Loudoun Now for Sept. 7, 2023

Administrators Work to Curb Absenteeism

67 Schools on Watch Lists

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Loudoun County Public Schools is updating its student attendance policy to address chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10% or more of the school year—after changes to the state’s school accreditation.

The change has left school divisions scrambling to update policies and get the word out to parents that attendance matters in a post-pandemic world.

During an Aug. 17 meeting of the School Board’s Student Services Committee, Director of Student Mental Health Services Jennifer Evans said 19% of division students are chronically absent, up six percentage points from the 2021-2022 school year.

The state uses three levels in its evaluation of chronic absenteeism and accreditation. Evans said the division has 58 schools considered level two, and nine are in the highest level, with 25% of students missing 10% or more of the school year. That’s almost 70% of Loudoun’s 98 public schools.

Level two schools require a local school division-level action plan, while level three schools require an action plan overseen by the Virginia Department of ABESNTEEISM

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A Howardsville Family’s Home is Reclaimed

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

On Friday afternoon, Thomas Reid finally got the deed to the log cabin where he was born 78 years ago, and the family land going back to the founding of Howardsville by people who had just escaped slavery.

The property on Greengarden Road—

where the very first Black families of Howardsville bought property shortly after the end of the Civil War—had seen its residents once again fall through the cracks. Howardsville is on land where people were once held in slavery, and where, after slavery was abolished, they bought land from their former enslavers.

“There are 14 lots here, and eight of those lots are still either owned or lived on

by the heirs, the family members of those original owners,” said Kim Hart, who helped Reid win that deed. “Which is just incredible, that through all these years, all through Jim Crow, and all of those terrible things that happened, that those families made it and are still here.”

HOWARDSVILLE HOME continues on page 33

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Thomas Reid holds the deed to family land going back to the founding of Howardsville in 1874.

There was a time when the thought of living off MREs did little for your appetite. But those days are done—at Falcons Landing, you’ll find the MRE replaced by culinary delights ready for your enjoyment. Whether you’re looking for something quick and convenient, a cocktail with friends or something more elegant, our three dining options are sure to keep you coming back for more.

Eligibility for Independent Living at Falcons Landing is open to any officer that has served, senior level federal employees GS14 and above, spouses or surviving spouses. If you are looking for short-term rehab, long-term care, assisted living or memory care, no military or government background is required.

After Ghana Flap, Loudoun to Study Nearby Counties’ Travel Policies

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

Loudoun supervisors on Tuesday directed the county staff to study neighboring jurisdictions’ travel policies, following a flap over recent visits to Loudoun’s international sister cities.

County staff members would study other county governments’ travel policies and develop a new policy for travel by county supervisors. It’s a step back from Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd’s (D-Leesburg) proposal in July for new, more restrictive policies on county-funded travel by supervisors. County supervisors’ publicly funded travel expenses fall under the same policies as county government employees; Umstattd’s proposal would have set up separate, more restrictive policies specific to supervisors.

The discussion comes after an uproar over a county delegation’s travel expenses on a visit to Tema, Ghana, Loudoun’s

Residents Set Vision for Mickie Gordon Park Renovations

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Nearly 150 residents filled the Middleburg Community Center last Thursday night to lay out a vision for the future of Mickie Gordon Memorial Park.

The 99-acre park on Middleburg’s eastern edge has its roots in community baseball leagues, including those formed by Black communities during segregation. But a special exception application the county parks department made to convert much of the park to a cricket complex spurred community opposition as neighbors feared losing the rural character of the property and being inundated by traffic, lights, and noise.

The Aug. 31 community meeting was the first of two planned by Loudoun County Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Development Steve Torpy to gather ideas for the future of the park, which county leaders viewed as underutilized, and neighbors viewed as under maintained or largely ignored.

After an hour of roundtable discussions, a clear vision emerged, with

newest sister city, by Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), Vice Chair Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling), Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) and their staff. That was followed by a long line of people signed up to speak both for and against those expenses during Tuesday night’s board meeting.

The study proposal was introduced by Saines, who said the concerns from the public were prompted by “misleading coverage.” His proposal, like Umstattd’s, contemplates a policy specific to supervisors and their aides.

“The intent behind the item is to address the feedback that we received, to update our travel policies, but to do so in a way that is reflective of our governing structure and the way that we operate,” he said.

He also compared the Ghana delegation’s expenses, which totaled just under $54,000, to trips by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

“If you’re not happy with us traveling,

then hopefully you have the same feelings regarding the governor, which traveled to South Korea, Taiwan, and, while we were in Ghana, went to the Paris Air Show,” he said. “So if our travel was a boondoggle, I’m hoping you would say the same thing about that travel.”

Umstattd said she still plans to introduce her new rules for discussion at the board’s Sept. 19 meeting.

“We need to have travel approved by the board, both to personnel going, expenses, and also itinerary, so that we don’t run into the firestorm of public outrage over future trips that we have run into with these two trips,” Umstattd said. Among other changes, her proposal in July would discourage traveling internationally at all, remove the option in current policy to upgrade to business class for flights over 10 hours, and require the full Board of Supervisors to approve a travel itinerary and estimated costs in advance of any county-funded travel by board

members or their staff.

“I don’t think anyone up here was necessarily trying to rip the taxpayer off. I don’t think that’s the case at all,” Supervisor Caleb E. Kerhsner (R-Catoctin) said. “But I do think sometimes we get kind of comfortable in our positions, and it’s important, I think, that we all step back, including my fellow supervisors, people in the public, and say ‘hey, let’s take responsibility. Let’s make sure we’re spending our taxpayer dollars well.’”

Supervisors on the trip have defended the expenses as not falling on Loudoun taxpayers’ shoulders. Trip expenses were funded by the Economic Development Authority from a fund set up for international travel, which was funded through restricted transient occupancy tax revenues, a tax levied on overnight stays at accommodations like hotels and Airbnbs.

TRAVEL POLICIES

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calls for a dawn-to-dusk park that restores existing fields on the property—including space for cricket matches—brings back bleachers, and adds new features such as bathrooms, a modern pavilion, more trails, new signage, a community garden, and pickleball courts. Also clear was

opposition to adding more field lights, or retaining the current ones, and to widening Rt. 50 to provide an entrance to the park.

The gathering was a follow up to June 29 community meeting when hundreds filled the American Legion Post hall to

object to the cricket complex plans.

“To say that you all made it clear that you did not care for how the special ex-

PARK RENOVATIONS

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Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Chief Park Planner Mark Novak, standing, works with residents during an Aug. 31 breakout session on the future of Mickie Gordon Park.

Leesburg

Temporary Airport Tower Deal Celebrated

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Local, state, and federal elected representatives gathered at Leesburg Executive Airport on Tuesday morning to celebrate the completion of an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to continue air traffic control services there.

The event culminated six months of intense negotiations that began when the FAA announced it would terminate the authority to operate the experimental remote air traffic control technology, which had been operating at the airport for the past five years.

That surprise announcement raised fears that the airport—now among the busiest in the commonwealth with 80,000 annual take offs and landings—would be less safe if it returned to uncontrolled airspace.

“Those numbers have continued to grow year after year, and really the growth started when our airport became a control tower,” Airport Manager Scott Coffman said. “Before we had a control tower, our airport was busy, but it was kind of a country airport. So air traffic control has made it much safer for the corporate aircraft and the flight training aircraft to come in here and work through this busy airspace.”

Town leaders worked with the federal delegation to secure an extension of the deadline to shut down the remote tower and to secure a temporary mobile tower to replace it during the expected five-year process to build a permanent tower at the airport.

“We had to kind of go into a little bit of a panic mode, because we knew how important air traffic services were to our airport and our users,” Coffman said. “We

AROUND town

9/11 Remembrance Planned Monday

quickly reached out to the FAA, and they gave us lots of support. They recognized how central air traffic control was to the airport safety and the safety of folks on the ground.” In addition to safety, he said the growth spurred by air traffic control services also has supported economic development, with the addition of a second fixed-base operator and millions of dollars of investments in hangar buildings new services.

Sen Tim Kaine (D-VA) said he recognized while serving as governor the importance of Virginia’s general aviation airports to the broader transportation network.

“The transportation network in Virginia is complex and comprehensive, and general aviation airports play an absolutely critical role in the economic development and the life of all of our communities,” he said. And with Leesburg Executive Airport’s traffic level comparable to that of Norfolk International Airport, maintaining air traf-

fic control services is vital, he said.

“We’re really happy and I’ve got to give huge credit to the FAA, but I really want to stress they have been good problem solvers to work together with the Airport Commission here and with the town to find a solution,” Kaine said.

In addition to the FAA agreement to deploy the mobile tower until the permanent tower is planned and constructed, Kaine said the federal infrastructure bill includes $3.7 million to help fund improvements at the airport. Also, he said the FAA informed him over the weekend that it has approved an additional $3.7 million to help with another of the airport’s upcoming projects, repaving the apron area.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) celebrated both the success of the FAA negotiations for Leesburg and turning back the effort in Congress to allow more long-haul flights at Reagan National Airport, a measure seen as harmful to Dulles Airport. Amid the general partisanship and grandstanding, “every now and then there is a day when everything fell into place,” she said.

“This really highlights the ability for us to be able to work together to find a solution that is going to require efforts on both the local part as well as the state and the federal levels to be able to make this possible,” Del. David Reid (D-32) said.

Mayor Kelly Burk thanked Kaine and Wexton for their “unwavering advocacy” through the process. “They were instrumental in helping us find a solution to our problems.”

Monday’s gathering was intended to include the formal signing of the remote tower operations agreement with the FAA. However, FAA representatives did not attend. n

New App Offers Architectural History Lessons

The Town of Leesburg has added a new route to a self-guided walking tour app.

The latest feature on the TourLeesburg smartphone app highlights nearly three centuries of architectural styles that can be viewed in a stroll around town.

The Downtown Architectural Tour features 24 stops, including Donaldson Cabin, the Birkby House, the Loudoun County Courthouse, the People’s National Bank building, and Harrison Hall.

The app features a GeoAlerts feature that can notify users when they are near

a site included on the tour. Stops may be visited in any order.

The tour also may be viewed virtually from the TourLeesburg website.

The tour was developed by Senior Management Analyst Betsy Arnett with architectural guidance from the town’s Historic Preservation team in the Department of Planning and Zoning, including Lauren Murphy, Debi Parry, and Heather Schmidt, and research assistance from Thomas Balch Library staff, including Laura Christiansen and Echo Rue.

“Our goal was to highlight the best examples of each architectural style present in downtown Leesburg,” Arnett stated. “One challenge is that buildings change over time, as owners update their buildings to reflect current tastes. A single building may reflect multiple architectural styles.”

She cites the Norris House on Loudoun Street is an example. Originally built in the Federal style, later owners added a mix of Victorian and Colonial Revival details, including the projecting bay window over the front door and the pedimented

The Town of Leesburg will hold its annual September 11 Remembrance Ceremony on Monday starting at 8:30 a.m. in Freedom Park.

Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk, Town Council members and community members will gather for a brief remembrance ceremony in commemoration of the lives lost in the terrorist attacks.

Following the ceremony, the park, which includes the town’s 9/11 memorial, will remain open to the public until 9 p.m. for those wishing to visit the memorial on their own.

Freedom Park is located at 101 Colonel Grenata Circle.

It’s Dog Swim Saturday

The pool season ends Saturday with area dogs getting the final splashes in at the AV Symington Aquatics Center.

For the annual dog swim, the pool will be open in two 90-minute periods. Pre-registration is required through the town website. Fees are charged for all people entering the gated area; there is no fee charged for dogs.

Dog handlers 16 years of age and up are limited to two dogs per person. Children under the age of 12 will not permitted in the event area. All dogs must display a visible licensed and be vaccinated and shall wear a visible dog license.  n

roof dormers.

“Another challenge was creating a walkable tour. There are many excellent examples of the various architectural styles here in Leesburg that were not included simply because they would have made the tour too long or too spread out,” Arnett stated.

Many of the sites on the new architectural tour are crosslinked to sites on the other walking tours available on the town’s app, which was launched in 2017 with two historical tours of downtown. Today six tours are offered, with more under development.

The free app is available in the App Store and Google Play. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a Sept. 5, gathering of local, state and federal representatives to discuss the agreement with the FAA to operate a mobile air traffic control tower at Leesburg Executive Airport.

Owen Named Rotary Club’s Citizen of the Year

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Amy Owen, the recently retired executive director of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties, was selected as Citizen of the Year by the Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Club.

During a ceremony Tuesday morning at the Tuscarora Mill restaurant, Owen was lauded for her work to grow the foundation, which now distributes more than $2.6 million in charitable giving annually, while strengthening the local network of nonprofits through training and other support.

“There are a thousand different ways big and small that Amy has helped donors fulfill their charitable vision, helped nonprofits grow stronger and bigger, and also to make our community safe, healthy, and an inclusive place for everyone,” said Nicole Acosta, who took over as the foundation’s executive director after Owen retired in May.

Jennifer Montgomery, president and CEO of Loudoun Hunger Relief, said Owen changed attitudes about charitable giving.

“Amy really became the voice, I think, of our church community, on behalf of our nonprofits, of our nonprofit leaders. She really developed relationships on the county level. She went out and said, ‘Hey, guys, philanthropy is fun, let’s figure out a way that you can help and there are needs,’” Montgomery said. “She also talked about giving, and, frankly, how lackluster giving was for a really long time and I think that has really shifted and I credit a lot of that to Amy.”

Ellen Miller recalled Owen’s support in establishing the Smashing Walnut Foundation, a vision of her daughter Gabriella.

“So my daughter Gabriella was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer and she just became this amazing childhood cancer awareness advocate and did so many things that affected not just our community but way beyond,” Miller recalled. “It was very interesting because she received this [volunteer of the year] award and she was actually asked to speak for a couple of minutes before receiving the award to a group of adults. I know that all of us get a little bit nervous about talking and little Gabriella just got up and started chit chatting away. Afterwards Amy came up and she was like ‘I need to know this girl.’”

The Millers had thoughts of setting up a charity to promote research on childhood brain cancer. “She embraced us and led us down the path with us not knowing anything that needed to be done to have a foundation. She guided us and really helped us start out and helped us achieve Gabrielle’s his vision. Without her we wouldn’t be where we are,” Miller said. Over the past 10 years, the Smashing Walnuts Foundation has held secure more than $110 million in funding for childhood cancer and disease research.

Rotary Club member Susan Jane Stack was among the founders of the community foundation. She credited Owen with helping to achieve the vision they had nearly 25 years ago.

“She had a lot of experience, and she turned that foundation to what it was supposed to be,” she said. “And it has grown way beyond what I thought it would be— and it’s all credited to Amy.

Owen gave credit back to the founders, to Montgomery’s support and to the impact Smashing Walnuts had on the foundation during a pivotal time in its growth. She also credited the support of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation.

And, Owen said her involvement with the Rotary Club has been important, as well.

“It’s pretty phenomenal to spend the mornings with you. I truly love being a Rotarian,” she said. “This was fuel for me to be involved with people who care about the community for so many years.” n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now 2023 Leesburg Daybreak Rotary Club Citizen of the Year Amy Owens is flanked by nonprofit leaders, from left, Nicole Acosta of the Community Foundation of Loudoun and Norther Fauquier Counties, Kari Murphy of the Loudoun Education Foundation, Ellen Miller of Smashing Walnuts, and Jennifer Montgomery of Loudoun Hunger Relief.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE APPLICATION OF TOLL ROAD INVESTORS PARTNERSHIP II, L.P., FOR AUTHORIZATION FOR AN INCREASE IN THE MAXIMUM LEVEL OF TOLLS ON THE DULLES GREENWAY CASE NO. PUR-2023-00089

On July 11, 2023, Toll Road Investors Partnership II, L.P. ("TRIP II" or "Company"), the owner and operator of the Dulles Greenway, filed an application ("Application") with the State Corporation Commission ("Commission") for an increase in the maximum level of tolls pursuant to the Virginia Highway Corporation Act of 1988, § 56-535 et seq. of the Code of Virginia ("Code").

Section 56-542 D of the Code provides that, upon application and after investigation, the Commission has the duty and authority to approve or revise toll rates charged by TRIP II that (i) "are reasonable to the user in relation to the benefit obtained;" (ii) "will not materially discourage use of the roadway by the public;" and (iii) "will provide the operator no more than a reasonable return as determined by the Commission." Code § 56-542 D further provides that "the Commission shall not approve more than one year of toll rate increases proposed by the operator."

In addition, Code § 56-542 D requires the Company to include with its Application a forward-looking analysis. Specifically, Code § 56-542 D states that:

Any application to increase toll rates shall include a forward-looking analysis that demonstrates that the proposed toll rates will be reasonable to the user in relation to the benefit obtained, not likely to materially discourage use of the roadway, and provide the operator no more than a reasonable return. Such forward-looking analysis shall include reasonable projections of anticipated traffic levels, including the impact of social and economic conditions anticipated during the time period that the proposed toll rates would be in effect.

Code § 56-542 D further requires the Virginia Department of Transportation to "review and provide comments upon the [Company's forward-looking] analysis to the Commission.

Through its Application, TRIP II requests approval of increases in the maximum peak (or Congestion Pricing) and off peak tolls to be effective January 1, 2024, or upon issuance of a final order in this case, as follows:

Loudoun

Aldie Fire Station Construction Begins at Gilberts Corner

Construction began on the new Aldie Fire and Rescue Station this week. Contractors will begin installing stormwater management controls, relocating utilities, and clearing trees along the Rt. 50 corridor west of the Rt. 15 roundabout.

The existing Aldie Fire and Rescue Station will stay in operation throughout construction. Construction is expected to finish in the first quarter of 2025.

The new 23,000-square-foot station will include apparatus bays, bunkroom facilities, a training room, a break room, restrooms and showers, food preparation and dining areas, laundry and decontamination areas, supply storage, a gear and hose drying area, a breathing apparatus air compressor room, a fitness room, offices and a repair shop.

The Company states that the proposed tolls are the minimum necessary to permit TRIP II to meet its financial obligations and to reach a point in the future where it will be able to have the opportunity to earn a reasonable return on the capital invested in the Dulles Greenway.

TRIP II also requests that the Commission specifically authorize a streamlined process to consider and to approve future increases under § 56-542 D of the Code to reduce the lag between increases in the tolls on the Dulles Greenway. The Company asserts that this will minimize each increase and provide TRIP II with the opportunity to generate sufficient revenues to meet its financial obligations and have the opportunity to earn a reasonable return in the future.

TAKE NOTICE that the final toll rates approved by the Commission in this proceeding may be different from those proposed by the Company.

To promote administrative efficiency and timely service of filings upon participants, the Commission has directed the electronic filing of testimony and pleadings, unless they contain confidential information, and has required electronic service on parties to this proceeding.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on the Company’s Application. On January 30, 2024, at 10 a.m., a Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing, with no witness present in the Commission’s courtroom, for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses. On or before January 24, 2024, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Hearing Examiner to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by filling out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting

Beginning at 10 a.m. on January 30, 2024, the Hearing Examiner will telephone sequentially each person who has signed up to testify as provided above.

On January 31, 2024, at 10 a.m., in the Commission’s second floor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, a Hearing Examiner appointed by the Commission will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence offered by the Company, any respondents, and the Staff.

An electronic copy of public version of the Company’s Application may be obtained by submitting a written request to counsel for the Company: Timothy E. Biller, Esquire, Hunton Andrews Kurth, LLP, Riverfront Plaza, East Tower, 951 East Byrd Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219-4074, or tbiller@HuntonAK.com. Interested persons also may download unofficial copies from the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

On or before January 24, 2024, any interested person may submit comments on the Application electronically by following the instructions on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-Public-Comments

Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may file such comments by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 232182118. All comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2023-00089.

On or before October 3, 2023, any person or entity wishing to participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by filing a notice of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at: scc.virginia.gov/clk/efiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to file a notice of participation electronically may file such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. A copy of the notice of participation as a respondent also must be sent to counsel for the Company. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”), any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the specific action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR2023-00089.

On or before November 3, 2023, each respondent may file with the Clerk of the Commission, at scc.virginia.gov/clk/ efiling, any testimony and exhibits by which the respondent expects to establish its case. Any respondent unable, as a practical matter, to file testimony and exhibits electronically may file such by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. Each witness’s testimony shall include a summary not to exceed one page. All testimony and exhibits shall be served on the Staff, the Company, and all other respondents simultaneous with its filing. In all filings, the respondent shall comply with the Rules of Practice, including 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, and 5 VAC 5-20-240, Prepared testimony and exhibits. All filings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2023-00089. Any documents filed in paper form with the Office of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper.

In all other respects, except as modified by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all filings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. The Commission’s Rules of Practice, the public version of the Company’s Application, the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, and other documents filed in this case may be viewed on the Commission’s website at: scc. virginia.gov/pages/Case Information.

The site will include two entrances off Rt. 50, parking areas, well and septic, lighting, landscaping and a stormwater management pond.  More information is online at loudoun.gov/5343/ aldie-fire-rescue-station.

Rt. 7/Rt. 287 Interchange Design Underway in Purcellville

Design for improvements to the Rt. 7 and Rt. 287 Berlin Turnpike interchange in the Town of Purcellville is scheduled to finish in the first quarter of 2024. Over the next several months, the design team will begin development of 90 percent design plans.

Right of way acquisition is estimated to begin summer 2024, and construction is estimated to begin in fall 2026.

The project scope covers an estimated distance of 1.2 miles with lengthened and widened ramps, turn lanes and expanded turn and through lanes along Rt. 287 between Eastgate Drive and the westbound Rt. 7 entrance/exit ramps. It also includes expanded pedestrian access to the W&OD Trail and traffic signal modifications.

The project is funded with a mix of local tax funding and state-administered federal SMART SCALE funding. More information about the project is online at loudoun.gov/route7-287interchange, and more information about the phases of county capital projects like the interchange is online at loudoun.gov/capitalprojects.

County Urges Preparedness

National Preparedness Month in September, Loudoun County officials are encouraging residents and businesses to

prepare for emergencies and “Take Control in 1, 2, 3.”

County officials offered three steps to be prepared: Make a plan, build a kit, and stay informed. This year, officials are focusing on preparing older adults.

National Preparedness Month comes in the middle of hurricane season, and Loudoun has the potential for many other kinds of hazards throughout the year such as blizzards, flooding, high winds, power outages, tornadoes or even terrorism. And even though Loudoun is inland, the county is vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes including flooding.

Online planning tools for families, businesses and places of worship are at en.readynova.org.

Emergency preparedness kits should include food, water and other supplies to last at least 72 hours, with things that might be needed in an emergency such as flashlights, batteries and medicine.

More information is online at loudoun.gov/makeakit.

Hazardous Waste Collection

Offered Saturday in Hamilton

The next Loudoun County Household Hazardous Waste collection event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Harmony Park and Ride, 39464 East Colonial Highway near Hamilton. Loudoun residents are welcome to bring household hazardous waste from their homes to the event, free of charge.

Typical household hazardous waste might include fluorescent light bulbs, drycell batteries, oil-based paints and stains, bleach, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizer, fire extinguishers and a range of other substances. Other substances are not accepted such as motor oil, car batteries, ammunition, fireworks, electronics, and medical waste.

The limit per household is 15 gallons of liquid waste in containers up to five gallons, and 40 pounds of solid waste in containers up to five gallons. More information about what is accepted is online at loudoun.gov/hhw or by calling the county’s Waste Management Division at 703771-5500.

More information about disposing of other waste is online loudoun.gov/ landfill, and for disposing of electronics at loudoun.gov/electronics. Information about the county’s Business Hazardous Waste Collection Program is online at loudoun.gov/bhwp. n

Changes Coming to Class Size Maximums

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounonnow.com

A School Board committee on Aug. 28 voted to approve changes to a policy that deals with general education class sizes, increasing the maximum number of students in grades 1-3 by two per class and dropping the maximum number of students in grades 4-5 by one per class.

The changes also call for a teacher’s aide for all kindergarten classes and sets the maximum class size for kindergarten at 25. A provision was added to allow for a full-time teacher’s aide for grades 1-3 if the class is over 25 students, and grades 4-5 if the class is over 29 students.

School Board Chair Ian Serotkin (Blue

Ridge) amended the policy to state that the division’s targeted average class sizes are lower than the maximum class sizes, and to point out that maximum class sizes are established through staffing standards yearly by the School Board in the operating budget and where to find that information.

He said his goal was to give readers a more specific place to look for the staffing standards.

Changes were also made to the wording around maximum class sizes for middle and high school courses like P.E., music, and career and technical education classes to bring the policy up to state code.

A section was also added to address exceptions, allowing classes to go over those

maximums with approval if they are still within Virginia law. If a class goes over the limit established by Virginia law, the division needs to notify the parents of each student within 10 days and give a reason for the class size, and state what the division has done to reduce the class sizes to comply with the law.

The policy changes received feedback May 9-23, 2023. The policy was last revised in 2018.

The previous policy had the maximum number of students for grades 1-3 as 28 and 31 students for grades 4-5. It allowed for a full-time teacher’s aide for those grades if the class size was that large.

The updated policy will now go before the full School Board for a vote. n

Schools Chief Counsel Leaves for Alexandria

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Loudoun County Public Schools division counsel Robert Falconi has announced his resignation from Loudoun

County Public Schools and will become division counsel for Alexandria City Public Schools in October.

He announced his decision to Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith on Aug. 25, according to division spokesperson Dan

PE Teacher, Tennis Coach

Nationally Recognized

Victor Cortes, a Sugarland Run Elementary School PE teacher and lead coach of the after-school program Girls Rule the Court, was recognized as the 2023 Tennis in the Classroom winner by the United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic Foundation.

The award pays tribute to “those who exemplify the guiding principles of Community, Character and Well-being,” according to the announcement.

The USTA also recognized his efforts to introduce student athletes to the game, saying he has paved the way for hundreds if not thousands of children to learn tennis with his efforts to incorporate it into his classes and curriculum. Additionally, Cortes has dedicated his time to give his students a more in-depth experience with the sport and was instrumental in starting a Girls Rule the Court after-school tennis program so they could develop their skills and stay with the sport in a convenient and accessible way.

Adams. Falconi’s last day

division is Sept. 15.

FALCONI RESIGNS

continues on page 8

Cortes was also recognized for his achievements during the CITI Open tennis tournament held July 29-Aug 6 in Washington, DC. A partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association allowed players from Girls Rule the Court

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

continues on page 8

Loudoun County Public Schools Victor Cortes with two Girls Rule the Court participants.

with the

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Suzanne Satterfield, Jessica Smith and Abbie Platt sit on the front row at the June 2 special School Board meeting with signs calling for the School Board to fire division counsel Robert Falconi.

Falconi resigns

continued from page 7

Falconi served as lead counsel for two years and has recently been publicly criticized with calls for his resignation after a special grand jury report was unsealed in December 2022 that gave information about the divisions handling of two sexual assaults in 2021 by the same student at two different schools.

The report states that throughout the investigation, school division counsel was “obstructionist during witness testimony” and tried to control the flow of information to the special grand jury “by using his position as division counsel to exert control and influence over all LCPS and LCSB individuals subpoenaed to testify.”

The report stated Falconi “inappropriately used hand signals and other methods to communicate with witnesses while they were testifying.” It also states he tried to get all School Board members on the same page in their testimony about the events of the June 2021 School Board meeting, during which Scott Smith, the father of the first sexual assault victim, was arrested. It stated several board members “parroted

the same story” about Smith showing up at the meeting and shouting about policy 8040 despite none of them having any evidence that it happened.

“We strongly believe these stories coming from the board members is an effort by division counsel to get everybody on the same page to thwart, discredit and push back against this investigation and this report and to promote their own narrative,” the report stated.

Falconi has most recently advised the School Board not to release an independent review that looked into the sexual assaults by law firm Blankingship & Keith, claiming it was protected under attorney-client privilege.

Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge James P. Fisher ruled May 30 that the report was not protected and ordered it be turned over to special prosecutor Theo Stamos.

In that ruling Fisher also stated that the School Board and its counsel appeared to have violated the Virginia Freedom of Information Act four different times with closed-door meetings.

Falconi’s last day with the division is Sept. 15, his first day with Alexandria will be Oct. 2. He will serve as the in-house legal counsel for the division as well as the Alexandria City School Board, according to an online announcement from the school division.

Falconi served as the assistant division counsel for Fairfax County Public Schools and as an assistant county attorney for Fairfax County and worked as an associate in the law office of Blankingship & Keith prior to coming to Loudoun County Public Schools, according to the announcement. n

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SCHOOL notebook

continued from page 7

to meet and escort professional players during the tournament.

First Park View Community Planning Meeting

The first of many community planning meetings around the Park View High School rebuild, including design, construction and consideration of special programs was held Sept. 6.

Architectural firm GWWO Architects, which was selected by the School Board on Aug. 8 to provide the architectural and engineering services for the rebuild, and the division’s construction and design team were scheduled to listen to community member’s input on the planning and design of the school, according to the division’s website.

More community meeting dates will be announced as the architect develops a schedule.

For more information on the project contact the division’s Department of Construction by email to ParkViewReplacement@lcps.org or call 571-252-1161. n

Falconi

Public Safety

Designer Shoes Dispute Cited in Fatal Sterling Shooting

A Sterling man has been charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old Friday night.

The shooting was reported just after 10:30 p.m. Sept. 1 on Stanford Square in Sterling. Sheriff ’s Office deputies arrived to find Alex Omar Cartagena Jr., of Sterling, suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.

Deputies arrested Jaylin E. O’Brien, 18, of Sterling, in the case. He is charged with second degree murder, attempted second degree murder, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was held without bond at the Loudoun Count Adult Detention Center.

A man identified as O’Brien was seen in the vicinity of Cartagena and Jacob McCormick on Friday, whom they had previously had a problem with over the

loaning of designer shoes, according to a statement by Det. Sean McCormack. O’Brien allegedly reached into a vehicle where he retrieved a firearm and shot at Cartagena and McCormick. Cartagena returned fire and was struck by gunfire multiple times before O’Brien fled the area in the vehicle.

O’Brien was arrested the next day.

A preliminary hearing in Loudoun County District Court is scheduled for Nov. 20.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation and investigators are asking anyone with information to call McCormack at 703-7771021. You may also submit an anonymous tip by calling 703-777-1919 or using the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app.  n

Leesburg Shoplifters Arrested After Pursuit in Stolen U-Haul

Two shoplifting suspects are in custody following an Aug. 29 police chase of their stolen U-Haul van on the Leesburg bypass.

According to the Leesburg Police Department, shortly after 1 p.m. last Tuesday, town dispatchers received reports of shoplifting at the Tractor Supply store on Edwards Ferry Road. The suspects fled the store in a U-Haul van with Arizona

license plates. Officers located the van at the Lowes parking lot on Russell Branch Parkway.

The pursuit ended when the van crashed in a grassy area near the intersection of the Leesburg Bypass and Fort Ev-

SHOPLIFTERS ARRESTED

continues on page 10

Leesburg Police Department

Two suspected shoplifters were arrested Aug. 29 after their stolen U-Haul van crashed on the Leesburg Bypass during a police pursuit.

Jury Trial Scheduled for Speeding Commander

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

A Loudoun County Circuit Court judge has scheduled a March 4, 2024, jury trial for Washington Commanders player Jamin Davis, who is appealing his conviction of driving more than 100 miles per hour on Loudoun County

Parkway.

Last September, then-District Court Judge Matthew Snow sentenced Davis to serve 30 days in jail and issued a $1,114 fine for the violation, in addition to suspending his license for six months.

Davis appealed the case to Circuit Court. On July 31, Judge Stephen E. Sincavage was presented with a plea

Shoplifters arrested

continued from page 9

agreement to reduce that jail sentence to six days. He rejected that proposal.

Davis’ attorneys today requested that Judge Douglas L. Fleming schedule a one-day jury trial sometime after Feb. 11, 2024—the date of this year’s NFL Super Bowl—and added that they would continue to work with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in hopes of negotiating a plea agreement. n

ans Road NE. The suspects were arrested after a foot chase.

Brendan Brown, 35, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of shoplifting, one count of eluding, and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle.

Jenna Wilber, 22, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of shoplifting, one count of reckless driving, one count of eluding, one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, one count of possession of schedule II controlled dangerous substance, and one count of possession of schedule III controlled dangerous substance. She was found with suspected methamphetamine and suspected buprenorphine.

Investigators also determined that the pair had taken merchandise from the Leesburg Lowes store before fleeing, the van had been reported stolen in Maryland, and that Brown and Wilber had been identified as suspects in other theft incidents in Virginia and West Virginia.

Brown and Wilber are being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

“I would like to commend the diligent efforts of our officers on this investigation. I would also like to thank our retail partners for their continued cooperation in the prosecution of shoplifters,” Leesburg Police Chief Thea Pirnat stated in the announcement of the arrests. “These are not victimless crimes, and as evidenced this week, are not harmless incidents.” n

Nonprofits A Place to Be Announces New Leesburg Center

Community Foundation Gala to Honor the Contributions of Schaufeld, Mitchell, LHR

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties has announced the honorees whose service will be celebrated during the inaugural Roots & Legacies awards dinner and gala Nov. 17 at the Middleburg Barn.

Three awards will be presented during the event: Karen Schaufeld for Philanthropist of the Year, Angela Mitchell for Changemaker of the Year, and Loudoun Hunger Relief for Nonprofit Achievement Award.  The Community Foundation will establish a $10,000 charitable endowment fund in honor of each winner.

Schaufeld—a philanthropist, author, entrepreneur, and lawyer—is the founder and president of 100WomenStrong, a component fund of the Community Foundation that strategically invests in nonprofits and programs that enrich the lives of Loudoun County residents. 100WomenStrong launched in 2008 and has grown to include more than 60 donor members. The organization has granted more than $4 million to organizations serving Loudoun.

She also co-founded All Ages Read Together, a nonprofit school readiness program for low-income preschool-aged children. Schaufeld serves as a trustee for the Claude Moore Charitable Founda-

tion and serves on numerous boards of organizations throughout the region. She has founded and led several companies and entrepreneurial initiatives including SWaN at Hill Top and Altor Locks, and has published four children’s books.

Angela Mitchell, president and CEO of ARM Consulting, serves as chair of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity Equity Inclusion and Accessibility Committee. In that role, she helped lead an organizational plan of action to build and strengthen relationships with diverse Loudoun-based businesses and organizations. Mitchell also helped to launch initiatives with the Chamber team to promote heritage and diversity months highlighting diverse businesses and organizations in Loudoun.

Mitchell serves as first vice chair for the Loudoun Chamber’s board of directors, and in January will become the first Black woman to chair the board. Mitchell is the past chair of the Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls and co-founder of Women and Girls Inspiring STEM Excellence (WISE), a Loudoun-based nonprofit focused on supporting girls of color advance education and careers in IT and STEM-related fields.

In 2022, Loudoun Hunger Relief, a Loudoun-based nonprofit food

pantry founded 1991, provided 2.4 million pounds of food to 14,000 Loudoun residents. Currently assisting approximately 650 families a week, a significant increase from pre-pandemic years, LHR will complete a major expansion project this fall to meet the growing demand for services.

The project will expand their physical space from 4,300 square feet to 13,500 square feet through a partnership with Loudoun County government. The project will increase their food storage, establish a best-practice service delivery model that includes a full-choice food market for those they serve. It will also anchor a human services center for streamlined access to literacy, job, health, and benefits services through co-location of services with several nonprofit partners.

The Root & Legacies event will feature each of the award winners and highlight their work in the Loudoun and Northern Fauquier community. The event will include music, a plated dinner, local wine, celebratory awards, and an auction to raise funds for the Community Foundation’s work.

For information about the Roots and Legacies event, ticket sales, or sponsorships, go to  cbo.io/tickets/rootsandlegaciesgala/tix.  n

Inova Awards Nonprofit Health Equity Grants

Inova Health System’s Division of Community Health and Health Equity has awarded $1.2 million in Health Equity Opportunities grants and funding to 23 organizations and nonprofits across Northern Virginia, including several working in Loudoun.

“Addressing the health equity needs of our community is fundamental to Inova’s mission,” Inova Executive Vice President and Chief of Clinical Enterprise Dr. Stephen J. Motew stated. “Partnering with other non-profits helps extend our reach to better meet both acute health issues as well as promoting the long-term health and wellbeing of the communities which we have the privilege to serve.”

Funding recipients in Loudoun include Loudoun Cares, the Loudoun Child Advocacy Center, the Loudoun Education Foundation, the Loudoun Free

Clinic, Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, Cornerstones, Inc. and Shelter House’s Loudoun Homeless Services Center. Other awardees include ACT for Alexandria, Adaptive Fitness Legion, Culmore Clinic, The Growth and Healing HUB, Hamkae

Center, The House, Inc., Housing Alexandria, Lazera Ministries, Main Street Child Development Center, Northern Virginia Family Service: Multicultural Center, NOVA ScriptsCentral, SafeSpot Children’s Advocacy Center, Shepherd’s Center of Fairfax-Burke, Stroke Comeback Center, United Community and Virginia Health Care Foundation.

Inova requests proposals for Health Equity Opportunities funding annually, seeking to fund organizations that provide services to address the health needs of under-resourced communities. Applicants are required to propose local programs based on Inova’s Community Health Needs Assessments that are impactful, feasible and demonstrate good stewardship of resources.

More information is online at inova.org/inova-community. n

After 13 years of growth in its Middleburg headquarters, music therapy and arts nonprofit A Place To Be is expanding into a second facility in the Village at Leesburg.

The nonprofit will open its doors in Leesburg later this month, and plans an open house for the community on Sept. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m.

“From the Village of Middleburg to the Village at Leesburg, A Place To Be is excited to share its inspiring and important mission,” co-founder Kim Tapper said. “We are looking forward to increased opportunities for community engagement and a space of belonging for more families with this expansion.”

The new 6,470-square-foot center is outfitted with six individual session rooms, family counseling offices, a recording studio, and a 100-seat theater for shows, social groups and other family and community events.

“This new facility not only represents the next chapter in A Place To Be’s growth, but it also reflects the strength of our reputation in the community,” Executive Director Judy Hanley said. “We’re proud to be recognized as a trusted provider of meaningful services that are truly transforming lives. And we’re grateful for the support that has made this center a reality, enabling us to reach more of the people who need us most.”

“Through 13 years of music therapy, performances and the expressive arts, we have helped people with an array of challenges find hope, and this expansion is answering an ongoing need for more,” co-founder Tom Sweitzer said.

A place to be provides services to people of all ages, with a focus on youth and young adults with disabilities or other medical or mental health challenges. Those services include clinical music therapy, expressive arts, social enrichment groups, and groups for young adults transitioning out of high school and seeking community engagement opportunities and skill building support toward employment. The nonprofit also presents plays and musicals featuring client-performers in shows that focus on acceptance, kindness, empathy, inclusion and resilience.

A Place to Be’s Leesburg center is located at 1600 Village Market Blvd. SE, Space 108, Leesburg, between CMX Village 12 Cinemas and Victory Martial Arts. More information is online at aplacetobeva.org. n

Twenty-three organizations and nonprofits including several in Loudoun received Healthy Equity Opportunities grants from Inova’s Division of Community Health and Health Equity.

Toruño Named 2023 National Latino Leader

UNO Translations and Communications founder and CEO Brigitta Toruño will be honored as a 2023 National Latino Leader during the eighth annual National Latino Leadership Conference on Sept. 19.

Toruño, the daughter of an Ecuadorian mother and an Argentine father, is among 25 honorees nationwide and is the only honoree in the Washington, DC, region. The award comes as Toruño celebrates UNO’s 25th anniversary on Nov. 1.

“My love of my native language, Spanish, fueled my desire to work with languages and launch UNO Translations and Communications, LLC, in 1998,” she said. “I built UNO from the ground up, establishing UNO to be a linguistic partner for brands wishing to reach Latinos and other markets. My company has been built, and

has grown over the last 25 years, based on my belief that language services are a humanitarian endeavor, and the belief that we are one humanity—meant to serve each other.”

The awards are presented by The Council for Latino Workplace Equity, an initiative of the National Diversity Council. The awards recognize people who are demonstrating leadership excellence and high visibility in the Latino community, contributing to creating and promoting a culture where Latino talent is supported and leveraged for success, according to the announcement.

In addition to founding UNO, Toruño chairs the nonprofit Loudoun Literacy Council board of directors and serves as a board member for philanthropic organization 100WomenStrong. In 2020 she was appointed to the Virginia Council on Women.

She also is a past board member of the George Mason University Women in Business Initiative, Devotion to Children,

Mobile Hope, Loudoun Hunger Relief, and Leadership Loudoun.

Toruño will also be a panelist on the conference’s session “The Diversidad of Our Community Identity, Culture and Nationality.”

“We must recognize and honor our National Latino Leaders for rising in leadership and overcoming various obstacles in their workplaces and communities,” National Diversity Council CEO Anika Rahman said. “The honorees represent the diversity and strength of the Latino culture and are exemplary individuals paving the way for the Latino community at large.”

More information about UNO Translations and Communications is online at unotranslations.com. More information about the National Diversity Council is online at nationaldiversitycouncil.org, and about the Latino Leadership Conference and the Council for Latino Workplace Equity at ndc-clwe.org. n

The Women of Whiskey: Harris Presented Legacy Achievement Award

Becky Harris, founder and chief distiller at Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, was recognized for her leadership in the whisky industry when she was presented with the Bourbon Women Association’s Legacy Achievement Award.

The annual Women of Whisky awards ceremony was held Aug. 25 in Louisville, KY.

Each year, Bourbon Women opens nominations for companies, communities, establishments, media companies, and groups to nominate women they feel represent the top movers and shakers in the industry. Five industry experts judge the applications.

Criteria for the Legacy Achievement Award includes demonstrations of innovation, leadership, inclusivity, impact, and excellence in the industry.

Harris and her husband, Scott, launched Catoctin Creek Distilling Company in 2009 as the first legal distillery in Loudoun County since before Prohibition. Over the past 14 years, Harris has served as a champion of the spirits industry, including serving as the first female president of the American Craft Spirits Association and leading the effort to gain FDA approval for distilleries across the nation to respond to the COVID pandemic. She also helped found and sits on the board of the STEP-UP Foundation, which offers internship opportunities to under-served communities in the distilling industry. n

Toruño

Contributed

Becky Harris, founder and chief distiller at Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, poses with the Bourbon Women Association’s 2023 Legacy Achievement Award.

Drought Advisory Hits Western Loudoun

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

A drought watch advisory was issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality for seven Virginia counties, including Loudoun, on Aug. 30.

“Several factors have contributed to the current drought watch and warning advisories in the affected regions,” the advisory stated. “There was abnormally low precipitation over the last two weeks, with limited precipitation forecasted. Stream flows are below the 25th percentile of historical normal values with flows observed below the 5th percentile in the Shenandoah region.”

Both Round Hill and Purcellville issued water conservation notices to utility customers during the past two weeks as dry conditions persisted in the region.

Round Hill on Aug. 23 asked residents to immediately reduce water usage after its Evening Star treatment plant had been taken offline to give the two wells time to recharge. Town Administrator Melissa Hynes said the town staff is concerned about a creek near one of the wells that has dried up and that Catoctin Creek in Purcellville had run dry.

“I feel that we are not at the point yet for mandatory conservation,” she stated. “We can stay out of mandatory conservation

Lovettsville Council Removes Occupancy Requirements for Short-Term Rentals

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

The Lovettsville Town Council last week adopted an ordinance changing the regulations for short-term rentals by removing the restriction for owners to occupy the dwelling for at least 180 days a year if the dwelling is located in a commercial district.

The ordinance also allows the opportunity to waive the owner occupancy requirement in residential zoning districts by a conditional use permit, which requires public hearings by the Planning

if everyone does their part to conserve water use.”

Purcellville’s drought watch came Monday, Aug. 28 and stated, “the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the town is in a moderate drought and water levels are below normal at the town’s reservoir which supplies about half of the towns daily water production.”

Middleburg updated its town website

Sept. 1 asking residents to voluntarily conserve water. Town Manager Danny Davis said the town has not taken any formal steps, but that town staff are scheduled to brief the Town Council at its regularly schedule meeting Sept. 14.

Hamilton and Lovettsville have not issued any official water conservation announcements, but Hamilton Town Council Member Craig Green who chairs the town’s Utility Committee encourages private well owners to proceed conservatively.

“We know of a few homes whose wells have run dry right now,” he stated in an email.

Lovettsville Town Manager Jason Cournoyer said that the town is encouraging residents and businesses to voluntarily conserve water. He stated that conservation efforts help ease, “the challenging requirements of town utility staff to implement careful and constant operational measures to keep up with the town’s demands due to the static and running levels of the towns wells beginning to drop due to the current drought conditions.”

Some actions residents can take to reduce water usage include only operating fully loaded dishwashers and washing machines, taking short showers instead of baths, not watering lawns or filling pools, and not washing cars.  n

LOVETTSVILLE Patriot’s Day Ceremony

Planned for 9/11

The town will be hosting a Patriot’s Day Ceremony on Monday, Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial on the Town Square.

On Sunday Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. town residents will also gather to place 2,977 American flags at the center of the Town Square as a visual reminder of the individuals lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

PURCELLVILLE 9/11 Remembrance

Ceremony Planned

Mayor Stanley J. Milan and members of the Town Council are hosting the town’s annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to honor local first responders and the memory of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

The ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the First Responders Monument near the historic Bush Tabernacle, located at 250 South Nursery Ave.

The guest speaker will be former Deputy Chief of the Department of Sanitation in New York City Albert Durrell, who helped oversee the clean-up at Ground Zero.

The ceremony will include participants from the Purcellville Police Department, Purcellville Volunteer Fire Company, Purcellville Volunteer Rescue Squad, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, the Joint Honor Guard from Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, and Boy Scout Troop 163.  Purcellville Florist is donating the wreath that will be laid before the First Responders Memorial.

Commission and the Town Council.

“In lieu of occupying the residence, they must meet certain response standards—a 30-minute response to the occupants by phone, 60-minute response in person on site if there’s an issue on their property,” Zoning Administrator John Merrithew told the council.

He said the conditional use permit

requirement would allow the council to set standards for each individual case.

Council member Tom Budnar questioned the need to require permit for residential users.

“There was a lot of concern originally

SHORT-TERM RENTALS

continues on page 15

The 9/11 Monument in Purcellville was dedicated in 2011. The steel beam on the top of the monument is a piece of Tower Two of the World Trade Center and the base is comprised of stone from a barn near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

AROUND TOWN continues on page 15

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

A sign warns residents in Round Hill to conserve water amid drought conditions.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Council members Bobby Merhaut, Brandon Davis and Vice Mayor Joy Pritz listen to public speakers at an Aug. 30 meeting.

Short-term rentals

continued from page 14

about the impact of limited residential lodging, which is a temporary, less than 30 days type of lodging, having an impact on the neighborhood,” Merrithew responded. “And without owner occupancy, you run the risk of maintenance on the property declining.”

Council member Bobby Merhaut asked if it would be standard to approve the conditional use permits.

Merrithew said there could be cases where the permit would be denied, such as for potential noise, traffic or parking issues.

“We address most of that in the ordinance standards,” he said. “So, if they can comply with the standards, there should not be issues but it’s a case-by-case situation. … There could be some stipulations you add to the standards that improve the situation in a residential neighborhood.”

The council unanimously adopted the ordinance following a public hearing where five community members spoke.

Fred and Anne George, who own numerous short-term rental properties, said they favored the change and renting properties on a short-term basis made them more likely to keep the homes in a good condition.

“We keep our property in pristine condition for the next guest,” Fred George said.

“I can promise you there is a whole lot more noise and trouble coming from properties that are being rented for a year than there are from properties like

AROUND towns

continued from page 14

Two Realtors Bid to Sell Pullen House

The town received two bids from real estate agents interested in helping to sell the town-owned property known as Pullen House. The deadline for bids was Aug. 23.

Director of Engineering, Planning and Development Dale Lehnig told Loudoun Now in an email that they are under review and staff is expecting to present a recommendation to the Town Council at its Sept. 26 meeting.

The council voted 4-1-1-1 in May to sell the 0.49-acre property with council members Erin Rayner opposed, Mayor Stanley J. Milan abstaining, and Mary Jane Williams absent. n

ours that are rented either for a month at a time or a weekend at a time,” Anne George said. “People that are coming are people that want to go to the restaurants, go to the wineries. Generally, they’re not bringing children with them, so they’re not as loud as the neighbor next door who has five children running around the yard screaming. So, having an AirBnB in a residential area is not a bad thing for the community or for the neighborhood.”

Waterford resident Donny Walker, who manages several short-term rental properties in the area, also favored the change and encouraged the council to

make the conditional use permit application process as simple as possible.

“Unlike what the county’s done. They’ve told us we have a certain date that we have to have our paperwork in, but they have not provided documents yet. So maybe a grace period of a couple months if we have to take that route. I think Lovettsville’s a great place for tourism, and I think it’s a good fit here,” Walker said.

Resident John Wilson asked if the town could revoke a conditional use permit if the property owner did not abide by the requirement to respond either by phone or person in the prescribed time frame.

Merrithew said yes.

“The ordinance currently has a provision whereby the zoning permit can be revoked if there are three or more substantiated complaints within a calendar year for failure to comply with any of the regulations set forth in this section …” Merrithew said. “So, we would handle an issue where they’re not responding to their guests as a zoning complaint.”

Council members Brandon Davis and Budnar asked Town Manager Jason Cournoyer to make the conditional use permit process as simple and streamlined as possible. n

Hillsboro Residents Voice Concerns Over Traffic, Pedestrian Safety

What

• Cheerful, serene, state of the art office

• Digital x-rays (reduces radiation by 90%)

• We file all

Leesburg, VA 20175

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

Hillsboro community members gathered at the Old Stone School last week to voice concerns to members of the Sheriff ’s Office over traffic and pedestrian safety. Western Loudoun Station Commander Capt. T.J. DeLitta and Deputy Matthew Salvas attended but said they have limited resources to help.

Hillsboro Vice Mayor Paul Hrebenak, who organized the Aug. 30 meeting, expressed frustration about pedestrian safety and traffic safety. He asked DeLitta for more help in mitigating those problems.

“We know you’re not going to be able to get every Monday through Friday morning and evening rush hour,” Hrebenak said. “But a random Monday morning, a random Wednesday evening, and then weekend nights when manpower allows on the midnight shift, just to send a message to these drivers, ‘hey when you enter Hillsboro it’s not like Mad Max Fury Road.’”

One community member expressed specific concerns about where Cider Mill Road meets Rt. 9 at the town’s western boundary.

“This isn’t so much the aggressive drivers. These are frustrated drivers that cannot make the turn and there’s no sight lines,” she said.

Commonwealth Transportation Board member E. Scott Kasprowicz (At-large Urban) said that while having a marked Sheriff ’s Office vehicle in the area helped the immediate problem, commuters resorted right back to their previous behavior when it was gone.

“A couple of days of streetwalking with two deputies working opposite ends and staying in touch on somebody running through town, and issuing crosswalk violations, issuing muffler violations, there’s a number of things you can pick up on the street walking it that you will not get sitting in a cruiser,” he said.

“I get four or five deputies working at any given time, nowadays about three, working 313 square miles, within patrol,” DeLitta said. “Then I have two other deputies; Matt is our traffic deputy on the west end of the county, plus Deputy Southward, who is our community policing deputy in the west end of the county. So, you guys, believe or not, probably get more attention than any other area in the entire county.”

Hrebenak said that Hillsboro is in a different situation than other western Loudoun town because of the volume of

traffic that travels through downtown on a daily basis. Rt. 9, one of the major entrances to Loudoun, goes through downtown Hillsboro.

“We have 17,000 cars going through Rt. 9 a day, and it’s not 17,000 cars on Rt. 7, right, a four-lane divided highway. It’s 17,000 cars in a high pedestrian area with activities going on every weekend and it’s all funneled through a small two-lane historic town. And then you couple that with harassment from the drivers.”

Equality Loudoun President Candice Tuck asked who decided how many deputies western Loudoun had dedicated to it and who the public could appeal to provide more help.

“I’m wondering where we could put the pressure on to help mitigate this,” Tuck said, adding, “there’s more than enough officers sitting at construction sites in the eastern half of the county at any given time … I cannot imagine it would be that difficult to divert two officers, three officers on a parttime basis to help ramp up enforcement.”

“What the community is looking for is a response from the Sheriff ’s Office that is outside of your standard enforcement right now,” Kasprowicz said.

Salvas said residents could go before a magistrate themselves and get a summons issued to violators.

“So, when you get a tag number and say, ‘hey I got this,’ we can say, ‘OK, we’ll meet you at the magistrate,’ we’ll run the tag, here’s the information for the magistrate, and you can get that summons,” he said.

“I don’t have a problem with trying different things and trying new things, not even a little bit,” DeLitta said. “But I am somewhat constrained on what I can do, and the amount of people I have. So, I can work with other divisions and see what we can get out here.” n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Hillsboro community members gathered at the Old Stone School on Aug. 30 to discuss safety concerns with Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office representatives.

GETOUT

LIVE MUSIC

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6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7

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

ALBERT BOUCHARD’S IMAGINOS

8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $30. tallyhotheater.com

SCOTT STAPP THE VOICE OF CREED 8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7

Ion International Training Center, 19201

Compass Creek Parkway, Leesburg. $45 to $90. ionarena.com

DIXIE DANIELLE

12 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

JASON MASI

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

SHANE GAMBLE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

TEJAS SINGH

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

THE BLUEMONT RAMBLE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

SUMMER & ERIC

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

CHRIS COMPTON

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

CHRIS BOWEN

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 19

SHAED Preps for Hometown Show with New Music

BY DANA ARMSTRONG

Electronic dream-pop trio SHAED is best known for their multi-platinum single “Trampoline” and collaborations with artists like ZAYN, Sting, and Steve Aoki. But less known is that significant chapters of SHAED’s musical journey occurred in Loudoun.

Twin brothers Spencer and Max Ernst from Silver Spring, MD, met McLean native Chelsea Lee in high school. What started out as a friendship grew into a relationship between Chelsea and Spencer, and all three connected over their shared love of music to form a band.

“We started playing shows with us three, which was in 2012, under a different name. Before SHAED, we were The Walking Sticks. [2013] was right when we changed from more of

a folk/Americana thing into an electronic-leaning sound, and our first electric show was actually at the Tally Ho,” Max said.

“We had a headline show there, and we were used to playing threehour cover shows so we thought it was appropriate to do a three-hour original set/cover set hybrid,” he said.

“It was a really long show,” lead vocalist Chelsea added with a laugh.

But even before their Tally Ho sonic breakthrough, the band members had other connections to the area.

Chelsea started voice lessons at 15 with Loudoun/DC singer Mary Ann Redmond and honed her songwriting skills with the help of Hamilton-based singer/songwriter and producer Todd Wright. In 2010, when Chelsea was still a solo artist, she asked Max and

Spencer to sing backing vocals for a performance at the Leesburg Courthouse.

Little did they know that experience would come full circle. SHAED headlines BENEFIT’s Crossroads Music Festival, a showcase of the DC region’s songwriters, with a free concert on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Leesburg Courthouse where they performed years ago.

SHAED returns to the stage as highly successful artists. The band gained traction by playing in DC clubs, including their favorite venue the 9:30 Club. After the astronomic success of singles “Trampoline” and “Lonesome,” the group toured with Bishop Briggs, played at music

SHAED continues on page 18

Photo by Nicole Mago

A decade after breaking out their electric on the Tally Ho Theater stage, SHAED returns to downtown Leesburg Friday, Sept. 15 for a free show on the courthouse lawn.

SHAED

continued from page 17

festivals across the country, and released their first full-length album, “High Dive.” In June 2022, they opened for H.E.R. and Coldplay at FedEx Field.

Even with all these experiences, they are excited to return to Leesburg—not just for the festival, but for its food and wine scene. Since the band members are based in DC, they come to town a couple times every summer to try out the wineries and explore the downtown businesses, including one of their favorite spots.

“Oh my gosh, they have a New York [Sour] that’s like a red wine on top of a Manhattan and it’s phenomenal—recommend it very highly at the King Street Oyster Bar,” Spencer said.

This is the fourth year that nonprofit coalition BENEFIT will host the Crossroads Music Festival in downtown Leesburg. Following SHAED’s Sept. 15 show, 33 local musicians will perform sets across 12 stages on Sept. 16 from 5-10 p.m. All proceeds from the event benefit Loudounbased charities.

“We love a hometown show. We haven’t played a hometown show in a bit, and this was for a really great cause, so we wanted to do it,” Chelsea said.

“And we love supporting the other local musicians that are coming up in the area. It seemed like a great opportunity to give back,” Max said.

Their headline show also gives SHAED an opportunity to debut new music. For the past year, the band has been writing and recording music with the goal of releasing another al-

bum. They tease the new songs that bring back more of the three-part harmonies they focused on in their early days as a band. Plus, they have new thematic material to explore in their lyrics.

“Chelsea and I had a daughter. Her name is June, and she’s a year and a half,” Spencer said. “For the first year, [it was] me, Max, and Chelsea—June’s in daycare now—but every day she was just hanging around, bopping around, listening to us write music, and I think that her presence was definitely an inspiration on the

Dulles Day Features Plane Pull Competition

The public will be invited onto the grounds of Dulles Airport on Saturday to get a close-up look at aircraft and airport activities and to watch teams from around the region compete in the annual Plane Pull.

The Dulles Day Festival features a display of vintage, modern and military aircraft, a classic car show, fire truck rides, mobile lounge airport tours, community exhibitors, food and beverage sales and music performances.

The centerpiece of the Sept. 9 event is the Plane Pull, which has raised more than

$3 million to support Special Olympics since its founding in 1992.

The Plane Pull features teams of 25 people competing to pull an 82-ton FedEx Airbus A320 or United Boeing 757 airplane over a 12-foot course in the shortest time.

The free event has attracted crowds of more than 10,000 in past years.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m. and close at 3:30 p.m. Upon arrival at the airport, follow the “event parking” signs.  Learn more at planepull.com. n

next batch of songs.”

“I feel like we went into parenthood being really afraid that it was going to affect us making music and being able to travel and do all that. But honestly, it’s been so much fun having her. In her first year, we were travelling to all these festivals. She was coming with us everywhere. It’s been a really good vibe having her in our little crew,” Chelsea said.

“Being a mom has made everything so much better. I feel like a lot of women, in particular, in the music industry, are kind of told that it’s hard

once you have a child and that same pressure is not on the husbands or male partners. But it’s been really, really fun and we’ve been having a blast. And I think it’s made us better overall, which has been great.”

In addition to the three-part harmonies and new themes, fans can look forward to hearing even more unique sounding synthesizers and layers within their songs. The band members produce their own music and record in their humble home studio setups.

“A fair amount of foundation for the songs is all three of us in different rooms, but recording at the same time. Like Max is playing piano upstairs, Chelsea’s in our spare bedroom singing, and then I’m in the other studio playing acoustic guitar and doing those things without a metronome so you kind of get that live feel of just us three,” Spencer said.

That means their hometown concert will be the perfect time to hear an exclusive, live preview of SHAED’s next era of music. And there is a good chance fans and fellow Crossroads performers could see the band members out and about at the other shows Sept. 16.

“We’re going to make a whole day out of it,” said Max. “We’re going to get there early, and we’re definitely going to hang out and listen to music.” n

SHAED’s free concert starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15 at Leesburg Courthouse. Ryan Wright opens. Festival pass, performer lineup, schedule, and venue information for BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival can be found at CrossroadsMusicFest.org.

Photo by Nichole Mago

Chelsea Lee performing on the stage at FedEx Field during a June 2022 concert.

A team pulls an 82-ton aircraft toward the finish line in the annual Dulles Day Plane Pull.

File photo

GET OUT LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 17

CLAUDE BOURBON

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. $25. doukeniewinery.com

NATE CLENENDEN

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

NOAH “RED” HAWES

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

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

FREDDY HALL

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8

Parallel Wine & Whiskey Bar, 43135 Broadlands Center Plaza # 121, Ashburn. parallelwinebistro.com

SUPERUNKNOWN: CHRIS

CORNELL TRIBUTE

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

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

BIG GIANT

8 p.m. to midnight, Friday, Sept. 8

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

HARD SWIMMIN’ FISH

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

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

LOST RHINO’S 2023

RHINO’FEST

12 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Lost Rhino Brewing Co, 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn. lostrhino.com

DIXIE DANIELLE

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Cana Vineyards and Winery, 38600 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. canavineyards.com

SIDETRACKEDOKTOBERFEST

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

JASON MASI

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

THE VIRGINIA RUM RUNNERS

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Loudoun Heights. vanishbeer.com

ACOUSTIC MOOSE

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. bozwines.com

DEANE KERN

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Forever Farm and Vineyard, 15779 Woodgrove Road, Purcellville. foreverfarm.com foreverfarmandvineyard.com

ANTHONY SEMIAO

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Otium Cellars, 18050 Tranquility Road, Purcellville. otiumcellars.com

MIKE RICHARDS

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

BRENT KIMBROUGH

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

EMMA BAILEY

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. 868estatevineyards.com

JULIET LLOYD

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillsvineyard.com

SHANE HINES

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chainsnorth.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

HUBIE G FROM THE CORNER VAGABONDS

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413

Franklin Park Arts Center

36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville, VA 20132 www.franklinparkartscenter.org 540 -338-7973

Melodies in Motion

September 23 7:00 pm

Tickets: $20-$25

The Friends of Franklin Park Arts Center kick -off their Gold Star series with a first-time collaboration between Virginia National Ballet and the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra designed specifically for our stage. Prepare to be dazzled by this lovely evening which is presented with support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Quentin Walston, Jazz Residency

Quentin Walston composes for piano, his jazz trio, and large ensembles, blending memorable melodies and striking rhythms with adventurous improvisations. This program is supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts.

Songwriting for Young Musicians: (Ages 8 13) 9/12 & 9/13 4:00 pm

James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com

ACOUSTIC SOUL

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

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

LIBERTY STREET

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

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

ROWDY ACE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

DARRYL MARINI

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

DAVID GOODRUM

2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

JAKE PHILLIPS

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville.

flyingacefarm.com

THE KIRSCHKES

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Purcellville. harpersferrybrewing.com

THIRSTY DRIFTERS

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

BILLINGSLEY

5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

KEN WENZEL –OKTOBERFEST

5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

THE POOL BOYS

6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 20

AND THERE’S MORE !

• Music For Dessert Subscription 8 Concerts, 1 Ticket, $75

Jazz Breakdown: History and Beyond: (18 & up) 9/12 & 9/13 5:00 pm

Music For Dessert Concert: 9/13 7:00 pm

Gallery Gathering: Quinten Walston, Abstract – Jazz and Art: 9/14 4:45 pm FREE

History of Jazz: 9/15 10:30 am

Quentin Walston Trio: 9/16 7:00 pm

• Beech Tree Puppets 9/13 10:00 am

• Doug Allen Wilcox

9/15 7:00 pm

• Twangtown Paramours

9/27 7:00 pm

• MANHATTAN SHORT Film Fest 9/29 & 30

Why We

LO VE Loudoun

GET OUT LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 19

DELTA SPUR

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

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

PARROT HEADS ON THE MOUNTAIN

6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. $15. dirtfarmbrewing.com

SLIPPERY WHEN WETTHE ULTIMATE BON JOVI TRIBUTE

6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg. $20 tararaconcerts.com

JUMPTOWN

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Lovettsville Game Protective Association, 16 S. Berlin Pike, Lovettsville. $10. facebook.com/ jumptownband

AIRMOUNT ROAD

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, Ion International Training Center, 19201 Compass Creek Parkway, Leesburg. ionarena.com

DIAMOND ALLEY

8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 9 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

Herydan Maza

Owner, La Taqueria, Leesburg

Born and raised in Mexico City, Herydan Maza came to the U.S. in 1999 at the age of 17. He studied business at Strayer University in Ashburn while working as a dishwasher and on construction sites. He met his wife Ana Reyes on a trip to Guadalajara in 2010, where she worked in the food and hospitality industry. In 2014, they moved to Leesburg where he founded a commercial construction company, H&M, and in 2023 they opened their first restaurant, La Taqueria in Leesburg, serving authentic Mexican street food.

BRANDY STATION COMPANY

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

STEEL DRUMMIN’ ON THE BEACH

12 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

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

JOSH SOWDE

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

KEVIN GRIFFITH

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

NATHANIEL DAVIS

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

2MB

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

ANDREW O’DAY

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville.

ANTHONY SEMIAO

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

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

Best Bets

CORY CAMPBELL

BILLINGSLEY

Saturday, Sept. 9, 5-8 p.m. Vanish Farmwoods Brewery vanishbeer.com

These three brothers grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina and perform songs with elements of funk, R&B, jazz and rock—and best seen live to understand it all.

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

LOCAL BOY TIMMY

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT IN LOUDOUN?

Fireworks Pizza in Leesburg. My sister Andy worked as a server there for 10 years and it has been my Leesburg home away from home. We order the spinach dip, the house salad, the meatballs and a special pizza with chorizo, pepperoni, peppers and caramelized onions. The pizza is incredible.

FAVORITE PLACE FOR A CRAFT BEVERAGE?

For wine it’s Stone Tower. The winery offers kid-friendly areas with great service and amazing views. We always go with a group of friends. I like the white and rosé wines. Bear Chase Brewing also has incredible views. We order the LOVE LOUDOUN continues on page 21

SLIPPERY WHEN WET

Saturday, Sept. 9, 6 p.m. Tarara Winery tararaconcerts.com

Since 2003, Jason Morey and his bandmates have been performing exacting arrangements of Bon Jovi’s vast catalogue in more than 1,800 shows across the country and internationally. On Saturday, they return to Tarara Winery’s outdoor stage.

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

KEN WENZEL

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

THE COLD NORTH

3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

THE SURFABILLY VIBE

5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

MUSIC FOR DESSERT:

QUENTIN WALSTON

7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13

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

DAVID THONG

7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13

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

THE WAILERS

8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $30. tallyhotheater.com

THE WAILERS

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

Led by Aston Barrett Jr. the iconic reggae band recognized worldwide for their influence on the genre and their close association with the legendary Bob Marley, make another visit to Leesburg.

NO RESOLVE/HALOCENE

8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St. SW., Leesburg. $22 to $60. tallyhotheater.com

HAPPENINGS

RESTORE HYPER WELLNESS GRAND

OPENING

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 – Sept. 10

Restore Hyper Wellness, 42410 Finale Square, Brambleton. restore.com

GET OUT

continues on page 22

Love Loudoun

continued from page 20

hard seltzer and, believe it or not, the pizza is also really good.

BEST HIDDEN GEM IN LOUDOUN?

Thai Ashburn tucked away in the Ashburn Plaza complex. I have eaten at the 10 best Thai restaurants in Loudoun and none of them do Drunken Beef Noodles as well as this place.

WHAT’S A MUST-SEE PLACE FOR AN OUT-OF-TOWN VISITOR?

Downtown Leesburg is magical and so heartwarming with a real neighborhood feel. We always take friends to walk around there. The neighborhood feel is one reason we opened La Taqueria there. A few years ago we had the chance to move to Florida but we loved Leesburg too much and decided to stay.

FAVORITE EVENT IN LOUDOUN TO GO TO?

The Leesburg Halloween Parade is spectacular. We have two small children and always pick a family theme for our costumes. One year we went as the characters in The Incredibles.

WHAT’S A FUN FACT TO SHARE ABOUT LOUDOUN?

Sunsets in Loudoun are unique; truly an out-of-this-world experience. It’s not surprising Loudoun attracts so many great artists.

WHY DID YOU OPEN A TACO RESTAURANT?

My wife and I missed the fresh taste and flavors we knew so well from back home. For a long time, we had to drive for over an hour to eat great tacos or something close to authentic Mexican food. Now that’s changing and La Taqueria is hopefully part of that.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO MAKING A GREAT TACO?

Fresh tortillas and homemade salsa. If a tortilla breaks or gets soggy, it’s not a proper taco. Our tortillas are made fresh with yellow corn. They don’t break and they smell just like tortillas back home. As for salsa, it must be homemade and hot. We do four types including one with

habaneros and seasoned onions. A taco without good salsa is not a taco.

WHAT MAKES YOUR TACOS SPECIAL?

We cook with our hearts and use three generations of family recipes. All our staff have Mexican backgrounds and that helps keep the authenticity of our food.

ASIDE FROM LA TAQUERIA, WHAT ARE THE BEST HISPANIC / LATIN RESTAURANTS IN LOUDOUN?

There are many good ones now but we particularly like Señor Tequila’s in Ashburn. Try the al pastor quesadilla. The seasoning in the pork and the melted cheese on a flour tortilla is perfect. We are trying to replicate that in our quesadilla at La Taqueria.

WHO MAKES THE BEST MARGARITAS IN LOUDOUN?

If you want to get really tipsy, Los Tios Grill in Market Station. They are huge.

WHAT’S THE BEST MEXICAN BEER?

Victoria – brewed in Mexico since 1865. When we get our ABC license, we will sell four Mexican beers including Victoria and Pacifico served ice cold. We will also offer four tequila drinks.

A LOT OF TACO AND MEXICAN RESTAURANTS ARE OPENING IN LOUDOUN – WHY IS THIS?

Who doesn’t like tacos and margaritas? Cinco de Mayo has also become a popular celebration in the US and with the increasing Latino population in the area, the demand for Mexican food increases.

HOW SHOULD LOCALS CELEBRATE NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH?

Support Latino-owned small businesses, buy local, learn Spanish and “Que viva la fiesta” as we say in Mexico – long live the party! n

Visit Loudoun strives to bring tourists to the county, but locals can be tourists, too. In this series we ask Loudoun residents to tell us about the joys, secrets and delights of their own backyard. Discover something new and share your local adventure with Visit Loudoun using #loveloudoun.

GET OUT HAPPENINGS

continued from page 20

GENEALOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY: USING DNA

10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St., Leesburg. Free. leesburgva.gov/departments/ thomas-balch-library

WRITING IN NATURE

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org

AUTHOR TALK: HAMILTON VERSUS WALL STREET

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. Free. loudounmuseum.org

PRACTICING SELFCOMPASSION

7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Place, Potomac

Falls. library.loudoun.gov/Cascades

BIRDING BANSHEE

8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org

FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9

Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org

BIRDING ALGONKIAN

8 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Algonkian Regional Park, 47001 Fairway Drive, Sterling. loudounwildlife.org

LOUDOUN PET EXPO

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 17501 Franklin Park Drive, 17501 Franklin Park Drive, Purcellville. loudounpetexpo.com

MUSHROOM DAY

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10

Izaak Walton League, 19249 Mountain Spring Lane, Leesburg. lcciwla.org

FALL FESTIVAL

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, Harmony Church, 380 E. Colonial Highway, Hamilton. facebook.com/ harmonychurch380 ART OF CONSERVATION

ART SHOW & SALE

12 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Silverbrook Farm, 15286 Woodgrove Road, Hillsboro. loudounsketchclub.com

A TALE OF TWO RAIDS: JEB STUART’S CHRISTMAS RAID, AND THE RAID HE NEVER MADE

2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 Lovettsville Historical Society, 10 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. lovettsvillehistoricalsociety. org

TEE OFF FOR CHILDREN’S LITERACY

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club, 41601 Raspberry Drive, Leesburg. allagesreadtogether. networkforgood.com

Employment Opportunities

Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online.

Resumes may be submitted as supplemental only. EOE/ADA. Regular Full-Time Positions

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

Legal Notices

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER REZONING APPLICATION TLZM-2022-0005

LEEGATE COMMERCIAL

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, to consider Rezoning application TLZM-2022-0005, Leegate Commercial.

The Subject Property consists of 8 parcels totaling approximately 101.75 acres (Loudoun County Property Identification Numbers (PIN) 189-10-3080, 189-10-6250, 148-15-1619, 189-19-2882, 19049-8251, 190-49-5275, 190-49-29-18, and 190-20-5775.) A proposed Proffer Amendment affects the phasing plan for residential and commercial uses as well the triggers for certain recreational amenities on these parcels. Portions of two parcels (the Site, (PINs 148-15-1619 and 189-10-6250, consisting of approximately 5.28 acres of vacant land bound by Battlefield Parkway, Trailview Boulevard and Fort View Boulevard) are subject to a proposed Zoning Concept Plan Amendment. The Site is zoned PRC, Planned Residential Community and also lies within the Gateway District (Overlay).

Rezoning Application TLZM-2022-0005 is a request by Lidl US, LLC to amend the Concept Plan and Proffers for the subject property to allow for an approximately 30,500 square foot grocery store and a second retail/office building of up to 17,000 square feet. The phasing plan for residential and commercial uses, and the delivery triggers for certain recreational amenities are also proposed for amendment.

The Site is located in what the Legacy Leesburg Town Plan (LLTP) describes as an “Area to Transform or Evolve” on the Area Based Land Use Initiatives Map (LLTP pg. 72). The property is further designated within LLTP as an “Innovation Center” on the Character Areas for Preservation and Change Map (LLTP pg. 76). There is no recommended density for residential use or a Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) for commercial uses associated with a PRC-Planned Residential Community within LLTP. The Site is further designated as “Regional Office” in the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan. The proposed commercial F.A.R. of the Site is 0.21.

The application includes several requested modifications to the Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance (TLZO) regulations. Modifications being requested by the Applicant include:

1. Maximum building sizes in the PRC (TLZO Sec. 9.3.16.A.2),

2. Setback requirements (TLZO Sec. 10.4.5.E.5),

3. Required number of loading spaces (TLZO Sec. 11.9),

4. Buffer and screening requirements (TLZO Sec. 12.8.2 and 12.8.3), and

5. Universal Gateway District Standards (TLZO Sec. 7.12.24).

Additional information and copies of this application are available at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the second floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Richard Klusek, at 703-771-2758 or rklusek@leesburgva.gov.

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

8/31 & 9/7

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ045188-10-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re

Ashli Martinez-Bonilla

Loudoun County Department of Family Services

Maynor Martinez Acosta, putative father and Unknown Father

ABC LICENSE

Multiservicios Hispanos LLC trading as La Tiendita, 940A Edwards Ferry Rd NE, Leesburg, Virginia 20176.

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

Ever S Chavez Garcia, LLC Member

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

8/31 & 9/7/23

ABC LICENSE

Ford’s on Maine Catering LLC trading as Ford’s Wicked Catering, 44900 Acacia Lane #116, Sterling, VA 20166.

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a restaurant with caterer license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

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.

9/7 & 9/14/23

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE PUBLIC NOTICE

The Town of Purcellville Planning Commission (PC) will convene at 6:30 pm on Thursday, September 21, 2023 at Town Hall for the purpose of receiving comments on, considering, and possibly voting on the following item:

A Zoning Map Amendment (Rezoning) regarding the property located at 200 South 20th St., Purcellville, Virginia. The property is further identified by Parcel Identification Number 488-27-9979.

RZ-23-01: Zoning Map Amendment application submitted by property owner, William Hombach. The rezoning request proposes to rezone the .65 acre above referenced parcel from Duplex Residential(R3) to Historic Office/Residential(R3-A) The applicant’s stated purpose for the rezoning is to permit a “Bed and Breakfast” use, as described in the Zoning Ordinance.

Additional information regarding this application is available at the Office of Engineering, Planning & Development at 221 South Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, Virginia 540-338-7421 during regular business hours, holidays excepted.

At this public hearing, all persons desiring to present their views concerning this matter will be heard.

In addition, all persons have the option of sending an email to the Planner, Jordan Andrews, at jandrews@ purcellvilleva.gov, with written comments or questions concerning the proposed amendment. Emails sent by 4:00PM the day of the Public Hearing will be part of the written record for the public hearing, but may not necessarily be read aloud into the record at the public hearing.

Nan Forbes Chair, Planning Commission 9/7 & 9/14/23

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 Ashli MartinezBonilla.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Maynor Martinez Acosta, putative father and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before October 10, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

8/31, 9/7, 9/14 & 9/21/23

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE COMMITTEE, COMMISSION AND BOARD VACANCIES

The Purcellville Town Council will be reviewing applications and conducting open interviews for appointments to fill vacancies on the following:

o Board of Architectural Review

o Board of Zoning Appeals

o Economic Development Advisory Committee

Information on each of the committees can be found on the Town’s website. Applications are due by 4:00 PM on Friday, September 15, 2023.

Citizens interested in serving on any of the above should complete and submit an application along with a letter of interest and/or resume outlining your qualifications. An online application can be found on the Town’s website at http://purcellvilleva.gov/forms.aspx?FID=78 . You may also pick up an application at Town Hall during normal business hours Monday through Friday 8:30am-4:30pm.

If you have any questions concerning the vacant positions or the appointment process, please do not hesitate to contact Kimberly Bandy, Deputy Town Clerk at (540) 338-7421.

8/31 & 9/7/23

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will conduct a public hearing during its work session on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia. The items proposed for public hearing during this work session are as follows:

ZOAM-2020-0002

PRIME AGRICULTURAL SOILS AND CLUSTER SUBDIVISIONS

(Zoning Ordinance Amendment)

Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-2204, the Planning Commission will consider proposed amendments to Zoning Ordinance regulations governing the Cluster Subdivision Option in the AR – 1 (Agricultural Rural – 1) and AR – 2 (Agricultural Rural – 2) zoning districts. The proposed amendments will establish new and clarify, revise and/or delete existing regulations and definitions in regard to the preservation of prime farmland soils, rural cluster development design, and uses for the Cluster Subdivision Option. A complete copy of the text of the proposed amendments may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, as described below.

LEGI-2023-0024, BROADLANDS SECTION 104:

ZCPA-2021-0011, SPEX-2021-0055, & SPEX-2023-0001, BROADLANDS, SECTION 104

(Zoning Concept Plan Amendment, Special Exceptions)

Broadlands Commercial Development LLC has submitted applications for: a zoning map amendment and special exceptions for approximately 10.2 acres of land located west of Claiborne Parkway (Route 901) on the east side of Broadlands Boulevard (Route 640) and north of Van Metre Drive (Route 2343) in the Ashburn Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

of the remaining PD-CC zoning district and the proposed R-24 ADU (Multifamily Residential Affordable Dwelling Unit Regulations) zoning district, reduce the required parking for Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Affordable Housing Units (AHUs) to 1.2 parking spaces per ADU and AHU; eliminate the required landscape buffer between the remaining PD-CC zoning district and the proposed R-24 ADU zoning district; allow access to lots created after the rezoning to be provided by Category A and B private roads; allow a 60-foot building height without additional setback for a height over 45 feet; and allow for a ten-foot building and parking setback along Commonwealth Center Drive.

LEGI-2023-0026, LANSDOWNE BOULEVARD REZONING: ZMAP-2021-0024, SPEX-2021-0060, ZMOD2021-0093, ZMOD-2022-0073 & ZMOD-2022-0074

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception & Zoning Modifications)

ESC Lansdowne LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 9.22 acres of land located on the west side of Lansdowne Boulevard (Route 2400) and north of Riverside Parkway (Route 2401) in the Ashburn Election District (the “Subject Property”), and more particularly described as 19391 Lansdowne Boulevard, Leesburg, Virginia, PIN: 082-28-1875-000, Tax Map #: /62///7//B6-1/.

For ZCPA-2021-0011, the applicant seeks to administer the property under the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/ Multifamily Affordable Dwelling Unit Regulations) zoning district in order to allow a maximum of 136 dwelling units, including a maximum of 45 single family attached units, a maximum of 27 multifamily stacked units, and a maximum of 64 multifamily attached units. For SPEX-2021-0055, SPEX-2021-0056, and SPEX-2023-0001, the applicant seeks to permit the modification of the minimum yard requirements for the ADU developments in the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/Multifamily Affordable Dwelling Unit Regulations) zoning district.

LEGI-2023-0041, COMMONWEALTH CENTER RESIDENTIAL:

ZMAP-2022-0016, SPEX-2023-0018, ZMOD-2022-0058, ZMOD-2022-0059, ZMOD-2022-0061, ZMOD-2022-0062, ZMOD-2023-0033, ZMOD-2023-0034, & ZMOD-2023-0035

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

CWC Shops LC has submitted applications for: a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 21.97 acres of land located south of Route 7 on the east side of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607), and both the north and south sides of Russell Branch Parkway (Route 1061) in the Broad Run Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS TAX MAP NUMBER

040-35-3062-00020550 Heron Overlook Plaza, Ashburn, Virginia/80/H/1/////1A

040-35-9407-000 N/A /80/S/1/////6/

040-45-0894-00020500 Heron Overlook Plaza, Ashburn, Virginia /80/P/1/////2/

040-35-0972-00020530 Heron Overlook Plaza, Ashburn, Virginia /80/H/1/////3B

040-45-3498-000 20460 Heron Overlook Plaza, Ashburn, Virginia /80/H/1///3A1/

For ZMAP-2022-0016, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property to the R-24 ADU (Multifamily Residential Affordable Dwelling Unit Regulations) zoning district in order to develop up to 625 residential units. For SPEX-2023-0018, the applicant seeks a special exception to modify the minimum yard requirements for the R-24 ADU (Multifamily Residential Affordable Dwelling Unit Regulations) zoning district. For ZMOD-2022-0058, ZMOD-2022-0059, ZMOD-2022-0061, ZMOD-2022-0062, ZMOD-2023-0029, ZMOD-2023-0033, ZMOD-2023-0034, & ZMOD-2023-0035, the applicant seeks Zoning Ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property, including but not limited to: allow access from a private access easement for the remaining parcels located in the in the PD-CC (Planned Development – Commercial Center) zoning district; allow primary access to the remaining PD-CC zoning district through a residential street; reduce the minimum size of the remaining PD-CC zoning district; reduce the required open space for the remaining PD-CC zoning district; allow the required landscape buffer for the remaining PD-CC zoning district to be located on the outside perimeter

For ZMAP-2021-0024, the applicant seeks to rezone approximately 9.22 acres from the PD-OP (Planned Development – Office Park) zoning district to the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/Multifamily Residential-16, ADU Development Regulations) zoning district in order to develop 120 Residential units, consisting of a maximum 48 multifamily units and a maximum of 72 single family attached units, at a density of approximately 13.02 dwelling units per acre. For SPEX-2021-0060, the applicant seeks a special exception to permit the modification of minimum yard requirements in the R-16 ADU zoning district. For ZMOD-2021-0093, ZMOD-2022-0073 & ZMOD-2022-0074, the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property and/or proposed development, including but not limited to: increase lot coverage from 75 to 85 percent for rear loaded single family attached dwelling units, permit two on-street parking spaces to meet zoning requirements for 16-foot wide single family attached units instead of one on-street space, and permit enclosed or unenclosed porches to project a maximum of four feet provided they do not extend closer than on foot from a lot line.

LEGI-2023-0033, OLD ARCOLA RESIDENTIAL: ZMAP-2022-0005, SPEX2022-0017, SPEX-2022-0018, SPEX-2022-0019, SPEX-2023-0013, SPMI-20220005, ZMOD-2022-0017, ZMOD-2022-0070, ZMOD-2022-0071, ZMOD-20220084, ZMOD-2022-0085, ZMOD-2022-0086, ZMOD-2023-0018 and ZMOD2023-0042

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exceptions, Minor Special Exception & Zoning Modifications)

Capretti Land, Inc. has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment, special exceptions, a minor special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 31.67 acres of land located along Stone Springs Blvd (Route 659), south of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 651), and north of Lee Jackson Memorial Highway (Route 50) in the Dulles Ridge Election District. The subject property is more particularly identified as:

For ZMAP-2022-0005, the Applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the RC (Rural Commercial) and GB (General Business) zoning districts to the R8 (R-8-Single Family Residential) and R16 (R-16-Townhouse/Multifamily Residential) zoning districts in order to develop 228 residential units at a density of 7.2. For SPEX-2022-0017, SPEX-2022-0018, SPEX-2022-0019, and SPEX-2023-0013, the applicant seeks special exceptions to modify yard and lot requirements including but not limited to: allow parking in required yards, to allow a 20’ minimum rear yard for single family detached units, to allow a 10’ minimum front yard for multi-family units, and to allow for a public or private community or regional park in the R-16 zoning district. For SPMI-2022-0005, the applicant seeks a minor special exception to modify recycling container setbacks from 150 feet from residential dwellings to 60 feet. For ZMOD-2022-0017, ZMOD-2022-0070, ZMOD-2022-0071, ZMOD-2022-0084, ZMOD-2022-0085, ZMOD-2022-0086, ZMOD-2023-0018, and ZMOD-2023-0042, the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: eliminate buffer yards and planting requirements, reduce the front yard requirement for corner lots from 25 feet minimum to 10

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

feet minimum, to allow single family attached units and multi-family units to front on private streets, to allow for no maximum height for patios or decks and to allow for porches, enclosed or unenclosed, to not extend closer than 10 feet to a lot line, to allow for all required plant unit types within the Type-A Buffer Yard requirement for peripheral parking lot landscaping to be located on the adjacent County property, to allow for single family attached buildings in the R-8 Zoning District to be a maximum height of 50 feet, and to remove the Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer.

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

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

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views during the public hearing portion of the work session. Public comment will be received only for those items listed for public hearing. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the hearing. If you wish to sign-up in advance, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5) prior to 12:00 PM on the day

JOINT PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE AMENDED FY2024FY2029 SECONDARY ROAD SIX-YEAR PLAN AND FY2024 CONSTRUCTION IMPROVEMENT BUDGET PRIORITY LIST

In accordance with Virginia Code §33.2-331, the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF LOUDOUN COUNTY and the VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (VDOT) will jointly hold a combined PUBLIC HEARING on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, to consider adoption of the Amended FY2024 - FY2029 Secondary Road Six-Year Plan (Amended Six-Year Plan) and the FY2024 Construction Improvement Budget Priority List developed for the secondary roads in Loudoun County.

All projects in the Amended Six-Year Plan that are eligible for federal funds will be included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which documents how Virginia will obligate federal transportation funds.

Citizens are invited to be present and express their views regarding the above-mentioned documents.

VDOT ensures nondiscrimination in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The list of highway improvement projects in the proposed Amended Six-Year Plan, and the proposed annual Construction Improvement Budget Priority List, taken from the Amended Six-Year Plan, may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call (703) 777-0200. Copies are also available at the Virginia Department of Transportation Leesburg Residency Office, 41 Lawson Road, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or call (703) 737-2000.

Board of Supervisors public hearings are held in the Board Room of the Government Center. Meetings are televised on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40. Meetings also are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views regarding these matters. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the public hearing. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on September 1, 2023, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on September 13, 2023. Members of the public may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory, or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200/TTY-711. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF:

Phyllis J. Randall Farid Bigdeli Chair Assistant District Administrator Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Virginia Department of Transportation

of the work session; however, speakers may also sign-up at the work session. Written comments concerning any item before the Commission are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 7000 Leesburg, VA 20177-7000, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun.gov. If written comments are presented at the hearing, please provide ten (10) copies for distribution to the Commission and for the Clerk’s records. Members of the public may also submit comments on land use items electronically at loudoun.gov/landapplications. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the work session to request additional time to speak on behalf of such organization.

Regularly scheduled Planning Commission work sessions are held on the second Thursday of each month. In the event the work session cannot be conducted on that date due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the work session, the work session may be continued to the third Tuesday of the month. In the event the work session may not be held on the third Tuesday due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the work session, the work session may be continued to the Thursday following the third Tuesday.

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

BY ORDER OF: MICHELLE FRANK, CHAIR

LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 8/31 & 9/7

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER SPECIAL EXCEPTION APPLICATION

TLSE-2022-0008

MEADOW GLEN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY EXPANSION

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1427, 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205 and 15.2-2285 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, to consider Special Exception application TLSE-2022-0008, Meadow Glen Assisted Living Facility Expansion.

The subject of the application is the existing assisted living residence at 315 Dry Mill Road SE. The property is zoned R-4, Single-Family Residential and is further described by Loudoun County Parcel Identification Number (PIN) 217-20-6669-000.

Special Exception Application TLSE-2022-0008 is a request by Cali Meadow Glen Operations, LLC amending Special Exception application TLSE-1999-0001 to allow an overall total 1,850 square foot addition to accommodate an increase in the number of beds from 40 to 42, yielding 13.1 beds/acre pursuant to Town of Leesburg Zoning Ordinance Section 5.4.2 Use Regulations

Additional information and copies of this application are available at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the second floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by contacting Christopher Murphy, Senior Planning Project Manager by telephone at 703-737-7009, or by email at cmurphy@leesburgva.gov

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

8/31 & 9/7/2023

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ046742-01-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Ava May Harmony O’Brien

Loudoun County Department of Family Services /v.

Patrick Kevin O’Brien, Father and Johnette Mae Nickens, Mother

The object of this suit is to hold an adjudicatory hearing pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-252 for Ava May Harmony O’Brien; and hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1278.2 and 16.1-281 for Ava May Harmony O’Brien.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Patrick Kevin O’Brien, Father and Johnette Mae Nickens, Mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 18, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (Adjudicatory); and October 16, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (Dispositional) 8/31, 9/7, 9/14 & 9/21/23

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, September 13, 2023, in order to consider:

PROPOSED CONVEYANCE OF COUNTY PROPERTY Conveyance of Easement near Belmont Ridge Road to the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-1800 et seq., the Board of Supervisors shall consider conveying to the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative a 15-foot-wide easement across County owned property in the Little River Election District, near the intersection of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) and Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621) at the Brambleton Public Safety Center, Fire Station No. 9, for the purpose of installing, laying, constructing, operating, repairing, altering, and maintaining underground conduit and cable lines to power and operate the telecommunication monopole approved as part of Commission Permit (CMPT)2021-009 and Special Exception (SPEX)-2021-0032. The property on which the easement will be located is more particularly identified as 23675 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148; PIN: 202-40-828-000; Tax Map # /92/D32///B-1/.

A complete copy of the draft deed of easement and plat showing the location of the above-listed conveyance, and associated documents, may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center; Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200. Documents may also be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments

ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE THE REMOVAL OF STRUCTURE(S) THAT MIGHT ENDANGER PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY

25450 Lizzio Center Drive (PIN 097-27-4045-000)

Pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 15.2-1427, 15.2-958 and 15.2-906, the Board of Supervisors gives notice of its intention to consider the adoption of an ordinance authorizing the removal of a structure that might endanger the public health or safety of residents of the County. The subject structure is found on the property more particularly identified as 25450 Lizzio Center Drive, Chantilly, Virginia; PIN 097-27-4045-000; Tax Map # 107////////47/, in the Dulles Election District. The property is currently owned by 43850 Eastgate, LLC. The proposed ordinance will be effective upon adoption by the Board of Supervisors.

A complete copy of the full text of the above-referenced proposed ordinance amendment may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-777-0200. Documents may also be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www. loudoun.gov/bosdocuments

LEGI-2023-0039, DEFENDER WEST:

ZMAP-2022-0014, ZMOD-2022-0051, ZMOD-2022-0052, & ZMOD-2023-0019

(Zoning Map Amendment, Zoning Ordinance Modifications)

JLB Realty LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment and zoning ordinance modifications for approximately 20.77 acres of land located south of Defender Drive (Route 1279), east of Elk Lick Road (Route 621), and the west of South Riding Boulevard (Route 2201) in the Dulles Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

LEGI-2023-0018, DOGWOOD FARM STATION: ZMAP-2021-0010, ZMOD-2021-0039, ZMOD-2021-0040, ZMOD-2022-0003, ZMOD-2022-0072, ZMOD-2023-0004 & SPEX-2022-0025

(Zoning Map Amendment, Zoning Ordinance Modifications, & Special Exception)

U.S. Home Corporation and Board of Supervisors have submitted applications for the following: a zoning map amendment, zoning modifications, and a special exception for approximately 20.08 acres of land located north of Leesburg Pike (Route 7), west of Bonnie Court (Route 823), and south of Riverside Parkway (Route 2401) in the Algonkian Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

PIN PROPERTY ADDRESS

TAX MAP NUMBER

057-48-9129-000 20052 GARDEN CENTER CT., ASHBURN, VA 20147 /63/D/1/////6A

057-49-4102-000 20080 BONNIE CT., ASHBURN, VA 20147 /63/D/1/////4/ 057-39-2064-000 N/A /63/D/1///RA1/

057-39-3060-000 N/A /63/D/1///RA2/ N/A

PORTION OF COUNTY-OWNED RIGHT-OF-WAY N/A

For ZMAP-2021-0010, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the A-3 (Agricultural-Residential) zoning district to the R-24 (Multifamily Residential) zoning district to develop up to 485 multifamily units at a density of 24 dwelling units per acre. For SPEX-2022-0023, the applicant seeks a special exception to permit a Child Care Center use in the R-24 zoning district. For ZMOD-2022-0003, ZMOD2022-0072, and ZMOD-2023-0040, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: to permit structures to be erected upon a lot that has frontage on open space; allow access to Riverside Parkway (Major Collector Road) from existing Bonnie Court (Local Road) and Garden Center Court (Local Road); increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 70 feet without additional setbacks; permit an internal private street to serve a childcare center; reduce building setback from Riverside Parkway from 75 feet to 40 feet; and reduce the building setback from Route 7 from 200 feet to 150 feet and the parking setback from 125 feet to 100 feet.

LEGI-2023-0062, VANTAGE DATA CENTER – BROAD RUN: ZRTD-2023-0001

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District)

Vantage Data Centers VA 15 LLC has submitted an application to rezone approximately 9.87 acres of land located south of Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), north of Moran Road (Route 634) and east of Dresden Street (Route 1119) in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

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

LEGI-2023-0032, DESAI RESIDENTIAL:

ZMAP-2022-0004, SPEX-2022-0021, ZMOD-2022-0022, and ZMOD-2022-0023

(Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception & Zoning Ordinance Modifications)

For ZMAP-2022-0014, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the PD-H4 (Planned Development – Housing 4) zoning district to the R-24 (Multi-family Residential) zoning district to develop up to 262 multifamily attached units at a density of up to 25.3 units per acre. For ZMOD-2022-0051, ZMOD-2022-0052, & ZMOD-2023-0019, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property, including but not limited to: increase the maximum building height from 60 feet to 70 feet; reduce the required active recreation space requirement from 50,000 square feet to 38,155 square feet; and modify the Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer requirements along Defender Drive to permit up to 75 percent of the required landscaping to consist of shrubs.

Van Metre Communities, LLC has submitted applications for the following: a zoning map amendment, a special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 10.06 acres in size located south of Braddock Road (Route 629), west of Gum Spring Road (Route 659) and east of Royal Hunter Drive, PIN 207-48-1371-000; Tax Map # 105////////18F in the Blue Ridge Election District (the “Subject Property”).

For ZMAP-2022-0004, the applicant seeks to rezone 10.06 acres from TR-1LF (Transitional Residential-1 Lower Foley) and TR-3LF (Transitional Residential-3 Lower Foley) zoning districts to the R8 (R-8-Single Family Residential) zoning district to develop 44 single-family detached (SFD) residential units. For SPEX-2022-0021, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum lot width from 40 feet to 34.5 feet, reduce minimum side yard setback from eight feet to five feet for Type B SFD units, and reduce the rear yard setback from 25 feet to 15 feet for Type A SFD units. For ZMOD-2022-0022 and ZMOD-2022-0023, the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including: to allow residential units to front onto private roads, and to allow all roads within the development to be private.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Legal Notices

LEGI-2023-0045, TTM TECHNOLOGIES SIGN PLAN:

ZMOD-2022-0075

(Zoning Ordinance Modification)

TTM Technologies Inc has submitted an application for a zoning ordinance modification for approximately 6.56 acres of land located east of Route 28, and south of Nokes Boulevard (Route 1793) at 1200 E Severn Way, Sterling, Virginia, PIN 030-25-3412-000; Tax Map # /80////////93/ in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is located in the PD-IP (Planned Development –Industrial Park) zoning district under the Loudoun County 1972 Zoning Ordinance. The applicant seeks a zoning ordinance modification of the Loudoun County 1972 Zoning Ordinance to implement a Comprehensive Sign Package to increase the total aggregate sign area from 60 sf to 297.66 sf.

LEGI-2023-0050, BROAD RUN BUSINESS CENTER:

ZRTD-2022-0006

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District)

BCal PCP PROPERTY II LLC, has submitted an application to rezone approximately 32.52 acres of land located north of Dresden Street (Route 1119), and east of Broderick (Route 1070) in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly identified as:

044-26-2662-000 22265 Pacific Boulevard, Sterling, Virginia /94//28/////2A 044-16-3380-000 22341 Dresden Street, Sterling, Virginia /94//28/////2C 044-26-7923-000 22275 Pacific Boulevard, Sterling, Virginia /94//28/////2B

The applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the PD-IP (Planned Development - Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, to permit the development of all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district.

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS/PROPOSALS/QUALIFICATIONS FOR:

JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR CLAUDE MOORE RECREATION AND COMMUNITY CENTER, IFB No. 637796 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 28, 2023.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TELEPHONE INTERPRETATION SERVICES, RFP No. 638801 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 28, 2023.

PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, DISPLACEMENT SUPPORT AND HOMELESSNESS AND DIVERSION SERVICES, RFP No. 637794 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 29, 2023.

SNOW AND ICE CONTROL SERVICES (SUPPLEMENTAL), IFB No. 638803 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 29, 2023.

WESTERN LOUDOUN RECREATION COMPLEX- CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT RISK SERVICES, RFQu No. 609793 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “atomic time”, October 18, 2023.

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

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

9/7/23

Copies of the proposed plans, ordinances, and amendments for each item listed above may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Office of County Administrator, First Floor Information Desk, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 7037770246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies. Additional project files related to land use applications for public hearings may be reviewed electronically at loudoun.gov/landmarc. In addition, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: loudoun.gov/bosdocuments.

Board of Supervisors public hearings are held in the Board Room of the Government Center. Meetings are televised on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40. Meetings also are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views regarding those matters listed for public hearing. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the public hearing. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on September 1, 2023, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on September 13, 2023. Members of the public may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing. Members of the public may also submit comments on land use items electronically at loudoun.gov/landapplications

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory, or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200/TTY-711. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF: PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

8/31 & 9/7/23

SOUTH LOUDOUN STREET AND SOUTH LOCUST STREET PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS

The Town of Lovettsville is in the process of designing pedestrian improvements to South Loudoun Street and South Locust Street between the Lovettsville Elementary School and East Broad Way. The LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will be holding a Design Public Hearing to gain additional input on design elements from the community at the following date and time:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023

5:00-6:30 pm

Town Council Chambers

6 E Pennsylvania Avenue

Lovettsville, VA 20180

Project Description: Improvements will include installing sidewalk, improved storm drainage, lighting, waterline, sanitary sewer, and minor roadway improvements to address speed and vehicular safety. Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant sidewalks will provide safe pedestrian access along the corridor from the center of Town. The project will also include redefining South Loudoun Street to one-way operation southbound between East Broad Way and South Locust Street, consistent with the Town-wide Transportation Plan. The Town received $2,000,000 in Loudoun County Capital Improvement grant funding and $5,744,100 in Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) funds that will go towards the anticipated total project cost of $7,904,100.

All persons desiring to submit written or oral comments will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting or comments can be submitted by Thursday, November 2, 2023 to Charlie Mumaw, Project Manager, Town of Lovettsville, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, VA 20180 or via email: cmumaw@lovettsvilleva.gov

Additional details concerning the project including design plans, schedule and funding are available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. In the event the meeting is cancelled, the public hearing will be convened at the next regular scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

The Town of Lovettsville ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact the Town of Lovettsville at (540) 822-5788.

9/7 & 9/21/23

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF WILLINGNESS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING

Morven Park Road Sidewalk

From: West Market Street (Route 7 Business)

To: Old Waterford Road Town of Leesburg

VDOT Project #U000-253-R44

Proposed Project: The Town of Leesburg was awarded funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation to upgrade Morven Park Road by providing new sidewalk, curb and gutter, drainage improvements, and other related improvements.

Plan Review: Individuals can review maps, drawings, and other project information online at www. leesburgva.gov/MorvenPark or in person by appointment at the Town of Leesburg Town Hall Department of Public Works and Capital Projects at 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176 through September 22, 2023. Appointments for in-person review of project information may be made by contacting Danielle Southerland at 703-737-7069 or dsoutherland@leesburgva.gov.

Requesting a Public Hearing: By this notice, the Town is indicating its willingness to hold a public hearing for this project if individual concerns cannot be addressed. You may request a public hearing by sending a written request prior to September 22, 2023.

Mail written request to:

Renee LaFollette, Director of Public Works and Capital Projects

Town of Leesburg

Department of Public Works and Capital Projects 25 West Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176

Further Notice: If a request for a public hearing is received, and the concerns addressed in the request cannot be adequately resolved, a public hearing will be scheduled at a time and place to be advertised in a future notice.

Questions or Special Assistance: Questions regarding this project should be directed to Kate Trask, Assistant Town Manager and ADA/504 Coordinator: (703) 737-7144. For the Hearing Impaired (VA Residents Only) Dial 711.

The Town of Leesburg ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII if the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact Kate Trask.

9/7 & 9/14/23

IAD Master Plan Public Open House Workshop

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location: Washington Dulles Airport Marriott

45020 Aviation Drive Dulles, VA 20166

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is preparing a Master Plan for the Washington Dulles International Airport. The Airport Master Plan is a comprehensive study that describes short-, medium- and long-term improvements proposed for the airport. It is designed to establish a roadmap for incremental development to meet future aviation demand and other airport needs for the next 25 years.

The Master Planning process is designed as an inclusive process that encourages citizen participation. A public open house workshop will be held to provide information on the preliminary development alternatives for the Airport. Representatives from the Airports Authority and the Consultant team will be available to answer questions and receive comments on the ongoing Master Planning analyses and tasks completed to date.

For additional information, please scan the QR code or visit us at the website below: https://www.flydulles.com/about-airport/master-plan/dulles-international-airport-master-plan

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Master Plan team can also be contacted at: IADMaster.Plan@mwaa.com

9/7 & 9/21/23

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.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that Virginia Power and Electric Company (VMRC #2023-1988) is requesting a permit from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to install one broadband fiber optic cable across a 32-foot section of Crooked Run attached to existing distribution poles and placed 14 feet above the ordinary high water mark, adjacent to Hughesville Road as part of the Loudoun Rural Broadband Initiative 65 project in Loudoun County.

You may provide comments on this application (VMRC #2023-1988) at https://webapps.mrc.virginia. gov/public/habitat/comments/. We will accept comments by the USPS provided they are received within 15 days of this notice to: Marine Resources Commission, Habitat Management Division, 380 Fenwick Road, Bldg 96, Hampton, VA 23651.

Payment will be made by the applicant Virginia Electric and Power Company 120 Tredegar Street Richmond, VA 23219. The applicant may be reached at (276) 298-9662, (804) 239-8768 or via email at Geoffrey.a.hensley@dominionenergy.com, and Jacey.t.hamelman@dominionenergy.com

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ047416-01-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re John Doe aka Melvin Avon Loudoun County Department of Family Services

/v.

Unknown Mother and Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold an adjudicatory hearing pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-252 for John Doe aka Melvin Avon; and hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1278.2 and 16.1-281 for John Doe aka Melvin Avon.

It is ORDERED that the defendants Unknown Mother and Unknown Father appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before September 22, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. (Adjudicatory); and October 4, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. (Dispositional)

8/31, 9/7, 9/14 & 9/21/23

Absenteeism

continued from page 1

Education.

“What this means is, at our level three schools, they will have to have a plan in place that the VDOE will monitor with our support, and our level two schools will have a district-level intervention plan to help them,” she said.

Evans pointed out other major proposal changes, including eliminating the policy that the school principal is the final say when it comes to determining if an absence is excused or not. Instead, the policy lists what are considered excused absences, including medical or dental appointments, death in the family, school suspensions, court appearances or other legal obligations, military obligations and personal illness or injury, and mental health and substance abuse illnesses.

Travel policies

continued from page 3

Most of those revenues, the “restricted” portion of the tax, must be used for purposes such as encouraging tourism, rather than going into the county’s General Fund to offset other taxes.

“Fairfax County and many counties actually have offices in their sister county locations, and they have people who are staff in those offices, and taxpayer money pays for those offices,” Randall said. “The way we do it is different because we are trying to save money.”

“We would be practicing economic development malpractice if we were not to leverage the fact that we have an international airport at Dulles, and leveraging that international airport for economic diversity helps our entire economy and helps the airport,” Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian), herself the target of some criticism over a previous delegation to Uruguay, said. “If our award-winning Department of Economic Development, Visit Loudon, and economic development director believe that having a couple of us along on that trip to help build relationships—I’m happy to join and offer my support.”

Supervisors voted for the travel policy study 8-1, with Umstattd opposed.

Saines’s plan directs county staff to study travel policies in Fairfax County, Prince William County, Montgomery

“We wanted to make sure if a student was missing for mental health or for substance abuse illnesses we have documentation,” she said. “All too often a student and families will say ‘we have a mental health day we need to take.’ You can’t just keep taking mental health days unless you are getting services.”

The policy also lists times when principals can excuse students, including family emergencies and illness, civic activities, 4H educational programs and tribal pow-wows. Trips can been excused if they “enhance or extend the student’s education” and are approved by the principal in advance.” However, the policy notes that standard “family trips and vacations” should be planned outside of scheduled school time.

Additional changes deal with makeup work, suspension, and compulsory attendance. And they call for conversations with parents if a student misses five days, whether those days are excused or not.

“We are going to have that conversation with a parent because it’s a pattern we want to address,” she said.

What didn’t change was the automatic withdrawal of a student who misses 15 consecutive days or more of school.

The Aug. 17 meeting was to discuss the proposed policy changes with committee members before sending the revised policy out for feedback. The policy with its changes will be posted for community and advisory committee input before eventually going before the full School Board for further review and possible adoption.

The Virginia Board of Education revised its accreditation model earlier this year, changing the process from collecting data on three year averages of chronic absenteeism to collecting it for the previous year only. Chronic absenteeism is one of nine indicators in the state’s school accreditation model.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state board in April 2022 ad-

opted special provisions to suspend the use of chronic absenteeism for accreditation status for the 2022-2023 year. Later that year, the board adopted special provisions to exclude the 2021-2022 school year data from being included. In April, it decided to change its accreditation model and again consider chronic absenteeism in considering accreditation for the 20232024 school year.

The Loudoun County Public Schools has declared September as Attendance Awareness Month to spread the message that attendance matters. It offered tips to keep attendance a priority in its Sept. 5 email called the LCPS Letter. Those tips include establishing a good bedtime routine, setting out clothes and school supplies the night before, turning off electronic devices at bedtime and talking to your school’s mental health staff if your student feels anxious about going to school. n

County, MD, Prince George’s County, MD, and Frederick County, MD, and develop a travel policy proposal for Loudoun supervisors and their aides.

As in Loudoun, travel policies across the region—and in many governments— generally follow federal General Services Administration rates and policies for travel expenses, sometimes with some local modifications. Montgomery County, MD, for example, follows GSA rates, but restricts county-funded travel to states that restrict access to reproductive health care, a policy put in place after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Some of Loudoun’s rules for travel expenses are already more restrictive than federal rules. For example, Loudoun policy has employees flying coach, but allows an upgrade to business class for international flights over 10 hours. By contrast, federal policy allows flying business class under a range of circumstance, including if employees are required to report to duty the next day or sooner—or on any international flight.

Federal policy allows business class airline tickets on any flight over eight hours to or from destinations outside the continental U.S., which includes Alaska, Ha-

waii, U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, and any other country, including neighboring Canada and Mexico. Federal travelers may also upgrade to business class on the government dime for a number of other reasons, such as if flight time, including layovers, is more than 14 hours; if necessary to accommodate a disability or other special need; in “exceptional security circumstances;” or if coach is unavailable.

Little discussed have been possible problems around open meetings law with three supervisors on the trip—if three or more supervisors gather to discuss county business, it must be in a public meeting. n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

An Egyptair flight takes off from Dulles International Airport on Aug. 22.

Howardsville home

continued from page 1

Howardsville was one of several old Black communities in Loudoun that long went most unnoticed and ignored. Overvalued by county assessors, with back taxes stacking up, without running water or septic, and without any clear single owner since 1958, the property was in limbo for decades.

But after years of effort, a long court proceeding and some helping hands, during a small Sept. 1 ceremony Reid was handed the deed for his family’s land. It didn’t leave his hands again for the rest of the ceremony.

“I’m holding on, man,” he said. “I can’t wait to get in there and read it. Or maybe just look at it.”

He is descended from all four families of the original free Black landowners in what would become Howardsville, and a fifth that moved in soon after.

In 1874, nine years after the end of the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment, Jacob Howard and Andrew Causeberry bought four acres on Greengarden Road, according to deed books in the Circuit Court. It was land that had been part of the plantation of Howard’s former enslavers. Jacob Howard is Thomas Reid’s great-great-great-grandfather.

According to research by Loudoun historian Kevin Grigsby presented in his book “Howardsville: The Journey of An African-American Community in Loudoun County, Virginia,” the same day Howard and Causeberry—alternately spelled Cosberry, in the way names of the time might be spelled differently from one record to the next—bought their land, Jeremiah Basil also bought two acres. They were followed by Armistead Summers in 1876, and brothers Frank, Walker, Eli and Clinton Summers in 1879.

Thomas Reid Jr., known to some as “Bubbles,” lives on land that was part of Armistead Summers’ 1876 purchase. On a quick tour of the old building, Reid points out places where family members died— his grandfather fell down a set of stairs and broke his neck, his niece died laying in a bed upstairs. Outside, an old axle is high up in a tree—his grandfather, a stone mason, hung a big bell from the tree, which his grandmother would ring to let people in the village know what time it was.

“So many memories,” Reid said.

While it has generations of memories, what the old cabin does not have is indoor plumbing, and for 65 years no clear owner.

It was handed down through the

generations to Thomas Reid’s aunt Victoria Summers, who lived much of her life in New York. But she died in 1958 without a will, and with many people having a partial claim to the land. And then the assessed value of the property—and therefore the real estate tax bill—started to climb.

Tax records in Reid’s partition suit to resolve ownership of the property go as far back as 1987, when the land was valued at $23,800. The assessment peaked in 2008, when the property was assessed at $229,800, with Reid’s home alone—two log cabins built in the 1800s and then attached, with no water or indoor plumbing—valued at $23,800.

One day, Reid called up his friend Kim Hart, who he knew from church and work in Howardsville by the Windy Hill Foundation when Hart was the organization’s executive director. Reid had seen his name in the newspaper—because the county was preparing to sell the property to recover more than $18,000 in unpaid real estate taxes.

The family had been taking turns paying the tax bill, Hart said, until the climbing assessments became more than they could afford. Hart asked the county to delay the sale, but the county said it would not.

So Windy Hill Foundation board member Mark Ohrstrom donated the money to cover the back taxes, and Hart and Reid went up to the county building to

pay the bill. Then, to petition the county for three years of back taxes—available in cases where there has been an error in assessment—and to connect the property to water and septic.

The county government and Loudoun Water had launched a project to install a wastewater system, since a normal drain field will not work in Howardsville. The land doesn’t perc, meaning its soils are inadequate for a septic system drainfield, and the community had long been without basic indoor plumbing.

“When they decided to sell land to African Americans, they didn’t give them the best land,” Hart said. “So, it’s not a surprise this doesn’t perc.”

Without a single owner, there was nobody to sign an agreement with Loudoun Water to connect to the wastewater system. Reid, Hart, and attorney Steven Price began the long process of finally resolving a decades-old question—after the death of Reid’s “Aunt Vick,” who owns the land where Reid was born and lives today. When, as part of that suit, an assessor physically visited the property in July 2022, he assessed the property at $10,000.

The conclusion of that legal proceeding, known as a partition suit, resulted in the deed to the land which Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary Clemens handed to Reid on Friday.

“We do some really big projects in the

county, but I’ve got to tell you, I haven’t done a whole lot that has been more impactful and more important than what we’ve done here on this piece of land in Howardsville,” said County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), who led the push to bring water and wastewater service to the village.

There is still more to come. Hart said paperwork is underway to get Howardsville added to the National Register of Historic Places.

And according to Hart, Loudoun Habitat for Humanity has provided a three-bedroom, two-bath mobile home to connect to the new wastewater treatment system and new well, as soon as the building and connection permits are through. It’s expected to arrive this fall on the same spot where Reid held the deed to the land for the first time.

“The fact that we’re standing on the piece of land that many generations ago, an African American wouldn’t be allowed to own—and was given to the African American community because it didn’t perc and didn’t grow, and now we’re handing the deed over and have a water [treatment system], and that will allow this land to do anything we want to do with it—is really fairly amazing,” Randall said. “I say all the time, we have a long way to go in this country, but we’ve come a long way already.” n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Loudoun Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary Clemens hands Thomas Reid the deed to his family land with county Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large).

Published

15

The Board of Supervisors this week continued its clumsy reaction to the flap stirred by three of its members traveling together on an economic development trip to western Africa.

207

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

Now, they’ve initiated a study of travel policies used by other surrounding jurisdictions, as well as the federal government. That would be fine if the debate spurred by the Ghana trip was about how supervisors should have traveled. Maybe some of it is—over which airplane seats to sit in and which hotels to book.

But we know the travel policies of other jurisdictions will be remarkably similar to those applied in Loudoun’s government. These public sector guidelines are fairly well established.

The real question being asked by constituents is not how supervisors should travel, but why they should travel—perhaps, if they should travel.

So far, only the policy changes proposed by Supervisor Umstattd address the core issue.

Key to her proposal was that supervisors and their district office staff members travel internationally only if their physical presence is required to close a deal. It also would require the full Board of Supervisors to formally approve in advance any travel itinerary and the estimated costs of any county-funded travel by supervisors or their staff members, requiring that only costs deemed essential to enacting a formal relationship with a foreign jurisdiction or the actual recruitment of a foreign business be funded. Further, the policy would permit only the supervisor whose signature is required to use tax dollars collected in Loudoun County for travel to and from, or entrance into, the site where a formal signing of documents occurs.

That prudent, fiscally responsible definition of essential travel would go a long way to stave off criticisms of supervisors jetting off to vacation lands on taxpayers’ dimes. n

ADVERTISING

SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.com

TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.com

Against Us

Editor:

In case you needed another reason to not like Loudoun’s Board of Supervisors, they recently directed the county to sign on to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government letter to the Biden Administration to force federal employees back to the office and reduce telecommuting. The letter, signed on Aug. 30 by County Administrator Tim Hemstreet, encourages the federal Office of Management and Budget to “aggressively execute this shift in September and October.”

That the Board of Supervisors, and MCOG in general, would encourage such an action clearly demonstrates that our local government’s work against us and not for us. They are actively advocating for people to waste their lives in traffic, increase pollution, spend less time with their families, waste dwindling income on commuting expenses, and increase their overall stress levels.

This board cares more about Metro ridership levels, pilfering your wallets through lunchbox taxation, and sending you into crime-ridden DC than the financial, physical, and mental well-being

of the Loudoun citizens that voted for them.

Remember that this November.

— David Dickinson, Leesburg

Coordinated Attack Editor:

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the attacks on our public schools and LGBTQ children doesn’t arise from a grassroots “parental rights” movement, rather it’s been carefully choreographed by Loudoun’s Christian homeschool activist, Michael Farris, for years.

LETTERS to the Editor Online always at LoudounNow.com

In July 2021, Farris engaged with a secretive group of Christian millionaires on a confidential conference call to discuss how to “take down the (public) education system as we know it today.”

According to the Sept. 4 front-page expose in the Washington Post [“The Christian home-schooler who made ‘parental rights’ a GOP rallying cry,” by Emma Brown and Peter Jamison], Farris conspired with members of Ziklag, a Christian organization of multi-millionaires, to discuss how to bring a case before the Supreme Court that would give parents a universal right to receive vouchers for home or private schooling.

A Ziklag study predicted that public education could lose $238 billion a year, or a third of its total funding. Alliance Defending Freedom, which Farris headed, received significant money from Ziklag for the task. Farris had used the same tactic to overturn Roe.

Farris has played a seminal role in turning Loudoun’s Republican Party to the far right. He urged and endorsed extremist Dave LaRock, a Christian homeschooler, to challenge moderate Republican Delegate Joe May in 2013 forcing a Republican primary. LaRock won that race and was then elected to the Virginia House.

Fast forward, it was LaRock who organized the first two of numerous Stop the Steal rallies in Loudoun. Oathkeepers’ Stewart Rhodes, convicted of seditious conspiracy, spoke at the first. Loudoun County Sherriff Michael Chapman attended the second. Many speakers and supporters at these rallies, like Republican House of Delegates candidate Geary Higgins, morphed into outspoken opponents of the LCPS school board setting a climate that demonized school board

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR continues on page 35

Park renovations

continued from page 3

ception is right now might be a little bit of an understatement,” Torpy said Thursday night. “You just need to know that we heard you and we want to have conversation with you to make sure that this project is the best possible project moving forward that we can. That takes community engagement and that’s what tonight is all about.”

Mayor Bridge Littleton participated in the breakout sessions along with other members of the Town Council.

“It’s very important for us as a community to come together and give you guys the feedback of our hopes, our vision, our desires, our wants and needs for the future—not just for tomorrow but for the next 50 to 100 years,” Littleton said to the crowd. “Let’s think about a positive, engaged, hopeful, thoughtful vision of what Mickie Gordon Park has always been, what it is today and what we want it to continue to be in the future and serve some new needs that we have.

“I’m really excited about tonight. It’s always awesome when you have a community meeting, and you have to start pulling out more chairs when you’ve already got 100 out. So just look around the room at the intensity, the engagement and the concern and the care that we all have. This is what I love about living in our community,” Littleton said.

County Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) also joined in the roundtable talks. She said the toured the park with Littleton and then went back at night to better understand the impact expanded park activities could have. She said the conversations around changes at the park aren’t just about the intensity of the use.

READERS’ poll

“I’m also quite aware that sometimes when we have these discussions, it’s about turn lanes and asphalt and capacity and density—and sometimes involved in all that it’s also about memories,” Randall said. “We have to give as much time and effort and respect to that to the sentimental value of what this park is to you all, as we do to when we’re going to have a turn lane. I realize that it’s not just about the basics, it’s also about the feelings.”

The Parks and Recreation staff plans to return in November with a follow-up meeting based on the community’s input.

In the meantime, both the park neighbors and the cricket community will be seeing progress.

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• 36.8% Taxes

• 23.7% Accountability

• 12.5% Education

• 11.8% Development

• 9.2% Crime

• 4.6% Equity

• 1.3% Business growth

LETTERS to the editor

continued from page 34

Torpy said the tennis courts at Mickie Gordon Park will be getting a refresh this month, part of the regularly scheduled maintenance cycle. Also, the department is moving forward with plans to build two more cricket pitches at Hal and Berni members, teachers, and public education in general.

Farris’ Parental Rights Foundation promoted Ian Prior and Fight For Schools, who led demonstrations and recall petitioning against “woke” School Board members, and according to the Post article, Farris counseled and urged Glen Younkin to use parental rights as a centerpiece for his run for governor.

Farris created the Home School Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College, a university for Christian

home-schooled students, in Purcellville. Both are Bible-based evangelical training grounds, whose purpose is to provide leadership to transform our state and federal governments into theocracies based upon the values and laws of the Christian Bible.

HSLDA runs Generation Joshua, which airlifts middle and high school Christian homeschoolers to Loudoun to get out the vote for Republican candidates. Using PHC students as team captains, during the 2019 elections this alien force from 11 different states knocked on tens of thousands of doors before Election Day.

— Steven Meyer, Leesburg

CHIPshots

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Park, Recreation and Community Development Director Steve Torpy speaks during the Aug. 31 community meeting on the future of Mickie Gordon Park at the Middleburg Community Center as Chief Parks Planner Mark Novack looks on.