independent and work on stuff on our own and only come to her when we need help on something,” Cohoon said. “She has helped me grow as a leader and a teammate with the other editor—working and communicating with them better.” Akers, will continue to work as a yearbook consultant for schools around the country after her retirement. But first, she and her team are going to crank out one more editon of “Saga.” They may need to do a summer release again this year, but it’s coming out and it’s going to be an amazing reflection of a crazy school year. “The school is people and the people are still here,” Akers said. “We might not be in the same building, but we’re still here.” n
PAGE 25
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PAGE 26
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
Legal Notices
Board under fire continued from page 1 six School Board members and other local elected representatives and educators among its 624 members, to identify and take action against critics of the school closures and the division’s equity initiatives. The article detailed allegations that members of the “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County” group collected and disseminated critics’ personal information and considered hacking into their websites, resulting in requests to the Sheriff ’s Office to determine whether criminal conduct occurred. The controversy put a new spotlight on the school division’s efforts to address allegations of discrimination and its implementation of new equity awareness training that highlights concepts of white privilege and systemic racism. The school division launched the anti-racism initiative two years ago in response to mounting examples of racially insensitive instruction, instances of racism among students or staff members, a disproportionately low number of Black and Latinx student gaining admission to the division’s STEM academies, and a Virginia Attorney General’s Office investigation into allegations of systemic racism in the division, which earlier this year resulted in a formal agreement mandating corrective actions. Interim Superintendent Scott A. Ziegler on March 19 issued a statement to refute claims that the division was instituting controversial critical race theory curriculum and “to clarify many of the misperceptions being reported by certain media outlets and social media.” “In explaining LCPS’ equity priorities, it might be helpful to state what they are not. They are not an effort to indoctrinate students and staff into a particular philosophy or theory. What they are is an effort to provide a welcoming, inclusive, affirming environment for all students,” he wrote. “LCPS’ work on equity is a journey that requires the commitment of staff at all levels. I feel the staffs’ work, which has been sustained, honest and undertaken in good faith, has been misrepresented recently by some members of the public,” he wrote. However, on March 23, for the second consecutive board meeting, a teacher addressed raised concerns to the board about the equity training the staff is required to complete. “You are about to experience a mass exodus of teachers and staff here in Loudoun County. It has already started, and I hope you pay attention to the numbers,” Jeremy
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND CLAIMANTS OF ARTISAN AESTHETICS, PLLC Take notice that Artisan Aesthetics, PLLC, a Virginia limited liability company, is in the process of dissolving pursuant to Va. Code Ann. § 13.1-1046 and related sections. Claims against the limited liability company may be presented by a notice containing a description of the claim and the amount claimed and addressed to the following: 150 N Hatcher Ave, Purcellville, VA 20132. Any claim against the dissolved limited liability company will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced prior to the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations or three years after the date of publication of the notice. 03/25/21 Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
The newly formed Loudoun Parents for Education group set up outside the School Administration building in Ashburn March 23 to announce plans to recall six School Board members.
Wright said. “CRT is divisive. There are racial comments that are made during these trainings and when this happens, it opens you up to litigation.” “Minority students are going to suffer the most from this. When you teach students that the system is against them, they have no motivation to learn. They are not going to try to work. They are not going to try to improve themselves,” he said. Ziegler’s statement also addressed the allegation that school employees were engaged in the punishing of critics. “LCPS recognizes the right of its employees to free speech, but does not condone anyone targeting members of the community for their viewpoint.” The reported activity of the Facebook group spurred new calls for School Board members to be removed from office. Beth Barts (Leesburg) was the only School Board member identified as being actively involved with the group. She already has been censured by the board and removed from all committee assignments for online postings deemed to violate the board’s conduct policies. A group of parents previously announced plans to mount a formal recall campaign seeking her removal. On Tuesday, a new group, Loudoun Parents for Education, announced plans to petition for the recall not just of Barts, but also the other five board members identified as being members of the Facebook group—School Board Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan (Sterling), Vice Chairwoman Atoosa Reeser (Algonkian), Leslee King (Broad Run), Denise Corbo (At Large), and Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge). Spokesman Ian Prior said the board has spent much of its time since the 2019 elec-
tions focused on divisive actions and has strayed from its core educational duties. “In 2019 when the elections for Loudoun County School Board were held, the pandemic and curriculum issues that are dividing this community were not a major point of discussion, but they clearly have become so,” he said. “Further, six of the nine school board members were part of a private Facebook group where members were conspiring to commit potentially illegal actions against members of the community for exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out against the curriculum and for opening schools.” During Tuesday night’s School Board meetings, several individuals who found their names on the group’s list of critics spoke out. “I was personally attacked. My name, my first name, my last name, where my son goes to school, who my husband is, where I live and three pictures of me were all on that Facebook page,” Patti Menders said. “They wanted to send postcards to our neighbors calling us racist and come to our home with a megaphone and call us racists. And Beth Barts, you incited this mob. I blame you for these people, including teachers, to come after us because we have different opposing views.” “At what point did our School Board members go from serving residents to targeting them?” asked Cheryl Onderchain, who said she now worried about having rocks thrown through her windows and having her children targeted at school. “A list like this puts a target on me. It puts a target on my family and 40 other families. Think of what a zealot could do with this list,” Austin Levine said. n
ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:
JJ044218-03-00
Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Isabella S. Montenegro Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v. Jeffrey Wayne McGowan, putative father hold a permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Isabella S. Montenegro. It is ORDERED that the defendant Jeffrey Wayne McGowan, putative father appear at the above-named Court to protect their interests on or before April 27, 2021 at 10:00 am. 03/11, 03/18, 03/25 & 04/01/21
A message to elderly and disabled Loudoun County residents from Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue Residents 65 and older or totally and permanently disabled who are required to complete a 2021 Renewal Application or Renewal Certification, must submit their renewal to my office by the April 1, 2021 filing deadline. Please visit our website or contact my office for information or filing assistance. Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor Sterling Office 21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 100 Internet: www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F Phone: 703-737-8557 Email: trcor@loudoun.gov Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804 03/04, 03/11, 03/18 & 03/25/21
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
PAGE 27
Legal Notices PUBLIC HEARING The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, April 14, 2021 in order to consider:
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) 2021-2025 CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND 2021-2022 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN Pursuant to Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, 42 United States Code §5301, et seq., and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations at 24 Code of Federal Regulations Subtitle A §91.105(c), the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 to consider adopting the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan for Loudoun County. All citizens are encouraged to attend and express their views regarding the proposed CDBG 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan and the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan for Loudoun County. In 2004, the County became an entitlement community, as defined by HUD, and began receiving CDBG funding. HUD regulations require the adoption of the above referenced Plans which outline the County’s housing and community development needs, priorities and objectives, and proposed use of the federal funds within the 2021-2025 consolidated plan period. Components of the 2021-2025 Consolidated Plan include, without limitation, descriptions of: • • • • • • •
Executive Summary Housing Needs Assessment Homeless and Special Populations Needs Assessment Five Year Strategic Plan for Housing and Community Development 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan Five Year Fair Housing Plan Citizen Participation Plan
Components of the 2021-2022 Annual Action Plan include, without limitation, descriptions of: • • • • •
Federal and other resources expected to be available Leveraging of sources and how match obligations will be met The activities to be undertaken The geographic distribution of investment Planned homeless and other special needs activities
Copies of the proposed Plans will be available and may be examined beginning March 11, 2021 through the date of the Public Hearing, April 14, 2021, 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 or call (703) 777-0200. Written comments on the Plan may be submitted to the attention of the CDBG Program Manager, Eileen Barnhard at the Loudoun County Office of Housing, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177 through April 12, 2021.
REQUEST FOR WITHDRAWAL OF LAND BELONGING TO MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT FROM THE NEW HILLSBORO AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTAL DISTRICT Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-4314 and the New Hillsboro Agricultural and Forestal District Ordinance, Madeleine K. Albright, of Washington, D.C., has submitted an application to withdraw a 125.1-acre parcel from the New Hillsboro Agricultural and Forestal District. The subject property is located east of Harper’s Ferry Road (Route 671) and north-northeast of Charles Town Pike (Route 9) and south of and on the south side of White Rock Road, in the Blue Ridge and Catoctin Election Districts. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 478-27-1579. The New Hillsboro Agricultural and Forestal District currently has a 10-year period that will expire on April 10, 2022 and is subject to a subdivision minimum lot size of 20 acres. In accordance with §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 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by calling 703-7770246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies or electronically at: https://www.loudoun.gov/adac (1-11-2021 ACAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).
SIDP-2020-0001 EXXON, WHITMAN SOUTH SIGN DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Sign Development Plan)
Fairfax Petroleum Realty, LLC of Springfield, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Sign Development Plan to request alternative sign regulations for permitted signs in order to modify Table 5-1204(D), Sign Requirements Matrix, to increase the permitted total aggregate sign area, maximum number of signs, maximum area of any one sign, and maximum height for ground mounted signs. The subject property is being developed pursuant to ZMAP-2016-0023, ZCPA-2016-001, SPEX-2016-0067, and ZMOD-2019-0035, Whitman Property South in the PD-CC-CC (Planned Development – Commercial Center – Community Center) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and pursuant to Section 5-1202(E) alternative sign regulations for permitted signs may be requested with the submission of a Sign Development Plan. The subject property is approximately 1.46 acres in size and is located south of Braddock Road (Route 620) on the east side of Gum Spring Road (Route 659), in the Dulles Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as 207-48-9892. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Transition Policy Area (Transition Community Center
Place Type)), which designates this area for pedestrian-scale commercial development that provides retail sales, entertainment, and civic functions at a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) up to 0.3.
SIDP-2020-0002 EXXON, COMMUNITY CORNER SIGN DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Sign Development Plan)
Fairfax Petroleum Realty, LLC of Springfield, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Sign Development Plan to request alternative sign regulations for permitted signs in order to modify Table 5-1204(D), Sign Requirements Matrix, to increase the permitted total aggregate sign area, maximum number of signs, and maximum height for ground mounted signs. The subject property is being developed pursuant to ZMAP-2013-0005, Community Corner, and SPEX-2016-0058, Community Corner, located in the PDCC-CC (Planned Development – Commercial Center – Community Center) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and pursuant to Section 5-1202(E) alternative sign regulations for permitted signs may be requested with the submission of a Sign Development Plan. The subject property is located in the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60, aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 1.55 acres in size and is located south of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) in the southeast quadrant of Gum Spring Road (Route 659) and Tall Cedars Parkway (Route 2200) in the Dulles Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 205-40-2142. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Neighborhood Place Type)), which designate this area for predominantly Residential uses with supporting retail and service uses at a recommended Floor Area Ratio (FAR) up to 1.0.
SIDP-2020-0003 EXXON, JOHN MOSBY HIGHWAY SIGN DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Sign Development Plan)
Fairfax Petroleum Realty, LLC of Springfield, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Sign Development Plan to request alternative sign regulations for permitted signs in order to modify Table 5-1204(D), Sign Requirements Matrix, to increase the permitted total aggregate sign area, maximum number of signs, and maximum height for a ground mounted sign. The subject property is located in the CLI (Commercial Light Industry) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and pursuant to Section 5-1202(E) alternative sign regulations for permitted signs may be requested with the submission of a Sign Development Plan. The subject property is located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, between the Ldn 60-65, aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 2.58 acres in size and is located in northeast corner of the intersection of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) and Gum Spring Road (Route 659) at 42382 John Mosby Highway, Chantilly, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 163-35-3746. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Mixed Use Place Type)), which designates this area for a mix of residential, commercial, entertainment, cultural, and recreational amenities at a recommended Floor Area Ratio (FAR) up to 1.0, with options to develop up to an FAR of 1.5.
SPEX-2019-0043 SVK SAI CHILD CARE CENTER (Special Exception)
S.V.K. SAI, LLC of Ashburn, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Special Exception to permit a child day care facility in the TR-1(LF) (Transitional Residential – 1, Lower Foley) and TR-3(LF) (Transitional Residential – 3, Lower Foley) zoning districts. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed use is listed as a Special Exception use under Table 2-1702 of Section 2-1702. The subject property is located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60, aircraft noise contours. The area of the proposed special exception is an approximately 4.21 acre portion of a larger parcel that is located on the south side of Braddock Road (Route 620), west of Ticonderoga Road (Route 613), and southeast of Donerails Chase Drive (Route 1355) in the Dulles Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 166-267839. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Transition Policy Area (Transition Large Lot Neighborhood Place Type)), which designate this area for large lot and clustered Residential uses, and complimentary Agricultural and Public uses, at a density of one dwelling unit per three acres and a Non-Residential Floor Area Ratio (FAR) up to 0.1.
ZCPA-2020-0003 TRUE NORTH DATA
(Zoning Concept Plan Amendment) Compass Data Centers IAD I LLC of Dallas, Texas has submitted an application to amend the existing proffers and Concept Development Plan (“CDP”) approved with ZMAP-2017-0003, True North Data in order to: 1) allow for the option to consolidate three buildings into one building footprint; and 2) increase the maximum building height from 35 feet to 56 feet with no resulting change in density. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is partially lo-
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LOUDOUNNOW.COM
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cated within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contour, partially within the QN (Quarry Notification) Overlay District - Luck Note Area, and partially within the FOD (Floodplain Overlay District). The subject property is approximately 97.12 acres in size and is located on the north side of Sycolin Road (Route 625), on the south side of the Dulles Greenway (Route 267), and on the west side of the Goose Creek, on the northwest side Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659), in the Catoctin Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 194-10-2562. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Transition Policy Area (Transition Light Industrial Place Type)), which designate this area for low-traffic Industrial and Employment uses at a recommended Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of up to 0.6. Unless otherwise noted in the above notices, copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances, and/or plans and related documents 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, or call 703-7770246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”). In addition, for detailed instructions on how to access documents using LOLA, to request that documents be emailed to you, to receive physical copies of documents, or to arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email DPZ@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246 (option 5).
MARCH 25, 2021
the public are encouraged to view the public hearing electronically; however, the Board Room will be open for any members of the public who wish to attend in person with appropriate physical distancing. 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. All members of the public who desire to speak will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing. Instructions for remote participation will be forwarded to all individuals who sign-up in advance and who would like to provide their comments remotely. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on April 2, 2021, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on April 14, 2021. 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. Citizens may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing. 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 03/25 & 04/01/21
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic this public hearing may be conducted as an electronic meeting. Members of
VIRGINIA
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS BY THE TOWN OF LEESBURG, VIRGINIA APRIL 13, 2021 AT 7:00 P.M.
In the Circuit Court of Loudoun County Case No. CL 20-7611 DULLES ELECTRIC & SUPPLY CORPORATION, Plaintiff, v. IMINEPHRO SOLUTIONS ELECTRICAL LLC AND CHRIS IMINEPHRO, Defendants
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia (the “Town”) will hold a public hearing in accordance with Section 15.2-2606 of the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, on the proposed issuance of one or more series of general obligation bonds in an estimated maximum principal amount of $13,450,000. The Town proposes to issue the bonds and use the bond proceeds to finance the costs of various capital improvement projects in the Town’s Capital Improvements Program and other approved capital projects. The proposed uses of the bond proceeds for which the Town expects that more than ten percent of the total bond proceeds will be used include financing the costs of the Town’s Capital Asset Replacement Program as identified in the Town’s Capital Improvements Program.
ORDER OF PUBLICATION
PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed proposals in the Procurement Office, 25 W. Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176, until 3:00 p.m. on April 13, 2021 for the following:
RFP No. 500620-FY21-33 Pump and Haul Services The Town of Leesburg is accepting sealed proposals from qualified firms to establish a term contract for Pump and Haul services for various Town owned and operated sanitary sewer pump stations throughout the Town. For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard 03/25/21
ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:
THE OBJECT of the above-styled suit is to obtain a judgment, jointly and severally, against the Defendants due to the breach of a contract/ open account; and IT APPEARING by affidavit filed according to law that the Defendant, Chris Iminephro in the above-entitled cause cannot be found, and that diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of Chris Iminephro, it is therefore
The public hearing, which may be continued or adjourned, will be held at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, before the Town Council in the Council Chambers, Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, in Leesburg, Virginia. A resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds will be considered by the Town Council at its meeting on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, following the public hearing on the issuance of the bonds. The resolution also authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds of the Town to refund outstanding bonds or other obligations of the Town. A copy of the proposed resolution is available for public examination prior to the public hearing in the office of the Clerk of the Council at Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours. Additional information regarding the bond financing is available in the Department of Finance, located on the first floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours.
ORDERED that the said Chris Iminephro, whose last known address is 2800 Dorr Avenue, Suite M, Fairfax, Virginia 22031, appear on or before the 28th day of May, 2021 at 10:00 a.m, in the Clerk’s Office of this Court located at 18 E. Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia and do what is necessary to protect his interests; and it is further
At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact Eileen Boeing, the Clerk of Council, at 703-771-2733, no later than three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.
ORDERED that this order be published once a week for four successive weeks in LOUDOUN NOW, a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Loudoun; that a copy of this order be posted at the front door of the courthouse wherein this court is held; and that a copy of this order be mailed to the Defendant at the address shown by the aforesaid affidavit.
03/25 & 04/01/21
03/25, 04/01, 04/08 & 04/15/21
JJ044669-02-00
Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
NOTICE OF ABANDONED BICYCLES
Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Lucas Eduardo Ixcotoyac Castro
Notice is hereby given that the bicycles described below were found and delivered to the Office of the Sheriff of Loudoun County; if the owners of the listed bicycles are not identified within sixty (60) days following the final publication of this notice, the individuals who found said bicycles shall be entitled to them if he/she desires. All unclaimed bicycles will be handled according to Chapter 228.04 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County.
Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v. Catarina Castro Chiroy, mother, Lucas Ixcotoyac Iztep, putative father, unknown father hold a foster care review hearing and review of foster care plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282 and 16.1-281 for Lucas Eduardo Ixcotoyac Castro. It is ORDERED that the defendants Catarina Castro Chiroy, mother, Lucas Ixcotoyac Iztep, putative father, unknown father appear at the above-named Court to protect their interests on or before April 13, 2021 at 2:00 pm. 03/11, 03/18, 03/25 & 04/01/21
Description
Case Number
Recovery Date
Recovery Location
Phone Number
Green Kensington Free Spirit mountain bike 500
SO200013199
08/15/2020
46164 Westlake Dr. Sterling, VA
703-777-0610
Huffy bike with Frozen characters
SO200016406
10/08/2020
Charles Town Pike/Dry Mill Rd, VA
703-777-0610
Red and silver Raleigh Venture bike
SO200016630
10/12/2020
Algonkian Pkwy/Middlefield Dr, VA
703-777-0610
Blue Mt. Fury road master bike
SO200019131
11/22/2020
20403 Rosemallow Ct. Sterling, VA
703-777-0610
Burgundy Mongoose Crossway 250 bike
SO210002139
02/08/2021
43180 Edgewater St. Chantilly, VA
703-777-0610
Yellow Diamondback Wildwood bike
SO210002776
02/19/2021
22031 Auction Barn Dr. Ashburn, VA
703-777-0610
BCA SC29” Model No. BCA72954
SO210002889
02/22/2021
23392 Bymes Mill Terr. Ashburn, VA
703-777-0610 03/18 & 03/25/21
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
MARCH 25, 2021
Legal Notices
PAGE 29
NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS
TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF A NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Pursuant to Sections 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205, and 15.2-2223 and of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, April 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 regarding adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan, or “Town Plan”. The Town Plan will also incorporate other documents under separate cover including the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan and Crescent District Master Plan which were previously adopted, and a Streetscape Plan, and Transportation Improvement Plan which will guide potential streetscape and transportation improvements in the Town. The new Town Plan, referred to as “Legacy Leesburg” is intended to guide and shape the Town’s future for the next 20 years and beyond. It is based on a series of guiding principles that will help manage growth and change within the Town Limits and the Joint Land Management Area, which is jointly planned by both Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg. A summary of the public outreach effort and topics that emerged is included in Chapter 1 of the Plan document. The Plan document places particular emphasis on defining the character of Leesburg and growing over time in a manner that preserves and protects that character. Chapter 2 of the Plan document reviews background information including demographic and real estate trends that form the basis for many policy recommendations. Chapter 3 provides the framework for achieving growth and change in the future. It includes a map and description of Four Land Use Initiatives to guide growth and change (Figure 1), a map and description of Character Areas for Preservation & Change (available in the Town Plan document), and a framework of goals and strategies organized around guiding principles that serve as the foundation for decision making moving forward. This framework represents a shift in the way of planning for the future of Leesburg. The current Town Plan first adopted in 2012 is generally more prescriptive with respect to prescribing specific land uses and intensities while the proposed Legacy Leesburg Town Plan focuses on character defining elements and character designations.
March 25, 2021 County of Loudoun P.O. Box 7000 Leesburg, Virginia 20177-7000 703-737-8323 These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the County of Loudoun.
REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS On or about April 12, 2021, the County of Loudoun will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the release of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, as well as Project Based Vouchers under the Section 8(o) of the U.S Housing Act of 1937, as amended, to undertake a project known as Tuscarora Crossing, an affordable multi-family rental housing project in the County of Loudoun to serve households with incomes at 60% area median income and lower. The project involves the construction of 90 apartments built on a 2.3-acre parcel located at the intersection of Tuscarora Ridge Drive & Mattaponi Terrace in Leesburg, VA 20175. The project will be a four-story building that is part of a larger development and residents will have access to the community amenities provided by the larger Tuscarora Crossing homeowner’s association, including a pool and community center. Overall, the location provides good access to employment and other amenities for residents. The estimated project cost is $34 million. The project was awarded $200,000 from CDBG and eight (8) Project-Based Vouchers with an estimated value of $2,401,114.
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT The County of Loudoun has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR) on file 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 or call (703) 777-0200. The ERR will also be made available to the public for review at: www.loudoun.gov/ housing.
PUBLIC COMMENTS Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the Loudoun County Office of Housing, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, VA 20177-7400, Attention: Housing Development Administrator. All comments received by 5:00 p.m. on April 9, 2021, will be considered by the County of Loudoun prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds. Comments should specify which Notice they are addressing.
ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION The County of Loudoun certifies to HUD that Mr. Tim Hemstreet, in his capacity as County Administrator of the County of Loudoun, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the County of Loudoun to use Program funds.
OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS
Figure 1 – Area Based Land Use Initiatives Chapter 4 provides a series of place based recommendations. The Town Plan will identify “Development Opportunity Areas” and provide a series of recommendations for implementing growth and change in particular areas of the Town. The recommendations also include a series of concept sketches that illustrate the spirit of how recommendations can be implemented to achieve Town’s vision for the future. Chapter 5 will provide an approach for implementing the vision, goals, and strategies described in preceding chapters. Additional information about the proposed Town Plan and copies of the document are available for review through the project website at https://legacy.leesburgva.gov or at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the 2nd floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling Richard Klusek, Senior Planner, at 703-771-2758 or by emailing rklusek@leesburgva.gov. This comprehensive update to the Town Plan is identified as case number TLTA-2021-0001, “New Town Plan”. At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning this matter will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations at the Planning Commission meeting should contact the Clerk of Commission at (703) 771-2434, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 03/18 & 03/25/21
HUD will accept objections to its release of funds and the County of Loudoun’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of the County of Loudoun; (b) the County of Loudoun has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by HUD; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality. Objections must be prepared and submitted via email in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to: HUD, Public and Indian Housing Program Center, Christine Jenkins, Christine.Jenkins@hud.gov and HUD, Office of Community Planning and Development, Michael Rose, Michael.D.Rose@hud.gov. Potential objectors should contact the Washington, D.C. HUD Field Office via email at CPD_COVID-19OEE-DC@hud.gov to verify the actual last day of the objection period. Tim Hemstreet, County Administrator Certifying Officer
03/25/21
LOUDOUNNOW.COM
PAGE 30
ATTENTION NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN LOUDOUN COUNTY Nonprofit organizations seeking exemption from Loudoun County real and/or personal property taxes for the 2022 tax year may file an application with the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue by the April 1, 2021 deadline. Most charitable nonprofit organizations are not automatically exempt from local property taxes in the Commonwealth, even those that may be exempt from federal income taxes. The filing of an application with the Commissioner of the Revenue is the necessary first step to obtaining a local real estate or personal property tax exemption. Completed applications should be returned to the Commissioner of the Revenue with a postmark by April 1, 2021, for consideration this year. Any exemption, if granted, would be effective January 1, 2022. Applications are available online at www. loudoun.gov/cor. For information or assistance, please contact my office at trcor@loudoun.gov or 703-737-8557 weekdays 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue Loudoun County
Legal Notices NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES ABC LICENSE
Draksha LLC, trading as Otium Cellars, 18050 Tranquility Rd., Purcellville, VA 20132. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Farm Winery - Class A license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Draksha LLC 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. 03/18 & 03/25/21
Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor Sterling Office 21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 100 Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804 Phone: 703-737-8557 Email: trcor@loudoun.gov 03/04, 03/11, 03/18 & 03/25/21
Misc. ROOM FOR RENT 1 Bedroom w/private bath. All utilities included, free wifi & cable. Space for a microwave and mini fridge. Very quiet neighborhood, plenty of parking. $650/month.
Call Mek 571-276-8031
ABC LICENSE
Rasnake Holway LLC, trading as The Corner Store, 40183 Main St Waterford, Loudoun, VA 20197 The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. 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. 03/18 & 03/25/21
YR.
MAKE
MODEL
VIN
STORAGE
PHONE#
2004 2000
TOYOTA TOYOTA
SIENNA CAMRY
5TDBA22C24S014557 4T1BF22K2YU110890
BLAIR’S TOWING D&M TOWING
703-661-8200 703-471-4590
03/18 & 03/25/21
Resource Directory ROBERT BEATSON II
Attorney/Accountant,Former IRS Attorney Admitted to DC, MD, VA & NY Bars All types of Federal, State, Local & Foreign Taxes Individual/Business Trusts - Estates - Wills Amended & Late Returns Back Taxes - IRS Audits Civil Litigation Business Law - Contracts
ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316
JJ044816-01-00
The object of this suit is to hold a hearing to find child in need of services pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-228 and 16.1-241 for Alexander Beers. It is ORDERED that John Beers, appear at the above-named Court and protect her interests on or before April 6, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, & 4/1/21
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Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Alexander Beers Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v. John Beers, putative father
Small calico w/ white chest & stomach, spayed female Last seen 03/13/2021 Nottoway Street/ Harrison Street, Leesburg Please call or text 571-919-5313 $ Cash reward upon return $
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.
Sarah Holway, Owner
, Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
LILAH “LITTLE ONE”
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.
Tax Services
Case No.:
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MARCH 25, 2021
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PAGE 31
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MARCH 25, 2021
Opinion The Transparency Promise While the latest School Board controversy raises a number of troubling allegations concerning the conduct of the county’s elected representatives, one concern should be clear to all involved: What are six members School Board members doing in a social media group that is shielded from view by the general public? Is this the transparency that these officials touted when they were on the campaign trail seeking votes? The commonwealth’s sunshine law prohibits more than two members of an elected body from meeting to discuss public business without notification of a public meeting. Something as simple as a conference call can require that disclosure. While it isn’t clear whether more than one School Board member
LETTERS to the Editor
actively participated in the Facebook group’s discussions, the closed nature of that forum certainly provided the opportunity for violations. Ironically, the School Board is continuing to negotiate over the terms of a lengthy policy that seeks to dictate members’ conduct, including the manner and content of communications with the public and staff. As with many issues members have been debating over the past year, they’ll be better off getting the fundamentals down before embarking on more complex concepts. Transparency was a priority for the candidates; it is a duty for the elected leaders. n
Norman K. Styer, Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com
Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723
EDITORIAL Renss Greene, Deputy Editor rgreene@loudounnow.com Jan Mercker, Reporter jmercker@loudounnow.com Kara C. Rodriguez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Patrick Szabo, Reporter pszabo@loudounnow.com
Loudoun Now is delivered by mail to more than 44,000 Loudoun homes and businesses, with a total weekly distribution of 47,000.
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A Stronger Net Editor: This starts with a heartfelt “Thank you” to every reader and member of our community. Together, we raised $820,000 through a 2021 GiveChoose.org campaign. This charitable community-based “crowdfunding” event has become a high-impact source of spring funding for many nonprofits serving our community. (Did you know that, for most nonprofits, 30 to 80 percent of all household donations are received at year end?) This community wide effort is more than a source of income for local charities. It is a portal for local residents and households to learn about the variety of charitable work in our backyard—and support that work in a fun, easy way, based on your own values and charitable interests. As the event’s hosts and coordinators, the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties recognizes Give Choose is one more tool in our community’s toolbox to encourage charitable giving. This is especially critical in Loudoun County, as past studies have shown charitable giving ranking substandard when compared to the nation, the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and most certainly when compared to neighboring counties. Everyone who donated during Give Choose is part of the solution, strengthening our collective generosity. Since COVID-19, our local nonprofit Community has with dedication, innovation, and steadfast commitment served as a safety-net for thousands. Your gifts just helped weave that net into a stronger, more resilient place. Thank you to you all for joining in GiveChoose.org and making this community one of the best to grow up and grow old. — Amy E. Owen, President/CEO Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties
Lessons to Learn Editor: Your March 18 article on the denial of the Goose Creek Overlook Application on reversal covered the facts well, but missed the real tragedy of the event. I concur with the decision to deny the LETTERS TO THE EDITOR continues on page 33
Correction Last week’s article about the resident curator program was an outdated version. The public hearing on the program was held March 10, and supervisors voted in favor of the program. Loudoun Now regrets the error.
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Readers’ Poll THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
LAST WEEK'S QUESTION:
How do you rate the vaccine rollout in Loudoun County?
What is the best way to provide the most “affordable housing” in Loudoun?
LETTERS to the Editor continued from page 32 application, but it never should have been left to this late date when the developer had undoubtedly spent several hundreds of thousand dollars in preparation, modification, and presentation of the proposal and the citizen opposition had been raising their objections for months. Further, the application contained several excellent components, particularly the affordable housing units, which will not now be realized. Since eastern Loudoun is facing buildout during the Loudoun 2019 Plan period, it would be well to examine the wreckage of the Goose Creek Overlook application to learn its lessons and reflect on changes in the process. It starts with understanding that the main difference between the 2002 Plan, which promoted low density planned communities at high standards, and the 2019 Plan’s shift to smaller, but significantly higher density infill projects on land now many times more costly than before. As a result, we see current applications coming forward with less environmental protection, open space, and in locations where providing schools, public facilities, parks and trails can be more difficult, and traffic congestion is increased. Meanwhile, public opinion has been solidly behind limiting residential development, maintaining high environmental standards, and providing parks and trails for 25 years. What’s changed is the creation of heritage and preservation organizations (55 alone in the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition), some now with full time paid staff and access to thousands of their members through email, websites, and video. Experienced
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citizen expertise is available to comment on each proposed development. The citizens are now a strong voice which must carry weight in the development process. On the other hand, Loudoun is fortunate to have a highly qualified, dedicated, business community and a development industry which has performed over the years on a highly ethical basis and has contributed much to the quality of life we all enjoy. For us old timers, we can remember having to leave the county to find many essential goods and services, culture and entertainment that are now on our doorstep thanks to the development and business community. If we are to avoid pitched battles between citizens against proposed development applications in the future, we need to return to the concept of Conservation Design. This simple but critical step requires that any land use application for rezoning or by-right be reviewed by county Staff and applicant to identify all of the environmental features of the site which must be maintained and to set the “Building Envelope” within which the actual development can take place. This step is to be taken before the applicant spends hundreds of thousands on design and engineering. But it does require the staff with Board of Supervisors backing to provide rigorous enforcement of the environmental standards of the Loudoun 2019 Plan, supporting Zoning Ordinance, FSM and Subdivision Ordinance. The best way to avoid expensive and pressurized disputes over development applications is in the beginning of the process whereby the environment can be protected, and the citizen voices heard before the big money is spent by the applicants. — Al Van Huyck, Round Hill
It Can Be Done Editor: By now, we are all aware of how a Leesburg man, one Henry Svennow, received county attention [Letters, March 18] for snarking at a frustrated father (calling him Screaming Man) who took the Loudoun County School Board to task. But Svennow only serves to demonstrate the incoherence of his own arguments. His “summary” of the father’s testimony consists of nine points that are either dismissive, miss the point, or wrong. For instance, Svennow’s Point 1 dismisses the father’s objections without responding to why the father (and many other parents and teachers as well) are so frustrated with the board and administration, far easier to dismiss it as ‘insult’. Point 2 is more of the same. Here’s how Svennow set up points 3 through 5: “Third and fourth: COVID is not really dangerous. Fifth: COVID is so dangerous that people could die while working outside from contact with trash.” He then attempts to show that the father is contradicting himself here. What Svennow either can’t or won’t see is that the father was being sarcastic. Watching the testimony, it was clear that the father was pointing out the discrepancy between the demand that schools be shut down because COVID, while garbage workers continue as usual. His point wasn’t that garbage workers were really at risk, rather neither are the teachers. But this went right by Svennow. Svennow evidently believes that opening the schools is more risky than picking up trash. But according to the CDC, the risks are low. Here are a couple
of excerpts: “Although children can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus to others, less than 10% of COVID-19 cases in the United States have been among children and adolescents aged 5–17 years” “Detection of cases in schools does not necessarily mean that transmission occurred in schools. The majority of cases that are acquired in the community and are brought into a school setting result in limited spread inside schools, if comprehensive prevention strategies are in place.” In other words, with proper precautions, in-school learning is no more risky than picking up trash, contra Svennow. Svennow’s dismisses the father’s final points as follows: “Sixth through ninth: safely educating students in a pandemic is easy. I could do it. People out there could do it. Anyone could do it.” Cute. As a matter of fact, private schools all over the state have managed to do exactly this. For instance, my son is a private school teacher here in Loudoun County. His school hit the ground running a year ago with Zoom sessions right from the start of the pandemic and completed the school year successfully. Last fall, they started in-school classes with standard precautions while continuing Zoom sessions for those who want it. To date no one–students, teachers, or administrators–has contracted COVID at school. Many other private schools have been similarly successful It can be done, Mr. Svennow. — Jon Garber, Leesburg
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MARCH 25, 2021
Budget request continued from page 1 Supervisors said they were concerned by high turnover and a drop in domestic violence prosecutions in the office. Biberaj said she inherited an office that was dramatically underfunded, with a long backlog of work to do and a “cookie cutter” approach to prosecution. “When you look at what we impact in the community, it is people’s safety, it is their mental health, it’s their stability, it’s their ability to be able to be an integral part of our community,” Biberaj said during the March 18 budget work session. “We take the most serious cases and we do go to court, and we prosecute, because that’s what we should do, and be able to incarcerate people. But we are no longer defaulting to that, because that was easy. It was easy to go to court in an hour and a half and prosecute somebody and send them to jail. We don’t.” She argued many domestic violence charges are not as serious as the term sounds, and that law enforcement officers are required to make a charge if they go to a domestic violence call—”it is not uncommon for us to be in court and the officer says, ‘I’m sorry, I did not want to bring this forward, but that’s what I’m obligated to do.’ So, we’re stuck making the very tough decisions.” And with supervisors pointing to a reported 17 staff departures in the 13 months of her administration from among 39 total positions, she said turnover is due to COVID-19 and the new prosecutorial philosophy she was elected to bring to the office. “That is a staggering turmoil in the office, and a stagging bad hire rate, and a
LETTERS to the Editor continued from page 33
We Deserve Better Editor: I have worked at Loudoun County Transit since 2004. I work hard to help make sure that people can get to work and home safely. A new company, a French corporation called Keolis, has been awarded the contract to take over the entire county transit operation, and this company has made clear from the get-go that they are going to take a hard line with employees. So far, they have refused to recognize
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj stands with some of her staff at a ceremony by the future District Court building, which will also hold her office, on Monday, March 22.
staggering turnover rate,” said Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn). “In essence, what we have done is we have built a whole new law firm,” Biberaj said. “People are trying to get their footing, they’re trying to get stabilized, they’re trying to figure out where they fit, and it is a very high demand on them when we’re trying to build this on top of having a heavy caseload.” But, said County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), the difference is not simply a change in philosophy. She said she has letters from domestic violence victims. “I have also talked to [the Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and
Disability Services], I talked to Family Services, I talked to our nonprofits—especially LAWS, the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter—and the things that I am hearing do not comport with what you are saying, especially when it comes to domestic violence, abuse, and partner abuse,” Randall said. “In fact, the things that I am hearing, the letters I have, the emails I have, the text message screenshots I have would curl somebody’s toes to look at them.” Supervisors also questioned how Biberaj could evaluate her office’s staffing needs when it has never been fully staffed. “The office hasn’t even been fully staffed, really, and we’ve been operating in this weird environment, so quite honestly
I don’t know how you could evaluate what your needs are without being relatively fully staffed, which you really haven’t been at any point since you’ve been in office,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). Randall led the push to cut back those increases and to freeze all increases until Biberaj signs the cooperative agreement. The department has not been operating without them; Hemstreet has been extending those services to the office on an ad hoc basis without an agreement. Supervisors on March 18 voted 8-0-1 for all of those cuts and the freeze, Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) absent. n
our union, ATU Local 689, and have proposed slashing benefits including our insurance, retirement, vacation, and more. For me and my colleagues who have given the best years of our life to serve this county, we deserve better. Keolis should not be allowed to come here and treat us this way. — Mike Schemm, Hagerstown, MD
ber of people who do not agree with me, and what I hate most is when people question me, or have their own opinion about issues, just as the citizens on your secret list of people you intend to target have the temerity to do. Actually, I guess I don’t mind if people have their own opinion—I mean, we’re all entitled to our own opinion, right?—just as long as they keep the opinions to themselves. To think that these citizens were actually meeting, discussing, even educating themselves on issues, all in order to challenge you and your agenda. What is the United States coming to? I laud your plan to dox the people on your secret list, and hacking into their accounts and the websites they run, in order
to prohibit other citizens from realizing that there may be more than one way to look at some issues—ingenious. I was wondering if next you might consider pushing for actual laws that prohibit the people who don’t agree with you from speaking out and from meeting? Since you have several elected officials in your secret group, this should not be too difficult to affect. And, once you have the technology in place, you could easily shut up anyone who would lobby the lawmakers against such bills as well. It would go a long way toward fostering unity. Anyway, thanks for looking out for the freedoms of our country. — Julie Sprinkle, Leesburg
The Secret List Editor: I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage all the members of the “Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County” secret Facebook group. I, too, am truly horrified by the num-
MARCH 25, 2021
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The Peoples’ Constitution
Can the Government Require the Covid 19 Vaccine?
BY BEN LENHART
Several vaccines have been approved to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already infected more than 30 million people, and killed more than half a million, in the U.S. alone. Most health experts say the vaccines are safe and effective, and the government recommends them for nearly all adults. But what if, instead of merely recommending it, the government required you to get the vaccine? Can the government do this? Can I be forced to get a vaccine? These questions impact all Americans, and highlight fundamental features of our Constitution, including our individual freedoms, our federalist system, and the limits on government power.
Who Is Ordering the Vaccine—the Federal or State Government? The “which government” question is vital because state governments have more power to mandate a COVID vaccine than the federal government. Why? The answer goes to the heart of the American system of government. In drafting our Constitution, the Founding Fathers feared that the new federal government could grow too strong and threaten Americans’ liberties, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. To avoid this, the Constitution intentionally limits and weakens the federal government by imposing a broad system of checks and balances: separation of power among three branches, veto power, judicial review, frequent elections, the bill of rights, impeachment, etc. But the single biggest check on federal power is this: The federal government has only those powers listed in the Constitution—no others. The federal government can pass laws within those powers, but not beyond. Over the years, the Supreme Court has invalided many federal laws because they exceeded the power of the federal government. One early, famous example was Marbury v. Madison (1803), where Chief Justice John Marshall found that Congress has exceeded its authority in passing the very law giving the court power to hear the case. U.S. v Lopez (1995) is a more recent example, where the Supreme Court struck down a federal law creating a gun-free zone around schools. The court acknowledged it may be a sensible law, but it was invalid nonetheless because the Constitution did
not give the federal government the power to create the school gun-free zone at issue in the case. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is facing a similar court challenge, based on the argument that the federal government simply lacks the power to pass the ACA. In contrast, most states have the opposite structure—while the federal government is limited by the powers in the Constitution, state governments usually have unlimited power to pass any laws that they believe to be good for their people (so long as the state law does not conflict with federal law or the Constitution). While the federal government can pass laws only in the areas where the Constitution gives it power, most States can pass laws in any and all areas, unless forbidden by higher authority. Federal power starts with nothing, and then the Constitution adds a select set of powers; most states start with everything—all legislative power—and then certain powers are taken away. This stark difference echoes the 10th Amendment to the Constitution: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The 10th amendment was important for winning ratification of the Constitution in 1788 because it helped address concerns of the “Anti-Federalists”—such as George Mason and Patrick Henry—who favored state over federal power. Turning to the Covid vaccine, these differences mean that state laws mandating the vaccine are more likely to pass muster than federal laws. While Congress has broad power under the Constitution, including the power to regulate interstate commerce, that power is lessened when Congress tries to regulate people or things that are purely local and not involved in interstate commerce. A federal law mandating vaccines for all Americans across the nation (even one with exceptions for health or religious grounds) would likely be invalid because it goes beyond the power of the federal government, while a similar state law (aimed at people in that state) is more likely to be valid because it would be based on the inherent power of the state to pass laws for the public good. On the other hand, a more limited federal vaccine or mandate (or face mask mandate), such as one limited to federal workers or those traveling interstate,
would stand a better chance of winning in court. President Biden issued just such a mask mandate upon taking office, but perhaps knowing the limits imposed on him by the Constitution, he largely limited his face mask order to federal employees and federal government property.
Real Life Example: Massachusetts Mandates A Vaccine In Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), Mr. Jacobsen refused to obey a law requiring that everyone in Cambridge receive a smallpox vaccination. At the time, a smallpox epidemic was raging. Jacobson faced a fine or imprisonment if he failed to take the vaccine. Jacobsen argued that forcing him to get the vaccine violated his fundamental liberty, which included freedom to control his own body. The State argued that the health risk was urgent, that widespread vaccination was needed to protect everyone against smallpox, and that any harm to individual liberty was a price worth paying given the severe threat of smallpox. The Supreme Court acknowledged that both sides had a point. On one hand the Court noted that “when faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some “real or substantial relation” to the public health crisis ...” On the other hand, the Court recognized Jacobsen’s argument, and agreed that the vaccine order did impact liberty and personal freedom. The court cautioned that “a law purporting to protect public health, may nevertheless be invalid if it “has no real or substantial relation to those objects, or is, beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law.” In short, while the court balanced the two competing concerns—liberty and public safety—the court came down squarely in favor of public safety, holding the vaccine order was valid given the seriousness of the threat. The Court said that “the liberty secured by the Constitution of the United States does not import an absolute right in each person to be at all times, and in all circumstances, wholly freed from restraint.” But the Court also warned that any if a law goes too far in restricting liberty, if the law is in place for too long, or reaches too far, or if the goal of the law can be achieved by less invasive measures, then the court may well
strike down the law.
Face Masks and Seat Belts Laws requiring face masks due to COVID and laws mandating seat belt use offer more examples of the hard balance between individual liberty and a broader public good. Nearly all of these laws are state and local laws, not federal, for the same reasons discussed above (states simply have more power than the federal government to issue such laws). Several lawsuits are currently challenging the power of states to require face masks during the pandemic, arguing they violate freedom of speech or expression, or invade the liberty to control what happens to one’s body (similar to the arguments in the Massachusetts vaccine case above). Most courts have so far rejected these challenges. In addition, some states have recently relaxed or even eliminated COVID face mask laws, and for better or worse, the federal government mostly lacks the power to stop them.
Conclusion Americans pay a price to protect our fundamental freedoms. Part of that price is a federal government that, by the very design of our Constitution, is often slow and inefficient, and sometimes lacks the Constitutional power to take the very measures most needed to combat a problem like the pandemic. Some authoritarian governments were able to move more swiftly than America in combating COVID-19 because those governments have far more power concentrated in the central government, and even, in some cases, in the hands of a single leader. Of course, the citizens of those nations pay a price too—the power to rapidly combat a pandemic can quickly turn to the power to strip away liberties from is citizens whenever the government sees a threat. Our Constitution strikes a very different balance, one tilted more in favor of individual freedoms and against an all-powerful federal government. Ben Lenhart is a graduate of Harvard Law School and has taught Constitutional Law at Georgetown Law Center for more than 20 years. He lives with his family on a farm near Hillsboro.
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MARCH 25, 2021
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