Loudoun Now for July 20, 2023

Greenway Asks for Jump in Tolls in Test of New Regulations

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The Dulles Greenway has filed a request for a nearly 40% increase in rush hour tolls, setting up the first real test of new legislation meant to curb the private toll road’s regular rate hikes.

And the Greenway asked the State Corporation Commission to allow the company to skip the commission’s full hearing process in the future to allow more frequent toll increases.

The Greenway applied to the State Corporation Commission to raise tolls on two-axle vehicles using the 14-mile highway to $8.10 during rush hour and $6.40 in off-peak hours. Currently, the toll is $5.80 in peak hours and $5.25 in off-peak hours.

Earlier Elementary School Start Times Have Parents Upset, More Tardies Reported

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Last year, Loudoun County Public Schools adopted staggered start times in all its schools, but parents with elementary aged children whose start times

changed to 20 minutes earlier want it changed back.

“It’s just early too early of a start time, and in the winter months we have kids standing on a street corner in the pitch black because it’s before the sun rises,” said Sean Kaine, a Leesburg father of two ele-

mentary aged children. “It’s more than an inconvenience. You can see the impact it has on their sleep and awareness throughout the day.”

START TIMES

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Previously, the SCC routinely approved annual toll increases on the Greenway. In 2021, after a decade of effort by Loudoun legislators, the General Assembly passed legislation aimed to put new oversight and transparency on the state’s only privately owned toll road. The law tightened the way the SCC evaluates the Greenway’s requests for toll GREENWAY TOLLS

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Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

A bus leaves the division’s central garage parking lot.

Inova’s Tyczka Receives National Trauma Nurse Award

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Inova Loudoun Hospital trauma nurse and trauma educator Jordan Tyczka is the 2023 National Trauma Nurse of the Year.

Tyczka received the 2023 Distinguished Trauma Certified Registered Nurse Award on July 13 from the Board of Certifications for Emergency Nursing. Tyczka, now the hospital’s Trauma Program director, is one of 7,000 nurses nationwide to hold the TCRN certification and the only one to receive the award this year, making her the trauma nurse of the year.

“It feels a little surreal. It still hasn’t really sunk in especially at the magnitude of what this means,” she said Thursday after receiving the award in front of her family and Inova colleagues. “But for me, I know on a personal level it’s just the validation of everything I’ve worked for. It’s everything I’ve done, it was all meant to be, I’m here for a reason, I do this for a reason and it’s recognized and for a profession that is completely fine not being recognized it feels really good.”

Tyczka, the daughter of a retired emergency room nurse and a retired biomedical director, started her nursing career 16

years ago in Columbia, SC. While there, at the age of 21 she had her first experience with a trauma patient that she said forever changed her life.

She described a young woman coming into the hospital with a large wound on her leg after a boating accident.

“I watched the symphony begin. Nurses and doctors on every side of the patient took 16 minutes to resuscitate

Loudoun Now Featured in Google News Showcase Launch

Loudoun Now is one of approximately 150 publishers included in the rollout of Google News Showcase’s American version Wednesday morning.

her, stabilize her, and get her off to the operating room,” she said. “Sixteen minutes and my life felt changed. I knew I wanted to get good at this.”

She then began studying to become a trauma certified nurse.

When she started her career at Inova

Upper Loudoun Little League Juniors Win State Championship

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The Upper Loudoun Little League Juniors baseball team won the state championship on Monday at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville, after qualifying for the tournament by hosting it.

They will next compete in the Southeast Region Tournament in Bridgewater, July 28 – Aug. 1. They’ll compete against other state champions from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The team previously might not even have been in the state tournament—they lost the qualifying District 16 championship game to Loudoun South Little League, but to get an even number of teams for the state championship tournament organizers tapped them to qualify as the host team. And the team came alive for the state tournament, routing all three teams they faced.

“Our bats were on fire the whole time,”

Manager Jim Kennedy said. “The offense had a slow start and then all of a sudden, the bats were just catching. The guys didn’t stop hitting.”

The team defeated Huguenot 15-1, Northumberland 13-0, and, on Monday, Warwick 14-3. That avenged district champions Loudoun South, which defeated Abingdon 4-0 in the first round but fell to Warwick 2-1.

“We knew what we had at the beginning of the year. We drafted on for bats and pitching and catching, and we had all that,” Kennedy said. “The guys just started getting their bats.”

It will be the first time Kennedy, who has been coaching for 13 years, will lead a team to the regional championship.

“This is going to be an experience,” he said. “I’ve been waiting.” n

Showcase was introduced in Germany and Brazil in 2020 and has expanded to more than 20 countries. It is designed to allow publishers to make editorial choices about which articles to show readers and how to present them. Those local choices differentiate the platform from other Google News services that deliver content to users based on algorithmic search information.

Initial participants in the United States include national publishers like the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but 90% are regional or local newsrooms like Loudoun Now. The selected articles are free to read, including from publishers who operate with paywalls.

“Through this experience, publishers, including award-winning newsrooms, can give readers more insight on local, national, and international news to help them understand the stories that matter. News organizations have direct control of their presentation and branding, which provides a way to form deeper relationships with their audiences,” according to the project’s website.

The platform is also a global content licensing program; Google pays participating publishers to curate quality journalism for an improved online news experience. In addition to providing additional revenue to help news operations, the Google News Initiative has partnered with five news associations to give grants and training to almost 1,000 journalists across the country.

Find the Google News Showcase at news.google.com/showcase. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Jordan Tyczka on July 13 after receiving the 2023 Distinguished Trauma Award at Inova Loudoun Hospital.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now 2023 Virginia State Juniors Tournament Upper Loudoun celebrate at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville on Monday, July 17.

TRAUMA NURSE AWARD continues on page 28

County Criminalizes Misconduct on Metro

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Supervisors have approved new local laws for conduct on Metro trains and stations, deciding on lesser punishments for some offenses than other jurisdictions.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, or Metro, asked the county to pass a local ordinance governing conduct on Metro facilities, giving local law enforcement and Metro Transit Police authority to enforce those rules in Loudoun. Metro and county staff had recommended stiffer punishments for many transgressions, particularly fare evasion. But at a meeting in June some supervisors expressed misgivings about saddling people with a criminal record for things like going barefoot on the train.

On Wednesday, supervisors voted for a compromise ordinance which still designates less serious misconduct as a misdemeanor but marked it as an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $50. Repeat offenses are punishable by fines of $50 to $100. That covers offenses like jumping the fare gate, smoking, spitting, littering, or vandalizing a train.

More serious, safety-related offenses

ON THE Agenda

County Targets August Launch for New Online Land Management System

Loudoun County is scheduled to launch its new online land management system, LandMARC, on Monday, Aug. 14.

The system is hoped to increase efficiency and transparency, offering an online tool for accessing, managing and maintaining the county’s land-related information.

Some online services will be suspended in preparation for the launch, beginning July 26. At that time, new applications will be limited, payments will not be accepted, edits to existing

Loudoun

were marked as Class 1 misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Those include offenses like bringing flammable liquids on the train, opening a door or window without justification, walking on the tracks or riding on top of a train.

Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) said she would like to pursue ban-

applications and records cannot be made, inspections will not be scheduled and permits will not be issued. Deadlines for application submissions, payments, and inspections are online at loudoun.gov/landmarc.

The in-person customer service counter on the second floor of the Loudoun County Government Center at 1 Harrison St., SE in Leesburg will remain open.

Once operating, LandMARC will permit visitors to submit permit, land development and legislative land use applications; submit electronic copies of plans and other required documentation; track the status of applications and land development projects; request pre-application and pre-submission meetings; request inspections; pay application fees; and access public records

ning guns from Metro trains, something Loudoun County does not currently have the legal authority to do. The county can only ban guns from facilities it owns or uses, which it has done.

Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said in a recent meeting with Amalgamated Transit Union workers, she was told Metro employees’ highest priority is get-

of permits and plans.

It will replace both internal system and public-facing systems including LOLA and e-Permits.

More information is online at loudoun.gov/landmarc.

Loudoun Expands Youth Services with New Center

Loudoun County has established a new support services for young people and their families at the Youth Services Center in Leesburg.

The facility houses the new Youth and Family Resource Center, the new RISE Youth Shelter and the re-located Juvenile Detention Center.

The Youth and Family Resource Center serves Loudoun youth ages 1117 who may face behavioral challenges,

ting training in de-escalation techniques.

“The fact that… the Metro workers would like de-escalation techniques doesn’t just speak to what’s happening in Metro. I think it speaks to what’s happening in our commonwealth and our country,” Randall said.

Supervisors on July 12 approved the new local ordinance unanimously. n

including issues at home, in the community and with peers.  It’s meant to prevent or reduce delinquency and court involvement. The center connects young people and their families to county programs and services and other local resources.

Meanwhile, the new Reaching for Insight, Success and Empowerment, or RISE, Shelter offers support for court-involved youth in a safe, structured and supported environment. The shelter develops individualized service plans and goals for each young person during their time at the shelter.

To get help and for more information, go to loudoun.gov/familyresourcecenter or call 703-777-0303. The Youth Services Center is located at 42055 Gourley

ON THE AGENDA

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

A crowded Metro train heads toward Ashburn Sation. County supervisors have passed an ordinance criminalizing misconduct on Metro trains and property.

County Health Department Now County-Run

The Loudoun County Health Department is under the administration of the county government, completing a process that began in 2020 aiming to serve Loudoun residents better and make the department more efficient.

In 2021, the county sought and received approval from the Virginia General Assembly for the authority to operate and locally administer the Loudoun Health Department. Under an agreement between Loudoun County and the Virginia Department of Health, the department officially transitioned to local administration on July 1. Previously, the department was split between local and state employees, causing disparities among staff salaries and benefits, and duplication of administrative work.

With the transition, about 50 former state employees now work for the county government, joining other department employees who already worked for the

county. All now report to the county administrator.

Local control also gives the county government direct control over the department’s budget and programming, with an aim toward more responsive programming to suit the needs of Loudoun’s residents and businesses and the priorities of the county board.

“While administration of the department has moved from the state to the county, our mission remains the same: to provide health services that enhance and ensure the health of everyone who lives in, works in and visits Loudoun County,” Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend stated. “We will continue to work with our partners in the community to protect the environment, prevent the spread of disease and promote health.”

“The local administration of the Health Department is something the county has been working toward for several years and I am pleased to see this come to fruition,” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) stated. “I look forward to the increased efficiencies and the elimination of any disparity between state and county

We See You... Accurately

ON THE Agenda

employees.”

With that change and other annual budget growth, the department’s local budget grew from $8 million in fiscal year 2023 to $15 million in FY2024. The department’s revenues are expected to grow from $7.7 million to $10.3 million as the county takes on revenues and grants that previously went to the state, and the state pays the county $1.95 million as part of the Cooperative Budget. Previously the county paid the state that amount.

Loudoun becomes the third locally administered health department in Northern Virginia, after Arlington County and Fairfax County health departments, which have long been locally administered.  The 2021 legislation also allows Prince William County, the City of Manassas and the City of Manassas Park to locally administer a health department. The City of Alexandria also now has the enabling legislation for local administration of its health department.

More information is online at loudoun.gov/health. n

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Landfill Replacing Waste Oil Tank

The Loudoun County Solid Waste Management Facility on Evergreen Mills Road temporarily stopped accepting waste oil earlier this month after discovering a leak in the oil collection tank, which could take several months to replace.

Beginning July 19, the landfill is accepting limited quantities of waste oil. Customers may bring up to five gallons per week of waste motor oil, engine oil, heating oil, hydraulic oil, kerosene, lamp oil, power steering fluid or transmission fluid. Gasoline is not accepted.

The landfill annually recycles more than 40,000 gallons of oil and related fluids at no charge, according to the county. n

Transit Drive and is operated by the Loudoun County Juvenile Court Service Unit.

Goodfriend

Village at Leesburg Welcomes Brewery, Food Hall Makeover

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The former Chefscape and Smokehouse Live space at the Village at Leesburg is marking its latest evolution, welcoming Water’s End Brewery to The Dell Food & Brew Hall.

The brewery opening is the latest piece of a two-year effort to remake the food hall space. The concept is the brainchild of Henry Fonvielle, president of Rappaport, which manages the Village at Leesburg; Artie Simcox, a founder of the Great American Restaurant Group and namesake of Artie’s Restaurant in Fairfax; and Water’s End co-founder Zach Mote.

Water’s End joins food vendors Paulie’s Italian Kitchen, Lucky Dog, Nacho Macho and Colombian’s Place in The Dell.

In addition to his restaurateur expertise, Simcox brought “The Dell” concept to the partnership, describing it as a place where food and drink unite in a gathering place safe for all to live and play.

Fonvielle said he always thought the space was suited for a brewery. “Zach was our first call.”

“Artie and Zach and I have worked on it for two years and it came together. It’s one of those beautiful stories where you

have a dream and you just keep tinkering with it and it comes together,” Fonvielle said.

“People just love breweries and to have the quality that Zach puts together with his beers just makes it truly unique,” he said.

It’s the fourth location for Water’s End, the craft brewery founded in 2016 by longtime friends Mote, Josh Fournelle, and Ryan Sharkey. It also has locations in Fredericksburg, Lake Ridge and Potomac Mills.

Early this week, Mote was in the brewery preparing for three new releases—including the new Village Vice, a hefeweizen that pays homage to the new location.

“There are some brews that we want to do just for Leesburg. What we found works really well is to engage the neighborhoods and the community and a lot of that is with beer names,” Mote said.

Mote was working as a Fairfax County Police officer and doing homebrewing when he discovered BadWolf Brewing Company nearby the homebrewing supply store he used in Manassas. That nanobrewery was the first to open in Prince William County in 2013. With new Virginia laws making it easier for breweries to sell directly to customers, Mote started building a business model. He left the

police force, and they opened their first brewery in 2016. As they’ve expanded, they also have brought in top brewers, including head brewer Jeremy Hunt, formerly of Beltway Brewing and Dogfish Head Brewing.

Mote is excited about the new Village at Leesburg location.

“To me, this is the sweet spot of what a brewery can be for customers,” he said.

Having four vendors onsite in the food court is a special benefit. “This is essentially like having four food trucks right here,” he said, noting that food pairing events will be part of the program.

In addition to the restaurant offerings, the space has been a popular cocktail bar. And while cocktails will continue to be served, Mote looks forward to converting more visitors to the world of craft beer.

“Bringing somebody new to craft beer, to see their evolution, that’s my favorite customer. And we’re getting quite a bit of that here,” Mote said.

Chefscape, a commercial kitchen used by 30 member entrepreneurs, continues to operate in a space next door.

The Dell, located at 1602 Village Market Blvd SE #120, is open from noon to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and noon to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. n

Weekend Traffic Detours Planned Downtown

A four-month effort to restructure the intersection of King and Market streets will require the downtown streets to be fully closed to traffic during the next two weekends.

The project started July 5 with plans for nightly street closures allowing crews to work from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays through October.

While those will continue, the extended weekend closures announced by the town July 17 are intended to provide crews with longer uninterrupted periods to work under the streets.

The closure will be in effect from 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 21, through 5 a.m. Monday, July 24; and again from 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, through 5 a.m. Monday, July 31.

During the closure, traffic will be detoured around the site. Pedestrian access will be accommodated.

Learn more at leesburgva.gov/market-and-king.

Leesburg Lands Grants for Arts Organizations

The Town of Leesburg has been awarded a $4,500 Creative Communities Partnership Grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. The money will be distributed to five arts organizations planning art activities in town during the upcoming fiscal year.

Town Council earmarked $5,500 in matching fund for the grant in the FY 2024 budget, making $10,000 available for distribution. In March, the council approved the distribution recommendations made by the Leesburg Commission on Public Art.

The money will go to Arts for All Loudoun, $1,200; Loudoun Chorale, $1,300; Loudoun Lyric Opera, $1,400; Loudoun Ballet, $1,600; and Friends of Leesburg Public Arts, $4,500.

Nat’l Night Out Planned at Douglass Center

The Leesburg Police Department will celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 1 at the Douglass Community Center to reinforce

AROUND TOWN continues on page 7

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Water’s End Brewery co-founder Zach Mote stands in the new tank room at The Dell Food & Brew Hall in the Village at Leesburg.

Diner Begins Transition to New Ownership

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A downtown institution dating back to 1865, the Leesburg Diner is being passed along to new ownership.

Michael O’Connor sold the King Street operation July 11 and the restaurant is expected to be closed for several weeks as the new owners complete their updates and ramp up their business.

O’Connor has owned the building for decades and took over the restaurant operations in 2013 following an extensive renovation and rebranding from the Leesburg Restaurant to the Leesburg Diner.

“The theme for the Leesburg Diner was it was a place to meet and greet. It certainly was that,” O’Connor said. “It’s been fun. We’ve had good people, good servers, good food—and a lot of fun. We’ve played music there. We’ve had parties and birthdays and everything a diner supposed to do along with a little bit of a neighborhood twist.”

He sees that continuing, as the eatery moves to the stewardship of the husbandand-wife team of Gary O’Hanlon and Jen-

AROUND Town

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crime and drug prevention awareness while generating support for local anti-crime efforts.

From 6 to 8 p.m., the public is invited to gather at the community event that will include a display of emergency vehicles and equipment, free face painting, a distribution of fresh produce from Loudoun Hunger Relief and free books from the Kiwanis Club of Leesburg, along with free refreshments, activities for children, and music. Target has donated two bicycles to be raffled off.

The community center is located at 407 E Market St. Learn more at natw.org.

nifer Demetrio.

After working in the industry for years specializing in pastries, they opened Café Kindred in Falls Church in 2015 and are excited to come to Loudoun County.

“It fits us perfectly,” Demetrio said of their new opportunity. She said they already have a love for Leesburg and its historic setting and wanted to be a part of it.

In Falls Church, they offer brunch every day, and feature a poutine menu along with a bit of an English flare rooted in O’Hanlon’s Irish upbringing. Those may carry over to the Leesburg location to blend with longtime Diner staples.

“We’re just excited to be part of it. Leesburg is such a great community,” she said.

They hope to have the Diner, located at 9 S. King St., reopened by mid-August.

For O’Connor, he expects the more than 150 years of the restaurant’s traditions to continue under the new ownership.

“So many people in this town had their first date—certainly their first milkshake together—there. And you could feel the closeness of it, really the feel of camaraderie in the place. It sounds corny, but it’s really how I feel about it,” he said. n

Applications Open for TASTE Leesburg Vendors

Preparations are underway for the annual TASTE Leesburg festival that will return to downtown Leesburg on Saturday, Aug. 12.

The Town of Leesburg is accepting applications from food related vendors and food trucks to participate in the event, which emphasizes “taste” from restaurants, businesses, and services showcasing the town.

For more information and to apply, go to tasteleesburg.com or call Ida Lee Park Recreation Center at 703-777-1368. n

Cochran Family Dental

Loudoun Ideal Chiropractic

Miok Hyoun, D.C., is a holistic chiropractor and health care practitioner serving patients at Loudoun Ideal Chiropractic in Lansdowne, Virginia.

Her specialties include treating poor posture, scoliosis, whiplash, herniated discs, chronic back pain, sports injuries, and prenatal chiropractic care.

Dr. Miok has made caring for people through comprehensive chiropractic care a life-long study.

She graduated Magma Cum Laude from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, and has attended numerous trainings and seminars to build her practice and create a holistic wellness clinic for her patients.

Dr. Miok also specializes in advanced chiropractic techniques such as Gonstead and Chiropractic Biophysics. She focuses on nding and treating the root cause of the problem rather than covering the pain and symptoms.

Her ability to connect and analyze the patient’s body and provide the relief from pain extends to other so tissue treatments modalities such as Dry Needling, Graston and Functional Movement Pattern analysis which she uses in tandem with chiropractic

care to o er the best possible individualized treatment plan for her patients.

Dr. Miok is also a certi ed Yoga instructor and frequently incorporates Yoga Asana, breathing methods (Pranayama), and Meditative Mindset to help patients to understand their body and mind connection through their spinal posture rehabilitation protocols to create the long-lasting spinal health and wellbeing in their lives.

No matter the technique, Dr. Miok’s goal is always the same for her patients: To express the best version of themselves ful lling goals and purposes in life with freedom and con dence in their health to create Transformations through the spark of lifeforce in their spine.

www.LoudounIdealChiropractic.com

19301 Winmeade Dr. Suite 214, Lansdowne, VA. 20176

571-707-8639

Clinic Hour: Mon, Wed, and Thurs, 8:30am to 12:00pm, and 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

Teacher Targeted in School Sexual Harassment Investigation Leaves Division

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

A Stone Bridge High School teacher who faced allegations of sexual harassment and assault is no longer teaching in the division.

“We feel strongly vindicated by the decision of Human Resources,” Tumay Harding, the mother of one of the alleged victims, said. “It’s finally here. I think that our family has been on quite the journey, and I am so proud of the girls, especially my daughter, for fighting for what she knew was right and not backing down.”

Harding’s daughter and two other girls brought allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching by a teacher at Stone Bridge High School to school administrators in March 2022.

They later learned about another student who accused the same teacher of sexual assault two years earlier and who had a no contact order placed against him.

“At first, it took a minute to settle in. We are talking about almost 18 months of fighting for what we knew was right,” she said after learning the news this week.

Harding, who is the Republican nominee for the Ashburn District seat on the Board of Supervisors, said she repeatedly checked for updates on the girls’ case to see when school administrators would make a decision.

She called for one of those updates last week and was told the teacher no longer worked for the division and couldn’t in the future, she said.

School division spokesperson Dan Adams confirmed via email the teacher is no longer employed with the division, but declined to comment on whether the teacher resigned or was terminated, saying it is the division’s general practice not to discuss the specifics of personnel matters.

“I’m happy the girls can have closure now,” she said. “The girls have been robbed of their high school experience. I can speak for my daughter; she didn’t even get a full year of high school. The first year was closed because of COVID, then in the middle of her sophomore year she had to leave because of this man, and she never

went back. It’s not fair. It could have been resolved sooner and maybe she could have gone back to school.”

Harding said knowing the teacher will never teach in the division again provides comfort to her but said she is worried he could go to another county or state.

The girls’ allegations led to an investigation by the division’s Department of Human Resources and Talent Development.

The allegations also led to criticism of the school district’s new Title IX office. The families were questioned by a Title IX investigator. The investigator met with the girls and later determined there was insufficient evidence to open a Title IX investigation and said the girls’ claims didn’t fall under Title IX, according to Harding.

The families appealed and a Title IX investigation was opened, but the allegations were later determined to be unsubstantiated. A final appeal and review of the Title IX investigation resulted in another denial in February.

According to division Title IX Coordinator Christopher Moy, Title IX has a higher threshold for sexual harassment than the school district’s human resources policies. He said about 90% of what comes through his office doesn’t meet the threshold.

“Someone could be found not responsible under Title IX, but responsible under a human resource policy, and they are certainly going to take disciplinary measures and they may consider past history in what is going on,” he said. n

Ashburn Student Attends JDRF Children’s Congress

Stone Bridge High School senior Emory Ellis was part of a delegation of peers and celebrity advocates who gathered in Washington, DC, July 9-11 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s 2023 Children’s Congress.

Ellis and more than 160 other youth from across the country met with members of Congress and other decision makers about the role they can play in supporting efforts to fund type 1 diabetes research.

During the three-day program, Ellis participated in leadership and character-building exercises, met with type 1 diabetes role models and attended a Senate hearing where people testified about the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes and the need for continued federal funding through the Special Diabetes Program.

To learn more about type 1 diabetes and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation go to jdrf.org. Read more about Ellis and his journey at jdrf.org/delegates/emory.

Second Annual Dominion Cluster Bike Tour

On July 21, six eastern Loudoun principals from schools in the Domion High School cluster will participate in a bike tour of their community. It’s the second year for the cycling event.

Principals John Brewer, Dominion High School; Nick Cottone, Seneca Ridge Middle School; Neil Kraus, Horizon Elementary School; Kate Puschak, Lowe’s Island Elementary School; Anna Purdy, Meadowland Elementary School; and Gregory Mihalik, Sugarland Elementary School will join in the 23-mile ride. It’s designed to give school administrators a better understanding of their community and give students an opportunity to ride with their principals.

Members of the community are welcome to join the principals. The tour starts at Seneca Ridge Middle School July 21 at 8:30 a.m. For an itinerary of the event, go to lcps.org. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Jason and Tumay Harding. The Harding’s recently learned a teacher their daughter and several other girls accused of sexual harassment and assault is no longer teaching in the division.

Public Safety Murder Suspect Sent to 6 More Months of Mental Health Evaluation

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

A Loudoun County Circuit judge on July 13 ordered Stone L. Colburn, 25, to continue in-patient mental health treatment for another six months to determine whether he is competent to stand trial in the 2021 fatal stabbing of Natalie Crow at their Round Hill area home.

Colburn’s attorney pushed for 90 days, saying Colurn been in the restoration process since 2021.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney argued for a six-month stay, saying the doctor who was working with Colburn believed individual treatment and more time could possibly benefit him.

Judge James P. Fisher agreed and set a court review date for Jan. 11, 2024, saying that was justified by the severity of the issues involved and Colburn’s most recent

evaluation.

Colburn is charged with second-degree murder. He has been under evaluation at Central State Hospital since his arrest. In October, it appeared doctors were set to declare that he could not be rehabilitated and therefore prevent the case from going to trial. That would have meant Colburn would have remained hospitalized with the possibility of release after five years.

To avoid that, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office filed a new felony charge in Circuit Court and dismissed the pending charges awaiting review in District Court, while also securing direct indictments on the original charges from a grand jury.

That lead to confusion between the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, which resulted in Colburn being released from custody. He was apprehended a day later near Savannah, GA. n

Syed Gets Life Sentence in Brambleton Murder

Furqan Syed was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the December 2021 murder of Najat Chemlali Goode in her Brambleton home.

During a two-week trial in April, county prosecutors used cell phone data and video footage from cameras in Goode’s neighborhood to show he was near her home in the days prior to her death and around the time of the shooting.

Goode’s daughter, Sheima Abbas, testified that Syed knocked on her door Dec. 27, 2021, where they shared a brief interaction. She said Syed was looking for her brother and told her that he would be back. Prosecutors said that cell phone data and video footage show Syed returning to the neighborhood every day until the murder on Dec. 30, when they said he slipped into the house, shot Goode in a hallway and fled out the backdoor. They said Syed then drove toward Washington, DC, where cell phone data shows he stopped at the Chain Bridge over the

Potomac River for four minutes. Prosecutors alleged he threw the murder weapon into the river before returning home and taking his wife and their toddler on a last-minute trip to St. Louis. The prosecution also said that Syed’s wife was Googling “breaking news” and “Brambleton news” during the drive. After returning home, Syed flew to Dubai on Jan. 3, where he was arrested and brought back to Loudoun County months later.

No motive for the killing was disclosed.

Syed had no prior criminal history and the state’s sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of between 25 and 42 years in prison.

Circuit Court Judge Douglas Fleming Jr. sentenced Syed to life in prison for the conviction of first-degree murder. He also handed down a sentence of 35 years on the conviction of armed burglary and three years for the use of a firearm during a felony. The sentences are to be served consecutively. n

Nonprofits

Opportunity Scholars Expands to Help Loudoun Students Afford Higher Education

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Opportunity Scholars, a nonprofit founded in 2019 by J. Knox Singleton, is expanding from Frederick County into Loudoun.

The organization provides financial and academic support to students who lack the resources to obtain technical certifications and college degrees that lead to high-demand, well-paying jobs. Along with helping students and their families with financial aid forms and finding scholarship opportunities, it also provides funding for dual enrollment classes, exams, postsecondary education and training, textbooks and other expenses associate with education.

“We are sort of like the hub of the wheel,” Executive Director Rachel Schaefer said. “We connect with school counselors, we connect with the students, we connect with the teachers, and then we help them all the way through to employment. And if we do our job really, really well, then we will have less people having a need for governmental social services like SNAP benefits.”

Students must meet six categories to be eligible, including meeting a predetermined income ceiling, being legally authorized to work in the United States, maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher, en-

tering into one of the preapproved careers identified by the organization as a “secure, good paying, high demand job in the shortest possible time,” living at home during their education to maintain a path that is cost efficient, and falling into the age category of 16-21.

Knuston, HomeAid Complete Mobile Hope Thrift Store Buildout

The Knutson Companies worked with HomeAid National Capital Region and Mobile Hope to build out Mobile Hope’s second thrift store and donation center, Graffiti and Silk Leesburg.

The latest project at the Parker Court campus is a converted machine shed now serving as the Threads of Hope retail store and donation center that will provide workforce development skills to at-risk youth up to age 24, as well as help fund crisis programs.

The Knutson Companies and a team of 21 trade partners completed the renovations, including adding walls to help partition off dressing rooms, bathrooms, and a breakout space, as well as outfitting the entire space with utilities such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, water, and sewer—upgrades valued at $250,000.

Learn more about the work and missions of these organizations at  HomeAidNCR.org and Mobile-Hope.org. n

Some of the careers included in the approved paths include nursing, data analytics, cyber security, welding, surgical technology, plumbing, physical therapy assistant, mechanical engineering, accounting, software development, teaching and commercial driving.

Each student is assigned a career coach who connects with the student and their family monthly to help fill out financial aid forms, coordinate outside resources, determine possible career pathways and next steps and register for classes.

Opportunity Scholars enters into an income share agreement with the student resulting in the organization funding all up front programmatic fees, which includes tuition, equipment and class fees.

“They pay us back only when they start working and making a certain salary,” Shaefer said. “… We just sent someone through a nursing program and if you went to a four-year school, it would be about $160,000 for a nursing degree. We’re doing it for $18,000.”

Schaefer said the organization also partners with local businesses to help find work for the students during and after their post-secondary schooling. In the case of the earlier example of the student who recently obtained a nursing degree, Schaefer said the hospital agreed to pay off a significant portion of the education cost.

“So, by the time that’s all said and done, that student will pay less than $10,000 for a nursing education,” she said.

While the organization’s office is located in Winchester, they plan to open one in Loudoun once they have the student base to warrant it, she said.

More information is online at opportunityscholars.org. n

Contributed

Olivia Willis, a student who recently graduated from Laurel Ridge Community College with the support of Opportunity Scholars, poses for a photo with college President Kim Blosser.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Renovations and redecorating are underway at the future location of Mobile Hope’s Leesburg location for its thrift store Graffiti and Silk.

Governor Celebrates Fortreum Expansion in Lansdowne

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Gov. Glenn Youngkin made an appearance in Lansdowne on Thursday to help cut the ribbon at the new office of Fortreum, a cloud computing and cybersecurity advisory company.

The company was launched in 2021 and has been operating in co-working space at One Loudoun. The expansion is expected to add more than 50 new jobs.

Youngkin said the expansion was reflective of the economic growth occurring throughout the commonwealth.

“Here we stand at the next chapter of a company that was dreamed up by two founders and turned into an economic development success right here in Loudoun County,” he said. “…Seventeen months ago, we were 47th in the nation in recovering from the pandemic, in job recovery. Today, we’re five in job growth in the nation. At the heart of all of that are the incredible, incredible people who have vision to start businesses.”

Fortreum co-founder James Leach said starting a business was a lifelong dream, and he was happy to be able to do it in Loudoun County.

“It’s easy to put limitations on what is possible—in business and life,” he said. “We all face barriers, but that’s also the opportunity. This session we’re having today

is a direct result of that.”

“I really cannot think of a better location for Fortreum to locate your business today,” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said. “We are perfect for you. In Loudoun County we have data centers, we have a focus on help IT, we have a defense industry, we have hundreds of software vendors, we have emerging technologies in almost every arena. And that is why you are in the perfect, perfect place.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Loudoun Coun-

I-Care Opens Ashburn Training Center

Home healthcare agency I-CARE will celebrate its 30th anniversary and the opening of its new Ashburn training facility with a Community Family Health Fair Saturday, Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We want to celebrate 30 years of caring for local residents who need home health care by throwing a bit of a public party as a thank you to the community,” I-CARE founder and chief executive Donna Ivey stated. “It’s also a kickoff for our personal care aide program that will open this fall at the site we’re hosting our health fair and festival.”

The event will include health screen-

ings and demonstrations, live jazz music, a massage and wellness tent, a special healthy food pavilion, fitness and aerobics classes, ongoing programs and presentations from the main fair stage. It will also feature activities for kids like unicorn pony rides, moon bounces, face painting, obstacle courses, a visit from Batman and his superhero friends, Elsa and princess friends, martial art demos, games, a DJ and dance lessons, tournaments, games and crafts.

And the event will share information about the health care worker shortage, which I-CARE is seeking to address by opening the training institute in Ashburn

ty to secure the project for Virginia and will provide support through Virginia Jobs Investment Program, which provides consultative services and funding to companies creating new jobs through employee recruitment and training activities.

Youngkin presented Leach and co-founder Michael Carter with a Virginia flag that was flown over the state capitol.

“Every time you walk in, you will know that the commonwealth is beside you, behind you, and supporting everything that you’re doing,” Youngkin said. “And you will continue to be so proud to be partners with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Loudoun County.”

Fortreum specializes in delivering cybersecurity and cloud support services, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and technical validations for public and private sector organizations.

“Our core focus is to provide cybersecurity auditing and technical testing for a lot of cloud providers, or traditional IT systems, that do work for either the government or commercial entities,” Leach said.

The ceremony was also attended by Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn), Delegate David Reid (D-32), Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer, and Department of Economic Development Marketing and Communications Manager Mark Armentrout. n

to make the career path more accessible, and help family caregivers learn proper techniques for caring for their loved ones. I-CARE provides in-home nursing, personal care and companion care for clients of all ages.

“We are here to provide that in-home support to individuals who choose to remain in their home and so they may continue to live with grace and dignity,” Ivey stated. “Because there is nothing more important than family.”

The fair will be at the new training center, at 19955 Highland Vista Drive in Ashburn.

Admission is free with registration. Register and learn more at icareabouthealth.net/30thanniversary. n

Luke Joins Fairfax Radiology Consultants

Dr. Franklyn Luke has joined Fairfax Radiology Consultants following work at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center at Penn State College of Medicine, where he was assistant professor of radiology, education director of Medical Student and Residency Education and fellowship program director in the Abdominal Imaging division.

Luke completed his clinical fellowship in abdominal imaging at Duke University Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Radiologists and the Royal College of Radiologists of the United Kingdom. Luke served a diagnostic radiological residency at Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Trust and completed his internship at Epson and St. Helier University Hospital and Stoke Madeville Hospital, Aylesbury. Along with numerous scientific presentations and publications, Luke has a comprehensive list of faculty development and has provided services to Penn State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Society of Abdominal Imaging and American College of Radiology.

Fairfax Radiology Centers, established in 2020 as a joint venture between the physicians of Fairfax Radiological Consultants and Inova/ Radiology Imaging Associates.

Lyman Opens Floor Coverings Franchise

After working for three decades in commercial and government roles, Aldie resident Dan Lyman is setting a new course, opening Floor Coverings International of South Loudoun County.

The franchise features a mobile flooring showroom stocked with thousands of flooring samples from top manufacturers—and an opportunity for Lyman to work closer to home. In his most recent position, his responsibilities spanned from Australia to Europe requiring extensive domestic and international travel.

“I live in the middle of my territory and I’m quite energized by the thought of staying off airplanes and focusing my energy and resources on serving a local community market and exploring opportunities to give back to the community,” Lyman said.

Learn more at southiad.floorcoveringsinternational.com. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Gov. Glenn Youngkin presents Fortreum co-founders Michael Carter and James Leach with a Virginia flag during the July 13 ribbon cutting ceremony at its Lansdowne office.

Commanders Training Camp Includes Return to Open Practices

The players hoping to represent the Washington Commanders on the field this fall will converge in Ashburn starting next week for training camp.

And after several years of holding camp in Richmond followed by pandemic restrictions on crowds in recent years, fans will be welcomed back for 12 open practices during July and August.

Admission is free, but tickets are required in advance through the team’s website.

The Commanders training camp starts July 21, when rookies are required to report. Veterans enter camp on July 25.

The first open practice will be Thursday, July 27, with gates opening at 8 p.m. and team activities to start at 9 a.m. The final open practice is scheduled for Aug. 19.

For fans, the practices provide opportunities to watch practices, buy NFL merchandise, and, hopefully, come home with

a few autographs.

Free parking will be provided at the Dulles Town Center with a shuttle bus running every 10 minutes starting at 7:30 a.m. and continuing through the day.

The practice field has a 2,000-seat bleacher area along the sideline, with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans may bring blankets and lawn chairs to watch from open grass.

Food and drinks may be purchased from local food trucks on site.

Following each practice, Commanders players and coaches may stop to sign autographs for fans. Autographs are not guaranteed and are up to the discretion of the player and/or coach.

Visitors are encouraged to bring sunscreen, personal fans, water, and sharpies for autographs.

For full details and ticket information, go to commanders.com. n

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

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

All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

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

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

The Washington Commanders will host open practices at their training facility in Ashburn starting July 27.

Hamilton to Hold Pedestrian and Traffic Charrette

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounow.com

The Town of Hamilton is planning a pedestrian and traffic safety design charrette at the Hamilton Fire Station Aug. 4.

“This is an opportunity to partner with our residents and really have a brainstorming session on traffic and pedestrian safety and sidewalk and streetscape projects,” Hamilton Project Manager Earl Dubin told the council at a July 10 meeting.

Residents are invited to attend and collaborate with members of Loudoun County’s design cabinet, town officials, a representative from the county Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure and a representative from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Hamilton Zoning Administrator Martha Mason Semmes, who is also a member of the county design cabinet, said the charrette is a good way to involve residents and hear first-hand from them what issues and concerns they are seeing in the town.

She said typically the group identifies common concerns in the town before breaking into more concentrated groups.

“All the groups work, and we have a map and we put tracing paper over it, and we draw things and we make notes and ideas, and then all the groups come to-

gether in the last 45 minutes or so… and each group presents their ideas,” she said.

After the charrette a report will be written with findings and proposed solutions identified from the work session which will be presented to the Town Council.

“What the design cabinet will ultimately do from this is issue a report which can then be a springboard for helping us not only enact some of the things that we

partner with our residents on, but also for state and federal funding,” Dubin said.

The county design cabinet is a group of volunteer engineers, architects, planners and designers who come together to creatively solve community problems. Past charrette project reports completed by the cabinet include Old Sterling Guilford, Grace Methodist Church Restoration and Reuse and Lakeview Village n

Middleburg’s Fun Shop Closes after 66 Years

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A Middleburg institution closed its doors over the weekend, a bittersweet moment for many town residents and visitors.

The Fun Shop opened in 1956 when then relatively new town residents Howard and Nancy Allen experienced frustration in finding a local source of children’s clothing and toys. Their children, Betsy Allen Davis and Page Allen, continued to run the store—with the help of their own children.

During a special recognition ceremony at Thursday’s Middleburg Town Council meeting, members expressed disappointment at the closing of the longtime community hub, but happiness for the sisters and their families to enjoy retirement.

HAMILTON

Hamilton Discontinues Livestreaming Contract for Public Meetings

The Hamilton Town Council voted to discontinue its contract with the town’s livestreaming service at the council’s most recent meeting July 10.

Town Treasurer Sherri Jackson wrote in a staff report that the company the town had been using since the onset of the pandemic, Swagit, had been sold to Granicus and that the company would no longer be offering the monthly subscription option. The town was paying $745 a month for the livestream and voice to text services. Granicus sent a proposal to the town to renew for a year with an increase in cost to $797.15 per month with increases year over year until 2026, according to the staff report.

Council members agreed that the cost was too high, and the town could find a better use for the money.

“If we want to do away with this, and still do want to offer it at a much lower cost, we can tie them into YouTube videos and broadcast them,” Jackson said. “[Town Clerk Christy Ashby]’s got some ideas from different jurisdictions that are not using this setup.”

The livestreaming service had been paid for with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

A resolution of commendation presented by the council highlighted not just the impact the store has had on the town over the past 66 years, but also the community leadership of the Allen family, including Howard Allen’s service as a town council member in the 1950s and ’60s, and Betsy Davis’ service on the council and as mayor for 20 years.

“I know that we will all miss being able to go in. … and I’m just going to miss everybody’s smiles, friendship and cheer,” Mayor Bridge Littleton said.

He also highlighted the dedicated employees who worked at the store over the years.

“If you can own a business and walk away making such a positive impact on so many people’s lives for so many decades,

FUN SHOP continues on page 15

“Now, we’re a couple years out and that money is not coming in to get us through it like that,” she said. “And what we’ve got is earmarked for our capital projects.”

Jackson said that the analytics of the livestream, which included council members usage during meetings and town staff usage for minutes, showed 594 views in 365 days, with a cost of $16.11 per view.

The town will still offer Zoom access as a way for residents to remotely participate and view the meetings. Jackson said the town is looking at alternatives that provide easier access for viewers at a lower

AROUND TOWNS

continues on page 15

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Hamilton residents have long drawn attention to pedestrian and traffic concerns in town, most recently by hanging speed signs along East Colonial Highway.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Middleburg Mayor Bridge Littleton is flanked by sisters Betsy Allen Davis, left, and Page Allen during a July 13, Town Council meeting that included a resolution of commendation marking the impact of the family’s Fun Shop, which closed after 66 years.

Conversion Complete: French Furnishings Store Opens in Round Hill

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

After a year of meticulous renovations to a century-old Round Hill building, Pamela Graff on Friday celebrated the opening of her Elsass Furnishings and its collection of antiques from the Alsace region of France.

The new showroom maintains many of the historic elements of the building, which started as a car dealership in the 1920s—from its tin ceiling tiles to the original glass of its expansive showroom windows. But it little resembles the automotive repair shop it replaced.

“It’s really important to me,” Graff said of preserving the historical integrity of the building.

The adventure of renovating the structure, of course, came with the expected list of unexpected needs, but also some more pleasant discoveries, including a trove of decades-old receipts and service records and an assortment of vintage Chevy parts in the attic.

At one point during the renovations, some neighbors watching the building’s transformation raised alarm over the removal of the large radial clock that hung on the front wall of the service station, unaware Graff had taken it down for safe-

Fun Shop

continued from page 14

for the people who worked with you and help you be successful, that’s the truest mark of success,” he said.

While the sisters said they weren’t sure what was in store for them next, they said there aren’t going away.

“People say ‘we’re going to miss you’ or ‘what are we going to do?’ I say we still live here,” Betsy said, who started helping out at the store when she was 9 years old and joined the staff as office manager in 1976. “It’s been a joy being part of this town. We would have loved to have kept going but we can’t quite go much more.”

Page thanked the council for its recognition of the store’s employees—more than 100 over the life of the store.

“Without them, the Fun Shop wouldn’t quite be what it is. We have had one of the best crews ever anywhere. They’re just lovely people and wonderful to all our customers and us,” she said. n

keeping. It has since been replaced to its original location.

Graff and her husband, JP, moved from Leesburg to a home just west of Round Hill about five years ago. Graff said after selling her consulting company she was

AROUND towns

continued from page 14

cost to the town as well as ways to make the recordings of the meeting easily accessible on the town website.

PURCELLVILLE Police Department Offers Active Attack Classes

The Police Department is hosting classes for residents as part of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice’s Active Attack Program.

“This will be the third year we have hosted this training, and everyone who has taken it has expressed they hope more people could attend and learn this important information first hand,” Police Chief Cynthia McAlister stated. “I wish this training was something we did not need to provide, however, due to the

“In Europe, people are downsizing a lot. All the big armoires and everything, they don’t know where to put them. There are no walls with space anymore. People are just getting rid of them,” he said. “It makes you sad.”

Collecting unwanted pieces from family members, friends, and flea markets, they filled a shipping container with discarded treasures and brought them over. They’re in the process of filling another one.

In addition to armoires, the showroom features other big pieces—tables, China cabinets, an Auwärter & Söhne piano— and smaller finds—silverware, pitchers, and bowls.

Family members gathered with representatives of the Round Hill and Loudoun County governments Friday afternoon for a Bastille Day ribbon-cutting ceremony. Graff worked with Kathryn Kwiatkowski, of The Carved Tulip Interiors, to design and curate the space.

looking for something else to do. The idea to collect and sell French furniture from the late 19th century and early 20th century came from her husband’s family in eastern France and his experience running an international logistics company.

active attacks that have occurred across our state and country, this is a class everyone should attend.”

The program provides free training for citizens and first responders to enable them to work together when an active attack occurs. The Civilian Response and Casualty Care course is a four-hour class providing strategies, guidance, and a plan for recognizing, responding to and surviving an active attack event.

All residents, local businesses and community members are encouraged to attend, including school employees, students who are 16 years or older, faithbased communities, and civic organizations. Local first responders including law enforcement, EMS, and dispatchers are also invited to attend.

Classes will be held Friday, August 11 beginning at 1 p.m. and Saturday August 12 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Town Hall, and will be limited to 50 students, with a minimum of 25 registered students needed to hold each class.

To register for the Aug. 11 class go

“I think this is a fantastic project,” Mayor Scott Ramsey said. “I know that you have put a tremendous amount of personal attention, and money and effort, and soul into this. Round Hill appreciates that sacrifice and we hope that we’re able to repay you over many years of a successful business.”

The shop opened to the public Saturday, July 15. It is located at 5 E. Loudoun St. n

to forms.office.com/g/xYXra8HXbd.

To register for the August 12 class go to forms.office.com/g/UuL9auVt9j.

Finance Department Receives Reporting Achievement

The town’s Finance Department has received the Award of Financial Reporting Achievement for the preparation of the financial report for fiscal year 2022.

Director of Finance Elizabeth Krens recognized Accounting Manager Paula Hicks for her contribution to the financial report.

The town has also received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association for the town’s fiscal year 2022 Annual Financial Report.

The Town’s Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Financial Report can be found online at purcellvilleva.gov/150/Annual-Reports. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Pamela Graff is surrounded by family members, Round Hill Mayor Scott Ramsey and Vice Mayor Mary Anne Graham during the July 14 ribbon cutting for her Elsass Furnishings store.

GETOUT

LIVE MUSIC

PETE LAPP

5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 20

MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

BRAHMAN NOODLES

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 21

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

ZAC QUINTANA AND THE SAGES

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 21

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075

Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

JASON MASI

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 21

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

DAVE MININBERG—DIRT FARM ANNIVERSARY

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 21

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

GARY JAY & THE FIRE

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 21, Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

SKYLA BURRELL BLUES BAND

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 21

MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

DUNLAP & MABE

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 21

Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. oldstoneschool.org

MARK DUNN

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 21

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

STUART FRYE

6 to 9 p.m., Friday, July 21

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

TEJAS SINGH

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 21

Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza #145, Ashburn. socialhouseashburn.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 17

Shuffle and Slide

Loudoun Gets Out and Gets Down with Dancing

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

From the barn to the brewery to the bar, and the two-step to the Electric Slide, beginner-friendly dances are the new old way Loudouners get out, get together and make new friends— or something more.

“When I grew up, we would square dance like in elementary school gym class, but I never liked it back then. It was terrible,” said Georges Mill Farm owner Sam Kroiz, an eighth-generation farmer who started hosting barn dances at his family’s farm in 2015. “And then I was living out in Seattle and there was actually a bar that had a weekly square dance, and it was always packed.”

From there, he learned to love it. And since rediscovering square dancing on the west coast, he’s come home and started playing the fiddle.

“The whole point of square danc-

ing is everybody mixes together a lot. You start off with a dance partner, but you end up kind of moving around and dancing with everybody, so it’s a really great way to meet people,” he said.

Kroiz and his family farm land at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains first settled by their ancestor John George in 1750, where today they raise goats, pigs and chickens, and make goat cheese on their 50 acre farm. Baby goat season is a hit, with families coming out to meet and cuddle the friendly, rambunctious newborns.

And in the farm’s historic stone barn, the monthly barn dance could be a scene from 150 years ago—a place out of time, and an escape from the day-to-day where people gather for a potluck, dancing, a good time and a sense of community.

Kroiz said they’ve had as few as 10 people at a dance and as many as 200, but no matter what always manage

to get a few dances in. Some of the dances are square dances, others are reels or circle dances, and Kroiz said the last couple dances have started with a limbo.

“There’s some regulars, there’s a lot of people locally, but there’s also some regulars that come from kind of far away, like in the Fairfax area,” he said. “And then it seems like every time, there’s always at least a few people that show up for the first time.”

The monthly Sunday gatherings start with a potluck dinner at 4:30 p.m. before the dancing starts at around 6. The barn dance is usually the third Sunday of the month but is taking a month off this month because of the unusually hot weather.

The dances are generally kid- and beginner-friendly, sometimes evolving into more difficult dances by the

SHUFFLE AND SLIDE

continues on page 18

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Every Thursday night LineDance4You holds line dancing lessons at Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery in Bluemont Virginia. Lessons are geared toward first timers and beginners, but regulars and intermediates will get plenty of time on the dance floor as well.

Best Bets

DUNLAP & MABE

Friday, July 21, 7 p.m. Hillsboro Old Stone School oldstoneschool.org

Master musicians Jack Dunlap and Robert Mabe play a mix of original tunes, classic bluegrass numbers, jazz favorites and covers anyone would recognize. With roots planted firmly in bluegrass, they stretch their sound in ways that all audiences will enjoy and leave the performance wanting more. Free admission.

GET OUT LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 16

CHRIS TIMBERS & MIKE

ECHOLS

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 21

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

YACHTLEY CREW

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, July 21

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $25 to $55. tallyhotheater.com

PEDRO LOLI

9 p.m. Friday, July 21

Lima de Veras Restobar, 20921 Davenport Drive #134, Sterling. limadeveras.com

WICKED OLDE

12 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Cana Vineyards and Winery, 38600 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. canavineyards.com

BEN REICHARD

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

CARY WIMBISH

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22

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

THE BRITISH INVASION

Saturday, July 22, 6 p.m. Tarara Winery tararaconcerts.com

The British Invasion covers the music from all the English groups—from The Animals to The Zombies and including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, The Dave Clark Five, The Hollies, Herman’s Hermits, The Searchers with the performances faithfully reproduced with clothing, hairstyles, and vintage instruments.

FREDDIE LONG

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 22

868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

THE WALKAWAYS

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22

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

JASON MASI

1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

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

DAVID ANDREW SMITH

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, 18035 Raven Rocks Road, Bluemont. twinoakstavernwinery.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Lost Rhino Brewing Co, 21730 Red Rum Drive #142, Ashburn. lostrhino.com

CHRIS COMPTON

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

CHRIS BOWEN

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

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

POLO IN THE PARK

Saturday, July 22, 6 to 10 p.m. Morven Park International Equestrian Center polointhepark.org

It’s the season finale for Morven Park’s popular summer Saturday night polo party. If you haven’t been this year, it’s your last chance to experience the fastpaced pony action. Reserve your car pass and pack a picnic.

GARY JAY & FIRE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22 Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro.

LARRY THOMAS

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro.

DAVID DAVOL

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

PURCELLVILLE WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22 Fireman’s Field, 250 S. Nursery Ave., Purcellville. $5, $10 purcellvillewineandfood.com

SUMMER & ERIC

3 to 6 p.m., Saturday, July 22

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

STEVE GEORGE & FRIENDS

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

ANDY CARIGNAN

5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

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

BADLANDS BAND

6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 22

HILARY VELTRI

Saturday, July 22, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Green idalee.org

Singer-songwriter Hilary Veltri performs on Leesburg’s Town Hall stage for an evening of original music and familiar covers from Bob Dylan to Beyonce. Free admission.

BUCKCHERRY

Tuesday, July 25, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

Just ahead of the release of their new album, Vol. 10, the California rockers perform in Leesburg as part of a year-long, nationwide tour. Gunshine and Harmless Habit open.

MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

MELANIE PEARL

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 22 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

BAD PRESS BAND

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 22 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

THE BRITISH INVASION

6 to 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Lucketts. $12 to $60. tararaconcerts.com

MELANIE PEARL

6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

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

SHANE GAMBLE

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 22

The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com

HILARY VELTRI

7 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. idalee.com

THE RUSH EXPERIENCE

8 to 11 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W.

Market St., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com

CHRIS TIMBERS

9 p.m. Saturday, July 22

Red Horse Tavern LLC, 118 W. Washington St., Middleburg.

STEEL DRUMMIN’ ON THE BEACH

12 to 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 23 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

SAM WALKER

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

DAN BARRY

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 23

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

CHRIS & KERRY

1 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, July 23

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

STANLEY WHITAKER

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 23

Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

JIM STEELE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 23

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

WAYNE SNOW

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 23

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

DAVE MINNINBERG

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 23 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX TRIO

2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

EMMA WHITE

2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

ACOUSTIC MOOSE

2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

PEBBLE TO PEARL

4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 23 The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com

SUMMER LUAU PARTY

6:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 23

Stone Tower Winery, 19925 Hogback Mountain Road, Leesburg. $180. stonetowerwinery.com

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 19

Shuffle and slide

continued from page 16

end of the night.

“Some of the best dancers are kids,” Kroiz said. “Sometimes the kids drop out in the middle of the dance, and that’s not the best because that really screws things up.”

And, of course, you can’t have a dance without music—Kroiz used to play fiddle at the dances with his band at the time, the Short Hill Mountain

Boys, but has moved on to calling the dances.

Other musicians have stepped in, often Kroiz’s friends and acquaintances, mostly for love of the dance. Nobody’s getting rich—there’s a $5 suggested donation to attend. A recent dance featured music from fourtime Grammy award winner Dirk Powell. Many dances feature Kirk Evans, who’s been playing the fiddle for 48 years, and playing at the Georges Mill barn dance since about 2018.

“I just fell in love when I got out there,” Evans said. He met Kroiz

SINGER, SONGWRITER, GUITARIST, STORYTELLER, TRAVELER, ROAD WARRIOR...

through their musical connections, and in 2018 even recorded an album of old-time string music in the barn with a band he called the Potluck String Band. That CD is still available for sale at the Georges Mill Farm store.

Evans said what keeps him coming back is the sense of community. The dances aren’t advertised—the Kroiz family posts about them on the farm’s Facebook page, and otherwise the word spreads by word of mouth.

“There’s a lot of community going on, and people that lives in the area that are meeting each other for the first time and end up dancing together and becoming friends, and that’s the thing I like about it,” Evans said.

Evans plays regularly at the barn dances with his band Hopping Molly. But often, the barn dance bands tend to be composed of whichever musicians turned up to play.

“A lot of young folks are picking it up, because it’s so earthy,” he said. “It’s kind of natural and gets you away from all the other stuff you’re doing during the day.”

LINE DANCING OUT OF COVID

Young folks are exactly who Danielle Schill sees coming out in droves as her free line dancing classes resumed after a COVID-19 pandemic break.

She has been line dancing since the ‘90s, when steps like the Electric Slide and Boot Scootin’ Boogie were enjoying their heyday. In 2005, she said, she was single and looking for something to do, and wound up at a bar that was teaching line dancing.

SCOTT KIRBY & JULIANA

“It was so fun at the time,” she said. “I went there by myself and met so many nice people that after that I never every brought anybody. I just came out and made friends there.”

Within a few months she had also started teaching the dances at the bar, and when the bartender who started the lessons moved away, she continued teaching until she became pregnant with her first child in 2013.

She had built up such a large following that she hired an instructor to take over while she was out and kept the instructor on when she came back from maternity leave. And it grew from there, with four instructors teaching five classes a week—until the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the pandemic ended social gatherings, and with two children and a full-time job, she had decided to stop the classes permanently. But

after 14 months of no classes, and with restaurants fighting to stay afloat during the pandemic, she started a class at The Loudoun Kitchen & Bar, hoping to help bring in business. She said she offered to do it for free as restaurants fought to stay afloat during the pandemic, but Loudoun Kitchen owner Dave Park insisted on paying.

The line dances were a hit once again—but this time she saw a new crowd coming out.

“We came back with one night a week, and it just blew up,” she said. “And the nice thing was, coming back from COVID, it was an interesting change in our demographic. The first people to come out from COVID tended to be some of the younger people, and it was kind of perfect for social distancing. So, the age group of our demographic dropped quite a bit since COVID—now the average dancer is like 25, where before COVID it was probably 45.”

But they still get all ages mingling at the dance.

“People that are in their 70s dance with people that are in their 20s, and they’re just buddies,” she said. “They’re all hanging out. You see parents and their grown children out there dancing. Or even, in my case, parents and their young children.”

Now once again she’s been drawn back in, and the lessons are back in full swing and even growing. Her business LineDance4You teaches classes four nights a week: Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays at Loudoun Kitchen & Bar, and Thursdays at Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery. And she’s hammering out a contract to bring a fifth night of dancing to Purcellville.

The classes are free and offer something for everyone from first-timers to experienced dancers. They’re high energy and a great way to get moving and burn some calories. And once the dancing has started and the endorphins are flowing, she said, they’re a great way to make friends—or even something more.

“We’ve had at least like two dozen marriages born out of it,” she said. Learn more about LineDance4You at linedance4you.com or by following LineDance4You on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Find the next barn dance at Georges Mill Farm and more information about the farm and farm store at facebook. com/GeorgesMillFarmArtisanCheese or georgesmillcheese.com. n

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 17

THE BROKEN HEARTS: ULTIMATE TOM PETTY

TRIBUTE

8 to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 23

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St. SW., Leesburg. $15 to $35. tallyhotheater.com

BUCKCHERRY

8 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 25

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $35 to $85. tallyhotheater.com

TOMMY WOOD

5:15 to 9:15 p.m.

Tuesday, July 25

Loudoun County Fairground, 17558 Dry Mill Road, Leesburg. loudouncountyfair.com

GARRETT MABE

6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, July 26

Loudoun Golf & Country Club, 36967 W. Main St., Purcellville. garrettmabemusic.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, July 26

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

HOLLY MONTGOMERY

7 to 11 p.m.

Thursday, July 27

Plaza Azteca Mexican Restaurant, 1608 Village Market Blvd. SE. Suite 125, Leesburg. plazaazteca.com/leesburg

LAST RESORT

7 to 11 p.m.

Thursday, July 27 Legacy Park, Brambleton. brambletonhoa.org

HAPPENINGS

HELLO HIVE!

3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 27 Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. heritagefarmmuseum.org

BIRDING SWEET RUN

STATE PARK 8 to 11 a.m.

Saturday, July 22 Sweet Run State Park, 11661 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. loudounwildlife.org

POLO IN THE PARK

6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 22

Morven Park International Equestrian Center, 41580 Sunday Morning Lane, Leesburg. $40. morvenpark.org

SURVIVORS SPEAK

6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Lansdowne Woods of Virginia, 19375 Magnolia Grove Square, Leesburg. jewishloudoun.com

SIXTH SENSE WITH GURUDEV SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR

5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 23 Independence High School, 23115 Learning Circle, Ashburn. $25. event.us.artofliving.org/usen/sixthsensetour

PRESCHOOL WEDNESDAYS ON THE FARM

10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 26 Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. $5. heritagefarmmuseum.org

POETRY OPEN MIC

7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 26 Brambleton Library, 22850 Brambleton Plaza, Brambleton. library.loudoun.gov/ Brambleton

Fun at the County Fair

The Loudoun County fair opens Tuesday, July 25 for a five-day run that will include carnival rides, concerts, rodeos, a demolition derby— and lots and lots of animals.

Advance tickets are available online at tickets.loudouncountyfair. com. The cost is $15 per day/$20 after 5 p.m. for adults and $5 for kids. Weekly passes are $40 for patrons age 13 and up and $15 for kids. Children under 5 are free. There also is a one-time $5 parking fee good for the whole week.

The fair runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The Loudoun County Fairgrounds is located west of Leesburg at 17558 Dry Mill Road.  Go to loudouncountyfair.com for the complete schedule and other fair information.

ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

The Loudoun County Fair features entertainment and special

activities throughout the week.

Tommy Wood: The country music recording artist performs Tuesday starting at 5 p.m.

Stoney Roberts Demolition Derby: The popular smash up returns for two rounds on Tuesday and Saturday nights in the outdoor arena.

Scales, Tails and Teeth: Jimmy Riffle, one of the stars of the hit show Gator Boys on Animal Planet, and his crew bring wildlife and demonstrate alligator wrestling during shows each day during the fair.

Wild West Showdown: Fast draws, a K9 flame jumper, knife throwing, and trick roping performances each day.

Carnival: Amusements of America offers rides and games starting at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. Wednesday and Saturday, and at noon Friday.

Bar C Ranch Petting Zoo: Get up close with farm and exotic animals each day.

Alison Thoms: The singer, songwriter, and strummer performs original works and her interpretations of rock, pop, country, and blues songs written during the last seven decades on Wednesday with shows at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Pig Scramble: For a $20 entry fee, children ages 5 to 10 and ladies 18

and up compete to capture a pig starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

True Grit Rodeo: Enjoy bull riding, barrel racing, mini bull riding, and mutton busting Thursday and Friday nights.

Carolyn Eyerly: The D.C. Best Bluegrass Artist of 2022 Carolyn Eyerly performs solid bluegrass as well as classic country and soft rock tunes Friday, with shows at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

Livestock Auction: The long-standing Friday night tradition allows Loudoun’s 4-H youth to sell their market-class project animals. Buyers can be individuals, families, groups or businesses.

Ian Vest: the Southwestern Virginia native performs a style of country music that is reminiscent George Strait and Randy Travis for shows on Saturday at noon and 3 p.m.

The Mullins Sisters: Deanna, Betty, and MaryLou perform country classics, today’s hits, and their original music at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Hilary Veltri

Loudoun Now File Photo

Jimmy Riffle of the Animal Planet show “Gator Boys” demonstrates some wrangling moves during a performance at the 2022 Loudoun County Fair.

Purcellville Celebrates with Wine & Food Festival

The Town of Purcellville will hold its 10th annual Wine & Food Festival on Saturday, July 22 at Dillon’s Woods in the Fireman’s Field complex.

One of the town’s signature community events, the festival draws area residents and visitors alike to enjoy locally made food, wine, and beer from area vendors as well as an afternoon of live music performances.

On stage this year are Drivin’ South, Jules and the Agreeables, and the Franklin Park Big Band.

The festival runs from 2 to 8 p.m.

Admission is $5 in advance and $10 at the gate.

This year’s festival will showcase more than 40 vendors. Participating wineries and breweries include 8 Chains North Winery, Belly Love Brewing Company, Bozzo Family Vineyards, Carriage House Wineworks, Creek’s Edge Winery, Endhardt Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars, Good Spirit Farm, Harvest Gap Brewery, Hillsborough Vineyards, Loudoun Brewing Company,Remnant Farms Kambucha, and Two Twisted Posts Winery.

Food purveyors include 1000 Shakes, 3 Fires Oven, Bilstad’s Beignets, Chef Eloy’s Kickin’ Salsa, Doughboy Creamery, Family of Nuts, Jamrock Grill, Kinda Jerky Really Nutty, Parallel Food Truck, Pattie Party, Pop’s Praiseworth Popcorn, SDS Soul Food, The Big Cheese, What the Heck Barbecue, and Yummyworks.

There will be a variety of other exhibitors along with face painting and caricature drawings. The Purcellville Arts Council is hosting Arts in the Garden where artists will demonstrate

how they create their works of art.

The Purcellville Wine & Food Festival is hosted by the Town of Purcellville and Loudoun Brewing Company with support from Visit Loudoun, Harris Teeter, Guidepost Montessori at Purcellville, Bank of Clarke, CaseCo, Between the Hills Kitchen and Catering, Short Hill Springs, Valley Energy, OHM Productions, and the Bush Tabernacle. Go to purcellvillewineandfood. com for those details and to purchase drink tickets or reserve your VIP table package. n

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

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

The Town of Leesburg will accept proposals electronically via the Commonwealth’s e-procurement website (www.eva.virginia. gov), until 3:00 p.m. on August 9, 2023 for the following:

RFP No. 100417-FY24-08

MICRO-BULK CARBON DIOXIDE FOR IDA LEE RECREATION CENTER

The Town of Leesburg is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified firms to furnish all labor, tools, materials, chemicals and equipment necessary for the supply of microbulk Carbon Dioxide (CO2) for three swimming pool facilities. Chemicals will be delivered to the Town’s AV Symington Aquatic Center located at 80 Ida Lee Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176 and Ida Lee Recreation Center located at 60 Ida Lee Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176.

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

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046978-01-00, 02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Jimmy Mendez Jr.

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

The object of this suit is to hold a dispositional hearing for child in need of services matter, pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-278.4 and to review the initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-281 for Jimmy Mendez Jr.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Taya Selner, mother and Jimmy Mendez, father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before August 25, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.

NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLES

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

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ038626-17-00; 18-00; 20-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Zachary William Wells

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Unknown Father

The object of this suit is hold a fifth 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 Zachary William Wells and Petitions for Termination of Parental Rights of Tina Lynn Klinedinst, mother, and Unknown Father pursuant to Virginia Code §16.1-283 for Zachary William Wells. 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 their residual parental rights with respect to Zachary William Wells. Unknown Father is hereby further notified that if their residual parental rights are terminated, they will no longer have any legal rights with respect to said minor child, including, but not limited to, the right to visit Zachary William Wells; any authority with respect to the care and supervision of Zachary William Wells; or the right to make health related decisions or determine the religious affiliation of Zachary William Wells. Further, Unknown Father will have no legal and/or financial obligations with respect to Zachary William Wells, and the Department of Family Services of Loudoun County, Virginia may be granted the authority to place Zachary William Wells for adoption and consent to the adoption of Zachary William Wells.

It is ORDERED that Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before July 27, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

6/29, 7/6, 7/13, 7/20/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: CL-23-3178 Loudoun County Circuit Court 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176 Forest Village, LLC /v.

The Unknown Heirs of Ariss Buckner, et al.

The object of this suit is to Relocate Abandon Cemetery ( Parcel ID #250291275000) pursuant to VA Code 57-38.1

It is ORDERED that The unknown descendants of: Ariss Buckner (1771-1847)

Lucy Hooe Buckner (1775-1885)

Spencer Ariss Buckner (1818-1874)

Richard Bernard Buckner (1794-1939)

Ella Alice Buckner (1830-1887)

Phillip Smith (b.1850)

Richard Bernard Smith (b. 1865)

Edward Warren Smith (b. 1865)

Thomas Turner Smith (b. 1866)

Eliza Ariss Buckner (b. 1833)

Louisa Bernard Gallaher

Richard Pratt Buckner (b. 1833)

Louisa Berryman Buckner (b. 1839)

Thomas Hooe Buckner (d. 1871)

Bettie Buckner (1833-1901)

Lyman Aldrich (b. 1868)

Sarah Davenport Aldrich (b. 1873)

Lyman Aldrich Smith (b. 1873)

Frances Elizabeth Smith (b. 1898)

Davis M. Buckner (b. 1841)

Mattie Buckner (b. 1851)

Jessie Buckner Robb

Anna Robb

Helen Robb

Florence Robb

Ida Robb

Joseph H. Robb

Jessie Buckner (b. 1875)

Bernard Hooe Buckner

Margaret Buckner

Jane Augusta Wash. Thornton (1825-1887)

Margaret Buckner Beck (1849-1870)

George Thornton Beck (b. 1856)

James Burnie Beck (b. 1858)

Mary Clark

Susan Clark Thompkins

Richard Clark

Mary Buckner

Caroline Rebecca Buckner

Bettie Blair Spencer Ariss Buckner, II (1871-1960)

John Fitzhugh Buckner (d. 1931)

Arthur Buckner Beall

Any individual buried in an unmarked grave in the Buckner Cemetery

Mary Buckner - Address Unknown

Martha Buckner - Address Unknown

William Buckner - Address Unknown appear at the above-named court and protect his/her interests on or before August 25, 2023 at 9:00 A.M.

Notice of Hearing Seizure of 5 chickens

In accordance with the authority set forth in §3.2-6569 of the Code of Virginia, Saturday July 15, 2023, the Loudoun County Department of Animal Services seized five, approximately 1 month old chickens that were found abandoned at 46220 Potomac Run Plaza, Sterling, Virginia 20164. Three of the chickens are brown and tan, one chicken is orange and brown, and one chicken is white and brown. A hearing to determine whether chickens have been abandoned, cruelly treated or have not been provided with adequate care will be held on Wednesday July 26, 2023 at 10:00AM in the General District Court of Loudoun County, located at 18 E. Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176.

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 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 Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

ZOAM-2020-0001 ZONING ORDINANCE REWRITE

(Zoning Ordinance Amendments)

Pursuant to Virginia Code § 15.2-2204, the Board of Supervisors gives notice of its intent to consider and to adopt a proposed ordinance that will repeal the existing Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (commonly known as the “Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance”), amending, replacing, renumbering, re-ordaining, and re-codifying it as the new Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (“Zoning Ordinance Amendments” or “Zoning Ordinance”).

Purpose and Intent of Zoning Ordinance Amendments

The public purposes of these amendments are to implement the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan (2019 GP); to implement applicable provisions of the Virginia Code; and to achieve the purposes of zoning as set forth in Virginia Code §§ 15.2-2200 et seq., including, without limitation, furtherance of the public necessity, convenience, general welfare, and good zoning practice and facilitating the creation of a convenient, attractive, and harmonious community. Proposed amendments establish new regulations; revise or delete existing regulations; and/or incorporate provisions from the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance with revisions necessary to clarify requirements, to implement and maintain internal consistency, to correct typographical and grammatical errors, and to update formatting and cross-references. The draft Zoning Ordinance also incorporates three-standalone amendments recently adopted by the Board of Supervisors, updated as necessary to conform to the format and terminology of the draft ordinance: ZOAM2022-0002 Amendment to Add “Ground Mounted Solar Energy Generation Facility” as a Permitted Use in the Planning Development General Industrial Zoning District (adopted December 6, 2022); ZOAM2021-0002 Airport Impact Overlay District (adopted January 17, 2023); and ZOAM-2018-0001 Short Term Residential Rentals (adopted on April 4, 2023).

New Format and Numbering for the Zoning Ordinance

The draft Zoning Ordinance has been reorganized and renumbered into Chapters 1 through 12, with Appendices A through C. An overview of new organization and format of the draft Zoning Ordinance is provided below.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

• Includes provisions regarding the purpose and intent of the Zoning Ordinance; application of the Zoning Ordinance (e.g., prior approvals, conflicting provisions, Route 28 Transportation Improvement District, vested rights, condominium development, etc.); requirements for nonconforming uses, structures, and lots; and interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance and the Zoning Map (including zoning district and overlay district boundaries).

CHAPTER 2: ZONING DISTRICTS

• Consolidates regulations for all zoning districts into one chapter, organized into the following categories: Urban Zoning Districts, Suburban Zoning Districts, Transition Zoning Districts, Rural Zoning Districts, Joint Land Management Area Zoning Districts, Office and Industrial Zoning Districts, and Planned Unit Development Zoning District.

• Retains 18 existing zoning districts that closely resemble place types in the 2019 GP

ο Eight of the retained districts have been renamed to remove the phrase “Planned Development” from the name.

ο One retained district has been renamed to correspond with the name of the applicable 2019 GP place type – i.e., Planned Development – Transit Related Employment Center changed to Urban Employment; no property is currently zoned to that district.

• Creates nine new, unmapped zoning districts to implement the 2019 GP; property owners may request to rezone to one of these new districts.

• Identifies 25 existing districts that do not align with the 2019 GP as “legacy districts;” properties currently zoned to a legacy district will retain their zoning designation, but no expansion of these districts is permitted.

• Retires the Planned Development-Countryside Village Zoning District; no property has ever been rezoned to this district.

• A summary document identifying each of the retained, renamed, new, and legacy zoning districts is available at www.loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite.

CHAPTER 3: USES

• Consolidates tables and general regulations for principal, accessory, and temporary uses for all zoning districts into a single chapter.

• Organizes use tables for principal uses by zoning district as follows:

ο Urban and Suburban Zoning Districts

ο Legacy Suburban Zoning Districts

ο Transition, Rural, and JLMA (Joint Land Management Area) Zoning Districts

ο Legacy Transition, Rural, and JLMA Zoning Districts

ο Office and Industrial Zoning Districts

• Organizes use tables into seven use classifications; classifications are further divided into use categories, with multiple specific uses in each category. Use classifications and categories are listed below: Use

Employment

Warehousing, Storage, and Distribution

Infrastructure Transportation/Parking

Utilities

Communications Facilities

Waste-Related

Agriculture n/a

CHAPTER 4: USE SPECIFIC STANDARDS

• Prescribes standards and regulations applicable to specific uses; organized by the use classifications identified in Chapter 3.

• Prescribes standards for adaptive reuse of historically significant structures.

CHAPTER 5: OVERLAY DISTRICTS

• Prescribes regulations for seven overlay districts, including Airport Impact Overlay District, Floodplain Overlay District, Mountainside Overlay District, Limestone Overlay District, Quarry Notification Overlay District, Village Conservation Overlay District, and Historic Overlay District.

• Retains the Route 28 Corridor Overlay District as a legacy district; elections to develop under the optional regulations of this legacy district will no longer be permitted after adoption of the Zoning Ordinance Amendments.

CHAPTER 6: NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES (NER)

• Prescribes regulations, including use permissions and development standards, for steep slope areas and River and Stream Corridor Resources.

CHAPTER 7: DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

• Consolidates into a single chapter, standards governing site development (e.g., density requirements, lot, yard, and building requirements, etc.); open space; tree planting, replacement, and preservation; landscaping, buffers, and screening; light, noise, and vibration; parking; transportation; utilities; and owners associations.

• Prescribes development standards for the Rural Hamlet Development Option in the A-3 and A-10 Legacy Zoning Districts.

CHAPTER 8: SIGNS

• Establishes content neutral sign regulations based on various factors including sign type (e.g., ground, sidewalk, light post, wall, window, murals, art displays), dimension and location, digital display and illumination, and zoning district.

• For purposes of sign regulations, zoning districts are grouped into the following categories: Urban, Suburban Mixed Use, Neighborhood, Commercial, Employment/Industrial, and Rural. Permissible sign types, size, and other characteristics may differ depending on the applicable zoning district category in which the sign is located.

CHAPTER 9: ATTAINABLE HOUSING

• Prescribes regulations for three attainable housing programs – Affordable Dwelling Units, Unmet Housing Needs Units, and Affordable Housing Units.

CHAPTER 10: PROCEDURES

• Establishes procedures for applications and other processes administered under the Zoning Ordinance, including determination, administrative modifications, zoning permit, sign permit, site plan,

Legal Notices

subdivision, variance, commission permit, zoning amendments (including rezonings, proffers, concept plan amendments), special exception review, historic overlay district reviews, enforcement, appeals, density credit for public uses, and administrative parking adjustments.

• Includes specific special exception review processes for specific circumstances or regulations, including sign development plan, approval of errors in location or errors in very steep slopes, parking adjustment, additional requirements for stone quarrying or very steep slope areas, additional requirements for temporary special events, additional requirements for modification of light and glare standards, and nonconforming conversion condominium.

CHAPTER 11: OFFICIALS, BOARDS, AND COMMISSIONS

• Identifies the powers and duties of the Zoning Administrator and powers, duties, membership requirements and meeting processes for the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and Historic District Review Committee.

CHAPTER 12: DEFINITIONS

• Defines uses and other terms used throughout the Zoning Ordinance.

APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

• Identifies acronyms and abbreviations used in the Zoning Ordinance.

APPENDIX B: LAND DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION FEES

• Incorporates existing fee schedule for applications administered under the Zoning Ordinance; no fees are proposed for change, but the appendix has been updated for consistency with the draft Zoning Ordinance.

APPENDIX C: FLEXIBLE REGULATIONS

• Identifies Zoning Ordinance regulations that may be modified, amended, or waived as prescribed in Chapters 1-10, and identifies the applicable process for each potential modification, amendment, or waiver.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046598-03-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Chloe Love

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

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

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

It is ORDERED that the defendant Shakita Love, Mother, Willie Huff, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before August 1, 2023 at 2:00pm

7/6, 7/13, 7/20 & 7/27/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046599-03-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Briston Love

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

Shakita Love, Mother

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

It is ORDERED that the defendant Shakita Love, Mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before August 1, 2023 at 2:00pm

7/6, 7/13, 7/20 & 7/27/23

• Appendix C is provided solely as a guide to assist applicants identify potential opportunities for flexibility. In the event of a discrepancy between Appendix C and the Zoning Ordinance text in Chapters 1-10, the text in Chapters 1-10 control.

A full copy of draft Zoning Ordinance, as recommended by the Planning Commission, may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Office of the County Administrator, First Floor Information Desk, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Zoning Ordinance may also be examined electronically at www.loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. The Board of Supervisors may revise the draft Zoning Ordinance text as a result of public comment and its deliberations.

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views to the Board of Supervisors regarding the draft Zoning Ordinance during the public hearing. Public input may also be provided by electronic means. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the public hearing. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on July 21, 2023, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on July 26, 2023. Members of the public may also submit written comments using an online form on the project webpage at www.loudoun.gov/zoningordinancerewrite. Residents without access to the internet may provide comments on the draft ordinance by phone at 703-777-0246.

If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance in order to participate in the public hearing, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200/ TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested.

BY ORDER OF: PHYLLIS J. RANDALL,

CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

PUBLIC NOTICE

7/13 & 7/20/23

Notice is hereby given that Virginia Electric and Power Company (VMRC #23-1407) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install a broadband fiber optic cable on existing overhead distribution lines over 14 feet above a single 49 linear-foot crossing of Beaverdam Creek, near Snickersville Turnpike in Loudoun County. You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2023-1407) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/comments/ We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within l5 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96, Hampton, VA 23651

7/20/23

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Virginia Electric and Power Company (VMRC #23-1620) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install a broadband fiber optic cable (Loudoun Mainline 16) on existing overhead infrastructure 14 feet above four (4) crossings of South Fork Catoctin Creek near Harry Byrd Highway in Loudoun County. You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2023-1620) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/comments/ We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within l5 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96, Hampton, VA 23651.

7/20/23

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Virginia Electric and Power Company (VMRC #23-1619) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install a broadband fiber optic cable (Loudoun Mainline 16) on existing overhead infrastructure 14 feet above a single 30 linear-foot crossing of Beaverdam Creek near Beaverdam Bridge Road in Loudoun County. You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2023-1619) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/ comments/ We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within l5 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg. 96, Hampton, VA 23651.

7/20/23

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, July 25, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

ZMAP-2021-0016, ZCPA-2021-0008, SPEX-2021-0042, SPEX-2022-0028, SPEX-2022-0029, SPEX-2022-0030, ZMOD-2021-0050, ZMOD-2021-0051, ZMOD-2021-0052, ZMOD-2021-0053, ZMOD-2021-0054, ZMOD-2021-0055, ZMOD-2023-0005, ZMOD-2023-0006, ZMOD-2023-0007, ZMOD-2023-0008, ZMOD-2023-0020, ZMOD-2023-0024, and ZMOD-2023-0025

CEDAR TERRACE AT SOUTH RIDING

(Zoning Map Amendment, Zoning Concept Plan Amendment, Special Exception & Zoning Modifications)

Toll VA II, LP has submitted applications for the following: a zoning map amendment, a zoning concept plan amendment, special exceptions, and zoning modifications for approximately 55.94 acres of land located south of Little River Turnpike (Route 50), west of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 606) and the north side of Tall Cedars Parkway (Route 2200) in the Dulles Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

Street (Route 1119) in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS TAX MAP #

044-17-5699-000 N/A /94/////////1F

044-17-9478-000 N/A /94/////////1D

For ZRTD-2023-0001 the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district to the PD-IP zoning district in order to permit all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception).

ZMOD-2022-0075

TTM TECHNOLOGIES SIGN PLAN

(Zoning Ordinance Modification)

TTM Technologies Inc. has submitted an application for a zoning ordinance modification under 1972 Zoning Ordinance for a Comprehensive Sign Plan for approximately 6.56-acres of land located east of Route 28 and south of Nokes Boulevard (Route 1793) in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject property is more particularly identified as 1200 E Severn Way, PIN 030-25-3412000, Tax Map # /80////////93/. The applicant seeks a zoning modification to the applicable sign regulations to allow a double-sided freestanding sign increase to an aggregate of 297.66 square feet.

ZMAP-2022-0004,

For ZMAP-2021-0016, the applicant seeks to rezone a 29.54-acre portion of the Subject Property from PD-CC(SC) (Planned Development - Commercial Center (Small Regional Center)), PD-H4 (Planned Development-Housing 4), and CLI (Commercial Light Industry) zoning districts to the (R-16 ADU) Townhouse/Multifamily – 16 zoning district to develop a total of 393 dwelling units consisting of up to 211 single family attached units, 130 multifamily stacked units, and 52 multifamily attached units at a density of 13.30 dwelling units per acre. For ZCPA-2021-0008, the applicant is proposing to amend the proffers and Concept Development Plan (CDP) approved with ZMAP-2006-0018 to permit development of up to 222,200 square feet of commercial uses on 26.4 acres of the Subject Property currently zoned PD-CC(SC). For SPEX-2021-0042, the applicant seeks to reduce the front and rear yards from 15 feet to 5 feet for single-family attached units. For SPEX-2022-0028, SPEX-2022-0029, and SPEX-2022-0030, the applicant seeks special exceptions to permit an Animal Hospital, Veterinary Services, and Indoor Kennel uses, respectively, in the PD-CC(SC) zoning district. For ZMOD-2021-0050, ZMOD-2021-0051, ZMOD-2021-0052, ZMOD-2021-0053, ZMOD-2021-0054, ZMOD-2021-0055, ZMOD-2023-0005, ZMOD-2023-0006, ZMOD-2023-0007, ZMOD-2023-0008, ZMOD-2023-0020, ZMOD-2023-0024, and ZMOD-2023-0025, the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: reduce the PD-CC zoned district yard of the internal adjacent residential district from 100 feet to 0 feet, reduce PD-CC district yards adjacent to non-residential districts from 35 feet to 0 feet for buildings and from 35 feet to 0 feet for parking, waive the requirement that Small Regional Centers must have controlled access to major collector roads to allow for right-in only access to the Subject Property from Loudoun County Parkway and Route 50, reduce the building and parking setbacks from 75 feet to 35 feet along Tall Cedars Parkway, increase the R-16 district size from 25 acres to 29.54 acres, increase the maximum building height in the R-16 district to up to 60 feet with no additional setbacks in Land Bay 3 and up to 55 feet with no additional setbacks in Land Bay 2, reduce the affordable dwelling unit building parking requirement in Land Bay 3 to 1.5 parking spaces per dwelling unit, permit the Route 50 interchange reservation area to remain in its current vegetated state for up to 30 years due to the impending interchange construction, allow structures requiring a building permit to be erected upon a lot fronting on to open space, reduce the required parking for the proposed pool, clubhouse, and central recreation area to five parking spaces, reduce the required road corridor buffer from 10 feet to 9 feet on Street Types 2 and 3, and reduce from 10 feet to 0 feet on Street Type 4, as referenced in the Cedar Terrace Design Guidelines (this road corridor buffer width reduction includes the reduction of plant units within the buffer), increase the maximum building height in the PD-CC (SC) district to up to 60 feet with no additional setbacks in Land Bay 1, to permit a primary access point on a residential neighborhood street, for the access point at PIN 164-48-2842-000 and PIN 164-48-1914-000, and to allow commercial and service uses and structures and their parking areas to be oriented toward existing and planned minor streets in residential neighborhoods or from existing and planned adjacent residential neighborhoods not separated from the district by streets.

ZRTD-2023-0001

VANTAGE DATA CENTER – BROAD RUN

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District)

Vantage Data Centers VA 15 LLC has submitted an application to rezone approximately 9.87 acres of land located south of Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), north of Moran Road (Route 634) and east of Dresden

SPEX-2022-0021, ZMOD-2022-0022, and ZMOD-2022-0023

DESAI RESIDENTIAL

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception & Zoning Modifications)

Van Metre Communities, LLC. has submitted applications for the following: a zoning map amendment, a special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 10.06 acres of land located south of Braddock Road (Route 629), west of Gum Spring Road (Route 659) and east of Royal Hunter Drive in the Little River Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as: 42127 Braddock Road, PIN 207-48-1371-000, Tax Map # 105////////18F. For ZMAP-20220004, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from TR-1LF (Transitional Residential-1 Lower Foley) and TR-3LF (Transitional Residential-3 Lower Foley) zoning districts to the R8 (R-8-Single Family Residential) zoning district in order to develop 44 single-family detached residential units. For SPEX-2022-0021, the applicant seeks to reduce the rear yard setback from 25 feet to 15 feet, to reduce the side yard setback from 8 feet to 5 feet, and to reduce the minimum lot width for end units from 40 feet to 34.5 feet. For ZMOD-2022-0022 and ZMOD-2022-0023 the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including to permit single family dwelling units to be erected on lots with frontage on a private street and to allow units to front on private roads.

ZMAP-2022-0003 & ZMOD-2022-0015

TILLET’S VIEW

(Zoning Map Amendment & Zoning Modifications)

Pulte Home Company LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment and zoning modification for approximately 49.6 acres of land located east of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659), North of Waxpool Road (Route 900), and west of Ashburn Tillet Drive, in the Broad Run Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS TAX MAP #

156-26-4485-000 42550 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, Virginia /78///2/////3/

156-36-8717-000 42594 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, Virginia /78////////37/

156-36-3643-000 21768 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, Virginia /78///2/////2/ 156-47-3301-000 42656 Waxpool Road, Ashburn, Virginia /78////////38/

For ZMAP-2022-0003, the applicant seeks to rezone approximately 49.6 acres from R-1 (Single Family Residential) and RC (Rural Commercial) zoning districts to the R-8 (Single Family Residential) and R-16 (Townhouse/Multifamily Residential) zoning districts in order to develop up to 156 single family detached units, 103 single family attached units, and 148 multifamily stacked units at an overall density of 8.2 dwelling units per acre. For ZMOD-2022-0015, the applicant seeks a zoning modification for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to reducing the required setback from arterial roadways from 100 feet to 75 feet.

Copies of the proposed plans, ordinances or amendments for each item listed above may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Office of the County Administrator, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 AM to 5:00

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-777-0220, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. The opportunity for public input via this link may be temporarily unavailable during the upgrade of the County’s online land management system. However, other opportunities for public comments will remain available as described below. Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www.loudoun.gov/pc For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246.

All members of the public who desire to do so may appear and present their views on any matters scheduled for public hearing. Members of the public are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak during the public hearing. Public comment will be received only for those items listed for public hearing. If you wish to sign up in advance of the public hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the public hearing. 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 is requested. Such an organization’s representative will be allotted 6 minutes to speak, and the Chair may grant additional time if the request is made prior to the date of the public hearing and the need for additional time is reasonably justified. Written comments concerning any item before the Commission are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177-7000, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun.gov. If written comments are presented at the public hearing, please provide ten (10) copies for distribution to the Commission and the Clerk’s records. Planning

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

SBPR-2023-0009

Tech Park At Brambleton

Tech Park at Brambleton LLC of Washington, District of Columbia is requesting a preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately four parcels (property) totaling eighty-seven (87) acres into five (5) industrial lots, one (1) outlot, and accompanying right-of-way and easements. The property is located southwest of the intersection of Belmont Ridge Road (659) and Evergreen Mills Road and east of Dulles Trade Center West. The property is zoned Planned Development-Industrial Park (PD-IP), and is located within the Airport Impact Overlay District (AIOD), contains moderate and very steep slopes, partially located in the Major Floodplain Overlay District (FOD), and subject to the Scenic Creek Valley Buffer under the provisions of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as Parcel Identification Numbers 161-12-4481-000, 161-253540-000, 202-20-6213-000, and 202-10-4192-000in the Little River Election District (2022), formerly the Blue Ridge District (2011).

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the Loudoun Online Land Applications System www.loudoun.gov/LOLA and searching for SBPR-2023-0009. Complete copies of the above referenced application(s) are also available for public review at the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development, Land Development File Room, 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Hilary Russo at Hilary.Russo@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to the Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by August 24, 2023. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

7/20/23

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR:

ATHLETIC FIELD TURF MANAGEMENT SERVICES, IFB No. 633796 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, August 17, 2023.

SNOW AND ICE CONTROL SERVICES, IFB No. 633794 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, August 14, 2023.

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

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

7/20/23

Commission public hearings are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings

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

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance in order to participate in the public hearing, please contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246/TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested

BY ORDER OF: MICHELLE FRANK, CHAIR

LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

MIDDLEBURG TOWN COUNCIL

7/13 & 7/20/23

The Middleburg Town Council will hold a public hearing beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, 2023 to hear public comments on the following:

Zoning Text Amendment 23-03 - AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND ARTICLES II, XI AND XVI OF THE MIDDLEBURG ZONING ORDINANCE PERTAINING TO THE DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL OFFICE AND ASSOCIATED REGULATIONS THEREOF. The proposed amendment would remove the separate definition of real estate office, expand the definition of professional office to include real estate agents and additional uses, repeal the separate classification of real estate offices in the various commercial districts, and amend off-street parking requirements to provide a single requirement for professional office use.

The hearing will take place at the Town Office, 10 W. Marshall Street, Middleburg, Virginia. The application materials may be reviewed online at www.middleburgva.gov/313/Public-Hearings or in the Town Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, holidays excepted. Questions may be directed to Deputy Town Manager Will Moore at (540) 687-5152 or by email at wmoore@ middleburgva.gov

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

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046340-04-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Zarabella Tucker

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

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

It is ORDERED that the defendant Jason Tucker, putative father, appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before August 23, 2023 at 3:00 PM

7/6, 7/13, 7/20 & 7/27/23

7/13 & 7/20/23

PUBLIC NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

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

RFP No. 100170-FY24-06

457(b)/401(a) Retirement Plan

Administrative Services

The Town of Leesburg is soliciting sealed proposals from qualified firms to provide 457(b) and 401(a) retirement plan recordkeeping and administrative services.

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

7/20/23

Trauma nurse award

continued from page 3

Loudoun Hospital in 2017, the trauma program was brand new, and there were only a handful of trauma-certified registered nurses at the hospital.

“When I first started here, mind you with two whole TCRN’s, trauma may or may not have been considered a four-letter word,” Tyczka said.

It’s different six years later she said. Now nurses seek her out and tell her about their plans to get the trauma care certification.

“That is what certification has done. It has engaged an entire hospital of non-trauma nurses to become forces for trauma care,” she said. “The best days are when I get to touch a patient. The next best days are when I hear about a nurse who achieved TCRN.”

Since Tyczka has been at Inova Loudoun, more than 80 nurses have earned their trauma care certification

Greenway tolls

continued from page 1

increases; put rules around refinancing its debt, which previously allowed the Greenway to more than triple its debt since it was built; and limits the Greenway to apply for toll increases one year at a time.

The Greenway’s application filed July 11 is the first application for a toll increase since that legislation went into effect.

Greenway CEO Renée Hamilton and Del. David A. Reid (D-32), who has introduced several Greenway-backed toll bills, blamed the new toll proposal on that 2021 law.

“Filing this application was not our first choice, given our initiatives over the past few years to achieve legislation that would facilitate distance-based tolling and lower tolls,” Hamilton said. “However, in the absence of such legislation, we are obligated to seek tolls at a level that will meet our debt obligations and that will eventually allow us an opportunity to earn a reasonable return.”

“Today’s unfortunate announcement by the Dulles Greenway to seek a 40% rate increase for peak hours and a 22% increase for off-peak hours is a direct result of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors actively opposing toll reduction proposals over the past six-years,” Reid stated in a press release.

Reid also repeated a claim that a Greenway-support bill he sponsored “would have reduced tolls by 30-50% and implemented distance-based tolling from the

and another 50 plan to sit for the exam this year, according to Board of Certifications for Emergency Nursing Director of Marketing and Communications Hilde Marnul. She credited Tyczka for that, citing her passion, and her role as a trauma nurse educator in which she is responsible for educating nurses and encouraging them to get certified in trauma care.

Marnul pointed out that Tyczka’s exam prep zoom lectures are viewed by hundreds of Loudoun nurses as well as other nurses throughout the Inova hospital system. She also spoke about Tyczka’s “innovative trauma escape room” that Marnul said has helped nurses “learn and retain knowledge in a knowledge-rich and exciting environment.”

Tyczka said one of the goals in starting a trauma program at the hospital was to keep patients in Loudoun rather than having to transport them to trauma centers at other hospitals.

“Nothing is worse than having yourself or a family member injured and have to drive to them every day to another county that’s 25 minutes away. Over the last two

Fairfax County line to Leesburg.” That language was not in the bill and the basis of those claims is unclear.

Rather, the bill, introduced three years in a row, would have relieved the Greenway of the new oversights, instead allowing it to negotiate a new deal in secrecy with the state Commissioner of Highways, not subject to approval by any elected bodies. The most recent version of the bill removed previous versions’ requirements for public meetings to gather input. It also removed a provision allowing Loudoun County supervisors and the county attorney to attend those negotiations, albeit as non-voting members subject to non-disclosure agreements, and would have created a new exemption to government transparency law for those negotiations.

Greenway lobbyists, Reid and other backers asserted that arrangement would result in lower tolls and launch distance-based tolling aimed at reducing costs for some commuters. Opponents were worried about the state possibly taking on the Greenway’s debt.

“Because of the Board’s active opposition to the bipartisan Northam-Youngkin toll reduction plans, parents, small business owners, service workers, real estate agents, and commuters from Fairfax, Loudoun, Clarke, and Frederick Counties are now faced with an unsustainable 40% increase in tolls on the Dulles Greenway,” Reid stated. “Not only will it cost constituents more of their hard-earned money, this will increased traffic onto our already overcrowded neighborhood streets.”

years it’s really shifted, and we were able to keep all of these patients.”

Tyczka said that means the trauma nurses at Inova Loudoun are prepared to handle whatever is thrown at them.

“These nurses have studied this craft and this art and they know how to take care of you should you have what will be the most horrible day of your life. We are going to make sure you are going to be well taken care of in Loudoun County,” she said.

Marnul said for someone to be named a distinguished award winner, a nurse must demonstrate that they are experienced in their practice but also show a commitment to supporting other nurses as they work to achieve their board certification.

Lindsay Schoem, a fellow trauma nurse, nominated Tyczka for the award. She said, at first, she made a list of all of her strengths and accomplishments to make sure Tyczka stood out to the board, then realized with all she had done she would stand out on her own.

“I was not alone in recognizing how special Jordan is,” she said.

And based on the Greenway’s self-reported finances, the filing promises more toll hike applications to come.

“The Proposed Tolls are the minimum tolls necessary to provide TRIP II with any opportunity to earn a reasonable return, which may only be realized only with further toll increases into the future,” the Greenway’s filing reads.

The Greenway’s projections of the impacts of the higher tolls on its business are, like much of its finances, confidential and redacted from the SCC public record.

New Oversights

The 2021 law limits the Greenway to applying for toll increases one year at a time. It also seeks to create measurable standards for whether toll increases would discourage motorist from taking the road—law prohibits the Greenway from toll increases that materially discourage its use.

Under current law, the Greenway will become a publicly owned road in 2056, after the state approved 20 additional years of private ownership during a 2005 debt restructuring. If the Greenway seeks to stay privately owned beyond 2056, when it is set to become public property, it must make new financial disclosures and have at least a BBB- bond rating from a major credit ratings agency, the lowest investment-grade rating. Currently, none of the three major bond ratings agencies rate the Greenway’s debt that highly.

And the law now allows debt refinancing only when necessary to operate, maintain, or expand the road and when doing

She said Tyczka’s passion and determination to provide education and training to other nurses stood out.

“Jordan is admired by everyone, she’s compassionate toward all, professional in the manner in which she goes about doing what she does best. She is a dedicated TNCC [trauma nurse core course] instructor who holds review classes and lectures for the TCRN exam,” Schoem said. “She will visit different units in the hospital to educate day and night and is very active in the community providing training and education to our EMS partners, various community members and schools in the area.”

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At large) also presented Tyczka with a resolution from the Board of Supervisors recognizing her as the National Trauma Nurse of the Year.

The Board of Certifications for Emergency Nursing is an independent, not-forprofit organization that develops and delivers national certification programs for emergency, transport, and trauma nurses, according to its website. n

so would not increase toll rates. That rule seeks to close loopholes that allowed the Greenway, which was built in 1995 for about $315 million with about $311 million in debt, according to Hamilton, to amass more than a billion dollars in outstanding debt since then and count that against its profitability when asking for toll increases.

According to Hamilton’s filed testimony with the SCC, as of Dec. 31, 2022, the road had $1.121 billion in debt.

The Greenway reported operating at a net loss in 2022 of $15 million—despite $68 million in revenues, including $67 million in tolls, mostly attributable to spending $66 million in debt costs. Its operating costs, including everything from maintenance to credit card processing fees to consulting, totaled only $15.6 million.

The Greenway’s revenues are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the Greenway reported bringing in $90 million.

And the Greenway’s filing asserts “TRIP II and its investors have never received any return on, or even of, the investments they made to acquire, construct, and maintain the Greenway.” The Greenway said since the SCC partially denied the road’s toll hikes in 2019 for the first time in the road’s history, it has twice had to dip into reserves to make its debt payments.

The company that operates the road, Toll Road Investors Partnership II, is owned by Australia-based Atlas Arteria, which bought the Greenway in 2005 for $617.5 million. n

Start times

continued from page 1

The start time of the elementary school Kaine’s children attended last year was one of 29 that changed from 7:50 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., with classes ending at 2:15 p.m.

Kaine said the 20 minutes makes a big difference in the morning with little ones, and said his kids were waking up before 6 a.m.

The division announced the sweeping changes to school start and end times in January 2022. In addition to 29 schools starting earlier, 30 elementary schools shifted to a later start time of 8 a.m., with dismissal at 2:45 p.m. Middle and high schools also saw start and dismissal times change, with high schools starting at 9:30 a.m.

The change was rooted in a bus driver shortage. Administrators said the changes would cut the number of second runs to schools, result in fewer delays and a more reliable schedule for students and their families. They also said in the announcement at the time that the proximity of schools to one another, the size of the area being served, and traffic patterns were determining factors in the time adjustments.

In contrast, elementary schools in both Fairfax and Prince William counties start between 8:30 and 9:20 a.m.

The adjustment for families coping with earlier start times have not gone smoothly.

Kaine pulled data from the division’s dashboard website—a page that gives information on school and district progress, like Key Performance Indicators, enrollment counts and attendance rate—in May to compare reports of students being tardy to school. He said the results weren’t surprising.

Nine of the 10 schools with the highest tardy rates had an earlier start time, according to the data. The data also showed that nine of the 10 schools with the lowest tardy rates were schools that started at the standard time of 8 a.m.

The rate of tardiness at the five most tardy schools, all of which start earlier, was 2.7 times higher than the rate of tardiness at the least tardy schools, all of which had a standard start time, according to the data.

He said he was surprised that administrators weren’t alarmed by the trend.

School division spokesperson Dan Adams said the division is looking at chronic absenteeism—which he noted is a nationwide concern—as well as the tardy data from this year.

Chronic absenteeism in one of nine indicators state administrators review in the

school accreditation process.

“It’s just too early to comment on anything or draw any conclusions as the data is still being crunched,” Adams said.

Student absences weren’t impacted as much by the start time of their elementary school. According to the data, schools with an earlier start time had a 6.5% absence rate while schools with a standard start time had 6.3%.

Kaine said he worries about the inequity of the situation and how being overly tired could affect students’ test scores.

“You can see the results and the impact it’s having on students,” he said. “Regardless of the year over year look, it’s clear as day it is doing an injustice to those students. Even if they did have that worse tardy rate last year, they’ve only compounded the issue by making the start time earlier. No way it can improve it by starting earlier.”

Royce Gildersleeve is another parent who has concerns with the earlier start time.

He said his kids were also waking up before 6 a.m. to catch the bus by 6:30. Not only did his kids have to wake up earlier than normal for school, they were on the bus to and from school for 45 minutes to get to a school two miles away. He said he’d also like to see that changed.

He said eventually his children’s pickup time got a little later.

“We would have had tardies if they hadn’t changed the bus pickup time. Having to be at the stop by 6:30, that was extraordinarily wearing. It’s only 20 minutes difference but it’s a huge difference,” he said.

Gildersleeve said his kids had after-school sports and activities that often didn’t end until 7 p.m. or later, making bedtime close to 9 p.m. He said, as the school year progressed, it became harder to wake his kids up.

“It’s not an inconvenience—that is doing it for a week or two. This is a burden on children,” he said.

use,” she said. “Kids’ brains do most of the growing when they are young, and they need consistent sleep.”

She said it’s also a childcare issue for teachers with few daycare centers open before 6:30 a.m.

Heather Frakes, a western Loudoun mom of five, said her kids couldn’t walk to the bus stop down the lane because it was so dark and it wasn’t safe.

She said her kids were the first on the bus and often rode in darkness for 45 minutes before any other students got on. She said because they were the first stop, the driver was sometimes early and they would miss the bus. She said she ended up driving them a couple of times a week.

“It was pretty awful, and I am dreading it again this year,” she said.

She said she would be in the school drop-off line with all the other parents who gave up on the early wake up, instead opting to have their student get a little more sleep and be driven to school. She noticed that walkers didn’t have it any better, walking to school in the dark.

He said if it’s hard on the kids, he can only imagine how hard it is for teachers, especially those who have long commutes to work because of the high cost of living in Loudoun.

The parents both said it seemed dangerous, like an accident waiting to happen with teachers and bus drivers on the road that early.

One elementary school teacher, who asked that her identity not be revealed for fear of retribution, said her students had more tardies this year than any year prior.

“Attendance was really an issue with the early start this year. People don’t realize that tardies are so disruptive to class,” she said.

She said she saw other problems with the earlier start time, including earlier lunches—some as early as 10 a.m.—kids eating breakfast at school to save time in the morning, teachers being told to wait to take attendance and challenges with field trips.

“You can’t go on a field trip at 7:30 or 8 in the morning. You have to wait until places open, which was sometimes 90 minutes later. Then because of school ending earlier you had to return from the field trip earlier. It impeded the amount of time you could be on a field trip and how far you could go,” she said.

She said by the time Friday came students, especially kindergarteners who were still building up the stamina to be at school all day, were tired.

“This is the wrong group of kids to

“I can make it work, but what about single parent families? They have to be at work and don’t have the luxury of having someone stand at the bus stop with their child. It’s such a safety issue,” she said.

Because of the early start time she said her elementary aged kids couldn’t participate in after school activities because it meant a late bedtime and with a 5 a.m. wakeup to catch the bus it meant extra tired kids.

“The kids are exhausted, but the thing is none of the other activities in the community changed, only the school start time shifted. Some kids get the luxury of a regular start time and having all their activities or sports still happen at same time,” she said.

She invited School Board members to come to her children’s bus stop and see how dark and unsafe it was, even sending them a video of a morning bus pick up. None responded to her request.

The parents all said they felt the decision wasn’t data-driven, and kids are suffering because the division chose to make the switch without input. They want the division to look at the data and see how the earlier start times are possibly affecting children and do something about it, like changing back to a normal start time or even switching the high school start time with the elementary kids.

“I understand this is hard, I’m not trying to be one of those people who complains about everything, but it seems to me if they get creative people together and not enter data into an algorithm, they should be able to come up at the very least [with] a compromise that will help this issue,” Gildersleeve said. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Buses sit in the division’s central garage lot in July.

“It was pretty awful, and I am dreading it again this year.”

— Heather Frakes, Western Loudoun Mom of 5.

PO

Another Rate Debate

On Sept. 29, 1995, the Dulles Greenway opened to traffic amid accolades that it represented a new paradigm for transportation infrastructure. That certainly proved true.

NORMAN K. STYER Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com

EDITORIAL

RENSS GREENE Deputy Editor rgreene@loudounnow.com

ALEXIS GUSTIN Reporter agustin@loudounnow.com

HANNA PAMPALONI Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

ADVERTISING

SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.com

TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.com

VICKY MASHAW Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.com

Privately operated toll roads now are fully integrated into Northern Virginia’s road network—with more under construction. The paradigm shift, it turns out, was to give state leaders another tool to avoid their road-building responsibilities while driving up the cost of living for the region’s workforce. That’s not quite the result advocates were looking for.

Proposed toll rates climb to nearly 60 cents a mile for through traffic during peak hours—and, in the absence of distance pricing, higher per-mile rates for those

traveling shorter lengths—in the latest request package.

With post-COVID changes to commuting demands, there should be little expectation for significant Greenway traffic increases. Traffic hasn’t just dropped on the toll road, but also on the other once-congested commuting arteries serving the same customer base. By further impeding traffic growth, raising toll rates is unlikely to represent a sustainable solution.

Debates around the Greenway have always centered its utilitarian value and the impact of toll rates. It’s time for the conversation to move beyond that.

Given the company’s extraordinary debt to bond holders, state regulators and legislators should question whether there is a rate-based model that can make the Greenway a viable operation under the greatly changed economic and community conditions. n

LETTERS to the Editor

What Don’t We Know?

Editor:

After reading Renss Greene’s excellent and very detailed piece on the Greenway toll increase request, I cannot for the life of me understand why David Reid is supporting TRIP II here. It seems to me as a business owner (for over 15 years) to be very simple—TRIP II was acquired to be a collateral asset for other business investments by their owners, they mortgaged it to the maximum available, and then they got caught with their pants down after COVID happened and traffic counts went in the toilet. Bottom line? In my opinion, TRIP II over-leveraged their asset, and now they can’t make the payments.

Over the course of the past 45 minutes, I did some very rudimentary research and determined:

1:  In 1995, TRIP II opened the Greenway on a concession that was supposed to expire in 2036 – a typical 40-year lease arrangement. The reported cost of the road was $ 315 million, with the majority of that being financed.

2:  In 1999, TRIP II borrowed $525 million dollars, in what appears to be a refinance of their original instrument, plus … something?  Not sure. Maybe that was preparing to construct the third lane—who knows. TRIP II is in no way transparent with the people of Virginia, and that’s a problem for them.  More on that later.

3:  In 2005, Atlas Arteria, an Australian

company that focuses on private toll roads, purchased 100% of TRIP II (both the asset and the concession) for $617 million in their previous corporation instantiation known as Macquarie Infrastructure Group. They then immediately issued an additional $592 million in bonds that same year.  Their TRIP II debt as of their 2022 statement is $1.12 billion.

Did the third lane cost $500 million? I’m struggling with that, but maybe? Oh, and by the way, while they were doing this, they got VDOT to support an additional 20 years on their concession—so now they own the road until 2056 to cover their additional borrowing. Sweet deal.

4:  So, I’ve found that it sometimes helps to put things in perspective against like things. Roll up the debt numbers, and you’ll see that a $315 million construction project is now over a billion dollars in debt.

I have an MBA, but I don’t need one to figure out that either someone doesn’t know how to run a business or someone was counting on the gravy train just continuing on down the tracks while they got rubber-stamped by the State Corporation Commission at every intersection. Anyone with a grade school math class in their background can see that, unless that additional third lane cost as much as an aircraft carrier, Atlas Arteria used the Greenway as collateral to go buy other stuff, and now that traffic counts are down, and revenue isn’t meeting projections, they expect us to

pay their bills. There’s no way you can add up their (alleged) annual operating losses in their income statements over the past 10 years and explain $700 million in borrowing. No way.

I would love to be proved wrong, but TRIP II is too stubborn to make their case in public. Typically, when someone won’t show their numbers, it’s because they have something they don’t want people to see. If all of this borrowing was done strictly to support the Greenway upgrades and maintenance, and therefore is legitimate, TRIP II needs to embark on a publicity campaign and show us the money.

5: In addition to their travails with this road, Atlas Arteria’s shareholders are protesting a $3 billion purchase of two-thirds interest in the Chicago Skyway last year. The recent (May) shareholders meeting was quite the soiree. Apparently, there’s a full-blown stockholder revolt going on.

Here’s a question for Del. David Reid, who has (for many years now) been carrying some serious water for TRIP II/Atlas, while he’s been throwing the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors under the bus at the same time: If I could run these numbers in 45 minutes, why couldn’t you, and what do you know that I don’t?

— Dennis Boykin, Leesburg

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

continues on page 31

LETTERS to the Editor

continued from page 30

Dark Money

Editor:

Right-wing “dark money,” which first showed up in Loudoun County’s Democratic primary elections this spring, is once again being injected into races for School Board seats, the Board of Supervisors and state assembly.

Dark money—funds whose source is largely cloaked in secrecy by loopholes in campaign finance law—is paying for the false claims and disinformation campaign deployed by the so-called “Accuracy in Media” group. AIM has hired a box truck with an electronic billboard falsely accusing Democrat-endorsed candidates of verbally threatening Loudoun residents.

One source of this dark money seeking to disrupt Loudoun politics is the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, which has been funding Accuracy in Media for decades. Edgar Uihlein, who created the foundation, was a member of the extremist right wing John Birch Society and served on its national finance committee, according to an August 1963 JBS document.

The JBS believed that a conspiratorial mysterious group, The Illuminati, was trying to implement a one-world, godless communist government. Robert Welch, leader of the society, claimed President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had served as supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II, was a “dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.”

In January 2021, the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave Purcellville’s American Majority, which trains Tea Party candidates to run for local school boards, a whopping $1.2 million. Later that year, Ned Ryun, chairman of the American Majority group, collected signatures to remove Loudoun’s Democrat-endorsed school board members. Ryun’s activity appears on Virginia Board of Election filings as an in-kind contribution to Fight for Schools, a right-wing group opposed to Loudoun’s current public schools.

The Uihlein foundation is run by Edgar Uihlein’s son, Richard. Richard and his wife Liz were profiled in “The Most Powerful Conservative Couple You’ve Never Heard Of,” a 2018 article in the New York Times. The Uihleins have been mega donors to Donald Trump. They also financed the Tea Party Patriots, who co-sponsored the Stop the Steal Rally on the White House Ellipse on January 6 to the tune of

$4.3 million.

These extremists have a right to be heard but we need to expose how they are using their wealth to pervert our elections by spreading falsehoods and fear.

— Steve Meyer, Leesburg

Getting Weird

Editor:

What has happened to the party of patriotism, and law n’ order?

The patriotism part was pretty much blown up by sympathy for the Jan 6 hooligans who ransacked the Capitol in Washington, DC. Aspiring Republican U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao called them “our people.” Others, including our former president, described them as “Antifa,” which is not exactly consistent. These folks have gotten unaccountably fond of Vladimir Putin and critical of U.S. support for Ukraine’s resistance to the brutal Russian invasion.

When it comes to law and order, our county prosecutor Buta Biberaj was criticized for acknowledging that with the limited resources that all public agencies face, some crimes were better left to police and judges, and the more serious ones would be the focus of her office. It would be nice for similar scrutiny to be leveled at our Republican sheriff, Mike Chapman, who has been consuming county resources—our tax dollars—in problematic ways.

Instead of chasing dangerous criminals, the Sheriff’s Office used resources to investigate moms in private Facebook groups, finding nothing in two separate situations. In at least one case, as reported in the Times-Mirror, the office maintained a spy to monitor private online conversations.

The LCSO also cost the county half a million dollars by abusing a prisoner at the county jail with scalding hot water. Sergeant Friday was a tough cop, but I never saw that on Dragnet. Reportedly, there have been other costly suits as well arising from Chapman’s management of the Loudoun County dungeon. At least one case of bogus criminal charges that ruined the reputation of a local teacher resulted in a $5 million dollar judgment against LCSO.

Circling back to the Jan. 6 shenanigans, the sheriff also spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally led by Dave LaRock, unsuccessful candidate for the State Senate, on Nov. 15, 2020.

When it comes to local public safety, to quote Bill Murray in Tootsie, “We’re getting into a weird area here.”

— Max B. Sawicky, Lovettsville

READERS’ poll

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: What is your biggest concern about data centers?

• 54.7% They’re great

• 11.3% There are too many

• 10.5% They take too much power

• 10.2% They take too much land

• 7.9% They’re ugly

• 3.8% They push out other businesses

• 1.5% They’re noisy

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

What is the answer to Dulles Greenway tolls?

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