Loudoun Now for April 18, 2024

Debate Continues Over Best Approach to Farmland Preservation

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The four-year effort to increase opportunities for agricultural operations even as western Loudoun properties are carved up into new subdivisions is nearing a final Board of Supervisors vote, but debate continues over whether the new proposed policies would hamper broader countryside conservation efforts.

Following a public hearing that stretched to nearly 3 a.m. April 11, county supervisors have scheduled a June vote on the proposed zoning regulations for rural cluster subdivisions aimed at limiting development on the best spaces for farming, defined as having prime agricultural soils.

The initiative was launched in 2020 seeking to address concerns that the goals of the cluster ordinance to create larger outlots designated for rural economy purposes were largely unmet. Too often, critics said, the lots were unusable for farming—located on steep slopes, wetlands, or the property’s poorest soils.

Four years later, the proposed revisions would apply to properties having at least five acres of prime soils and require that at least 70% of those soils be preserved in agricultural lots. According to the county planning staff ’s research, 705 parcels covering 54,000 acres meet that criteria and the proposed regulations would be expected protect 12,250 acres of prime soil.

Advocates of that approach, led by members of the Loudoun County Farm Bureau, say it would protect a critical resource while providing space for small

NextEra Power Line Route

Opposed by Supervisors

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution opposing the preliminary route of a proposed electric power transmission line across western Loudoun.

The action comes two weeks after supervisors voted to intervene in the State Corporation Commission’s review of a separate Dominion Energy application to construct new transmission lines across eastern Loudoun.

farm operations—a fast growing segment of Loudoun’s rural enterprises—to launch and thrive.

Critics warn the effort would devalue properties and reduce their development potential. That’s raised worries not only of property owners, but conservation advocates seeking to preserve rural properties through permanent conservation easements. They say that reducing the potential development value undermines the economic incentives that make easements an appealing—and supporters say far more impactful—preservation tool. As of

last year, conservation easements covered nearly 73,000 acres in Loudoun, including more than 20,000 acres of prime farmland soils.

Seeking to address the conflicting concerns following the Planning Commission’s review of the proposal last year, the Board of Supervisors appointed a work group comprised of representatives from each side and hired a consult to find a better solution.

PRESERVATION continues on page 32

The western Loudoun line is planned by Florida-based NextEra Energy and has been approved by PJM Interconnection, the organization that coordinates power transmission in the region. It calls for construction of 500 kV lines that would cross Loudoun from the West Virginia border to the Aspen substation south of Leesburg.

The line has been opposed by various environmental and community groups, including the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Waterford Foundation, as well as county residents who decry the impact of data centers and their

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Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

A member of the Loudoun Farm Bureau waits for his turn to speak about the county’s plans to preserve prime agricultural soil in the county during the April 10 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Smaller Belmont Data Center Campus Approved

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

A month after rejecting plans to build Loudoun’s largest data center campus, the Board of Supervisors last week approved a smaller version of the project.

The Belmont Innovation Campus, originally planned for 4.8 million square feet of data center use on 112 acres between Belmont Ridge Road and Goose Creek, was approved for a 1.3 millionsquare-foot version. The approval, on a 6-3 vote, came after the board on March 13 denied plans for a 2.9 million-squarefoot development.

Supporters of the project during the April 10 meeting said the data center would be built either way because it is a by-right use under the current zoning, but by approving the application, the county was getting better environmental protections.

Supervisor Michael Turner (D-Ashburn), who originally opposed the project, brought it back for reconsideration.

Turner said that following the board’s denial of the applicant, Loudoun GC, had approached him about reconsidering if they agreed to limit development to the by-right square footage of 1.3 million feet. If the company had to resubmit a new application it would be subject to the

county’s new zoning ordinance and delay the project, but an approval now would grandfather the project under the old ordinance and allow it to move forward.

In addition to reducing the scale of the data centers, the revised application removed a flex-industrial use from available options, removed a proposed substation along the planned Russel Branch Parkway extension leaving the remaining substation to be built by an open space buffer, removed a previous proffer to use low noise emission fans, removed a proffer

to install 10,000 square feet of solar panels, removed a proffer to construct a park pavilion and removed a cash proffer for a canoe launch at Goose Creek.

The amended application also increased the project’s density from a floor-area ratio of 0.6 to 1, which would allow an additional 1.9 million square feet. However, the developer’s proffer agreement includes a cap of the

BELMONT DATA CENTER continues on page 32

Kuhn Family Proposes Donation of Whites Ferry

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

After a three-year stalemate, the Kuhn family is hoping to get White’s Ferry running again by donating it to Montgomery County, MD.

Chuck and Stacy Kuhn bought the ferry in early 2021 after it closed following a Loudoun County Circuit Court ruling that the longtime owners did not hold legal authority to use the ferry’s Virginia landing at Rockland Farm.

At the time, the Kuhns hoped to quickly restart the operation that provided an important economic and commuter link since 1786. Today, it is the only Potomac River crossing between Point of Rocks and the American Legion Bridge.

However, negotiations with the Virginia landowners never reached a deal. State leaders in Maryland and Virginia along with county representatives in Montgomery and Loudoun also evaluated alternatives to secure a Virginia landing without

success.

Over the years, the Kuhns made offers, climbing to $1.25 million, to purchase an easement for the Virginia landing and alternatively offered to sell the ferry and an easement on the Maryland side to the Rockland owners. The Rockland owners sought a requirement to collect a 50-cent per car fee to permit the ferry operations to resume, a condition the Kuhns said would take half of the operating revenue and make the business unviable.

Chuck Kuhn said he hoped that donating the ferry to Montgomery County would find more success.

The donation would be contingent on Montgomery and Loudoun County leaders diligently pursuing options to reopen the ferry, including negotiations with the Rockland owners or working with the Virginia Department of Transportation to use condemnation powers to acquire the landing easement. Local and state authorities had declined to pursue eminent domain for the Kuhns’ company.

Flower & Garden Festival Features New Vendors, Hop On-Hop Buses

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

This weekend marks the 34th annual Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival with vendors from across the United States converging downtown in the spirit of fun, tourism and beauty.

The award-winning event doubles as a Loudoun County celebration of spring’s arrival and the area’s largest annual tourism event, usually bringing in 30,000 visitors and locals.

More than 125 vendors will fill the streets with seasonal blooms, herbs, gardening supplies, outdoor furniture, and more. There will also be music, entertainment and activities for kids, a rooftop beer garden and festival food.

“Our donation will be the best way forward. This is not what we had originally envisioned, but we recognize the importance of White’s Ferry to our region. With this donation, we believe that Montgomery County will be able to work with Virginia to get the ferry moving again,” Kuhn said.

“We’re just trying anything we can to get the ferry open for the community,” he said.

A 2021 economic impact study of resuming ferry operations conducted for Loudoun and Montgomery counties calculated a $9 million annual value based on travel time savings, travel cost savings, safety savings, the value of emissions avoided, and the value of trips not taken. Travel time savings alone were calculated at $1.7 million a year.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation on Tuesday did not immediately respond to questions about the process the county would use to evaluate the donation offer. n

Town of Leesburg Events and Outreach Manager Linda Fountain has been the events manager for the festival since 2001. She said over the years the event has changed by adding a sixth block to its five main blocks of vendors, the Garden Patch children’s area has moved around a bit before finally settling on the Town Hall Green, and moving the beer garden to the top of the town garage has been a big hit.

“That is the coolest location to have it up there. It adds a whole new element,” she said. “And kudos to Loudoun Brewing, our contractor that gets tables, tents and umbrellas and live entertainment up there. It’s a whole other area of entertainment where you can go and chill and enjoy another part of the festival.”

Fountain said her favorite part of the festival is the Friday night loadin as landscapers and vendors convert the downtown streets to a garden oasis overnight.

“I love the energy. We’ve got all hands-on deck with the staff and vendors are coming in and starting to transform downtown. I just think it’s so exciting watching the landscape displays get set up,” she said.

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County of Loudoun

The Belmont Innovation Campus would cover 112 acres on the west side of Belmont Ridge Road south of Rt. 7.

FLOWER & GARDEN

Loudoun

Clear Springs Development, Tennis Center Win Board Approval

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Over 1,000 new homes are coming to the Leesburg area after the Board of Supervisors rezoned 246 acres between the Dulles Greenway and Evergreen Mills Road during a meeting April 11.

The Village at Clear Springs development includes plans for a $42 million Mid-Atlantic United States Tennis Association competition center and requirements that 18% of the homes be dedicated to help meet the county’s attainable housing needs. The project includes 230 single family detached, 667 single family attached, and 180 multi-family attached affordable dwelling units. Twelve additional units will be dedicated to Habitat for Humanity.

The board held an initial public hearing on the application in January, when critics objected to the scale of the development and advocates pointed to the benefits of affordable housing, the tennis center, and the widening of Evergreen Mills Road to four-lanes along the property.  Public speakers during the April 10

hearing repeated those arguments.

Since the first hearing, the application was amended to proffer a disclosure requirement to residents about the site’s proximity to Leesburg Executive Airport since the development will fall within the one-mile designation of the Airport Impact Overlay District. Currently, homeowners are required to disclose that by the county, but a new state law prohibits that requirement.

The updated application also requires a noise study, construction treatments to mitigate noise impact in the homes, and a proffer that 15% of the single family attached units will be no more than 16 feet wide.

John Ellis, who spoke on behalf of Save Rural Loudoun, said he was concerned about the increased traffic on Evergreen Mills Road and the capacity impact on schools, as well as the tax impact on

CLEAR SPRINGS continues on page 5

Supervisors Unanimously Approve Philomont Fire Station Permit

BY NORMAN K. STYER AND HANNA PAMPALONI nstyer@loudounnow.org hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

After four years of community debate, the Board of Supervisors last week unanimously approved land use permits required to build a fire station on the former Philomont Horse Show Grounds.

That plan was first proposed in 2020, but was criticized by area residents who wanted to update and expand the current Philomont Fire House at the heart of the village and to preserve the show grounds property south of the village as community open space. The volunteer fire company owns both parcels and strongly supported the county’s plans.

The board’s April 10 vote to approve the project followed a community effort to identify other potential locations for the station, but supervisors said the three proposals that were submitted would not offer a significant improvement but would further delay and add costs to the $22 million project. On Tuesday, the full board approved the recommendation of its finance committee to not further consider the alternate sites.

After years of debate, the growing sense of urgency to move the project forward was highlighted by Fire-Rescue System Chief System Chief Keith H. Johnson, who cited a March 20 fire in which a home burned to the ground. On that day, he said, Philomont crews were out on another call, so the closest available responders were in Round Hill and Purcellville.

“[The homeowner] lost his entire $1.1 million home and all those belongings. That’s what I try to avoid every day we run calls. And not that if that company was there, we would have saved the $1.1 million. I can’t promise that, but we have

a better chance of having the appropriate units,” Johnson said.

Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) lamented the divisive community debate stirred by the project. She said the county should rethink how sites for public facilities are identified in rural areas to include more early public input and community support.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) disagreed. He compared the situation to a years-long effort to build a new fire station in the Aldie area. While that process ended with a site with strong support, the years of delay took a toll on

the fire-rescue system and its personnel.

“What we forget about is for literally years, we’ve had firefighters and a completely unacceptable situation dragging on and we act as though there’s not a cost to that. We act as though that doesn’t matter because we ended up with a good outcome. No, we didn’t,” he said. “That wasn’t a good outcome. There’s nothing good about how that turned out. We had people in a bad situation for years. So yeah, we don’t want to repeat that. We don’t because there’s a human cost to that and there’s a functional cost to that and it’s just not acceptable and I’m a little bit tired of hearing other people tell us how the fire department should be run instead of the fire department. So, at some point, you have to listen to your experts. And that’s where we are with this. And enough is enough.”

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) agreed that support for the first responders should be the priority.

“We’re not putting in a landfill there. The firefighters literally try to save people’s lives. That is what they’re doing,” she said.

“Everything for me is eclipsed by health and safety—everything,” she said. n

A concept plan for the Village at Clear Springs development on 245 acres between the Dulles Greenway and Evergreen Mills Road just south of Leesburg. The proposed project includes a USTA tennis complex, 1,077 residential units and a neighborhood park.

County of Loudoun

An architect rendering of the proposed Philomont Fire Station.

Clear Springs

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county residents.

“[The staff report] says that the additional student population would increase county operating expenses by $7 to $10 million annually, and $38 to $42 million in one-time capital costs, which amounts to an increase of $108 to $142 million over 10 years,” he said.

Leesburg Vice Mayor Neil Steinberg opposed the application citing the airport noise concerns. He said that even with the county’s current mandated disclosure, Dulles Airport still receives complaints on a regular basis and if homes are built closer to Leesburg Airport, the town will, too.

“Because of the proximity to Dulles, the airspace is very tight and very limited. It’s the FAA that dictates the control of our landing and takeoff patterns and much of the structure of the operations, as they apply to flight schools and other business practices on the field. Many of the decisions are quite deliberately out of our hands,” he said.

James Russell, who chairs Loudoun Habitat for Humanity and the Virginia Statewide Community Land Trust, said the units dedicated to that organization made this application unique because those homes stayed affordable indefinitely.

“They’re very different from the homeownership opportunities that we have in Loudoun County for attainable homeownership in that it’s one family or one resident or one homeownership opportunity. And once they sell that home, it goes to the market and is lost as an attainable house.”

In contrast, a home in the land trust stays that way indefinitely even when the family living in it moves on.

“Instead of one family/one home, it’s one home/many families over and over and over again,” Russell said.

Supervisors cited the tennis center as a significant factor in their support for the application even though they had concerns about the density of the project.

“If I could vote for this application twice, I would,” Vice Chair Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) said. “This application just knocks it out of the park in my opinion. We have such a unique opportunity in Loudoun County to bring the USTA headquarters to Loudoun County.”

She said the facility would provide a source of revenue for the county and help diversify its economy outside of data

center revenue.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said, while he did have some concerns about the airport noise, he felt that because the county had implanted a zone around the airport that prohibited residential development and the application was outside that zone, voting against the application because of noise could be seen as “arbitrary and capricious.”

“I do agree with some of the concerns of the speakers and some of my colleagues about the overall density of the project, particularly multifamily, which is not ideal for this location. So, I have to weigh that against the other unique feature that deviates from a normal residential development in this, which is the USTA facility,” he said.

Supervisors Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) and Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) said they did not support the application because of the multi-family units, noise concerns, and budget impacts.

“Multifamily is not envisioned [in the Transition Policy Area] and there will be two buildings with 90 units in the buildings at a height of 45 to 55 feet,” TeKrony said. “I do think a better solution would have been putting quads and tris in that area in that land bay instead of multifamily. I do think we need diversity in our affordable housing not all one type of unit, which is multifamily.”

After the vote, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation said it is a relief to have the zoning approved and with one-third of the $42 million construction cost already raised for the tennis facility. The approval is expected to help boost fundraising.

“We picked Loudoun for a reason. I think it’s a really special community where I think we can make a real impact and a real difference not just in Loudoun, but across the region. Tennis changes lives, and I just want more and more and more people to have their life changed through tennis,” foundation CEO Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro said.

She said building the facility is expected to take 18 months with groundbreaking planned for next year.

The USTA has agreed to award a $2.5 million grant to the project, Director of Marketing and Communications Lauren Hoffmann said.

“That really signals how important this is not only for the growth of tennis, but to really strengthen the impact of the community and put people on a path to healthier lifestyles and longer lives,” Hoffmann said. n

Flower & garden

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Fountain said going to an all-digital vendor platform last year opened the festival up to more vendors and new ones.

Fountain said one of the new vendors she was interested to learn more about was Snickers Run Garlic Farm from Bluemont Virginia. The farm grows hard-neck garlic varieties using natural and sustainable growing methods and sells garlic powder, garlic scapes—the long green shoots that grow from the garlic bulb—and gourmet black garlic powder, according to its website.

“We have such wonderful returning vendors, but it’s exciting to get something new,” Town Event Coordinator Billy Moffett said.

Some of the new vendors include Peasant’s Parcel out of Paw Paw, WV, which specializes in growing your own mushrooms on a log.

Another new vendor out of Scottsville is Whisper Hill Farm. Moffett said they are bringing certified organic vegetables and herbs and of course flowers. He said they have one of the biggest festival spaces—30 feet—for their booth.

Also new this year it the town’s first ever Flower and Garden Week, meant to expand the celebration by offering a range of activities and promotions running through April 21. During the weeklong event leading up to the Flower and Garden Festival, 18 town businesses are offering garden themed events, special offers and interactive activities including garden tours, live music, floral inspired food and DIY workshops.

Allison Wood, Small Business Development & Tourism specialist for the town’s Department of Economic Development, helped launch the program. She said the response has been positive, with residents picking up exclusive bright green bags

as a collector’s item from participating businesses.

“Many people see the festival as the beginning of spring. It’s a chance to meet up with friends and family, shop for outdoor items to get their homes ready for the season, and to finally enjoy the beautiful weather,” Wood said in an email.

Also new this year is a free “Hop On, Hop Off ” bus tour, offered through a collaborative effort from the Loudoun Economic Development and Visit Loudoun. Buses will travel in a loop between the Flower and Garden Festival and Gardens in the Gap event in Hillsboro. The buses allow riders the opportunity to enjoy each location at their own pace without the need to navigate parking during the festival.

Gardens in the Gap is a weeklong celebration of spring in Hillsboro to the theme of “An Appalachian Spring.” It offers intimate tours of several Hillsboro properties. It’s part of the Virginia Garden Club’s Historic Gardens Week tours April 19-22.

Buses may be picked up at any of the following stops: Ashburn Metro Station, 1 Harrison St. in Leesburg or at the Old Stone School in Hillsboro. Buses will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The free festival is produced by Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department, with support from the Leesburg Police and staff from the Public Works and Utilities departments.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday rain or shine. Pets are not allowed.

Portions of King, Market and Cornwall Streets will be closed for the event. Parking will be available in the Town Hall parking garage using the Loudoun Street entrance. Additional parking will be available throughout downtown and a free shuttle service, form Ida Lee Park, will run continuously throughout the day.

For complete details, including the vendor list and entertainment schedule, go to flowerandgarden.org n

Parks and Rec to Take Licensing Exemption to Fill Vacancies

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Board of Supervisors’ finance committee last week recommended pursuing a licensing exemption for its Parks, Recreation and Community Services afterschool and summer camp programs—a move that will not change the program standards, county staff members say—but will open the door for hiring flexibility.

PRCS Director Steve Torpy told the committee that the county’s standards for school-aged afterschool programs and summer camps are more stringent than the licensing requirements from the state and accepting the exemption would not affect the quality of the services.

“We are actually not relaxing anything except for the criteria in order to hire, the ability to hire people that we know have the experience just not the educational background for these particular positions,” he said.

Assistant Director Jenny Jones said that 571 other agencies in the state have also accepted the exemption.

“PRCS is unable to fully staff our afterschool and summer camp programs,” she said.

Jones said they had spoken with two other localities that have accepted the exemption. They said they were happy with their decision because without the licensing requirements they can now provide program-specific training instead of pre-service training required by the Department of Education, promote experienced staff members who might lack college requirements, fill positions more quickly—and overall staff morale had improved.

“Supervisors [are] required to have a four-year degree in a child-related field plus experience. Finding substitutes with required qualifications that can fill in for supervisors is nearly impossible,”

LICENSING EXEMPTIONS

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Licensing exemptions

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Jones said.

An average of 140 children weekly are on the waitlist for Camp Daze and Fest summer camp because of the inability to hire staff meeting the licensing requirements, according to a staff memo.

She said new requirements proposed by the governor and undergoing public comment would make running the programs even harder and would result in PCRS losing 30 staff members.

PRCS Deputy Director Jeremy Payne said the exemption would save an estimated $1,200 per employee and cut 30 days to 12 weeks of time out of the on-boarding process.

Committee members said they were initially hesitant to seek an exemption and asked how the program will differ without the requirements.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large) asked if there would be a pay differential between licensed staff and unlicensed staff.

“The staff themselves are not nec-

essarily licensed in something. It’s the program that is licensed, the overall program is what gets licensed and then the supervisors currently have the minimum qualifications from the state,” Torpy said.

He said there were staff members who have worked for the program for 20 years, but they could not be promoted to supervisory posts because they did not have a four-year college degree.

Vice Chair Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) asked if there would still be surprise inspections.

“It wouldn’t be coming from the state, per se,” Torpy said. “But that is what we do currently. The inspections that we do are not scheduled. They are unannounced so that we have the ability to have those checks and balances internally and we actually do more than the state does at each one of our sites.”

Committee Chair Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said he thought the change would allow PRCS to provide more services to county residents.

The item will now advance to the full board for consideration. n

Leesburg

Police See ‘Staggering’ Increase in Alcohol-related Crimes

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

After a three-year decrease, the Leesburg Police Department is seeing an increase in calls for service, but activity has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels.

Chief Thea Pirnat presented her annual report to the Town Council last week, providing more details about the more than 43,000 calls her officers handled during 2023.

Among the top categories of responses during the year were 2,349 911 hang up calls, 951 crashes with property damage, and 712 burglar alarms. Officers also conducted 6,045 traffic stops.

Several categories of serious crimes trended down last year after spikes during 2022, including assaults and sexual assaults.

Pirnat noted the reports of sexual assaults are up significantly compared to 2020—from 20 to 65 last year—but attributed that trend to more awareness and reporting from victims. Ninety-two sexual assaults were reported in 2022.

Fraud cases and reports of extortion or blackmail also have increased, a trend bolstered by electronic communications and social media.

Pornography-related charges increased from 28 in 2020 to 69 last year. Pirnat said that increase can be attributed to the work of the regional law enforcement task force. But, she noted, the de-

partment also deals with a lot of reports of juveniles sharing inappropriate photos with other juveniles.

LEESBURG CRIME continues on page 9

Revised Westpark Rezoning Will Exclude Data Center Option

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

When the Westpark rezoning application comes to the Town Council next month, one thing will be clear—a data center will not be built on the 7.5-acre tract.

Owner Chuck Kuhn said that use was never planned for the Clubhouse Drive property, but concerns about the potential for a data center dominated the Planning Commission public hearing earlier this month. That meeting ended with a recommendation of denial of the request to rezone the property from the B-3 District to Planned Development Employment Center District.

The PD-EC district is one of two zones in town where data centers are permitted by-right—a condition the Town Council plans to change quickly by making it a special exception use.

Kuhn, who has developed data center properties in other areas, said as part of the application process he will include a condition prohibiting construction of a data center on the Westpark land.

He purchased the former Westpark Golf Club in 2020 in the wake of neighborhood objections to a developer’s plans to build homes on the 142-acre property. After putting most of the land under a conservation easement, Kuhn sold the golf course land to the county government. It now is a public park. He retained ownership of the commercial land that

AROUND town

Leesburg Land $3M in FEMA Grants

The Town of Leesburg’s utility system got a $3 million boost this week with the announcement that the federal government will be helping to install two new power generator systems.

U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced the FEMA grants through a program intended to provide financial support to communities facing natural disasters and crises.

Leesburg received a $2,850,000 grant to fund emergency backup power systems at the town’s Water Pollution Control Facility and its Western Pressure Zone pump station. A second $190,000 grant is intended to cover the personnel and administrative costs of installing the equipment.

Tree Commission Launches GIS-based Growth Tracker

The Leesburg Tree Commission is launching a new program intended to help restore the town’s tree canopy.

The “Treesburg Initiative” allows residents to plant a tree and record it using a geographic information system map that can be updated annually to track its growth. Once a tree has been planted, its location, along with a photo, can be uploaded to the online database. Updates may be made annually to track the tree’s growth.

once housed the golf club and a hotel.

Kuhn said his plan for the Westpark site, and another tract on the northern edge of Purcellville, is to build flex-industrial space. The warehouse-style buildings once were hallmarks of commercial spaces in Sterling and Ashburn but are being squeezed out by demand for data centers and increasing land prices.

The growing shortage of flex-industrial buildings that typically provide spaces for small businesses has been cited as a concern among county business leaders.

Kuhn said land prices outside of the core data center zone should make that style of development more feasible.

“If we’re not careful, we are going to push all the trades out of the county,” he said. n

“In recent years, there has been a reduction in Leesburg’s tree canopy with a loss of many trees due to insect and disease infestation, tornado damage, as well as development for housing and retail,” Commission Chair Earl Hower said. “Make our community livable for all by encouraging new tree plantings.”

\Residents are encouraged to pick up a free native tree seedling, from the commission’s booth during this weekend’s Flower & Garden Festival. About 1,500 seedlings will be available.

Also, residents will have the opportunity to receive a free potted tree at Ida Lee Park during Arbor Day on Saturday, April 27. The first 200

AROUND TOWN continues on page 9

Leesburg Police Chief Thea Pirnat speaks during her July 20, 2023, swearing-in ceremony.

Leesburg crime

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Juveniles also are contributing to increases in two other categories.

Pirnat said, while drug charges are below 2020 levels, they increased from 115 to 184 last year and drug equipment violations increased from 72 to 138 in 2023.

“We are seeing issues with the vape pens, where vape pens are in the hands of minors. In some cases, they are laced with THC or marijuana-type substances,” she said.

Weapons violations also have increased from 17 in 2020 to 49 last year.

“Part of this is that schools are very diligently report weapons found in the schools now. So, if a child brings a BB gun or a pocket knife they are letting us know and that will be classified as a weapons law violation by code,” Prinat said.

The chief’s top concern is the “staggering” increase in alcohol-related cases including disorderly conduct/drunkenness and driving under the influence. In 2020, there were seven disorderly conduct arrests; there were 119 last year. In 2020, there were 41 DUI arrests and 79 last year. The 34 alcohol-related crashes during 2023 were the most since 36 hap-

AROUND town

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residents will receive planting and care instructions along with information on how to share their tree planting efforts online.

For more information go to leesburgva.gov/treesburg.

Utilities Department Offers Soil Nutrients

Just as the town’s green thumbs are preparing their spring gardens, the town’s Utilities Department is again offering its organic soil amendment product known as Tuscarora Landscapers Choice.

Produced at the town’s biosolids processing facility, TLC includes nutrients essential to plant growth and soil quality. It can be applied with any spreader used for granular material.

TLC is available to Leesburg utility customers for free in 25- and 50-pound bags that may be picked up outside the gate of the Water Pollution Control Facility, 1391 Russell Branch Parkway SE, while supplies last.

Learn more at leesburgva.gov/tlc. n

pened in 2018.

Overdoses decreased during 2023 to 30—down from 35 in 2022 and 36 in 2021. There were five fatal overdoses last year, all adults. Three of those involved opioids, with two involving fentanyl, according to the report.

Another growing concern is shoplifting, up 59% from 244 in 2020 to 396 in 2023.

Pirnat said many of the cases involve organized retail theft, but not smash and grab operations seen in other areas.

“What we’re seeing is individuals

working in twos and threes where they distract someone who is working there while someone grabs the items and go they go to multiple stores while they’re in town,” she said. Increasingly, pharmacies are being targeted, she said.

Increased cooperation from law enforcement agencies around the region has been effective in combating the crimes, she said.

Also, the department is working to more closely coordinate with town retailers with a special forum to be held May 16 at the Ida Lee Recreation Center

with representatives of Homeland Security Investigations, the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, and a security professional from a local retailer joining to offer advice.

Pirnat also delivered a bit of good news. After filling vacancies in her department, the chief said she’s preparing to reinstate an evening shift, putting more officers on the street during the most active times 3 to 7 p.m. and to increase selective enforcement in targeted problem areas. n

Board Cuts School Year by 1 Day for Next 2 Years

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

The School Board last week voted to shorten the school year by one day for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years to accommodate potential conflicts with June primaries. It also voted to swap Rosh Hashanah for Yom Kippur for the 2024-2025 calendar.

The scheduling concern was prompted by having the final day of school falling on primary election days—June 17, 2025 and June 16, 2026. Eighty-one county schools are used as election sites.

The school division isn’t notified until March of any given year if a primary is going to be held, but Human Resources Director Lisa Boland brought the issue to the board’s attention in March to be proactive.

Boland said the division sent a survey to families March 19 to April 3 asking

them to rank the three calendar options she presented last month. Of the over 8,400 responses, 5,267 chose option one as their first choice. The three options were also presented to the teacher, student and principal advisory groups for feedback and asked to rank the three options in order of preference. Among the teacher and student advisory committees, option one was also the most preferred, according to data presented by Boland.

Option one shortens the school year for both years from 180 days to 179. It also changes the last day of school to be the day before the primary, June 16, 2025, and June 15, 2026. Boland said that because an extra 30 minutes was added to Loudoun’s daily class schedule years ago the board could reduce the school year by one day and still comply with state code requirements for instructional times for students.

Option two maintained 180 school days

and adjusted for the June primary by starting and ending classes two days earlier.

Option three had teachers starting school six days before students and bumping their last day of school up by two days in their 194-day contract. It kept the 180 instructional days for students and changed the first and last day for students by two days.

The Jewish Community Relations Council asked school leaders to consider recognizing Rosh Hashanah and having a student holiday Oct. 3, instead of Oct. 11. For the 2024-2025 school year, Yom Kippur falls on a Friday, but under Jewish tradition, holidays begin at sunset meaning Yom Kippur would be celebrated Saturday Oct. 12. Rosh Hashanah falls on a Thursday in the 2024-2025 school year.

The actions were approved on a 6-0-3 vote, with Sumera Rashid (Little River), Kari LaBell (Catoctin) and Arben Istrefi (Sterling) absent. n

School Board to Explore Later School Start Times

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

The School Board is looking for creative solutions to address concerns about early school start times, including to hire more bus drivers or changing which schools have the earliest classes.

The board was briefed on the situation April 9 by Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis and other facilities leaders at the request of Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg), who said she had been looking into the issue for the past few months and during her campaign.

The division administrators implemented staggered start times two years ago. That decision led to about half the elementary schools, 29, shifting from a 7:50 a.m. start time to 7:30 with a dismissal time of 2:15 p.m., and the rest, about 30, shifting to an 8 a.m. start with a dismissal time of 2:45 p.m. The early start time has the youngest students walking and waiting at bus stops in the dark for several months of the year. At the time, then Superintendent Scott Ziegler said, with a shortage of bus drivers, making fewer bus runs and providing a more reliable schedule for students and their families were priorities. He said the proximity of schools to one another, the size of the area being served, and traffic patterns also were determining factors.

During the meeting, Shernoff said she

SCHOOL notebook

Teachers of the Year

Announced

Leesburg Elementary School K-2 autism teacher

Alexandra Cooper, Rock Ridge High School U.S. history and world History teacher

Aisha Ahmed and Shreyas Khera a math teacher at Brambleton Middle School were named 2024 New Teachers of the Year for the division.

To be considered for the recognition, teachers are nominated by a fellow LCPS employee and must begin their teaching career on or after Jan. 1, 2023. The nominees for “new” teachers of the year must have performed in outstanding fashion in their first year of teaching, shown commitment to professional growth through professional learning and served as a role model for other new teachers.

Friends of Blue Ridge Mountains Award Science Fair Prizes

Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains awarded students Arturo Romero and Emma Rosher first and second place for outstanding projects at the 42nd Annual Loudoun County Regional Science & Engineering Fair on March 20. The two were among 33 who submitted Earth and Environmental Sciences projects.

wanted to bring the situation forward to see if there were better solutions and for parents to understand the reason the changes were made.

“This is impacting people’s daily lives,” she said. “While some families don’t mind the early start, overwhelmingly others in the community want to see if there might be a possible solution or if the burden could be shared with a rotation of which schools start each couple of years.”

Lewis said the decision was not made

hastily and that it had been talked about for several years. He said it was made because of the driver shortage, excessive second loads, limited support for extracurricular activities and athletic trips, and the need to support programs like the Academies of Loudoun, the North Star School and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps—programs that bus students

START TIME continues on page 12

Romero, a junior at Freedom High School and the Academies of Loudoun, was awarded first place for his project examining the impact of winter temperature fluctuations on the germination of native Virginia plants. Rosher, a senior at Independence High School was awarded second place for her project examining the potential environmental impact of green roofs on 78 of Loudoun County’s Data Centers. n

Cooper

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg), center, asked fellow board members April 9 to discuss early elementary start times and to look at ways to change it. Several members of the board voiced support and the item was moved to the Finance & Operations Committee for further discussion.

Ahmed

Khera

703-956-9470

Investigators Seek Additional Victims in Child Sex Crimes Investigation

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

A former Loudoun County Public Schools substitute teacher has been arrested and charged with multiple counts relating to possession and production of child sexual abuse material.

Detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Child Abuse Squad charged William Riddell, 40, of Chantilly, with one count of possession of child pornography, nine counts of possession of child pornography second offense, one count of reproduction of child pornography and three counts of reproduction of child pornography second offense.

According to the report, detectives began investigating Riddell after it was reported he may have had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor in Fair-

Start time

continued from page 10

from other areas of the county to the host schools.

“We had an unacceptable level of service. Our buses were late. Our buses were late getting to school. Our buses were late leaving the school to go to the second loads,” he said, noting that second loads had to be done in a 20-minute window and at one time there were 115 second loads, which led to a domino effect of late buses to middle and high school.

“I assure you there was no randomness to that at all. It was built out of computer models and routing software to pair up different routes from elementary school routes to middle school routes to high school routes,” he said.

Middle and high school start times were moved to later in the morning, essentially stretching the school day to put more time between elementary school and middle school runs so the buses could get there, according to Lewis.

Additionally, he said an increase in athletic trips, band, choral, drama and field trips added to the dilemma.

He presented data on second loads that showed the morning on time performance rate in 2021-2022 was 96% with an afternoon on time performance rate of 70%. In 2022-2023, the first year of the staggered start, the morning on time performance was 99% and the afternoon performance was 88%. On-time performance means the bus arrives between 20 and five minutes before the bell.

He said they have improved recruiting efforts and pay for drivers and assistants to bring in more recruits to fill the gaps.

fax County. During the investigation, detectives uncovered electronic evidence of child sexual abuse material belonging to Riddell. The initial report of an inappropriate relationship with a minor is still under investigation.

Riddell was arrested March 30 in Kansas by the Salina Police Department and is being held pending his extradition to Fairfax County.

Riddell was employed as a part-time substitute teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools between 2008 and 2013. Additionally, he worked with the Broad Run and Freedom High Schools’ marching band, according to a release. In 2012, Riddell was a paid booster clinician at Chantilly High School. Riddell also taught music privately in the Chantilly area.

Detectives are concerned there may be more victims and are looking to speak with

Lewis credited the reduction in need for drivers, going from 583 at the end of last year to 553 at the beginning of March, to staggered start times.

Division Research and Evaluation Supervisor Dave Blaiklock presented data to show absentee, tardy and achievement rates. In 2022-2023, 3.34% of students that started school at 7:30 a.m. were tardy compared to 2.59% of students who started at 8 a.m. This year, as of Feb. 29, 2.98% of students with a 7:30 a.m. start time were tardy compared to 2.69% for those who started at 8 a.m.

For absences, 6.54% of students with an earlier start time missed school days in 2022-2023 compared to 6.37% with a later start time. Blaiklock also included data from 2018-2019 and said the schools that moved to the earlier start time had a higher rate of absences prior to the time change, 4.41% compared to 4.33% from schools that moved to an 8 a.m. start time.

Reading SOL scores showed students who started school at 7:30 in 2022-2023 scored 0.1% better than their 2021-2022 reading score, 75.98% compared to 76.08%. Meanwhile, students with an 8 a.m. start time dropped 0.33%, from 77.67% to 77.34%, according to the presentation. Math SOLs went up for students in both start times, up 1.57 percentage points for 7:30 a.m. students and 1.59 percentage points for 8 a.m. students.

The SOL data applies to students in third through fifth grades.

MAP assessments, which take into account students in K-5 and shows growth over time, indicated a 2.7 percentage point drop in math growth between 2021-2022 and last year for students starting at 7:30 a.m., dropping from 58.6% to 55.09%. Meanwhile students that started at 8 a.m. dropped by 0.81% between the two years.

anyone who believes they, or their children, may have been involved in an inappropriate relationship with Riddell.

Anyone with information about this case, or others possibly related, is asked to contact detectives at 703-246-7800, option “4”. Victim specialists have been assigned to the case.

Loudoun County Public Schools announced it is cooperating with the police investigation, according to a division-wide email sent April 11.  Administrators are encouraging anyone with information to contact Fairfax County Police.

Another division teacher, William Cody Smallwood, 34, was arrested last week and charged in Frederick County with soliciting sex from a child under the age of 15, a felony. The alleged incident took place in July 2023 in Frederick County.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office

Reading MAP data showed a drop of 1.49 percentage points between 2021-2022 and last year for earlier start students, going from 53.59% to 52.1% versus 0.48% drop for 8 a.m. students, who went from 51.63% in 2021-2022 to 51.15% last year.

Asked by Chair Melinda Mansfield (Dulles) how many additional drivers would be needed to have all elementary students start school at 8 a.m., Lewis estimated it would be about 40-50 and would likely lead to exorbitant second loads and on time issues.

“We have to do a study to be able to give you that exact number. It’s a very complicated process and there have been a lot of changes since we did that initial change but again it was 45 or so more so at least that much if not many more to be able to go back. And to go back without creating the second load problems I can’t tell you that,” Lewis said.

April Chandler (Algonkian) said data from 2018-2019 school year was a hard comparison to data from today because the students and families are different, and circumstances had likely changed during that time. She suggested coming up with creative ideas such as having teachers drive buses. Linda Deans (Broad Run) agreed and said when she was a deputy superintendent at another division, she became a licensed bus driver and drove a bus from time to time.

“I think we all realize this is going to take a holistic approach for this, but I think we are willing to dig down deep into it,” Mansfield said.

Anne Donohue (At-Large) said she had received a lot of complaints from constituents including personal friends who were struggling with the early start time. She said she didn’t think it was fair for half the

contacted Loudoun school administrators in August about the investigation into Smallwood and he was placed on administrative leave, according to an email from Heritage High School Principal Jeff Adam to parents April 9.

Smallwood was not arrested at that time and the criminal investigation was ongoing. Smallwood was arrested April 5, and his leave status was changed to suspended without pay, according to Adam. The charges do not involve a Heritage High School student according to another email Adam sent April 8.

Smallwood was a marketing teacher at Heritage and was hired in August 2017, according to division spokesperson Dan Adams. Smallwood has been on administrative leave from the school since Aug 29.

He was scheduled to appear in Frederick County Circuit Court on April 11. n

students to carry the burden with no end in sight.

“I somewhat felt like the takeaway of the presentation that you wanted us to get is, it’s not really a problem. Maybe that is not what you intended, but you have a lot of data here indicating we haven’t had that many concerns reported, there is not that much increase in absenteeism or tardiness or change in test score and I feel like you are setting up a position to say we don’t need to do anything. And maybe I’m wrong about that, but if that is where this is going, I am not going to be ok with that,” she said.

Lewis said that was not their intent, that their goal was to make sure everyone understood the problem they were trying to solve and that the service is better than it was. He said going back to the way it was would lead to more issues.

“If the board wants to revisit the whole process it should be a very public process and not a quick one and we should make sure we get feedback from everyone,” he said.

Donohue suggested swapping elementary start times with high school as a solution.

Shernoff said she was happy to see that there was an appetite to talk about and potentially fix the issue and said she was sad she couldn’t give parents hope that there would be change as quickly as this fall.

“I know it can be slow, but we are committed to finding a solution,” she said in an interview. “We had great dialogue, there were great questions and I felt encouraged that we are going to continue on. My hope was to come away with next steps and I think we accomplished it.”

The issue will be discussed in the Finance and Operations committee. n

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

Farmwell Station Middle School student

Liam Gandhi wanted to start a Health Occupations Students of America club chapter at his school. The seventh grader said he was inspired by his father Mital Gandhi’s kidney transplant and wanted to become a doctor and help people who rely on daily medication to manage life after an organ transplant.

HOSA is an international student organization that promotes healthcare industry careers and works to enhance quality healthcare to all, according to its website.

He went through the established procedures to get the club at his school—including finding a faculty advisor; finding at least five interested students (Liam had 25); ensuring that Broad Run High School, the high school his middle school feeds into, had a Health and Medical Sciences career and technical education program; and get-

ting approval from the school.

With all those boxes checked, Liam applied to start a chapter.

The chapter was denied because the course the students were using for their application was Spectrum—a gifted program offered in division middle schools—and not a Virginia Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Health and medical sciences course.

The Gandhis, school principal Sherryl Loya, and club advisor Carolyn Bridwell were surprised.

It seemed like a technicality that could be worked through. Mital emailed Crystal Stokes, VDOE’s Health and Medical Sciences and Related Clusters specialist, asking for clarification. He was told that under state regulations, CTE student organizations are co-curricular and aligned with the commonwealth’s CTE programs. Only schools with CTE health and medical sciences programs could establish a HOSA chapter.

Co-curricular means it happens outside of the classroom.

“They are relying on a regulation that says there has to be a CTE course in order for there to be a club. That regulation is not a law. If you look at it you see it can be interpreted in different ways,” Mital said.

The Gandhis decided to try to talk with Gov. Glenn Youngkin at a November rally in Ashburn.

They talked with Attorney General Jason Miyares instead.

“I said I think the VDOE is interpreting this regulation wrong and he gave me his email address,” Liam said.

After emailing Miyares, they decided to take another course of action—to get a bill created to fix the issue.

Liam said he learned in history class about the legislative process and decided to reach out to his state senator, Suhas Subramanyam (D-32).

“When I tell this story to a regular person they can’t believe it. It’s shocking to the mind that kids who want to create a club to explore various professions are not allowed to by the state. People think I’m kidding,” Mital said.

Subramanyam said they reached out to him when he had two bills left that he could submit for this year’s General Assembly session.

“I couldn’t believe we needed legislation to do this,” he said, adding that he told the Gandhi’s there was a chance the bill could fail because of VDOE concerns about allowing kids to start a club without a corresponding course.

They all agreed to fight for it.

How to demystify the bus in one easy step. Loudoun Middle Schoolers Rally to Establish CTE Clubs

“This legislation fixed a lot of things and helped kids create clubs without a corresponding course, something other states do … and those states did not crumble because of it,” Subramanyam said, adding that there are no middle school students in HOSA chapters in Virginia because of the regulation.

He said in Florida there are 1,100 middle school HOSA members because the state exempted the requirement for a related course.

Liam testified before the Senate Education and Health Committee on Feb. 2, saying by not allowing the co-curricular clubs in middle schools without a corresponding course it was hampering the dreams and aspirations of thousands of Virginia students.

The school division’s lobbyist firm, Jackson West Consulting, also testified in support of the bill.

Chris Bailey, of David Bailey Associates, spoke on behalf of the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education, a national association that represents thousands of CTE education professionals,

CTE CLUBS continues on page 14

Gandhi

CTE clubs

continued from page 13

and angry. She hopes the passing of this bill will set an example for other kids that they can make changes, too.

The bill passed the House of Delegates and was sent to the governor’s desk.

against the bill. Bailey said they had concerns that the clubs would be held without the corresponding course.

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“These organizations are structured to be co-curricular rather than extra-curricular so what that means is really the curriculum they learn in the classroom and in the CTE courses very much connect with these organization they are a part of and really go hand in hand,” he said, adding that the organizations have their own separate constitutions and bylaws and are their own nonprofits with their own board of directors, which means the bill would go against their own constitutions and require them to be rewritten.

Subramanyam said Virginia wouldn’t be the first state to make the change and, if it caused organizations to rethink their policies, that it was a good thing.

“It’s insane that we need to vote for this,” Sen. Schulyer T. VanValkenburg (D-16) said.

The bill reported out of committee unanimously.

Liam recruited the students who were interested in joining HOSA to testify before the House of Delegates subcommittee on K-12 Education on Feb. 27 from the school’s library.

“It was so cool to have a bunch of kids, like us all together, fighting for this one cause,” Liam said.

Seventh grader Anvi Allada was one of the students who testified.

“I was nervous because I had never experienced anything like this before to speak with the people who are involved with making our laws,” she said. “I got to argue about something I am passionate about and care about and these are the people who are going to listen to me and get it done.”

She said when she first learned they couldn’t create the club she was confused

On April 8, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed SB707, but not before there was a last-minute effort to amend the bill to add a line that said, “if the relevant organization’s constitution and bylaws permit establishing a chapter.”

Subramanyam said he got an email at 9 a.m. April 8 with the proposed changes. He said he didn’t agree with the changes because it defeated the purpose of the bill. By 5 p.m. he received another email that said the bill would stay as it was after getting feedback on the wording.

“I appreciate the governor’s office reaching out to us for feedback and keeping an open mind. This was not a partisan issue. It was an issue of wanting to make sure we could give these kids the opportunity to explore their dreams,” Subramanyam said.

Loudoun isn’t the only division struggling with this. In March students in the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology HOSA chapter have also been told the chapter would be shut down because the school didn’t have a corresponding course.

Asked why the VDOE was opposed to clubs like HOSA at the middle school level without a corresponding CTE course, state leaders said it wasn’t within their control.

VDOE Assistant Superintendent of Strategic Communication Todd Reid said it is the U.S. Department of Education and federal law, the 2018 Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, that require student organizations to be tied to instructional programs. Virginia is expected to make sure Perkins V funding is only given to programs that meet the federal definition of a CTSO.

The bill goes into effect July 1, which means Liam may be eligible to start a HOSA chapter at Farmwell Station Middle School in the fall. n

Wheelchair Users Vie for Medals, Prizes in Run the Greenway Roll 5K

Wheelchair users for the first time will have their own race category in this year’s Run the Greenway Saturday, May 4 at Loudoun Station, putting them in competition for medals, glory and prizes.

First, second and third-place overall finishers in the new Roll 5K category will win medals and a gift card to PR Run & Walk. That’s welcome news to the team at Ability Fitness Center at The Arc of Loudoun, the nonprofit that partnered with the Dulles Greenway to make Run the Greenway wheelchair accessible two years ago.

Many of the competitors on the Ability Fitness Center team use assistive technology such as wheelchairs to complete the race—including Anthony Ringenberg, the first wheelchair finisher in both years of Run, Walk or Roll the Greenway. He said the best part of the race is the finish line.

“It’s like working through the suck, and getting to the end and feeling the burn, and knowing that hey, I did it,” he said. “And also, being number one. That’s a nice thing.”

This year, for the first time, Ringenberg might take home a gold medal for his accomplishment.

“If we had more people, there might be

Nonprofits

me a goal to try and improve my time.”

And although it’s measured in kilometers, it sometimes marks a milestone, such as for Lindsay Roberts. In the first Run, Walk or Roll the Greenway two years ago, she rolled the whole way in her wheelchair. Last year, she stood up and walked across the finish line to applause.

“My goal for this year is to walk more than just the finish line,” she said. “Assisted—I still use a cane—but one day, I’m going to be able to drop it and just walk it, no problem.”

enway,” Potomac River Races Director of Operations Terri Marlin said. “It’s a race in our backyard. We’re really happy to be part of this and to help raise money for all the local community organizations that means so much to so many people.”

Each year, Run the Greenway helps raise funds for local nonprofit organizations. Last year, the race drew around 2,000 runners and raised nearly $270,000 for local nonprofits.

someone out there who can beat me,” Ringenberg said. “Might be.”

Run the Greenway marks a big day each year for the Ability Fitness Center team. It’s a return to form for M.J. Weier, who before a spinal injury, was a competitive cyclist.

“One of the reasons I like competition and this particular event is that it gives me something to train for,” she said. “Rather than just going and doing it just to get exercise, it gives me a reason to do it, it gives

“We’re thrilled to partner with The Arc of Loudoun to make Run the Greenway race accessible for individuals with disabilities,” Dulles Greenway Public & Customer Relations Manager Terry Hoffman said. “Our annual race is inclusive for all Northern Virginia athletes, and we look forward to providing a welcoming and accessible venue for all our participates to display their skills.”

The new category is thanks in part to a new partner in the race: Potomac River Races, the race management company that added a wheelchair category to its timekeeping.

“We’re excited to work on Run the Gre-

“Since we partnered to create Run, Walk or Roll the Greenway two years ago, the race has been more than just a fundraiser for our clients, staff and families,” The Arc of Loudoun CEO Lisa Kimball said. “It brings out that same indomitable spirit that our staff and clients bring to work and school every day. That’s part of building a lifetime of opportunities and a just, equitable world for people with disabilities.”

Registration is open now for Run the Greenway’s 5K, 5K Roll, 10K, and Kids Fun Run races, along with virtual options to donate or create your own fundraising site without running. For more information, visit dullesgreenway. com/run-the-greenway. To register, visit  thearcofloudoun.org/greenway. n

The Arc of Loudoun Competitors from The Arc of Loudoun, including from Ability Fitness Center, take part in Run, Walk or Roll the Greenway at Loudoun Station in 2023.

Alleged Fentanyl Dealer Moves Toward Trial

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The case of a 24-year-old Aldie man charged with two felony counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one felony count of having a firearm while possessing narcotics will go before a Loudoun County grand jury following a court appearance in the General District Court April 10.

An agreement between Shin and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office resulted in Shin waiving his right to preliminary hearings for three charges while prosecutors agreed not to pursue the remaining charges.

The possession with intent to distribute charges carry the heaviest penalties out of the original charges, with the possibility of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for each conviction.

6 Men Charged in Online Solicitation Operation

A week-long online chat operation conducted by the region’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force resulted in the arrests of six men who allegedly sought to have indecent relations with minors at a location in Loudoun County.

the announcement. “Actions like these are extremely disturbing and highlight the need for parents and guardians to actively monitor their children’s use of electronic devices and chat applications.”

For resources to help protect children and others against internet predators, the Sheriff ’s Office recommends  novadcicac.org and netsmartzkids.org.

Austin Shin faced 11 charges, including three counts of distribution of fentanyl, two counts of possession with intent to distribute, three counts of distribution of narcotics on/near school property, possession, manufacturing, and distribution of a weapon of terrorism (fentanyl), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm while in possession of narcotics.

The charges follow the execution of a search warrant at Shin’s home in January where Sheriff ’s Office investigators seized thousands of fentanyl pills, a handgun and ammunition, more than $6,000 in cash, and 10.2 ounces of marijuana.

Shin’s prior criminal history includes convictions of grand larceny and marijuana possession, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in 2018, marijuana distribution in 2019, probation or parole violation in 2019, felony firearm in 2023 and probation or parole violation in 2023.

He is also scheduled to appear before the Circuit Court April 30 for an assault and battery charge related to a Feb. 7 incident.

According to the announcement by the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, the men, ranging in age from 23 to 66, believed they were communicating with children under the age of 15 on a variety of chat and social media platforms. Charges include the use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children, attempted indecent liberties with a minor, and solicitation of child pornography.

The Fairfax County Police Department, Herndon Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Prince William County Police Department, United States Secret Service, and Virginia State Police.

“Stopping child predators is a critical part of law enforcement, and I am proud of the outstanding work of our detectives and partners in making these arrests,” Sheriff Mike Chapman stated in

Former School Employee Charged with Assaulting Student

A 43-year-old Leesburg man has been charged with assault of a student while working in the Frederick Douglass Elementary School cafeteria last October.

Chun Wu was sent a summons April 11 for one count of simple assault, according an announcement by the Leesburg Police Department.

The incident happened Oct. 19, 2023. Leesburg police responded to the school for a report of a student who had been assaulted by a staff member. It was reported that Wu, a cafeteria employee, assaulted the student during the lunch period. The student did not need medical attention. n

Authors Best-Selling Ice Creams Opens in Ashburn

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

A new, small-batch ice cream shop opened in Ashburn’s University Center neighborhood over the weekend.

Authors Best-Selling Ice Creams started out as a hobby for Ahmed Shaffi, who began making ice cream for his friends and family when he bought a small Italian machine. The support of his community encouraged him to begin marketing his products at farmer’s markets under the name Dough Boys Creamery.

“My nephew Fayzan [Mirza] was like, ‘oh why don’t we start a business?’” Shaffi said. “And that’s how it all came together.”

Starting a food-based business was a bit of a learning curve for Shaffi, who works as a consultant in the tech industry full-time in addition to managing the ice cream shop.

“The first year was a little rough because of the type of cart we bought from Europe and that didn’t really hold the temperature that well,” he said. “And then we bought some carts from America and … those you just plug in overnight and then in the morning you unplug it and then for 10 hours it keeps your ice cream cold.”

As the business continued to grow, Shaffi decided it was time to expand to a brick-and-mortar shop but the team’s application to trademark the business name

was denied.

Marketing Manager Angela Ly said, while it was a setback, having to find a new name started them down a path to the realization that ice cream holds a special nostalgia in many people’s lives. Each person has a special story that revolves around an experience with ice cream, she said.

“Through that we had the idea of naming our business Authors Best-Selling Ice Creams. Authors for essentially authoring moments with you, creating moments and treasuring those moments. And for best-selling it would be the association of best-selling books,” Ly said.

The shop held a ribbon cutting ceremony April 13.

“It was fun and exciting, but also scary all at once,” Shaffi said.

But farmer’s market regulars don’t need to worry that the permanent location will keep them from getting their regular ice cream treat, Shaffi said. The Authors’ truck will still be making appearances at local markets offering their special flavors like lychee, white coffee, peppermint bark and pineapple coconut.

The Ashburn location, at 44933 George Washington Blvd., Suite 150, also offers espresso-based beverages and affogatos, an ice cream and coffee combination. Learn more at facebook.com/authorsicecreams. n

n The C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program offers a tuition-free year of intensive training that leads to significant life-change. n The program prepares each Fellow to live a powerful transformed life in their church, their community and in their workplace. n It involves Bible study, classic readings, lectures, group discussion, personal mentoring and accountability–all in the context of a small group of likeminded believers. n The program is designed to be achievable even for busy professionals with families. n Join the Fellows Program and learn to live as a fully devoted disciple of Jesus Christ and make an impact for Him in the world. We Invite You

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Authors Best-Selling Ice Creams owner Ahmed Shaffi holds a lychee-flavored ice cream cone at his business’ new Ashburn location April 15.

Towns

‘Beacon of Integrity’ McAlister Retires from Purcellville Police

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The police community from across Northern Virginia, elected officials and town residents gathered Friday afternoon at Purcellville Baptist Church to say thank you to retiring Purcellville Police Chief Cynthia McAlister who has served in the position for nearly 9 years.

Mayor Stanley J. Milan said McAlister had led the department to be more than just enforcers of the law—making it “a pillar of support and trust” within the community.

“Her dedication to upholding the law was finding community relationships and implementing innovative strategies has made a lasting impact on our town,” he said.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) also praised McAlister’s service and said the community trust that she spent nearly a decade building had personally affected Randall in 2020 when 1,000 people gathered in town for march following the death of George Floyd.

“We start marching down Main Street and down the street there is that gun shop, right? And there were people out in front of the gun shop, and they were literally

Purcellville Continues Design of Main Street, 32nd St. Intersection Improvements

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

After years of conducting traffic studies, holding public input meetings and working up designs, plans to improve the intersection at Purcellville’s Main Street and 32nd Street hit a snag Tuesday as the Town Council reviewed the 60% design plans for the project.

Kimley-Horn Project Designer Mark Phillips told the council that the purpose of the improvements was threefold – improve vehicular traffic safety, create pedestrian safety, and slow traffic.

The project was initiated in 2019 with conceptual designs and a traffic study that showed calming measures needed to be taken. Kimley-Horn presented possible solutions to the Town Council at the time, which approved a concept to move forward with in 2022.

The concept, which has reached the 60% design stage, will add a left turn lane

from Main Street onto 32nd Street, narrow the roadway from 36 to 33 feet, add a fivefoot-wide sidewalk on the north side on Main Street, add crosswalks along Main and 32nd streets and improve curbs and drainage.

“The intent is to provide 11-foot lanes which are narrower than the standard 12 foot to provide a traffic calming effect and change the context as folks are entering the town to let them know that they are entering the town and to lower their speeds as they are entering these improvements,” Phillips told the council.

But residents who live on 31st Street, almost directly across from 32nd Street, objected to the plan, saying even though they were happy about the pedestrian improvements, adding a turning lane will only back up traffic, making exiting their street even harder than it already is.

“The item that I’m really concerned about is the situation that may be created when you stack up three lanes now. And

AROUND towns

HAMILTON Town Code Change Allows Events Sales

The Hamilton Town Council last week amended the Town Code to allow for the sale of food and items during town-sponsored and nonprofit events.

No residents spoke during the April 8 public hearing. The amendment was prompted by efforts to expand events in the town including the upcoming Hamilton Day on May 27.

The town will charge a fee, to be set by the Town Council annually. During last month’s meeting, members said they wanted to charge $25 per event.

Amending the code was required because there was no authority for vendors to participate in events unless they registered as peddlers or door-to-door salesmen, Town Attorney Maureen Gilmore said.

HILLSBORO

Alexis House Advances to Bland

Finals

page 33

right now, it is almost a death pull out to try to go across cars coming out of the 7-Eleven, coming out of 32nd street, coming out on both directions. And if you add a third lane now, you’re going to be stacking up cars in the middle,” Rob Lohr said.

His wife, Michelle, echoed his concerns and said, even without the cars stacking up now, it’s hard to keep track of cars traveling both directions on Main Street and the cars exiting 32nd Street and the 7-Eleven.

Phoebe Henderson said she knows something needs to be done and asked if a roundabout could be installed as an alternative measure to calm traffic more effectively than narrowing the lanes.

Brian Dean said when the county’s western Loudoun Recreation Center is built just outside that end of town, the added traffic will only exacerbate the problem with the proposed design.

The project is estimated to cost $1.3

MAIN STREET

continues on page 19

Alexis House, of Hillsboro, won the Northern Virginia District Bland Competition on April 7 and will advance to the state finals on April 19 during the Lions of Virginia annual convention at the Hyatt Regency in Dulles.

The Harmony Middle School eighth grader is a soprano who performed “Alleluja” composed by W. A. Mozart.

Alexis advanced to the district contest after winning the local competition sponsored by the Lovettsville and Purcellville Lions Clubs.

LOVETTSVILLE

Applications Open for Public Works Coordinator

The town is accepting applications for a full-time public works coordinator, after the council approved expanding the position from part-time in its fiscal year 2025 budget.

The coordinator will be responsible for performing maintenance, repairs and upkeep of the town’s facilities and

AROUND TOWNS continues on page 19

holding really disparaging signs and the whole point of that was just to just kind Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Purcellville Police Chief Cynthia McAlister poses for a photo with her family following her retirement ceremony April 12.  MCALISTER RETIRES continues on

AROUND towns

continued from page 18

ground including buildings, parks and water and sewer infrastructure.

Applicants should have outstanding communication and teamwork skills, knowledge of common hand tools and materials, knowledge of water and sewer collection and distribution systems, the ability to operate machines such as air compressors, drills and paint machines and the ability to perform general maintenance on such machines.

Candidates must also be able to respond to emergency situations when on-call withing one hour.

The annual salary range will go up to $65,000 based on experience and qualifications and compensation includes health insurance, participation in the Virginia Retirement System, and optional 457(b) retirement plan, flexible spending accounts, voluntary benefits, an employee assistance program and paid time off.

Applications can be found online at lovettsvilleva.gov/careers.

Historical Society Offers 4-Week Mini-Course

The Lovettsville Historical Society and Museum will again offer a field trip-based mini-course on the town’s history.

Where We Live: The German Settlement II is a four-session program to better familiarize area residents with the history, artifacts, stories, and key historic sites of their neighborhood.

The program was developed by Lovettsville Historical Society board members Rich Gillespie and Mike Zapf with help from other “in the know” locals. Topics this year will be The German Settlement and the Revolutionary War; The Strange Case of the “Assassination” of John Mobberly, 1865; Lovettsville, Berlin, & the Railroad Part 2 with Fred George; and Distilling in the German Settlement: Legal and Illegal!

The course will be offered on sequential Monday nights, May 20-June 10, and limited to 25 people. The $50 cost supports the museum programs. To register, go to lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org.

LUCKETTS

Ruritans Help with Faith Chapel Improvements

The Gathering Place at Faith Chapel has a new paved parking lot and new campus safety lights, projects supported by the Lucketts Ruritan club’s community

development grant program.

For more information about the grant program, go to luckettsruritan.org/grants.

MIDDLEBURG

Council Weighs 4 Short-Term Housing Permits

After approving its first special use permit to allow a Jay Street home to be operated as a short-term rental property earlier this year, the Middleburg Town Council is slated to vote on four more next week.

Three of the applications are for new homes in the Middleburg Residences neighborhood, with two to be managed directly by Salamander Resort.

During an April 11 briefing on the applications, council members sought assurances that the primary use of the homes would be as private residences, with wholehouse rentals offered only as an occasional service.

The town’s ordinance limits short-term rental use to no more than 180 days per year. During its review, the town Planning Commission, recommended a 90-day cap as well as asking the applicants to voluntarily terminate the rental authority if the property is sold. So far, only one applicant has agreed to a 90-day limit and two agreed the rental permit would not transfer to new owners in a sale.

Among the concerns raised by council members was the management of the rental operations or other factors could change in the future.

The applications for homes on Old Saddle Drive, Martingale Ridge and West Washington Street are scheduled for public hearings on April 25.

PURCELLVILLE

‘Focus on Nature’ Art Show Displayed at Town Hall

The most recent art display at the Town Hall features over 40 pieces by 17 artists meeting the theme “Focus on Nature.”

Artists who have work on display include Jasper Adkins, Jenn Ayoub, Cheryl Chirillo, Ren Feliz Durishin, Vicki Garrison, Priscilla Godfrey, Micalah Harris, Kathleen Howsare, Gabriel Jimenez, Victoria Kwasiborski, Lillian Miller, Gregory Morgan, Sally Soles, Alfa Tate-O’Neill, Philip Ulanowsky, Carolyn Wickstrom and Eric Wickstrom.

The town’s Art Council will hold a meet-the-artists reception Monday, May 13, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The art can be viewed during normal business hours through June 30. n

Main Street

continued from page 18

million and is completely funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

Council member Mary Jane Williams and Vice Mayor Erin Rayner asked what the impact on timing and funding would be if the council did want to pursue changing the design to a roundabout.

Director of Engineering, Planning and Development Dale Lehnig said she could talk to VDOT staff members to see what they said about changing course.

Lehnig said the town had already spent some of the awarded money on the project.

“There’s a couple consequences. We may need to pay that money back or they may say, ‘we’re not going to pay for that next change,’” she said.

Mayor Stanley J. Milan agreed with residents that western Loudoun Recreation Center was a “curveball” that would impact traffic levels.

Council member Kevin Wright said his parents live on 32nd Street and he did not think the proposed design is going to work.

“We’re giving up the safety and well-be-

ing of the people coming off of 32nd and 31st Street so that people don’t have to slow down heading west on Main Street,” he said.

He said he did not think a traffic circle would work because of how many large trucks travel through that corridor and there isn’t enough space to accommodate them in a circle.

Phillips said the initial options presented to council included the selected concept, a traffic circle, and a traffic signal.

“The traffic circle had the worst traffic options of the three alternatives considered,” he said. “… Now you’re introducing friction to mainline Main Street that isn’t there today so the queuing in both directions on Main Street spills back a couple hundred feet.”

“What I’m hearing from everyone, the majority here, is that it doesn’t sound like it’s going to fix the problem,” Milan said.

He asked what amount of design change would be needed to pursue the traffic signal option.

Phillips said the design was created to allow for a future signal if necessary.

“This basically is the traffic signal concept without the signal installed,” he said.

Lehnig said her team will work with VDOT to get answers for the Town Council at a future meeting. n

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

KOHANNA MCCARY

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

TEJAS SINGH

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 18

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

ANNIE STOKES

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 19

Bluemont Vineyard, 18755 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. bluemontvineyard.com

MICHELLE LOCKEY

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 19

Hillsborough Vineyards & Brewery, 36716 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. hillsboroughwine.com

CARY WIMBISH

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

SHANE GAMBLE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 Little River Turnpike, Aldie. quattrogumbas.com

KEVIN LATSHAW

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

ELIJAH MYERS

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

MARK CULLINANE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. dirtfarmbrewery.com

RALPH BAEZ

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. twotwistedposts.com

DAVE NEMETZ

5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, 38906 Mount Gilead Road, Leesburg. willowcroftwines.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 21

Freeride Hits the Hill at Dirt Farm

For most visitors, Dirt Farm Brewery in Bluemont is known for its spectacular views and creative beers. For daredevil skateboarders, its best known for The Hill. More than 100 long boarders from across the country returned Saturday for the second annual Freeride, spending the day racing down the brewery’s mountainside driveway.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

continued from page 20

ROBERT MABE & FRIENDS

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 19

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg., lostbarrel.com

JIM STEELE

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 19

Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

SIMILAR CREATURES

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 19

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

SUMMER & ERIC

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 19

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

JOJO BAYLISS

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 19

The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com

BAD PANDA

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 19

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

SO FETCH

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 19

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $20. tallyhotheater.com

POOL BOYS

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

DENNIS WAYLAND

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Cana Vineyards, 38600 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. canavineyards.com

SHAG

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

LINDSAY AUSTIN

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Otium Cellars, 18050 Tranquility Road, Purcellville. otiumcellars.com

MICHELLE LOCKEY

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

TODD BROOKS

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

50 West Vineyards, 39060 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

SCOTT KURT

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillvineyards.com

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 22

Best Bets

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 21

HUBIE G FROM THE CORNER

VAGABONDS

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 Little River Turnpike, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

GRAYSON MOON

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com

LAURA FARRELL

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

LUCAS MASON

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

LIBERTY STREET

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

CALLER N’ DOC

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 Little River Turnpike, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

CARY WIMBISH

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

STEVE AND FRIENDS

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

JASON MASI

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

MATT BURRIDGE

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20

GOLD ON ICE

Friday, April 19, 8 p.m.

Ion International Training Center ionarena.com

Gold on Ice is a must-see, one-night skating extravaganza featuring the 2024 World Champion Ilia Malinin, known as the “Quad God,” along with a lineup of skating royalty including Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Dechamps, and Isabeau Levito. $39.

Lark Brewing Co., 24205 Little River Turnpike, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

ANDREW RENNER

3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Chrysalis Vineyards, 39025 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. chrysaliswine.com

SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

CROSSTOWN FUNK

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

TOMMY & KIM

5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

KEVIN HENNESSEY

5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

STELLAR RIDE

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

MARK PLEIN & TANNER BINGAMAN

7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Leesburg Listening Room. $20. facebook.com/leesburg.movement

TEJAS SINGH

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza, Ashburn. socialhouseashburn.com

SCORPION ROSE

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

DANGER BIRD AND THE GRATEFUL ALLMAN EXPERIENCE

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 20 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $15. tallyhotheater.com

LOUDOUN JAZZ JAM

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market

PO’ RAMBLIN’ BOYS

Saturday, April 20, 2:30 p.m. Lucketts Community Center luckettsbluegrass.org

The “Po’ Ramblin” Boys bring their authentic and passionate style of bluegrass to the old Lucketts schoolhouse stage. The band was IBMA’s Emerging Artist of 2018 and earned a Grammy nomination for their 2020 album “Toil, Tears & Trouble.” Limited tickets available. $25.

Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com

RICHARD WALTON

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

JASON MASI

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 Little River Turnpike, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

AGAINST THE GRAIN

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

ANNIE STOKES

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

JOSH SOWDER

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

BLUE BOTTLENECK BAND

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

SHANE GAMBLE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 Little River Turnpike, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

ANDY CARIGNAN

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

HOPELESS SEMANTICS

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

CHRIS HANKS

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

STEALIN’ THE DEAL

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

ARMORED SAINT

Tuesday, April 23, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early ‘80s, Armored Saint rocks downtown Leesburg during a Tuesday night show. $25.

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

CARY WIMBISH

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

PO’ RAMBLIN’ BOYS

2:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Lucketts. $25. luckettsbluegrass.org

ARMORED SAINT

8 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, April 23

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $25. tallyhotheater.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 24

The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com

FOREIGNERS JOURNEY WITH RUDY CARDENAS

8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, April 25

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $20. tallyhotheater.com

HAPPENINGS

PROM PHOTOSHOOT

3 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 19

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20

The Davis Mansion, 17269 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. $25 to $100. morvenpark.org

SPRING INTO PRIDE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 19

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. twotwistedposts.com

GOLD ON ICE

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 19

Ion International Training Center, 19201 Compass Creek Parkway, Leesburg. $39. ionarena.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 23

Wienermobile Draws a Crowd in Sterling

The iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled into Sterling on April 11 with its two hotdoggers Mary Clare or “Chili Cheese MC” and co-pilot Chloe “Chlo-Wienie.” The two stopped at Safeway from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and handed out Wiener Whistles, let people take a peak inside, and danced to the Oscar Mayer

GET OUT HAPPENINGS

continued from page 22

CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH

5K/1K FUN RUN

7:50 Saturday, April 20 41685 Corpus Christi Drive, Aldie. $20. runscore.runsignup.com/Races

CLOUD RUN 5K OR 1-MILE RUN/WALK

8 a.m. Saturday, April 20

Quantum Park, 22001 Loudoun County Parkway, Ashburn. $20 to $75 7x24dc.org

BIRDATHON OPENING DAY

8 a.m. Saturday, April 20 Countywide loudounwildlife.org

CELEBRATE BIRDS! BIRD WALK

8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20

Broad Run Stream Valley Park, 23711 Kinston Ferry Terrace, Ashburn. loudounwildlife.org

HISTORIC WATERFORD 5K RUN/WALK

AND 10K TRAIL RUN

8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20 John Wesley Church, 40125 Bond St., Waterford. waterfordfoundation.org

NATURE PLAYTIME

10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20

Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane loudounwildlife.org

THE RIGHT TO READ FORUM

12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg. www.loudoun.gov/douglasscc

Wiener song.

The two Hotdoggers are on the road full time hitting states up and down the East Coast.

Asked how fast the Wienermobile goes, Chloe said, “we like to say it can haul buns, but the top speed is 70 mph.” n

OPENING DAY OF OUR FINAL SEASON

12 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Forever Farm and Vineyard, 15779 Woodgrove Road, Purcellville. foreverfarmandvineyard.com

NEBBIOLO VERTICAL

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 20

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. $165 breauxvineyards.com

PASSOVER SECOND NIGHT SEDER

5 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23

Congregation Sha’are Shalom, 19357 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. $41. shaareshalomleesburg.org

LOUDOUN STUDENT ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION SHOWCASE

5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 24

Academies of Loudoun, 42075 Loudoun Academy Drive, Leesburg. loudounnature.org/loudoun-seas

ON STAGE

CINDERELLA: ONCE UPON A TIME - A MUSICAL

7:30 p.m. Friday, April 19

7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20

2 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. $17. franklinparkartscenter.org

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)

7:30 p.m. Friday, April 19 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 21

Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg. $18. sterlingplaymakers.org

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Hotdoggers Mary Clare or “Chili Cheese MC” and co-pilot Chloe “Chlo-Wienie greeted guests who came to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile at Safeway in Sterling on April 11.

Ann Kivlighan MacLeod

Ann Kivlighan MacLeod of Upperville, Va., a Red Cross worker in Europe during World War II and an untiring volunteer, enthusiastic naturalist and outspoken activist on a wide variety of causes, died on Tuesday, April 9 at her long-time home. She was 101.

Mrs. MacLeod was born in Staunton, Va., on June 28, 1922, the daughter of John Joseph Kivlighan and Mabel Hollar Kivlighan. She attended Stuart Hall and Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton. After she graduated from Mary Baldwin College, she taught school in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for a year before serving in the American Red Cross Clubmobile service in Europe until the end of World War II.

Mrs. MacLeod was director of Junior Red Cross activities in Chesterfield County, Virginia from 1948 to 1950. She lived in Salzburg, Austria from 1950 to 1953 and worked as a correspondent for the U.S. Army. She returned to Washington, D.C., to work for the Central Intelligence Agency until her marriage to thoroughbred race horse breeder, trainer and owner Colin (Sandy) MacLeod in 1956.

They lived at their Dunvegan Farm in Upperville and travelled frequently to thoroughbred race tracks around the country, including Belmont Park and Saratoga Springs in New York. For many years, they also lived on a houseboat on the south shore of Long Island, cruising up the Hudson River for the Saratoga races in August.

After Mr. McLeod’s death in 1977, she managed Dunvegan Farm as a thoroughbred breeding and horse training center. Mrs. MacLeod spent most of every August in Saratoga Springs, where she had a reserved box in the grandstand every year until her death going back to the 1950s.

When her son, Colin Bruce MacLeod, was a student at The Hill School in

Obituaries

Middleburg in the 1970s, Mrs. MacLeod was an active parent. An avid skier herself, she helped establish and organize the school’s still extremely popular ski program. She also tutored children at Middleburg Elementary School for many years, was a trustee of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va. and was a long-time member of the NAACP.

Mrs. MacLeod was an avid gardener and belonged to the Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club, the Garden Club of Virginia, the Garden Club of America, the Upperville Garden Club, the Garden Club of Lawrence, N.Y., the Herb Society of America and Ikebana International, Chapter No. 1.

A skilled and enthusiastic tennis player all her life, she was a member of the Middleburg Tennis Club, where she often played four and five times a week well into her late 90s. An annual sportsmanship trophy named in her honor is awarded yearly to a club member. She also was a member of the Saratoga Golf and Polo Club and the Saratoga Reading Room.

In 2017, Mrs. MacLeod was cited for her work in preserving the historic Goose Creek Stone Bridge near her Upperville home. Built in 1802 and the site of the Battle of Upperville in 1863, Mrs. MacLeod helped acquire the bridge and nearby land for the Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club and chaired the committee that helped repair, preserve and maintain the bridge for many years. The bridge and surrounding 19 acres were donated to the Civil War Trust and NOVA Parks that same year and it’s now a public park.

She was a long-time member of Trinity Episcopal Church and the Churches of Upperville Outreach Committee and served on the board of Middleburg FISH, an organization that provided financial help for area residents in need.

Mrs. MacLeod was a volunteer in feeding the homeless in Washington, D.C., through the organization known as SOME (So Others Might Eat). She organized the effort through Trinity, rounding up volunteers and then helping prepare and serve meals at SOME’s Northeast Washington headquarters.

Mrs. MacLeod is survived by a son, Colin Bruce MacLeod, of Upperville, a grandson, James Alton MacLeod of Middleburg, two nieces and five nephews. She was predeceased by her sister Katherine Carter of Ft. Defiance, Va.

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Upperville on Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m. The family requests donations in her name to be made to the Churches of Upperville Outreach Committee at 1378 Crenshaw Road, Upperville, VA 20184.

Iris Jeannette Dillard

Iris Jeannette Dillard entered into wellearned rest on March 11, 2024, passing peacefully in her sleep at home in Leesburg, VA. A native of Atlanta, GA and a child of the Great Depression, she inherited a wonderful sense of humor from her parents, John R. and Ira Dominey which she and her husband, the late W.F. Dillard, Jr. passed along to their daughters who survive them: Kay Dillard of Mt. Pleasant, SC and Phoebe Rist (Mark) of Leesburg, VA. Her surviving grandchildren are Erin Corder (Ryan) of Mt. Pleasant, SC, Emily Stibbards (Andrew) of Aurora, CO, Sophie Dillard of Philadelphia, PA, and Elisha Rist (Brielle) of Leesburg, VA. Her great grandchildren who will miss the gift of ever knowing her well are Levi, Eden, Flora, and MacKenzie. We were blessed by her life and are grateful beyond words for the care and thoughtfulness with which she approached the role of mother. Before graduating in 1947 from Girls High in Atlanta, Iris (Jeanny as she was known then) played the French horn in the school orchestra and was eventually selected as a founding member of the Atlanta Youth Symphony. Interrupting her college education to begin a family, she returned to academia at the age of 50, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and in English, becoming Valedictorian of her 1983 class at what was then Augusta College. Later she earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina and taught English for ten years at Westminster Schools of Augusta. She was a gifted teacher, having a special place in her heart for those who struggled most

as well as delighting in her AP students. A past Worthy Matron of the Augusta Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and past Mother Advisor for the Order of the Rainbow for Girls, Iris had a heart for service, using her gifts for flower arranging, creative arts, writing, and sewing to bless the church she attended as well as filling the role of Costume Mistress for The Augusta Players for several years. For years she enjoyed creating high-quality decoupage and won a blue ribbon for her decoupaged dulcimer in a national show sponsored by Patricia Nimocks. Her true calling, however, was teaching. She was a very active member of Fleming Baptist Church, Augusta, for many years, later joining First Presbyterian Church of Augusta and most recently attending Potomac Hills Presbyterian Church in Leesburg, VA where she lived nearly seventeen years, teaching a Bible study at the Leesburg Senior Center. She and her late husband, Fielding, had been active members of the Augusta Camp of The Gideons, International and were past presidents of the Women’s Auxiliary and the Camp, respectively. Memorial gifts to The Gideons International are welcome. Her remains will be interred in the Stanley Family Cemetery in Dublin, GA at a future date.

Raymond Bell Kirkpatrick

Raymond Bell Kirkpatrick, 90, a lifelong Loudoun County resident passed away on April 8, 2024, in Leesburg, Virginia. He was born January 24, 1934, at Raspberry Plain Farm to the late Herbert and Annie Elizabeth (Rollins) Kirkpatrick. Raymond grew up on the farms of Raspberry Plains, Grapeland Farms at Oatlands and Rose Hill Farms in Leesburg, VA. He attended Mountain Gap one-room schoolhouse and gradu-

Obituaries continued on next page

Legal Notices Obituaries

Obituaries continued from previous page

ated from Leesburg High School in 1953. In high school Raymond had a strong football presence, winning numerous awards and was Captain of the undefeated champion team in 1952. After graduation, he worked as a tree surgeon with Hugh T Brown for a short while before taking a position with Chesapeake and Potomac (C&P) Telephone Company. While C&P was good to Raymond, duty to our Country called to him and on November 5, 1956, Raymond answered the call and entered the United States Army. He went through basic training in Tank Hill, SC, and then was assigned duty at the famous Savannah River Project in Aiken, SC. He moved on to Fort Dix, NJ in late 1957 and then to the Panama Canal Zone with the US Caribbean Command in 1958, where he held the position of Radar Operator. He had a honorable discharged from the Army in November 1958. C&P held Raymond’s job for him while he was in the military, and he rejoined the company after serving his Country. Raymond continued to work for C&P for over 39 years before retiring in December 1992. Raymond did not slow down after retirement. One would find him with his friends of the “540 Club of East Market Street” (Roy Rogers) where they solved the town’s and world’s problems over breakfast. He joined the Leesburg Police Citizens Support Team in 1997. He was one of the most active members of the team and held previous position as President. He was very proud of their accomplishments and efforts of neighborhood patrols, child fingerprinting, and traffic directions. He was often seen driving their barrel train at various elementary school events and the annual Leesburg Halloween Parade.

Raymond received numerous awards during his time with the Support Team and was Loudoun County Senior Adult Volunteer in 2000. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Union Cemetery in Leesburg holding previous position as President and was an active member of the National Rifle Association. He was also a member of American Legion and Virginia Shooters Association. Raymond did not put his community obligations over his family. His greatest joys were his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He proved this point as one of the founding members of Central Loudoun Youth Football League in the 1970’s. He enjoyed the beach, fishing, antiquing, and football. Left to cherish his memory are his children: Holly Junkin of Charles Town, WV, Raymond B. Kirkpatrick Jr. (Cheryl) of Leesburg, VA, and Elizabeth Flynn (Robert) of Leesburg, VA; ten grandchildren: Thomas, McKenna and Becker Junkin; Stephanie, Raymond Austin (Kiley), Rachel and Kristen Kirkpatrick; Cacie, Bodhi and Sydney Flynn; two great grandchildren: Savannah and Raymond Mack Kirkpatrick; one brother, William Kirkpatrick of Fairfax, VA. He was preceded by his ex-wife, Joan Kirkpatrick and companion, Carolyn Staubs, and siblings Herbert Nelson Kirkpatrick, Jr. and Jean Kirkpatrick Brown. Family and friends are invited to share their memories at Colonial Funeral Home; 201 Edwards Ferry Rd. NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 11:00 am, with services to start at 12:00 pm. Burial following service in Union Cemetery, Leesburg, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Raymond may be sent to the Leesburg Police Citizens Support Team (http:// LeesburgSupportTeam.org) - select donation tab, or VFW Post 1177 (Venmo @ VFW1177). He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Lives are like rivers: Eventually they go where they must, not where we want them to.

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING

TO CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO ZONING ORDINANCE ARTICLE 11 FOR THE PURPOSE OF REVISING PARKING SPACE DIMENSIONS AND TRAVEL AISLE REQUIREMENTS, AND ARTICLE 12 INTERIOR PARKING LOT LANDSCAPING IN THE B-1 DISTRICT

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176 to consider Zoning Ordinance Amendment TLZNOA2023-0007 to revise the following provision of the Zoning Ordinance:

Article 11, Section 11.6.2 Dimensions of Parking Spaces and Aisles – amending this section to reduce the dimensions of required parking spaces and travel aisles in parking lots in the B-1, Community (Downtown) Business District.

Article 12 Modified Parking Lot Screening and Landscaping Standards – amending this section to provide greater flexibility to meet the interior parking lot screening standards in the B-1, Community (Downtown) Business District.

Copies and additional information regarding these proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments are available at the Department of Community Development located on the second floor of the Jewell Building, 222 Catoctin Circle S.E., Suite 200, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling 703-771-2774 and asking for Brian Boucher, Deputy Director. Mr. Boucher can also be reached by email at bboucher@leesburgva.gov. This Zoning Ordinance amendment application is identified as case number TLZNOA2023-0007.

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

4/11 & 4/18/2024

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO ZONING ORDINANCE ARTICLE

6 NONRESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS, ARTICLE 8 PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS AND ARTICLE 9 USE REGULATIONS RELATING TO DATA CENTER USES

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176 to consider Zoning Ordinance Amendment TLZNOA2024-0001 revising the following Sections of the Zoning Ordinance:

1. Sec. 6.7 I-1 Industrial/Research Park District to establish Data Center as a special exception use with minimum use standards in the I-1 District.

2. Sec. 8.6 PEC, Planned Employment Center District (PEC) to establish Data Center as a special exception use with minimum use standards in the PEC District.

3. Sec. 9.2 Use Table to reflect Data Center as a special exception use in the I-1 District with applicable use standards.

Copies and additional information regarding these proposed Zoning Ordinance amendments are available at the Department of Community Development located at 222 Catoctin Circle SE, Suite 200, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling 703737-7009 and asking for Christopher Murphy, Senior Planning Project Manager. This zoning ordinance amendment application is identified as case number TLZNOA2024-0001.

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

At this hearing all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of the Commission at (703) 771-2434 three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 04/18 & 04/25/2024

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES NOTICE OF WATER MAIN FLUSHING

The Town of Leesburg will conduct controlled flushing of water mains throughout the Town beginning April 15 through May 31st , 2024. This preventative maintenance program is essential for maintaining the Town’s high standards of water quality.

Water mains are flushed by opening fire hydrants and allowing them to flow freely for a short period of time. The flushing cleans out sediment, removes air which may accumulate in the water mains and restores chlorine levels in areas of limited water use.

Water is safe to drink and safe to use during flushing. However, flushing may result in temporary discoloration and sediment in the water. If discoloration or sediment is evident, the Town recommends residents avoid doing laundry until the discoloration subsides. Flushing may also introduce air into the water, which may temporarily cause erratic flow or a milky look. If this occurs, open your cold water tap until a clear steady flow of water is observed.

Some residents and businesses may experience lower than normal pressure during the flushing in their neighborhood. The Town regrets any inconvenience the flushing operation may cause.

Please call the Utilities Department at 703-737-7075 for further information. For after-hour emergencies, call the Leesburg Police Department at 703-771-4500.

4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/23, 5/30

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ048199-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Diana Aljanabi

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

v.

Dalya Alkhkree, Mother

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

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Dalya Alkhkree, Mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 14, 2024 at 3:00pm

4/4, 4/11, 4/18 & 4/25/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ048304-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Gustavo Adolfo Constante Anaya

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

v.

Jose Ricardo Portillo Mejia, putative father, and Unknown Father

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

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Jose Ricardo Portillo Mejia, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 15, 2024 at 3:00pm

4/4, 4/11, 4/18 & 4/25/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § §1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Case No. CL24-2021

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 EAST MARKET ST., LEESBURG, VA 20176

In Re: Isaac Daniel Campero

v. Raul Ernesto Perez

The object of this suit is to show cause as to why child’s last name should not be changed to mother’s maiden name.

It is ORDERED that Raul Ernesto Perez appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before July 19, 2024 9:00 AM.

4/18, 4/25, 5/2 & 5/9/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § §1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

Case No. CL24001747-00

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 EAST MARKET ST., LEESBURG, VA 20176

Amy M. Boerner

in re: Name Change (Colton M. Goforth)

The object of this suit is to change name of minor.

It is ORDERED that Andrew M. Goforth appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 7, 2024 2:00 PM.

4/18, 4/25, 5/2 & 5/9/24

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary record plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2024-0091

One Loudoun Uptown

Mr. Doug Kirby, of Kite Realty Group, of Indianapolis, Indiana is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately forty-eight (48.24) acres into 14 (fourteen) parcels with associated easements. The property is located east of Ashbrook Place, south of Leesburg Pike (Route 7), west of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607), and north of Russell Branch Parkway (Route 1061). The property is zoned PD-OP, PD-TC and Airport Impact Overlay District under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 057-295356-000, 057-29-6579-000, 057-20-1127-000, 057-19-4669-000, 057-10-5711-000, 057-10-2420000, and 057-19-7783-000 in the Broad Run Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http:// www.loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2024-0091. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Holly Viar at Holly.Viar@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to the Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by May 23, 2024. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

4/18/24

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LVZA 2024-0001, AMEND ZONING ORDINANCE

ARTICLE 42-VIII, GENERAL REGULATIONS, DIVISION 42-VIII-2, ADDITIONAL STANDARDS, TO ADD SECTION 42-312, SPECIAL EVENTS

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1117, 15.2-2253, 15.2-2204 and 15.2-2286 of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing at its meeting on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 7:00 pm, in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, to consider an amendment to Chapter 42, Article VIII-2 of the Zoning Ordinance.

Written comments regarding this item can be submitted to clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov by 3:00PM on the day of the meeting. Members of the public may access and participate in this meeting electronically.

The purpose of the amendment is to consider the addition of Section 42-312, defining special events; adding performance standards that limit the number of events, the length of each event, and hours of operation each day, requiring permits from health and safety agencies, and requiring public notification. All people desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting. Written copies of statements are requested but not required.

The proposed zoning amendment and meeting links are available for review on the Town website at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov You may also request a copy be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning Director at (540) 822-5788 between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm weekdays, holidays excepted. In the event the meeting is postponed, the public hearing will be readvertised and convened at the next regularly scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

4/18, 4/25/24

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE MIDDLEBURG TOWN COUNCIL

The Middleburg Town Council will hold public hearings beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, 2024 to hear comments on the following:

Special Use 24-01 Request of Salamander Farms, LLC for a special use permit for a Short-Term Rental at 800 Old Saddle Drive zoned R-1 Single-Family Residential District

Special Use 24-02 Request of Alexander Perdikis for a special use permit for a Short-Term Rental at 606 Martingale Ridge Drive zoned R-3 Residential District

Special Use 24-03 Request of Mary and Thomas Gillespie for a special use permit for a Short-Term Rental at 601 Martingale Ridge Drive zoned R-3 Residential District

Special Use 24-04 Request of Daree Goodman for a special use permit for a Short-Term Rental at 700 W. Washington Street zoned R-2 Single-Family Residential District

The hearings will take place at the Town Hall, 10 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia. The application materials may be reviewed online at www.middleburgva.gov/313/Public-Hearings or in the Town Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. Questions may be directed to Deputy Town Manager Will Moore at (540) 687-5152 or by email at wmoore@ middleburgva.gov

The Town of Middleburg strives to make its hearings accessible to all. Please advise of accommodations the Town can make to help you participate in the hearings.

4/11 & 4/18/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046179-06-00; 07-00; 08-00; 09-00

Court

of Virginia, in re Starh Rahimi Loudoun County Department of Family Services v. Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold a third permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Starh Rahimi and hold a hearing on the Petition for Termination of Parental Rights of Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father, pursuant to Virginia Code §16.1-283 for Starh Rahimi. Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father, are hereby notified that failure to appear on the hereinafter noticed date and time

may result in the entry of an Order approving a permanency goal of adoption as well as the termination of their residual parental rights with respect to Starh Rahimi. Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father, are hereby further notified that if their residual parental rights are terminated, they will no longer have any legal rights with respect to said minor child, including, but not limited to, the right to visit Starh Rahimi; any authority with respect to the care and supervision of Starh Rahimi; or the right to make health related decisions or determine the religious affiliation of Starh Rahimi. Further, Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father, will have no legal and/or financial obligations with respect to Starh Rahimi, and the Department of Family Services of Loudoun County, Virginia may be granted the authority to place Starh Rahimi for adoption and consent to the adoption of Starh Rahimi.

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Ahmad Wali, putative father and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 8, 2024 at 10:00 4/11, 4/18, 4/25 & 5/2/24

NOTICE OF ABANDONED BICYCLES

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.

Wednesday, May 1 Lynchburg District Lynchburg District Ramey Auditorium 4303 Campbell Avenue Lynchburg, VA 24501

Tuesday, May 7 Salem District Salem Civic Center Community Room 1001 Roanoke Boulevard Salem, VA 24153

Thursday, May 2 , 5 p.m.

Hampton Roads District James River Auditorium 7511 Burbage Drive Suffolk, VA 23435

Wednesday, May 8 Culpeper District Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission Water Street Center 401 East Water Street Charlottesville, VA 22902

1 Harrison Street, S.E., 1st Floor, Leesburg, VA 20175

Monday, May 6 Bristol District Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center One Partnership Circle Abingdon, VA 24210

Thursday, May 9 Fredericksburg District Fredericksburg District Auditorium 86 Deacon Road Fredericksburg, VA 22405

Additionally, DRPT will host its own public meeting on Thursday, May 16 at 4 p.m. Individuals may participate and provide comment either virtually (register here: https://bit.ly/3Q7UqM7 ) or at the following locations: 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond, VA 23219 or 1725 Duke Street, Suite 675, Alexandria, VA 22314.

You can submit comments online at https://bit.ly/SYIP2024 or by email or mail by May 20 202 4 For roads and highways: Six-YearProgram@VDOT.Virginia.gov or Infrastructure Investment Director, Virginia Department of Transportation 1401 East Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.

For rail and public transportation: DRPTPR@drpt.virginia.gov , Public Information Office, Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation , 600 East Main Street, Suite 2102, Richmond VA, 23219.

The Commonwealth is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its services on the basis of race, color or national origin, as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need further information on these policies or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, please contact the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Title VI Compliance Officer at 804 -786-2730 or the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s Title VI Compliance Officer at 804-786-4440 (TTY users call 711).

4/18/24

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LVRZ 2024-0001, 32 SOUTH LOUDOUN LLC

REQUEST TO REZONE 32 SOUTH LOUDOUN STREET FROM THE C-1, COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL, TO THE R-1, RESIDENTIAL, ZONING DISTRICT

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-2204 and 15.2-2286 of the 1950 Code of Virginia, as amended, and Section 42-34 of the Lovettsville Zoning Ordinance, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in the Lovettsville Town Council Chambers, 6 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia. Written comments regarding this item can be submitted to clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov by 3:00PM on the day of the meeting. Members of the public may access and participate in this meeting electronically.

The purpose of the hearing is to consider an application filed by 32 South Loudoun LLC of Lovettsville, Virginia, to rezone the property from the C-1, Community Commercial, Zoning District to the R-1, Residential, Zoning District to permit residential development of the property. The 4.22-acre parcel is identified as 32 South Loudoun Street, and as Loudoun County Parcel Identification (PIN) Number: 370-30-2180.

All people wishing to speak will be given the opportunity to do so at this meeting. Written copies of statements are requested but not required.

The rezoning application is available for review on the Town website at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov/ government/planning-commission/. You may also request a copy be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning Director at (540) 822-5788 between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm weekdays, holidays excepted. In the event the meeting is postponed, the public hearing will be convened at the next regularly scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

4/11/24,

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

LEGI-2023-0083, TRAILSIDE PARK: CMPT-2023-0009 & SPEX-2023-0020

(Commission Permit and Special Exception)

Milestone Tower Limited Partnership IV has submitted applications for: a commission permit and special exception on a 20.22-acre property located south of Gloucester Parkway (Route 2150) and west of Claiborne Parkway (Route 901) in the Ashburn Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as: 20375 Claiborne Parkway, Ashburn, Virginia, PIN 115-171969-000, Tax Map # /79/J11////PK/. The Subject Property is zoned Planned Development – Housing 4 (PD-H4) under the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (Zoning Ordinance). For CMPT-2023-0009, the applicant seeks a commission permit per the Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to allow a 150-foot telecommunications monopole and associated equipment compound on the Subject Property. For SPEX2023-0020, the applicant seeks a special exception to allow a 150-foot telecommunications monopole and associated equipment compound in the PD-H4 Zoning District.

LEGI-2023-0101, ATLANTIC BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL REZONING: ZMAP-2023-0013, SPEX-2023-0041, ZMOD-2023-0069, ZMOD-2023-0070 & ZMOD-2024-0001 (Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, and Zoning Modifications)

AtlanticBlvdDominionStation LLC has submitted applications for: a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 3.12 acres of land located east of Sully Road (Route 28) on the northwest side of Atlantic Boulevard (Route 1902) and east of the W&OD Trail in the Sterling Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as PIN 043-10-9468-000, Tax Map # /80//////VDOT6. For ZMAP-2023-0013, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property to the R-24 ADU (Multifamily Residential 24 Affordable Dwelling Unit) Zoning District in order to permit 80 residential multi-family attached dwelling units. For SPEX-2023-0041, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum rear yard setback required for multifamily attached dwelling units from 25 to 15 feet. For ZMOD-2023-0069, ZMOD-2023-0070 & ZMOD-2024-0001, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 55 feet for multifamily attached buildings, reduce the minimum parking space requirement for affordable dwelling units and affordable housing units to 1.3 parking spaces per unit, and eliminate the Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer required along the northern portion of the Subject Property’s Atlantic Boulevard frontage. The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the ZOR Grandfathering Resolution, dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0030, ARCOLA TOWN CENTER RESIDENTIAL: ZCPA-2022-0001, ZMOD-2022-0013, ZMOD-2022-0014 & SPMI-2023-0016 (Zoning Concept Plan Amendment, Zoning Modifications, and Minor Special Exception)

Arcola Residential Development, LLC has submitted applications for: a zoning concept plan amendment, zoning ordinance modifications, and a minor special exception for approximately 38.20 acres of land located south of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 621), north of north of Little River Turnpike (Route 50), and east on Stone Springs Road (Route 659) in the Dulles Election District and more (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as a portion of PIN: 162-26-6525-000, Tax Map # 101///////G1A/. For ZCPA-2022-0001, the applicant seeks to amend the Concept Development Plan and Proffer Statement associated with ZMAP-2012-0004, Arcola Center, and other subsequent approvals, to allow for the development of up to 70,000 square feet of commercial uses and up to 595 residential units at a density of 15.58 dwelling units per acre. For ZMOD-2022-0013 and ZMOD-2022-0014, the applicant seeks to allow the maximum percentage of residential uses to exceed 50 percent of gross floor area and to eliminate the minimum requirement for ground floor pedestrian-oriented business in the Planned Development –Town Center (PD-TC) Zoning District, and to allow residential lots that do not have frontage on a Class I, Class II, Class III road, or private access easement to front on open space when private street access is provided at the rear of the lot. For SPMI-2023-0014, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum building setback from Arcola Boulevard from 75-feet to 35-feet. The applications are being processed under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance pursuant to the Board’s ZOR Grandfathering Resolution, dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0038, GOOSE CREEK VILLAGE WEST: ZMAP-2022-0013, SPEX-2022-0034, ZMOD-2022-0046, ZMOD-2022-0047, ZMOD-2022-0048, ZMOD-2022-0049, ZMOD-2022-0050, ZMOD-20230027, ZMOD-2023-0028, ZMOD-2023-0030, ZMOD-2023-0044, ZMOD2023-0045, ZMOD-2023-0046, & ZMOD-2023-0047

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, and Zoning Modifications)

Goose Creek Commercial LLC has submitted applications for: a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 20 acres of land located west of Belmont Ridge Road (Route

659) on the north side of Sycolin Road (Route 625) and east side of the Dulles Greenway (Route 267) in the Ashburn Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as PIN 153-17-2472-000, Tax Map # /78/U/1////AL/. For ZMAP-2022-0013, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property to the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/Multifamily Affordable Dwelling Unit) Zoning District in order to permit 221 residential dwelling units, including 103 single-family attached dwelling units, 46 multifamily stacked dwelling units, and 72 multifamily attached dwelling units. For SPEX-20220034, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum lot width for single-family attached units, increase the maximum lot coverage for single-family attached units, and reduce the minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks for single-family attached, multifamily stacked, and multifamily attached dwelling units. For ZMOD-2022-0046, ZMOD-2022-0047, ZMOD-2022-0048, ZMOD-2022-0049, ZMOD-2022-0050, ZMOD-2023-0027, ZMOD-2023-0028, ZMOD-2023-0030, ZMOD-2023-0044, ZMOD-2023-0045, ZMOD-2023-0046, & ZMOD-2023-0047, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: allow dwelling units to front onto open space instead of a street, increase the maximum number of single-family attached dwelling units from eight to ten dwelling units per building, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 50 feet for single-family attached buildings, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 55 feet for multifamily stacked buildings, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 60 feet for multifamily attached buildings, allow decks and balconies to be constructed to the rear property line, reduce the minimum parking space requirement for affordable dwelling units and affordable housing units to 1.3 parking spaces per unit, reduce the minimum building setback from Sycolin Road from 75 feet to 15 feet, provide a Type 1 Road Corridor Buffer instead of a Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer along Sycolin Road, allow existing trees preserved and located within the open space areas of Goose Creek Village West to be allocated to and county toward the canopy requirements for each subdivision/site plan filed for development areas within the ZMAP area as development occurs, eliminate the street tree requirement along the garage side of private streets, eliminate the required Type 1 Buffer requirement along the garage side of private streets, reduce the minimum building setback from 150 to 75 feet and minimum parking setback from 100 to 35 feet from the Dulles Greenway, eliminate the required Type B Buffer adjacent to a portion of the larger property to remain in the PD-OP (Planned Development – Office Park) Zoning District, and reduce the minimum lot width for single-family attached end units from 22 feet to 19 feet. The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the ZOR Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

Copies of the proposed plans, ordinances, or amendments for each item listed above may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Office of County Administrator, Information Desk, First Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-777-0246 (option 5), to request hard copies or electronic copies. Additional project files related to land use applications and land use ordinances may be reviewed electronically at loudoun.gov/landmarc Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www. loudoun.gov/pc. For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5).

Planning Commission work sessions and public hearings are held in the Board Room of the Government Center. Public hearings and work sessions are televised on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are also are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views during the public hearing. Public comment will be received only for those items listed for public hearing. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the hearing. If you wish to sign-up in advance, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5) prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing; however, speakers may also sign-up at the public hearing. Written comments concerning any item before the Commission are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 7000 Leesburg, VA 20177-7000, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun.gov. If written comments are presented at the hearing, please provide ten (10) copies for distribution to the Commission and for the Clerk’s records. Members of the public may also submit comments on land use items electronically at loudoun. gov/landapplications. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the public hearing to request additional time to speak on behalf of such organization.

Regularly scheduled Planning Commission public hearings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. In the event the public hearing cannot be conducted on that date due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the hearing, the public hearing will be continued to the next day (Wednesday). In the event the public hearing may not be held on that Wednesday due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the hearing, the public hearing may be continued to the first Thursday of the next month.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory, or mental disability to participate in this meeting, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5). Three business days advance notice is requested.

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

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING

TO CONSIDER REZONING APPLICATION

TLREZN2023-0004 AND SPECIAL EXCEPTION APPLICATION

TLSPEX2023-0005

MEADOWBROOK NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER, LAND BAY F

NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES

This notice is to inform the owner and any person having a security interest in their right to reclaim the motor vehicle herein described within 15 days after the date of storage charges resulting from placing the vehicle in custody, and the failure of the owner or persons having security interests to exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the time provided shall be deemed a waiver by the owner, and all persons having security interests of all right, title and interest in the vehicle, and consent to the sale of the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction.

This notice shall also advise the owner of record of his or her right to contest the determination by the Sheriff that the motor vehicle was “abandoned,” as provided in Chapter 630.08 of the Loudoun County Ordinance, by requesting a hearing before the County Administrator in writing. Such written request for a hearing must be made within 15 days of the notice.

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing on THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, to consider Rezoning application

TLREZN2023-0004 and Special Exception application

TLSPEX2023-0005, Meadowbrook Neighborhood Center, Land Bay F.

The entirety of the subject property consists of approximately 23.56 acres of vacant land located at the intersection (southeast corner) of South King Street (Route 15) and Evergreen Mill Road. The property is zoned Planned Residential Neighborhood (PRN) and Community Retail/ Commercial (B-3). and is further identified as Loudoun County Property Identification Numbers (PINs 232-15-2692, 272-109222, 273-40-7863). The property also lies within the Gateway District (Overlay).

Rezoning Application

TLREZN2023-0004 is a request by Traditional Land, LLC to amend the Concept Plan and Proffers of approved rezoning TLZM-2021-0002 to convert Land Bay F (approximately 8.62 acres), which is an undeveloped portion of the subject property, from open space to a childcare center (12,000 SF), Continuing Care Facility (CCF) (175,000 square feet/175 dwelling units), retail (5,000 SF), and office (14,300 square feet) uses. The childcare center is the subject of a separate special exception request.

Special Exception Application

TLSPEX2023-0005 is a request by Traditional Land LLC for a childcare center within the Planned Residential (PRN) district of 12,000 square feet pursuant to Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance (TLZO) Sec. 8.4.3.

The subject property is located in what the Legacy Leesburg Town Plan (LLTP) describes as an “Area to Enhance” on the Area Based Land Use Initiatives Map (LLTP pg. 72). The property is further designated within LLTP as a “Neighborhood Center” on the Character Areas for Preservation and Change Map (LLTP pg. 76). There is no recommended density for residential use or a Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) for commercial uses associated with a Neighborhood Center within LLTP. The requested density for the residential units associated with the CCF portion of the PRN is proposed to be 34 dwelling units per acre. The proposed commercial F.A.R. of Land Bay F is .33.

The application includes five (5) requested modifications to the requirements of the Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance (TLZO) regulations which include maximum square footage of a neighborhood retail convenience center, maximum density of a continuing care facility, required amenity spaces for a continuing care facility, play equipment setbacks for a childcare facility, and the number of required loading spaces.

Additional information and copies of these two applications are available at the Department of Community Development 222 Catoctin Circle, Suite 200, Leesburg, Virginia, 20176, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Scott E. Parker, AICP, at 703771-2771 or sparker@leesburgva.gov.

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

4/18 & 4/25/24

Auctions

VEHICLE AUCTION

MD Repo Vehicles For Public Sale at ADESA Washington, DC. All Makes and Models Running Weekly Details can be found at www.adesawashingtondc.com

Terms: State and local orders will be strictly enforced at the sale, including social distancing and limits on the number of people permitted to gather in certain areas. All attendees must comply with such procedures or will be required to leave the premises. We strongly recommend that all attendees wear face coverings for the protection of themselves and our staff. Bidder agrees to register and pay a refundable $500 cash deposit plus a non-refundable $20 entry fee before the Sale starts. The balance of the purchase is due in full by 5:00pm on sale day. vehicles are AS-IS and are subject to a buy fee based on the sale price of the vehicle. Only cash or certified funds will be accepted. No vehicle will be released until Payment is made in full. Children under the age of 18 are not permitted.

VEHICLE AUCTION

ADESA WASHINGTON DC 44475 OLD OX ROAD, DULLES, VA 20166 705-996-1100

20+Chase repossessions will be offered to the public sale (monthly) on Wednesdays (4/24/24, 5/22/24, 6/19/24, 7/17/24, 8/14/24, 9/11/24, 10/9/24, 11/6/24, 12/4/24). Auction doors open at 8:00 a.m. Sale starts at 9:50 a.m. ET. Registered persons may preview/inspect vehicles on the day of the sale before bidding. Bids accepted only when a vehicle is presented for sale. The auctioneer will conclude the sale when bidding stops. All results will be nal by 5:00 p.m. Terms:

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

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

Case No. CL 23 5170-00

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 EAST MARKET ST., LEESBURG, VA 20176

Creed v.

Auda Alicia Ramirez Aquilar

The object of this suit is obtain a divorce.

It is ORDERED that Auda Alicia Ramirez Aquilar appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before June 7th, 2024 at 2PM.

4/4, 4/11, 4/18 & 4/25/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

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

Case No. 22-1446

LOUDOUN COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT

18 EAST MARKET ST., LEESBURG, VA 20176

Sharron E. Brent Corley v.

DeMarcus D. Corley

The object of this suit is to divorce.

It is ORDERED that DeMarcus D. Corley appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before May 24th, 2024 9:00 AM.

3/28, 4/4, 4/11 & 4/25/24

Loco Service Providers

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

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

We’re Hiring.

Loudoun Now is growing. Join the team.

Reporters

Full-time and part-time positions available for experienced journalists with a passion for community journalism. Accuracy, integrity, curiosity required. Talent with photography, video, social media preferred.

Sales

Full-time and part-time advertising sales positions are available for candidates who can help businesses meet their marketing goals in print and online. There is an opportunity to specialize in Loudoun’s growing hospitality/entertainment industries.

Production Manager

An experienced and creative graphics designer is needed to lead all aspects of the newspaper’s ad creation and page design. The position will also oversee aspects of the online operations.

The Loudoun Now team is driven by a mission to make our community stronger through committed journalism. Can you help?

The Town of Lovettsville seeks a dedicated, responsive, and experienced individual for the position of Public Works Coordinator.

The ideal candidate will be knowledgeable and capable of performing maintenance, repair, and upkeep activities on Town facilities and grounds including buildings and parks, along with water and sewer infrastructure under the guidance of the Town Manager.

For more details regarding the position and to nd the employment application, please visit the Town’s webpage at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov/careers

Farmland preservation

continued from page 1

That resulted in the proposal for a “savings clause” under which county planners could administratively reduce the 70% prime soil preservation requirement if the regulations would result in a reduction in the number of developable house lots.

During last week’s public hearing, the two sides in the debate were unmoved.

Supporters, including delegations from the Farm Bureau and the Soil and Water Conservation District, said the new regulations were critically important to Loudoun’s agricultural future and opponents warned they would have harmful unintended consequences.

Tia Earman, a Round Hill-area farmer who is president of the Farm Bureau, said zoning regulations are the best way to expand agricultural opportunities.

“Zoning is the most powerful rule we have in this Dillon Rule state to directly impact the future of our agricultural lands and establish a path to preserve farmable property for purchase by more of Loudoun’s residents, not just millionaires or those of us lucky enough to inherit land,” she said.

Avis Renshaw, owner of Mom’s Apple Pie who put her family’s 400-acre farm under conservation easement in 2008, said the regulations would help small and young farms succeed in a marketplace

Belmont Data Center

continued from page 3

1.3 million square feet.

The reasoning behind that comes down to the individual eight parcels on the land, Loudoun GC representative Ron Meyer said.

“When these buildings are subdivided in the future, usually for financing purposes with banks, parcels can be relatively small, meaning that you can have a parcel that just encompasses the sort of building and immediate median around it, and so that can technically be above a 0.6 FAR, but we’re still limited on the site for 1.3 million square feet.,” Meyer said “So, it’s really a highly technical reason. It’s nothing beyond that,” he said.

Of the 11 public speakers at the April 10 public hearing, those opposing the rezoning cited environmental impacts, power demand and electricity infrastructure shortages.

John Lovegrove, of Loudoun’s Future PAC, said he did not understand the request to increase the density. He said approving the change would give the applicant the

with a strong demand for local produce.

“While gaining 73 farms over the past five years, Loudoun simultaneously lost 12,000 acres of farmland and nearly 11,000 acres in the previous five years,” she said, citing the findings of the agricultural census conducted in 2017 and 2022. “We cannot continue these land losses and expect a future for Loudoun’s historically robust agricultural economy.”

Other speakers said urged supervisors to promote, rather than discourage conservation easements.

Brook Middletown, a CPA who works with clients to put land under easement, pointed to the Board of Supervisors’ vote earlier during the same meeting to rezone land south of Leesburg to permit the construction of 1,000 new homes. That land, he said, was in the Transition Area that just a few years ago was designed for low density uses, such as one house per 10 acres.

“Zoning is temporary,” he said. “There is a solution and it is conservation easements. They are working very, very well.”

He said concerns over the devaluation of land through the new regulations recently prompted four of his clients to put their easements on hold.

“That is the future for Loudoun if you pass this,” he said. “This is a bad idea brought forth by good people. I think if you spend the time and look at the data … you will see that this makes absolutely no sense.”

ability to build 4.8 million square feet of data center.

“I don’t understand if this is really bad language or if this is really brilliant language,” he said.

Piedmont Environmental Council Senior Land Use Field Representative Tia Earman said the board should stop improving rezonings and special exceptions for data centers until the community better understood the effects of them on the county and region.

“The by-right option is much better for the sensitive watershed of the Goose Creek,” she said.

Earman said the by-right use would require a 900-foot setback from the creek, while the rezoning application provides only a 500-foot buffer.

Turner criticized the Piedmont Environmental Council for disseminating emails and social media information with “major factual errors in them.”

“Let me clarify exactly what the facts are. There is going to be a 1.32 million square foot data center on this piece of land no matter how we vote tonight. That has always been the case,” he said. He said even with the increased density allowance, the applicant would be legally restricted from building

Charles Yudd, director of land development for the Kuhn family’s JK Land Holdings that has put more than 22,000 acres in conservation easements, said those on both sides of the debate hold closely aligned goals. He urged supervisors to continue to work through the policy to ensure the appraised value of the farmland—a key element in easement transactions— isn’t harmed by the regulations.

“I think we’re getting close,” he said.

Just before 3 a.m. Supervisors voted 5-2-2, with Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) and Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) opposed, and Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Koran Saines (D-Sterling) absent, to send the proposal to its June 12 public hearing for action.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said she is continuing to evaluate the proposal.

“I have two goals. One, it is not my right or my intention to do anything that interrupts anyone’s land or land value. Two, I want to save farmable soils in Loudoun County. Those are my two goals. Everything else is noise to me,” Randall said.

Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) said it continues to be a complex issue.

“When you hear both sides saying the sky is falling—it’s not that easy. Yeah, the land may go down in value, but it may not,” Turner said, adding that those working through the issue had “taken a really, really good shot to try and tread the

more than 1.3 million square feet of data center space.

“Can they come back and ask this board or the next board to expand just like any other data center in Loudoun County? Of course they can. They can always make a legislative application to apply,” Turner said.

Turner also said the proffers by Loudoun GC to help improve Goose Creek’s water quality outweighed the need for a larger buffer.

“The PEC has done a singular disservice to this community by putting out factually incorrect information and I personally had to answer 300 emails over the last three days that repeated that factually incorrect information,” he said.

“I have led the charge to limit data center growth and stop data center by-right growth in Loudoun County for the last six months … This is a better deal than a by-right which is a complete unknown and a roll of the dice,” he said.

Earman denied Turner’s claims and said the council had not mentioned anything via emails or its social media about potential increased square footage in the future or not needing legislative approval to expand the project.

needle—preserve want we can without doing undo damage to the development community.”

Supervisor Laura TeKrony (D-Little River) supported the proposal as a way to promote new farms and protect farmland for future generations. Supervisor Sylvia Glass (D-Broad Run) said she ultimately would vote in the way that best protects property rights and western Loudoun.

Umstattd said she believed the proposal would ”dangerously imperil the conservation easement program.”

Kershner said he is worried about relying on zoning to protect farmland, pointing to last year’s vote by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors to reverse a decades-old planning policy and open the county’s western land for development.

“Why did they do it? The demand for development. Loudoun County is no different,” Kershner said. “It is just a matter of time before they open up western Loudoun.”

“I am very confident that if we proceed with this, we are going to lose the thousands and thousands of acres for conservation easements on an annual basis. What will we have a result? We will have one person standing out there: Land developers. We will have far more rooftops in western Loudoun County if we do it the way we’re doing it right here,” he said. n

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), Vice Chair Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) and Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) opposed the applications.

TeKrony and Briskman said they were concerned about the zoning change from A-3 to allow for data centers and the precedent it could set.

“Other things can be built on this property. It doesn’t have to be a data center just because it’s by-right data center,” Briskman said, adding that she had been proud of the board when it denied the application last month.

Randall said the application was a good one, but she was opposing it as a message.

“This is my message to the data center community at large. We have not met with the data center coalition in over two years, two years. And I’m going to take some responsibility for that because phone calls can be made both ways,” she said.

Randall said they used to meet frequently about expectations on both sides.

“Now what we get often is … vote for this data center or we’re going to build it by-right and it’s going to be crappy. And that’s not how that’s supposed to happen,” she said. n

McAlister retires

continued from page 18

of incite the crowd,” Randall said, adding that McAlister stood in front of the shop and encouraged the marchers to continue without reacting.

When the crowd reached the Town Hall there were some marchers who began shouting disparaging remarks at McAlister.

“I thought, ‘this could be very bad.’” Randall said. “And the most amazing thing happened, a young African American male stepped up to the microphone and he goes, ‘Oh, no, not our chief. She told us to come here today. She told us she would help us with this march. She has always stood right beside us. She has always believed in justice. You can yell at somebody else. But you cannot yell at our chief.”

Randall said that action spoke volumes about the relationship that McAlister had built with residents.

McAlister’s daughter, Dani, also spoke during the ceremony, saying she had a front row seat to the life of service her mother had lived.

“For my whole life it has been evident that protecting and serving our community is paramount to her core values, and our community has been lucky to have you,” she said. “… You’re forever the model of who I want to be as a person. I look up to you in more ways than I can count.”

Lieutenant Barry Dufek presented McAlister with her retirement credentials and said her legacy was defined by the police officers and community that she had uplifted.

“Throughout her distinguished career Chief McAlister has been a beacon of integrity, a champion of justice, and a tireless advocate for the safety and the well-being of all of us citizens,” he said.

McAlister’s history of law enforcement goes back long before her time at Purcellville beginning 42 years ago at the Fairfax County Police Department.

She was working for the county’s finance department in 1982 when she stopped by the water fountain and saw a recruitment sign for the police department.

“I was like, hmm, maybe I could do that,” McAlister recalled.

Three months later she was the department’s newest officer.

“There were so many times I would pinch myself like I can’t believe they pay me to do this,” she said.

That was the beginning of a career that would uniquely prepare her for the role of a small-town police chief by giving her the

opportunity to see every aspect of law enforcement. During her time with Fairfax, McAlister served as a patrol officer, crime prevention officer and public information officer doing interviews on television.

“I was petrified to talk on camera or do any public speaking,” McAlister said. “I was mainly the Crime Solvers person, so I did that. I would go to Channel 9 and Channel 7. I would go down there on Tuesdays and I would do my thing and then sometimes I would go on Wednesday. When we did the “America’s Most Wanted.” We would go down there and we would take the calls.”

From there, McAlister became a detective working in juvenile crimes, but when her son was born she decided to pursue a path that would give her more financial stability for the future—the promotional route.

Over the next few years, she advanced to sergeant, lieutenant and commander. She worked with animal control, stood in as acting director and served as aide to the chief.

“There I learned a lot because I was in the chief’s office,” she said. “I worked with Board of Supervisors members, worked with major cities chiefs, and had a lot of opportunity to see a lot there.”

McAlister graduated from the FBI National Academy, served as director of the Fairfax Criminal Justice Academy for three years, worked with the Resource Management Bureau, was promoted to major and oversaw various stations in Fairfax.

After 34 years, she decided it was time for a change and saw a posting for Purcellville’s police chief.

“You come in and you sit right in the hot seat,” she said about interviewing for

tion exonerated her, finding Vanegas and a hired human resources consultant had misled the council. Vanegas was fired as a result. A $16 million lawsuit she filed against the staff members involved with the case was settled out of court in 2020.

“I guess the lesson I learned was when you ask God to help you, you know, just do it with a little more direction,” McAlister said with a laugh.

“It was it was a dark time, I think for the whole town because I’m not the only one who suffered,” she said. “… but we got to a good place, a really good place after it was done.”

Since overcoming the single greatest challenge in her career, McAlister has shifted her focus to building on the foundation of community policing laid by the town’s previous chief.

the position. “I just I remember, Brian Bell from Blue Ridge [Middle School] was there, the pastor from Agape Church was there, [then-mayor] Kwasi Fraser of course, was there. [Then Town Manager] Rob Lohr sat on the end; a couple of officers sat over here. So, it was a mix of elected officials, community members, and officers. But it was the most comfortable interview ever in my whole life. And it was almost surreal that it was so comfortable.” McAlister said she thought all her different experiences had prepared her to be able to make a difference on the smalltown level.

“I think I can add a lot and I’m told that they selected me unanimously, and it was it was just easy,” she said. “Then I got here, and it wasn’t so easy. There were so many things here that weren’t done.”

Not one to back down from a challenge, McAlister got to work implementing processes and standards and enhancing training at the station. It was an uphill battle, she said, calling the state of the department “a bit of a good old boys” club.

“The level of professionalism, not to knock any of the officers who were here, but I knew we could be better,” she said.

She said she remembers praying one night asking God for a way to help her superiors understand all the work that needed to be done.

McAlister said the answer came differently than she was expecting when in 2017 she was caught up in the town’s management scandal. Starting in October 2017, she faced allegations of misconduct by Interim Town Manager Alex Vanegas and was placed on leave and then fired after a “no confidence vote by the Town Council. She was reinstated to her post three weeks later, but remained on leave until November 2018 when an independent investiga-

“It’s all about integrity. It’s all about taking care of your community, right? It’s all about community engagement, and making sure they know we’re there for them,” she said.

It takes a particular type of officer to police in Purcellville, McAlister said—one who needs to be as qualified and ready to respond to scenarios that the average resident might shrink from, but also has the heart to drop off groceries for a shut in or help a child with their homework at a department sponsored event.

“I love the fact that my officers, that they’re not out there hammering people, right? They balance the education with the enforcement,” she said.

“There’s a complete different type of policing that’s done in small town. You really have to be good with calm. You don’t have to constantly be entertained. You can be happy just engaging with the public, right? And thinking more about the protection of them and the safety of them as opposed to what can I do?” she said.

But to keep those officers, McAlister said it is important to be willing to pay them what they deserve, often a struggle for a town with limited resources, especially when competing with neighboring departments offering $25,000 signing bonuses.

Sometimes, she said, it’s less about the salary number and more about knowing with confidence that the trajectory of the salary will continue to increase as cost of living expenses increase.

For the next chief, McAlister advises they get right to work digging into getting to know the community.

“We work for the community and you work for your officers,” she said.

The town has begun recruitment to fill the position with help from the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. The interview panel will include both active and retired Virginia Police Chiefs.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Purcellville Lt. Barry Dufek presents Cynthia McAlister her retirement credentials during a ceremony April 12.

Impactful Work

Opinion

When the county government first explored the concept of changing rural development patterns to promote smaller clustered lots in the late 1980s farmland preservation was a significant element in the equation.

The early “rural hamlet” approach was a game-changer aimed at reversing the trend of rural land being chopped into grids of three-acre lots covered with lawns.

It didn’t take long for developers to figure out how to maximize profits by putting the most problematic portions of the properties in the required open space sections. The current effort to mandate greater protection of prime farmland soils is just the latest in a long line of attempts to achieve the originally envisioned benefits of the clustered approach.

It would be a significant accomplishment to make these developments better, but it shouldn’t be viewed as saving agriculture in Loudoun County. At best, it assures that every time a farm is developed, some piece of it will remain open and usable. That’s last resort stuff in the preservation field.

Its impact pales in comparison to that achieved through conservation easements that keep the farms as farms, don’t add traffic and don’t require more school seats.

By the calculations of the county planning staff, under the most stringent of the current cluster proposals, 17,500

Under the Flightpath

Editor:

Online always at LoudounNow.com

As I write this, another jet departing Dulles flies overhead. It is one of dozens I hear daily. While there has been much recent press about the airport noise from Dulles, and growing coverage about airport noise from Leesburg, there has been no recognition that some residents must cope with both simultaneously. Without exaggeration, I have nearly 100 flights over my house daily.

For those of us that, roughly speaking, live in the county’s Transition Zone crescent, we suffer from the cacophony of planes from both airports simultaneously. Leesburg Airport is to our north. Dulles is to our south and east. As the crow flies, I live seven miles from Dulles and two miles from Leesburg. Problematically, most of us don’t live in an official airport noise overlay zone so nobody really cares how the airports’ noises affect us, but we hear the airplanes, nonetheless. At

acres of prime farmland would be preserved by the regulations—if 54,100 acres are developed. In Loudoun today, conservation easements limit development on 73,000 acres while also preserving more than 20,000 acres of prime farmland soils. No tool has been—or can be— more effective in the long-term protection of the county’s rural lands. There’s no better protection than perpetuity.

During this latest debate over whether zoning regulations can accomplish the same mission, much has been made of the latest agricultural census figures showing Loudoun County has 11,000 fewer acres in agricultural production than just five years ago. It is important to remember that much of that lost farmland has been converted to schools, data centers, and suburban subdivisions. Transition Policy Area largely was farmland a short time ago. Just last week, county supervisors approved more development on those open fields—it only takes five votes to change the zoning on any property.

While it is clear the county’s cluster development regulations can—and should be—strengthened, the concerns raised by those on the front lines of the conservation easement push should not be dismissed. Their success makes all the other preservation work— including the availability of those clustered farming lots— much more impactful. n

LETTERS to the Editor

certain times of the day, 14-15 flights in succession go overhead producing a solid 30 minutes of noise.

Dulles causes the greatest annoyance. Dulles serviced 21,194 flights in March 2024, totaling some quarter million flights a year. Excepting during the blessed peace and quiet of the pandemic, the number of Dulles flights hasn’t really changed over the years. What has changed is that the planes have gotten larger, lower, and—most importantly— louder. This has changed the resident-airport dynamic. Noise wasn’t a problem before, but it is now.

From Leesburg, the number of flights continues to increase seemingly without end. The buzzy little Cessna of 20 years ago are now big boy private jets producing jet engine noise. And Leesburg’s aircraft are much lower. I think I could jump up and grab one.

Our elected officials continue to discuss airport noise as if it only affects new housing. They seem more interested

in figuring out how to cram more houses around the airports than mitigating the negative effects of the airports on current residents.

From the time I started writing this letter, to this closing sentence, 22 aircraft flew overhead.

— David Dickinson, Leesburg

Do It Together

Editor:

I grew up in a small town of about 600 people. We stabled horses, all our neighbors were family farms. From there to my home in Purcellville, I have found that family-owned farms are simultaneously a bedrock part of the community and surprisingly vulnerable. Economy of scale, an aging farming population, and the increasing value of land all conspire against family farms.

READERS’ poll CHIPshots

Should underground electrical transmission lines be required?

— By Chip Beck

• 67.0% Yes

•

• 12.0% Yes, when near homes and businesses

• 7.7% No, it is not affordable

• 5.3% Yes, when near historic/ cultural sites

• 4.3% No, it is not feasible

• 3.8% No

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

What is the best approach to preserving Loudoun’s farmland?

Share your views at loudounnow.com/polls

LETTERS to the Editor

continued from page 34

Yet we need them. Family farms and agricultural businesses contribute directly to the local economy as both actual producers and actual consumers of local goods in a way that many businesses, a data center for example, do not. They teach the young people who work on and around them the value of hard work and instill a connection to the land that will promote future environmental and community stewardship.

Currently, Loudoun County’s government is debating the best way to preserve our local farmland. Both sides of this debate are correct that it needs to happen. Every square foot of agricultural or environmental space you lose is a space you never get back, and the time to protect it is now while it still exists.

Some believe that conservation easements are the only way to do this. Easements, in which a landowner permanently limits development on their land in exchange for a tax break, is a great tool. I have no problem giving folks, even very wealthy folks, a tax break in exchange for a permanent guarantee of land preservation. I’d rather have a country estate next to me than a data center. But to suggest that it is the only tool is simply not true.

Zoning ordinances that structure

development around true farmland can be put in place now and in ways strategically designed to protect family farms and allow towns to grow and prosper. The principal argument against this is that zoning can be changed. Yes, zoning can be changed in the future, as can any

Power lines

continued from page 1

increasing demand for power infrastructure.

County Attorney Leo Rogers told supervisors that an intent of the resolution would be to encourage NextEra to use existing right-of-way transmission line rights of way for the new lines.

“There’s tremendous impact for the county on its rural economic development, agriculture, history, the equine industry, tourism, historic structures and landmarks,” Rogers said.

Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin), whose district would be crossed by the transmission lines if the preliminary route is approved, said the location is critical.

“I think it’s largely unanimous throughout the community that we find the correct route, which we believe in this resolution is the existing rights-of-way,” he said.

Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) and Vice Chair Juli E.

law, but to suggest that because laws can change we shouldn’t have them is hardly a strong argument. Using zoning as a tool to protect family farms does not prevent conservation easements. If those farms became parking lots would the undeveloped land and thus easements be more valuable? Sure. But responsible zoning is not going to kill easement incentives. Let’s embrace a path forward that both preserves and grows western Loudoun, and let’s do it together.

Briskman (D-Algonkian) both supported the resolution, although Umstattd said she doubted it would achieve what they were hoping.

Briskman asked how using the proposed right-of-way would get the line over the River Creek neighborhood.

“There is right-of-way going across the Potomac down past River Creek, which has towers on it right now,” Rogers said. “It would be maximizing the use of those towers.”

He said currently there are 500 kV and 230 kV lines in that right of way. Adding another 500 kV line could require replacing the towers with updated ones that could carry multiple lines.

“I’m just thinking if they go that route, we’re going to get just as much community pushback,” Briskman said.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) asked if there could be better communication with the community.

“I am aware of discussions that are ongoing between NextEra and the utility providers in Maryland and Virginia,” Rogers said. “They’re looking at existing rights-of-way that these lines could go in

— Ryan Ruzic, Purcellville

to bring that power to Northern Virginia. So, it’s going to be one right away is it?

What are the towers going to look like?

What are the circuits going to be? Once we have that information, then we’ll have something to go back to the community with.”

Residents concerned about the line, known as the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link, have been organizing community meetings to engage Loudouners.

The next of those meetings is scheduled for May 1 at 6 p.m. at the Lovettsville Fire and Rescue Station, hosted by the Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance, Lovettsville.

The alliance is a group of Lovettsville neighbors working to identify and quantify the impact of the proposed line and to inform the community about how the towers will affect private homes, farms, and businesses along the proposed path.

The meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to learn about the regional power grid challenges that have prompted the proposed line and the public policy decisions that will impact the structure and location of the line. n

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