Loudoun Now for Aug. 10, 2023

Biz Leaders Talk Economic Challenges

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Is a recession coming? Maybe.

What’s the biggest challenge to economic growth? Workforce shortages.

Those were the key takeaways from the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the Economy forum held Tuesday morning at the Westin Washington Dulles Airport.

“If you keep predicting a recession you will eventually be right,”

Tom Barkin, CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, noting that economic forecasters have been warning of a downturn for more than a year but keep pushing out the expected impact date.

While high inflation continues to be a concern, with another round of Fed interest hikes still in play, Barkin said the nation is set up for a less severe recession, if it eventually arrives.

He cited three trends that will buffer the impacts of a contracting economy. There continues to be a strong demand for workers, especially in the front-line service industry and in manufacturing. Consumer demand also remains strong, fueled by purchases that

ECONOMY

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Spence Seeks ‘Collective Endeavor’ in Education

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Incoming Superintendent Aaron Spence was introduced to the Loudoun community for the first time Tuesday night during the School Board meeting where he gave some brief remarks.

In a press conference before the meeting Spence said he’s looking forward to starting his tenure at Loudoun County Public Schools on Sept. 1. That work will start with visits to schools, he said.

“My intention is to spend time at schools early and often. You can’t know as a superintendent what is happing in your schools unless you are in your schools,” he said.

Spence said his overall message to parents, students, staff members, and the community is that “this is going to be an outstanding year.”

He said his goal from day one will be to build relationships through community

COLLECTIVE ENDEAVOR continues on page 28

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Incoming Superintendent Aaron Spence was introduced to the public for the first time at the Aug. 8 School Board meeting. Spence met with the press before the meeting to answer questions.

A WILL IS NOT ENOUGH

What should you have, a Will or Revocable Trust?

Are your assets protected from probate courts? What is incapacity planning?

Discover the pitfalls of joint tenancy ownership. What are the dangers of Do It Yourself wills?

Did you know in Virginia, $50,000 total assets triggers probate - even if you have a will.

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Youth Cricketers Play for an Alzheimer’s Cure

BY MAGGIE MCCABE

Young cricket players spent the summer raising about $15,000 to support Alzheimer’s disease research by playing their favorite sport.

Brothers Anand and Vijay Ravulapalli and their friend Saurabh Verma founded nonprofit Cricket for the Cure in 2020 after the brothers lost their mother to Alzheimer’s disease. It was their first exposure to the severity of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

“We realized how dangerous and widespread the disease is and how big of a role the caregivers play in helping someone with Alzheimer’s,” Anand Ravulapalli said. “So we felt like we needed to do something to raise awareness and bring attention to the disease.”

The siblings took their love for the sport of cricket and its growing popularity in the region as an opportunity to fight the disease that impacted their family. Cricket for the Cure organizes youth cricket games to spread awareness and raise money for Alzheimer’s disease, support those with the disease and their caregivers, and to fund research to make it more

CRICKET FOR A CURE

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After 26 Years of Solving Problems, Yudd Prepares to Move On

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

When the county government needs something especially difficult done, when a major project needs putting back on track, when the chief executive needs brutal honesty and every detail right, Loudoun has a go-to guy.

And after 26 years working for Loudoun County through some of the biggest changes in its history, Deputy County Administrator Charles Yudd is retiring.

Loudoun looks very different today from the county Yudd moved to almost 30 years ago. At the time, its growth boom was just beginning.

“Like many people, I moved here because I had a young family and we were looking for a place to raise my family,” he said. “We decided on South Riding in the mid ‘90s, and were one of the early residents,” he said.

At the time, he was working for an engineering firm in Maryland, and wanted to cut down on his commute.

He joined the county government in 1997, starting as the division manager

for land use review in the Department of Planning. He recalled that at the time, Brambleton had been approved but not built, and the intersection of Ryan Road and Belmont Ridge Road, today in the heart of Brambleton, was a sod farm.

From his work in the private sector, he’d already had the same introduction to public planning many government planners do: spending plenty of hours in meetings with the community fielding questions—or just getting yelled at.

“I really kind of cut my teeth on going in front of groups when they didn’t want to hear what you had to say. And for many years here at the county in the beginning of my career, I would be the one sent out to speak to groups about something that was happening,” Yudd said. “And you have to have a special affinity for community service to be able to succeed at that.”

His team of about 10 planners worked on any rezoning cases that came

YUDD MOVES ON continues on page 29

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

A Phoenix batter swings at a cricket ball during a game July 22.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Deputy County Administrator Charles Yudd takes part in a Board of Supervisors meeting in February 2018—shortly after being put in charge of Envision Loudoun, the project to write a new county comprehensive plan, to get it back on track after it became bogged down in committee meetings.

County Reports on Environmental Work

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The county government is moving ahead with environment-friendly projects including hiring a new position to oversee the county energy strategy, setting up a green bank to help finance clean energy projects, and launching a broad study of the county’s tree canopies.

The work is part of the county’s wide-ranging Environment and Energy Work Plan, which supervisors adopted during their environmental summit in July 2022.

“I’m very happy to say that this work plan involves multiple departments, some of which are here tonight—Housing and Community Development, Building and Development, Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure, Economic Development, non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity, community housing partners, the Chamber of Commerce, HOAs,”

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT continues on page 7

SCC Opens Comment Period on Dulles Greenway Toll Hikes; January Hearings Planned

The State Corporation Commission has scheduled hearings in January on the latest application by the owner and operator of the Dulles Greenway to increase tolls.

Toll Road Investors Partnership II has filed a request to increase its maximum tolls for most drivers to $8.10 during peak hours, up from the current $5.80, and $6.40 during off-peak hours, up from $5.25. The company also has asked the commission to authorize a streamlined process to consider and approve future increases.

Several Loudoun County leaders have dismissed the rate-hike application as a “scare tactic” aimed at securing a “bailout” from the General Assembly.

Senator John Bell (D-13), Delegate Suhas Subramanyam (D-87), and Loudoun County Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) issued a statement pledging to continue their opposition to the toll hikes.

“Loudoun commuters already are

forced to pay excessively high tolls,” Bell stated. “Under this proposal, even fewer drivers will use the Greenway, and the shareholders will be the only ones that benefit. I believe that the timing of this request is designed to scare the General

Assembly into passing bad legislation that will bail out the Greenway but not solve the problem, and I’ll fight any attempts to

GREENWAY HEARINGS

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Cooperative Extension Opens Survey

Virginia Cooperative Extension is conducting a statewide needs assessment survey and VCE Loudoun is encouraging all residents to participate.

VCE Loudoun, an educational outreach program of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, provides research-based educational programs for county residents. The programs promote healthy living, improving our food systems, youth development and taking care of the environment.

The survey findings will help the Loudoun extension office set its priorities and develop programs suited to the needs of county residents, informing VCE Loudoun’s programming for the next four years.

The survey is anonymous and is estimated to take about 10 minutes to complete. The collected data will be kept confidential.

The survey is open through Aug. 31. Find more information and al ink to the survey at loudoun.ext.vt.edu.

Homeless Reduction Grant Applications Open

Nonprofit organizations serving Loudoun may apply for local grant funding through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development 2024 Virginia Housing Trust Fund – Homeless Reduction Grant.

Eligible projects include permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing and projects showing innovative ways to support underserved populations experiencing homelessness.

The Underserved Populations Innovation Project is meant to pilot new models for providing assistance and determining the interventions that serve those populations. Examples of underserved populations may include seniors, unaccompanied youth ages 18-24, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities or people living

ON THE AGENDA

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Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

A bull frog sits in duck weed on one of the ponds at the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

The view looking east along the Dulles Greenway from Sycolin Road.

Irreversible is not a word you want to hear from your Doctor but it’s a common one if you’ve been diagnosed with ChemotherapyInduced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN

John T of Leesburg survived testicular cancer only to be living life in constant pain He felt as though he were walking on pins and needles, becoming weaker and weaker every day “I was beginning to be worried that one day I would be wheelchairbound ”

Nearly half of the patients who undergo chemotherapy will develop Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN.

Chemotherapy meds travel throughout the body and attack cancer cells; sadly they can also cause severe damage to healthy nerves. CIPN can begin within weeks of starting treatment and can worsen as treatment continues. A high number of really unfortunate people will be forced to endure the symptoms associated with CIPN for months, or even years after they’ve completed chemo.

When asked how CIPN was affecting his quality of life, he responded, “It was difficult to even walk up and down stairs and do other things we usually take for granted.”

IT'S LIFE CHANGING

Finally! A local Doctor is helping cancer survivors live lives free from the constant pain and suffering associated with Peripheral Neuropathy!

The most common symptoms include:

pain, tingling, burning, weakness, or numbness in arms, hands, legs or feet sudden, sharp, stabbing or shocking pain sensations loss of touch sensation clumsiness and trouble using hands to pick up objects or fasten clothing loss of balance and falling

For some, their nerves will recover over time. For most, the nerve damage is ‘irreversible.’ John had been told just that by a series of Doctors and specialists. Essentially they could cure his cancer but couldn’t fix the damage done by the drugs used to cure his cancer.

Then John made a call to Rachal Lohr of FIREFLY|Acupuncture & Wellness right here in Ashburn. Rachal and her team are using the time tested science of Acupuncture and a technology originally developed by NASA that assists in increasing blood flow and expediting recovery and healing to treat this debilitating disease.

After a series of treatments John was taking stairs with stride!

“We have a beach house and it’s up stairs. This morning I walked right down the stairs and got in the car,” John shared.

“I remember thinking ‘that’s become mighty easy for me’, I didn’t have to hold on to the hand rail or anything! It’s life changing to have this mobility back!”

Again and again, we meet with patients who were once diagnosed as "untreatable” or “incurable” but after receiving Rachal Lohr’s treatments are now living lives free from pain and suffering For over 16 years she has been reversing the effects of CIPN and other varieties of Peripheral Neuropathy, including that caused by diabetes without invasive surgeries and medications that come with uncomfortable side effects

If you’ve recently beat cancer only to find that you’re living a life in constant pain and discomfort or you’re struggling with the same symptoms as a result of either Idiopathic Neuropathy or Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, Rachal and the incredible team at FIREFLY can help!

Rachal Lohr is now accepting new patients but only for a limited time In an effort to protect her patients, both current and future, she has made the difficult decision to limit the number of patients seen in her clinic.

Only 10 new neuropathy patients will be accepted monthly so call (703)263-2142 now to schedule a consultation.

VACO Recognizes Loudoun Equity Programs, Library

The Virginia Association of Counties has recognized programs in Loudoun to help feed people, encourage entrepreneurial innovation, and work toward equitable access to sidewalks and trails. The programs received 2023 Achievement Awards.

The Loudoun County Public Library has developed several programs to fight food insecurity, including the Loudoun Food Drive that collected 6,221 pounds of food. The program was launched to replace the previous “Food for Fines” program that ended when the library stopped imposing fines for overdue items. Other special library programs included partnering with nonprofits and other agencies like the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

The county Department of Economic Development and the Loudoun Economic Development Authority created the Loudoun Innovation Challenge to promote entrepreneurship and business growth by supporting companies developing innovative products and services. Businesses apply to the pitch competition for a chance at prize money to reinvest.

To date, the program has invested nearly $500,000 in Loudoun small businesses. The contest is funded with revenue from the Economic Development Authority’s tax-exempt bond financing.

The 2023 Innovation Challenge, which will award $150,000, opens Aug. 7.

And Loudoun County was recognized for developing a framework and approach for working toward equitable access to the county’s sidewalks and trails.

The county’s ongoing Sidewalk and Trail Program is meant to add three to five miles of sidewalk, shared-use path or trail each year. To determine which segments to build first, the county used a method based on demand and safety metrics, then added factored in data from public health indices in consultation with the new county Office of Equity and Inclusion.

The Loudoun programs were among 33 achievement award recipients across the state, selected from among 135 submissions. More information about the Virginia Association of Counties is online at vaco.org. More information about Loudoun government’s awards is online at loudoun.gov/awards. n

Karbelk Seeks County Chair Seat

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Realtor Stephen Karbelk has announced he is running for the at-large county chair east on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. He is the Republican nominee in a three-way race with two-term incumbent Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and independent candidate and farmer Sam Kroiz.

In his career, Karbelk specializes in selling real estate out of foreclosures and bankruptcies for court-appointed trustees, making his name with an early success for himself after the bankruptcy of Manassas-based Computer Learning Centers.

The chain of vocational training schools abruptly closed and filed bankruptcy in 2001, leaving some students stranded partway through their training and without access to their transcripts, leading to an investigation by then-Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley and a new law protecting students’ access to those transcripts. Karbelk said following the bankruptcy, he sold the company in a matter of weeks for $22 million, taking a $1 million commission.

Karbelk also has a career as an auctioneer, including as a partner at Tranzon. That work took him to Oklahoma during the 2008 financial crisis, where he said he learned about the western, rural lifestyle.

“That’s why I went to Oklahoma, to go sell farms and ranches at auction,” he said. “When the world was falling apart in January ‘08, guys in the oil business were buying farms and ranches and life was

Greenway hearings

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use the budget process to do it.”

“I am not surprised that the Greenway is trying yet again to raise tolls, but I will continue to give voice to the many commuters who are forced to seek less direct alternatives to avoid paying excessive tolls. A toll rate increase is bad for businesses and families, bad for the environment, and even bad for the Greenway itself,” Subramanyam stated.

The SCC has scheduled a virtual public witness session on Jan. 30, 2024. Those intending to provide testimony on the

good, and I said, you know, go there.”

He said growing up in Fairfax County and moving to Oklahoma gave him an understanding of both suburban and rural living, and his careers give him valuable expertise in real estate.

“I think that builders and developers are going to look at me two ways,” he said. “The first way is going to say, ‘we’re really glad we have a chair that understands real estate.’ Then they’re going to say, ‘uh oh, we have a chair that really understands real estate.’ So, it’s going to be harder to get some half thought out proposal passed.”

Karbelk said he is focusing on a number of priorities, including increased transparency, better webcasts of county government meetings, and additional accountability by creating a county in-

application must pre-register with the SCC by 5 p.m. Jan. 24, 2024. Registered witnesses will submit their live testimony by telephone. The hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting.

Public witnesses wishing to provide oral testimony may pre-register by completing a public witness form for case number PUR-2023-00089 on the SCC’s website at  scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting, emailing the form from the website to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov, or calling the SCC at 804-371-9141 during business hours and providing your name and the phone number you wish the commission to call to reach you during the hearing.

A public evidentiary hearing will be

spector general. He also said he hopes to reduce the county budget and phase out the car tax, this year estimated to bring the county $168.5 million in revenues. Part of the taxpayer’s bill is offset by state funding.

“It seems like just because the money’s coming in, it’s just being spent, like we’re just looking for ways to spend the money,” he said. “And I’m of the opinion that we don’t need to be spending as much as we are.”

He plans to release specifics on all those ideas in September.

Among those, he said he also hopes to release plans for redeveloping Loudoun east of Rt. 28, maximizing the use of land in Sterling and possibly redevelopment of Dulles Town Center.

He also said he hopes to streamline approvals for affordable housing developments.

“I’m not saying you make everything by-right, I’m just saying let’s figure out a way to expedite it, because soft costs really matter,” he said. “They really can impact a project, because it’s also a lot of risk… and if it doesn’t get approved, all you’re left with is a bunch of architectural reports, a lawyer bill and a survey. And that doesn’t do you much good.”

“I really want this campaign to focus on the issues,” he said. “I want the voters to want to vote for me, not against someone. I want them to believe in my vision is the best path forward. And at the end of the day, it’s a county race. You’re representing and helping your neighbors, your friends, business owners, people.”

Karbelk’s campaign website is friendsofstephenkarbelk.com. n

held Jan. 31, 2024, in Richmond to receive testimony and evidence from the company, any respondents, and the SCC staff. Comments may also be submitted in writing by Jan. 24, 2024. For online comments, go to scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments and scroll to case number PUR-2023-00089. Comments may be mailed to: Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. All comments must refer to case number PUR-2023-00089. n

friendsofstephenkarbelk.com

Realtor and auctioneer Stephen Karbelk is the Republican nominee for Loudoun County Chair.

Environmental report

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General Services Assistant Director Marc Aveni told members of the Board of Supervisors’ Transportation and Land Use Committee during a July 19 briefing. “So, there is truly a community effort to do this work, and as well there should be, because this involves energy and environment throughout the county.”

Much of that work involves the county government making its own operations more eco-friendly. At the top of that list was hiring a new energy program manager to oversee implementing the County Energy Strategy, another component of the government’s environmental efforts. Aveni said the county staff expects to have that new hire on board quickly.

The county also now has an Employee Energy Conservation Committee, a panel of county employees who suggest other ideas for energy conservation.

Later this month, proposals will be due to the county for renewable power purchase agreements. Those would allow companies to install renewable energy generation like solar or wind on a host property, at their own cost and possibly benefiting from associated tax credits or incentives, then sell that energy to the property owner typically at lower rates than local utility rates.

And an energy audit has been conducted of the County Government Center in Leesburg, with an eye toward renovations such as windows, LED lights, and other energy efficiency work.

“We have plans to look at all county buildings through this audit and make recommendation for renovations we could do,” Aveni said. “This will not only save us money, save us energy, but also make the buildings more comfortable.”

ON THE Agenda

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in rural areas.

Virginia DHCD will host a “Howto-Apply” webinar Wednesday, Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. Details are online from the Loudoun Continuum of Care at loudoun.gov/CoC. Applications are due by Oct. 2.

First-Time Vehicle Tax Relief Applications Due Sept. 1

Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr. reminds residents that first-time

Outside the walls of county government, Aveni said county staff members have also been working with the Data Center Coalition and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory toward green energy for the energy-hungry industry.

“Many of our data centers on their corporate websites state that they are procuring renewable energy from outside the county,” Aveni said. “We don’t have way to account for that, so we want to look at a way to account for that. We also want to look at the potential for some clean energy sources of other than diesel generators, which run as back-ups.”

And the county has worked to develop watershed management plans and make them publicly available, and work to refine those plans is ongoing. Also, the two current watershed management plans only cover a portion of the county, and the county staff and the Environmental Commission this year are expected to consider the next watershed to study. And this fiscal year supervisors provided funding to bring those plans into neighborhoods.

“We’re going to look to implement some of the recommendations in those plans in neighborhoods,” Aveni said. “This could be working with HOAs to do things such as tree planting, buffers, pet waste stations, all things which are good for the environment and good for water quality. “

This fiscal year, the county staff also hopes to hire a consultant to create a tree canopy baseline study, giving them a better understanding of what resources exist in the county today and the impacts of development and government policies.

And county staff is working toward one green project that could also mean fewer accidents on the road—developing wildlife corridors to guide animals to safe road crossings, such as an underpass. Aveni said the county is assessing animal collision hotspots. n

applications for the county’s Personal Property Tax Relief for the Elderly & Disabled program are due Friday, Sept.

1. Vehicle owners who are 65 and older or permanently and  totally disabled, and who meet income and net worth requirements, are eligible for a reduced tax rate on one vehicle per qualified applicant.

Applications and details about the vehicle tax relief program are online at loudoun.gov/taxrelief. For questions or to request a mailed application, email taxrelief@loudoun.gov or call 703-737-8557. n

One Smile At A Time

Leesburg

Flashing Stop Sign Ruled Out for Clubhouse Dr. Intersection

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A nine-month push to install a flashing stop sign at the Rt. 7 offramp onto Clubhouse Drive has ended with the plug being pulled, for now.

Starting last fall a Country Club Green resident has pressed the town to add a flashing beacon to the stop signs at the exit, citing concerns about motorists gliding through the intersection without coming to a complete stop. Her pleas resulted in safety studies by the town staff, VDOT, and the Police Department. All concluded that the intersection is not particularly dangerous and that a flashing sign was unwarranted at the location.

Records show that there have been seven crashes reported at the intersection during the past 13 years. Only one, in 2016, may have been attributable to the driver not noticing the stop sign, although it was not clear in the documentation whether that was a factor, according to a staff report presented to the Town Council during Monday’s work session.

The Police Department conducted special monitoring at the intersection in

May. Officers staked out the site 29 times, spending more than 11 hours watching traffic. Only three drivers were pulled over during that operation, according to the report.

While VDOT did make some signage improvements at the intersection,

CLUBHOUSE DRIVE continues on page 9

Leesburg Adds First EV to Town Fleet

As part of a Town Council-directed pilot program, Leesburg has added the first all-electric vehicle to its fleet.

The Nissan Leaf S is replacing a Ford Fusion used by the Utilities Department and has a range of just over 200 miles on a single charge. The vehicle will be used for administrative purposes and will be recharged using a standard 110-volt outlet, according to the town.

Because of incentives and tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act, the vehicle was cheaper than a standard gas-powered replacement, according to the town. The town expects to receive a credit of $7,500 to offset the vehicle purchase.

“This is an important first step as we right size our fleet and find alternative fuel vehicles that allow staff to continue to provide a high level of service to our

residents and minimize our impact on the environment,” Sustainability Manager Deb Moran stated in an announcement of the purchase.

The town plans to replace two other gas-powered vehicles with EVs this year,

although concerns have been raised that the low inventory and higher manufacturing costs for hybrids and EVs could increase costs for those purchases.

The Town Council initiated the EV pilot program in December, directing the staff to begin purchasing hybrid vehicles and investing in charging infrastructure. Two dual-head chargers, totaling $18,000, have been purchased and approximately $75,000 has been allocated to increase the available electrical capacity at the Town Hall parking garage to accommodate electric vehicle charging spaces. The town also is investing in insulated tools and personal protective equipment needed to maintain hybrid and electric vehicles, according to a status report prepared for the council.

EV FLEET continues on page 9

Main Street Organizers Plan TASTE Raffle

Those attending Saturday’s TASTE Leesburg festival will have the opportunity to meet the team of volunteers working to build a Main Street program that will take the lead on downtown promotions.

The Town Council launched the effort last year with funding. Organizing the effort is in the hands of a volunteer steering committee that has been working over the past several months with the town’s Department of Economic Development staff and a consultant to set up a formal nonprofit and work through the three-tier, years-long process to achieve Main Street status through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

The group has established the organization under the name Leesburg Movement.

The group will have a booth at the festival and plans a raffle for an “All Day in Downtown” prize, featuring $550 in gift cards from downtown businesses and an itinerary for an enjoyable full day.

Ida Lee Rec Center Pool Closure Planned

The indoor pool complex at the Ida Lee Recreation Center will close Aug. 19 to allow for annual maintenance.

During the work, the main swimming pool, auxiliary pool, spa, and pool locker rooms will be closed to the public. The outdoor A.V. Symington Aquatic Center will not be affected and will be open normal hours.

There will be temporary closures in other areas of the rec center during the work, including the group fitness room, multipurpose room, basketball court, racquetball courts.

The pool is scheduled to reopen Sept. 4.

Town Eyes Plans for Outdoor Volleyball Court

Another amenity may be coming to Ida Lee Park as the town examines the possibility of constructing an outdoor volleyball court.

The idea was suggested by Council

AROUND TOWN

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Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Drivers using the Leesburg Bypass exit ramp at Clubhouse Drive are met by two stop signs at the interection.

Town of Leesburg

As part of a pilot program, Leesburg has added the first all-electric vehicle to its fleet.

Clubhouse Drive

continued from page 8

the department opposed the deployment of a flashing beacon, citing a policy that the technology be used sparingly—only in cases where enhanced visibility is required. VDOT has deployed only one flashing stop sign in Loudoun County, at the intersection of Evergreen Mills Road and Watson Road, following a string of serious crashes including a fatal crash in 2017.

Director of Public Works & Capital Projects Renée M. LaFollette said, based on her 30 years of experience, VDOT already had added every feasible safety feature needed to address conditions at the intersection.

Despite the unanimous staff-level conclusion that a flashing sign was not warranted, some council members still pressed to do more.

“I think we’re going to have to mull this over a little bit,” Mayor Kelly Burk said.

Council members noted the situation could change when the former Westpark hotel property on Clubhouse Drive near the intersection is redeveloped. The town is reviewing a rezoning application to convert the 7.6-acre tract to the Planned Development-Employment Center zoning district as part of a project called Westpark Tech that envisions flex industrial/business park uses, with the potential for data center development. n

EV fleet

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Two hybrid vehicles were added to the fleet in fiscal year 2023: a Ford F150 hybrid pick-up assigned to the town’s urban forester and a Ford Explorer hybrid SUV assigned to the Department of Planning and Zoning. In addition to the EV acquired this year for the Utilities Department, the town plans to acquire two hybrid Ford F150 pick-ups for the Utilities Department, two hybrid Ford interceptor utility vehicles for the Police Department, and a fully electric Ford Lightning F150 pick-up for the Department of Public Works.

The town government operates a fleet of 201 cars, vans, SUVs, and trucks. Almost 122,000 gallons of fuel were used to power them in 2022, according to the town. n

AROUND Town

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member Todd Cimino-Johnson, the town staff and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission identified two possible locations for a sand court—at Robinson Park and Ida Lee Park. The Ida Lee site, near the soccer fields on land once envisioned for a pavilion, was cited as the preferred location, Director of Parks and Recreation Rich Williams reported to the council Monday night.

Council members indicted support for the idea. Williams said the staff would do more research on the scope and cost of the project and have a proposal for consideration in next year’s budget.

America’s 9/11 Foundation Ride Planned Aug. 18

America’s 9/11 Foundation’s annual commemorative motorcycle ride will come through downtown Leesburg on Friday, Aug. 18.

The ride of hundreds of motorcycles will begin in Somerset, PA, and

stop at the Pentagon before ending at the World Trade Center site. The event honors the memory of the heroes, volunteers and victims who lost their lives in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The parade is expected to enter downtown Leesburg on King Street around 1:45 p.m. Road closures in the area are expected to last 30 to 45 minutes. Those wishing to watch bikes downtown are encouraged to arrive no later than 1 p.m.

For more information, go to  americas911ride.org. n

South Loudoun Youth Chorale Kicks off Inaugural Summer Camp

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Ninety students gathered at Gateway Community Church in South Riding this week for the kickoff summer camp event held by a new nonprofit, the South

Loudoun Youth Chorale.

The organization was founded by Loudoun County Public School music teacher Erik Jacobs and former division music teacher Laura Lazarevich to help young musicians become leaders in their music programs, engage children

Rock Ridge’s Stodola Named VAME 2023 Teacher of the Year

Ben Stodola, a teacher at Rock Ridge High School, has been named the Virginia Association of Marketing Educators 2023 Teacher of the Year.

The award was presented to Stodola, the chair of the school’s Career and Technical Education Department, during the VAME Professional Development Institute in Richmond.

A graduate of Manassas City Public Schools, Stodola received a bachelor’s

degree in business and information technology and a master’s degree in career and technical education from Virginia Tech. He joined the faculty of Rock Ridge in 2017, the same year he graduated from Tech.

Stodola teaches sports and entertainment marketing and cybersecurity in

STODOLA continues on page 12

of all backgrounds though educational initiatives, and connect the community through inspiring performances.

“The first part of our mission is to try

YOUTH CHORALE continues on page 12

GWWO Architects Selected for Park View Rebuild

The School Board on Tuesday approved a $9.9 million contract award to GWWO Architects for architectural and engineering services for the Park View High School rebuild.

In mid-April requests for proposals were issued for architectural and engineering services to build the replacement school in the Park View campus. Eight were received by the May 15 deadline. Three—GWWO Architects, Moseley Architects and Stantec Architects—were short listed by a review panel and moved onto oral presentations and interviews on June 22. The proposal analysis group awarded GWWO Architects the highest score.

The $221.7 million project envisions a 295,000-square-foot school that is expected to take two-and-ahalf years of actual construction, according to Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2024 or early 2025 with the school expected to open fall 2027, he said.

School Board Highlights Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

The School Board voted Aug. 8 to again acknowledge September as Suicide Prevention Awareness month.

A proclamation adopted by the board states suicide as the second leading cause of death among youth between 10 and 18, and affects youth of all ages, genders, races, culture and religions.

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month represents a call for action as well as involvement by schools and community partners to bring greater awareness to the public health problem, according to the presentation.

The Office of Student Mental Health Services offers preventative services for mental wellness. Its longterm goal is to offer preventative services, early intervention for emerging mental health issues and tiered intervention supports for students who have learning barriers because of mental health concerns. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Lead counselor at the South Loudoun Youth Chorale’s summer camp Aydyn O’Brien teaches songs to middle schoolers Monday, Aug. 7.

Loudoun County Public Schools

Ben Stodola, VAME 2023 Teacher of the Year

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Youth chorale

continued from page 10

to build and develop leaders that can serve as ambassadors for music in their classrooms and at their schools,” Jacobs said.

This week’s summer camp marks SLYC’s first official event. Open to middle school and high school aged students of all skill levels, the camp began on Monday and will run all week with a free performance open to the public starting at 3 p.m. Friday at Gateway Community Church in South Riding.

While the camp is staffed by Jacobs and Lazarevich taking the lead over the larger ensembles, smaller breakout groups were coached by college-aged counselors with experience in music. Lead counselor Aydyn O’Brien, a rising senior attending Florida State University and studying music education, said the opportunity to work with students was a great fit for her summer. She said Jacobs and Lazarevich reached out to her to help since she was one of their former students and she jumped at the chance.

Jacobs said the idea for the organization was born during COVID when he and Lazarevich saw a lot of students drop out of music programs as remote learning made it harder to be engaged.

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“When we came back to in person learning, enrollment numbers in classes were just so low,” he said. “We looked around and we saw that a lot of our friends and colleagues that are just super talented dedicated teachers ended up taking part time [jobs], they would get de-staffed and a once thriving full time choral music program was now split between two schools. Some choir teachers started teaching PE

Stodola

continued from page 10

marketing, and also serves as the advisor for the school’s 200-member Distributive Education Clubs of America chapter.

In his nomination package, Stodola stated he wanted to create a safe space for his students in his classroom.

“This space allows for students to explore and challenge themselves,” he said. “It creates a safe place to fail and to be comfortable with taking risks. My classroom allows for students to be their authentic selves or to let them know I respect them and are just happy they showed up.”

and we wanted to see if there’s anything we could do to help build back those programs and be an asset to the music programs that were trying to develop their numbers post pandemic.”

He said it was important to SLYC to work with the school division instead of supplanting it. To be a part of the group, students need a recommendation from a music teacher or to be part of school music group.

“Our goal is to partner with schools,” Executive Director Lisa Newton said. “We want to be that leg to take them to the next level.”

After the inaugural concert this Friday, Newton said the chorale’s season will kick off with auditions open to the public until Sept. 9. Rehearsals will be held Monday evenings at Gateway Community Church. She said the chorale will hold two concerts a year: one in December and one in May.

If a student is accepted after their audition, the enrollment fee is $400 per semester or $700 for the year. Jacobs said the nonprofit does not want anyone to miss out on the chorale experience because of finances.

“We already have scholarships in place for students with financial need,” he said. “And a huge, huge goal of ours as we continue to expand is going to be much more active outreach in those areas of our community in Loudoun County and beyond where students may not have the accessibility to an organization like this. Whether its transportation, or financial needs, or just family support we want to be able to help those kids.” n

“Mr. Stodola has a way into the hearts of his students that no other teacher presents. I would compare his classroom to a Starbucks—always open and available for anyone to stop to chill or for a chat, whether with him or each other,” one of his students, Emily Lam wrote.

Stodola is the fifth Loudoun County Public Schools teacher to receive the award. Previous winners were Briana Eifler of Dominion High School in 2021, Sandra Tucker of Rock Ridge in 2019, Donna Celio of Stone Bridge in 2008, and Kathy Chrisman of Potomac Falls in 2006. n

Public Safety

LCSO Seeks Witnesses to Robbery at Ashburn Hotel

The Sheriff ’s Office is investigating an armed robbery that occurred Monday morning in Ashburn.

According to the report, at approximately 6:03 a.m. Aug. 7, deputies responded to the Embassy Suites on Waxpool Road where a victim reported that at least five people, four wearing face coverings and hooded sweatshirts, forcibly took luggage containing a significant amount of jewelry imported from India. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries described as not life-threatening.

The suspects fled the area in a black Chevrolet Equinox, which was later found abandoned.

Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area and may have seen anything to contact Detective M. Grimsley at 703-777-1021.  Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app.

2 Charged with Stealing Dog in Leesburg

Two suspects face felony charges in connection with the July 12 theft of a dog from a Leesburg home.

The stolen Cane Corso Pittbull mix was recovered safely on July 28, according to Leesburg Police.

The charges stem from a residential burglary that occurred at 8:30 a.m. July 12. The victim reported that someone broke into the home and took two-year-

old Gelato. No other items were taken, including another dog that was also in the home.

Dabryn Norris, 22, of Brambleton, was arrested Aug. 5 and Taylor Ward, 21, of Leesburg, was arrested Aug. 7.

Norris is charged with stealing an animal, breaking and entering, conspiracy to steal an animal, and conspiracy to commit breaking and entering. Ward is charged with conspiracy to steal an animal and conspiracy to commit breaking and entering. All the charges are felonies. They have been released from jail on bond.

Investigators determined that Ward

previously owned the dog, but had voluntarily surrendered custody of the animal last year.

Sterling Man Killed in Motorcycle Crash

The Sheriff ’s Office is investigating a fatal motorcycle crash that happened Saturday in Sterling.

According to the report, the deputies were called to the scene in the area of Corkwood Drive and Cascades Parkway at 9:55 a.m. Aug. 5 for a report of a crash involving a motorcycle and a

passenger vehicle.

The driver of the motorcycle, Joshua Desmond, 43, of Sterling, was transported to a local area hospital where he died Sunday.

The driver of the passenger vehicle remained on the scene. The speed of the motorcycle is believed to be a factor in the crash, according to the agency.

The Sheriff ’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate the crash. Anyone with any information is asked to call Investigator D. Lake at 703-771-1021. n

Gelato, a 2-year-old Cane Corso Pitbull mix, was returned home safely after being stolen July 12.

Nonprofits

Blue Ridge Hospice Takes 10 Clients to See Beyoncé

Blue Ridge Hospice on Saturday took 10 teens and young adults who lost a loved one to see Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE World Tour from a private skybox at FedExField in Landover, MD.

The outing was made possible through a partnership with the Washington Commanders.

“Losing a loved one can be incredibly traumatic for young people. Many of the teens and young adults we are serving in our grief and bereavement programs have lost a loved one during COVID, when they may not have been able to see their special person or attend funerals. These things affect healthy grieving and can lead to a lack of closure,” Blue Ridge Patient and Family Support Services Manager Susana Calley said. “After a traumatic loss, a time to be together with other young people and to do something fun and good is exceptionally healing.”

Most of the teens and young adults who attended the concert were participants in Blue Ridge Hospice’s new Adventures

Through Grief program, a bereavement support group for teens and young adults

Ashburn Student Hopes to Collect Money, Food for Homeless

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Abhi Badia, an Ashburn resident and rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, is looking for donations of breakfast items to make sure students at two area shelters have something to eat before school this fall.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” he said. “A lot of kids in shelters don’t have breakfast before school and to get through school you need some sort of fuel and breakfast provides that.”

Badia, who volunteers with the Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston and the Loudoun Homeless Services Shelter in Leesburg, said he wants to help the about 30 students who live at those shelters by doing a breakfast food drive.

He started the drive Aug. 3 by announcing it on several Facebook pages.

“My whole goal is to relieve the stress off of finding the next meal for them, to take the burden off their parents,” he said.

Organizers are looking for less sugary cereals like Honey Bunches of Oats and items like granola bars, oatmeal, fruit and

energy bars—things Badia said would stay with students longer to hold them over until lunch.

So far, he’s raised about $60 in donations and several people have signed up through his mom’s Facebook page to buy items. He hopes as the drive continues through September, they will get enough donations to provide the students with breakfast for several months.

Badia organized a gift card drive in December of 2022 for adults at the two shelters and collected $900 in gift cards to stores like Target, Walmart, Chick-fil-A, Subway and other restaurants.

He said he would like to raise more this time around.

“In general, my goal is to do better than last year’s drive. I would like to see us raise $1,000 if not higher,” he said.

Badia also volunteers with Nest4US, a nonprofit, volunteer organization that gives students opportunities to serve by tutoring, mentoring, and organizing food drives.

With Nest4US, Badia delivers leftover food donated by local stores that would have been thrown out to shelters and soup kitchens.

He said he loved to see how kids’ faces would light up when he brought deliveries of Crumbl cookies.

“I want to see that with breakfast, it’s the most important meal and I want to see that happiness,” he said.

More information can be found on Priya Dodla’s and Abhi Badia’s Facebook page. And to donate, email priyadodla@gmail.com. n

Arc of Loudoun Ends Project

Horse

The Arc of Loudoun has announced it will end its Project Horse Virginia program at the end of August.

“This decision is a difficult but necessary one as it has proven impossible for Project Horse to offer consistent year-round sessions without an appropriate indoor facility,” Arc of Loudoun CEO Lisa Kimball stated. “Over the past two years, The Arc’s Project Horse program has served many people with remarkable results. Unfortunately, the lack of indoor service space forced repeated postponement and cancellation of individual Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and group Equine Assisted Learning sessions, making it impossible for our staff and horses to deliver consistent care to our clients.”

The herd of therapy horses is being re-homed to trusted members of the community. One of the horses, Jack, will rejoin two former colleagues in Colorado, including Project Horse’s founder, where he will continue his therapeutic work.

The Arc of Loudoun acquired Project Horse Virginia in 2021 to expand its commitment to supporting people with disabilities of all kinds, including mental health conditions. Project Horse Empowerment Center was founded by Darcy Woessner in 2008 to provide non-riding equine assisted therapy services to individuals, families, and groups. In 2021, Woessner moved to Golden, CO, and launched a new equine therapy center, Project Horse Colorado.

The Arc of Loudoun, formed in 1967, supports people with disabilities and their families throughout the region. The Arc offers a range of programs for children and adults with disabilities, their families and caretakers, including Ability Fitness Center, ALLY Advocacy Center, Aurora Behavior Clinic, Aurora School, and Open Door Learning Center Preschool in Leesburg.

More information is online at thearcofloudoun.org. n

Contributed Blue Ridge Hospice President and CEO Cheryl Hamilton Fried and the first young adults through the nonprofit’s new Adventures Through Grief program attend Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE World Tour from a private skybox at FedExField in Landover, MD on Saturday.

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Rising junior and Ashburn resident Abhi Badia is trying to collect money and breakfast items for homeless youth in two local shelters.

BEY0NCÉ continues on page 15

County’s Only Indoor Archery Range Opens in Leesburg

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Loudoun County’s first public indoor archery range and shop opened last month, the realization of a dream for friends Tony Morgan and Michael Speckhardt.

Double X Archery is located at 500 E. Market St. and offers 21 lanes ranging from 15 to 30 yards and wheeled targets at a variety of distances for varying skill levels. The range is open to the public and membership packages are available for those who plan on attending frequently. Customers may also rent equipment for use at the range.

Speckhardt said the shop also offers repair services and archery lessons for all ages and skill levels.

“We’re a full service—what we call archery retail pro shop,” Speckhardt said. “So, we sell four of the major brands of compound bows and we sell two of the major brands of crossbows.”

He said they envision the shop as a place for families and the community to spend time together.

“We’re really looking forward to providing that service [as a range] to the community,” Speckhardt said. “And for people who have always just loved bow hunting or just archery in general but have maybe been intimidated by the environments other shops may provide, we’re a very all-inclusive type of place. Where we want to spread the word of archery and

Beyoncé

continued from page 14

that uses a therapeutic tabletop roleplaying game modified specifically to address grief. Adventures Through Grief provides young people opportunities to learn new coping skills and allow them to express their grief in indirect and non-threatening ways. The concert trip comes as the first 12-session round of the program comes to a close.

“This is a real dream-come-true moment for our participants, and we are so grateful and excited to be able to give these kids the opportunity,” Blue Ridge Hospice President and CEO Cheryl

get people shooting.”

He said he and Morgan first had the idea for the business in 2020, when they began scoping out the interest in a range.

“We realized that there really was the appetite for a bow store,” he said. “There’s only one right now that’s actually way out in Prince William County. … We thought if we could put something more in the heart of Fairfax and Loudoun County it will really benefit people here.”

Both Speckhardt and Morgan grew up spending a lot of time in the outdoors,

Hamilton Fried said.

“An important part of processing grief is allowing for moments of joy and celebration,” Children and Families Grief Support Coordinator Christina Thomas said. “We want our participants to know that it is okay to be joyful again—it’s okay to receive good things in life and accept happiness and peace.”

Blue Ride Hospice offers community grief and loss support services, including a variety of support groups, workshops, and individual support to grieving children and adults in a 2,200 square-mile area of the northern Shenandoah Valley and Northwestern Virginia.

More information is online at brhospice.org. n

hunting and fishing. But both stepped away from archery as adulthood, college,

and their careers got in the way.

Speckhardt said he got back into archery when he joined Fairfax County’s Deer Management Program.

“Ever since then, I love it now,” he said. “It’s a passion for me. I love animals and the whole idea of conservation.”

Morgan reconnected with archery after he left the military and began working with disabled veterans.

“That’s one of the bonds that brought us together, that love that we have for the outdoors, and hunting and fishing,” Speckhardt said. “We both had that same kind of aspiration to do something related to the outdoor space.”

Speckhardt said they hope to host leagues as early as this fall, as well as tournaments similar to well-known archery contests like the Lancaster Classic and Las Vegas Shoot.

The range also serves as an approved qualifying archery range for the Fairfax Deer Management Program. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Double X Archery Co-owner Michael Speckhardt shoots a bow at his indoor range on East Market Street.

Hamilton Residents Collaborate with Town, County, and State Over Safety Concerns

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

After years of hearing complaints about speeding and pedestrian safety concerns in Hamilton, town leaders on Friday gathered with residents and members of the Loudoun Design Cabinet to explore creative solutions.

“I hope that everybody gets something out of this,” Mayor Kenneth Wine said.

Design Cabinet Chair Alfred Gooden opened the charrette by listing a series of safety concerns that had been raised by residents, including traffic speeds, uneven sidewalks, lack of sidewalks and crosswalks, and poor drainage.

“I was really excited when I moved here that we’d be able to walk to the playground or walk across the street to school,” one resident said, adding that she has two young sons. “And it turned out to be quite a lot more dangerous than I thought it would be.”

Council member Cathy Salter reported

HAMILTON SAFETY

continues on page 17

‘We’ve Moved. Not Really’ Confederate Street Signs Removed

from Round Hill Neighborhood

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A county crew on Aug. 2 installed new street signs in Round Hill’s Hillwood Estates neighborhood to erase 1960s tributes to Confederate generals from the Civil War.

The change resulted from a broader Board of Supervisors effort starting in 2020 to remove place names associated with the Confederacy, segregation, and slavery throughout the county.

Vandals—or collectors—gave the workers a bit of a head start. In recent weeks, several signs on Lee and Jackson

streets were removed from their posts.

Effective Aug. 2, those streets are now known as Turtle Hill Drive and Honeybee Avenue.

An area resident who stopped to take a photo of the new signs minutes after they were posted said, “Oh look, we’ve moved. Not really,” before pulling into her driveway on Turtle Hill.

New street names on Early Avenue (Earlybird), Hampton Road (Cinnamon Fern), Pickett Road (Broken Arrow) and Longstreet Avenue (Piper Run) also were

continues on page 17

MIDDLEBURG Input Sought on South Madison Streetscape

The Town Council is studying ways to improve the commercial vitality and safety in the South Madison Street corridor.

The town has contracted an engineering firm to develop concepts for possible improvements but also is seeking input from residents and businesses. Among the questions being studied are whether to keep parking on both sides of the street, what sidewalk material should be used, what style of streetlights are preferred, whether to preserve or replace street trees, and designs for retaining walls.

Members of the public may download a comment form to mail in or provide input by email.

For details of the project and the input process, go to tinyurl.com/southmadisonstreet.

PURCELLVILLE Police Department Hosts Popsicle with a Cop

The police department is planning a Pop(sicle) with a Cop event on Thursday, Aug. 17 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Purcellville Train Station, located at 200 North 21 St.

The event is based on the traditional “Coffee with a Cop” events, which encourage community members to engage in conversations with police officers in an informal, neutral space to build and grow relationships. Pop(sicle) with a Cop provides the opportunity for officers and residents to converse and enjoy a favorite summertime treat of popsicles for free.

The Police Department traditionally hosts Coffee with a Cop events bi-monthly at various times and locations around town.

Nature Walk Planned Aug. 27 at Catoctin Creek

The Purcellville Parks and

AROUND TOWNS

continues on page 17

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Residents gather around maps to discuss solutions to safety concerns in town at a traffic and pedestrian charrette Friday morning.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Loudoun County workers replace the street sign at the intersection of streets formerly known as Pickett Road and Early Avenue in the Hillwood Estates neighborhood Aug. 2, 2023. STREET SIGNS

Hamilton safety

continued from page 16

data collected from a mobile speed sign posted along East Colonial Highway.

“In nine days we had 33,000 cars come through town. That is an exorbitant amount of cars,” she said, adding that the average speed detected was 26-30 miles per hour. “We did have a top speed—now granted we do have emergency vehicles and we do need to keep that in mind—we had a top speed of 77 [miles per hour].”

Attendees were divided into work groups focusing on three separate areas: connections and entrances, pedestrian and traffic, and ribbons of design and worked with a member of the design cabinet for an hour to brainstorm possible solutions.

Among the suggestions were rerouting Harmony Church Road to align with the Hamilton Station Road intersection with a possible traffic light or roundabout, lowering speed limits outside of town, narrowing East Colonial Highway to give it less of a “highway feel,” encouraging residents to support interchange projects along Rt. 7 to reduce traffic along East Colonial Highway, adding rumble strips at the eastern and western entrances to town, and better highlighting the history of the town.

Town Zoning Administrator Martha Mason Semmes, a member of the Design Cabinet, said the next step will be for the Design Cabinet to turn the suggestions into a report for the Town Council.

“Then [Town Project Planner Earl Dubin] and I and the council will begin to say, ‘OK, what are our options?’ And as we talked about earlier, we need to turn our good ideas into a plan that then can develop a cost estimate. We can then work with the county and VDOT to try to find some funding,” she said. n

Street signs

continued from page 16

changed in the subdivision.

Two street names were not changed. The county opted to leave Hill Circle untouched. Mosby Court is located inside the Round Hill town limits and a divided Town Council voted to retain that name at the request of property owners living on the cul-de-sac.

The Board of Supervisors is offering grants to businesses—including homebased businesses—impacted by the name changes to help cover expenses of the transition. n

Hillsboro Celebrates Its Hope

Hope Bazaco celebrated her 99th birthday on Aug. 6, officially declared as Hope Bazaco Day in Hillsboro.

The mother of Loudoun winery pioneer George Bazaco was given a preview of the design of the proposed Hope’s Garden, a native plant garden and public art venue to be located in the center of Hillsboro and named in her honor. The Bazaco family, owners of Doukénie Winery, were the initial donors for the project.

Planting for the garden is planned this fall behind the 1760 Lawson-Goodrich House, future home the town’s new visitor center and museum. n

AROUND towns

continued from page 16

Recreation Advisory Board, Tree and Environment Sustainability Committee and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Stream Team will offer residents the chance to observe creek critters up close at the Chapman DeMary Trail on Sunday, Aug. 27.

The event will begin at 1 p.m. and will be held by the south fork of Catoctin Creek, which runs along the trail. Visitors can expect to see water penny larvae, dragonfly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, crayfish, hellgrammites, and clams and learn about how they help determine the health of the stream.

Nature journals and pencils will be provided to attendees, courtesy of the Purcellville Arts Council. Participants with six or more stickers from the monthly nature walks through November 2023 will get a prize.

Learn more and register online on the Monthly Nature Walks page in the Events and Activities section of the Town of Purcellville’s website, purcellvilleva.gov.  n

Courtesy of Roger Vance Hope Bazaco

Lovettsville Council May Require Unanimous Votes for Proclamations

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

The Lovettsville Town Council has been working on an update to its rules and procedures that, if adopted, would require proclamations and resolutions to have unanimous support of all members present—providing each member veto power.

This would be a change from the current rules which allow only the mayor that ability. Under town code, the mayor may veto acts by council but does not get a vote in council proceedings unless there is a tie. Proposed changes would also prohibit council members from providing comments for absent members.

Mayor Christopher Hornbaker said the council first discussed concerns about the proclamation policy in March.

“That would mean that if a proclamation were considered for the evening, all members that are present for the vote must vote in the affirmative,” he said of the proposed change. “Those that are absent would not count, but any abstention

would mean that the proclamation would not pass.”

Council member David Earl said he did not support that idea even though he thought the proclamations are usually unanimous. He said someone might vote in opposition for personal reasons.

Vice Mayor Joy Pritz agreed. She said she was worried that requiring a unanimous vote would prevent good

proclamations from being passed.

“I think unanimous does make me nervous that it could be one person that could prevent a proclamation from going through,” she said. “I think a majority works better.”

“For something like a proclamation which is supposed to be a positive for whatever is coming before the council, and to represent the entire town, a unanimous means that it’s got the support of the entire council,” Council member Tom Budnar said.

Council member Bobby Merhaut agreed.

“Proclamations, by definition, are a statement from a governing body,” Hornbaker said. “It does hold weight whether you intend it to or not. It is not meant to be controversial.”

He said it was worth a few proclamations not passing if it means that all members of the council are comfortable with every one that is approved.

Council member Jennifer Reed expressed concern over proclamations that were controversial and the consequences

those could have on her and other council members’ jobs.

“I didn’t try to be on the Town Council as a partisan hack or to feel like I need to present what my political views are to do my job here. … So how do we ensure that all the proclamations are going to be basically nonpartisan, non-controversial? I think that’s where the real problem is,” she said.

Earl said he felt that requiring a unanimous vote was not democratic.

Merhaut said the council could consider getting rid of proclamations all together.

Hornbaker said that proclamations were not policies for the town, but statements by the governing body.

A motion to remove the proposed requirement for a unanimous vote from its draft policy failed 2-3-1, with Reed, Budnar and Merhaut opposed and council member Brandon Davis absent.

The council has scheduled a public hearing for the draft policy at its next regular meeting Aug. 30. The policy would not take effect until the council votes to adopt the draft Rules and Procedures policy. n

Lucketts Fire and Rescue Station Receives Green Design Award

The Lucketts Fire and Rescue Station has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council with the Judge’s Choice Award as part of the USGBC National Capital Regional 2023 Community Leader Awards.

The award recognizes health and wellness in building planning and construction.

Designed by Moseley Architects, the 18,000-square-foot station achieved

LEED Silver certification with features that include reflective roofing, permeable pavement to reduce heat, and HVAC systems to reduce energy bills. Green initiatives inside the station include exhaust-capture filtration systems, CO and CO2 sensors in the apparatus bays, separation of living quarters from areas high in carcinogens and direct exhaust from the decontamination room and gear storage. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Lovettsville Mayor Christopher Hornbaker listens to staff presentations at a meeting June 8, 2023.

The Lucketts Fire and Rescue Station opened in November 2021.

GETOUT

LIVE MUSIC

TEJAS SINGH

5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10

MacDowell Brew Kitchen, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

MARTIN AND KELLY

6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10

National Sporting Library & Museum, 102 The Plains Road, Middleburg. nationalsporting.org

WILL BASKIN

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10

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

ADELITAS WAY

8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com

KRYSTAL KING & KIRSTIE KRAUS

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

THE HUME-FRYE DUO

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

SHANE GAMBLE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

JUSTIN BERDEGUEZ

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

MARK CULLINANE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

2MB

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

MOSTLY FAB

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 21

Loudoun Brewers Win Again at Virginia Craft Beer Cup

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Loudoun County brewers again made a strong showing in the annual Virginia Craft Beer Cup, the largest competition of its kind, hosted at Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn.

It was also another record year for the cup, according to contest organizers, with Loudoun brewers competing in the largest field yet. A record 125 breweries competed, according to the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild, including 35 new participants, with 471 beers entered.

Five Loudoun breweries took home medals in that crowded field. Four of them—Dirt Farm Brewing, Lost Barrel Brewing, Harvest Gap Brewery and Black Hoof Brewery—are regular award winners at the cup. But this year, Loudoun Brewing Company joined the county’s award winners, in the brewery’s first year entering the contest.

Loudoun Brewing’s Polished Foxx saison placed third in Belgian ales, a category that this year encompassed a range of styles.

Owner and head brewer Phil Fust said it’s a beer made to accompany fine foods. It’s named for Chef Erik Foxx-Nettnin, the former Magnolias at the Mill chef who goes by the Polished Foxx in his catering business.

“If there is an elevated place for beer, that’s definitely where that beer is supposed to be,” Fust said. “Not just run of the mill, it’s got some coriander and orange peel, some very different flavors, not a simple beer to make. And apparently the crowd went wild.”

Under Fust, Loudoun Brewing always offers an eclectic mix of drinks. Current offerings range from a blueberry seltzer cocktail, to a saison with some spice called Jalapeño Business, to reliable favorites like Phil’s Pils pilsner. And since he started making beer at Loudoun Brewing

in 2017, he said the brewery has produced more than 500 beers.

But he said he’d never joined the Virginia Craft Beer Guild or competed simply because the business has kept him busy.

“I hadn’t joined the guild initially because I didn’t think I had time to give back to them,” he said.

He’s no less busy now, but said he found time to get involved, including with new pending legislation that would allow breweries to do their own distribution up to a limited amount—a potential game-changer for small breweries like Loudoun Brewing. And he said now that he’s joined and competed, it was well worth it. “It’s encouraged me to go after it even more,” he said.

Polished Foxx, which will soon return with the cooler weather, is not Fust’s only

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Loudoun Brewing Company owner and head brewer Phil Fust with his latest creation, Obvious Antidote extra pale ale. Loudoun Brewing entered the Virginia Craft Beer Cup for the first time this year, taking home a medal for the Polished Foxx saison.

LOUDOUN BREWING continues on page 20

TASTE Festival: Explore the Flavors of Leesburg

The TASTE Leesburg festival returns to downtown Leesburg on Saturday, Aug. 12.

Food vendors, breweries, wineries, businesses, artisans, and entertainment will fill five blocks of the historic downtown. With more than 65 booths, area restaurants, food trucks, and vendors will offer a variety of menu options for purchase or stop into one of the downtown restaurants for a bite to eat.

The event is free, with food available for purchase directly from the food vendors.

Eleven vendors will also be on-site offering samples of beer, wine, cider and mead. A discounted early bird drink ticket is available online and costs $45. Ticket prices will increase to $55 on Aug. 12. All ticket purchases include a souvenir sampling glass and unlimited drink tastings.

Check-in tents will be located on the Town Green on West Market and North King streets to verify your ID and have

Loudoun Brewing

continued from page 19

collaboration outside the tasting room. He also created and brews the tangerine pale ale sold exclusively—and quickly—at the Tarara Summer Concert Series and said he’s working on a beer for suicide prevention awareness with domestic violence nonprofit LAWS.

Keeping Tarara concertgoers stocked with beer has kept him so busy that this year he hasn’t had as much time for his typical experimentation. But he said he’s just created a new beer, an extra pale ale named Obvious Antidote, and he’s “very freaking happy with it.” In fact, he’s already called his shot— “we’ll win more in ‘24, there’s not any doubt.”

“If this beer doesn’t win a medal in ’24, I’ll be staggered,” he said.

That will put him in good company, in a county that always brews up winners.

This year, Dirt Farm showed off its unconventional stylings, winning first place in fruit for its Peachy Mother Pucker, and second place in alternative grains or sugars for its Honey Helles. Lost Barrel Brewing put in a strong performance in IPAS, bringing home the first-place prize in double IPAs for its Stratazacca Double IPA, and second place in hazy IPAs for its Lost Barrel Hazy IPA. And Barnhouse Brewery placed first in monastic ales with

your ticket scanned. A limited number of beverage tickets may be available the day of the event through online purchase only.

Live music will begin at 5 p.m. on the Center Stage, located on the corner of Market and King streets, with Bryan Fox & Friends, Yoko Says No, and Something’s Brewing. The Sip & Savor Stage, on King Street between Cornwall and North streets, will feature DJ C Squared. Aerial Acrobatics by Candescent will be performed on the courthouse lawn.

Parking will be available downtown at the Town Hall Parking Garage, the Pennington Parking Garage, the Church Street Parking Lot, and the Loudoun County Parking Garage.

Street closures will begin at 10 a.m. and are expected to re-open at approximately 1 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13.

For more information about the event, go to tasteleesburg.com. n

the Barnhouse X and took home an honorable mention in international lagers for its Morning Wood.

They were joined by Harvest Gap Brewery, third in pale European lagers with Devil Dog Helles; and Black Hoof Brewing, third in smoke with its Morning Fog Rauchbier.

And the newest entry to Loudoun’s craft beer scene, Prince William County-based Water’s End Brewery which just opened a new location in Village at Leesburg, took home a second-place prize for its Grand Cru barley wine.

The Virginia Craft Beer Cup is the largest state competition of its kind in the United States.

“I am thrilled to welcome an increase in participation in this year’s competition, a testament to a growing industry in Virginia,” craft beer cup Head Judge Charlie Harr stated. “This year’s competition brought new breweries and veterans together across all styles for continued high-quality pours. Congratulations to the winners who entered the cup and continue pushing the craft brewery industry to new heights and making Virginia the great beer scene that it is!”

“Despite a tough year economically, the Virginia Craft Beer Cup competition demonstrates the resilience of Virginia’s independent craft beer industry,” Virginia Craft Brewers Guild President and CEO Brett Vassey stated. n

continued from page 19

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

MELISSA QUINN FOX

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

CHRIS BOWEN

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

FREEK FLAGG

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 MacDowell’s Beach. 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

RICK REAVES JAZZ BAND

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

BRITTON JAMES

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

TEJAS SINGH

8 p.m. to midnight, Friday, Aug. 11

Nick’s Taverna, 42395 Ryan Road, Ashburn. nickstaverna.com

GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11

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

RANDY THOMPSON BAND

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

BBQ & BLUEGRASS/SUNSET SATURDAY

11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

CHRIS COMPTON

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Otium Cellars, 18050 Tranquility Road, Purcellville. otiumcellars.com

GARY SMALLWOOD

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

BEN REICHARD

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 22

Best Bets

RICK

Friday, Aug. 11, 7 p.m. Hillsboro Old Stone School oldstoneschool.org

Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a night of big band sounds as music director Rick Reeves brings his big jazz band to the Gap Stage. Free admission.

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 21

JESSICA PAULIN

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

KEVIN GRIFFITH

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

KERRY MCCOOL

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

JASON MASI

1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

KIRSTIE KRAUS & KRYSTAL

KING

2 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

DELTA SPUR

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

LAURIE BLUE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. 8chainsnorth.com

DAN CRONIN

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. bozwines.com

THE BLAINE SHOW

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

SO FETCH

6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Lucketts. tararaconcerts.com

ROWDY ACE

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

SCORPION ROSE

6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

TEJAS SINGH

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12

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

JULIANA MACDOWELL

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com

SO FETCH

Saturday, Aug. 12, 6 p.m. Tarara Winery tararaconcerts.com

So Fetch invites you to relive the 2000s in all its bedazzled, velour glory, bringing you all of the best hits from the aughts, from Avril to Outkast, from Blink to Beyonce, from Kanye to Ke$ha. It’s Teacher Appreciation Night at the Tarara Summer Concert Series; Educators are admitted free with a school division ID.

BRENNAN EDWARDS

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

CROWDED STREETS

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com

DAVE MININBERG

12 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Forever Farm and Vineyard, 15779 Woodgrove Road, Purcellville. foreverfarmandvineyard.com

STEEL DRUMMIN’ ON THE BEACH

12 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

CHRIS ELLINGHAUS

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

DOIN’ TIME

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

DAN MCGUIRE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

THE BRAHMAN NOODLES

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com

CROWDED

Saturday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

With a name inspired by the Dave Matthew Band’s third album, Crowded Streets works to create a full DMB experience with flowing jams and true sonic representation at every live show. Chris Compton opens.

GARY JAY

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

FAITH NOEL

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

DEANE KERN & ERIC SELBY

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13

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

ROB HOEY

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

WILL BASKIN

4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13

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

MELISSA QUINN FOX TRIO

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13

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

KIRSTIE KRAUS

3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Salamander Resort & Spa, 500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg. salamanderresort.com

JOSEPH R. MONASTERIAL

4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16

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

SOCKS IN THE FRYING PAN

8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St. SW., Leesburg. tallyhotheater.com

HAPPENINGS

HOUSES OF WORSHIP SAFETY SUMMIT

2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10 Brambleton Middle School, 23070 Learning Circle, Ashburn. Register: bit.ly/3PE08Ws

HELLO HIVE

3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. heritagefarmmuseum.org

ASHBURN VILLAGE KIDS TRIATHLON

8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 12 44078 Cheltenham Circle, Ashburn. ashburnvillage.org

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER WATCH PARTY

4 to 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 Goose Creek Bridge Historic Park, Rt. 832, Middleburg novaparks.com

FLY FISHING FILM TOUR

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 Middleburg Community Center, 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg. middleburgcommunitycenter.com

REAVES JAZZ BAND

STREETS

On August 5,2023 Robert “Bob” W. Stanley, loving husband, father, and “Gramps,” passed away at the age of 90. Bob was born on October 25, 1932, in Windfall, Indiana, in a farmhouse owned by his grandfather. He grew up in Roanoke, VA and graduated from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in1955. He received a master’s degree in music education from Wayne State University in 1959. On August 20,1955 he married Arden Patricia Stichler Stanley. They raised two daughters and lived for over 60 years in Loudoun County. Bob was a highly respected and admired teacher and administrator in Loudoun County for over 30 years, serving as both Band Director, Loudoun County High School, and Supervisor of Music and Arts. He received several awards and much recognition for his achievements in music and arts education. Bob loved God, his wife, his family, and music education. He also loved reading, raising orchids, gardening, making jelly, and eating fresh vegetables from the garden, country ham, and biscuits with gravy! For many years he was a leader in the Leesburg Baptist Church where he taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, served as a Deacon, and participated in the pulpit committee. Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Arden (10/25/2015) and is survived by 2 daughters, Suzanne (Dan) Hurlow and Melinda Stanley (Bill Ehrenstrom) and 2 grandsons, Brendan Ehrenstrom (Kate Schuller) and Jacob Ehrenstrom (Lizzi Lakamp). Bob was a man of faith and a good friend to many. He will be missed. A funeral service will be held at Colonial Funeral Home in Leesburg on Monday, August 21, 2023 at 12:00 pm, with visitation at 11:00. Memorial donations may be made in Bob’s name to the Prince William Community Band (3360 Post Office Road, #2669, Woodbridge, VA 22195).

Leesburg - Marlys Anne McLean, 72 of Leesburg, Virginia passed away on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, at her home, in Leesburg, Virginia, with her husband James K. Boyce of 22 years, and caregiver friend, Kelly Gill, by her side. Born Tuesday April 3, 1951, in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, she was the daughter of the late Burton A. McLean and the late Vivian W. Gregg nee Campbell. Marlys retired from Loudoun County Public Schools after 20 years of dedicated service holding various positions and her last as an Administrative Assistant to the Director of Instructional Services. She truly enjoyed her work, but more than that she loved the professionals she was able to grow from, and all the while charming others with her attractive personality and smile. In her spare time, she enjoyed soap making, growing lavender in her garden, and making indigo ink started from seeds. Prior to her retirement, she also managed to find time to take her two grandsons to get their first-degree Black Belts in Karate as well as her own at 66 years young! Marlys left behind many to cherish her memory including her husband, of 22 years and friend for 53 years, James K. Boyce, daughter Reina Rhodes Halprin, son Austin Rhodes, and late daughter Vivianne Rhodes. Also left behind are her late brothers Gordon Gregg Jr., and Mac McLean, and late sister Janice McLean. She leaves behind 7 grandchildren: Kayla Rhodes, Joshua Ramey, Anthony Ramey, Alexis Rhodes, Olivia McDermott, Gunner Marchessault, and Gavin Baber. May she eternally rest in peace. A “Celebration of Life” will be at 11am, August 23, 2023, at Crossroad United Methodist Church, located at 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn, VA. 20147. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Marlys’ honor to the American Cancer Society.

Misc.

to John and Patty Gibbs as they celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary August 17, 2023!

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Stanley Martin Homes, LLC (VMRC #2023-1136) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to construct a clear span bridge across a 76-foot section of Tuscarora Creek adjacent to Harrison Street SE in Loudoun County.

You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2023-1136) 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.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: : JJ044816-04-00, 05-00, 06-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Alexander Beers

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Cathryn Beers, mother, and John Beers, putative father

The object of this suit is to hold hold a second permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Alexander Beers and Petition for Termination of Parental Rights of Cathryn Beers, mother, and John Beers, putative father, pursuant to Virginia Code §16.1-283 for Alexander Beers. Cathryn Beers, mother, and John Beers, putative father, are hereby notified that failure to appear on

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

It is ORDERED that the defendants Cathryn Beers, mother, and John Beers, putative father, appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 5, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

7/27, 8/3, 8/10 & 8/17/23

Robert Stanley

Marlys Anne McLean

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TOWN OF HAMILTON TOWN COUNCIL

Notice is hereby given that the Hamilton Town Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, August 14, 2023, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Office located at 53 E. Colonial Highway, Hamilton, VA to hear public comments considering a draft comprehensive update of the 2003 Town of Hamilton Comprehensive Plan (“Plan”). The Town Council will convene in regular session to discuss and consider action on the Plan update immediately following the public hearing. The Town Council may act to approve, disapprove or return all or parts of the Plan to the Planning Commission. Pursuant to Code of Virginia Sections 15.2-2223 through -2225, the Hamilton Planning Commission has prepared, recommended and certified to the Town Council a Plan update with proposed revisions to maps, text and policies. The draft Plan updates, rewrites, removes or adds new Goals, Policies, Action Items, and Maps. While the 2003 Plan was developed, reviewed and adopted by both the Town of Hamilton (“Town”) and Loudoun County (“County”), this Plan update was prepared by the Planning Commission over a number of years in parallel with, but separate from the County’s own Plan update, which was completed in 2019.

Proposed updates and amendments to specific Plan Chapters include:

Introduction

• Updates the purpose and basis of the Comprehensive Plan, the relationship of the Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Hamilton and its revised Joint Land Management Area (JLMA) with the County’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan, as well as the setting and history of the Town of Hamilton.

Population and Growth Management

• Updates population estimates and forecasts to reflect growth during the past 2 decades

• Revises Goals, Policies & Action Items to reflect progress and change since 2003

Land Use

• Updates Existing Land Use and Existing Zoning tables and Existing Zoning Map

• Revises and updates land use goals, policies and action items for the Town

• Updates recommended land use policies for the Hamilton JLMA

• Adds a Future Land Use Map with associated land use policies for each of the following land use categories:

• Public/Semi-Public: Includes government properties and places of worship that are envisioned to remain in public/semi-public use for the foreseeable future.

• Commercial Core: Includes existing properties in the downtown core zoned C-2 Retail Sales & Service district consistent with the 2003 Plan. Uses include retail, office and personal services.

• Commercial Transition: This new category includes properties abutting W. Colonial Hwy between Rogers and Laycock Streets. Most are surrounded by public/institutional uses or next to the commercial core and can serve as a transition between the higher density core and single-family neighborhoods. Current uses, including retail, office and personal services, as well as residential uses, should remain as permitted uses. Adaptive reuse of historic buildings is encouraged.

• Residential-Max 6 Dwelling Units per Acre (DUA): Includes townhouses along Sydnor St. developed at a maximum of 6 dwelling units/ acre.

• Residential-Max 4 DUA: Includes the properties on Ladysmith Court, which are small lot single-family homes and a small apartment building.

• Residential-Max 2 DUA: Includes most of the existing residential lots within town, consisting of single-family detached homes on lots of approx. one-half acre or larger.

• Residential-Max 1 DUA: Includes areas of town that are developed with single-family detached lots of approximately 1 acre or larger.

Community Facilities & Services

• Updates text and Map to reflect new community facilities in Town and the JLMA

• Updates goals, policies and action items to reflect changes in population, facilities, and services since 2003

Natural Resources

• Streamlines text to reflect that Town and JLMA are mostly developed and removes data more readily available and updated by other agencies; Removes maps that are available through County and other agencies

• Updates goals, policies and action items to reflect the development status of the land in and around Hamilton

Transportation

• Updates traffic count table and text to reflect changes since 2003, including sidewalk improvements completed.

• Revises Map to include updated sidewalks and pedestrian trails in Town and JLMA.

• Maintains focus on pedestrian and vehicular safety through Town in updated goals, policies and action items.

Housing & Community Development

• Updates housing data and table to reflect changes in housing stock since 2003.

• Updates table of area subdivisions and text on community institutions to reflect growth and change since 2003.

• Includes goals, policies and action items related to maintaining and enhancing housing and community services.

Economic Development

• Adds text recommending the proposed new commercial transition area along W. Colonial Hwy. to provide additional opportunities for business growth in the Town while maintaining small town character.

• Updates and expands goals, policies and action items related to encouraging new businesses.

Historic Resources:

• Updates the list of historic sites to include new sites surveyed since the 2003 Plan was adopted.

• Updates and consolidates former two historic chapter maps into new Historic Resources Map to show all surveyed sites in the immediate Hamilton area and a proposed Hamilton historic district boundary resulting from a 2003 County reconnaissance-level architectural survey of the Hamilton area.

• Updates goals, policies and action items to continue progress recommended in 2003 Plan to document and encourage preservation of the Town’s historic resources, including an application to list the Hamilton area historic district on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places, which are honorary designations without associated regulations on private property.

Annexation

• Continue policy to study feasibility and fiscal impacts of annexation of JLMA land into the Town limits.

• Focus on annexation of lands in commercial use on the east and west ends of Town as first priority.

All interested persons should appear and provide comments at the above time and place. If a member of the public cannot attend, comments may be submitted by mail to PO Box 130, Hamilton, VA, 20159-0130 or by email to zoning@hamiltonva.gov. Comments received by 12:00 noon on the day of the hearing will be distributed to Council members and made part of the public record. Copies may be viewed in the Town Office between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and at www. hamiltonva.gov. Anyone needing assistance or accommodation under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act should call the Town Office at (540) 3382811.

8/3 & 8/10/23

Legal Notices

SBPR-2023-0011 Schoene Property

Erin Lawrence of U.S. Home, LLC of Chantilly, VA is requesting a preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately seventy-four (74.15616) acres into fourteen (14) residential lots, three (3) open space lots, and accompanying right-of-way and easements. The property is located along Lovettsville Road (Route 672), northeast of Milltown Road (route 673), along the Lovettsville Town Boundary. The property is zoned Agricultural Rural – 1 (AR1), and Floodplain Overlay District (FDOD) under the provisions of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as Parcel Identification Number 333-16-9853-000 in the Catoctin Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the Loudoun Online Land Applications System www.loudoun.gov/LOLA and searching for SBPR-2023-0011. 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, Eric Blankenship at Eric.Blankenship@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to the Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by September 15, 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).

8/10/23

ABC LICENSE

Stone Spring Market LLC trading as Tres Amigos Market & Deli, 24075 Stone Springs Blvd, Sterling, Loudoun County, Virginia 20166.

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail Wine and Beer Off Premises license sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Aubhav Gupta, Member

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

8/3 & 8/10/23

ABC LICENSE

Hospitality Concepts Inc trading as Winestyles, 25031 Riding Plz #110, Chantilly VA 20152.

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA AlCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer On/Off Premises license sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Rick Khosla, Director

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

8/3 & 8/10/23

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ044933-04-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Nariah Swales

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Whitney Settles aka Whitney Swales, mother, and Darius Swales, father

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046150-05-00, JJ046150-01-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Marjorie Cruz Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Endenilson Alavarado, putative father & Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold a second permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Marjorie Cruz, AND; hold a motion to Modify the Child Protective Order for Marjorie Cruz.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Endenilson Alavarado, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or September 12, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

8/3, 8/10, 8/17 & 8/24/23

The object of this suit is to hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-278.2 and 16.1281 for Nariah Swales.

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Whitney Settles aka Whitney Swales, mother, and Darius Swales, father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 13, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

A message to elderly and disabled Loudoun County residents from Robert S. Wertz, Jr.

Commissioner of the Revenue

Residents 65 and older or totally and permanently disabled who wish to apply for 2023 Personal Property (vehicle) Tax Relief for the first time must submit an application to my office by the September 1, 2023 filing deadline.

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

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office 46000 Center Oak Plaza

Internet: www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief

Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F Phone: 703-737-8557

Email: taxrelief@loudoun.gov

Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

8/3, 8/10, 8/17, 8/24, 8/31

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.

Cricket for a cure

continued from page 3

manageable through early detection and treatment.

After a year of planning, they put on the first middle and high school Cricket for the Cure tournament last summer, raising over $10,000.

This summer, the organization facilitated two major events. They attended the Kings College Cricket Festival in England and they hosted the second annual Cricket for Cure domestic tournament.

The Kings College Cricket Festival has been happening for over 80 years, with cricket teams from around the world invited to compete and showcase their skills. But Cricket for Cure’s invitation was

Collective endeavor

continued from page 1

listening sessions starting Sept. 20 at Broad Run High School.

“I’ll be out asking people to share with me and my team what they hope for in our schools as we head through this school year and into the future,” he said.

He said he wants to hear about concerns, but also about what people love about the division.

“We need to focus on that, too. You know, it’s easy to say ‘what are your concerns,’ but it’s also really important that we continue to lift up what it is that people love about Loudoun County schools because there is a lot to love here,” he said. “This is an incredible school division.”

He is stepping in to fill the vacancy created with the firing of former superintendent Scott Ziegler following a special grand jury investigation into how the school division handled two sexual assaults committed by the same student in two schools months apart.

“We know that for some we need to rebuild trust, and we are going to be working on that, but I also want to assure parents that the incredible experiences that their children are having in our schools are going to continue and going to continue to improve,” he said.

Asked how he planned to rebuild trust, he said through building relationships and holding people accountable.

“Certainly, my job is to come in and assess where we are in terms of where we are in our work and make sure we remain transparent and open about where

different. They were given the opportunity to create a team out of the three major cricket clubs in the DC metro area.

“The local youth cricket community

came together to play as one team supporting Alzheimer’s research,” Verma said.

Cricket for the Cure’s 14 and under team also connected with the Alzheimer’s Society in the UK to fundraise and spread awareness while playing at the festival. They collected over $1,500 to donate to Alzheimer’s research.

The second annual Cricket for the Cure Domestic Tournament was also a success, they said. It was held during the last two weekends of July, with over 140 kids from five different cricket clubs playing. The tournament was supported and run completely by volunteers, who donated more than 450 hours of work.

At the end of this summer’s tournament, Cricket for the Cure raised $15,000, which will go directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Looking towards the future, they hope

that I know is already happening here.”

Among the early decisions he’ll face is adopting the state government’s new model polices concerning transgender students, which reverse some protections handed down by the previous administration. Spence said he already has had some conversations with division staff about the policies and said their intention would be to make sure the division is following the law.

to expand their organization in a number of ways. At the Kings College Festival next year, they plan to work with the Alzheimer’s Society of the UK in advance to bring more awareness and increase fundraising while overseas. They also hope to expand the number of players and clubs participating in their domestic tournament and are looking into hosting a Cricket for the Cure Walk fundraising event.

“As the sport of cricket continues to grow, we hope to proportionally grow our organization, to keep playing cricket for a good cause,” Verma said.

Support the Cricket for Cure fundraising through the Alzheimer’s Association at tinyurl.com/cricketforcure. n

couldn’t have a conversation about how their child is doing or what their child is learning,” he said. “Certainly, in LCPS that is going to continue as parents are welcome in our schools.”

Spence added that if parents have questions about the curriculum, they can reach out, but said the division follows the state curriculum and will continue to do so.

we have opportunities to improve. Where that is happening, we want to make sure we talk about that and address that,” he said.

“Really truly the first thing I’m going to do is try to understand what people are looking for and then talk together with the School Board about how we can move forward and meet those needs and address any concerns we have,” he said.

Spence said he and one of his sons moved into their Loudoun County home Friday and are waiting for the rest of the family and their furniture to join them.

“Loudoun County is a beautiful place and everyone I’ve talked to and been able to ask about our schools just raves about the experience their children have in our schools,” he said. “I think we have a really terrific school division and I’m very honored to be part of it and I am looking forward to continuing to support the work

“What that means is, we are going to look at the model policies and make sure that we understand their impact on state and federal law and also make sure where we need to, we will implement those in compliance,” he said. “In compliance with both what is in policy, but certainly making sure first that those are not in conflict with state or federal law.”

Spence also addressed concerns over funding for special education. He said his goal would be to make sure students with individual education programs have “an outstanding experience with us in our schools” and that their IEPs “are developed specifically to support them in our classrooms.”

He addressed teacher morale and parents’ rights and said he believes teachers needed to be valued and seen as true professionals in the classroom, and that they want to know they are part of the solutions to challenges in their schools and have support from administration. He said he plans to work with the community to lift up educators and ensure they feel valued.

“To me the most powerful and important relationship in education has always been the relationship between the classroom teacher and the parents, and I’ve never known a place where a parent

In remarks made to the School Board and the public in attendance at the meeting, Spence said he needs the help of everyone to make the division better than it is today.

“I call upon each and every one of you—our board members, those here tonight, and all of those across this wonderful community—to join me in this collective endeavor. Let’s dream big, think innovatively, and embrace the power of collaboration. Let’s inspire, empower, and uplift one another. Together we can create a transformative educational experience that will shape the lives of our students and positively impact our community for generations to come.”

School Board Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue Ridge) thanked Spence and said he looks forward to working with him to make school division even better.

Spence will become Loudoun County Public Schools’ new superintendent on Sept. 1. He is the 12th superintendent in the over 150-year history of the division. He served as superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools since 2014. Prior to that he was the superintendent of Moore County Schools in North Carolina for two years. He has also served in various administrative positions in other Virginia divisions and taught French at Brook Point High School in Stafford County. n

Maggie McCabe is a rising sophomore at Davidson College interning at Loudoun Now.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Brothers Anand and Vijay Ravulapalli and their friend Saurabh Verma founded nonprofit Cricket for Cure in 2020.

“Let’s dream big, think innovatively, and embrace the power of collaboration.”

— Incoming LCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence

Kuhn Aviation Expands with New Hangar Lease

A year after securing approval to operate as a second fixed-base operator at Leesburg Executive Airport, Kuhn Aviation is expanding its operations there.

The Town Council on Tuesday approved a 40-year lease for the company to construct a new hangar at the northeast corner of the airport property. The project will make room for four more jets, and Chuck Kuhn told the council it also would create 21 additional high-paying jobs at the airport, adding to the company’s 34-member staff.

Kuhn Aviation was the only company to submit a lease proposal in response to an RFP issued through the Town Attor-

Yudd moves on

continued from page 3

through—and around that time, that small staff was taking rezoning cases that would help set the course through a sea changes in Loudoun.

In those early days of Loudoun’s explosive growth, the biggest question was how to manage it. Yudd said county government staff and elected supervisors learned to work closely together to tackle that challenge.

“The moving vans were coming, it felt like, daily,” he said. “And so the most acute feeling of, ‘what are we going to do?’ was trying to help the school system deliver the school seats that they needed—not a couple years from now—but next September.”

He recalled that one of the biggest rezonings in those early days was for telecommunications giant WorldCom, with a plan approved in 1998 bringing in more than a million square feet of development and a huge economic development win.

Before those plans could come to fruition, WorldCom was felled by an accounting scandal led by its senior executives. The company was bought by Verizon, which today has its smaller Verizon Business headquarters on that land. And all around it are data centers—part of the largest concentration of data centers in the planet at Data Center Alley, a defining feature of Loudoun’s economy and development that can trace its roots to those early days of Yudd’s tenure.

In 2000, the county zoning administrator ruled that data centers—a term that would not appear in Loudoun’s zoning ordinance until years later—were permitted in the same areas as office development.

“To see that type of shift to meet the objective of fostering non-residential development was huge,” Yudd said. At that time,

ney’s Office. At an initial annual lease of $53,250, the $2.13-per-square-foot rate is the highest at the airport, according to Airport Director Scott Coffman.

Several council members questioned whether the project had been adequately promoted to generate competition that would ensure the town got the best deal. Those inquiries were triggered by the single bidder response as well as letter from the town’s other fixed-base operator, ProJet Aviation, that objected that the town had not followed its typical procurement processes, including not posting the RFP on a state website typically used to publicize its bids, and claiming it was unaware

Loudoun’s ability to attract non-residential development, part of the long effort to take some of the burden off residential taxpayers, was limited. Today, the question is how to limit that industry’s growth.

“Nowadays, there’s definitely the debate of, ‘should you still allow all this data center development,’” Yudd said. “That will be future plan amendment and zoning ordinance work, just like it required planning and zoning work to address our growth management issues. So it’s still a critical time. After all we’ve been through with all the planning and regulatory work that’s occurred in the county, there’s still an awful lot of it that will be needed in the future.”

Over the course of his career in Loudoun, he’s also seen long-term visions successfully carried out. He said one of the county’s major accomplishments is its Countywide Transportation Plan—and how the government has stuck to it. It’s the document that lays out the county’s longterm vision for its transportation network, and has guided work like the years-long project to turn Rt. 7 into a limited-access highway, with traffic flowing uninterrupted over a handful of interchanges instead of making frequent stops at stoplights and intersections.

And despite the traffic relief, that wasn’t always a popular plan—especially among business owners who were losing their direct access to one of the county’s main thoroughfares.

“There’s very few jurisdictions that have put their vision down on a piece of paper and then lived by it,” he said.

One of the other biggest changes, he said, was when the county government began to grow the staff needed to do that work. For many years, he recalled, while the county grew, the county government had not.

“The very early days, it felt like help is not coming, so you’re going to have to fig-

the RFP had been issued.

Coffman said the lease had been discussed at Airport Commission meetings at which ProJet has representation and that he had met with representatives of other companies who showed interest in the lease, but opted not to submit offers.

“It wasn’t made in a bubble or a vacuum,” Coffman said.

Kuhn said his company expected competition for the lease, as was demonstrated by its high bid. He said the lease rate was 92% higher than any other lease at the airport and the highest of any surrounding airport.

“This space was important to the future

ure this out. That’s a very blunt way of describing it, but that is how it felt,” he said. “No matter what the demands were and how critical they were to the community success, you needed to make it happen. And I, for one, was very proud to be part of that, but it was challenging.”

Yudd’s boss, County Administrator Tim Hemstreet, joined the county in 2009, and under Hemstreet and subsequent Boards of Supervisors, the county government began to grow to address the magnitude of their job.

Time and again when the county government has hit a roadblock, Hemstreet pointed his chief deputy at it, and saw the problem come unstuck.

When the effort to rewrite the county’s comprehensive plan began to drag from 18 months to more than two years, Yudd was put in charge to get the project back on track. After that project wrapped up and work moved on to writing a new zoning ordinance to implement that plan, Yudd said he told Hemstreet time and again he wouldn’t run that project. But as that work, too, dragged on—originally it was to planned to get to supervisors for final talks in July 2021—Yudd took it on.

Hemstreet said Yudd is always methodical and thorough in his work, and that kind of work builds trust.

“Charles for a long time—I guess probably eight, nine years now—has been kind of my go-to person for everything that is difficult,” Hemstreet said. “He has earned that—or got volunteered into that—because of his capabilities. Charles is dedicated to coming out with a product that is as close to perfect as it can be.”

As he steps away, Yudd will hand the keys to someone who has spent her entire career in Loudoun County government, as one of its rapidly rising stars.

Newly promoted Deputy County Administrator Erin McLellan joined Loudoun County government first in

of Kuhn aviation,” he said. ”We opted to go in high.”

Following the town’s lease approval, the Federal Aviation Administration and Virginia Department of Aviation also will be required to sign off on the new hangar project.

ProJet, which has filed a lawsuit challenging Kuhn Aviation’s qualifications to serve as a FBO at the airport, continues to raise allegations that its competitor is getting preferential treatment from the town. In addition to questioning the RFP procedures, ProJet recently filed a complaint with the FAA alleging Kuhn Aviation has not complied with operational requirements as part of its FBO status. n

2005 as a management fellow, and then in 2006 as a human resources policy and research analyst directly after earning her master of public administration degree from the University of Alabama. Since then, she has risen steadily through the county government, repeatedly promoted becoming the county’s chief financial officer and director of the Department of Finance and Budget, then assistant county administrator, and now deputy administrator.

She said Yudd was one of her first supervisors.

“He always gives me the unvarnished truth, which, sometimes, you don’t really want to hear what you need to hear,” she joked. And she said she’s learned a lot from him in the time they’ve worked together, watching him tackle and calmly untangle any project he’s handed.

“It’s great working with Charles. He is a well of knowledge,” she said. “So, I can bring up the most random, obscure thing, or I think it’s random and obscure, and he’s like, ‘oh yeah, back in 1998 we did X-Y-Z.’ And it’s always so helpful, because the story always comes with ‘and here’s how you apply it to your situation.’”

As to how he decided it’s the right time to retire, he gave a characteristically Charles Yudd answer: He did the math.

“The way the [Virginia] retirement structure works is, once you reach a certain point, you’re better off not being in the system,” Yudd said. “And I do feel for the county. We just have some great folks that are here that are already to step up and get into it. And so I just think it was the right time for me.”

“My role here has been part of the team,” he said. “It takes a team of people to make good things happen. And I’ve been, you know, a steady manager—but you really can’t do it without a team.” n

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

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Opinion

Footing the Bill

With the state budget stalemate continuing, Loudoun’s school leaders this week were undertaking a final reshuffle to their own budget, having to act on the assumption that none of the extra support promised from Richmond will be arriving.

While state lawmakers continue to debate, with little demonstrated urgency, how to divvy up a surplus of more than $5 billion, local leaders were faced with making cuts needed to implement planned staff raises while also wrestling with a teacher shortage that could result in larger

class sizes for many students. Those challenges come after the Board of Supervisors approved a $13 million supplement of local tax revenue to fill the state funding shortfall.

The revenue picture has never been rosier in Richmond, providing an ample stage for lots of election-year political theater. But, yet again Loudoun taxpayers are paying footing the bill and bearing the impacts of bi-partisan legislative failures.

Perhaps in November voters will make fiscal accountability a higher priority for those seeking to fill the statehouse seats. n

Fight to be Heard

Editor:

Why are we here yet again?

In Philomont, we are officially in our fourth year of battling an ill-conceived county decision, but unofficially many years more considering our own Philomont VFD Board of Directors who never discussed their new firehouse plan with residents prior to making the request to LCFR in 2015—not even one meeting.

And here we wait year after year for the Board of Supervisors, LCFR and DTCI to listen to us vs the few non-village residents of the Philomont VFD Board who truly do not care about their neighbors’ quality of life. We do not want our rural historic village destroyed forever.

How have cities and large towns efficiently protected their residents for hundreds of years with multi-level firehouses on a small parcel? We have a viable answer which includes a safe environment for our LCFR staff, but the ongoing concerted effort to ignore us is monumental.

The December 2022 recommend-

ed Philomont addition/renovation design that conveniently comes off as a higher-cost non-starter in the recently presented county feasibility study really would work if those in charge wanted it to. When you look closely at the breakout of costs, there is over $10 million of “non-defined costs/fees” that convince those who see it as too costly of an option. Seriously?

Another recent “twist,” the public hearing for the special exception that was originally scheduled for first quarter of 2024 has now been moved up to the fourth quarter of 2023. Why did it take six months to complete a feasibility study, and yet let’s rush the public hearing? The county knows they are ignoring the 2019 Comprehensive Plan’s rural historic village compatibility criteria and current Zoning’s Village Conservation Overlay District criteria, but I guess none of that seems to matter. How sad.

When is the quality-of-life impact— including environmental, economic, noise/light pollution, dangerous traffic patterns, the stress to adjacent neighbors as they fear losing their wells and

for our ground water and streams that will be contaminated—going to reach each supervisor? When will the county finally hear the voice of residents? It is all about timely and appropriate two-way communication, an extremely costly step the county seems to excel at avoiding.

We may be frustrated, but we will continue to fight for our right to be heard and for the voice of reason to rise above the contrived narrative that attempts to blur the obvious answer: the Philomont Firehouse, Addition/ Renovation while saving our only community greenspace for all to enjoy.

Have something on your mind to share with your neighbors? Send your Letters to the Editor to: Letters@LoudounNow.com

continued from page 1

were deferred during the pandemic. Also, with recession fears being fanned for many months, businesses have had plenty of time to prepare, making them less vulnerable.

Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley highlighted the challenges business face amid a wide-ranging workforce shortage.

Merrick noted that, in Virginia, the labor participation rate has reached record levels, but that remains inadequate to meet the needs of businesses.

She said creatives solutions will be needed to close the gap. Among her suggestions were to do more to retain college students, recruit typically retired workers to take on a job, make it easier for women with young children to join the workforce, and focus on job training in secondary schools and community colleges. Lower taxes and streamlined regulations also would have a big impact on business growth, she said.

Bradley said many economic signs are positive. He pointed to a sharp increase in new business startups starting in 2020 and strong investment in commercial property and the manufacturing sector. But he warned that more workers are needed to support the expansion.

He said the worker shortage started before the pandemic, in 2019 when the number of available jobs exceeded the number of people looking for work.

He said a key solution to the workforce crisis was getting federal leaders to develop a functional immigration policy.

“We believe that politicians arguing back and forth that we need to do one

before we do the other has gotten us nowhere. And if we don’t do things to start securing the border, and dealing with visas for nurses, or visas for highly skilled workers the problems are only going to get worse.”

He noted Canada recently found success in recruiting 10,000 H1 visa holders, a nonimmigrant work visa for those in specialty occupations, from a recruiting campaign in California.

“Let’s start making progress here, because when we’re not making progress other countries are stealing the nurses who could come in the United States,” he said.

“Inaction is the only unacceptable outcome. Let’s start making progress here,” Bradley said.

Similarly, county staff members in preliminary discussions of the next county budget are looking ahead not to a recession but to business as usual—for the first time in years. Director of Management and Budget Megan Bourke said the economic outlook for fiscal year 2025 at this point is positive, with moderate or slower growth—but growth nonetheless.

“Overall, at this point in the budget process we are forecasting a typical pre-pandemic revenue picture,” she told the county finance committee in July. “While our numbers indicate a slower rate of growth is projected for residential values, please recall that the growth in this sector was at record highs over the last few years.”

Revenues from business property taxes are expected to keep growing, reflecting continued growth in Loudoun businesses. And the county, too, is expected to feel the squeeze in the job market—the biggest pressure on expenditures, she reported, is expected to be increases in employee pay and health insurance premiums. n

• 48.6% Build a winning team

• 36.5% Change the name

• 8.1% Treat the fans better

• 4.1% Build a new stadium

• 2.0% Keep team in Loudoun

• 0.7% Keep the name

CHIPshots

Lorenzo Salas/Loudoun Now Inova Western Region Government & Community Relations Director Dorri O’Brien moderates a panel discussion with Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond CEO Tom Barkin, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Neil Bradley Tuesday, Aug. 8.