Loudoun Now for May 14, 2020

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MAY 14, 2020

NOVA Reopening Delayed; Some Supervisors Disagree

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now

A group of eight nurses accompany Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad President Sam Neglia as he’s wheeled out of the Inova Loudoun Hospital after a 28day stay for COVID-19 treatment.

Loudoun First Responder Returns Home After 28-Day COVID-19 Hospitalization

BY PATRICK SZABO

pszabo@loudounnow.com

An early birthday present for one of Loudoun’s volunteer first responders was a trip home from the hospital after nearly a month-long stay for COVID-19 treatment.

Sam Neglia, an eight-year volunteer with the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad and the squad’s president, was released from the Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne on Tuesday evening, just 18 days before his 60th birthday. According to Clinical Director Debbie Toland, Neglia spent 28 days in the hospital, more than

two weeks of which was spent in the Intensive Care Unit, followed by a final week of rehabilitation and ambulation in Toland’s 26 Main Unit.

Toland said that when Neglia was transferred to her unit, he was still “very critically ill,” with a chest tube still attached to his body. “He was pretty sick,” she said.

Toland said it was exciting to see Neglia go home and that “it gives you a kind of boost to keep going.”

“It’s encouraging,” she said.

Loudoun County Combined Fire & Rescue System Chief Keith Johnson said Neglia contracted the virus on March 31

while transporting a COVID-19-positive patient to the hospital. Johnson said none of the first responders knew the patient was infected at that time.

Johnson said it’s not clear when Neglia will be able to return to his duties as a volunteer, but that it would most likely “be a while.” He said COVID-19 is presenting first responders with a new kind of risk that can’t be seen.

Toland said she has cared for more than a hundred COVID-19 patients since the outbreak began two months ago and that every one of them exhibits different symptoms. n

Gov. Ralph Northam will allow Northern Virginia localities including Loudoun to delay a cautious reopening of businesses until as late as May 29, while the rest of Virginia prepares to begin that reopening this Friday.

Northam’s phase one of his plan “Forward Virginia” would still look a lot like the current restrictions on businesses and social gatherings. Businesses like salons and barbershops would be open only by appointment. Restaurants, breweries and wineries would be allowed to welcome back customers, but only outside, only at half of their normal outdoors capacity, and with six-foot distancing enforced. Fitness centers can reopen, but like restaurants, only outside.

But Northam has also said localities may adopt even stricter rules, and on Tuesday announced he will allow leaders from those regions to formally request to remain in “phase zero,” the current regime of enforced social distancing and business closures.

That followed letters over the weekend from elected leaders and health officials warning Northam that the region was not ready to reopen. County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said DELAYED OPENING continues on page 34

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Businesses Face Uncertainties on Reopening

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

B Chord Brewing owner and brewer Marty Dougherty had mapped out a plan for a May 15 reopening, following a twomonth closure of his Round Hill area tasting room. The 66-acre farm brewery, with 20 acres of mowed lawn, allowed for ample space to spread out the brewery’s picnic tables to accommodate social distancing and maintain the 50-percent outdoor dining capacity that was to be allowed with the start of phase one of the state’s reopening in the COVID-19 pandemic.

But those plans are on ice.

Following Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement last week that the state could enter phase one of its recovery plan May 15, word came over the weekend that local leaders objected to that plan. Loudoun

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Nils Schnibbe stands in front of his downtown Leesburg business SideBar, with a dining room that has been closed by an order from the governor, on a King Street that is still deserted months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), along with other Northern Virginia elected leaders, signed a letter objecting to the May 15 date, citing statistics they said do not support the decision to begin reopening certain businesses. In phase one of Northam’s “Forward Virginia” plan, salons, restaurants with outdoor seating or carryout only, and places of worship, would have been able to reopen with capacity limitations and social distancing protocols followed. Tuesday morning, Northam allowed localities to push that date back to Friday, May 29.

“This Friday was going to represent baby steps,” Dougherty said. “That was the first step in trying to figure out how to do this. Now they’ve delayed that.”

Dougherty said he believed his business could go above and beyond in meeting health and safety regulations.

“We spend a serious amount of time sanitizing and cleaning all the time. Bacteria and germs are the enemy of beer,” he said. “The other thing that is unique for the farm is we have a ton of outdoor space.

People need fresh air. If we don’t start to take care of some of those needs people are going to say, ‘I’m done’.”

B Chord had mapped out paths to and from restrooms so customers would not interact with one another, as well as plans to sanitize between each use; and were going to convert its already running contactless curbside beer pickup into an ordering system for the brewery. Guests would need a reservation to come to the brewery. But now, Dougherty and his staff will have at least two more weeks to mull REOPENING continues on page 17

Antibody Testing Ramps Up in Loudoun

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Another critical element in the effort to combat COVID-19 is becoming available in Loudoun, with doctors’ offices ramping up testing to tell residents whether they have been exposed to the virus.

At MetroMed Urgent Care in Leesburg, Dr. Roshelle Beckwith has expanded her drive-up testing services to include the Quest Diagnostics Abbott test, which was developed by the Perkin Elmer company to detect antibodies triggered by the virus.

In the first two weeks since the test became available, the office administered approximately 400 tests, with about 40 coming back positive.

And, in this case, positive is the result patients want. It indicates they have been exposed to the virus and have antibodies that may allow them to ward off future infections. However, research continues to determine the extent to which antibodies will provide immunity in the future.

Director of Operations David Vaynman usually makes the call when the re-

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

MetroMed Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Lucille Tussey, right, holds antibody blood draws that will be sent to a lab to determine whether patients have been exposed to and recovered from COVID-19.

sults come in.

“They’re happy. Then they know they have something to fight off the virus if it comes back around,” he said of passing along the news of positive test. “When I

tell people they’re negative, they’re a little bit bummed.”

While many of the hastily developed antibody tests available nationally have raised concerns about accuracy, Nurse

Practitioner Lucille Tussey said the results they are seeing are matching up well TESTING continues on page 26

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MAY 14, 2020

Loudoun

Supervisors Slam Stanley Martin, Christopher Consultants; Look to Buy Out Flooding Homes

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors slammed developer Stanley Martin Homes and a consulting firm, christopher consultants, on the night of a unanimous vote to look for money to buy out homes in the Selma Estates neighborhood that have repeatedly flooded.

“I am pretty concerned, I’m pretty upset, and I’m very disappointed in christopher consultants as well as Stanley Martin,” said Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin). “I believe that they have fallen down. They are largely responsible for this flooding issue that has occurred, and quite frankly that people have almost lost their lives. And I ask them from my position here to step up to the plate and see what they can do to make this right, rather than fighting litigation and trying to get out of their responsibility that they should have undertaken from the very beginning.”

Residents on Farnborough Place, Osterly Lane, Trongate Court, Berkhamstead Place, and Saxon Shore Drive in the development north of Leesburg have faced repeated flooding in their homes, and an independent firm hired by the county government reported last year that the only viable solution at this point is to buy out those homeowners.

A county report to supervisors noted that while three residents are interested in the buyouts, others will consider anything but. Supervisors voted unanimously May 5 to look for funding options for that buyout program, which could include the use of local tax funds, Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, and “private funding sources.”

They also voted to look for funding for flood mitigation measures around other properties where the owners are not interested in selling.

Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) suggested those “private funding sources” should be the develop-

ers and consultants.

“I would go after the developer and the consultant with all guns blazing immediately to recover any cost the county acquires as a result of this effort,” Turner said.

The action comes after years of pleas from residents at Selma Estate, who have complained that the county government ignored their warnings or dragged its feet, as homes have been flooding since 2013. Stanley Martin also faces multiple lawsuits from Selma Estates residents over the flooding—including from George Biller, who has frequently contacted supervisors and the county government over his concerns, and has frequently come to county meetings to speak publicly about his experience; and Chad West, who has said he has on multiple occasions rescued his elderly mother-in-law from possibly drowning in the basement of his house.

Christopher consultants designed the infrastructure in the subdivision, such as

the flood mitigation.

But the buyouts won’t come for more than a year at least. Supervisors will look for the money to buy those properties in their Fiscal Year 2022 budget, which covers the fiscal year beginning July 2021.

If it does move ahead, the county would then destroy those houses as part of its flood mitigation work.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said the issue exposes a flaw in the county’s process for reviewing development applications.

“We are entirely reliant on what applicants give us for this information, and, during my last term, Supervisor [Tony R.] Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) and I had a [board member initiative], which we got a little flak for at the time, to try to change the way traffic studies were done, and required the county to be more involved in setting out those processes for SELMA ESTATES continues on page 6

Loudoun Households to Get Postcards on Slowing the Spread LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

Every household in Loudoun County will be receiving important COVID-19 information by mail in the next few days, the county government has announced.

The county encourages residents to look for a postcard from Loudoun County in the mail, read it, and keep it as a reference guide.

“It is only through responding to COVID-19 as a community that we can continue to slow the spread of this disease,” stated Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend.

“It’s particularly important that you take actions to protect seniors and those with underlying medical conditions, both in your home and the community.”

The postcard includes information on how to protect yourself and your family, including social distancing, washing your hands, avoiding touching your face,

Loudoun County

An information postcard is headed to Loudoun households in the next few days.

wearing a cloth mask in public, covering coughs and sneezes, staying home as much as possible, self-isolating when sick, and letting close contacts know if you become sick so that they can self-quarantine.

The information in the postcard is also available online at loudoun.gov/coronavirus and in other languages including Spanish, Arabic, Korean, and Vietnamese. Other informational flyers about

COVID-19 are also online here.

The Health Department is asking ill individuals to proactively reach out to their close contacts and let them know they are sick.

“It’s important for our whole community to stay involved in slowing the spread,” Goodfriend stated. “With sick individuals reaching out to their close contacts right away, people will be alerted even more quickly, which helps our work in slowing the spread.”

To get information and updates about COVID-19 from the county, go to loudoun.gov/coronavirus, text LCCOVID19 to 888777 to receive text alerts, or text LCCOVIDESP to 888777 to receive text messages in Spanish.

Residents with questions about COVID-19 can call the Loudoun County Health Department’s information line, 703-737-8300, or send an email to health@loudoun.gov. n

MAY 14, 2020

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FEMA Redirected PPE, but County First Responders Still Equipped

BY RENSS GREENE

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency may have taken a large shipment of personal protective equipment headed for Loudoun, but thanks to their advance preparation, Loudoun’s first responders are still equipped, according to Combined Fire-Rescue System Chief Keith Johnson.

On April 8, FEMA intercepted a shipment of PPE that had been headed for Loudoun and other Northern Virginia localities, according to County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large).

Loudoun had bundled its order with other localities to make an order large enough to buy directly from the manufacturer—in this case, 300,000 N95 masks, the type of mask that can filter out airborne viruses, of which 30,000 were headed to Loudoun.

And, in fact, they got there, briefly— the shipment landed at Dulles Airport before FEMA stepped in. The federal agency outbid the region for the masks, and Loudoun leaders were informed that they would not be receiving the shipment even after receiving confirmation that it had arrived.

Randall said the shipment came as New York was grappling with an exploding outbreak of COVID-19 infections.

“If I had to assume, I would probably assume it went to New York,” Randall said. “And I think FEMA is supposed to do what they’re supposed to do to take care of the country, but as the chair of Loudoun County, I don’t have to be happy about that. I can be upset that an order we were supposed to get got diverted, and it got diverted literally at the receiving point.”

In fact, she said, the order’s size may have been what drew federal attention.

But, she said, no other orders so far have been diverted.

County Administrator Tim Hemstreet said the county is not out any money over the order. In general, for those orders, Loudoun County government pays on delivery.

But, said Fire-Rescue System Chief Johnson, first responders had been preparing for a pandemic before anyone had heard of COVID-19, and that stockpile has helped Loudoun’s firefighters, paramedics and EMTs stay supplied. The county’s pandemic response plan, as well as a regional stockpile, meant the department had supplies already on hand when the virus hit Loudoun.

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Although emergency calls are down, PPE is being used more often, so the department is going through that stockpile more quickly than usual, he said.

“Typically, you would put an N95 or something on if you ran into somebody with TB, or an infectious disease,” Johnson said. “Now, anytime you come within six feet of a patient, and you’re interviewing that patient, then we’re going to put a surgical mask on the patient and we’re also going to don an N95.”

The department also has access to a Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System in Washington, DC, which can be used to sterilize and reuse personal protective equipment, including N95 masks up to 20 times. Johnson said if supplies drop to a certain point, the department will begin sending masks to be decontaminated and reused, and has made preparations to do so. And so far, he said, the department has not had any replacement of N95 masks.

The risk right now to first responders’ supplies of protective gear is if they start having to take more calls. Calls for service overall have been down under social distancing measures, as people avoiding travel has reduced not only COVID-19 transmission but medical emergencies and accidents generally. And, he said, calls have started to climb again in the past weeks.

“That is the concern, we are starting to see our call volume go up in the last week or two because people are starting to get out and about more than they were,” Johnson said.

For now, he said, with many people who carry the virus showing no symptoms, first responders have to “treat everybody as if they were positive.”

“It’s pretty scary time out there for folks,” Johnson said. “You’ve just got to be diligent. You’ve got to be prepared. You’ve got to be proactive about your PPE.” n

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Selma Estates continued from page 4

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the same reason,” Letourneau said.

And, he said, the cost of settling the lawsuits may be less than the damage Stanley Martin takes to its reputation.

“From a cost-benefit standpoint, is it worth it for Stanley Martin to be incurring this type of discussion in a public setting with the Board of Supervisors, as opposed to just stepping up to the plate here and trying to help mitigate the solution?”

Letourneau said. “Because there will be a reputational cost in the future, and I’m not in that industry, but that doesn’t seem like a good business decision to me, particularly because I think that it’s a problem that could be handled and addressed as a partnership fairly inexpensively, considering the amount of money involved in land development in this county.”

Stanley Martin Homes, based in Reston, develops residential projects from Georgia to Maryland, including other projects in Loudoun such as Tuscarora Village, McIntosh near Aldie, and Loudoun West near Lovettsville.

Christopher consultants, based in Leesburg, provides planning, surveying,

MAY 14, 2020

civil engineering and other services. It is also a firm with deep ties to county government.

Two of its leaders, vice president Joe Paciulli and land use specialist Lou Canonico, serve on county committees including both participating in the recent rewrite of the county comprehensive plan.

Likewise, Paciulli serves on a committee that advises supervisors on the county’s expedited land development process and the county’s Economic Development Advisory Commission, twice serving as chairman.

Canonico, too, has served on EDAC, and currently serves on the Zoning Ordinance Action Group, which prepares and recommends changes to Loudoun zoning law. He also serves co-chairs the Loudoun subcommittee of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association’s Government Relations Committee, representing the development industry to the county government.

The firm also has a current $246,000 contract drawing up construction plans for building Riverside Parkway, a fourlane divided road, from Loudoun County Parkway to Lexington Drive.

Selma Estates began developing in 2003, and today includes 277 lots. n

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Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now

Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer draws the numbers of businesses that will receive grants from the county’s Business Interruption Fund.

County Awards 201 Small Businesses Relief Grants

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

More small businesses than originally expected were selected to receive grants from the county’s Business Interruption Fund Friday, with 201 businesses set to get money instead of the planned 177.

The county’s Business Interruption Fund had pools of money set up for businesses of different sizes, but relatively few businesses with upwards of 50 employees—the largest size category—made qualifying applications. That refocused the grant money toward smaller businesses.

Businesses in the largest category, with between 51 and 100 employees, were also eligible for the largest grants. $10,000 grants were available for up to 66 businesses.

But only six companies made qualifying applications. The rest of that money was redistributed, meaning not only will all six of those companies receive funding, but so will all 50 certified applicants in the smallest category, which includes businesses in the Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown program with up to two employees. They will receive $5,000 grants.

That also meant many more businesses with 3-50 employees were selected for grants. Originally, up to 74 businesses were expected to get $7,500 grants. Now, almost twice that many, 145, will receive grants, out of a pool of 671 qualifying applications. In total, $1.09 million is expected to be distributed to those businesses.

One of those winners was Sterling-based Beltway Brewing Company.

“In a time of great uncertainty for how our brewery will adapt and survive through this pandemic, receiving this grant from the county makes a huge difference,” stated Beltway Brewing President Sten Sellier.

“We are able to invest it in raw materials and marketing towards innovative ways to keep our staff manufacturing in this environment.”

Loudoun Economic Development Exec-

utive Director Buddy Rizer drew those winners randomly in a live-streamed event at 2 p.m. last Friday. View the video on the department’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ LoudounEconomicDevelopment.

“Should you not receive money today, we remain very wiling and anxious to help, so please contact the Department of Economic Development, let us know how we can help your business,” Rizer said. “We’re all in this together, and we all want to work together to Loudoun out on the other side.”

Businesses that applied but did not qualify were disqualified mostly due to not having three employees or having more than 100, not being able to show 25 percent in losses, or exceeding the $2.5 million annual receipts threshold.

According to the department, all grant-receiving applications and business names will be posted on LoudounBusinessFund.org, and contacted via email to discuss next steps, which includes providing financial information for the Economic Development Authority to coordinate the payout.

All applicants that did not receive funding will also be contacted with additional resources and funding opportunities to consider.

The money comes from a $1.4 million fund, which included $1.15 million transferred by the Board of Supervisors from funds normally used to incentive new businesses, as well as another $250,000 dedicated by the Loudoun Economic Development Authority.

During the 72-hour window to apply, which ran from noon April 29 until noon May 2, there were 1,247 applications made.

After discarding duplicate applications and checking applicants to make sure they qualify with the help of Treasurer Roger Zurn and Acting Director of Finance and Budget Janet Romanchyk, there were 671 qualifying applications in total.

View the full list of winners at LoudounBusinessFund.org. n

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MAY 14, 2020

AROUND Town

Leesburg

Thiel Resigning from Leesburg Council

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Leesburg Town Councilman Josh Thiel will be leaving his council seat ahead of November’s election.

Thiel announced during last Tuesday’s council meeting that he will resign from his seat effective May 31, foregoing his first re-election bid this November.

He cited several reasons for his resignation. The primary one is that he and his wife Abigail will be moving outside of the town corporate limits, to the River Creek neighborhood, at month’s end, making him ineligible to hold the seat. But he will trade the title of Town Council member for one even more prized: dad. He and his wife are expecting their first baby in November.

“It is not in my nature to not finish something that I have started,” he wrote in his resignation letter, which he read aloud to the council Tuesday. “Now is the right time in my life to take a step back from public service in order to support and focus on my family, health and career. I have loved the opportunity the amazing people of Leesburg have given me and there is no way I can thank them enough for allowing me to lead and guide the town that I grew up in and love so dearly. I will forever be filled with gratitude for the honor that has been placed on me by the people of this town to serve as your councilman.”

In addition to the move and the upcoming new addition to his family, Thiel also cited a recent promotion at work in affecting his duties to serve.

Thiel’s journey to a council seat was an interesting one. He was a Leesburg political unknown in January 2017 when he threw his hat in the ring to be considered for an interim appointment to the council to fill Kelly Burk’s unexpired council term, following her election to mayor the prior November. That appointment instead went to Hugh Forsythe, but Thiel filed to run in a November special election to serve out the remaining year of Burk’s term. He lost to Vanessa Maddox but, less than two weeks later, again found himself in campaign mode when Ken Reid announced he was resigning from the council. It was a much more condensed campaign period the second time around, as Thiel vied

Loudoun Now File Photo

Leesburg Town Councilman Josh Thiel will step down as he prepares to move outside the town limits.

to serve the remaining almost three years of Reid’s term in a February 2018 special election. The second time was the charm, as he bested Neil Steinberg and Gwen Pangle in a three-way race.

Looking back, “it felt like I ran for office more than I was in office,” Thiel said with a laugh, in an interview with Loudoun Now. He admitted he was deflated after he lost in his first election bid, but got to play out all those “what-if ” scenarios with how he ran his first campaign in running his second.

His election to the council at the age of 27 caught the attention of other future candidates, some of whom credited a millennial with winning a council seat as showing others that you don’t have to wait to enter into public service. Thiel acknowledged that he caught some flack on the campaign trail for not having enough experience to serve on the council, but said he is glad he helped to break the mold.

“I’m proud to be not your normal millennial, and run as someone that just cares about my town. I grew up here, I wanted to give back to it some way, shape or form.

There’s never really a right time to run for office; you just do it because you care,” he said.

He cites his work on bringing the noise ordinance back up for consideration among his proudest achievements. A revised ordinance recently passed which,

among its biggest changes, extends the curfew for amplified sound to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, up from 8 p.m. Thiel also said he is glad he had a hand in allowing expanded regulations for food trucks, and being a part of the downtown resurgence. He is also proud of his work on the budget. He said he wishes he would have been able to see the town-county boundary line adjustment process through to the finish line but, on the whole, “I think I accomplished a lot of what I set out to do.”

Thiel said he won’t rule out a return to elected office in the future, but for now is content on focusing on his growing family.

“You never know what the future holds for you,” he said. “God’s got a plan for everybody.”

Thiel’s resignation on May 31 will start the 45-day clock for the Town Council to fill his seat on an interim basis through the end of the year. His seat will be up for a new four-year term in November. The winner in that race will take office Jan. 1.

Along with Thiel’s seat, Burk and council members Tom Dunn and Ron Campbell are also up for re-election. Burk and Dunn have announced their re-election bids for mayor and council member, respectively, but Campbell has stayed mum on his plans. Council challengers Zach Cummings and Ara Bagdasarian will also be on the ballot in November. n

Buildings Should Flush Stagnant Water Commercial building owners are being urged by town staff to take precautions to fight against bacteria growth in vacant buildings.

An unintended consequence of the business shut-downs because of the coronavirus pandemic is water stagnation and the potential for the growth of bacteria, such as Legionella, in the buildings’ water lines.

“When water sits unused in a building’s plumbing system, the disinfectants that we add during the treatment process degrade,” stated Russell Chambers, the manager of Leesburg’s Kenneth Rollins Water Filtration Plant. “In order to restore water quality, building owners need to flush the old water out of the plumbing lines and replace it with fresh water from our distribution system.”

Customers with questions about their water usage and the need to flush their buildings should contact the Utilities Department at watersewer@ leesburgva.gov.

Bulk Item Trash Pickup Resumes Beginning Monday, Patriot Disposal will resume its bulk item collection within the Town of Leesburg, for those who schedule a pickup.

The Town of Leesburg does not provide removal for waste generated by home construction or remodeling services that are performed by contractors. Residents performing their own remodeling may dispose of three 55-gallon bags of construction debris with a maximum weight of 50 pounds per bag. Items may also be taken to the Loudoun County Landfill.

To schedule a bulk item pickup, call 703-771-6677.

Summer Registration Pushed Back Again The Parks and Recreation Department has extended its delay to the start of registration for summer classes and programs.

Registration for town residents will now open on Tuesday, May 19. Registration for non-residents will open on Tuesday, May 26.

For up-to-date information about summer classes and programs, go to idalee.org.

MAY 14, 2020

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Dunn Announces Leesburg Council Re-election Bid

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ krodriguez@loudounnow.com

One of the Leesburg Town Council’s longest-serving members is giving it another go. Councilman Tom Dunn will seek re-election for a fourth term in November.

Dunn was first elected to the council in 2008, and secured re-election victories in 2012 and 2016. He has also run three times, albeit unsuccessfully, for mayor, challenging former mayor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) twice and current mayor Kelly Burk two years ago.

Dunn also announced in his campaign press release that he will be running under his newly created party, called the “Democrat Party of Leesburg and Conservative Party of Leesburg.” This party, he says, gives voters another option to vote for council members outside of the county’s two primary political parties. He said this does not preclude him from seeking the endorsement of either the Republican or Democratic committees of Loudoun County, but said that decision is still a few months away.

Although the Town Council is a nonpartisan body, the majority of those seeking seats in recent years have sought or received the endorsement of one of the two political parties. In past years, Dunn has been supported by the Loudoun County Republican Committee. Dunn said he does not plan on recruiting any candidates to run on his newly created party’s sample ballot, but if someone approaches him with interest they can have that discussion.

Looking back on his 12 years on the council, Dunn said his record proves that he serves with a citizen-first attitude, putting their priorities above special interests and the desires of town staff.

“There are thousands of people in Leesburg who have no more special interests than to want basic services and the ability to live and work and sometimes raise a family in a nice community. And these are the people I represent,” he stated.

As an example, he pointed to his recent support for waiving meals tax collection through the end of the fiscal year and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused much economic and business distress. He said he took umbrage to the town manager referring to the meals tax as the town’s, rather than residents’, money.

Dunn said government accountability continues to be a top priority for him,

and he pointed to his record of supporting lower taxes and utility rates. He also said he supports a better deal for the town in its negotiations with Loudoun County—much of which occurs in closed session—over the boundary line adjustment process over the Joint Land Management Area. “[My] plan is a permanent solution while the current plan can be cancelled by the county at any time. [My] plan will bring in almost three times the revenue than the current plan. Unlike the current plan, [my] plan will ensure Leesburg taxpayers do not pay for financial shortfalls in the Utilities Department, and revenues go back to the taxpayers (unlike the current plan which is only giving back 10 percent to taxpayers). [My] plan could allow Microsoft and other business partners to pay 50 percent to 75 percent less in taxes than they are paying to the county. [My] plan allows Leesburg to have complete and final control of land around town and self-governance while the current plan continues to give the county control to stop any Leesburg beneficial plan. Council and staff like the current easy plan just for the quick short money and claims of ‘working with’ the demands of the county,” he stated.

If re-elected, Dunn said his top priorities include acquiring the land identified in the BLA and getting the best deal for Leesburg; ensuring revenues go back to town residents, and not just to grow the size and scope of town government; and bringing forth adequate design standards for the town, “so the town looks the way we want it to look, not the way developers want it to look,” he said.

Dunn and his family have lived in town for 22 years. In addition to his 12 years on the council, his service to Leesburg includes volunteering on many town boards and commissions and community organizations.

Dunn is the latest council member and second incumbent to announce a re-election bid. He and Burk are the only two incumbents to make an announcement. The terms of Ron Campbell and Josh Thiel will expire at year’s end. Council challenger Zach Cummings also announced his campaign for a council seat earlier this year. Businessman Ara Bagdasarian also has filed paperwork to run for a council seat Burk is the only candidate to file in the mayor’s race thus far.

The filing deadline for November’s ballot is June 9. n

PAGE 9

Northwest Virginia Land Market Strong According to Local Expert and the surrounding area.

According to Pangle, excellent hunting for white-tailed deer, turkey, bear, and fishing attracts outdoor enthusiasts and investors from inside and outside Virginia’s borders.

“The time is right to market land as a hunting or recreational property,” said Pangle.

“As a national company operating in 35 states, we offer exposure to a nationwide network of outdoor enthusiasts and land investors – many of whom are already considering owning property in Northwest Virginia.”

To contact Whitetail Properties Land Specialist Chad Pangle about buying or selling land in Virginia, please call 540-9753487 or visit his agent page at https://www. whitetailproperties.com/agents/chad-pangle.

Local Land Specialist Chad Pangle is an avid sportsman who has blended his passion for real estate and the outdoors with a career in land sales. Pangle was born and raised in Strasburg, Virginia. He grew up hunting, fishing, and spending time on small family farms throughout his childhood in the Shenandoah Valley where he still resides with his family today.

Pangle specializes in farming, hunting, and timber properties as well as rural homes with acreage. He says that in some cases, landowners don’t realize how much value the recreational opportunities can add to their property.

“Northwest Virginia offers endless opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts,” said Pangle. “My goal is to help landowners realize the true market value of their property when outdoor recreational opportunities are involved.”

Tracts with wooded acreage, pasture, and water make for prime habitat for wildlife and hunting. Land that offers investment opportunities from tillable or timber acreage also make properties very attractive in today’s market.

Pangle’s expertise in Virginia land comes from working as a Land Specialist for Whitetail Properties Real Estate – the industry leader in hunting, farm, recreational, and timber properties. As a Land Specialist, Pangle will provide real estate services to both buyers and sellers of all types of land in Loudoun County

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Founded in 2007, Whitetail Properties Real Estate has exploded into North America’s top place to buy and sell recreational hunting, ranch, farm, and timber land. This fact was cemented last year with more than 1.3 billion in sales totaling more than 340,000 acres. The company was also named one of “America’s Best Brokerages” by The Land Report.

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Meatheads Grocery Delivery Service COO Eddy Ndandula reaches for another disinfectant wipe to finish sanitizing a grocery order for a Leesburg customer.

Meatheads Offer Contact-Free Grocery Delivery Service

BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com

For some, leaving the house to shop for groceries is not an option. For a couple gym buffs, it’s their job.

Tom Hunt and Eddy Ndandula started the Meatheads Grocery Delivery Service about a month ago in response to a drop off in their income and their desire to help the community in a time of need. The service sees customers place orders for the men, who have been workout buddies for years, to shop for the groceries, bring them to customers’ driveways and disinfect them before dropping them on their doorsteps.

Customers in Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties can order groceries on the Meatheads website, mhgrocery.com.

From there, Hunt and Ndandula receive an email with the grocery list and individually set out to purchase the items at a grocery store they choose, but can also be decided by the customer.

Once they purchase the groceries, they head to the customer’s house and set up a table out front, where they thoroughly disinfect all items before repackaging them in a sanitized box and leaving them on the customer’s front porch. Ndandula said they go through about four containers of disinfectant wipes in a week and get their boxes from Virginia ABC stores and furniture stores.

The duo’s idea for the service was prompted as a way to generate income, since the supply chain in Hunt’s exercise equipment manufacturing business had been

“completely wrecked,” and fewer people wanted Ndandula in their homes to continue his home remodeling service. They also had another reason—to raise money for the food bank at Grace Covenant Church and Cornerstone Chapel, which, Hunt said, is in great need of donations during this time.

“That’s where our idea was founded on,” Ndandula said. “The bigger vision here is ‘we want to serve the community.’”

For orders less than $200, the duo charges a $39 sanitization fee, which customers pay with cash in an envelope on their doorsteps or via Paypal. For orders of more than $200, they charge a $49 fee. And for orders exceeding $400, they charge 15 percent on top of the receipt. Ten percent of those service charges is donated to the food banks.

Customers can also tip, which will additionally be donated to the food bank.

“People have been very generous,” hunt said.

Asked about what they’ll do with the business once the coronavirus crisis is over, Hunt and Ndandula said they were unsure.

Hunt said people being wary of the coronavirus might become the new normal, which would mean Meatheads Grocery Delivery Service would continue its services as is.

But even if most people begin to loosen their social distancing practices and shop for their own groceries, Ndandula said that would mean Meatheads would continue on as a regular grocery delivery business that goes the extra mile.

“We’re definitely here to stay,” he said. n

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MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 11

BUSINESS Announcements Roca Joins Farm Credit at Leesburg Branch Farm Credit of the Virginias has named Nicole Roca to a loan officer position at its Leesburg branch.

Roca joins the organization with experience in the financial industry, as well as applied agricultural management skills, specializing in pasture health, livestock, and produce. The longtime Leesburg area resident studied arts and English at George Mason University and Marymount College and received a certificate in Organic Dirt Farming from the University of Louisville.

Roca maintains a diverse agricultural background, from her long-time hobby and passion for horses, to a 12-year run on her own 40-acre dirt farm in central Kentucky, where she practiced alternative pasture management methods that encouraged strong soil health and sustainability.

Additionally, she has experience maintaining a small-scale fruit orchard and vegetable garden.

Roca has been involved in dog and equine-focused groups including the Pony Club, USET, Loudoun Hunt Club, Sweet

Briar Friends of Riding, Friend of Woodford Hunt, Friend of Snickersville Hunt, 4H Dog Club Leader and The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association as well as service-focused clubs such as Veterans Outreach/VA War Memorial, Virginia Tech Pylon Society and Circles RVA, and agriculturally-focused groups including Tricycle Urban Gardens.

“I am bringing with me both the love of growing and the absolute respect for the people who make it their life,” she stated. “I am fascinated by how things grow, how nature responds and how we can work with nature instead of against it. I look forward to bringing my background in lending and practical life experience working pasture, livestock and produce.”

Learn more at farmcreditofvirginias.com.

learn and discuss what positive character traits mean and how they can be practically applied in their everyday lives. Instruction is accomplished through a combination of short, five-minute presentations in small groups of five to eight children coupled with practical application demonstrations during a game or athletic drill. Perseverance, courage, integrity, joy, humility, gratitude, self-control, patience, respect, responsibility, and kindness are emphasized.

Since its inception in 2017, GamePoint has provided athletic and character-building activities to more than 700 boys and girls in Northern Virginia through after-school programs in over 20 public and private schools and 10 one-week summer camps.

Learn more at gamepointathletics.com.

GamePoint Athletics Focuses on Young Character Traits

Omnilert Introduces New Notification Products

Leesburg-based GamePoint Athletics combines athletic instruction and training with a strong emphasis on character-building in its programs, camps and classes.

Participants in GamePoint activities

Leesburg-based Omnilert this week announced an expanded special notification offerings geared toward the needs of organizations of varying sizes.

Omnilert Notify SE is an emergency

notification system for small enterprises and Omnilert Notify provides the service for larger enterprises. Omnilert Manage provides automated critical event management.

Each product provide multi-channel, concurrent communications reliability, mobility, and ease of use.

“Our customer base spans thousands of organizations with tremendously varied needs, but safety should know no boundaries,” stated CEO David Fraser. “We’ve taken this step to tier our product line to provide an onramp for small enterprises, as well as scaling for larger and more sophisticated needs.”

In conjunction with the product tiers, Omnilert released a new mobile application to provide customers with an additional communication channel to their users. Notify SE and Notify administrators can send one-way notifications to app subscribers, while Omnilert Manage enables two-way interactivity and incident management.

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PAGE 12

MAY 14, 2020

Town of Leesburg Employment Opportunities Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online.

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

Attention Loudoun County!

Regular Full-Time Positions Position

Department

Police Officer (Virginia Lateral)

Police

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Closing Date

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To review Ida Lee (Parks & Recreation) flexible part-time positions, please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs.

Most positions will be filled at or near the minimum of the range. Dependent on qualifications.

All Town vacancies may be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 67 and Verizon FiOS Channel 35.

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Large family practice in Loudoun County with 6 locations and 28 providers looking for FT LPN’s or MA’s with a dedication to excellence. New LPN graduates welcome to apply. Pediatric and or family practice experience preferred. EHR experience highly recommended. We offer competitive pay rates, health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401K and many other benefits. Please send your resume to: lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-726-0804 attention Lisa

See the full job listings at NowHiringLoudoun.com

Home Instead Senior Care is looking for caring and compassionate CAREGivers to become a part of our team and join our mission of enhancing the lives of aging adults throughout the Loudoun county community. Home Instead provides a variety of nonmedical services that allow seniors to remain in their home and meet the challenges of aging with dignity, care and compassion.

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MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 13

Public Safety Another Pet Cat Shot in Loudoun For a third time in a month, a pet cat has been shot and injured in Loudoun.

According to the Ashburn Farm Association, a cat named Hope was shot just west of Stone Bridge High School near Weatherwood Drive on May 5. The injury was sustained in the right hind leg and shattered her femur. The association stated the cat was likely shot with a pellet or BB gun. Hope required an “extensive surgery” that cost $5,100. A Go Fund Me campaign raised more than $5,300 to help pay for the surgery.

According to the GoFundMe page, Hope had surgery May 7 and is now at home recovering for the next 6-8 weeks in confinement.

The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office and Loudoun County Animal Services are investigating the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact Animal Control Officer Jennifer Henry at 703-777-0406.

Ashburn Farm’s covenants prohibit “shooting” or “launching” any type of ammunition, including BB guns. Under a state law that took effect in July, those suspected of injuring or beating dogs or cats may be charged with a Class-6 felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

This is the third time in the past month that a pet cat has been shot in Loudoun.

On April 6, a cat in Hamilton was shot and left with wounds that appeared to have been inflicted by a firearm. After more than $1,000 in veterinarian bills, the cat recovered at home. A $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest in that case.

A second cat was shot in Sterling on April 24.

Friends of Loudoun County Animal

Services is offering a separate $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in any of those cases.

According to Animal Services, there is no county law prohibiting cats from roaming, but the department is recommending residents keep their cats inside when possible and monitor them closely when outside.

Residents concerned about stray cats on their property can call the department at 703-777-0406 for advice.

3 Stabbed in Ashburn, Suspect Arrested The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office has arrested an 18-year-old Ashburn man in connection with an assault that happened Friday night.

According to the report, deputies were called to Blossom Hill Terrace in The Grove at Flynn’s Crossing neighborhood shortly after 9:15 p.m. May 8.

Three adult males had been stabbed during an altercation. They were taken to area hospitals for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening. Two were treated and released and the one remains hospitalized.

The suspect fled the scene and was later apprehended by deputies searching the area. Erick A. Joya-Morales was charged with three counts of aggravated malicious wounding.

Investigators said the altercation stemmed from a prior dispute among some of those involved in the altercation.

The case remains under investigation.

Joya-Morales was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. A preliminary hearing is scheduled June 16 in District Court.

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PAGE 14

MAY 14, 2020

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Google Donates $100K to Community Foundation LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties has received a $100,000 grant from Google to support COVID-19 relief efforts in Loudoun County.

The money from Google will be split equally between the Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Relief Fund and the Tourism & Hospitality Relief Fund.

“Google is pleased to be working with the Community Foundation on such a worthwhile and important program in this time of need,” stated Liz Schwab, Head of External Affairs for Google in Virginia.

“With families and safety net providers struggling with the effects of COVID-19, this is a vital time for us to look out for those in need.”

The Community Emergency Relief Fund was established to accept and strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts to households in need, as well as to shore up human-service nonprofit organizations experiencing financial loss.

In April, the Community Foundation used funds from the Community Emergency Relief Fund and Tourism & Hospitality Relief Fund granting $55,000 to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, supporting a collaboration between Catholic Charities and Loudoun Cares answering the newly established COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline. Loudoun residents who have lost wages because of COVID-19, including tourism and hospitality workers, may call the helpline at 703-669-5040 to request rent assistance for approximately $500.

The Visit Loudoun Foundation estab-

lished the Tourism & Hospitality Relief Fund to provide financial relief to tourism and hospitality workers experiencing income losses.

“The impact to Loudoun’s tourism and hospitality industry due to COVID-19 has been staggering in terms of business closures and job loss, but this remarkable gift from Google and the tremendous support of the community will help us keep individuals and their families in their homes, ready to fuel Loudoun’s economic recovery,” stated Beth Erickson, president and CEO of Visit Loudoun.

In announcing the gift, Community Foundation President Amy Owen challenged people, businesses, HOAs, churches and the community to match Google’s generosity.

“Help us leverage Google’s extraordinarily generous gift to Loudoun County by matching it dollar for dollar,” Owen stated. “A matching gift to the Community Emergency Relief Fund or Tourism & Hospitality Fund doubles the impact. Those of us who are still employed and safe in our homes share that security with our neighbors who have so much less. The needs are right here in front of us, and they are huge.”

Loudoun has already shown some of that generosity—last Tuesday’s Give Choose, a day of giving to local charities organized by the Community Foundation, shattered records for donations and brought in more than $610,000, with donations still rolling in.

Donations to the Community Emergency Relief Fund can be made at communityfoundationlf.org/emergencyrelief.

Donations to the Tourism & Hospitality Relief Fund can be made at communityfoundationlf.org/tandhfund. n

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 14, 2020

100WomenStrong Grants $85.5K More for COVID-19 Response LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

Philanthropic organization 100WomenStrong has announced a second round of grants to help nonprofit organizations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this round of funding, the group is distributing $85,500 to 14 area nonprofits and has made its first deliveries of critical personal protection equipment to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue career and volunteer members. That brings the total of its COVID-19 funding so far to $204,500.

In the second round of funding, 100WomenStrong is making grants for A Farm Less Ordinary, $5,000; the ARC of Loudoun, $10,000; the Chris Atwood Foundation, $5,000; ECHO, $5,200; INMED, $10,000; Just Neighbors, $3,000; Loudoun Cares, $7,500; the Loudoun Education Foundation, $5,000; Loudoun Literacy Council, $1,500; Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers, $7,500; Project Horse, $7,500; Volunteers of America Chesapeake and Carolinas, $5,300; the Windy Hill Foundation, $5,000; and Women Giving Back, $8,000.

In the first round of funding, 100WomenStrong allocated $50,000 for PPE for first responders, and recently delivered a portion of those. According to Karen Schaufeld, 100WomenStrong founder and president, the group will continue to deliver PPEs while they have supplies to help ensure the safety of area residents. The organization plans to keep assessing the needs in the area monthly for the foreseeable future.

“The inclusion of PPEs in 100WomenStrong’s COVID giving is important, as these supplies continue to be in great demand and short supply. I have been honored to be able to deliver the first round of PPEs to the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System for the brave men and women, both volunteer and career, who are on the front lines of the Covid-19 fight,” Schaufeld stated.

The group is only considering nonprofits it has vetted and approved from past and current grant rounds. They plan to allocate a third round of funding in June and will continue to provide funding on a monthly basis to organizations that are invited to submit applications. n

a program of

GIVING back

PAGE 15

extend donations into Washington, DC. Learn more at jkcommunityfarm.org.

Volunteers to Plant Seedlings Keller Williams Alliance at JK Community Farm Feeds Hospital Workers To support the JK Community Farm and to help kick off the growing season, 120 volunteers from companies, civic groups as well as individuals will be donning their work gloves on Saturday for the second annual Plant-A-Thon.

This year’s harvest at the farm south of Purcellville is expected to have a greater importance because of the increased food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 response.

Teams of volunteers will be planting 9,000 seedlings over two days. Only 10 volunteers will be permitted in each time slot to meet CDC guidelines on social distancing.

Founded in 2018, The JK Community Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit started

by JK Moving Services. This year, the farm has added a high tunnel for season extension, 12 biointensive raised beds, grew its corporate team building efforts and is now the nation’s largest community farm, with 100 percent of its yield donated. For 2020, the farm expects to donate 135,000 pounds of food— enough for 108,000 meals—and will

As part of their RED Day effort, area Keller Williams Alliance Group offices raised $8,100 to provide meals to the staff members working at Inova Loudoun Hospital centers and other medical facilities in the region.

The Alliance Foundation was founded to help Keller Williams agents support the community during an emergency.

Kay Bellhouse, general manager of the Keller Williams Alliance Group, said the agents teamed up with three restaurants and two moving companies to supply more than 1,100 meals. “Our first goal was to supply meals for the evening shift, as they have received very little in the way of support, however the response was so great we were able to supply many more to the day shift, too,” she said.

For more information about RED Day, go to kw.com/kw/redday.

for

$618,050 Raised for 85 Local Nonprofits in 24 Hours A Record Year!

Thank You to All Our Donors and Sponsors for Your Generosity

GIVECHOOSE.org

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PAGE 16

MAY 14, 2020

Education School Worker Pay Extended to June 30 The School Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to continue paying its hourly employees who have been unable to work since buildings were closed in March in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Under the action, the district also will continue paying hourly employees who are called to work at a double-time rate.

The district adopted the pay policies starting when classes were canceled March 12 and the board previously extended the policy through May 23. This week’s action extends the payments through the end of the fiscal year June. 30. The additional cost of the replacement income is projected at $1.5 million and $4.1 million for the emergency pay.

The School Board also is looking at providing one-time stipends of up to $1,000 per month to non-supervisory salaried employees who have been called in to work during the emergency. That issue is expected to be decided at the board’s April 26 meeting.

Courtesy photo

2016 Loudoun Valley Grad Abigail Hembly was awarded VT's Phi Kappa Phi Medallion

Hemby Awarded Phi Kappa Phi Medallion Abigail Hemby, a 2016 graduate of Loudoun Valley High School, was named

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the 2020 Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Phi Kappa Phi Medallion Award winner.

She was one of seven recipients within the university to receive the prestigious award, as each college selects one individual to recognize his or her academic achievements and commitment to service.

Before her senior year at Loudoun Valley High School, she attended the Virginia Governor’s School for Agriculture and developed a love for agriculture, and then continued pursing it during her senior year by attending CS Monroe Technology Center and studied Environmental Plant Sciences. At Virginia Tech, she majored in agricultural sciences and minored in civic agriculture and food systems, leadership and social change and horticulture.

She was also involved in Collegiate Young Farmers, Collegiate 4-H, the Inspiring Women in Life-long Leadership Cohort, a College of Agriculture Peer Mentor, and worked for the Office for Learning Partnerships, her Department Office, and served as a Governor’s School leader.

Youngest Students to Get Tablets Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, every Loudoun County Public Schools student will be equipped with a Chromebook when the next school year begins in the fall.

The School Board on Tuesday approved a $5.8 million plan to purchase the devices for students in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Following a major Chromebook purchase in March to complete a long-planned roll out to the higher grades, these 18,164 students are the only ones who do not have district-provided devices.

The action followed a survey of parents and teachers that showed strong support of the purchases.

In their approval, School Board members said the devises should be only used at those grade levels if distance learning continues next fall. If schools are able to return to normal classroom operations, many of the devices would be redeployed in other ways through the district, staff members said.

MAY 14, 2020

Reopening

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PAGE 17

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Thurs.: 7am 4pm • Fri.: 8am 1pm • 24hr Emergency Service your family’s dental needs under one roof.

Insurance scheduled cleaning or procedure.

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SPECIAL 703-771-9034 with every scheduled The Village Leesburg Leesburg, VA 24hr Emergency Service ofyour Loudoun for 13 years.

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Insurance Offer Expires January 1, 2016. cleaning or procedure.

Route 720175 between Wegmans and 24hr Emergency Service Tues.

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Not to be Conveniently located in Cochran has provided trusted dental care to the citizens Tues &(once/month) Thurs: 7-4pm scheduled cleaning or procedure.

Loudoun, a nightlife hotspot and bar open. She plans to reopen June 1.

Offer Expires January 1, 2016.

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Suite 210 Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Leesburg, VA 20175 Tues & Thurs: 7-4pm Conveniently inExpires er two restaurants would have used their Mon &Offer Wed: 8-6pm January 1, 2016.

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Angie Ingram, Use your benefits before the end 1503 Dodona Terrace Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com LA Fitness he estimated, would have been able to acof theUse year andWhitening receive a Kit FREE Route 7 between Wegmans and Teeth with the everyend your benefits before our website at: Suite 210 LA Fitness Terrace salon coordinator, said many clients RouteVisit 7 between and the8-6pm yearTheLeesburgVADentist.com andTeeth receive a FREE Whitening Kit with every MonWegmans &of Wed: commodate 30 to 50 guests at a time1503 while Dodona Suitehave 210 1503 Dodona Terrace scheduled cleaning or procedure. of the year and receive a FREE LA Fitness & Wed: 8-6pm Leesburg, VA 20175 MonLA scheduled cleaning or procedure. been understanding about the possible Tues &Teeth Thurs: 7-4pm Fitness Offer every Expires January 1, 2016.

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Mon Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) delay, and also inquisitive Suite about the sa-& Wed: 8-6pm The delay is frustrating, he said. scheduled cleaning or procedure.

Mon & Wed: 8-6pm Please present coupon to receive the offer.

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VA Tues20175 & Thurs: 7-4pm 24hr Offer ExpiresNot January 1, 2016.

“We got everything ready. We cleaned lon’s cleaning and disinfecting to be combined with anyJanuary other offer.

Tues & Thurs:Service 7-4pm Offer Expires 1, 2016.

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Not to be combined with any ing date only adds to a stressful time for 24hr Emergency Service Not to be combined with any other offer.

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“It was a light at the end of the tunnel,” Dougherty said he does not think he he said of the announced May 15 reopen- and many other business owners can ing date. “I was very happy when I heard play the waiting game much longer, and that. And then all of a sudden it’s a no. wishes the elected government leaders Yeah, it hurts.” would take a more collaborative approach But not everyone was upset by the with business owners in considering rechange in course.

Sunset Hills vineyard owner Diane opening. He said he will run out of the It’s the little things that make life Canney supports the decision to delay re- Paycheck Protection Program funds the special. During the COVID-19 opening. While her winery also has ample government awarded him within the next pandemic, they’re more important outdoor area and plenty of room to safely four weeks, and has an appropriate analothan ever. That’s why we’re space out tables, she is concerned about gy for the time. providing residents with things getting enough supplies to keep things “My business is in the intensive care like in-suite services, educational sanitized and protect her workers. Plus, unit of the hospital,” he said. “We’ve long resources, more one-on-one time, she worries that a push to reopen too gotten past checking into the emergency and special requests. quickly will have dire consequences, here room. And right now, I can’t get the docTribute at One Loudoun and nationally.

20335 Savin Hill Drive tors to tell me what’s wrong and what has COVID-19 can take away a lot of While supporting the delay a few Ashburn, VA 20147 to happen to get out of intensive care. They liberties we once enjoyed. But it more weeks, Canney has plans in mind 571.252.8292 talk in lingo and they talk behind closed can’t prevent us from serving up ThriveSL.com/OneLoudoun to manage visitors when it’s time to weldoors.

Th ere’s no discussions, there’s no the little things that make the world come them back. Those include advance go round. Please reach out and let Now offering appointments, with small groups assigned context. And so that’s kind of like where hosted virtual tours. us know how we can help you. a specific time window when they can en- we’re at with this. We’re in intensive care, we’re dying, we know we’re going to die if joy their tastings.

And Nia Brown, who rents a suite at we don’t get out of intensive care soon.” n 2 0 1 9

LOUDOUN’S

Cochran Family Dental Welcoming all new patients!

Cochran Family Dental Welcoming all new patients!

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Insurance offriendly Loudounoffice for 13 years. offering budget wise payment options.

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PAGE 18

MAY 14, 2020

Our Towns

Hamilton, Round Hill Elections Feature 9 Candidate Choices

BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com

Elections for the towns of Hamilton and Round Hill will be held Tuesday, May 19 with eight Town Council

seats and one mayoral post on the ballot. While Hamilton has a contested council race, Round Hill will rely on write-in votes to fill one of its council seats.

In the past month and a half, the coronavirus pandemic has led to financial issues that have trumped

any other challenges Loudoun towns were previously experiencing. While the crisis has presented a similar set of problems in both communities, they still face a unique set of challenges that their candidates intend to tackle in different ways. n

Hamilton In Hamilton, the terms of Vice Mayor Kenneth Wine and Councilmen Matthew Clark and John Unger will expire in June.

Running for those three seats are: Town Council—term ending June 30, 2024 (vote for 3) ELIZABETH GAUCHER AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: Editor/writer, Longridge Review SOFIA KESARI AGE: 20 OCCUPATION: Customer service representative at Dulles Airport GREG WILMOTH AGE: 59 OCCUPATION: Utility Operator

Gaucher

Kesari

KENNETH WINE (incumbent) AGE: 60 OCCUPATION: Carpenter Town Council Special Election—term ending June 30, 2022 (vote for 1) CATHERINE SALTER (incumbent) AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: Attendance secretary, Loudoun County Public Schools

Wilmoth

Wine

Mayor Dave Simpson’s term does not expire until June 2022. Hamilton is the only Loudoun town with a mayoral term of four years. All others are two-year terms.

If Kesari wins a spot at the meeting table, she’ll become the county’s youngest Town Council member, replacing the county’s longest serving council member in the process—Unger, who has served as

Round Hill

SCOTT RAMSEY (incumbent) AGE: 49 OCCUPATION: Engineer Town Council—term ending June 30, 2024 (vote for 3) MICHAEL HUMMEL (incumbent) AGE: Not given OCCUPATION: Principal, H2 Land Company MARY ANNE K. GRAHAM (incumbent) AGE: 74 OCCUPATION: Retired

councilman for 36 years.

The Town of Hamilton is working to round out its $770,000 sidewalk project, which is installing about 1,200 feet of sidewalk along Colonial Highway from Laycock Street to St. Paul Street. The town is also looking at improvements to its aging water and sewer systems. n

construction of a new water tower and water line to the wastewater treatment plant, and for the construction of a new administrative building for the utility staff. That building should begin construction sometime in Fiscal Year 2022, which begins July 1 next year.

In Round Hill, the terms of 10-year Mayor Scott Ramsey, Vice Mayor Mary Anne Graham, Councilwoman Melissa Hoffmann and Councilman Mike Hummel expire in June. Running for those three seats are: Mayor—term ending June 30, 2022 (vote for 1)

Salter

Ramsey

Hummel

Town Council Special Election—term ending June 30, 2022 (vote for 1) PAULA JAMES (incumbent) AGE: 59 OCCUPATION: Department of Defense Civilian Employee with 28 years of government service One of the most heavily anticipated projects in Round Hill is the town’s drive to eventually increase its size via a boundary line adjustment. The main goal is to expand the town’s corporate limits and increase its population so that it has more revenue to help pay for non-utility proj-

Graham

James

ects and more residents eligible to run for public office—a need seen in this year’s town elections, where only two Town Council candidates are running for three seats at the meeting table.

The town also is set for work to begin on the Main Street and Franklin Park Trail projects, which the county government will oversee and will link the town with Purcellville’s Franklin Park via sidewalks and trails. The project will also bring the installation of transportation upgrades, aesthetic street enhancements and storm water improvements in the downtown area.

The town is also set for the design and

Absentee Voting and Full Candidate Responses The Loudoun County Office of Elections and Voter Registration has encouraged voters to vote absentee in the May 19 elections. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail was Tuesday. As of Monday, 39 of the 90 requested absentee ballots in Hamilton had been returned, while 16 of the 41 requested in Round Hill had been returned. In the 2018 town elections, only 66 Hamilton voters and 67 Round Hill voters cast ballots in all. n View all candidates’ responses to these and other questions at loudounnow.com/ may19electionguide.

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MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 19

Obituaries James Robert Hummer James Robert (Bob) Hummer went to be with The Lord on May 5th, 2020. He was 72 years old. Bob is survived by his oldest favorite daughter, Amanda and her husband Marcus and their children Justin (13), Dominic (13) & Sadie (10) and his youngest favorite daughter Stephanie and her husband John and their children Johnny (9), Ronan (7) and Gavin (5).

Bob was born and raised in Loudoun on a dairy farm as the youngest of 7 siblings - Walter, Thomas, Mary Gus, Ernestine, Elizabeth and William - and countless cousins, nephews and nieces. His parents, Aubrey and Grace are waiting to welcome him in heaven along with his sister Mary Gus. He has resided in Warrenton, which he loved, for the past 20 years.

Betty Sisk Betty Sisk, age 89, died at her home in Leesburg on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, from complications related to vascular dementia.

Betty was born on October 20, 1930, in Leesburg alongside two sisters and three brothers, all deceased. Both her parents, Mary and Paul Wright, had relocated from the Lovettsville area to Leesburg during the 1920s.

Betty lived and worked in Leesburg her entire life. In 1948 she married Calvin Sisk, a native of Lincoln, and they welcomed two boys, Terry and Mike, into their household. They resided on a farmhouse on what is now an estate community known as Shenstone Farm at Clark’s Gap, then relocated to the Prospect Hills community in downtown Leesburg.

As an adult she worked for only one employer, C&P Telephone Company, first as a switchboard operator, then as a decades-long member of the field engineer’s office, for which she completed technical training at Virginia Tech satellite campuses. At the conclusion of a 42-year tenure, she retired from C&P in December, 1992.

Bob was a BMW, basketball, all things JMU and music (Motown, Rock N Roll & Country specifically) loving guy with more friends than we could count. They have all been there for him through the many struggles with his health over the past few years. He was as stubborn as they come and certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was ours. We will choose to remember him as an always dapperly dressed, very handsome guy with a Tanqueray Gin on the rocks - two onions - in hand.

We will miss watching the rain from his front porch together which was one of his favorite pastimes. We will keep his traditions of twilight polo and Gold Cup horse races with our families and will raise a glass of red wine to him each time.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Please share online condolences with the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel. com

Betty and Calvin were avid golfers and active participants in the country club lifestyle, making frequent trips to renowned golf resorts from South Carolina to Florida. Both were civic-minded and held leadership positions in the Leesburg Lions and Lioness clubs. As well, Betty joined her mother as a member of the Rebeka Lodge. For many decades Betty worked as a volunteer for Loudoun Hospital while also serving on the Ladies Board.

In August, 1981, her son Mike perished in an automobile accident, and in 1993 her husband and mother died within weeks of each other, both from cancer.

Later that year she suffered a major stroke, from which she achieved a full recovery.

Sharon G. Ramey of Purcellville, VA; formerly of Round Hill, VA Departed this life on Thomas, Harper Thomas and Marshall May 5, 2020 at Fox Trail Jones; one sister in law Patricia Thomas of Senior Living, Orange, Purcellville, VA, a host nieces, cousins and VA. other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in Private graveside funeral services will be death by her parents, held on Saturday, May 09, 2020 at 11:00 William and Frances a.m. at the Mt. Olive Baptist Church CemThomas of Round Hill, VA. Sharon was also etery, 37762 Cooksville Road, Lincoln, VA preceded in death by her sibling, William 20160.

“Skippy” Thomas. She is survived by three Arrangements By: sons, Michael Anthony Thomas (Rachel) Lyles Funeral Service, of Culpeper, VA, Christopher C. Ramey Serving Northern (Cindy) of Inwood, WV and Timothy W. Virginia, Eric S. Lyles, Ramey of Purcellville, VA; five grandchilDirector. 1-800-388dren, Tori Thomas, Marcus Thomas Taylor 1913

Susan J. Rokus Known for her fun-loving nature, smile, and her kind and compassionate spirit, Susan Jane Rokus, age 73, of Hamilton, VA, passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Born on October 2, 1946, she was the daughter of the late Edward A. and Edith Chicarilli Rokus of Mildred, PA. She is survived by her cousins: Jennifer Rokus Heath of Charlotte, NC, Lori Rokus of Fairfax, VA, Judy Musheno of Williamsport, PA, Sandra Ferguson of Sarasota, FL, Marlene Kakretz and husband Karl Kakretz of Simpsonville, SC, and Dr. Zeno N. Chicarilli and Maureen Corcoran of Guilford, CT. She graduated from Sullivan County High School, and subsequently from Salem University with a bachelor’s degree in education.

Thereafter Betty became a frequent traveler, sharpening her formidable shopping skills to world-class status. Many of her travels were associated with accompanying her son Terry on his international career as a performing musician.

Upon graduation in 1968 and for decades thereafter, Susan taught in Loudoun County Public Schools primarily as a first grade teacher. Susan influenced many children’s lives teaching at several elementary schools beginning at Round Hill Elementary and including the original Arcola Elementary school as well as Little River.

The comfort of spending winters in Fort Lauderdale came to an end as subsequent strokes limited her range and physical abilities. In 2014 her son relocated to Leesburg to oversee her care. On May 5, 2020, Betty passed away peacefully at home. A memorial service will be held at a future date.

After retiring, Susan returned to her passion of teaching as a reading tutor at both Liberty and Pinebrook Elementary schools. She was a talented and gifted educator. She not only taught countless children how to read, but she also used that opportunity to instill manners and integrity. She was an active member of

Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization for women educators. In memoriam, ADK has set up a grant to be named the Susan J. Rokus Memorial Grant for teachers in the Dulles area to promote reading in their classroom environments. At the 20th anniversary celebration for Little River Elementary in 2019, Susan was honored as one of the core educational leaders chosen to help open the school. School board member Jeff Morse wrote in her memory: “Her service has been so broad and expansive, serving multiple generations of Loudoun students. A teacher to many, a tutor to some, but a friend to the entire community. Susan’s legacy will continue for generations to come.”

Susan was a long time Loudouner and had a real love for everything in what she referred to as the “Emerald County.”

In addition to her passion for teaching, Susan immensely enjoyed tennis and shopping. She will be remembered by her many friends and family as an admirer of beautiful things from fashion, finery, and flowers to automobiles. She enjoyed going to tea with her friends and equestrian events in Western Loudoun County.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church at a later date. Arrangements will be announced when available.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA. To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to www.homerfuneralhome.com

PAGE 20

Obituaries Adrien-Lee C. Allen Adrien-Lee C. Allen, age 61, of Leesburg, VA, passed away on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at her home in Leesburg, VA. Born November 15, 1958, she was the daughter of the late William and Consuelo (Delacorte) Carson. Referred by many as a horse whisperer, Adrien spent her life working with horses in all capacities.

From eventing, to cattle drives, to racing Thoroughbreds, to teaching children how to ride, she truly was capable of anything.

Adrien was a light, and a guide, to many people in Loudoun County and surrounding areas. Her equine legacy, and nevermet-a-stranger demeanor, will not soon be forgotten. She is survived by her mother Consuelo Carson, McLean, VA; daughter Melanie L. Allen of Pagosa Springs, CO; son Clifford Allen, Leesburg, VA; and partner Bobby Martin. A Celebration of life will be held at a later date. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations be made to: Retired Racehorse Project, or an Off-The-Track Thoroughbred rehabilitation fund of your choosing. Condolences may be expressed to Consuelo Carson at 1309 Selwyn Drive, McLean, VA 22101.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com

Rev. Daniel Webster Jett Age 77 of Haymarket, VA formerly of Front Royal, VA. Departed this life On April 30, 2020 at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Angela Thompson Jett, four sons, Anthony, Raymond , Michael , and Otto (Rhonda); god daughter , Marquita , siblings, Louise Jett , Rebecca Ford, Walter Jett (Ruby) and Cora Hartridge ; seven grandchildren, Brittany Pugh, Brandon English, Erica Jett, Rickitta Armstrong, Shaniece Jett, Mercedes and Devuante Armstrong; nine great grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews other relatives and friends.

Funeral services were held on Saturday May 09, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Lyles Funeral Chapel, 630 South 20th Street, Purcellville, VA 20132.

Rev. Tony Smith, Officiating Interment: Private Arrangements by Lyles Funeral Service, serving Northern Virginia and surrounding areas, Eric S. Lyles, Director, Lic. VA,MD,DC 800-388-1913

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MAY 14, 2020

Purcellville Candidates Debate Utilities, Town Growth, Revenue Opportunities

BY PATRICK SZABO

pszabo@loudounnow.com

Purcellville’s two mayoral contestants and five Town Council candidates on the June 4 ballot have split views on how the town should achieve financial stability and how it should use the land it owns to contribute to that cause.

The candidates met in a May 6 virtual forum hosted by Loudoun Now to discuss their views on how the town should bolster utility funds, use its properties, diversify its workforce and retain a small-town feel. They also talked about their views of the lingering effects of the 2017 turmoil that embroiled the town’s leadership and resulted in staff firings and suspensions, costly investigations and lawsuits.

The candidates include incumbent Mayor Kwasi Fraser, who is running for a fourth term as part of a campaign slate that includes Town Council candidates Christopher Bertaut, an IT project manager; Stanley Milan, a retired Navy trident submariner; and Mary Jane Williams, a Loudoun Valley High School teacher.

That team is running on a platform of “slow growth, low taxes, innovative solutions and infrastructure improvement.”

Another slate is headed by mayoral candidate and former 12-year Town Councilwoman Beverly Chiasson, who is running alongside council candidates Mary Lynn Hickey, the vice president of The News Literacy Project; and Erin Rayner, the executive director of the Barbara Comstock Program for Women in Leadership.

One of the most pressing issues in town is the need to bolster water and sewer funds, which shrunk by 39 and 16 percent respectively in Fiscal Year 2020.

Town consultants have recommended significant increases in water and sewer rates, offering several options, none of which the town will implement this coming fiscal year.

Fraser, Bertaut and Milan said the town needs to look at its $125 million in assets to generate revenue, rather than depending on revenue from utility payments.

“We must be able to find ways to monetize that,” Fraser said. “We want to go beyond fiscal stability, we want to prosper.”

Williams said the town could sell reclaimed water to the county to wash school buses.

Rayner said that “nobody wants their rates to go up,” but the town “has to do something now” to bolster its utility

Loudoun Now

Candidates for Purcellville mayor and Town Council met for an online forum on May 6.

See the full forum at loudounnow.com/2020purcellvilleforum.

“If you keep looking backwards, you can’t see forward and you don’t know where you’re going.

We need to look at what’s happening now.”

— Town Council Candidate Stanley Milan funds. Chiasson and Hickey said the town will have to raise utility rates, as consultants have urged the town to do beginning in Fiscal Year 2020, and that there is no magic bullet available to avoid that need.

“Not one monetization project has come up that would make even a small dent in the rates that our consultants … have said we have needed over and over again,” Chiasson said.

Fraser later said the town should not listen so much to those consultants. “The consultants do not live in Purcellville. We live in Purcellville, we know our assets,” he said.

Candidates also talked about best uses for the 189-acre Aberdeen Property, which the town purchased in 2009 to increase water supply.

Chiasson said that because consultants last year indicated the town was short 100,000 gallons of daily water supply, the property should first be used for water.

She said the Town Council in recent years has spent too much taxpayer money researching ways to generate revenue from the property—$5,000 in staff time looking into a hemp-growing initiative, $24,000 to pay a consultant for a study researching nutrient credit sales.

Fraser said a majority of the costs Chiasson listed were incurred by the Town Council as it used time to look into the ideas.

“Not all of these efforts are failures, some of them have not even been given an opportunity to get started,” he said.

Hickey agreed with Chiasson and emphasized that the property needs to remain available for water supply, even if the town also uses it for other initiatives.

Rayner said that any project the town implements on the property won’t generate enough revenue to pay off utility debt in the coming years.

While Williams agreed with the need to use the property for water purposes, Bertaut said the town doesn’t need to use the wells on the property in the near term.

Milan said the town could use the building on the property as a wedding venue, hunting lodge, equestrian center or something else.

“It can be anything that the town’s people feel [is] relevant to their purchase,” he said.

Asked about work on the draft Comprehensive Plan and efforts to retain PurPURCELLVILLE DEBATE continues on page 21

MAY 14, 2020

Purcellville debate continued from page 20 cellville’s small-town feel, Fraser said that issue was simple: “say no to annexation.”

Fraser has worked to paint Chiasson and her slate as pro-annexation, an assertion they denied.

Chiasson countered by pointing out that “there is no annexation in the pipeline” and that there isn’t much land suitable for annexation anyway.

Hickey said Fraser was using the term “annexation” as an “emotionally charged buzz word to get people upset,” and that Fraser was using it to label her, Chiasson and Rayner as being pro-development and pro-growth.

The candidates were also asked about ideas to diversify the town’s workforce, which recently has come under criticism for being mostly white and male. Each candidate said more can be done.

Fraser said the town needs to diversify because “talent comes in all shapes and forms and color.”

Milan said diverse employees would bring in “fresh, new ideas.”

“Diversity is the backbone of America,” he said. “We need to pursue that.”

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Hickey said there are many other kinds of diversity other than race, such as age, sexual orientation, gender and military status.

Looking back a few years, the candidates were asked about their views on the events that took place in 2017, when an investigation into now-discredited claims of misconduct against the police chief turned out to be botched by the then-interim town manager, whom the Town Council hired following the retirement of the 24-year town manager just months prior—a retirement some, including Chiasson, claim was forced by the Town Council. The interim town manager, picked over the deputy town manager at the time, was found to be having an affair with a consultant hired to investigate the police chief. That all left the town with nearly $1 million in associated remedial costs, national attention and multiple lawsuits, one of which is still outstanding.

Fraser, the only incumbent from that period who is seeking re-election, said that no organization operates without risk and that the town hired the “best-in-class” experts to uncover the truth for the public and provided all costs to residents.

“We were able to focus forward and we continue to thrive and focus

PAGE 21

Purcellville Voters Encouraged to Vote Absentee Purcellville voters will head to the polls on Thursday, June 4 to elect a mayor and three Town Council members.

Because of COVID-19 social distancing efforts, residents are encouraged to vote by absentee ballot.

Apply online at elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting, in person at the Loudoun County Registrar, or by fax or mail. Voters may also vote early by voting absentee in-person at the Office of Elections and Voter Registration, 750 Miller Drive SE, Suite C, in Leesburg. n

forward,” he said.

Chiasson said all the events could have been avoided if the town had not let its longtime town manager go just months before the events began.

“I think that’s where we went wrong,” she said. “Millions of dollars have been wasted—it could have been town taxes being reduced.”

Hickey called the time in which those events took place “one of the saddest chapters of Purcellville’s history.”

Other candidates said the town needs to focus on moving forward.

“If you keep looking backwards, you can’t see forward and you don’t know

where you’re going,” Milan said. “We need to look at what’s happening now.”

Bertaut said the Town Council needs to have greater oversight of the town manager’s duties to ensure he or she is acting in the best interest of residents.

Hickey later said she wants the town manager to feel more empowered to tell the Town Council when it’s “headed off the tracks.”

“That is his job to do that and he should be able to do that without hesitation or reservation and certainly not from any fear of reprisal,” she said.

See the full forum at loudounnow. com/2020purcellvilleforum. n

PAGE 22

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MAY 14, 2020

Subdivision Application Triggers Federal Review

LOVETTSVILLE

BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com

The state has slapped another violation on a developer planning to build a 30home subdivision in the village of St. Louis, a project that now has triggered federal review.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality last year issued the developer, Mojax, an initial violation for impacting about a half-acre of wetlands, as well-drilling work commenced on the site of the proposed Middleburg Preserve, a planned 30-single-family-home subdivision along Snake Hill Road. This year, the state issued Mojax a second violation for re-impacting a fraction of that same wetland. Now, neighbors are concerned Mojax will impact more than three times that amount of wetland, just as the federal government begins to review impacts of the proposed subdivision on the village’s designation as an historic community.

Mojax intends to impact 1.83 acres of wetland, according to its April 17 Virginia Water Protection Permit Program application. While DEQ is giving the development company until May 23 to resubmit that application with completed information, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers already is reviewing it.

Army Corps of Engineers Northern Virginia Field Office Project Manager Ron Stouffer said on Monday the department would issue a public notice by Tuesday and that, because Mojax’s Middleburg Preserve project proposes to impact wetlands, the Corps will be matching Mojax’s application up with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act to determine whether the project would adversely impact the village of St. Louis’ designation as an historically black community. Stouffer said the Corps looks at any application that proposes to impact any amount of wetland and that Mojax’s application is standard.

A Mojax representative who requested to remain anonymous said the development company knew from the start that the Army Corps would review the application in coordination with the federal act.

And, according to Mojax’s application, the developer intends to mitigate the impacted wetland by purchasing wetland credits at a compensation rate of anywhere from 0.5-to-1 to 2-to-1 for every acre impacted.

Friends of St. Louis Treasurer Sally Fletcher said the civic organization is hoping Mojax’s application is found to be in violation of the act. She said that while the group’s members understand those federal

TOWN Notes Town Census Responses Highest in County

Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now

The state Department of Environmental Quality has issued the developer of a proposed 30-home subdivision in the village of St. Louis a violation for re-impacting 0.01 acres of wetland as the federal government reviews the subdivision’s potential impacts to the village’s historic designation.

violations most likely won’t stop development, they should slow it down. “That is a nightmare for a developer,” she said.

That same organization, along with the Unison Preservation Society, urged the state last month to impose harsher penalties on Mojax when DEQ issued the developer an initial violation notice for impacting 0.57 acres of wetland.

Last year, DEQ ordered Mojax to pay a $27,500 fine, purchase wetland credits and perform other remedial actions in response to that impact, which Mojax completed. But the two organizations felt the state should impose greater penalties to deter Mojax from impacting more wetlands and to impact its cost of doing business.

Last month, the state issued Mojax a second violation for re-impacting 0.01 acres of wetlands. DEQ Environmental Manager Mark Miller said Mojax re-impacted that wetland by driving equipment through it.

According to Loudoun County Public Information Officer Glen Barbour, there are no outstanding violations of county regulations in connection with the Mojax project.

Area residents have mounting strong opposition to the subdivision, first raising concerns that drilling 27 wells for the new homes would threaten their water supplies, and that construction could disturb dozens of unmarked slave graves.

Friends of St. Louis President Job Woodill said that one of his wells is dry, while another 600-foot-deep well produces only

2 gallons of water a minute.

The Mojax rep said he didn’t understand how some residents aren’t getting the water they need. He pointed to the 16 wells Mojax has already drilled—wells that, for the most part, are less than 300 feet deep and are producing anywhere from 8 to 50 gallons of water every minute.

When asked if the amount of neighbor involvement and complaints about Mojax in St. Louis are more than what DEQ typically sees, Trisha Beasley, DEQ’s Virginia Water Protection Program permit manager, said the state deals with several projects each year that feature a good deal of resident involvement.

“It’s not uncommon for citizens to have a very active role in what we do,” she said.

Miller said he couldn’t quantify whether the amount of neighbor involvement in the village is atypical, but that there might be more complaints in St. Louis simply because neighbors are paying close attention to Mojax’s activity.

Miller said DEQ plans to renegotiate the consent order with Mojax.

As for the status of the Middleburg Preserve project, a Mojax representative said the company is waiting to hear from the state and that crews aren’t drilling wells right now, since there has been so much rain recently and continuing to drill wells would “make things worse” in the village.

According to National Weather Service records, the area around the Dulles Airport experienced 5.56 inches of rainfall last month, making April 2020 the sixth wettest April since 1960. n

The Town of Lovettsville is reporting that its residents’ responses to the 2020 Census are higher than any other town in Loudoun, as of May 11.

According to the 2020 Census website, Lovettsville’s response rate is 80 percent. Next in line is Purcellville, with a 79-percent response rate, followed by Leesburg with 73 percent, Hamilton with 68 percent, Round Hill with 67 percent, Hillsboro with 52 percent and Middleburg with 40.5 percent. Loudoun as a whole is reporting a 74-percent response rate. The Commonwealth of Virginia’s overall response rate is 63.5 percent, with the national average rate at 60 percent.

Every household that responds provides Loudoun County with about $20,000 in annual federal funding, according to county officials.

To fill out a Census form, go to 2020census.gov.

Community Garden Ready to Open The Lovettsville Community Garden organizers are preparing for a modified opening amid the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-athome order.

Cooperative Market Vice Chairwoman Julie Harner said that all nine plots in the garden, located in front of the barn at the Quarter Branch Park, have been claimed and that gardeners have begun planting. She said the coop has also applied for a Keep Virginia Beautiful grant that will be used to paint and refurbish the garden shed, add gutters and install two rain barrels from donated 55-gallon plastic drums.

MIDDLEBURG Utility Customers Get $200 Credit this Month Middleburg utility customers should expect to see a $200 credit on their bills in mid-May. TOWN NOTES continues on page 23

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MAY 14, 2020

TOWN Notes

Town Extends Real, Personal Property Tax Deadline

continued from page 22

The credit, which will cover the March and April billing period, has been applied to all accounts, meaning some customers might have a zero balance while others might have payments due if their bills exceed $200. Those who can pay their bills in the full amount are encouraged to do so— since those payments will be used to help other residents in need.

For more information, contact Town Treasurer Julie Rivard at 540-687-5152 or jrivard@middleburgva.gov.

PURCELLVILLE

The Town of Purcellville has extended the real and personal property tax due date from June 5 to June 22 to help those affected by the coronavirus crisis.

To pay a bill, pay online at purcellvilleva.gov/payments, drop it off in the 24-hour drop box on the south side of the town hall, or mail it to 221 S. Nursery Ave., Purcellville, VA 20132 with a postmark by June 22.

Those who can’t pay on time are encouraged to contact the Finance Department before the due date set up a payment plan by calling 540-338-7093 or emailing finance@purcellvilleva.gov.

ROUND HILL

Franklin Park Arts Center Continues Coffeehouse Series The Franklin Park Arts Center will continue its Virtual Coffeehouse Series through the end of May. Each Sunday at 8 p.m. this month, the center is hosting a live performance of music, singing and theater streamed on its Facebook page and website—franklinparkartscenter.org.

3 Town Events Postponed Until Fall Round Hill’s Hometown Festival, Appalachian Trail Festival and Arbor Day Ceremony have been postponed to the fall.

Originally scheduled around Memorial Day, the Hometown Festival has been rescheduled for Oct. 10, at which point the town will host a socially distanced wreath-laying ceremony to honor veterans.

The Appalachian Trail Festival has been

PAGE 23

pushed from June to Sept. 12. The Arbor Day Ceremony has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date in the fall.

For more information, call the town at 540-338-7878 or go to roundhillva.org.

Residents See Traffic from Rt. 9 in Hillsboro Residents living in and around Round Hill should expect to see more traffic cutting through town to navigate around the Hillsboro Rt. 9 road project.

The highway through Hillsboro was closed entirely on May 4, with regional traffic originating west of the town expected to use Rt. 340 to access Rt. 7. Inevitably, some of that traffic will cut down Rt. 719 and through Round Hill to access Rt. 7. The Town of Hillsboro installed signage on Woodgrove Road to direct traffic onto Allder School Road, rather than through Round Hill. The town also requested Hillsboro to install signage to direct traffic that does continue through Round Hill along Evening Star Drive and not Main Street.

Mayor Scott Ramsey stated the town wants that traffic to use Evening Star because it’s safer than Main Street, with its divided median for much of its length and sidewalks set back from the road. Main Street will also be under construction before the project in Hillsboro is finished.

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MAY 14, 2020

Loco Living

ARTS update

Artistic Accomplices and Roadside Attractions Loudoun Artists Shift Gears with New Focus on Community

BY JAN MERCKER

jmercker@loudounnow.com

Loudoun artist Eric Scott was supposed to be leading a workshop on visual journals in Portland, OR, at the end of March.

But as travel plans and local classes dried up in the wake of COVID-19, Scott has turned his focus to lifting up other artists—and encouraging non-artists to get creative.

“This crisis has helped me prioritize things that I wanted to be a priority but wasn’t finding the time to do or the motivation or whatever—now I’m doing it,” Scott said.

Around Loudoun, visual artists are shifting gears, with a new focus on building community. For the county’s artists, many of whom earn a significant portion of their income from teaching, canceled classes have been a big blow, Scott said. But he and many of his colleagues are learning to pivot and working to lift each other up.

Like many colleagues, Scott said his initial response was panic as teaching gigs dried up within a matter of days.

“I think a lot of people have had to figure out ways to pivot… A lot of people scrambled at first. All of a sudden their entire stream of income was shut down,” Scott said. “The more I thought about it, the more I thought if I help other artists and we start lifting each other up, we start having this network, and that can help everyone rise and uplift everyone. I realized I now have the time to do this thing I wanted to do anyway. It helped me really focus on that.

Last month, Scott launched a new “Amplify” series on his blog, featuring profiles of area artists and others from around the country whose work he loves. Scott has profiled Loudoun artists Steve Loya and Brian Kirk along with favorite artists from around the U.S. “They’re people that I admire, people that I get inspiration from their artwork. ...

It’s just reaching out to people and making those connections and helping to amplify them. That word just kept coming up: amplify. … It’s always been this idea of creating community.”

Scott is a former Loudoun County Public Schools art teacher and a noted mixed-media artist, best known for his visual journals. Scott has co-authored two books with fellow artist and educator Da-

Tarara Concerts Canceled for May and June After organizers optimistically announced last month that they hoped to host the Tarara Summer Concert series as scheduled starting Memorial Day weekend, concerts are now canceled for May and June. Music lovers can still hope to catch more than two months of music starting July 11 if social distancing restrictions are lifted. Go to tararaconcerts.com for details.

Jazz to Jewelry Online at Franklin Park Arts Center

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Eric Scott works out of his home studio near Purcellville, where the walls are lined with his art and the benches are crowded with his creative work.

vid Modler: “The Journal Junkies Workshop” and “Journal Fodder 365.” He got into the journal medium two decades ago, inspired by Modler when the two worked together at a local school.

“I just loved what it was.” Scott said. “I always carried a sketchbook, but a visual journal is different. It’s drawing, it’s painting, it’s collaging, it’s writing. It’s just really an everything book. That’s how I like to think of it” Scott is originally from the Pittsburgh, PA area and earned a degree in art education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He taught with Loudoun County Public Schools for nearly 20 years.

But Scott left his career as a public school teacher when demand as an instructor around the country began to ramp up. He’s now manager of the Round Hill Arts Center where he also teaches classes and leads summer camps. Scott launched his podcast “Artistic Accomplices” in 2019, a mix of interviews with other artists and Scott’s own thoughts on art and artistic process, intended to encourage and inspire. For Scott, encouraging working artists to share their journeys can help break down barriers to making art.

“I think there’s a lot of myths and misconceptions about creativity and making things and what artists do and that gets in

the way of a lot of people doing their own thing,” he said. “You don’t have to be an artist to make something, and when you make something, you are an artist. ... Yes, you can get a degree but you don’t have to do that.”

Scott has launched a series of online pay-what-you-can journaling workshops at his website and has students from Europe and around the U.S. along with locals.

A new four-week session starts Wednesday, June 3.

Scott is also a regular on the annual Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour, where his beloved “Monsters” series of paintings and sculptures is a popular fixture with visitors to his garage studio in downtown Purcellville. Scott said he missed the registration deadline for this year’s upcoming virtual tour but is planning to be back in 2021. For now, he’s online, encouraging Loudouners to make something.

“It’s about getting the hand moving. It helps get you in a different mindframe.

There’s something really powerful there, especially during this time,” he said “I would encourage everybody to get a journal and work in it. There’s so much going ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS continues on page 25

With its new slogan, “Go out without going far,” in mind, Franklin Park Arts Center continues to offer fun and educational virtual arts programming for grownups and kids alike—for free. Here’s what’s coming up this week in the center’s Start Lunch with the Arts program (every day at noon): • Thursday, May 14: Loudoun artist and wood turner Juan Gil introduces his craft.

• Friday, May 15: Arts For All Director Amanda Barr offers toe-tapping fun and basic tap dance instruction.

• Saturday, May 16: Artist Anne Stine returns with a presentation on encaustic painting, a form of painting using hot wax, including a time lapse video to show a work in progress from beginning to end so viewers can see how the painting evolves.

• Sunday, May 17: Local artist Meredith Hilt shares her studio and her jewelry creation process using helping hands pins for healthcare workers as an example. Hilt explains each step as she transforms sheets of copper into a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry.

The center also offers free virtual drumming class with music therapist Jay Forbes every Friday at 4 p.m.

No drum kit required—bang some pots and pans. The center’s Sunday evening Coffeehouse Series continues with a performance from jazz trombonist Harry Watters presenting tunes from the Great American Songbook Sunday, May 17 at 8 p.m.

Tune in at facebook.com/franklinpark.artscenter.

MAY 14, 2020

Roadside attractions continued from page 24 on. Just getting your hands moving and making something helps you process it.”

For information on Eric Scott’s online classes and to check out the “Amplify” series and “Artistic Accomplices” podcast, go to ericscottart.com.

‘A Roadside Attraction’ Down the road in rural Neersville, a new art space in a former fire hall is drawing in visitors for an unexpected drive-in art installation.

Anne Weshinskey and her husband Arni Gudmundsson have had the space in the works for months but had to pivot when a planned international show was canceled. Instead, an organic community-focused installation, where visitors drive up and stay in their cars, took its place.

The Wayside Wondercabinet’s “Stuff We Made in Isolation” exhibition officially opened to the public last weekend with strict social distancing measures in place.

Both Weshinskey and Gudmundsson have backgrounds in conceptual art and wanted to bring the idea of artists’ initiatives—installations run by artists rather than a traditional gallery setting—to Loudoun after being involved with similar projects in Europe and the Middle East.

“We’re thinking about it less as a gallery and more as an exhibition space and roadside attraction,” Weshinskey said of the new space located in a former firetruck bay at the Between the Hills Community Center, a former fire station.

For Weshinskey, whose parents moved to Neersville when she was in her late teens, northwest Loudoun has been a kind of home base for three decades as she traveled the world pursuing a career in performance art. She met Gudmundsson in Turkey, and the couple lived in Sweden before returning to the U.S. They now live in Harpers Ferry, WV, and have jumped into the Loudoun and Eastern Panhandle arts scenes in recent years.

The couple were scheduled to open the space with an installation featuring nine international artists specializing in multiples this month. That show was canceled when COVID-related logistics got in the way. In its place, an organic installation featuring work from neighbors in Western Loudoun and West Virginia grew up.

Weshinskey says the project started with a neighbor, Shari Reuschel, who was teaching herself to paint during self-isolation.

Reuschel submitted paintings of beets, ramps and morel mushrooms. Word caught on about the pop-up show, and submissions started to flow, with the focus

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being on work produced and skills developed during quarantine.

“We’re just kind of playing it by ear. It’s this impromptu thing,” Weshinskey said.

“People have been doing creative things in their houses and trying to learn new stuff ” The installation includes a video piece from Weshinskey and Gudmundsson’s Cosy COVID Corner, featuring several quarantine projects, including a mobile featuring COVID-shaped clay pigeons and a skeet gun. Most of the pieces in the show are from non-artist neighbors, including Weshinskey’s mother Mary Weshinskey who submitted a “bugzooka” stinkbug de-

stroyer and a sculpture made from weeds from her garden.

The show does include pieces from art professionals including noted painters Kurt Schwarz and Sage Chandler and Smithsonian photographer Cory Grace.

But Weshinskey isn’t interested in their typical work for this show. Instead, she wanted experimental work that reflected the impact of the pandemic.

“I didn’t want Kurt Schwarz to paint me a painting,” Weshinskey said. Instead, he submitted a mobile made of animal bones.

Weshinskey and Gudmundsson are still accepting new work for the show. Wayside

PAGE 25

Wondercabinet is open Saturdays only from 4 to 7 p.m. for drive-up viewing. Visitors are asked to pull into the bay and remain in their cars as they check out the installation. Last Saturday, there was a line of several cars at 4:30 p.m. patiently waiting for a turn to check out the roadside attraction, and Weshinskey says the line tends to peak around 5:15 p.m.

Wayside Wondercabinet is located at Between the Hills Community Center, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road north of Hillsboro. For more information or to find out about submitting a piece to the current installation, go to v4larts.com. n

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PAGE 26

MAY 14, 2020

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Dr. Roshelle Beckwith of MetroMed Urgent Care in Leesburg talks about her drive through COVID-19 testing operation, which now offer the COVID-19 antibody tests.

Testing continued from page 3 with known cases, achieving a near 100 percent accuracy. The test uses a blood draw and serum-separating tubes that are sent to the lab. Results are available as early as the next day.

Beckwith said she and her team have worked to promote early intervention and that approach has paid off, with patients at her practice responding well to treatment.

She also works in the emergency room at St. Joseph’s in Syracuse, NY on weekends and has seen far sicker patients there, including some that didn’t go home.

“We try to treat them as early as possible,” Beckwith said. “We have 85-yearolds, 75-year-olds and they are surviving.

They did have a bad pneumonia and everything, but they are all making it.”

She said her treatments for COVID-19 positive patients range from good food and vitamins for those showing no symptoms, to a Z-pak antibiotic treatment as more symptoms emerge. She even has used controversial hydroxychloroquine successfully to treat symptoms in younger patients with high fevers. She noted that another drug being used to treat the infection, Remdesivir, is not yet readily available and is an IV treatment.

“The key to that is early, early, early. I can’t emphasize enough, don’t wait three

months or three weeks sitting at home and thinking it is going to go away,” Beckwith said.

At MetroMed, the testing is offered at the fee of a nurse visit—up to $35—with Quest billing up to $100 for the tests, although many insurance carriers have begun waiving co-pays for COVID-19 related testing.

MetroMed is located at 952 Edwards Ferry Road, in the Shenandoah Square shopping center next to the former Walmart building. Appointments are recommended for the drive-up testing.

Learn more at metromeduc.com or call 703-687-04158.

The county’s largest physical network, the Loudoun Medical Group, also is ramping up antibody testing. Representatives of LMG and MetroMed both said that the next phase will be working with companies to test the immune status of their employees—services they plan to offer.

This week, Patient First began drive-up COVID-19 testing by appointment at its Potomac Station Drive location in Leesburg. Appointments at the Leesburg center may be scheduled now by calling the center at 703-840-1396. n

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MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 27

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, May 26, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

ZRTD-2019-0005 CARPENTER DRIVE

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District) Carpenter Drive, L.L.C., of Sterling, Virginia, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 3.28 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Zoning Ordinance, to the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, in order to develop all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject property is located within the Route 28 Tax District. The subject property is approximately 3.28 acres in size and located on the south side of Sterling Boulevard (Route 846), east of Sully Road (Route 28), at 108 Carpenter Drive, Sterling, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 033-37-0100. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area) in the Suburban Employment Place Type, which support a broad array of Employment uses at a recommended FAR of up to 1.0.

ZRTD-2019-0006 DIGITAL STERLING PREMIERE

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District) Digital Sterling Premiere LLC., of San Francisco, California, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 22.07 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Zoning Ordinance, 1993 Zoning Ordinance and Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, to the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, in order to develop all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject properties are located within the Route 28 Tax District, Corridor Office (CO) Optional Overlay and partially within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, between the 60 and 65 Ldn noise contour and also partially within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contours. The subject properties are approximately 22.07 acres in size and are located on the east side of Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), on the west side of Sully Road (Route 28) and north of South Sterling Boulevard (Route 846) in the Broad Run Election District. The subject properties are more particularly described as follows: PIN

PROPERTY ADDRESS

045-29-9249 045-39-6350 045-39-6211 045-49-8712

N/A N/A N/A 22590 Relocation Drive, Sterling, Virginia

The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area) in the Suburban Employment Place Type, which supports a broad array of Employment uses at a recommended FAR of up to 1.0.

ZRTD-2020-0001 BUSINESS COURT

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District) Pilot Virginia LLC., c/o Sackman Enterprises Inc., of New York,, New York, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 8.14 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1993 Zoning Ordinance to PD-IP under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, in order to permit all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District, within the Route 28 Optional Overlay District, and within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, between the Ldn 60-65 aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 8.14 acres in size and is located west of Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), on the west side of Business Court (Route 1037) and east side of Underwood Lane (Route 866) at 45195 Business Court, Sterling, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 046-38-6144. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Employment Place Type)), which supports a broad array of Employment uses at a recommended FAR of up to 1.0.

ZMAP-2018-0015, SPEX-2018-0037 & SPEX-2018-0038 JK TECHNOLOGY PARK #1 (Zoning Map Amendment Petition and Special Exception)

JK Land Holdings of Sterling, Virginia, has submitted applications for the following: 1) To rezone approximately 71.56 acres from the R-1 (Residential–1 ), CR-1 (Countryside Residential–1), PD-GI (Planned Development – General Industry), and PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning districts under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance to the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to permit the development of all principal

and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.60 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception); 2) A Special Exception to permit an increase to the maximum FAR from 0.60 to 1.0; and 3) A Special Exception to permit an increase to the maximum lot coverage from 0.45 to 0.60. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed uses are listed as Special Exception uses under Section 4-506(A) and (C).

The subject property is located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, within the Ldn 65 or higher and between the Ldn 60-65, aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 71.56 acres in size and is located south of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621) and north of Racefield Lane (Route 877) in the Blue Ridge election district. The subject property is more particularly described as follows: PIN 202-28-5740 202-18-8046

PROPERTY ADDRESS N/A N/A

202-26-0981

N/A

202-17-7155

N/A

202-19-2262

41567 Briarfield Lane, Aldie, Virginia

202-29-1015

N/A

202-19-0181

N/A

The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Neighborhood)), which support primarily Single-Family Residential uses with limited supportive Retail and Service uses at recommended densities of four dwelling units per acre (du/ac), up to 6 du/ac for infill development, and FAR of up to 1.0 for Non-Residential uses.

Unless otherwise noted in the above notices, copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances, and/or plans and related documents may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. To arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email dpz@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246, or you may view the file electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. For detailed instructions on how to access documents using LOLA, to request that documents be emailed to you, to receive physical copies of documents, or to arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email DPZ@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246 (option 5). Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www.loudoun.gov/pc.

All members of the public will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, members of the public are encouraged to view and/or participate in the public hearing electronically. Planning Commission public hearings are available for viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23, Open Band Channel 40, and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/webcast Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing.

Instructions for remote participation will be forwarded to all individuals who sign-up in advance. If you wish to sign up in advance of the hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-7770246 prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the hearing. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 3rd Floor, MSC #62, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun. gov. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the public hearing if special arrangements for additional speaking time and/or audio-visual equipment will be requested. Such an organization representative will be allotted 6 minutes to speak, and the Chairman may grant additional time if the request is made prior to the date of the hearing and the need for additional time is reasonably justified.

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

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

BY ORDER OF:

ERIC COMBS, CHAIRMAN LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

5/7, 5/14, & 5/21/20

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PAGE 28

MAY 14, 2020

Legal Notices

Leg

VIRGINIA

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS will hold a public hearing in the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING ROOM, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Thursday, May 28, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

,IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LOUDOUN COUNTY

THE COUNTY OF LOUDOUN

Plaintiff, v.

HEIRS AT LAW & SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF ERNEST A. RICHIE AKA ERNEST A. RITCHIE,

who are made parties defendant by the general description

"PARTIES UNKNOWN" et al,

Defendants.

) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

CIVIL ACTION NO. CL20-2596

CLS Bldg C, LC; CLS Phase I, LC; CLS Phase II, LC; and Comstock Loudoun Station LC, of Reston, Virginia, have submitted an application for an appeal of the November 12, 2019, Zoning Administrator determination, ZCOR-2019-0172, which granted approval of administrative changes to the approved Concept Development Plan for ZCPA-2015-0014, Loudoun Station Gramercy District, pursuant to Section 6-1216 of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance. The subject property is zoned PD-TRC (Planned Development-Transit Related Center) under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and is also located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 10.7 acres in size and is located north of the Dulles Greenway (Route 267) and south of Shellhorn Road (Route 643) in Ashburn, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 089-36-1174 and is owned by Au Loudoun Station, LLC.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION The object of the above-styled suit is to achieve the judicial sale of real estate located in Loudoun County, Virginia, for the purpose of collecting delinquent real estate taxes assessed against the subject real Property.

IT APPEARING that the subject real estate contains 15 acres, more or less, of unimproved land located in the Catoctin Election District, identified by Loudoun County PIN 479-49-0158-000 and Tax Map Number /15///////102/ (the “Property”) and further described among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia as: That certain tract of land (wood lot) situated in the County aforesaid in the Lovettsville Magisterial District on the east side of Short Hill Mountain, adjoining the lands of H.W. Cole, Vickers, George & Conner containing fifteen acres of land more or less.

AND BEING a portion of the same property, conveyed to Ernest A. Richie from Henry C. Peacock and Anna Peacock by deed dated March 14, 1913 recorded at Deed Book 8S Page 196 among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia.

IT APPEARING to the Court, by affidavit, that the record owners of the property are the heirs at law and successor in interest of Ernest A. Richie alk/a Ernest A. Ritchie.

IT FURTHER APPEARING to the Court, by affidavit, that heirs at law and successor in interest of Ernest A. Richie a/k/a Ernest A. Ritchie are unknown.

IT FURTHER APPEARING that there are or may be persons whose names are unknown, including heirs at law and successors in interest of Ernest A. Richie a/k/a Ernest A. Ritchie, interested in the Property and their interest is described as: a potential ownership interest in the Property and they are set out in the pleadings as defendants by the general description of “PARTIES UNKNOWN.” IT FURTHER APPEARING to the Court, by affidavit, that diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the identities and location of the parties to be served, including the heirs at law and successors in interest of Ernest A. Richie a/k/a Ernest A. Ritchie and the parties identified as “PARTIES UNKNOWN”; it is therefore ORDERED, that pursuant to Virginia Code §§8.01-316 and 58.1-3967, that the heirs at law and successors in interest of Ernest A. Richie a/k/a Ernest A. Ritchie and PARTIES UNKNOWN, appear before this Court on July 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., and do what is necessary to protect their interests herein; and it is also ORDERED, that pursuant to Virginia Code §8.01-321, this Order be published for two successive weeks in Loudoun Now. 5/14 & 5/21/20

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.

YR.

2005 2008 2013

MAKE

HYUNDAI MERCEDES AUDI

MODEL

ELANTRA S550 A4

VIN

KMHDN46D25U952837 WDDNG86X18A219050 WAUBFAFL6DN022895

APPL-2019-0018 APPEAL OF ZCOR-2019-0172

STORAGE

D&M TOWING DOUBLE D DOUBLE D

PHONE#

703-471-4590 703-777-7300 703-777-7300 05/14 & 05/21/20

APPL-2020-0001 REJECTION OF APPL-2019-0019

CLS Bldg C, LC; CLS Phase I, LC; CLS Phase II, LC; and Comstock Loudoun Station LC, of Reston, Virginia, have submitted an application for an appeal of the January 7, 2020, Zoning Administrator letter which rejected appeal application, APPL-2019-0019. The January 7, 2020, letter stated that the Board of Supervisors did not have the jurisdiction and authority to hear APPL-2019-0019, which was an appeal filed with the Board of Supervisors of a Zoning Administrator determination, ZCOR-2019-0172. The subject property is zoned PD-TRC (Planned Development-Transit Related Center) under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and is also located within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contours. The subject property is approximately 10.7 acres in size and is located north of the Dulles Greenway (Route 267) and south of Shellhorn Road (Route 643) in Ashburn, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 089-36-1174 and is owned by Au LoudounStation, LLC. Full and complete copies of the above-referenced application(s) and related documents may be examined in the Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 3rd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call (703) 777-0246.

All members of the public will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. If any member of the public requires a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability in order to participate in a public meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200/TTY-711. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice.

Nan M. Joseph Forbes, Chairman All members of the public will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, members of the public are encouraged to view and/or participate in the public hearing electronically. Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing.Instructions for remote participation will be forwarded to all individuals who sign-up in advance. If you wish to sign up in advance of the hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the hearing. Written comments are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., 3rd Floor, MSC #62, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, or by e-mail to krisitne.smolens@loudoun.gov.

05/14 & 05/21/20

TOWN OF HAMILTON PUBLIC NOTICE Code of Virginia §58.1‐3911

Town of Hamilton real estate taxes for the first half of 2020 are due on Friday, June 5, 2020.

Tina M. Staples Treasurer Town of Hamilton 5/15 & 5/22/2020

PUBLIC NOTICE

AT&T proposes to replace an existing 25’ wood utility pole with a new 41.5’ wood utility pole and install a top-mounted antenna at 46’ near 44121 Harry Byrd Hwy, Ashburn, VA (20200655). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-809-1202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

5/14/20

ABC LICENSE Yummy Pig BBQ LLC, trading as Yummy Pig BBQ/Wild Geese, 2 W Market St., Leesburg, Virginia 20176-2805 The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer On and Off Premises/Mixed Beverage Restaurant/Mixed Beverage Caterer Limited license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

James R Thompson, Owner Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

05/14 & 05/21/20

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 29

Legal Notices ORDER OF PUBLICATION VIRGINIA

,IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF

LOUDOUN COUNTY

IN RE: ESTATE OF TRAVIS K BALLOU, DECEASED

Probate File No. 17763

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE AGAINST DISTRIBUTION It appearing that a report of the account of W. Franklin Pugh, Administrator of the Estate of Travis K. Ballou, deceased, and a report of the debts and demands against the Estate have been filed in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Loudoun County, and that more than 6 months have elapsed since the qualification of the Administrator before this Court, on the petition of the Administrator indicating that the Estate is insolvent, It is ORDERED that the creditors of, and all others interested in, the Estate of Travis K. Ballou, deceased, do show cause, if any they can, on the 5th day of June, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., before this Court at its courtroom in Leesburg, Virginia, against payment and delivery of said Estate to the creditors, including the Administrator, in accordance with Va. Code § 64.2-528, with no payment to distributees; and It is further ORDERED that the foregoing portion of this Order be published once a week for 2 successive weeks in Loudoun Now, a newspaper of general circulation in Loudoun County, Virginia.

5/14 & 5/21/20

TOWN OF LEESBURG DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES NOTICE OF WATER MAIN FLUSHING

A message to elderly and disabled Loudoun County residents from

Robert S. Wertz, Jr.

Commissioner of the Revenue The deadline for residents 65 and older or totally and permanently disabled who are required to complete a 2020 Renewal Application or Renewal Certification, is June 1, 2020.

The renewal filing deadline of April 1, 2020 was extended in response to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Please visit our website or contact my office for information or filing assistance.

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

The Town of Leesburg will conduct controlled flushing of water mains throughout the Town beginning April through June 30th, 2020. 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 use, thereby, reducing the potential for bacteriological contamination.

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. If this occurs, open your cold water tap until a clear steady flow of water is observed.

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

Sterling Office 21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 100 Internet: www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief

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.

4/9, 4/16, 4/23, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21 & 5/28/20

Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F

NOTICE OF TOWN ELECTIONS May 19, 2020

Phone: 703-737-8557 Email: trcor@loudoun.gov

Town elections to elect a Mayor for the town of Round Hill as well as to elect Members of the Town Council for Hamilton and Round Hill will be held in the Town Precincts on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 5/7, 5/21 & 5/28/20

The polls – which are listed below – will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Officers of Election will take the name of and permit to vote any qualified voter who is a resident within the town limits at their designated town precinct and who is in line at the polling place by 7:00 p.m.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

PLEASE NOTE: Strict social distancing measures will be in place on Election Day. All voters are reminded to remain 6 feet apart while waiting in line and only 10 people will be allowed into the polling place at one time. Voters should expect delays when voting on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

Case No.:

1170 Hamilton, Hamilton Baptist Church, 16 E. Colonial Hwy., Hamilton 2130 Round Hill, Round Hill Center, 20 High St., Round Hill

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316, 317

JJ035094-05-00,

The last day for in-person absentee voting is Saturday, May 16, 2020.

Loudoun Circuit Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Bhasmang A Bhatt v. Ami Bhasmang Bhatt The subject of this suit is to obtain divorce from the bond of matrimony.

It is ORDERED that Bhasmang A Bhatt appear at the above-named Court and protect his interests on or before July 10, 2020 at 10:00 am.

4/23, 4/30, 5/7 & 5/14/20

The Office of Elections, located at 750 Miller Dr. SE., Suite C, Leesburg 20175, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. The Office of Elections will also be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 16.

All absentee ballots requested must be returned to the Office of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, Election Day, to be counted.

Inquiries concerning the election and questions regarding registration status may be directed to the Loudoun County Office of Elections, 703-777-0380, located at 750 Miller Dr. SE. Suite C, Leesburg 20175. Please visit www.loudoun.gov/vote for additional information.

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS FOR:

Authorized by:

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND PLANNING SERVICES FOR A COUNTY WIDE LINEAR PARKS AND TRAILS SYSTEM, RFP No. 232782 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, June 16, 2020.

Judith A. Brown, Director of Elections Loudoun County Office of Elections

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

WHEN CALLING, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT. 5/14/20

LoudounNow.com

5/14/20

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 30

Legal Notices ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

Civil Action No.:

CL20-2487

,In the Circuit Court of Loudoun County THE COUNTY OF LOUDOUN Plaintiff, v.

OXANA DROUGOV, et al Defendants, ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of the above-styled suit is to affect the judicial sale of real estate located in Loudoun County, Virginia, for the purpose of collecting delinquent real estate taxes assessed against the subject real Property.

IT APPEARING that the subject real estate contains .05 of an acre, more or less, with improvements, located at 43682 Balmoral Terrace, Ashburn, Virginia, 20147 identified by Loudoun County PIN 085-46-1787-000 and Tax Map Number /62//17////17/ (the “Property”) and further described, of record, among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia as: Lot 17, Section 2, Block 2, The Ridges at Ashburn, as the same appears duly dedicated, platted and recorded among the land records of Loudoun County, Virginia in Deed Book 1660 at page 22 and resubdivided in Deed Book 1730 at page 805.

IT FURTHER APPEARING to the Court, by affidavit, that the record owner of the property is Oxana Drougov.

IT FURTHER APPEARING to the Court, by affidavit, that diligence has been used without effect to ascertain the location of Oxana Drougov, it is therefore ORDERED, that pursuant to Virginia Code §§8.01-316 and 58.1-3967, that Oxana Drougov, appear before this Court on July 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m., and do what is necessary to protect her interests herein; and it is also ORDERED, pursuant to Virginia Code Sec. 8.01-321 that this Order be published for two successive weeks in Loudoun Now. 05/07, & 05/14/20

MAY 14, 2020

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Hair Salon HAIR SALON

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ABC LICENSE Mizata, LLC, trading as La Perla Restaurant, 119 Fort Evans Rd NE, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer On Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Jose Octavio Barahona Barahona, LLC Member Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

05/07 & 05/14/20

Loving Fence

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MAY 14, 2020

PAGE 31

Resource Directory Handyman C & Brothers Home Improvement, LLC 20 Years of Experience FRE Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling, ESTIMATEE S! Decks, General Handyman Services Cristian Arias 240-413-5827 | 240-413-5673 candbrothers@gmail.com

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PAGE 32

MAY 14, 2020

Opinion With NOVA or ROV? Allowing localities the flexibility to take a regional approach when it comes to stepping out of COVID-19 restrictions makes sense because of the great discrepancies in the quality, capacity and accessibility of medical care, as well as differences in demographic make-up.

The question arises this week as to whether Loudoun County shares enough characteristics with its Northern Virginia neighbors to justify pulling out of a very measured reopening phase that Gov. Ralph Northam envisions for most of the Commonwealth this week.

First, the governor is not proposing much in the way of lifting business restrictions. Instead of taking your carryout meal to the car, you can sit down outside the door and eat it at a table. Instead of picking up a few bottles of wine at the vineyard, you’ll be able to sit outside and take in the view for some specific period of time at some assigned location. Getting your haircut or nails done with no one in the waiting room is a fairly controlled setting.

Gov. Northam accurately described these measures as turning up the dimmer switch. It’s not even clear that these are economically viable operational options for many of these businesses.

Secondly, the decisions should be directed by the data. Looking at the numbers, Loudoun’s COVID-19 experience is very different than its regional neighbors. The pace of new cases has been slowing in recent weeks even as testing has become more available. The positivity rate (cases per 100,000 residents) is about half of that posted by its eastern neighbor, Fairfax County, and about a third of the rate in Prince William to the south. As of Monday, Fairfax County had 6,500 confirmed cases, with 1,000 requiring hospitalization and 253 deaths.

Loudoun reported 1,200 cases with 120 hospitalizations and 35 deaths.

Many other areas of the commonwealth—including communities with far fewer healthcare options than Loudoun—are seeing far higher rates of infection. Loudoun barely appears in the top third of counties when ranked by the rate of cases. This is one rare case in which Loudoun has more in common with the Rest of Virginia, rather than Northern Virginia.

That’s not to say that it is time to open the spigot fully in Loudoun; it’s not.

Clear rules to protect employees and customers are critical. So is the availability of sanitizing supplies and protective equipment. Residents also need to a have a firm understanding of their role in executing a safe roll out from the shutdown period. Those are the elements that may not yet be in place, but it is likely they can be before our Northern Virginia neighbors are prepared to crack open some doors. n

Norman K. Styer, Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 • Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723

EDITORIAL Renss Greene, Deputy Editor rgreene@loudounnow.com

LETTERS to the Editor Little Respect Editor: As public historians in Loudoun County for 47 and 36 years, respectively, we are disappointed that County Chair Randall and five of her fellow board members have so little respect for our county’s history and its relevance to the present, that they see no problem with reneging on their decision to continue funding the Loudoun Museum at $156,000 annually.

One week ago, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to continue the museum’s funding; on May 5, these six supervisors, at Chair Randall’s insistence, changed their minds and pulled the funding, ostensibly because they felt the money could be better spent elsewhere during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jan Mercker, Reporter jmercker@loudounnow.com Kara C. Rodriguez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Patrick Szabo, Reporter pszabo@loudounnow.com

The power of stories from the past— especially our local stories of the various cultures who settled and lived in Loudoun—help us to thrive in today’s culturally diverse world. Museums and their collections and programs help to keep that past alive. History nurtures our identity, and museums like the Loudoun Museum educate our communities about that history. Museums help us understand the past and inspire us to solve today’s problems. We need museums; our community of Loudoun needs the Loudoun Museum so that we don’t forget our past and all of its lessons.

Certainly, there are worthy organizations in dire need of funding because of COVID-19. How to fund them is the LETTERS continues on page 33

ADVERTISING Susan Styer, Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.com Tonya Harding, Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.com

Loudoun Now is delivered by mail to more than 44,000 Loudoun homes and businesses, with a total weekly distribution of 47,000.

MAY 14, 2020

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 33

Walking the ’Burg

BY MARGARET MORTON

I’m sure everyone has a different way of staying sane as we “shelter in place” during the current pandemic.

Each to his own, but my response has been to take a daily walk—a commonplace occurrence for many, but new for this normally sedentary individual.

And what an eye-opener it’s turning out to be. What an exercise in training the mind’s eye to see deeper, to really observe.

What a lot of things I’ve never really paid attention to before. It’s like finding multiple new lenses for the camera. One sees so much more when on foot.

I have a wonderful garden of my own, but the daily glimpses of other people’s Edens offer even more perspective.

It’s an exercise involving the eye, the ear, the sights of daily life—all set against the background of the lurking danger posed by COVID-19 that could strike any of us, out of the blue—and heightening one’s senses. The air is chill, but bracing.

Suddenly, I’m alive to sounds: The hum of early May bees, the whir of what seems an army of lawnmowers cutting the lush early grass, the joyous and lilting voice of a would-be Franco Pavarotti in a back garden as he works.

Wistfully, I envy the birds as they flit from tree to tree, swooping and dallying with ease. The neighborhood seems alive with cardinals, their colorful red hues dappling the shadows on the street, alight-

LETTERS to the Editor continued from page 32

issue in a time of significant economic downturn. Putting one of our county’s longest-standing historical institutions at dire risk at a time when they’ve just begun to recover from earlier blows seems unwise, and certainly shows the value of Loudoun’s history, historical landscape, and historical institutions in the pecking order for these supervisors, despite whatever protestations they might offer. The wealthy County of Loudoun has found a way to help fund our small local museum since 1967; you’d think they could figure out a way to keep doing so now. Who does crushing the museum impress? This is a question we are left to ponder and

MARGARET’S MUSINGS ing on a vine-clad iron railing to observe a garden—then flitting.

“They can escape,” I think resentfully, wishing I had the ability to leave my earth-bound existence and fly wherever I wanted.

Taking that idea even further, what fun it would be, I think, to have a bird’s ability to splat his droppings on the shoes of an imagined enemy.

Even as I examine that entertaining possibility, a squirrel on the other side of the street sits up on his haunches and eyes me while having his version of early morning coffee and Danish, before scampering up a tree.

I love peering into other people’s gardens. Here and there, I take in the vista of a few late tulips, shrubs and trees, glimpse the shimmering silver blue of an iris bud,

draw our own conclusions.

We’d like to thank Supervisors Buffington, Kershner, and Letourneau for their foresight in voting to keep the museum’s funding intact. We appreciate that you three, at least, value Loudoun’s history in action as well as word.

-Richard and Tracy Gillespie, Lovettsville

Unreasonable Editor: The group known as the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives is very loosely affiliated with Republicans. The reason being is they attend Loudoun County Republican Committee meetings. You have to ask why they are given so much attention?

This year alone, they have attacked

the graceful white flowers of bleeding heart framed among ferns, or some early old-fashioned roses budding out, and the bright colors of azaleas.

Sometimes I’m alone on my walk, sometimes others are walking alone with their dog, or in pairs, often pausing to chat with friends. And when we pass on the street, one of us will cross to the other side of the street, giving a small, half-abashed wave of the hand in acknowledgment.

On one street, there is an evocative chalk message drawn on the pavement—“Thank you to our postal workers.”

My favorite part is observing the different color and sizes of the bricks on a particular stretch of the sidewalk, seeing where no matter how carefully the bricklayer did his work, here and there a brick has interfered with his orderly work— heaving out of the ground, impelled by the unruly soil underneath. I rather like that disruption—it parallels what’s going on in our world today.

Farther on, the bricks give way to large flat stones—some broken in places, allowing small weeds to flourish in the cracks— and there is the remnant of a cobblestone pathway. It gives the sidewalk character.

As I walk it each day, I’m reminded of a verse in A.A. Milne’s poems, Lines and Squares, from “When We Were Very Young.”

And I keep in the squares, And the masses of bears, Who wait at the corners all ready to eat The sillies who tread on the lines of the street Go back to their lairs.

And I say to them, “Bears, Just look how I’m walking in all the squares!

We do not face bears today, but we all have to find delight and courage in facing present danger.

As a child during World War II, I learned how to find beauty and meaning even while living in a world where danger lurked. And today, sadly, many already are experiencing suffering and death.

But as I turn toward home, two small tots run up the sidewalk toward me, screaming with excitement, as their fathers walk behind them.

And’s all well in their tiny world—and in mine. n

Whenever I walk in a London street, I’m ever so careful to watch my feet;

A graduate of Edinburgh University in Scotland, Margaret Morton left her native Britain in 1966 to come to America after marrying Virginian W. Brown Morton.

She entered the world of community journalism at age 55, when she joined the staff of Leesburg Today in 1992. She continues to cover Loudoun’s people and communities for Loudoun Now. She and her retired architectural conservationist husband live in downtown Leesburg.

seven Republicans in an ad called “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” bought and paid for by the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives money. Recently, they attacked Jill Vogel again for her vote for Obamacare; even though all the doomsayers said it would bankrupt Virginia and the federal government, it didn’t.

They attacked a town councilman who has worked for Frank Wolf and Barbara Comstock down the line for 17 years.

His mistake was he abstained over a non-binding Second Amendment letter so poorly written that he told us all at the Loudoun County Republican Meeting he would not sign it.

Be it said that the Virginia Constitutional Conservative raise money to defeat Democrats, not Republicans. You might ask yourself, why then did the Virgin-

ia Constitutional Conservatives spend money on a mailer in Lovettsville when it is a non-partisan race? Let me tell you why. They are a bitter autocratic, myway-or-the-highway, unreasonable group that allows no dissention. They have been the Democrats’ best friend since 2016 and will probably continue their loose affiliation with the truth. They cost Republicans seats in Loudoun, the General Assembly and, possibly, Congress.

Wrapped in the sky-is-falling doom and gloom, they try to shroud themselves with patriotic fever at the expense of Republicans. With friends like the Virginia Constitutional Conservatives who needs enemies? If you cannot ignore them, shun them and delete their emails and robo-calls and mailers.

- Jonathan Erickson, Sterling

PAGE 34

Delayed opening continued from page 1 Loudoun’s letter Sunday counts as a request to stay closed.

Northam’s plan for a slight relaxation in business restrictions is contingent on a downward trend in new COVID-19 cases, including fewer new infections, fewer hospitalizations, and increased supplies of personal protective equipment and testing. Health Department directors from Loudoun, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William County all wrote to the state health commissioner to say, right now, in the state’s most densely populated region, those metrics are either unmet or impossible to determine.

Based on that, they wrote, Northern Virginia is not yet ready to move into reopening.

Those localities’ mayors, chairwomen and chairman wrote to Northam in a separate letter to concur. Those localities account for just over a quarter of the state’s population; they pointed out that they also represent half of Virginia’s COVID-19 cases. And while they agree with the governor’s metrics for deciding when it’s time to start reopening, they said this region isn’t there yet. And they warned reopening too soon will only lead to more damage to businesses.

“While it is certainly useful to examine statewide metrics as we gauge the success of current public health policies, we feel strongly that any changes to current policies be guided by what is occurring in our region,” they wrote. “We eagerly wish to rebuild our economy and help our residents recover. It is only through our regional achievement of these milestones that we will be positioned to avoid a more damaging return to business closures later in the summer.”

Region health officials wrote to Northam that Northern Virginia, unlike the state at large, has not yet seen 14 days of slowing hospitalizations, and has not yet been able to set up infrastructure for contact tracing and supplying PPE to everyone who needs it, specifically outpatient facilities, long-term care facilities and first responders.

Without more information from the Virginia Department of Health, they wrote, they cannot determine whether the region has seen more testing and a downward trend of positives tests.

Northam said Monday he requested those joint letters, as “uniformity across the region is critical to a successful strategy, rather than having restrictions piece-

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“It just seemed so ridiculous on my part to try to tell five state health directors ‘hey, you’re wrong.’”

— Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large)

meal across towns or counties.” And he agreed with elected leaders from the region that Northern Virginia is not ready to reopen.

“As soon as they feel comfortable, and we feel comfortable collectively moving to Phase 1, we’ll certainly do that,” Northam said. “And I’ll also say that they are just as anxious as the rest of us, as the rest of you are, to return to normal.”

During a 24 hour period, he said Monday, Northern Virginia reported 716 new cases. The rest of Virginia saw only 270.

Northern Virginia also has a higher rate of tests coming back positive for COVID-19, and a higher percentage of hospitable beds taken up by COVID-19 patients.

According to the state, about 25 percent of COVID-19 tests in Northern Virginia come back positive, as opposed to 10 percent in the rest of the state.

Randall said after hearing the advice from state health officials that Northern Virginia is not ready to reopen, “my heart sank.” But, with health official and medical professionals advising area leaders against reopening, she said, “it just seemed so ridiculous on my part to try to tell five state health directors ‘hey, you’re wrong.’”

Over the past week, Loudoun recorded 11 new fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the virus’s known death toll here to 35.

There have been 1,210 known cases and 119 hospitalizations, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Randall conducted a straw poll of supervisors by email, with six of nine supervisors concurring. As to holding a public vote, Randall said those emails are available via Freedom of Information Act requests. Loudoun Now has requested copies of those emails.

“If we bring it to the board, I guess we can do that for the purpose of verifying the vote,” Randall said. “I have no trouble with that if people want to do that if the meeting’s on May 19.”

Supervisors were scheduled to meet for a public hearing on Wednesday and for a business meeting May 19.

Despite warnings from health officials, a minority of elected leaders in Loudoun have pushed to reopen Loudoun sooner.

Supervisors Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin), Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) and Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg), in emails between county supervisors, opposed sending a letter warning the governor the region is not ready to safely reopen.

In an op-ed sent to Loudoun Now, Kershner pointed out Loudoun seems in far better shape than the rest of the region.

Loudoun has seen a lower rate of confirmed cases and a lower death rate than both Northern Virginia and the state at large.

“In spite of all this, and over the strong objections of three Supervisors (including mine), and without Board debate or public input, Loudoun County Chair Randall joined with Fairfax, Prince William, Arlington, and the City of Alexandria leaders in a letter to the Governor, publicly opposing his initial guidance to begin Phase 1 of reopening Northern Virginia on the grounds that we had not met the five criteria that his plan set out,” Kershner wrote.

“And apparently, the Governor listened.”

“We all know who the folks are that are the ones most vulnerable, and these people are those with co-morbidities or some other health complications and the elderly,” Kerhsner said in a subsequent interview. “And it seems to me that the bulk of our workforce would not include those people.”

He said he has been warned by people in the county’s Department of Economic Development that if the shutdown were to extend even further into June, Loudoun could lose up to half of its small businesses.

That is double what Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer told the county finance committee that night and in a brief interview. He said based on his department’s outreach to businesses, there’s a possibility of losing up to a quarter of small businesses—but also noted there are many factors to that, and that the county had saved dozens of businesses with its Business Interruption Fund grants, according to those businesses’ feedback.

“The reality is that this is a huge shift in the market, and it’s going to take some time to sort out how we get to the other end of this, and who’s going to make it and who’s not going to make it,” Rizer said. “We’re optimistic that we can help

MAY 14, 2020

as many as we can, but I think we have to be realistic that there are going to be businesses that are not going to make it.”

Kershner also urged targeted protections for the elderly, who have been the ones who most often have died from the virus. He suggested limiting visits to longterm care facilities and retirement communities, and checking everyone who comes in for symptoms of illness.

Those communities have already been doing that for weeks or months—and have also been named as one of the areas where supplies of personal protective equipment have been short. Despite the lockdown and proactive measures by those facilities, Loudoun’s retirement communities have seen lives lost to the virus.

And he largely dismissed any concern about travel across the region, since the rest of the region is likely to remain closed.

“I guess you could ask the question in the opposite direction—are we concerned about people coming from Fairfax,” Kershner said. “Well, sure, but I don’t think that happens nearly as much.”

In a Facebook post, Buffington wrote “such an impactful decision should have included public input and a public vote by the Board Supervisors, but it was clear that time was of the essence and any request needed to be sent yesterday, so Board members weighed in via email.”

“While I respect the opinions of my colleagues who supported the request for further delay, I had to support the many residents of my District who are unemployed with mounting bills and a need to keep a roof over their head and food on their family’s table; and the many business owners of my District who’ve suffered unprecedented losses, laid off most if not all of their employees, have incurred massive debt, exhausted every available resource, and are counting on at least some sort of immediate phased reopening if they are to have any chance of saving their businesses from permanent closure,” Buffington wrote.

And while he acknowledged “obviously a continued closure would be safer,” he wrote “our way of life is dependent upon a working economy.”

Public health officials have said social distancing has worked to “flatten the curve,” preventing hospitals from being overrun—and urged people to keep practicing that. There is still much unknown about the virus’s spread, and without widespread testing, that includes how many people are actually infected, spreadDELAYED OPENING continues on page 35

MAY 14, 2020

Delayed opening continued from page 34 ing the virus without knowing it.

In his newsletter, Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said in his discussions with County Administrator Tim Hemstreet, they agreed that waiting until the county meets the criteria around infections, testing, PPE supplies and other metrics before moving to phase one will ultimately mean business gets back to normal more quickly.

And he warned that when businesses reopen, they will also begin consuming PPE, exacerbating the existing shortage for long-term care facilities, private doctor’s offices and so on.

He warned against reopening Loudoun businesses during what appears to be the peak of COVID-19 infections.

“To be clear—the risk of getting COVID-19 in Loudoun County is higher right now than it ever has been,” he wrote.

And he resisted dismissing COVID-19 as a problem for the elderly and the infirm.

“The fact is that many of our own loved ones are in this category and we owe it to them to make sure they are taken care of,” Letourneau wrote. “It is also not entirely true; even in Loudoun County we have had perfectly healthy, younger people get very sick from this virus. While thankfully we have not had any fatalities of those under 50, getting seriously ill and being hospitalized has long lasting implications that shouldn’t be brushed aside.”

Letourneau also lamented the political reactions to the public health crisis. Letourneau, a Republican, pointed out that the elected officials who signed the letter to Northam, with which he agreed, are Democrats.

“Unfortunately, the reaction to this issue has largely fallen on partisan lines. But it shouldn’t,” Letourneau wrote. “The Health Directors and the Chief Administrative Officers are not the least bit political. The [Chief Administrative Officers] are also dealing with the financial implications of COVID-19 including revenue losses from businesses, so they are extremely sensitive to that issue. Agree or disagree, the data is there, and I really wish everything wasn’t viewed through a partisan framework.” n

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PAGE 35

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MAY 14, 2020

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