Loudoun Now for May 21, 2020 by Loudoun Now

n LOUDOUN

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n LEESBURG

VOL. 5, NO. 26

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n PUBLIC SAFETY

n OBITUARIES

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n PUBLIC NOTICES

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MAY 21, 2020

As Cases Climb, Some Supervisors Push to Reopen LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

“You’re not thinking she’s not coming back.” When Arnie Tanner left his wife Debra at the emergency room April 10, he didn’t

This week, the state announced that for the first time, testing for the virus that causes COVID-19 would be freely available, meaning people who don’t have symptoms or a doctor with access to the tests could get checked and at no cost. Plans for a state-sponsored, one-day free testing exercise at Bolen Park on Wednesday came the week after most of the state began reopening, while Northern Virginia remained closed. But there were some hopeful signs in Loudoun. Here, the number of confirmed cases continued to climb. The Virginia Department of Health reported there have been 1,527 cases in Loudoun as of Monday evening, 317 new cases over the past week. The virus has put 140 people in the hospital and killed 48. However, said Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend on Tuesday, there is a silver lining— as testing has increased, the percentage of tests coming back positive, while still higher than outside Northern Virginia, has declined. The number of tests conducted each day has been generally increasing since midApril, hitting a record 450 on May 15 but more often hovering around 200 a day over the past week. Meanwhile, the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus has steadily declined. The seven-day average of tests coming

END-OF-LIFE continues on page 34

COVID-19 continues on page 19

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Arnie Tanner holds a portrait of his deceased wife of 21 years, Debra Tanner, on the front porch of their Leesburg home. He dropped her off at the emergency room in late April and never saw her again because family members are not allowed into the hospital over concerns of spreading COVID-19.

Loss and Livestreams:

End-of-Life in the Age of COVID BY JAN MERCKER

jmercker@loudounnow.com

Debra Tanner and Mark Shapiro aren’t part of the daily tally of Loudoun’s COVID-19 losses. But the pandemic dramatically changed the end-of-life for these

two Loudouners and upended the way their families experienced loss. From hospice care to the way we hold memorials, the public health crisis has affected every aspect of dying—and not just for COVID patients—in painful and poignant ways.

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Zurn Warns Loudoun Faces Historic Economic Downturn BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

When Loudoun County Treasurer H. Roger Zurn warns members of the Board of Supervisors they could be facing historic economic declines as a results of the COVID-19 pandemic, he is speaking from decades of experience. The county government’s longest-serving elected official, Zurn first stepped up to elected office in 1990, winning a special election to take the Sterling District seat on the Board of Supervisors, then winning re-election in the general election the next year. He was the chairman on the board’s finance committee as county worked to recover from the savings and loan collapse that sent Loudoun land values plummeting. In that crisis, Loudoun County government had to lay off significant numbers of staff members—a far cry from the county government of today, which adds dozens of positions every year. During his time as county treasurer, Zurn also has helped steer through the

“I’ve never heard the fear that I’m hearing in people’s voices.” — H. Roger Zurn Loudoun County Treasurer

bursting of the dotcom bubble and the Great Recession, along with a couple of other economic dips along the way. During tough economic times, Zurn and his staff on are the front lines. When people are worried about their tax bill, they can call the treasurer’s office to figure out their options. This year, his office is fielding hundreds of calls a day. And this time, he said, he’s hearing something different in the voices of the people on the other end of the line.

“Besides the obvious, that businesses are closed, the potential for quite a few may not even being able to return, the unemployment situation—that unto itself should lead one to believe that we could be facing a difficult situation,” Zurn said. “But then, it’s talking to the business people and the individuals, and for the last four weeks we’ve really been getting a lot of calls, and I’ve been talking to a lot of people.

“I’ve never heard the fear that I’m hearing in people’s voices,” he said. In fact, Zurn said, where in past recessions he’s heard anger from people who have seen their incomes, savings and businesses threatened, this time he’s hearing a combination of anger and fear, “and when you start hearing that, and you’re hearing it multiple times, that lends itself to being added on to the economic data that I get, and that obviously most people would read about, and so I just feel very strongly that we’ve got the potential for having a very, very difficult time.” Zurn has repeatedly urged current county supervisors to pinch every penny that they can. They have already taken some action, such as freezing all new spending and hiring in the budget, and setting aside a $100 million reserve against the pandemic’s effects on county revenues. He said until the county government has a better idea what the impacts of the pandemic are—and they probably won’t have DOWNTURN continues on page 35

Town Elections Post Mixed Turnout Results The first COVID-era elections in Loudoun drew mixed results on Tuesday, with Round Hill seeing its typical voter turnout fall by half and Hamilton experiencing near record participation. Following the urging of state and local leaders, both towns reported record numbers of absentee ballots. That was an effort to limit in-person interactions that could spread the coronavirus. Those heading to the polls found election workers safely behind plexiglass, an offer of hand sanitizer, and a pen to mark their ballot and then take home with them. For the team of five working in Round Hill during the 13-hour voting period, they were almost outnumbered; only eight voters walked through the door. The town had 24 absentee ballots, for a total of 32. Running unopposed, Mayor Scott Ramsey was elected to serve a sixth twoyear term with 29 votes. Incumbent Vice Mayor Mary Anne Graham was re-elected to serve a ninth term on the council with 30 votes. Graham has served for 32 years, although not consecutively. And incumbent Councilman Mike Hummel was re-elected with 26 votes. This is his

Renss Green/Loudoun Now

A plexiglass safety barrier is the newest piece of polling place equipment, designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 as voters carry out their civic duty. Voters were urged to cast absentee ballots from home, and most did.

first election win, having been appointed to the Town Council in January 2017 to fill a vacancy when Kimberly Fortunato resigned. Councilwoman Mellissa Hoffman had decided not to run for another term, but she led the write-in ballots with five votes—enough to give her four more years of council service.

Those three council members will serve on the Town Council through June 30, 2024. A special election also saw incumbent Councilwoman Paula James elected by 30 votes to serve out the remainder of a term that ends in June 2022. In Hamilton, 41 voters went to the polls Tuesdays and another 71 voted by absentee ballot. That participation by 112 voters was the largest turnout in a decade. Two years ago, 67 people voted. There were 38 ballots casts in 2016 and 61 in 2014. In 2010, 153 voters cast ballots. The four candidates, one of whom was an incumbent, vied for three spots on Hamilton’s town council. Former mayor Greg K. Wilmoth was the top vote-getter, with 91. Elizabeth D. Gaucher followed with 89 and incumbent Kenneth C. Wine was re-elected with 84 votes. Sofia D. Kesari won 28 votes and missed a seat on the council. Those three council members will serve on the Town Council through June 30, 2024. A special election also saw incumbent Councilwoman Catherine Salter elected

with 91 votes to serve out the remainder of a term that ends in June 2022. This year’s town elections in Loudoun were anything but typical. Instead of holding them for the five participating Loudoun towns on the first Tuesday in May, they were split between May 19 and June 4. When the Virginia General Assembly rejected Gov. Ralph Northam’s request to move the May 5 municipal elections to Nov. 3—the same day as the 2020 General Election—Northam used his executive authority to push them back two weeks to May 19 in an effort to keep voters away from congregating at the polls amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Hamilton, which originally petitioned for a move to November, and Round Hill were content with leaving the elections on that date, the Towns of Lovettsville, Middleburg and Purcellville petitioned the Virginia Supreme Court to move their elections back to June 4—30 days after the originally scheduled election date, as allowed by Virginia law. The state Supreme Court granted those petitions in early May. n

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The stands at Segra Field at Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park in Leesburg were packed on opening day last year—but this year, will likely remain empty all year with no soccer season.

Supervisors Agree to Defer Loudoun United’s Rent BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

The Board of Supervisors has agreed to defer Loudoun United’s rent payments at Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park near Leesburg for the year, following the cancelation of the 2020 season. Loudoun United plays in a stadium owned by the county government, which has already sunk $25 million to finance its construction and bring the team, as well as the headquarters and training facilities for major league men’s team DC United to the county. After working out a deal in secret, county supervisors voted in January 2018 to approve $15 million in debt financing for the project, adding another $10 mil-

lion in December 2019 when the project ran over budget in exchange for bringing a women’s soccer team, Washington Spirit—which had already announced a move into the park—to Loudoun, as well as a new marketing agreement. At the time of that vote the county had also seen cost overruns in its part of the project, including grading, building parking areas and walkways, and connecting utilities. Those overruns ratcheted an initial estimate of $7 million for that work up to $17 million. The team agreed to pay back all of that cost over the next 30 years, paying rent to

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MAY 21, 2020

Supervisors Rush CARES Act Money to Nonprofits BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors last week unanimously signed off on an accelerated process to get $831,931 of federal CARES Act money to Loudoun nonprofits on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Most years, Loudoun County receives around $1 million in federal funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program. This year, that program got two funding boosts: a higher-than-expected amount available, about $1.4 million, and almost $832,000 on top of that allocated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or CARES Act. The CARES Act funding must be used specifically for COVID-19 relief. The CARES act also allowed supervisors to skip the normal block grant process, which involves community input, public hearings, and two advisory committees—and can take months. The law also allows the money to be disbursed immediately, rather than waiting for the new fiscal year in July.

After supervisors’ vote, $480,0000 of the CARES Act money will go to the county’s rental assistance program created in April, and $310,334 will go into grants for nonprofits. Another $41,597 is reserved for overhead. Meanwhile, the additional CDBG funding will increase the county’s contributions to INMED Partnerships for Children’s work with first-time pregnant women, adolescents, families, and children; Northern Virginia Dental Clinic’s services for low-income and uninsured people; the Good Shepherd Alliance’s emergency shelter and transitional housing; Crossroads Jobs, Inc. job search training and services for Loudouners; Mobile Hope’s rapid rehousing for homeless young people; and HealthWorks for Northern Virginia’s primary medical care services for low-income people with serious mental illnesses. Money will also be channeled into housing projects such as buying land for a price-controlled housing development and rehabilitating existing homes for low-income people. Charlotte Fosque, executive director of Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing, speaking for the Loudoun Human Services Net-

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work group of charitable nonprofits, said the group supports the move. “Overall, limited local resources have been allocated to provide assistance to nonprofits in Loudoun, so the proposed funding specifically for nonprofit services is needed to continue to serve on the front lines of the crisis,” Fosque said. Some supervisors also said the funding offered a chance to reverse the board’s previous vote to take funding away from the Loudoun Museum. After voting to continue their years-long partnership with the museum, supervisors at their next meet-

ing led by County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) reversed that decision, canceling $156,000 for the nonprofit museum. Supervisors Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin), Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge), and Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles), who opposed the vote to strip funding from the museum, urged other supervisors to now reconsider. Randall said she hopes to reinstate that funding when Loudoun gets another $36 million in federal funding expected by June. n

Rent deferral

ey saved this year from the deferred rent to keep people in the organization employed. “I think that this is a partnership to value,” said Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian). “It brings our quality of life and the stature of our county up to work with these partners and to have these sorts of partnerships.” Committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said other landlords have been deferring rent for tenants so that they will get paid eventually, rather than force tenants into bankruptcy and never get paid. And, he said, “this is just the beginning—this is not the National Football League, this is not even major league baseball, there is not a huge wad of cash sitting there from prior seasons.” And, he pointed out, Loudoun United’s situation is also partially caused by the government. “This is akin to having a landlord who has locked out a tenant and still expects the tenant to pay, because the field is closed, the stadium is closed,” Letourneau said. “Even if the team wanted to play tomorrow, we wouldn’t let them, because the government has closed it. So, is it really fair to expect a tenant to make a payment for a service, and for a property, and for a location that we’re not even providing them?” County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) opposed the extension. “I just would have a hard time talking to some citizens who don’t have an option [on rent] but who are in bad financial straits,” Randall said. “… It wouldn’t feel like we’re kind of all doing this together.” Supervisors voted to approve the deferral 6-2-1, with Randall and Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) opposed and Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) absent. n

continued from page 5 play in the county-owned stadium. The first payment was due in November of last year and was paid. Now, the supervisors have agreed to defer the $621,233 the team was going to pay in rent this year, spreading that payment out over the next six years instead, with at least 8 percent interest. Treasurer H. Roger Zurn called into the finance committee’s virtual meeting last Tuesday to warn against the deal. “This is a different time right now than we’ve ever faced before,” Zurn said. “Certainly for the longest-term board members, which has been eight years, the county’s been flush with cash. You’ve been able to do pretty much anything you wanted at any time. But these are different times.” He told supervisors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the county government needs to conserve money wherever it can and protect the taxpayer’s dollar. And, he pointed out, the first payment due next year is in March—before the 2021 season has begun. He predicted the team will be right back asking for another deferral then. “These are more difficult times than we’ve ever encountered, and I’ve been through some difficult times,” said Zurn, Loudoun’s longest-serving elected official and a former Sterling District supervisor. “Starting back in 1990, we had a complete downturn. This has the potential to be worse. It’s absolutely essential now that the mindset becomes, wherever we can conserve money, we need to do it.” However, supporters of the proposal likened the agreement more to landlords deferring rent so that their tenants will be able to pay eventually, rather than go bankrupt. Representatives from Loudoun United have said they would use the mon-

MAY 21, 2020

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PAGE 7

Supervisors Approve $50K Donation to Rent Relief Fund BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The Board of Supervisors has voted to donate $50,000 to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties to help people struggling to pay rent. The $50,000 is all that’s left in a fund normally used to make loans for lower-income people in eastern Loudoun trying to renovate their homes. Supervisors previously took $200,000 from that fund for the county’s own rental assistance program; Department of Family Services Assistant Director Sarah Coyle Etro said that fund is expected to run out of money as county staff members work their way through the 400 applications they have received. But, she said, the Community Foundation is able to get money to people who can’t get help from the county. “They’re able to reach renters that maybe don’t have all of the documentation that we require for our program, but are still in need,” Etro said. “So, they may be renting a room, they may not have a lease, they may not have a yearlong lease, and they may be in an all-cash job or a job that is on-demand, like an Uber driver.” Some supervisors were still skeptical; finance committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said the money might be better spent in the county’s own rental assistance program. “We have a pool of people who have applied for money and we don’t think we can even serve them with it, so at the very least we should be taking care of those

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Finance committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) worried the county should use its money for its own rent relief fund, rather than donate it to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties relief fund.

folks before we start going elsewhere,” Letourneau said. But ultimately the donation won near-unanimous support. Supervisors approved it 8-0-1, with Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) absent. The money will go to the Community Foundation’s Community Emergency Relief Fund, which previously was used to make a $25,000 grant to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, in support of a collaboration between Catholic Charities’ Loudoun office and Loudoun Cares to provide monetary assistance directly to individuals impacted financially by the COVID-19 crisis. n

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MAY 21, 2020

Leesburg

Kuhn Offers Westpark To Leesburg For $3.4 Million BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ krodriguez@loudounnow.com

News that Leesburg leaders have the opportunity to purchase a prime piece of town real estate came as a surprise to many last week—including some Town Council members. Chuck Kuhn, CEO of JK Moving Services and a noted Loudoun land conservator, sent a letter to Mayor Kelly Burk last week with an offer to sell 137 acres of the former Westpark Golf Club property to the town for $3.4 million. Kuhn is the contract purchaser for the property, which operated as a golf club for more than 50 years before ceasing operations last year. The property went up for sale in 2017 and was initially under contract by CalAtlantic, later Lennar Homes, which envisioned a townhouse community. That rezoning application was denied by the Town Council, and Lennar eventually backed out of the purchase. Under the conditions of sale spelled out in the letter, which was obtained by Loudoun Now via a Freedom of Information Act request, the 134 acres would be placed into conservation easement. Kuhn would retain the eight acres of the Westpark land that is currently zoned for commercial use for the development of a hotel site. He said via email that he has not yet determined what he would do with the commercial property. While he stayed mum on his plans for the commercial land, Kuhn made his hopes for the town clear. “We are attempting to place the current golf course into conservation easement

and sell the property to the Town of Leesburg post easement at a greatly reduced price with the hopes that the Town of Leesburg would create a public park with the open space,” he said. “We are working closely with Mayor Burk who is a strong advocate for protecting the open space at the Westpark Golf Course.” The letter states that the purchase agreement must be drafted between the two parties and executed by the seller and purchaser no later than July 1. Over the weekend, a Loudoun Impact podcast featuring Burk and Kuhn circulated on social media, and it shed some light into how Kuhn’s offer to the town came to pass. Burk said when she read an article in February that unveiled Kuhn’s interest in the Westpark property she decided to reach out to him herself. At the time, Kuhn said, he had already planned to place the golf course land into conservation easement and was planning to find a nonprofit to hand it off to. On the call, Burk suggested he consider the Town of Leesburg. She arranged a meeting with herself, Kuhn and members of town staff, including Town Manager Kaj Dentler, to talk about how such a transaction would work. Following Kuhn’s letter to Burk last week which spelled out his offer to the town, the mayor has been active on social media soliciting resident feedback on the proposal, and whether there is support to convert the land into a town park. She’s made her position on the proposal clear. “I think it’s a great opportunity and shame on us if we let it slip through our

fingers,” she said. “We should be preserving this for our children and our children’s children and the children after that.” When the Westpark rezoning application was still active, many residents in community meetings and public hearings urged the town to purchase the land and either develop it as a park or continue its golf course use. A memo to the Town Council in late 2017 recommended against operating the property as a government-run golf course, citing the high costs of maintenance, operation, and capital improvements, and low return on investment. Much of the land in question is also located within a floodplain. The council as a body has not yet discussed the proposal, but is expected to at its May 26 meeting. Councilman Neil Steinberg has also been effusive in his support for the land buy, sending an email to constituents last week urging residents to reach out to council members to make their feelings known. “I recognize that some will question the wisdom of such a move in the midst of our current health crisis, but opportunities such as these do not always occur under ideal circumstances and, if nothing else, we have come to appreciate the extraordinary value of the space that Westpark will provide,” he wrote. But timing is everything, as they say, and Councilman Ron Campbell is waving the caution flag. Ponying up $3.4 million in challenging fiscal times, with the COVID-19 pandemic likely to have a profound effect on town government revenues, is less than ideal. “The complete financial impact for ac-

quiring and maintaining the open space, of which the majority is located in a flood zone, is yet to be determined, so it’s premature to call this a good opportunity,” he said in a letter shared to his Facebook page. “Our town is facing severe financial impacts resulting from projected multimillion dollar losses in revenue due to COVID-19. I think that you would agree we have far greater priorities as it relates to spending and the impact on our residents, our town employees, our businesses, and town services.” Campbell also pointed out that the previous rezoning application for the property would have gifted the 137 acres to the town free of charge. He and Vice Mayor Marty Martinez were the only two council members to support that proposal, which was denied by a 5-2 vote last year. Councilman Tom Dunn expressed his frustration with the messaging used by Burk to drum up support for the proposal, before it has been fully vetted by Town Council or staff. He also said that she has been working behind the scenes on the deal for months and should have involved the council at an earlier juncture. “This is Kelly Burk’s version of mob rule,” he said, also calling it an “election year stunt.” That’s a perception both Kuhn and Burk said on the podcast they wanted to avoid. “I hope [the council] can look at this opportunity to protect the open space on its own merit and I really hope it doesn’t become a political situation in an election year for the town,” Kuhn said. To which Burk replied, with a laugh, “You and me both.” n

Bagdasarian Joins Leesburg Council Race BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

A familiar face has thrown his hat in the ring for a Leesburg Town Council seat. Ara Bagdasarian has announced his first bid for public office, and hopes to fill one of the three four-year term council seats on the ballot this November. Although he’s never run for office before, Bagdasarian’s service to the town, county, and nation has been extensive.

He and his business partner launched e2Campus, the world’s first campus emergency notification system, in 2004. His Leesburg-based company Omnilert provides emergency alerts to millions of students, employees, and residents in over 2,500 organizations. In a nod to his entrepreneurial pursuits, he co-authored “The Lemonhead Stand” book, which gave rise to the Lemonhead movement, as a “why-to” guide to entrepreneurship and how to turn ideas into reality. Bagdasarian also previously chaired the

town’s Economic Development Commission, and has been involved in many local nonprofits, including founding his own, BENEFIT, in 2019. “I am running because I love this town and I think we can do better. As an experienced CEO, entrepreneur, nonprofit leader, and resident I can bring my optimism, leadership and experience to bring Leesburg to the next level,” he said. He and his family, which includes BAGDASARIAN continues on page 9

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Bagdasarian continued from page 8 wife Patti and two children, have lived in Leesburg since 2000. Bagdasarian said he knew immediately when he drove down King Street for the first time that Leesburg was where he wanted his family to be. Although the Bagdasarians moved just slightly outside of town limits from 2010 to 2019, they moved to their current home in the historic district last year. If elected, Bagdasarian said, he has three priorities. The first focuses on where the town is now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and bringing forth economic recovery, “so Leesburg is even better than it was before the pandemic,” he said. “We need to adapt, be creative. This is a new normal and we don’t know how long that is going to last,” he continued. His second priority focuses on 21st century living, including having a walkable community that accommodates alternate modes of transportation, like rideshares and bicycles, and also encouraging more teleworking or coworking opportunities. “What this pandemic has taught us is you can work from home remotely. It is possible. Looking for ways to encourage

more of that is important for the next decade,” Bagdasarian said. Finally, he wants to focus on smart growth. It includes making sure the town’s limited development opportunities—as Leesburg is nearing buildout—are well planned and aligned with the council’s vision. Focusing on redevelopment and mixed-use amenities is also important, he said. Bagdasarian said he does not plan to run a traditional campaign, and is looking forward to engaging with citizens and business owners in online, collaborative conversations. He also is encouraging residents to patronize local restaurants and businesses in lieu of making a campaign contribution. For more information on Bagdasarian and his campaign, go to ara2020.org. Bagdasarian joins a growing list of council candidates, including incumbent Tom Dunn and challenger Zach Cummings. Councilman Josh Thiel announced last week that he will be resigning several months prior to the end of his term because he is moving outside of town limits, and Councilman Ron Campbell has not announced his plans yet. Mayor Kelly Burk is the only one so far to announce for the mayor’s race. The filing deadline is June 9. n

PAGE 9

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MAY 21, 2020

Education

School Board Holds Class Rank Policy, Last Day of School Unchanged BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The School Board voted last week not to add two more hot-button items to the wave of changes already experienced by students, parents and teachers over the past two months. Classes will end on June 10, as previously scheduled, and the district will continue to compile class rankings, for now. Over the previous week, School Board members had been gathering input on options on whether to end the process of ranking students with their class peers and to end the school year a few days early—on Friday, June 5 rather than continuing until the following Wednesday. Most said the overwhelming response was: Please, no more changes. Compiling class ranking is complicated this year because of the school closer and the policy not requiring fourth-period grades. The rankings already have

SCHOOL Notebook Dolson, Muldowney Named Educators of the Year Park View High School Principal Kirk Dolson was named Loudoun County Principal of the Year Award and Round Hill Elementary School Mark Muldowney was named Teacher of the Year. Both were finalists in The Washington Post’s Educators of the Year program. Dolson has served as Park View’s principal since 2014. Those nominating him for the award wrote that his service to the community goes far beyond that of a principal’s traditional duties. His fans include School Board Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan. “He is a nurturing father figure to the young people in his care, regularly visiting the students who reside at the homeless shelter,” she wrote in her nomination letter. “He purchases winter coats for some of these students as well. He is deeply en-

been reported to colleges for this year’s graduating class, but they remain important for rising seniors. School board members agreed it was worth having a discussion of the ranking system, as members and administers raised concerns about the pressure it puts on some students and questioned whether it helps or hurts even top-performing students as they apply to colleges and seek scholarships. But those talks aren’t likely to begin immediately, and any changes are expected to be applied to an incoming freshman class in the future. While that decision was unanimous, the question of whether to end school early sparked debate. The majority of board members said they didn’t want to create more uncertainty for students or parents wrestling with an unprecedented school year. Also, they wanted to provide students with as much instruction as possible, acknowledging that the hastily created distance learning program is likely to leave many

trenched in the idea that every student can learn, grow and succeed with appropriate supports in place. He was reduced to tears at a Park View graduation ceremony when a student, lacking parent support, a home environment and basic necessities, came up to him, hugged him and thanked him for believing in him. Mr. Dolson had personally mentored this graduate.” Muldowney teaches fifth grade at Round Hill Elementary School. In his nomination letter, Principal Andrew Davis noted Muldowney’s effect on Round Hill’s culture beyond the classroom. “He not only empowers his students to succeed and meet any goal set for them, he does the same for his colleagues and teammates.” “All of the kids in our school know Mr. Muldowney’s name because he is always talking to them in the hallways and in the classrooms,” wrote third-grade teacher Melanie Condon. “He is so full of energy! Mark is a champion for students in need and is always willing to step in as a role model and mentor.”

“We are setting our children back significantly. We need to provide as much learning as we can. Every day that you get to learn is a day that we owe you.” — Jeﬀ Morse (Dulles) behind when they start the next school year. Those board members also noted that there is nothing to prevent students from ending their online classes, as there is no penalty for nonparticipation.

Muldowney started his LCPS career in 1999 at Sanders Corner Elementary. He came to Round Hill in 2004 as a firstgrade teacher and has been a fifth-grade teacher at the school since 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the State University of New York at Old Westbury. He studied abroad at St. Patrick’s College, Dublin, Ireland. Before coming to LCPS, Muldowney taught kindergarten and first grade at Lancaster Primary School in Lancaster, PA.

Kaine Features Tuscarora’s Kasun in Speakers Contest U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine launched the “Everybody’s the Graduation Speaker” video contest to provide a forum to students because many in-person graduations are being postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus. He has been encouraging Virginia’s graduating high school seniors to submit a video of an original speech they would like to give at graduation and se-

“We are setting our children back significantly. We need to provide as much learning as we can,” said Jeff Morse (Dulles). “Every day that you get to learn is a day that we owe you.” “My priorities are with the students and giving them every learning opportunity,” said Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan (Sterling). Denise Corbo (At Large) and Beth Barts (Leesburg) supported ending classes a few days early, to allow the staff more time to wrap up their year-end work. Corbo, a former teacher, wanted to give teachers more time to pack up their classrooms, since most haven’t been able to return to their school buildings since early March. She said boxing up classroom materials generally takes weeks and typically begins well before June. Under the schedule, the last day of class for seniors will be June 4. Administrators are developing procedures that will allow students to pick up their remaining personal items. n

lected some to feature on his Facebook page and website during May and June to celebrate the graduates. One of those selected by Tuscarora High School senior Ana Kasun. “Speaking of the silver lining, I have found strength and happiness in my peers and family. Quarantine has given me a lot of time to reflect on the past few years of my life, and I am beyond thankful for all the experiences and people that have shaped me into who I am. I am so incredibly impressed by the resilience of students in the Class of 2020 and their ability to turn any situation into a positive one,” she said. “We have all become so aware of taking things for granted, and we have chosen to look back on the good times rather than wallowing in what we will miss out on. We could have chosen to be angry at the world, but instead we are accepting this challenge and handling it with maturity and optimism. Our time to be recognized will come, but for now we will be patient and compliant.”

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Staff members at the Loudoun Free Clinic are working through the COVID-19 pandemic to care for uninsured residents.

Working for You:

Loudoun Free Clinic The mission of the Loudoun Free Clinic is to support healthcare services for Loudoun County residents who, as a result of economic or other barriers, would otherwise do without. The COVID-19 virus has not stopped our mission. Since 1999, the Loudoun Free Clinic has provided comprehensive healthcare for uninsured residents of Loudoun County and remains open through the COVID-19 pandemic while being careful to keep our staff and patients safe by modifying patient schedules and protocols. Routine, non-essential appointments have been rescheduled, but we continue to see patients with urgent matters. All patients are prescreened for symptoms by telephone the day before and at the time of the appointment. We continue to monitor our patients with chronic conditions via telephonic visits and have modified our prescription pickup process to ensure our patients have their needed medications while minimizing exposure. “By staying open, we are doing our part in flattening the curve of this serious pandemic and preventing increases in emergency room visits,” stated Board Chairman Bill Schmidt. “If we can provide continuous care for our patients by phone and provide their medications for pick up, they won’t end up in the emergency room. This is how we are working to flatten the curve. Being open today during this crisis looks different, but we are open and continue to serve the community.” The Loudoun Free Clinic team consists

of dedicated staff members, volunteers and a Board of Directors who work together as a family supporting one another and the community. “We have more than 780 active patients that fall below 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line in the county,” said Patient Eligibility Coordinator and Outreach Specialist Paula Callaghan. “In addition, our patients have been hurt by COVID-19 because most of them work in restaurants, hospitality business, cleaning companies, etc. We are doing our best and continue serving the most vulnerable people in the County. We are the only free clinic that provides doctor visits for sick care and preventive screenings, chronic management, well woman exams, prescription medicines, flu shots, specialty care, mental health and bilingual staff.” “This is a very difficult time for our community’s health,” said Dr. Christopher Chiantella, the clinic’s medical director and chief medical officer at Inova Loudoun Hospital. “Information and guidelines change daily related to COVID-19. We have to balance the absolute necessity of social distancing and isolation to minimize spread of this very virulent virus, while continuing to manage chronic illness. The possibility of isolation is difficult for many of our patients. Those who have chronic illness like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic lung disease, as well as those FREE CLINIC continues on page 15

MAY 21, 2020

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Volunteers Turn Out to Support Community Farm Thanks to scores of volunteers, the meticulously prepared rows at the JK Community Farm south of Round Hill are filled with seedlings—some 9,000 vegetable plants that will provide nearly 30,000 meals to residents in the region. It is the third growing season at the farm and the second time volunteers have been invited to help with the spring plantathon. Because of social distancing requirements, the work this year was shared by small groups of 10 and spread out over two days, but still drew 120 volunteers “Normally, the plantathon is a lot of companies, but this year it has been a lot of community members, which is great,” said Executive Director Samantha Kuhn. On Saturday morning, a group from JK Moving and Storage was at work planting banana peppers. They were joined by company founder Chuck Kuhn, who established the community garden in 2018 to provide fresh, organic produce to area food banks. The farm grows sweet potatoes, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, turnips, tomatoes, zucchini and lots and lots of peppers—mild,

PAGE 15

Free Clinic continued from page 14

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Company founder Chuck Kuhn and employees of JK Moving and Storage were at work planting banana peppers on Saturday morning as part of the JK Community Farm Plantathon.

spicy and sweet. Working with smaller groups of volunteers during this year’s planting was something new for Farm Manager Michael Smith. “Here at the farm, we are grateful for any volunteers that we get. So, we just try to utilize the opportunities we have in any way that we can,” he said. “Whether we have 10 or we have 100, it usually seems to work out nice.” The farm offers volunteer opportunities, corporate team building programs and tours throughout the spring, summer and fall. For more information, go to jkcommunityfarm.org/volunteer. n

on certain medications which affect one’s ability to fight infections, are particularly at risk. Continuing to follow these patients is crucial to maintain our population’s health. It is through isolation and maintenance of health that we will reduce the collective spread of the virus and the individual risk. The clinic is here to balance both these important goals as we support our entire community, both those enrolled in the clinic and the population in general.”

One Smile At A

The work of Loudoun Free Clinic has not gone unnoticed. The community has rallied to lend tremendous support, as evidenced by the outpouring of recent in-kind donations. “We truly appreciate the donations of hand sanitizer produced by Catoctin Creek Distillery, homemade masks, canned goods and grocery store gift cards for our patients in imminent need. Thank you for generosity and for thinking of our patients and staff during this time,” stated Colleen Breuning, Director of Business Operations. To support Loudoun Free Clinic, go to loudounfreeclinic.org. n

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MAY 21, 2020

Business

Virginia Sells Center for Innovative Technology Long before Northern Virginia emerged as a global high-tech center, the state government in the 1980s hoped to plant the seed for that type of growth with the construction of an architecturally memorable structure at the intersection of Rt. 28 and the Dulles Access Road. While critics have said that venture, the Center of Innovative Technology, never really lived up to its billing, the Dulles Corridor has since filled up with Fortune 500 companies and spurred some of the nation’s best-known startups. Last week, the incubator space and 26 acres were sold to affiliates of Origami Capital Partners and Timberline Real Estate Partners. Proceeds from the $47.35 million deal will be directed toward efforts to drive research and job creation in emerging technologies, according to the announcement from the governor’s office. Loudoun County Executive Director of Economic Development Buddy Rizer hailed the transaction as an important show of confidence in the market. “Obviously, we are all dealing with the fallout from COVID-19, which has shaken the world’s economy to the core. With businesses shuttered and unemployment skyrocketing, the easy thing would be to dismiss this deal as business as usual. But

Renss Greene

The Center for Innovative Technologies was once offered as a potential home for Amazon's HQ2.

that’s not how I see it. So often, in times of economic turmoil, deals fall apart or are re-negotiated. Not only did this partnership not seek to blow up the deal, but they also closed on time and at full price, reportedly $47.35 million,” Rizer wrote in a blog post. “As is widely known, the Innovation Station site was a finalist for the Amazon HQ2 project, finishing close behind our

neighbors in Arlington. What isn’t known is that interest in the site from office users has remained strong in the months since. The closing of this deal shows the confidence that the market has in the future of the economy in Loudoun County and the Dulles Technology Corridor,” he wrote. The proceeds from the sale will be deposited into the Virginia Research Investment Fund and will help fund the new Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority. The VIPA was created during the 2020 General Assembly session at the request of the Northam administration to support research, development, and commercialization, as well as investment and seed-stage funding to help entrepreneurs launch and grow technology companies—goals the administration of former Governor Chuck Robb laid out when it originally secured funding to build the CIT in the 1980s. “The sale of this valuable property will help fund innovation programs for the Commonwealth and transform the way Virginia invests in higher education research and job creation in high-technology fields,” Gov. Ralph Northam stated in the announcement of the sale. “The newly-formed Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority will focus on job creation,

new company formation, investment in applied research projects, and capital investment in Virginia companies. This is an exciting opportunity to enhance Virginia’s position as a regional and national technology leader.” The property consists of a 149,000-square-foot office building located on a nearly 26-acre site straddling Loudoun and Fairfax counties just east of Dulles Airport. The site includes access to the Silver Line at the Innovation Center Metrorail Station. “This event represents a significant milestone toward the goal of delivering to Northern Virginia a development that will entice and excite major corporate tenants,” said Jeff Young, managing partner of Origami. “We know companies will embrace the project and resolve to focus on delivering a development to the residents of Northern Virginia they will celebrate. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with the commonwealth, Loudoun and Fairfax counties.” The General Assembly declared the property surplus in 2016. Last October, 12 proposals from 10 potential purchasers were submitted to the state. Negotiations with the winning bidder began in November. n

Latvian Lingerie Designer Looks to Expand in Leesburg BY PATRICK SZABO pszabo@loudounnow.com

A Latvian-born Loudouner who at one point in his life resolved to design racecars is now working to expand his online lingerie business to give customers an in-person chance to peruse items before swiping their cards. Armands Kruze owns and operates his Lavinia Lingerie company out of an office in Leesburg’s Blockchain co-working space on Harrison Street. While his high-end, Latvian-made lingerie is shipped to customers around the world, Kruze is eyeing an expansion that would cater better to his local customers—by opening a retail storefront on the main floor of the Blockchain building, if town zoning allows it. Kruze has operated Lavinia Lingerie out of Blockchain since November. Named after Kruze’s wife’s aunt, with a sound reminiscent of Kruze’s homeland, Lavinia

Lingerie is made from Italian and French fabrics with sizing, pricing and comfort designed to appeal to all customers. Kruze operates a warehouse on the first floor of the co-working space, where he boxes up online orders to send to places like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Russia, Scandinavia and Israel—where a huge clientele base lives. Kruze’s hopes of opening a retail storefront at Blockchain—a building that was built as a Loudoun Water headquarters and then served as a Sheriff ’s Office space before opening as a shared office space— hinge on town zoning rules. Kruze said the Blockchain management team seems to be initially onboard with the idea as long as town regulations permit it to move forward. “If zoning allows, I will be very open,” he said. Kruze, who said he aspired to design Formula 1 cars in college, started Lavinia

Lingerie in 2002 when he was living with his family in Manhattan. At that time, his wife had a subscription to a lingerie company that sent her a box of new items every month. Kruze said that lingerie was of poor quality, though. When his mom mentioned that the lingerie in Latvia was of much better quality—Kruze said the Eastern-European lingerie world is centered in Latvia—he hatched the idea to start his own company. At first, he was working with a label that competed with Victoria’s Secret—a difficult business to handle. But after attending a lingerie show in Paris a few years ago, Kruze met some designers he liked and began making his own Lavinia collections with them. “It worked out very well,” he said about taking that chance. “It’s not easy.” Kruze sells lingerie made by other Latvian manufactures and designs and produces Lavinia Lingerie items alongside the main designer for the biggest lingerie company

in Latvia, whom Kruze said “knows everything from A to Z [about lingerie].” The most popular among his line of products are his see-through collections— collections Kruze said are especially popular with husbands browsing lingerie for their wives. Lavinia-brand lingerie is also popular among women looking for bigger sizes that can’t be found in other lingerie stores, he said. Moving toward a future of more sales, Kruze continues to gather ideas and expand his reputation by attending Parisian lingerie shows twice a year. Kruze said he also wants to start manufacturing his lingerie collections on his own, without the help of other companies. He’s even in talks with some Latvian lingerie companies who have shuttered amid the coronavirus crisis about taking over their operations. “I can be better than Victoria’s Secret one day,” he said about his prospects for the future. n

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MAY 21, 2020

PAGE 17

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Dr. SPECIAL with every scheduled The Village at Leesburg facing Teeth Whitening Kit with every HOURS: your family’s dental needs under one roof. Insurance Suite 210with Conveniently located in(once/month) thegentle Village of Tues. Leesburg WHITENING SPECIAL of Loudoun for 13 years. - Thurs.: 7am - 4pm Please present coupon aSat.: caring and style that will serve most all 8am 1pm Use your benefits before the end of will be priority in the short term. Moving Mon & -Wed: 8-6pm cleaning or procedure. WHITENING HOURS: Route 7 between Wegmans and toserve scheduled cleaning or procedure. WHITENING SPECIAL with aa20175 caring and gentle that will most all of Dodona Terrace with caring and style that will all of Leesburg, Conveniently located in FREE Teeth Whitening Kit of the year and receive a FREE receive the Not to bemost Fri.: 8am -1,serve 1pm Cochran has provided trusted dental care to the citizens TuesEmergency &1503 Thurs: 7-4pm 1503VA Dodona Terrace #210 •gentle Leesburg, VA&style 20175 •LA 703-771-9034 Mon. Wed.: 8am -offer. 6pm WHITENING your interaction family’s dental needs under one roof. Insurance Offer Expires January 2016. Offer Expires 8/31/16. Fitness 24hr Service friendly office offering budget wise payment options. Dr. Conveniently located in FREE Teeth Whitening Kit Teeth Whitening Kit with every forward, face-to-face learning Suite 210 SPECIAL Please present coupon to receive the offer. Mon. & Wed.: 8am 6pm combined w/any other Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) with every scheduled The Village at Leesburg facing Please present coupon to Sat.: 8am 1pm (once/month) Mon & Wed: 8-6pm Mon. & Wed.: 8am 6pm • Tues. Thurs.: 7am 4pm • Fri.: 8am 1pm • 24hr Emergency Service your family’s dental needs under one roof. Insurance scheduled cleaning or procedure. Tues. - Thurs.: 7am -7-4pm 4pm Notfacing to be combined with any other offer. SPECIAL 703-771-9034 with every scheduled The Village Leesburg Leesburg, VA 24hr Emergency Service ofyour Loudoun for 13 years. Use your benefits before the toend receive offer. Not be Cochran has provided trusted dental care tothe the citizens family’s dental needs under one roof. Insurance & Thurs: your family’s dental needs under one roof. Insurance Offer Expires January 1, 2016. cleaning or procedure. Route 720175 between Wegmans and 24hr Emergency Service will be more highly valued than everoffice beTues. - at Thurs.: 7am - Tues 4pm 1503 Dodona Terrace Use your benefits before the end Please present coupon to w/any receive the offer. combined other Fri:8am 8-1pm • -Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) friendly offering budget wise payment options. Dr. of the year and receive a FREE cleaning or procedure. Route 7 between Wegmans and Fri.: 1pm Offer Expires 8/31/16. WHITENING 1503 Dodona Terrace LA Fitness Not to be combined with any other offer. friendly office offering budget wise payment options. Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com 703-771-9034 of Service the year and receive a FREE 24hryears. Emergency of 13 Visit our website: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Fri.:Fitness 8am -for 1pm Conveniently located in Loudoun Teeth Whitening KitDr. with everyDr. fore,” Ocheltree said. Suite 210 Offer Expires 8/31/16. LA friendly offering budget wise payment options. Please present coupon toDr. Sat.: 8am 1pm (once/month) Mon & -Wed: 8-6pm friendly office offering budget wise payment options. Teeth Whitening Kitcleaning with every Suite 210office scheduled or procedure. SPECIAL WHITENING The Village at Leesburg facing Please present coupon to Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Sat.: 8am 1pm (once/month) Leesburg, VA 20175 Mon & Wed:Tues 8-6pm Visit our website: receive the offer. Not to be Conveniently located inscheduled Cochran has provided trusted dental care toTheLeesburgVADentist.com the citizens Cochran has provided trusted dental care the citizens & Thurs: 7-4pm cleaning orto procedure. Offer Expires January 1, 2016. 2 0 1 9

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Northern Virginia Housing Expo Goes Virtual

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The 2020 Northern Virginia Housing Expo will launch June 1 as a free, virtual event for the entire month of June. The event was originally scheduled for one day in April in Sterling, but was rescheduled and reimagined in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online expo, geared to first-time homebuyers and renters, will replicate the three key aspects of the in-person event: 24hr Emergency Use your dental benefitsService before the endthe Leesburg, 20175 receive offer. Notto w/any to be the Cochran has provided trusted care to the citizens Tues &Village Thurs: 7-4pm Route 7VA between Wegmans and Offer Expires January 1, 2016. SPECIAL Please present coupon receive offer. combined other Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) 24hr Emergency Service The at Leesburg facing an exhibit hall with dozens of exhibitors, 1503 Dodona TerraceCochran has provided trusted care to the citizens FREE of the year anddental receive a combined present coupon receive the offer. w/any other Not toyour be to combined with any other Fri: 8-1pmRoute • Sat: 13 8-1pm (Once/month) 703-771-9034 Use benefits before the offer. end 24hr Emergency ServicePlease LA Fitness of Loudoun for years. 7 between Wegmans and Teeth Whitening Kit with every Not to be combined with any other offer. of Loudoun 13 years. free online workshops for first-time home1503 Dodona Terrace Suite 210 for703-771-9034 24hryears. Emergency Service of Loudoun for 13 of the year and receive a FREE Mon & Wed: 8-6pm LA Fitness scheduled cleaning or procedure. WHITENING Teeth Whitening Kit with every for 13 years. Suite 210 Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Leesburg, VA 20175 of Loudoun buyers and renters, and personal financial Visit our website: Tues & Thurs: 7-4pm Conveniently located in Expires 1, 2016. MonTheLeesburgVADentist.com &Offer Wed: 8-6pm January WHITENING Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com scheduled cleaning or procedure. Visit our website: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Conveniently located in Leesburg, VA 20175 Please present coupon to receive the offer. Conveniently located in 8-1pm Fri: 8-1pm •The Sat: (Once/month) Tues & Thurs: 7-4pm counseling sessions. Offer Expires January 1, 2016. SPECIAL Village at Leesburg facing Not to be combined with any other offer. 703-771-9034 Please present coupon to receive the offer. SPECIAL in 8-1pm (Once/month) Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 24hr Emergency Service located TheConveniently Village facing Use your benefits before theoffer. end Beginning June 1, the 2020 Northern Not to be combined with any other The Village at Leesburg facing Routeat7 Leesburg between Wegmans 703-771-9034 24hr Emergencyand Service Use yourofbenefits before the end 1503 Dodona Terrace the year and receive a FREE Route 7 between Wegmans and The Village at Leesburg facing Virginia Housing Expo will open the viryour benefits before the end a Kit 1503 Dodona Terrace Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com LAUse Fitness of the year and receive FREE Route 7 between Wegmans and Teeth Whitening with the everyend Use your benefits before Visit our website at: TheLeesburgVADentist.com Suite 210 LA Fitness tual exhibit hall as well as the online1503 reg- Dodona Terrace Route 7 between Wegmans and of the year and receive a FREE Teeth Whitening Kit with every Mon & Wed: 8-6pm Suite 210 1503 Dodona Terrace scheduled cleaning or procedure. of the year and receive a FREE LA Fitness & Wed: 8-6pm Leesburg, VA 20175 MonLA istration for workshops and the financial Suite 210 scheduled cleaning or procedure. Tues &Teeth Thurs: 7-4pm Fitness Offer every Expires January 1, 2016. Whitening Kit with Leesburg, VA 20175 Teeth Whitening Kit with Tues & Thurs: 7-4pm Suite 210 OfferPlease Expires January 1, 2016. present coupon to receive theevery offer. Mon & Wed: 8-6pm Fri: counseling sessions at novahousingexpo. 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) scheduled cleaning or procedure. Mon &8-1pm Wed: 8-6pm Please present coupon to receive the offer. Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: (Once/month) scheduled cleaning or procedure. Not to be combined with any other offer. Leesburg, VA 20175 24hr Emergency Service org/index.html. Leesburg, VA Tues20175 & Thurs: 7-4pm 24hr Offer ExpiresNot January 1, 2016. to be combined with anyJanuary other offer. Tues & Thurs:Service 7-4pm Offer Expires 1, 2016. Emergency Virtual workshops will be held SaturPlease present couponPlease to receive the coupon offer. to receive the offer. Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm Fri: (Once/month) present 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) Usewith your benefits before theoffer. end days throughout the month of June, beginNotService to be combined other offer. with Notany to be combined any other Use your benefits before the end 24hr Emergency Service24hr Emergency of the year and receive a FREE ning June 6 and continuing every Saturday of the year and receive a FREE through June 27. They will be live-streamed Whitening Kit every with every TeethTeeth Whitening Kit with at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and replayed on at Mon & Wed: 8-6pm scheduled cleaning or procedure. Mon & Wed: 8-6pm facebook.com/NOVAhousingexpo at 2 and scheduled cleaning or procedure. Tues & Thurs: 7-4pm Offer Expires January 1, 2016. 4 p.m. The workshops will focus on firstTues & Thurs: 7-4pm Offer Expires January 1,to2016. Please present coupon receive the offer. Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month)Please present coupon to receive the offer. time homebuyer programs in Loudoun Fri: 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) Not to be combined with any other offer. and the other jurisdictions, market over24hr Emergency Service Not to be combined with any other offer. 24hr Emergency Service views, being ready to buy, rental assistance programs, and understanding and improving credit scores. Details about how to participate in the event are online at novahousingexpo.org. Resources for homebuyers and renters in Loudoun County are online at loudoun. gov/housing.

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PAGE 18

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MAY 21, 2020

Our Towns

TOWN Notes PURCELLVILLE Staff Updates on New Cellular Tower Project

Contributed

A rendering of the proposed Fueled Farm Brewery tasting room planned to be build along Rt. 50 east of Middleburg.

Middleburg Brewery Plans March 2021 Opening BY PATRICK SZABO

pszabo@loudounnow.com

Already inundated with winery choices, Middleburg-area residents will have a second brewery to visit this time next year. Middleburg-area residents Scott Buzzelli, a partner at Middleburg Real Es-

tate-Atoka Properties, and Brian Yarnal presented the Town Council on Thursday night with their proposal to open the Fueled Farm Brewery about a mile east of the town limits on a 10-acre property just north of Rt. 50. The duo plans to begin construction on the taproom in late summer and open the brewery to the public by

next March. Yarnal said that Vanish Farmwoods Brewery Owner Jonathan Staples would manage Fueled Farm’s beverage production and farming while King Street Oyster BREWERY OPENING continues on page 20

Town Businesses Question Phase 1 Re-opening Delay BY PATRICK SZABO

pszabo@loudounnow.com

Gov. Ralph Northam late last week amended his order exempting Northern Virginia from reopening last Friday to quell confusion among some western Loudoun business owners and town leaders. On May 8, Northam announced that all Virginia localities would be allowed to cautiously reopen for business May 15. Four days later, Northam issued another order exempting the Northern Virginia region from reopening so soon and pushing the reopening date to at least May 29, at the request of several

regional leaders. But that order did not specifically mention any Loudoun town other than Leesburg and listed no specific locality in the directive, only the Northern Virginia region. That led some business owners and leaders in western Loudoun towns to think they might have been exempt from the opening and allowed to reopen their businesses and towns last Friday. In response, Northam on the evening of May 14 amended the order to include “all towns and political subdivisions contained therein.” It also included the City of Richmond and Accomack County. According to the order, local leaders

on May 9 “from the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park, as well as the Towns of Dumfries, Herndon, Leesburg, and Vienna (Northern Virginia Region) requested to remain in Phase Zero.” Upon reading that, three business owners contacted Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton seeking clarification on whether they would be allowed to reopen last Friday, since Middleburg was not listed. Littleton said he clarified the order for those business owners. RE-OPENING DELAY continues on page 21

The town staff has publicized an updated timeline on the cellular tower project on the town’s Basham Simms Wastewater Facility. On March 4, the town issued a request for proposals seeking responses from firms interested in building a cellular tower on the wastewater property to lease space to four or five cellular carriers. Those responses were due in by April 21. The town received seven responses. According to a staff report, the names of those respondents will remain private until there is a recommendation to award a contract. On May 11, the town staff completed evaluations for those responses and on May 12 and 13, the staff met to discuss their shortlist selections. Interviews with those respondents will take place this week or next. The town will issue its best and final offer to the selected firm during the week of May 25 or June 1, with negotiations expected to take place throughout the following week. Contract review will then take two to three weeks before an award is offered no earlier than the week of July 6.

Businesses Still Signing Up for Voucher Program With 31 businesses already signed up to participate in the Town of Purcellville’s voucher program, more are on their way. On April 27, the town mailed two $10 vouchers to the town’s 3,336 utility customers. Those residents may use the vouchers at any of the businesses signed up in the program, which so far includes 13 retail businesses, 10 restaurants, seven service-oriented businesses and one nonprofit. According to Parks and Recreation Division Manager Amie Ware, businesses continue to sign up to participate. Ware said that in response to TOWN NOTES continues on page 20

MAY 21, 2020

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PAGE 19

Middleburg Council Releases Staff Salary Increases BY PATRICK SZABO

pszabo@loudounnow.com

After a month of uncertainty, Middleburg town staffers will get the pay increases they’ve been waiting on. The Town Council on Thursday night voted unanimously to authorize Town Manager Danny Davis to implement 3-percent salary increases for all staff members and merit increases for high-performing staffers. The council a month ago voted to freeze those pay increases in response to an

COVID-19 continued from page 1 back positive has fallen from its high of 30.1 percent on April 28 to 18 percent as of May 17, the last day data are available. There have been more than 7,200 PCR tests, the swab test that checks for virus currently in a person’s system, administered in Loudoun. That also puts Loudoun in better shape than its neighbor to the east, Fairfax County, where the positivity rate is at 24.1 percent, but behind the state at large, with a statewide seven-day average of 14.9 percent. Goodfriend also noted that the rate of new cases has held level for the past several weeks at 30-40 new cases a day. That, he said, means Loudoun may be at its peak under the current restrictions, with the caveat that those numbers could increase again as the county begins to reopen. “I hate using the word ‘successful’ in the context of a situation where 48 people have died in Loudoun County, but our models were so much worse than this, and the reason they’re not worse is all the efforts people have been taking,” Goodfriend said, pointing to social distancing, the use of face coverings, and other precautions. “I still believe if you go to a supermarket in a Lovettsville or Purcellville, your risk is the same as if you’re going to a supermarket in Sterling,” Goodfriend said. “The only difference is if you do get infected, you’re probably not going to pass it on to as many people.” 1,000 tests were available for the testing event Wednesday as part of a surge of testing in high-risk areas including Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Portsmouth. And the test data, while limited, will be valuable for both health officials and people getting tested. More testing overall, Goodfriend said, helps medical professionals figure out what’s going on in the community. He has repeatedly warned before that with limit-

expected reduction in revenue as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Those salary increases will cost the town about $58,000. The town is able to move forward with the pay raises because it expects to end the current fiscal year with a “slight surplus” in the General Fund, according to a staff report. On April 9, the council voted to adopt the town’s $5.66 million Fiscal Year 2021 budget with a $624,000 spending freeze to account for an expected loss of revenue from the business license, occupancy and the meals taxes in the first few months of

the next fiscal year. In addition to striking salary increases for the time being, the freeze also cut funding from the town’s marketing and event management efforts and stalled the new town hall project for the entirety of the next fiscal year. Middleburg isn’t the only Loudoun jurisdiction to have placed a hold on staff salary increases in response to decreased revenue stemming from the pandemic. The Town of Leesburg’s planned 3-percent salary increases are also frozen. Meanwhile, salary and merit increases also are moving forward in the towns of

Hamilton, Lovettsville and Round Hill. In Purcellville, Town Manager David Mekarski has proposed the Town Council adopt an amended Fiscal Year 2021 budget that includes a reduction in salary increases from 3 to 1.5 percent. The county government’s planned 3.5-percent staff salary increases have been placed on hold until approval by the Board of Supervisors. The county School Board also is looking to freeze salaries at FY 2020 levels until money being held in reserve by the state and county because of the economic uncertainty is released. n

ed testing and some people never showing symptoms, it’s difficult to know how many people in the community have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. “When we only test those people who are sick or are in a congregant living setting, or otherwise in a high-risk group, that’s all we find,” Goodfriend said. “And we miss the others who are having difficulty getting to a doctor or who are otherwise feeling pretty good, but it’s not worth it for them to try to struggle to find a test kit. It’s not going to make much of a difference in their care, so they get missed, and easily they pass it along to other people in their household.” But five days before the free testing event was announced three county supervisors pushed to reopen parts of Loudoun. Western, Leesburg Supervisors Push to Reopen Supervisors Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin), Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) and Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) sent a letter to Governor Ralph Northam on Tuesday, May 13 asking him to allow their constituents to begin phase one of his “Forward Virginia” plan. “Loudoun is in a strong position medically, and a dangerously fragile position economically,” the letter reads. “Please let us start Phase One now. It is time for us to start taking small, careful steps toward restarting our economy. We need to give our residents and local businesses a fighting chance to rescue their livelihoods.” They were the same three supervisors who opposed signing a letter over the previous weekend requesting that Northern Virginia be allowed to delay its reopening, as the region still has limited testing, limited supplies of protective equipment and more infections per capita than the rest of the state. Northam granted that request with an executive order issued May 8. Health officials and medical professionals have repeatedly warned political leaders that the virus that causes COVID-19 does not respect political boundaries, and with people commuting among the jurisdic-

tions in the Washington, DC, region, elected leaders and administrators have focused on a coordinated response. “We didn’t think that Loudoun County was enough of a different experience to say that even though we’re charged with providing recommendations as a region, that I can make a case that Loudoun County was operating differently than the rest of Northern Virginia overall,” Goodfriend said. Umstattd went farther than the letter in an interview, directly contradicting public health officials and doctors by arguing that social distancing has had no effect on the speed at which the virus spreads. “I personally don’t view this shutdown as having prevented the spread of the virus, but what it has done is it has begun to destroy both livelihoods and small businesses,” Umstattd said. “I don’t think the shutdown is doing much good at all.” That is a direct refutation of reports by Goodfriend, who has repeatedly told supervisors that social distancing has had the desired effect in Loudoun of slowing the rate at which the virus spreads and preventing the healthcare system from being overwhelmed. Umstattd said “I don’t think it’s made a difference.” Asked if that means the entire region should reopen immediately, Umstattd said yes. She laid the blame for the alleged failure of social distancing at the feet of the federal response, which she said hasn’t provided adequate planning and equipment. She pointed in particular to the Trump administration’s decision in 2018 to disassemble the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit, which formerly oversaw pandemic preparedness. And she said that has led to state and local officials being unable to protect vulnerable populations, such as the elderly. “When the federal government is incapable of ensuring that we have enough medical equipment and enough tests, it is going to be perhaps impossible for the state and localities to fully contain the vi-

rus,” Umstattd said. “So that’s what you’re stuck with.” She also downplayed the virus’ danger. “What you have done is you’ve failed to protect the vulnerable, largely because of federal incompetence, and you are destroying the lives of people who are not at risk,” Umstattd said. “Even among the elderly, the vast majority are going to survive this if they get it, and then as you go through the younger age groups, a larger and larger majority survives. But they are not protected now, and yet everybody else who is not at risk is being terribly and permanently damaged financially.” Supervisors discussed that letter at their next meeting Tuesday, May 19. Buffington expressed hope that other supervisors would join him in asking the governor to move some parts of the county into reopening: “I think it was a reasonable request. It’s not like we are in an area that was going to be surrounded by areas that were also delayed. My district borders Clarke County and Fauquier County.” But that seemed unlikely. Other supervisors, who said they had not seen the letter in advance, argued against that idea. County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large), in particular said Tuesday she would be speaking with the supervisors who signed the letter: “I had that discussion with Mr. Buffington yesterday, and when I feel able, I will have it with Supervisor Umstattd and Supervisor Kershner. I don’t feel able quite yet to do that with Supervisor Umstattd.” But she and others argued against splitting the county, pointing out that the county’s resources—including hospitals, emergency services, and protective equipment—are shared across the county. And opening up western Loudoun’s businesses, Randall said, would mean visitors would flock from all over the DC region, increasing the risk of infection. Northam’s order delays reopening Northern Virginia until Friday, May 29 n.

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PAGE 20

TOWN Notes continued from page 18

some voucher recipients asking if they could donate their vouchers to less fortunate community members, the town staff reached out to Tree of Life Ministries to let the nonprofit know that some vouchers might be coming its way to distribute to residents in need. Other charities that provide similar services are welcome to accept donated vouchers and distribute them as necessary. According to Ware, a form to track voucher redemption and to identify duplicate voucher usage is being developed.

Kakol Promoted to Police Sergeant The Purcellville Police Department promoted Cpl. Paul Kakol to the rank of sergeant last week. According to a town statement, “Kakol was chosen for his proven leadership, dedication, and commitment to not only the citizens of Purcellville, but also to those within our Department.” Kakol is the department’s lead firearms instructor, a certified crisis intervention team member, a bike team member and a field training officer. In 2011, he was awarded the Valor Life Saving Award and received a Bronze Medal of Valor in 2017. “Sergeant Kakol embodies the definition of community policing, and is often found happily engaging with Purcellville businesses and residents, both young and old,” the statement reads. Kakol began his law enforcement career in 2002 as a member of the Metropol-

Brewery opening continued from page 18 Bar Owner Rick Allison would manage the food service via his food truck. He said an existing garage would be expanded to create the taproom and brewhouse, where they’ll brew some beer, while most of the production will take place at Vanish. Yarnal said that would keep the onsite structures small and allow customers more outdoor space. He said they would offer eight menu items, two of which would be standard fare and six of which would be tapas-

itan Washington Airports Authority Police Department. While there, he became a member of the bike team, worked with the drug intervention team and was a field training officer. He joined Purcellville Police in 2005. Prior to becoming a police officer, Kakol served as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. A public promotional ceremony for Kakol will be held on a future date.

5,577 vouchers had been used as of last week. That initiative cost the town about $112,000. For more information on the voucher program, go to middleburgva.gov/331/ middleburg-take-out.

Town Reports Revenue Shortfalls from Pandemic

The town’s efforts to support residents and businesses during the coronavirus crisis are paying off, according to reports from the town staff. According to Town Administrator Danny Davis, the March 26 council approval of a $200 credit on utility bills for the town’s nearly 500 utility customers resulted in May bills of $0 for about 290 customers. Of the remaining about 200 customers who received the credit, 75 of them owed less than $100 on their bills. Those bills were sent on May 13 and account for water and sewer use in March and April. The total cost to the town for the program came out to be about $65,000. The Town Council on March 26 also voted to send 13 $20 meal vouchers to all in-town households, for use at participating restaurants. The council last month extended the deadline to use those vouchers until May 31. Davis reported last week that a majority of the vouchers were used at the Middleburg Deli—300 of them. Next in line was Red Bar Sushi, with 243 used there. In all, 2,089 of the

Town Administrator Danny Davis briefed the Town Council last Thursday on budget shortfalls caused by the coronavirus crisis this year and next. At the end of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2020, the town reported a 20-percent drop in occupancy tax revenue, while meals tax revenue in March came in at 50 percent of the normal monthly receipts. The town expects to finish the fiscal year on June 30 with shortfall of up to $430,500 in hotel and meals tax revenue combined, in a worst-case scenario, and about $313,000 in a better-case scenario. Those losses will be balanced out a bit by revenue from business license tax and bank franchise tax payments, which will provide the town with a combined $223,500 more revenue than it had budgeted for this fiscal year. “That helps offset the losses,” Davis said. In Fiscal Year 2021—which begins July 1—the town is expecting a $1.05 million shortfall in revenues, in a worst-case scenario, and about $250,000 in a better-case scenario. That loss will be balanced out by a $328,000 budget surplus and $810,000 in expenditure reductions. According to a staff report, 70 percent of the town’s General Fund is comprised of “vulnerable revenues”—meals, occupan-

style plates. The two least ordered tapas plates would rotate every 60 days. Buzzelli and Yarnal said they would convert the existing homes into an event space and overnight rental and a cottage apartment for overnight and short-term rentals, such as on Airbnb. They both plan to live on adjoining properties. To accommodate customers, they’re planning a 1-acre, 125- to 150-car parking lot and to be open generally from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. six days a week. “I have a desire to create a space and an environment where people can meet, socialize, talk in a casual outside atmo-

sphere,” Buzzelli said. When Councilman Peter Leonard-Morgan asked Buzzelli and Yarnal if they felt they would be competing with Old Ox Brewery, which opened in downtown Middleburg last July—providing the town with its first and brewery option—Buzzelli said the two breweries would complement each other well. He said Fueled Farm would be a micro-brewery, while Old Ox is more of a distribution-brewery, and that Fueled Farm would focus more on food offerings. “I think we’re going to be compli-

MIDDLEBURG Town Reports Success with Financial Relief Package

MAY 21, 2020

cy, sales and business license taxes. That represents one of the highest percentages among Virginia jurisdictions. “Clearly, there is a large, large impact to us due to COVID-19,” Davis said. According to the most recent annual financial report, Davis said the town has about $6.6 million in its General Fund reserves. Davis reported that the town is working closely with the county government to obtain support from CARES Act Funds.

ROUND HILL Patriot Amends Yard Waste, Bulk Trash Collection Patriot Disposal this week resumed its yard waste and bulk/special item collections with certain limitations. The number of bags that will be picked up per home has been increased from three to five. Residents are limited to a maximum of five bags of yard waste per home per pickup. All yard waste must be placed in paper bags or in a rigid container clearly marked “yard waste,” otherwise it won’t be picked up. Bundles or loose branches placed at the curb will also not be picked up. Unaccepted materials include tree stumps, food waste, lumber, treated wood, pallets, sawdust, dirt, mulch and sod. Bulk and special item collection will cost residents $25 per item, which will cover handling costs associated with the pandemic. Residents looking to schedule bulk and special item collection are now required to give advance notice by calling 703-257-7100 or emailing customerservice@patriotdisposalservices.com.

menting each other a lot,” he said. While VDOT has already issued the duo a permit, the Virginia Department of Health is requiring them to drill a new well to use for drinking water. They’ll also have to abandon an existing well and use it only for irrigation, since county regulations mandate that water from only one well can be used for drinking water. Yarnal said he and Buzzelli are “eternal optimists” and that even though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the world, they hope to get construction underway later this summer. n

MAY 21, 2020

Re-opening delay continued from page 18 “It absolutely applies to every single town in those four counties,” he said. Hours before Northam amended the order, Littleton suggested the governor do so to clear up confusion among the unlisted Northern Virginia towns. The Purcellville Town Council last Thursday also sought guidance on an interpretation of the order from Town Attorney Sally Hankins, since the town was not listed. Aside from confusion over the original order’s language, some town leaders pressed their views that their towns should reopen earlier than other areas of the region because number of lower number of known COVID-19 cases in western Loudoun. Northam’s original and amended order established that the Northern Virginia Region “is substantially higher than the rest of the Commonwealth in percentage of positive tests for COVID-19,” with about a 25-percent positivity rate compared with the rest of the Commonwealth’s 10-percent rate.” On any given day, 70 percent of the commonwealth’s positive cases are attributable to the Northern Virginia Region, he noted. But some town leaders say those numbers don’t correspond with what western Loudoun is reporting. Purcellville Town Councilman Joel Grewe said it didn’t made sense for Loudoun County to remain shut down while the rest of the commonwealth opens back up, since, he said, there have been only 20 COVID-19 cases in the 20132 ZIP code, which encompasses a 96-squaremile area. He said there are many more cases of people suffering from the crisis in other ways, such as economically and mentally. “That is a relatively speaking low density number of cases, it’s nothing like Fairfax, it’s nothing like Alexandria or Arlington,” he said. “We aren’t the same thing.” Councilman Chris Bledsoe said the best way forward would be for town leaders to talk with County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) about the “very clear differences between western Loudoun [and eastern Loudoun].” “I feel for the businesses, I think they’re hurting,” he said. “Anything we can do to try to promote that, push that and get them up to speed … we should definitely advocate for that.” Town Manager David Mekarski reiterated what Loudoun Health Department

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Director David Goodfriend and other health officials have previously stated— that the county wasn’t ready for cautious reopenings on May 15 because it’s not meeting bench testing criteria and because it’s not seeing a downward trajectory in positive cases over a 14-day span. Grewe pointed out that the Health Department isn’t a department of the county government, but that it actually is a part of the Virginia Department of Health, which has been “questionable over the last several weeks over its ability to accurately get good data to citizens.” Grewe said VDH has “not done a good job of explaining clearly and cohesively” why and how it’s been testing for coronavirus and that the department is now on its third version of metric reporting. “They don’t tell anyone how it’s happening,” he said. “Every time that happens, it degrades a community’s ability to trust the data that is functionally imprisoning them.” Grewe said he has heard from many people who have said that by trusting their federal, state and local elected leaders, they’re giving up their freedoms, businesses, savings and “huge amounts of mental health and pain.” “That trust is something we’re burning really fast,” he said. “The longer we keep us all locked down, the more of that [trust] we spend and that bank account is running toward negative territory really fast.” Mekarski said that when Purcellville businesses reopen at a limited capacity, it will be difficult for the town government to enforce a 50-percent capacity mandate at retail businesses, since the town does not have a code enforcement department. He said the town Police Department would need to handle enforcement instead. “It’s almost untenable,” he said, adding that the town might as well reopen at 100 percent capacity because of those enforcement issues, although he did acknowledge that the pandemic is “deadly” and that reopening could cause more adverse economic affects if the virus is spread further by reopening. “It is a hard balancing act between the impacts of closure and the economy and the impacts in terms of health and safety,” he said. Mekarski said Northam was adamant in a conference call the week of May 11 that he doesn’t want towns and counties to have different reopening standards because that would encourage residents from one jurisdiction to travel to another to take advantage of opened businesses, which could create new COVID-19 hotspots. n

PAGE 21

Obituaries Fidelis Elvino Baptista De Souza Fidelis Elvino Baptista De Souza age 67 of Alexandria, VA Departed this life on Friday May 15, 2020 at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Wash-

ington, DC. Beloved husband of Maria Joanna Desouza Cherished and adoring father of Karen/ Ian and Stephanie Loving son of late Egidio/Antonieta De Souza Loving son in law of late Anthony/Melania Dourado Brother/brother in law of Evans/late Ba-

Billy Harper Billy Maurice Harper, born in Newport, Tennessee on September 14, 1937, passed away on May 12, 2020 in Leesburg, Virginia. He is predeceased by his wife, Sandra Nell Harper and his brother, Thomas Carroll Harper. He is survived by his daughters, Kathryn Harper Polen and Amy Harper; two grandsons, Adam Polen and Caleb Polen; his sister, Peggy Simon; his sister-in-law, Janyce Westerman; and three nieces and two nephews. Billy served as a United States Marine

sil, late Everson/Tracy, late Elaides/Daria, Sennen/Sandra, Lepoldina/Merwyn, Sezina/Anthony, Lucas/Branca and Felicia Loving uncle of Elizabeth, Trevor, Gordon, Florentyna, Cara, Michelle, Daniel, Andrea, Amanda, Kevin, Samantha, Keziah, Jonathan, Lauren, Uzziel, Uriel and Loyston Mass on May 21, 2020 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1427 Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA Arrangements by Lyles Funeral Service, serving Northern Virginia and surrounding areas, Eric S. Lyles, Director, Lic. VA, MD, DC 1800-3881913 and earned a degree from Shepherd College, Billy and his wife lived abroad while he worked for the US Department of State before beginning his career as an air traffic controller with the FAA, from which he retired. He enjoyed doting on his grandsons and loved golfing, hunting, and trying his luck at the track. The family will receive visitors on Monday, May 18, 2020 from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. at Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg, VA, with graveside service for family to follow at Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humane Society of Greene County, Tennessee (www.gchumanesociety.com/donate).

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

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

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PAGE 22

MAY 21, 2020

LoCo Living

ARTS update From Broadway to Broad Way at Andy’s For several weeks, western Loudoun teen singing phenoms Serena Parrish and Eliza Prymak have been cheering residents of local nursing homes from a distance with outdoor concerts. With numerous professional theater gigs under their belts, the duo offers a fun repertoire of show tunes. On Friday, May 29, the girls bring their act to the patio at Andy’s Restaurant right off Lovettsville’s Broad Way from 6 to 7:30 p.m. To tune in, go to facebook.com/ andyslovettsville.

A Place to Be Hosts Virtual Recital Middleburg-based A Place to Be Music Therapy hosts a virtual recital series Sunday, May 24 and Sunday, May 31 at noon. Go to facebook.com/ aplacetobeva to tune in.

Virtual Bob Ross and More from Franklin Park

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Ericksen sits in the antique van the organizers rolled out for the ‘Summer of Love’ last year.

Erickson, Burns: Confidence in Safety Key to Successful Recovery BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Loudoun’s hospitality and tourism industry has been shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson has said it can also lead the recovery—if people feel safe coming to Loudoun. “People are going to want to come out to an area with the rare open spaces, fresh air, great food, wine, ability to start connecting with people in a way that they have not had in a while in a safe environment, or a perceived safe environment,” Erickson told supervisors on the county finance committee May 12. “So I think that one of the other things that’s going to be key, is the consumer confidence in the safety of the venues and the destination when they start going back in. And that’s why it’s so critically important that we manage this situation well.” Visit Loudoun functions as the county’s convention and visitor bureau, receiv-

ing funding from the county from taxes on stays in hotels and bed and breakfasts. For the current fiscal year, collections are expected to be below previous budget projections by more than $1.4 million, to a total of $2.9 million in tax revenues. For Fiscal Year 2021 beginning in July, collections are expected to be down anywhere from $283,000—if a recovery were to begin in May—to almost $1.4 million, depending on when business picks back up. Either way, hotel tax revenues—a reflection of how busy Loudoun’s tourism industry is—are not expected to reach their Fiscal Year 2019 high again for years. Loudoun’s tourism industry was as recently as 2018 the third-largest tourism industry in the state by tourism revenues. This year, Visit Loudoun has already poured money into a relief fund for hospitality workers. But Erickson said her organization is helping Loudoun’s tourism and hospitality industry get ready to get back to work. And, she said, Loudoun is well suited to lead that comeback.

In particular, she said, it doesn’t have the population density of other major tourism draws like New York City, and while it may take a while until tourists are comfortable with hopping on an airplane, many visitors to Loudoun drive here. “We’ve got the real key benefits that people are going to be looking toward when they start moving and beginning to start meeting again,” Erickson said. “Loudoun County is right there in order to be able to maximize the opportunity.” And she warned against rushing into a disorganized reopening of business. “What you’re seeing in other destinations is that the opening process may not have been as well-executed as everybody had hoped, so I think the more that we can make sure our businesses are well aligned and ready to go, I think the better our stepping into that arena will be,” Erickson said. CONFIDENCE continues on page 25

Tour the Bob Ross Gallery in Florida from the comfort of your living room and enjoy tons of local music and theater with Franklin Park Arts Center’s daily Start Lunch with the Arts livestreams. Performances are streamed daily at noon. • THURSDAY, MAY 21: Music for kids from local favorites Stephanie and Les Thompson • FRIDAY, MAY 22: Songs from former Loudoun Centre Theatre leading lady Cecilia Bracey • SATURDAY, MAY 23: Loudoun painter Ute Gil • SUNDAY, MAY 24: Replay of coffeehouse performance by singer/songwriter Eli Pafumi • MONDAY, MAY 25: Replay of coffeehouse performance by trombonist Harry Watters • TUESDAY, MAY 26: Bob Ross Gallery tour with certified Ross instructor Nic Hankin • WEDNESDAY, MAY 27: Soap making with Laura Walker of Loudoun County Farms The center’s Sunday evening coffeehouse series also continues Sunday, May 24 at 8 p.m. with music and theARTS UPDATE continues on page 24

MAY 21, 2020

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Congratulations College Graduates!

PAGE 23

Proud Loudoun parents recognize their recent graduates achievements

Nisha Ali Public Relations, George Mason University

Shuhan Liu Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech

Hearty Congratulations on your graduation and we are so proud of you! Keep working hard, and reach for the stars since the limit of success is endless.

Congratulations, Shuhan, on all your accomplishments! You have worked hard for them and earned the admiration from your loved ones. Best wishes for a bright future!

Riley Blackwell History, George Mason University

Noah Rushin Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia

Congratulations, we are so proud of you!!!! Your hard work and perseverance has taken you so far! You set your mind on the goal and motivated yourself to achieve. What a great feeling, you have accomplished so much! The future is so bright and you are in control! Once a Patriot, always a Patriot!

Congratulations Noah! We are so proud of you and your hard work! Wahoo-Wa! Love you Dad, Mom, Gabe, Leah and Rex

Nicholas Dufresne Doctor of Physical Therapy Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences

Sophia Spaulding Music Therapy, Duquesne

Congratulations on earning your doctorate degree. We are so proud of you! Love Dad, Mom and Natalie

Jonathan Gacharná BA Psychology, University of Virginia CONGRATULATIONS, Jonathan! You crushed it — three years! We’ll celebrate with excessive pomp & circumstance at your next degree to make up for the COVID-19 ceremony. <3 Mom & Dad

Frank Hetherington Business, Florida Atlantic University Your grandmother and I are very proud of you and your accomplishment. Now its on to grad school and a degree in Finance. Love from Grandma and Grandpa.

Sophia - Congrats on your accomplishments. May there only be music in your future with very few flats!

Jason Thomas Commerce, Computer Science University of Virginia Congratulations Jason! We are so very proud of you and all you have achieved. As you look to the future, there is no doubt in our hearts and minds that your life will be filled with opportunities and success. We look forward to your next adventure! Love, Mom & Dad

Deadline for High School Graduation entries is Friday, June 5 Congratulate your High School Grad at LoudounNow.com/grad

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PAGE 24

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Leesburg’s Clay and Metal Loft is moving its youth summer camps online this summer. Options include Kids and Clay; The Art of Comics; Print, Paint and Draw and Multi-Media Art. Camps are for children ages 7 and up. The studio is currently offering two-for-one camps for the same child, along with sibling discounts. Go to theclayandmetalloft.com/2020-kids-summer-camps to register.

Living and Learning LoCo Style Feel like your brain is turning to mush during quarantine? Loudoun’s libraries and museums have you covered with entertaining educational content. The Loudoun Public Library Armchair Travel series takes a trip to Venice, Italy with historian and adventure traveler John Daum. Explore the fascinating history and impossible feats of engineering that allowed the city to become home to some of the greatest art and architecture of the Renaissance. The online talk takes place Friday, May 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. Go to library. loudoun.gov/calendar. Loudoun Museum’s virtual History on Tap series continues Thursdays at 7 p.m. through mid-June. Thursday, May 21 gets spooky with “Spirits and Seances: 19th Century Spiritualism,” and Thursday, May 28 the museum’s year-by-year series on local Civil War history continues with “1863’s a Crowd” with professor Lauren Thompson of McKendree University. Go to facebook. com/loudounmuseum to tune in.

MAY 21, 2020

LoCo Drag Queen Hosts Online Comedy Show Like pretty much every form of live entertainment, Loudoun’s blossoming drag scene took a hit with the COVID pandemic. But Leesburg-based drag queen Anja Dick has a new online comedy show. “Auntie Anja’s Drag Bag” debuted last week via Facebook Live and YouTube. The show costars Arlington-based performer Lips and runs for six weeks in a talent contest format with a cast of hilarious drag queens. Check it out at anjadick.com.

The (Virtual) Beat Goes On Venues are starting to schedule outdoor live music shows for the weekend of May 29, but we’ll still be partying online Memorial Day weekend. SHANE GAMBLE’S LIVE from the Bunker series continues Friday, May 22 at 7 p.m. in conjunction with 50 West Vineyards. Go to facebook.com/shanegambleofficial to check it out. KEN WENZEL’S VIRTUAL VINEYARD SERIES

co-hosted by Breaux Vineyards. Sunday, May 24 at noon. Go to facebook.com/kenwenzelmusic One of Loudoun’s favorite new voices, Jessica Paulin, performs with Stephen MERLIN AND MERLIN’S TRIO on the back patio at King’s Court Tavern on Sunday, May 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. The show will be livestreamed from the CLM Entertainment page at facebook.com/eventbymerlin.

Tarara Hosts Virtual National Wine Day Run Tarara Winery hosts a virtual 5K/10K on Saturday, May 23 to benefit the EOD Warrior Foundation, which supports wounded explosive ordnance disposal personnel and the families of fallen EOD warriors. The race still counts toward the Sippin Series of races for those counting points. Registration is $12. Go to bishopseventregistrations.com to register.

If you value quality local journalism ... Tell them you saw it in Loudoun Now. In your home weekly, online always.

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MAY 21, 2020

Confidence continued from page 22 Old Ox Brewery president and co-owner Chris Burns agreed with Erickson’s advice, saying breweries are facing a lot of uncertainty and anxiety. “People really want to be able to do business, and people want to be able to welcome customers back to their establishments, and I think that’s perfectly natural,” Burns said. “There’s the sense that

no matter what, we want to make sure that we’re being as safe as possible, because the worst-case scenario is if we start opening back up, and then all of a sudden we have to go back down into a lockdown.” Breweries will likely span the entire reopening process. Elsewhere in Virginia, in the first phase of Gov. Ralph Northam’s “Forward Virginia” plan to gradually reopen, breweries have been allowed to welcome customers only outside, and only with social distancing protocols in place. Some breweries, particularly in west-

PAGE 25

ern Loudoun, will be well-suited to that, Burns pointed out. But others in relatively small, downtown spaces will likely have to wait until the region is further along in reopening to open their doors again. And he added the other thing businesses need from the government is clear guidance and predictability. He pointed to the short time lead-up time businesses in other parts of Virginia had after the announcement they would begin reopening on May 15—or the announcement on

May 14 that Richmond would not reopen after all. “I completely understand, public safety comes first 100 percent,” Burns said. “But from our perspective, what need from regulators is, we need a concrete plan, and we need it with some advance notice.” Northam’s most recent executive order will keep Loudoun in “phase zero” of shutdowns, the current regime, until Friday, May 29, although that could be amended by another executive order. n

Legal Notices VIRGINIA ,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

COUNTY OF LOUDOUN FIRST HALF PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX DEADLINE H. Roger Zurn, Jr., Treasurer June 5, 2020 The deadline for payment of the first half personal property tax is June 5, 2020. Payments postmarked after June 5, 2020 will incur a 10% late payment penalty. Additional interest at the rate of 10% per annum will be assessed. Payments not received within 60 days of the due date will incur an additional 15% penalty. The due date will not be extended for bills where assessment questions have been filed with the Commissioner of the Revenue. For Your Safety and Convenience, please consider making payment online, by phone or mail. CONVENIENT PAYMENT OPTIONS AND LOCATIONS

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.

Online: www.loudounportal.com/taxes Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover

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:

Pay your taxes through your mobile device: Link2Loudoun app is available for free from the iPhone App Store and the Google Play Store. The app allows access to www.loudounportal.com/taxes to pay your taxes.

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.

By Telephone: 24-hour line 1-800-269-5971 703-777-0280 during regular business hours. Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover

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.

Please note: There is a convenience fee added to Credit Card transactions. There is no fee for electronic checks (echeck).

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

By Mail: County of Loudoun, P.O. Box 1000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1000 TREASURER’S OFFICE LOCATIONS Extended Hours: Thursday, June 4 - 8:00AM to 5:00 PM Friday, June 5 - 8:00AM to 5:00 PM Regular Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM 1 Harrison Street, S.E. 1st Floor Leesburg, Virginia 20175

21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 104 Sterling, Virginia 20166

24 hour depository boxes are located outside each office Please contact the Loudoun County Treasurer’s Office at 703-777-0280 or email us at taxes@ loudoun.gov if you have not received your bill. Stay up to date on tax information by subscribing to the Tax Notices category of Alert Loudoun at www.louduon.gov/alert. You can also text the word “TAXES” to 888777 to receive text messages about tax-related information, including upcoming deadlines. For information regarding Personal Property Tax Relief for the Elderly or Disabled Persons, please contact the Tax Relief Division of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at trcor@loudoun.gov, by phone at 703-737-8557 or visit www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief. 5/21 & 5/28/20

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PAGE 26

MAY 21, 2020

Legal Notices PUBLIC HEARING The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2020 in order to consider:

RDAB-2019-0005 PROPOSED ABANDONMENT OF WARFIELD COURT, AND CONVEYANCE OF ABANDONED RIGHT-OF-WAY Pursuant to Virginia Code §33.2-915, the Board of Supervisors hereby gives notice that it intends to consider the proposed abandonment of Warfield Court (the “Subject Section”). The Subject Section is not within the Secondary State Highway System, is currently improved, and consists of approximately 33,189 square feet (0.7619 acre) of dedicated right-of-way. The Subject Section is located on the west side of Carmichael Place (Route 3196), approximately 0.20 mile southwestward of the intersection of Carmichael Place and Wright Farm Drive (Route 3191), north of Harry Byrd Highway (Route 7), and east of Purcellville Road (Route 611), in the Blue Ridge Election District. Pursuant to Virginia Code §33.2-924, the Board of Supervisors also shall consider the proposed conveyance of the abandoned right-of-way to an adjacent landowner for consideration and/or in exchange for other lands that may be necessary for the uses of Loudoun County. Copies of the plats, and any associated documents, describing the proposed abandonment are available for review and may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200 to request hard copies or electronic copies. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).

DEDI-2019-0039 NOTICE OF INTENTION TO PROPOSE FOR PASSAGE OF AN ORDINANCE TO PARTIALLY VACATE SUBDIVISION PLATS PARTIAL VACATION OF RIGHT-OF-WAY RESERVATIONS FOR THE FORMER ALIGNMENT OF THE PURCELLVILLE NORTH COLLECTOR ROAD Pursuant to Virginia Code §§15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, and 15.2-2272.2, the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia (“Board”), hereby gives notice of its intention to propose for passage of an ordinance (“Ordinance”) to partially vacate the subdivision plats that granted right-of-way reservation areas to Loudoun County for the former alignment of the Purcellville North Collector Road. The Board of Supervisors revised the planned alignment of the Purcellville North Collector Road with the adoption of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan, and the proposed Ordinance is necessary to vacate (eliminate) the right-of-way reservation areas for the old alignment. The right-of-way reservation areas proposed to be vacated cumulatively consist of approximately 276,100 square feet (6.3383 acres), and begin on the west side of Carmichael Place (Route 3196), and then continue eastward approximately 1.28 miles across several parcels to its eastern terminus located east of Wetherfield Court (Route 3193) and south of Highland Farm Place (Route 3191), in the Blue Ridge and Catoctin Election Districts. The proposed Ordinance will apply to parcels that are more particularly described as follows: PIN

ADDRESS

OWNER

487-30-3439

16925 Carmichael Place, Purcellville, VA

Timothy J. and Debora L. Aldridge

487-30-3509

16971 Carmichael Place, Purcellville, VA

Cesar A. and Pamela M. Lindo

452-35-0114

16948 Carmichael Place, Purcellville, VA

Michael R. and Judith A. Whalen

452-35-0246

16914 Carmichael Place, Purcellville, VA

Scott E. Thoden and Karen R. Bruecken-Thoden

452-25-1369

N/A

Wright Farm Homeowners Association Inc.

452-26-0898

37700, 37730, 37740, St. Francis Court, Purcellville, VA

The Most Reverend John R. Keating, Bishop of The Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia

452-38-8652

16939 Wetherfield Court, 37969 Highland Farm Place, Purcellville, VA

Jonathan and Kristen Chase

452-38-7412

16947 Wetherfield Court, Purcellville, VA

Christopher and Corine Perez

452-39-0909

16946 Wetherfield Court, Purcellville, VA

Jacqueline Monroy

452-39-4728

16918 Wetherfield Court, Purcellville, VA

Frederick Kohagen and Lubna Kamar

452-39-8455

38087 Highland Farm Place, Purcellville, VA

Elmer M. and Michelle R. Nasser

452-30-1166

38111 Highland Farm Place, Purcellville, VA

Jeffery D. and Lydia M. Clark

452-40-4082

38125 Highland Farm Place, Purcellville, VA

Robert Arnone, Sr., and Peggy Lynn Arnone

452-40-6897

38173 Highand Farm Place, Purcellville, VA

Edward and Kristin Jusino

A complete copy of the full text of the above-referenced proposed Ordinance is on file and available for public inspection in the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200 to request hard copies or electronic copies. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).

PROPOSED CONVEYANCE OF COUNTY PROPERTY GRANT OF EASEMENT TO AT&T24837 EVERGREEN MILLS ROAD

Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-1800 et seq., the Board of Supervisors shall consider granting a 15-foot wide

437-foot long fiber utility easement to AT&T for the purpose of relocating, constructing, installing, operating, maintaining, and repairing underground fiber cables and related facilities for the transmission and distribution of telecommunications through and across a portion of County-owned property known as the Arcola Quarters for the Enslaved. The subject property is approximately 15.83 acres in size, and is located on the south side of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621), north of John Mosby Highway (Route 50), and west of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 606), at 24837 Evergreen Mills Road, Sterling, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 163-46-8915. Copies of the plat(s) showing the location(s) of the above-listed conveyance(s) and associated documents are available for public inspection in the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200 to request hard copies or electronic copies. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).

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 Taxing District. The subject property is approximately 3.28 acres in size and is 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.

SPEX-2020-0001 NOVEC WATERSIDE METERING COMPOUND (Special Exception)

Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative of Gainesville, Virginia, has submitted an application for a Special Exception to permit a Public Utility, Communications, and Transmission use in the PDIP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district. This application is subject to the 1972 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed use is listed as a Special Exception use under Section 722.3.2. The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District and partially located within the QN (Quarry Notification) Overlay District – Loudoun Note Area and is also located partially 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 78.524 acres in size and is located on the east side of Davis Drive (Route 868), south of Glenn Drive (Route 864) in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PINs 033-29-7204 and 034-38-5918. 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. Unless otherwise noted in the above notices, copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances, and/or plans and related documents may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-7770246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”). In addition, for detailed instructions on how to access documents using LOLA, to request that documents be emailed to you, to receive physical copies of documents, or to arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email DPZ@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246 (option 5). 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. Board of Supervisors 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. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on May 29, 2020, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on June 10, 2020. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. Citizens may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing. Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings. BY ORDER OF:

PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIRMAN LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 5/21 & 5/28/20

ginia, at 6:00

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documents are t Floor, 1 Hary or call (703) aded electronHearing docal Meetings”).

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/21 & 5/28/20

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 21, 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

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 28

Legal Notices

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:

COUNTY OF LOUDOUN

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

FIRST HALF REAL PROPERTY TAX DEADLINE H. Roger Zurn, Jr., Treasurer June 5, 2020

The deadline for payment of the first half real property tax is June 5, 2020. Payments postmarked after June 5, 2020 will incur a 10% late payment penalty. Additional interest at the rate of 10% per annum will be assessed. The due date will not be extended for bills where assessment questions have been filed with the Board of Equalization. For Your Safety and Convenience, please consider making payments online, by phone or mail.

CONVENIENT PAYMENT OPTIONS AND LOCATIONS Online: www.loudounportal.com/taxes Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Pay your taxes through your mobile device: Link2Loudoun app is available for free from the iPhone App Store and the Google Play Store. The app allows access to www.loudounportal.com/taxes to pay your taxes. By Telephone: 24-hour line 1-800-269-5971 703-777-0280 during regular business hours. Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover

By Mail: County of Loudoun P.O. Box 1000 Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1000

TREASURER’S OFFICE LOCATIONS

21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 104 Sterling, Virginia 20166

Please contact the Loudoun County Treasurer’s Office at 703-777-0280 or email us at taxes@loudoun. gov with questions or if you have not received your bill. Stay up to date on tax information by subscribing to the Tax Notices category of Alert Loudoun at www. louduon.gov/alert. You can also text the word “TAXES” to 888777 to receive text messages about tax-related information, including upcoming deadlines. For information regarding Real Property Tax Relief for the Elderly or Disabled Persons, please contact the Tax Relief Division of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at trcor@loudoun.gov, by phone at 703-737-8557 or visit www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief. 5/21 & 5/28/20

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. MAKE

05/14 & 05/21/20

TOWN OF LEESBURG DEPARTMENT OF UTILITIES NOTICE OF WATER MAIN FLUSHING The Town of Leesburg will conduct controlled flushing of water mains throughout the Town beginning April through June 30th, 2020. This preventative maintenance program is essential for maintaining the Town’s high standards of water quality.

NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES

HYUNDAI MERCEDES AUDI

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.

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.

24 hour depository boxes are located outside each office

2005 2008 2013

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

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

Extended Hours: Thursday, June 4 – 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday, June 5 - 8:00AM to 5:00 PM Regular Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

YR.

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.

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.

Please note: There is a convenience fee added to a Credit Card transaction. There is no fee for electronic checks (e-check).

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

MAY 21, 2020

MODEL

ELANTRA S550 A4

VIN

KMHDN46D25U952837 WDDNG86X18A219050 WAUBFAFL6DN022895

STORAGE

D&M TOWING DOUBLE D DOUBLE D

PHONE#

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

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. 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

Leg

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 21, 2020

Legal Notices

ATTENTION LOUDOUN COUNTY COMMERCIAL PROPERTY OWNERS

OFFICIAL VOTING INFORMATION

INCOME AND EXPENSE SURVEYS DUE JUNE 1

Town Elections – Thursday, June 4, 2020 Lovettsville, Middleburg and Purcellville

FINAL DAY TO APPLY FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT By Mail – Thursday, May 28, 2020, by 5 p.m. In Person – Saturday, May 30, 2020, by 5 p.m. The Voter Registration Office located at 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite C, Leesburg, Virginia, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and will also be open on Saturday, May 30, 2020, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. for curbside absentee voting ONLY. POLLING PLACES WILL BE OPEN AT 6:00 A.M. AND CLOSE AT 7:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020. For more information, call 703 777-0380 Judith Brown, General Registrar 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite C Leesburg, Virginia 20175-8916 Email: vote@loudoun.gov Please Note: Absentee ballots should be returned so that they are received by the Office of Elections no later than 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2020, Election Day, to be counted. All town voters are reminded that strict social distancing measures will be in place on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at all polling places. Voters should remain at least 6 feet apart and only 10 people will be allowed in the polling place at any given time. Voters should expect delays when voting in person on Election Day. The Town of Purcellville election for Mayor and Town Council has been moved to the Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink for Thursday, June 4, 2020. The Town of Lovettsville election for Mayor and Town Council has been moved to the Lovettsville Game Protective Association (Game Club) for Thursday, June 4, 2020. Town elections for Hillsboro and Leesburg are held in November. 5/21/20

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS/PROPOSALS FOR: JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR LOUDOUN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE FIRING RANGE, IFB NO. 235782 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, June 11, 2020. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held on May 28, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. in the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Firing Range located at 41450 Shreve Mill Road, Leesburg Virginia 20175 for clarification of any questions on the specifications and inspection of the site. Attendance at this PreBid is MANDATORY. LONG TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE AND SHORT TERM DISABILITY ADVICE TO PAY SERVICES, RFP No. 233782 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, June 11, 2020.

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).

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor Sterling Office 21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 100

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) 7770403, M - F, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Internet: www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief

5/21/20

To facilitate the establishment of accurate real estate assessments for tax year 2021, as authorized by Virginia Code § 58.1-3294, I am requesting that owners of income-producing real estate provide a 2019 calendar year certified statement of income and expenses. This information, which shall be kept confidential in accordance with Virginia Code § 58.1-3, will be utilized to determine fair market values for tax assessment purposes. The survey forms are available online at www.loudoun. gov/income-expense and should be returned to my office by email, or postmarked, by June 1, 2020. Commercial property owners are encouraged to review and verify our record of property characteristics online at www.loudoun.gov/ parceldatabase to assist us in ensuring fair and equitable property valuations. For additional information or assistance, please visit www.loudoun.gov/cor or contact my office at commercialre@loudoun.gov or 703-777-0260. You may also stop by my offices weekdays, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue Loudoun County Government Center Office 1 Harrison St. SE, 1st Floor, Leesburg Loudoun Tech Center Office 21641 Ridgetop Circle, Ste 100, Sterling MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 8000, Leesburg, VA 20177-9804 Phone: 703-777-0260 E-mail: commercialre@loudoun.gov Website: www.loudoun.gov/cor 4/16 & 5/21/20

Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F Phone: 703-737-8557 Email: trcor@loudoun.gov Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804 3/26, 4/2, 4/9, 5/7, 5/21 & 5/28/20

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.:

JJ039915-25-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Juan Carlos Lara Castillo Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v. Unknown Father The object of this suit is a permanency planning hearing and review of foster care plan with goal of adoption, pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Juan Carlos Lara Castillo, and Petition for Termination of Parental Rights of Unknown Father, pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-283 for Juan Carlos Lara Castillo. Unknown Father is hereby notified that failure to appear on the hereinafter noticed date and time may result in the entry of an Order approving a permanency goal of adoption as well as the termination of his residual parental rights with respect to Juan Carlos Lara Castillo. Unknown Father is hereby further notified that if his residual parental rights are terminated, he will no longer have any legal rights with respect to said minor child, including, but not limited to, the right to visit Juan Carlos Lara Castillo; any authority with respect to the care and supervision of Juan Carlos Lara Castillo, or the right to make health related decisions or determine the religious affiliation of Juan Carlos Lara Castillo. Further, Unknown Father will have no legal and /or financial obligations with respect to Juan Carlos Lara Castillo, and the Department of Family Services of Loudoun County, Virginia may be granted the authority to place Juan Carlos Lara Castillo for adoption and consent to the adoption of Juan Carlos Lara Castillo. It is ORDERED that the defendant, Unknown Father, appear at the abovenamed Court to protect his interests on or before June 16, 2020 at 10:00 am.

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

TASK ORDER SITE CIVIL AND PARKS DESIGN SERVICES, RFP No. 216782 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, June 15, 2020.

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

PAGE 29

5/21, 5/28, 6/4, & 6/11/20

PUBLIC NOTICE INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) The Town of Leesburg will accept sealed bids in the Procurement Ofﬁce, 25 W. Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176, until 3:00 p.m. on June 23, 2020 for the following: IFB NO. 100710-FY20-49 LEASE OF AVIATION FUEL TANK SITE The Town is soliciting sealed bids from individuals or businesses desiring to build, ﬁnance, manage, and operate an aircraft fuel tank facility at the Leesburg Executive Airport. For additional information, visit: http://www.leesburgva.gov/bidboard 5/21/20

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

LoudounNow.com

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 30

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

MAY 21, 2020

Resource Directory Tax Preparation (Individual & Business)

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petchenickstewartcpa@gmail.com

BOBCAT Bobcat Br am

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Yummy Pig BBQ LLC, trading as Yummy Pig BBQ/Wild Geese, 2 W Market St., Leesburg, Virginia 20176-2805

DECKS, PATIOS, AND STONE WORKS

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.

Free Estimate candbrothers@gmail.com

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

PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 203.3’ & 204’) on the water tank at 311 N Maple Ave, Purcellville, VA (20200494). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-8091202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

Blue Ridge Remodeling, Inc. 540-668-6522

www.brrinc.net Purcellville, VA

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The Good Guys

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Decks

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Please call KELLY for an appointment.

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ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 21, 2020

PAGE 31

Resource Directory HANDYMAN Handyman

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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Credited upon Acceptance

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mainstreet-home-improvement.com

386 Maple Ave. Suite 112 Vienna, VA 22180

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Forestry Mulching Land & Brush Clearing 703-718-6789 major@veteransllc.us www.veteransllc.us

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Landscaping

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Veterans LLC

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ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 32

MAY 21, 2020

Opinion Transparency and Trust Our elected leaders are facing unprecedented challenges as they work through the critical public health and economic threats resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. Much is riding on them getting it right. There are no easy decisions. With so many lives riding on their actions, it is important that decisions be made in a thoughtful, deliberative way. Yes, follow the numbers and the science. There is another important element to be considered: Transparency. Even with hours and hours of public briefings at the federal, state and local levels each week, there has been an inability to achieve consensus on a host of important issues, from the best way to treat or prevent the disease to the severity of the health threat. The community divisions have widened as the crisis has continued. It was surprising that the Board of Supervisors made the decision to delay the slight reopening of some businesses in what was essentially a meeting conducted by email. Such informal “polls of the board” are not unprecedented; however, it was certainly possible to schedule a meeting to have that discussion in public forum. The board has been meeting electronically in emergency settings for weeks. What was shocking about the action was the response of the board leadership when asked about the details of the email discussion that resulted in a 6-3 “vote.” The newspaper was told the communications could be obtained by filing a formal request under the commonwealth’s Freedom of Information Act. We did and the government took the statutorily allowed five working days to deliver the documents. That’s not the level of transparency voters were promised when these supervisors were candidates on the campaign trail. And it isn’t good government. In navigating this crisis, trust in our government leaders will be paramount and that trust should not to be taken for granted. 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 Freedom Denied Editor: I would like to begin this email by thanking the three members of the Board of Supervisors (Caleb Kershner (Catoctin), Tony Buffington (Blue Ridge), and Kristen Umstattd (Leesburg) who sent a letter to Gov. Northam requesting that consideration be given to permitting western Loudoun to join the other parts of the state and open Friday, May 15. Although a resident of Ashburn, I concur with this request, albeit I do believe that the science and data demonstrate that Loudoun County should open as a whole. I am at a loss as to determine why Supervisor Randall chose to join with the far more densely populated counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Arlington, and Alexandria and did so with only a “straw vote.”

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

Loudoun County residents followed all other Americans and willingly closed down their businesses, schools, places of worship, and “stayed at home” as requested. Elective surgeries were cancelled, dentists were not permitted to see patients unless it was an emergency, etc. This was done, we were told, to make certain that the virus did not infect so much of the populace that our health system and hospitals would become overwhelmed and unable to function. To date, in our daily COVID-19 summaries from Loudoun County I have yet to see a listing of the number of hospitalizations or ICU beds filled as a direct result of infection with this virus. Since you list a decrease in the number of hospitalizations as the first criteria for LETTERS continues on page 34

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.

ALWAYS ONLINE AT LOUDOUNNOW.COM

MAY 21, 2020

PAGE 33

PARENTING WITH A PURPOSE

The Home Stretch of Home Schooling NEIL MCNERNEY

Let’s face it: Nobody was prepared for the academic challenges we have been facing for the past two months. The school system wasn’t prepared, parents weren’t prepared, and even families that homeschool their kids weren’t prepared for this. We have done everything we can to adjust, but we are completely worn out. How do we, as parents, find the energy that was already depleted to help our children finish the school year strong? As someone who literally wrote the book on homework, let me give you some advice on this. How your child has dealt with school for the past month will probably be how they deal with the final three weeks. If they have been diligently working on their assignments, getting up for every online Zoom/ Google call, they will probably continue to do so. If, on the other hand, it’s been a slog every day to try to motivate them, it will probably continue to be hard for the remainder of the year. This isn’t intended to be cynical. As someone whose career is

focused on personal change, I know that there are too many resistance factors conspiring against us right now to make significant changes. Don’t try to instill good study habits at this point. The uncertainty of our situation, compounded by the short-term nature and the fact that fourth quarter grades are more flexible, makes it extremely hard to try to change habits at this point. Typically, many students struggle each quarter only to sprint during the last week or so to get as many assignments in to boost their grades. This quarter is different. Most students have already determined how hard they are going to work and there is little incentive to push at the end. The relationship is more important than the performance. I sometimes hear parents say things like: “I don’t care if my kid hates me, as long as they are doing well.” I cringe inside when I hear this. I think it gives parents a free pass on dealing calmly with our kids. There is a difference between being strict and being angry. We can be strict and calm at the same time. We don’t need

to lose our temper to get our point across. In fact, when we lose our temper, the point is often completely lost. When we yell at our children, other neurological pathways are activated that make it very difficult for children to process information effectively. At all costs, try your hardest to stay calm while we are in this situation. Consistency is over-rated, especially now. I know. Everyone keeps talking about how important consistency is right now. We all tend to have friends that post pictures of their “daily schedule” and their perfectly organized “classroom.” I don’t know about you, but when I see these posts, my first feeling is inadequacy. Although my children are no longer in K-12, I am certain that I would not be the organized parent. I just don’t have it in me. If you are organized and consistent, good for you. Keep it up. But for the rest of us I would love to send some scissors so that you can cut yourself some slack. Your child will survive without color-coded assignment folders

for the next few weeks. We can only fight our natural tendencies for so long. Lastly: Just get through these final three weeks. Even in the best of times, our future is uncertain. Don’t dwell on the uncertainty of the summer. Don’t focus on what September will be like. We have plenty of time to deal with those issues. Trying to wrap our head around the next problem to solve is exceedingly difficult when we are still in the middle of this problem. By solving one problem at a time, we also send a good message to our children: Solve the problem in front of you, then go on to the next problem. n Neil McNerney is a licensed professional counselor and author of Homework – A Parent’s Guide To Helping Out Without Freaking Out! and The Don’t Freak Out Guide for Parenting Kids with Asperger’s. He can be reached at neil@neilmcnerney.com

Watching a Parent Die Through a Window BY CHRIS CROLL

I never could have imagined two of the most horrific events in my lifetime—my father dying and a global pandemic— would happen simultaneously. My father’s slide downhill began this past Christmas Eve when he experienced shortness of breath while trying to wrap a gift. Several hospital stays and five months later, my dad now lives in an assisted living facility and last week we put him on hospice. He has end-stage congestive heart failure, which not only renders him unable to breathe without oxygen but also involves high doses of round the clock medications to keep his heart beating. As a result of the brain not getting enough oxygen, my dad also experiences episodes of acute delirium where he thinks he’s back in the Bronx, he sees people who aren’t there, or he thinks there is a party going on upstairs (his facility is only one level). As hard as it is for anyone to watch their strong, independent 76-year old father decline, the entire situation has been made so much more painful for me—and for so many others going through a simi-

lar experience—by the fact that this is all happening during a pandemic. Here are a few examples of how COVID-19 has had an impact: • Nearly all assisted living facilities are closed to visitors. Not just family members are prohibited from entering but also physical therapists, palliative nurses and others who might extend a person’s life, or at least make their decline more comfortable. • It is a challenge to find an assisted living facility where your loved one is in a room with a window facing the outside of the building. My dad’s window only opens 4 inches so it’s not always easy to communicate with him. But at least I can see him. • Testing for COVID-19 is becoming routine in many nursing homes, especially in “memory care” facilities where residents are known to wander from room to room. My dad, a New Yorker who generally keeps to himself, has started tossing Hershey’s kisses into the hallway to draw out residents who accidentally wander into his room. • Any groceries, clothing or other ar-

ticles we bring to my dad have to be sanitized before they are delivered to him. With 45 families bringing things for their residents every day, this means it could be hours before he gets a delivery. • The clergy who came to deliver a blessing for my dad had to do so from outside his window while standing in the dirt and wearing a mask. Only nine family members could attend the service since, by law, gatherings cannot exceed 10 people. • We cannot safely hug family members who fly into town to visit my dad at his window since they are not quarantining with us. Even in our moments of overwhelming grief, we must cry standing 6 feet apart from one another. On a primal level, it feels very wrong not to hug someone who is doubled over in emotional anguish. • In final-hours-of-life situations, relatives are not always permitted to enter assisted living facilities to be with their dying family members. Many elderly people die without even a hand to hold as they leave this earth.

Despite the horrible timing of my father’s illness, we are all doing our best to cope. The assisted living staff is working day and night to keep him comfortable inside while my family sends him love from outside. For those out there who have found themselves in similar circumstances, please know you are not alone in this sad, complicated and bizarre situation. And to those who have a cavalier attitude about washing hands, wearing masks and taking other precautions to stop the spread of this deadly virus, please understand that each day that goes by with us under lockdown is another many of us don’t get to hug the people we love. No one should ever have to say a final goodbye through a window. n Chris Croll is a writer, community activist and former member of the Loudoun County School Board (Catoctin District). She lives in Leesburg with her husband and two children.

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End-of-life continued from page 1 know it was the last time he’d see her alive. For Arnie, Debra’s complex medical case and the pain of her loss were amplified by the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. “It’s a kind of secondary death to what’s been going on. The people who are dying of COVID, it’s tragic. There are sad stories there,” Arnie said. “But there are those that are probably not being mentioned who are victims of the circumstances.” At the beginning of this year, Debra, 61, was undergoing treatment for colon cancer and doing well, Arnie said. But she began experiencing fatigue and respiratory symptoms in mid-February. The couple sought answers via telemedicine appointments, but Debra’s symptoms persisted, causing her to miss chemotherapy appointments and a scheduled follow-up scan. “Everything just hit at once at the wrong time,” Arnie said. “All this confusion and not being able to go in to see someone, maybe for them to say, ‘You know what, there’s something more going on here.’ It just confused the hell out of us.” After a course of antibiotics and weeks of hoping for signs of improvement, Arnie took Debra to the emergency room at Inova Loudoun Hospital. “She just couldn’t take it anymore,” he said. Debra was admitted to the hospital’s Acute Care Unit, and Arnie followed the hospital’s tight rules barring visitors to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Inova’s policy allows for one visitor for dying patients, but for Tanner, that call came too late. Over the five days of Debra’s hospitalization, Arnie was able to talk with her briefly on the phone and via text. She seemed to be doing better, he said. “Part of the confusion was just thinking she was going to get better. It’s a stupid

LETTERS to the Editor continued from page 32

reopening, where is the graph or table that shows the numbers from the inception of the shutdown to date? It is curiously absent from your daily summary as it has been from its inception. In fact, today’s data once again lists only the number of COVID-19 deaths and the number of positive COVID-19 tests to date. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Loudoun County is listed as 38 (which is 0.009% of the population of Loudoun County—413,538). While no death is

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blind optimism that makes things so hard,” he said. “You’re not thinking she’s not coming back.” Debra had two negative COVID tests, including two days before her hospitalization and a second test while in the hospital. She took a sudden turn for the worse and died of pneumonia on April 15. Her husband arrived at the hospital 15 minutes after her death. For Arnie, profound grief was made worse by the frustration of navigating the uncharted territory of illness and death during a pandemic, trying to follow the rules but missing important moments and information. “I would have pushed harder to try to find a way to go in,” he said. “I would have been more aggressive.” In the aftermath of Debra’s death, Arnie is now trying to honor her despite limited ability to connect with family and friends. “I miss her presence and her big heart,” Arnie said. “There’s been support, but it’s all long distance. I’m here alone. I’ve had to do everything myself and kind of stumble along in a daze part of the time. ... I’m trying to honor Deb as much as I can.” Debra, a fine art photographer who also worked as a dental hygienist and a caregiver with Visiting Angels, was a mom to two standard poodles, Francie and Max. She and Arnie were nature lovers who met while hiking at Shenandoah National Park. They were married in the beloved azalea garden at Fairfax County’s Meadowlark Gardens, and Debra’s wish was to be cremated and eventually have her ashes buried with her husband’s at the park in a biodegradable urn. Arnie doesn’t consider himself tech savvy and isn’t planning a virtual service. Instead, he drafted a moving letter sent to family, friends and neighbors and will organize an in-person memorial when circumstances allow. “Down the road, something,” he said.

A Sense of Closure COVID is changing how Loudouners honor lost family members, and that’s changing how local funeral services do business, with traditional rituals getting shaken up or going by the wayside. This includes a rise in cremations as families look to buy time in hopes of an in-person memorial down the road. “Cremation has definitely increased. A lot of people that would normally do more traditional services are electing to go ahead with cremation and delay having a memorial service,” said Kathryn McDonough Webb, managing director of Loudoun Funeral Chapel. With an increase in cases overall and strict COVID protocols in place, Webb and her brothers who run the family business are working to deal with more deaths while keeping employees safe on staggered shifts. With 10-person limits on gatherings, holding in-person memorials is challenging, she said. The chapel is hosting staggered smallgroup gatherings along with livestreamed services and Zoom memorials. “Certainly, people are feeling a greater challenge, but for the most part people are very understanding,” Webb said. “It’s not that we don’t want to offer them the services their loved ones are entitled to. We’re just trying to do the best we can to give them some closure.” “It changed everything.” For Casey Shapiro of Lovettsville, losing her handsome, dynamic husband to pancreatic cancer at 41 was a painful blow, and the stress and grief were compounded by the chaos of the COVID crisis. “I don’t think a satisfying goodbye exists. But I think that knowing what his prognosis was and especially knowing the environment we’re in right now, I feel blessed almost to the point where I feel a little embarrassed about it—because I know there are lots of families that didn’t even get what I got,” she said.

From the heartbreak of not having Mark’s parents physically present to say goodbye to their son to an unexpectedly uplifting Zoom shiva, the last month has been a roller coaster for Shapiro, who admits she’s holding it together with a healthy dose of dark humor. Mark and Casey met in Atlanta, drawn together by shared interests and creative hobbies including acting, stunt work and live-action role play. After moving to Loudoun, Mark launched his dream career as a project manager in the cybersecurity field. He also got involved in his community where he was a volunteer at Lovettsville Fire and Rescue Company and a past master of Lovettsville’s Masonic lodge. Mark was diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer in 2017 and went through successful treatment and remission. But the cancer returned in August of last year, and a new chemotherapy protocol failed early this year. Mark began a clinical trial at NIH in March, and the Shapiros were hopeful: he was young and had beat cancer before. But Mark began having alarming symptoms including fatigue and shortness of breath. On April 11, Casey took Mark to a local urgent care center. With COVID protocols in full swing, she wasn’t initially allowed to go with her husband into the exam room. When medical staff called her back, a red flag immediately went up. “Every time they make an exception in this climate, something really big is going on—and it’s probably ugly,” Casey said with characteristic frankness. After urgent care staff recommended heading to the emergency room in Lansdowne, Mark was admitted to Inova Loudoun Hospital, and Casey was separated from her husband for the first week of his care. On April 18, she got a call from Mark’s local oncologist suggesting she make arrangements to visit him. Results from a new scan were in, and they weren’t good. END-OF-LIFE continues on page 35

acceptable, to continue to shut down the economy of an entire county of more than 400,000 residents for a 0.009% death rate is incomprehensible. The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Loudoun County is listed as 1,283 which is 0.3% of the population, or less than one percent of the population. I must say, however, that I am at a loss as to understand why a decrease in the number of positive tests has been chosen as a criteria, as it is inevitable that as you increase the number of tests administered, the number of positive tests will rise. We all are aware of this phenomenon, I would hope. Finally, as a resident of Loudoun

County, I am insulted to learn that it is the position of the Board of Supervisors that I am not intelligent enough to follow the guidelines as presented in Phase 1 of the reopening. It is well known that Loudoun County has a well-educated population and yet we are being treated as if we are uneducated children. If you need any evidence as to the willingness of the population to adhere to the guidelines, all you need do is to see the results above. We have stayed at home, worn our masks, washed our hands, worn our gloves and taken care of ourselves so thoroughly that only a miniscule number of our population have died. Furthermore, there is

nothing in the opening documents that states that residents will be forced to patronize any establishments that do open. They can choose to go or choose to stay at home. As I wrote in an email to the board on May 11, Virginia is one of the founding states of our great country, a state where freedom was prized as a founding principle. The residents of Loudoun County should be given the freedom to choose whether they will patronize establishments that open up. To deny the population the freedom to do so runs contrary to our founders and system of government. - Ann Mulhall, Ashburn

MAY 21, 2020

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larger celebration of life for next year. Last week, Casey remembered Mark with nearly 100 friends and family at a Zoom shiva, a COVID-inspired twist on the traditional Jewish mourning observance. “That is one of the Jewish traditions that I wanted to give Mark,” she said. Organized with help from friends and a congregation in Reston, the shiva included both a more formal component with traditional prayers and a less formal chat where friends and family shared stories. “I wanted his family to be able to see all of the lives that he had touched. ...When they logged on and they saw this chat—I’m pretty sure we had close to 100 people— they got to hear from people from all walks of life,” Casey said. “There were Masons and coworkers and high school and college

friends. There were stunt people, there were cybersecurity people, there were people who knew him online and had never met him. ... That was really nice to be able to give them.” The virtual shiva was a silver lining of sorts in a very painful time, and Casey thinks the online memorial may be one element that ends up sticking in a postCOVID world. “It really empowered people from all over the world to come weigh in. ... Some people that showed up would never have been able to make it.” For Casey, the loss of a young spouse has also encouraged her to emphasize the importance of end of life planning and advance directives for everyone, especially in the age of COVID. “The minute you’re a legal adult, start thinking about these things and writing them down,” she said. “Do not put this conversation off.” “Families want to be with each other.” For Loudoun’s hospice care providers, COVID is creating challenges in a profession that relies heavily on in-person contact. Larissa Blechman, a grief and loss counselor and chaplain for Blue Ridge Hospice, says pandemic protocols are dramatically changing how she and her colleagues do their jobs. While the hospice’s physicians, nurses and certified nursing assistants still have in-person contact with patients, Blechman and other team members are meeting clients virtually, and it’s just not the same. “Talking with people and keeping them company, often talking about the meaning in their life, the decisions they want to make at the end of their life, what they want their life legacy to be—that’s a lot harder

over the phone for a variety of reasons,” Blechman said. “We’re having to learn a whole different way to try to reach out to people. It’s wonderful. We can do a lot of things [virtually], but it’s also limited. We feel the separation from the families and the patients that we often grow to love and care for very much.” COVID protocols are also creating extra stress and grief for families of loved ones with terminal illness, both in nursing home settings and in hospice care at home. With no-visitation policies in nursing homes, Blechman’s clients are visiting loved ones at the end of their lives through a pane of glass and communicating via white board. “They’re describing their face pressed up against a window,” she said. For families caring for dying loved ones at home, there’s a different set of concerns. “The families are very isolated and they can’t have their family members come in. They don’t get a break because nobody can come in and help with care. The stress level in the families is really rising,” Blechman said. As a grief counselor, Blechman is seeing the loss of rituals and mourning in community take a toll, but she’s also witnessing moments of strength and grace. “Families want to be with each other and they’re not able to. It doesn’t meet the needs the way it would to be together,” she said “People are frustrated. Despite all of the difficulties, the thing that we keep talking about is that people are resilient. We’re all trying to reach out to each other and connect with each other, and we’re doing it the best ways that we know how. People are amazing. Life is so fragile but it’s also so strong.” n

won’t feel the effects in its revenues until the next tax collection on June 5. Zurn said that will be when there will be a sense of how many people are able to pay. Some of that ability to pay may be exacerbated by the way assessments are conducted. Before the pandemic, real estate property values were continuing to boom in Loudoun. Month after month, the price of a house in the county grew, in a seller’s market where houses were sold with record-setting speed once listed, and with sellers getting almost every bit of the list price. The Dulles Area Association of Realtors reported that in January, Loudoun sellers were getting more than 98 percent of the list price, with houses staying on the market on average just 17 days. Meanwhile, real estate tax bills for commercial properties are based, in part,

on their income and expenses, so a busy commercial center or hotel will get a higher tax bill. And all those assessments are as of Jan. 1—before the pandemic sent the U.S. into lockdown. That means that people in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are getting tax bills this year based on the boom times. “We’ve heard from quite a few commercial property owners concerned about what’s happening with values,” said Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr. “The outlet mall shut down, Top Golf shut down, movie theaters are shut down, and all we can do is let them know about the Board of Equalization appeal process, and let them know that we are going to consider what happens this calendar year for 2021.”

The Board of Equalization hears appeals from property owners who feel that their property has not been fairly assessed, and has some authority within state law to increase or decrease assessments; Wertz said he is not sure whether the board will take into account the COVID-19 pandemic in appeals this year. Zurn said the county government will get a signal of how bad things are with the personal property and real estate tax collections on June 5, already an extended deadline. So far, he said, his office has already set up 41 payment plans. He urged people who are worried they may not be able to make that payment to contact his office. Find contact and other information about the treasurer at loudoun.gov/treasurer. n

End-of-life continued from page 34 “The cancer had exploded everywhere,” Casey said. “Once Mark’s status had changed and things got super dire, that appeared to be the flipping point [on visitation].” During her early visits, Mark was lucid and able to interact, Casey said, and at one point asked for his laptop so he could continue working at the job he loved. For Casey, one of the most heartbreaking aspects of COVID restrictions was that Mark’s parents in St. Louis couldn’t make the trip to Virginia. “They were scared, but it broke their hearts because they couldn’t physically be there. They couldn’t touch him or hold him. ... It changed everything. They lost the ability to tell him goodbye the way they would have.” When Mark died May 5, Casey was by his side. Then the overwhelming task of planning a series of remembrances began. Mark was Jewish and valued his religious heritage, Casey said, but wasn’t especially religious. He had chosen cremation, which took the urgency of a traditional Jewish burial off the table, but there were still choices and arrangements to be made under challenging circumstances. Casey, who was raised Methodist, worked to respect the elements of her husband’s faith that were important to him, adapting Jewish traditions in line with Mark’s wishes and the current COVID-influenced reality. Her current plan is for a small religious ceremony and the placement of Mark’s ashes in a new glass-front columbarium under construction in Falls Church next spring. She is also planning a

Downturn continued from page 3 the total picture until 2021—the Board of Supervisors has to have the mindset that “if it’s not absolutely essential, we can’t afford to do anything right now.” “I don’t quite see that in several of the members,” Zurn said. “They’ve been flush with cash for many years, and there’s still this mindset of, ‘if we want it, we can do it,’ and that is not the way to be doing things at this particular time. We owe it to taxpayers to conserve cash and not spend until we know where we’re at exactly.” While people and businesses are already feeling the effects of the pandemic and accompanying business shutdowns and limitations, the county government

PAGE 35

Courtesy of Casey Shapiro

Mark Shapiro died May 5 from pancreatic cancer at age 41. His wife Casey organized a Zoom shiva for nearly 100 family and friends but is delaying an in-person memorial until 2021.

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MAY 21, 2020

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