Loudoun Now for Sept. 14, 2023

Youngkin Pardons Father Charged in School Board Meeting Fracas

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Scott Smith, the Loudoun father who was charged with disorderly conduct during a June 22, 2021, School Board meeting where a policy about the rights of transgender students was up for a vote, was given an absolute pardon by Governor Glenn Youngkin on Sunday.

Smith said although a weight has been lifted from his shoulders with the pardon, he still wished he could have had his day in court to

SMITH PARDONED continues on page 32

“A Warrior On My Path”

Boulder Crest Celebrates 10 Years

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

On Friday, Boulder Crest Retreat celebrated 10 years serving military veterans and their families struggling with post-traumatic stress.

The nonprofit opened its wellness retreat for combat veterans and their families in Bluemont in 2013, following two years of fundraising, on 37 acres donated by founders Julia and Ken Falke.

The guest speaker at Boulder Crest’s groundbreaking ceremony in 2012, then a U.S. Marine Corps colonel, returned as a brigadier general to speak at the celebration Friday.

“I’m not a guest speaker. I’m a family member here. Because I’m a warrior on my path,” Brig. Gen. Anthony Henderson said. “Like many of you, I have been on that path longer than I knew, and I will be on it until the last of my days. Because who we are and who we’re meant to be and can become is filled with joy, of walking the path that Boulder Crest represents.”

Henderson said he, too, has faced post-traumatic stress disorder, facing the traumas of the stresses of life, of the battlefield, and of his son’s struggle with a disease that Henderson only found out about when he came home from deployment to find his son in a wheelchair.

“It did carry as PTSD. I couldn’t admit it, I wouldn’t accept it, because I feared not being promoted, not being accepted by friends and family, and in an honest reality, I pushed it aside and focused on

the other men and women that I needed to lead, who were fighting for their lives every day in the services of their country,” he said. “I brought them home, and I did not expect to begin losing them then.”

He said the strength of America is hope, and that Boulder Crest is a beacon.

“For the rest of my life, I will always be on this path, and this will be my home to it,” he said.

Ken Falke, a Navy veteran, recalled the people and donors that helped start and grow the nonprofit, and the decision to create Boulder Crest after selling his company and previously starting another non-

profit serving veterans, the EOD Warrior Foundation.

He recalled meeting a soldier who had lost his legs early in the invasion of Iraq, whose only family, his mother, could not afford to fly to see him in the hospital. Falke said he bought the mother a plane ticket.

“We realized then how important family is during this healing process,” Falke said.

Falke this year stepped down as CEO,

BOULDER CREST

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Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Scott Smith answers questions at a press conference at the Loudoun County Court House Sept. 10 after being pardoned for disorderly conduct by Governor Glenn Youngkin.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Boulder Crest Retreat founder Ken Falke greets U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Anthony Henderson, who spoke at the retreat’s groundbreaking in 2012, at the center’s 10-year anniversary Friday, Sept. 8.

AWS, Simpson Middle School Think Big

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

J. Lupton Simpson Middle School opened its doors Tuesday to showcase its Amazon Web Services Think Big Space that launched last December with a community celebration.

The 21,000-square-foot room is an educational lab for students throughout the division and is a space for “students and teachers to explore innovative and imaginative ideas through interactive hands-on technical education and cloud computing training,” according to an announcement.

On Tuesday, AWS InCommunities Americas Leader Sarah Georgiades presented a surprise check for $25,000 to support the Loudoun Education Foundation’s Innovation in Education Grant program, adding on to a previous $25,000 donation.

Loudoun Education Foundation Executive Director Danielle Nadler said they were surprised by the donation and said the money will go toward LEF’s Innovation in Education Grant program, which provides $500-$1,500 grants to teachers to help with learning opportunities in the classroom.

Nadler said in the past grant money has been used to buy audio books for students whose second language is English to help them with reading and to increase excitement around it as well as to fund a student podcast.

She said the extra donation from AWS

will bring LEF’s grant total to nearly $80,000.

The Think Big Space features an integrated learning environment

Vodka Volunteers Help Out at Community Farm

On Thursday, volunteers from Tito’s Handmade Vodka were at the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows helping with the harvest and installing new covers to extend the garden’s growing season.

The nonprofit The Piedmont Environmental Council has provided produce from the farm at Gilbert’s Corner to Loudoun Hunger Relief since 2019, donating more than 100,000 pounds of sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables since it began. And that donation stands to increase—on Friday, volunteers from Tito’s philanthropic arm, Love, Tito’s, helped install new caterpillar tunnels,

similar to greenhouses, which extend the growing season in the garden.

The volunteers from both Tito’s and the PEC also harvested, washed and packaged late summer vegetables from the garden like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, according to a Love, Tito’s press release. It was part of the Love, Tito’s Block to Block community garden and farm program.

More information about the Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows is online at pecva.org/our-work/working-farms-and-food/roundabout-meadows-community-farm. More information about Love, Titos is online at lovetitos.com. n

where furniture, technology and the curriculum work together to support hands-on learning. The space is designed to encourage students to “Think Big,”

Alexis

using science, technology, engineering, arts and math principals, creativity and

THINK BIG continues on page 33

Volunteers with Love, Tito’s and the Piedmont Environmental Council assemble caterpillar tunnels at the council’s Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows at Gilbert’s Corner Thursday, Sept. 7.

Now

Gustin/Loudoun Now

A student helps a guest with Virtual Reality goggles in the AWS Think Big Space at J. Lupton Simpson Middle School Sept. 12.

Renss Greene/Loudoun

Supervisors Eye First Project Labor Agreement

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

The Board of Supervisor’s finance committee has recommended piloting Loudoun’s first project labor agreement with plans to construct a new government office building off Kincaid Boulevard near Loudoun County Animal Services.

The board’s Democratic majority has pushed for those agreements in county contracts. Under state law, through project labor agreements governments may require the contractor “to enter into or adhere to project labor agreements with one or more labor organizations” for a specific project.

The finance committee on Tuesday added direction to identify a road project for a second pilot project labor agreement, and to make sure the county hires a consultant with demonstrated success implementing those agreements.

Some supervisors have expressed frustration that county staff reports on project labor agreements have raised concerns

Hanson Park Named State’s ‘Best New Facility’

Loudoun County’s 257-acre Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park was recognized with the 2023 Best New Facility (Parks, Playgrounds, Blueways, Greenways or Trails) award at the Virginia Recreation and Park Society annual conference.

“This is a one-of-a-kind park for residents and visitors of Loudoun County and was a collaborative effort with the community that will provide recreational opportunities for all of Northern Virginia for generations to come,” Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Steve Torpy stated. “We are proud of the staff who worked hard to design and open the park, and all of the programs and activities that are being enjoyed by visitors throughout the year.”

The recognition follows another award earlier this year, when the park won an Achievement Award from the National As-

about possible higher project costs, reduced competition among bidders, and possibly eliminating bids from smaller women- and minority-owned businesses, while not finding clear evidence of advantages for completing projects on time, cost savings or winning grant funding. A county staff report in January found “limited quantitative data or empirical evidence” on the advantages or disadvantages of the agreements, and concluded it was “unclear what additional benefits a PLA would provide on a county construction project that are not provided through the existing [Virginia Public Procurement Act] requirements and the newly enacted Prevailing Wage requirement.”

County staff members recommended against implementing the agreements.

“I still feel as if the predictions of how this will go are coming off very, very negative from staff,” Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) said during the Sept. 12 meeting. “… We’ve tried to make very, very clear that we’re interested in doing this, and we believe it’s for the betterment

of the county, betterment of workers to be paid decent wages—all those things.”

Supervisors backing the idea have sought to provide evidence of the benefits of project labor agreements, including sending county staff members a white paper from the offices of County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn).

Republicans on the board have remained skeptical.

“I do feel like this is a little bit of a situation where the board didn’t like the answer, and so the board was hell-bent on getting its way one way or the other,” Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said Tuesday, repeating a concern that the county’s capital budget is already stretched by rising costs and labor shortages.

“I think it’s risky at a time when our capital budget is already stretched to do anything that could potentially increase

LABOR AGREEMENT

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ARPA Community Support Grants Open

Loudoun County is accepting applications from nonprofits for the American Rescue Plan Act Community Support Services Grant Program.

The program is designed to help nonprofits provide funding for durable medical equipment, utility assistance and other financial support to residents with low incomes who continue to be affected by the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and require support to maintain their employment, transportation, insurance and other services.

Nonprofits with a history of working in the Loudoun County community and that assist residents earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. More information is online at loudoun.gov/grantopportunities.

3rd Loudoun Recovery Festival Saturday

Loudoun County will celebrate Recovery Month in partnership with the Prevention Alliance of Loudoun and Loudoun Serenity House by hosting the third annual Loudoun Recovery Festival on Saturday, Sept. 16, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Douglass Community Center.

sociation of Counties.

The park includes a 15,000-square-foot skate park, 10 multipurpose soccer fields, four baseball/softball fields, a basketball court, four tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, two artificial turf fields with stadium seating and press boxes, two off-leash dog areas, dedicated cricket pitch with scoreboard, an 18-hole disc golf course, two amphitheaters, batting cages, four concession stands, a nature center, event

center, and seven pavilions.

Its amenities also include fishing ponds, community garden beds, miles of trails across 80 acres, two nature-themed playgrounds with accessible rubberized surfaces and a 10,000-square-foot splash pad.

Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park opened in September 2022 and is located at 22831 Hanson Park Drive. More information is online at  loudoun.gov/hansonpark. n

The festival is free and open to all ages and will feature music, food, raffle prizes, and a variety of health and wellness vendors. About 40 agencies are expected to participate such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Inova Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Services, LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, Loudoun Hunger Relief, Northern Virginia Family Service, and county and state departments and agencies.

More information about the Prevention Alliance of Loudoun is online at loudoun. gov/preventionalliance, and about the county Department of

ON THE AGENDA

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

One of the entrances to Loudoun’s 257-arce Hal and Bernie Regional Park.

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

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

Nearly half of the patients who undergo chemotherapy will develop ChemotherapyInduced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN.

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

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

IT'S LIFE CHANGING

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

The most common symptoms include:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evergreen Mills Trail Reopens

Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services has reopened the Evergreen Mills Equestrian and Hiking Trail—a four-mile path designed to accommodate horses, hikers and mountain bikers.

The original trail was closed in 2008 during the realignment of The Woods Road as part of planning for expansion of the county landfill south of Leesburg.

Earlier this year, community volunteers joined with the parks department staff to clear the trail and bring it back to public use.

The effort is part of the implementation

ON THE Agenda

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Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services at loudoun. gov/mhsadsprevention or by calling 703-771-5155.

The Douglass Community Center is located at 407 E. Market Street in Leesburg.

Mental Health, Substance Abuse Trainings Planned

Loudoun County offers ongoing mental health education and substance abuse prevention trainings. All trainings are free, but seats are limited and registration is required, with the exception of Rapid REVIVE!

Adverse Childhood Experiences

Training raises awareness of the impacts of potentially traumatic events during childhood, such as chronic health problems, mental illness and substance abuse in adulthood. Information is online at loudoun.gov/childhoodadversitytraining.

of the countywide Linear Parks and Trails Plan, adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2021. The plan outlines a potential network of trails to connect the county’s natural and cultural resources.

The Evergreen Mills Equestrian and Hiking Trail is located at 21332 Marcum Farm Court off The Woods Road south of Leesburg. Located at the end of a cul-desac, the trailhead includes space to park horse trailers. The trail originally opened as part of a Loudoun County Pilot Equestrian Trail Program initiative that was funded in 2003. n

Mental Health First Aid teaches people to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders, and how to reach out and provide initial help and support. A version of the program is offered for adults who interact with youth. Information is online at loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

REVIVE! is the state’s opioid overdose and naloxone education program, offered with both a shortened six-minute format at a virtual one-hour. Training session. Attendees of both receive a free naloxone nasal spray. Information about REVIVE! training is online at loudoun.gov/revive. Information about Rapid REVIVE! is online in English at loudoun.gov/rapidrevive and Spanish at loudoun.gov/reviveespanol.

And Question Persuade Refer trains people to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to refer someone for professional help. Virtual training lasts about an hour. Information is online at loudoun.gov/ suicidepreventiontraining. n

The Evergreen Mills Equestrian and Hiking Trail is a four-mile, non-loop trail that follows the border of the county’s landfill property south of Leesburg.

File photo

Public Gets Chances to Meet the Candidates

With 79 candidates for office at the town, county and state level, it’s a busy lead-up to the Nov. 7 election. The Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Coalition of Loudoun Towns, League of Women Voters and Loudoun NAACP are all organizing forums and debates to get to know the candidates.

The Coalition of Loudoun Towns will not host an Ashburn District debate, as Republican candidate Tumay Harding declined to participate. Effort is still underway to schedule a Broad Run District debate.

Board of Supervisors Little River

District debate

COLT, Loudoun Now, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7-8:30 p.m.

American Legion Post 295 111 The Plains Rd., Middleburg

Board of Supervisors Catoctin

District debate

COLT, Loudoun Now, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Thursday, Sept. 21, 7-8:30 p.m.

Hillsboro Old Stone School

37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro

‘Your Voice Your Vote’

School Board Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters, Delta Sigma Theta and Loudoun NAACP

Thursday, Sept. 21, 6:30 – 9 p.m.

Dulles South Senior Center 24950 Riding Center Dr., South Riding

Board of Supervisors Dulles District debate

COLT, Loudoun Now, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Wednesday, Sept. 27, 7-8:30 p.m.

Mercer Middle School

42149 Greenstone Dr., Aldie

Board of Supervisors Algonkian

District debate

COLT, Loudoun Now, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Thursday, Sept. 28, 7-8:30 p.m.

River Bend Middle School

46240 Algonkian Pkwy., Cascades

PolicyMaker Series: Virginia General Assembly Candidates Forum

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce

Friday, Sept. 29, 8-10 a.m.

Belmont Country Club 43750 Tournament Pkwy., Ashburn

Board of Supervisors Chair At-Large debate

COLT, Loudoun Now, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Thursday, Oct. 5, 7-8:30 p.m.

Ida Lee Park Recreation Center 60 Ida Lee Dr. NW, Leesburg

PolicyMaker Series: Chair of the Loudoun Board of Supervisors Debate

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce

Friday, Oct. 13, 8-10 a.m.

The National Conference Center 18665 Conference Ctr Dr., Leesburg

‘Your Voice Your Vote’ Board of Supervisors Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters, Delta Sigma Theta and Loudoun NAACP

Thursday, Oct. 19, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Douglass Community Center 407 E Market St., Leesburg

‘Your Voice Your Vote’ General Assembly Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters, Delta Sigma Theta and Loudoun NAACP

Thursday, Nov. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ashburn Library 43316 Hay Rd., Ashburn

Randall Drops Out of Debate, Citing Cartoon

Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) has dropped out of a candidate debate organized by the Coalition of Loudoun Towns, citing a cartoon that appeared in the Sept. 7 edition of Loudoun Now.

Loudoun Now, along with the Loudoun Times-Mirror, joined in co-sponsoring and moderating COLT’s series of debates between candidates for Board of Supervisors.

The “Chip Shot” cartoon featured an image of Randall saying “Travel rules? We’re Ghana fix ‘em!” referring to recent criticism of a Board of Supervisors junket to sign a new sister city agreement in Tema, Ghana. Three supervisors and their staff went on the trip. The trip spurred controversy with critics questioning the expense and details such as business-class airline tickets and, by local standards, lux-

ury hotel accommodations.

Randall said the cartoon “featured what Chair Randall and members of the community consider racist imagery and language historically used to caricature Black Americans.”

Randall’s withdrawal will leave challengers Sam Kroiz (I) and Gary Katz (R) unchallenged on stage by the incumbent. The Coalition of Loudoun Towns, which is organizing the series of debates, announced it will still hold the debate.

“The Coalition of Loudoun Towns (COLT) was notified by Chair Randall’s campaign that they were declining our invitation for the October 5th debate,” the coalition stated. “The Chair debate at Ida Lee Park will go forward as scheduled with the other two candidates. Our invitation will remain open to Chair Randall.” n

John

Burk Calls for Unity, Kindness on 9/11 Anniversary

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The Town of Leesburg held its annual September 11 Remembrance Ceremony at Freedom Park on Monday morning, with Mayor Kelly Burk issuing a call for unity and civility to honor those who were killed in the terrorist attacks.

“We are here to remember all those who lost their lives, but also to remember them with our acts of kindness, our grief, and our determination to be better people,” Burk said in her remarks before joining representatives of the police and fire departments in laying a memorial wreath at the town’s 9/11 memorial.

“We need to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11. We in America, we’ve lost our way. We have no unity. We’ve become cynical, untrusting of each other and, at times, cruel and unkind,” she said. “The daily mass killings in our schools, streets and places of worship, the fights about designer shoes, not using turning signals as a reason to beat somebody up, the cruelty on our social media with name calling and mockery diminishes all of us and the people who died to save others all

those years ago today.”

“Twenty-two years ago in the wake of that horrible tragedy, Americans from every side of the political aisle joined hands and we united in our grief. While we certainly do not want to repeat the tragedy of 9/11, let’s honor the memory of those who lost their lives that day by again putting aside our differences and finding the core values we all can believe in—freedom, liberty and justice for all. We need to use

today to ponder, to think, to meditate, to even pray on who we are and how we can honor those brave, brave, brave heroes who gave the greatest sacrifice—their lives,” she said.

“Let today’s anniversary remind us that we can be better. We may not be called to give our own lives, but we most certainly can show kindness and respect to others, love for our country and gratitude that we are lucky to be Americans,” Burk said. n

LPD Seeks Performance Feedback

The Leesburg Police Department this week launched a new community engagement text messaging system to solicit feedback from the public following interactions with the agency after reporting non-life-threatening incidents.

The aim of the program is to allow the department to automatically hear the community’s perspective on its performance, areas of needed improvement and other concerns.

The system works with people who call the Emergency Communication Center to report non-life-threatening incidents. A few hours after the call, the Police Department will send a four-question text message survey to the phone number of person who called. The survey asks about the caller’s experience with the call taker(s) and the officer(s) who assisted them. It will also allow community members to provide their own feedback.

The survey system is not monitored 24/7 and should not be used to report any type of emergency or crime. For routine and non-emergency requests for services, call the Leesburg Police Department dispatch center at 703-771-4500. For emergencies, callers should always dial 911.

Shoraka to Speak at HUBZone Meeting

John Shoraka, the co-founder and managing director of GovContractPros, will be the featured speaker during the next quarterly HUBZone meeting.

Shoraka assists small business government contractors in navigating the federal marketplace, business development, certification and compliance with small business set-aside programs, teaming and mentor arrangements, and financing and acquisition. He is a former associate administrator of Government Contracting and Business Development at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The meeting is geared toward

AROUND TOWN continues on page 9

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

From right, Mayor Kelly Burk, Deputy Police Chief Vanessa Grigsby and Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company Chief Nick Martin lay a memorial wreath at the town’s 9/11 memorial at Freedom Park on the 22nd anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Rick Etter of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company rings the bell during Leesburg’s 2023 September 11 Remembrance Ceremony.

Council Eyes BYOB Allowance for Summer Jams Concerts

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The Town Council this week expressed support for recommendations made by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission to continue the Summer Jams concert series next year with a few tweaks—including allowing audience members to bring their own alcohol to the Town Green shows.

Town leaders called for a reassessment of the program, which cost $16,575 for 10 free Saturday evening shows scheduled during the recently completed season, in the wake of lower attendance. Attendance averaged 125 people this summer—down from a peak of 268 in 2017 and up 22% over 2022.

During Monday night’s Town Coun-

cil work session, Director of Parks and Recreation Rich Williams noted that the program was launched as Acoustic on the Green in 2004 by Stilson Greene with the support of town businesses with the goal of helping to revitalize the downtown area. The town joined the effort in 2009 and took it over in 2019. He noted that surveys of attendees indicate the program continues to achieve its goals, with most patrons Leesburg residents who say they eat at downtown restaurants during their visit.

Over the past 20 years, the downtown scene has taken off, with numerous businesses, including the Tally Ho Theater that opened as concert venue in 2013, offering live music throughout the weekend.

Acknowledging there is more competition in the entertainment space, council members suggested changes such as

Work Begins on Police Station Expansion

Leesburg town leaders on Thursday kicked off construction of the Police Department headquarters expansion with a formal groundbreaking ceremony.

The $26.5 million project includes a 14,000-square-foot addition, as well as a renovation of the existing headquarters building.

Mayor Kelly Burk noted that since the police station opened in 1997, the town’s population has doubled and the police department staff has grown as well.

“While it is always good to be close to your colleagues at work, sometimes it can be too close and I think we’ve gotten to that point in this building,” Burk said.

The mayor said the “sorely needed” investment builds on the work of the Town Council this year to increase police department pay in a bid to boost recruitment in an increasingly competitive market.

“I have no doubt that it will serve as

its own recruiting tool,” she said of the expansion. “This will help our officers meet the continuing and growing needs of our community and to accommodate the needs of our sworn and civilian staff.”

Police Chief Thea Pirnat agreed, saying the project demonstrates the council’s strong commitment to support the department and its staff.

Beyond creating more space, Pirnat highlighted plans to provide more wellness support for the staff, including a gym and a lactation room for mothers; collaborative spaces for staff members to work together; a private waiting area for victims; an updated community room and lobby; and lighting and technology upgrades.

She also acknowledged her staff will be working in a construction zone for the next two years.

“It is not going to be fun, however it will be exciting,” she said. n

holding the concerts on another day of the week, holding them less frequently, and reaching out to more performers who don’t regularly perform in the area or who perform different genres of music.

Council members supported a suggestion first floated by Mayor Kelly Burk and supported by the parks commission to

AROUND Town

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current HUBZone-certified businesses and those considering certification. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 21 at at Clearfocus Technologies, 305 Harrison St. SE, Suite 100B.

COPA Plans ‘Art in Your Yard’ Event

The Town of Leesburg’s Commission on Public Art invites residents and artists to participate in its inaugural “Leesburg Art in Your Yard” event, planned Saturday, Oct. 21.

Those who would like to share or sell their photography, paintings, drawings, sculptures or other works in the comfort of their front yard, are asked to sign up online at tinyurl.com/artinyouryard.

Performance artists are also welcome to participate.

The deadline to register is Oct. 7. COPA will provide a map to allow a self-guided tour of the participating yards, all located within the town limits.

allow patrons to picnic with wine or beer during the shows. That would require an ABC permit and for the town to designate a boundary for the alcoholic beverage area, according to the staff report. The town also would station two police officers on site. That is expected to be permitted in 2024 on a trial basis. n

Kreingold Presents Talks on Potomac Marble

Thomas Balch Library will host historian Paul Kreingold in a discussion of his book “Potomac Marble: History of the Search of the Ideal Stone” on Sunday, September 17 beginning at 2 p.m.

The destruction of Washington in 1814 by the invading British challenged President James Monroe and architect Benjamin Latrobe with the task of rebuilding government edifices that had been destroyed. The building material they discovered and used to beautify the new capitol was Potomac marble, which exists in abundance on both sides of the Potomac River, from Leesburg to Montgomery and Frederick counties in Maryland. Kreingold details Latrobe’s and Monroe’s search for the ideal stone and their fight to use it to rebuild the chambers of the House and Senate.

The book will be available for purchase at the event.

Pre-registration is required by calling 703-737-7195 or emailing balchlib@leesburgva.gov. n

Wet Dogs, Happy Dogs

As the Leesburg’s parks staff prepares to close the AV Symington Aquatic Center for the season, they opened the gates Saturday to scores of dogs who spent the morning splashing, chasing balls, and swimming laps in the pool’s lazy river. It was the 15th year for the popular dog swim.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Town of Leesburg

A rendering of plans for the Leesburg Police Department headquarters.

Education

Park View Community Shares What it Wants in a New School

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Over 50 community members, parents and students gathered Sept. 6 at Park View High School to share their thoughts on the design and specialized programs that should be included in the school’s rebuild.

The School Board last year approved a plan to replace the school, which opened in 1976, with a new building to be constructed on the same campus in Sterling Park.

Chief Operation Officer Kevin Lewis welcomed the group and introduced the architects from GWWO Architects — Principal Paul Hume, Project Manager Gretchen Wagner and Project Architect Josh Adcock—who will be working on the project, as well as several members of the division’s Support Services team.

Lewis said Hume, Wagner and Adcock were there to hear what the community wanted in the new space, envisioned as having two stories and a planned student

Inova, Schools Partner for Baseline Concussion Testing for Athletes

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com

Inova Loudoun Hospital partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools to offer no cost baseline concussion tests to all 14,000 student athletes—for the first time including non-contact athletes— for the 2023-2024 school year.

The “first-of-its-kind” program in the area was announced Sept. 7 at Loudoun County High School by Inova Sports Medicine Concussion Program Director Dr. Melissa Womble and LCPS Assistant Athletic Director Derek Farrey.

Student athletes are given the baseline test—a 20–30-minute test on a computer at school or at home under parental supervision—at the beginning of their sport season. The test assesses their cognitive function, like verbal memory, visual memory, processing speed and reaction times, all areas that could be affected post-concussion according to Womble.

“[It’s] getting that snapshot of how they do prior to an injury, then we can admin-

ister the same test after an injury,” Womble said. “Then we are able to compare the two side by side, and its really helpful in determining if an athlete has truly gotten back to their baseline following their resolution of symptoms.”

She said sometimes physically an athlete can seem OK, but cognitively they are not quite there.

“What we see sometimes is the cognitive piece can be the last to fully resolve with concussion. A lot of times the physical symptoms, the headaches, the dizziness, they get back to normal sooner, so what we want to make sure is that the athlete is fully 100% back to normal before we put them back on the field,” she said.

She said other school divisions offer the baseline test, but it’s often school-funded, and said some have cut it from their budget because of the cost. Womble said Inova Health Foundation Executive Director of Philanthropy Shannon Hiskey worked tirelessly to make sure the baseline testing program was fully funded.

Womble said it has been a dream of

body of 1,800.

Park View currently has a building capacity of 1,521 students and, according to last year’s official enrollment count, had 1,463 students. This year’s enrollment numbers have not yet been released.

Several attendees raised concerns over constraints of the county’s Zoning Ordinance and questioned whether the new school would have the same amenities as new schools in other areas of the county.

“My question is if you are building a new school on 50 acres and Park View is only on 40 acres, that is 10 acres less. How are you going to be able to give us everything that we deserve for this school with 10 acres less space? It already seems like we are getting a little slighted,” one parent said.

“Once the money is put into this project this is kind of like our one shot. It’s going to be a long time before we are going to have any kind of credibility to say ‘oh we need this’ or ‘this needs to be expanded upon,’” said parent Heather Earley. “Our

goal is to create a school and a campus that people are no longer transferring from but they are asking to come here. So, we need to be thinking about that and we need to make sure we are planning the size, the space and the accommodations. We’ve got to get this right because it’s going to be a long time before we can ask for anything again.”

Lewis said the construction team was confident they could build the school according to the community’s wishes. He said the site benefits from its topography—an almost perfectly flat perfect rectangle—that allows them to more efficiently arrange the facilities than at other school sites.

“The key to that is our architects and engineers are going to do a fabulous job addressing that very question and they are going to come back with concepts and our goal at that time is to not only share we

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people know Inova is a nonprofit, so we would be grateful for other donors to support this initiative, and we love being a resource here, and that has always been our mission with the Concussion Program, to spread the work and be able to be the educators and provide that evidence-based knowledge.”

“We greatly appreciate Inova’s willingness to provide this cutting-edge service at no cost to the community and for their commitment to the safety and well-being of our student athletes,” Farrey said.

Womble said the current standard of treatment for concussion is complicated because not every concussion is the same. She said the baseline testing will help her team provide individualized and targeted treatment and management for every athlete that may get a concussion.

hers since joining Inova in 2016 to partner with local school systems to improve the recognition, management, and care of concussion across Northern Virginia, where she grew up.

“The ultimate goal is to be able to expand this across northern Virginia,” Womble said. “We’d love to partner with other school systems. I don’t think a lot of

“We frequently observe and have published that student athletes with a concussion that goes undetected, continue to play with a concussion, delay clinical care and are prescribed antiquated management recommendations such as rest, experience worse recovery outcomes,” she said.

She said health professionals have

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Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Park View community members shared with GWWO Architects and the division what they want to see in the new school set to begin construction next year.

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now Director of Inova Sports Medicine Concussion Program Dr. Melissa Womble speaks on Sept. 7 at Loudoun County High School. Inova and the school division have partnered up to provide free baseline concussion testing to all 14,000 student athletes.

Park View

continued from page 10

can fit it all there but convince you it will be a working thing,” he said.

When questions were raised about the new Park View looking like schools built in other parts of the county, Lewis said there are educational specifications that all schools in Loudoun must meet and assured attendees that the new school would be within those standards

“You will have all the same amenities, the same auditoriums the same classroom features, science rooms, art rooms all those things are done exactly the same by a set of specifications that we have provided to the architect,” he said. “So, you are guaranteed to get the same building we build in other places.”

Lewis addressed a student’s concern over the small size of Park View’s cafeteria and said the educational specifications dictate how large a cafeteria can be and said it would be based on the student body, meaning the new one would be much larger.

One parent expressed concerns over the athletic program during the rebuild and asked what the plan was for some programs since it was likely the football and other fields would be used to build the new school.

We’d Like to Offer a Toast...

To all of the professional advisors who recommend the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties to their clients. We provide key things that your clients value: due diligence, accountability, and expertise in our Loudoun charitable community. To you and your clients, thank you. Together, we are weaving together a brighter future for our community.

Lewis said the team was still working out that part, but said the goal was to not create hardships for students who want to participate in not only sports but also in other after school activities that could be impacted by construction.

Other parents asked about expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities at Park View to provide training in different trades for students.

“We are always going to need electricians, HVAC technicians, construction workers, roofers. Why can’t we get those programs at Park View? Because what if my child doesn’t want to go to college or university?” Wynona Heck asked, adding that the community is largely blue-collar workers.

A Park View school counselor reiterated the need for hands-on job training at the school, saying that some kids have to drop out of school because they have to get jobs to provide for their families. She asked for training at the school so students would want to keep coming to school and see how it helps their future while still providing for their families.

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Neil Slevin agreed. He said that was the type of feedback they

needed to hear.

Slevin also said they are looking at the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy and other programs at the Academies of Loudoun to see if it is possible to expand some career training programs or relocate them to schools like Park View. He said the call for more industry and trade programs is being heard across the county.

“While we definitely are looking at trades and industry, we also want to make sure that whatever we do for the community there are options for students that include the spectrum of opportunity,” Slevin said.

Another parent asked about adding a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps to the school to prepare students to go into the military or to join an officer training program.

Slevin said the division is interested in expanding its ROTC program to more schools but that project is on a waiting list.

Erin Bozeman, who graduated from the school in 1991, said she was tired of being looked down on for being a Park View grad and wanted to see a sense of pride returned to the school.

Marc Johnson, from the class of 1992, said he just wanted to see the school get everything that western schools have.

He said when it was first built it was the “crown jewel” then as the county expanded, Park View was forgotten about.

“Let’s be frank, this school and this town became browner and so more of a reason to forget about us. And I say ‘us’ because I’m part of this community and I don’t care if its brown, Black white or whatever. My daughter will be here in two years. I want this school to succeed,” he said.

Hume, Wagner and Adcock have worked as a team on five high schools in the past seven years, according to Hume. He said the Baltimore, MD, firm had done 240 K-12 projects, over 70 high school projects, and had 25 K-12 clients. He pointed out that all but one high school they worked on had been on-site replacements.

Hume, Wagner and Adcock plan to create concepts over the next month or two based on what they heard from the community and using the division’s educational specifications. The next meeting will be sometime in late October or early November.

Construction is scheduled to begin during fall 2024. The school is expected to be complete by fall 2027 with athletic fields scheduled to be finished by 2028 n

And, to those of you who haven’t referred a client to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties yet, we’ll keep the champagne on ice.

Coalition on Women and Girls Announces 4th Girl emPower Summit

The Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls has announced its fourth annual Girl emPower Summit, scheduled Saturday, Sept. 23 at Northern Virginia Community College’s Sterling campus.

The nonprofit invites girls ages 12-18 to join, bring along a friend, and immerse themselves in interactive sessions, under this years theme “Inner Radiance and Self-Empowerment.”

This year’s keynote speaker will be 19-year-old author and entrepreneur Alana Andrews, a 2022 graduate of Potomac Falls High School who is entering her sophomore year at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business while continuing to grow her two businesses, The SWEY Corporation and So Positive, LLC.

Other speakers will include Shreyaa and Esha Vankat of NEST4US, Rhonda Wilson of Exhale Yogi, and the team from Girls on the Run Northern Virginia, who will lead interactive sessions. The summit will be moderated by former Miss Virginia Volunteer Breana Turner, who also founded the mentoring program Sisters With Ambition.

“In a world where young girls grapple with shadows of self-doubt, our mission is to ignite the inner radiance that empowers them forward. We are committed to crafting spaces where every girl can rise, connect, and shine,” summit chair, principal organizer and high school junior, Mahsa Riar stated. “Building upon our past achievements, we look forward to a future where every girl acknowledges her boundless potential.”

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moved away from rest as a treatment and said research has shown the sooner kids can get back to school and back to physical activity, the better they are.

She said in addition to the baseline testing and concussion treatment they plan to provide education on concussion to all student athletes, parents and guardians, coaches, teachers and administrators to lessen the risk of pro-

The summit is sponsored for the fourth time by Amazon Web Services InCommunities, keeping the event free of charge.

“We’re inspired by LCWAG’s passion to educate and empower young women and thrilled to continue to support the Girl emPower Summit,” AWS InCommunities for the Americas Head Sarah Georgiades stated. “At AWS, we believe deeply in supporting young women and ensuring they have opportunities to build confidence and leadership skills, have role models, and learn about a variety of career paths.”

This year, philanthropic circle 100WomenStrong has also joined to sponsor the summit.

“100WomenStrong is so proud to support LCWAG and their mission to empower the future generation of women, particularly with the alarming increase in

longed recovery.

Some symptoms of concussion include headaches, dizziness, nausea sensitivity to light and noise, fatigue, irritableness, lack of impulse control and feeling more sad than normal, according to Loudoun County High School Athletic Trainer Megan Santos.

Santos said athletic trainers not only monitor students during practice and games, but they teach concussion education as well.

“We pride ourselves on early recognition and immediate removal of play is we suspect any concussion whatsoever,

teen mental health issues,” 100WomenStrong Managing Director Pam Ray stated. “The Girl emPower Summit is a beacon of light and inspiration to those who attend.”

All middle and high school girls can register free of charge. Early bird registration is already open and grants attendees more opportunities for door prizes.

The fourth annual Girl emPower Summit is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. This year, bus transportation to the summit will be available from Belmont Ridge Middle School and Park View High School.

Register online at lcwag.org/register. To inquire about partnering as a sponsor, vendor or donate door prizes contact empower@lcwag.org. Learn more about the nonprofit Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls at lcwag.org. n

then we do a full evaluation using several [tests] and we will use this test and compare to their baseline to see what cognitively they are doing,” she said. “It’s a huge help to us and a tool in our bucket to use and we can have that as evidence to back up what we’re seeing physically as well.”

Students will get one baseline test for the school year when they attend tryouts. Students who participate in multiple sports will only need one test. n

Martin G. Hamberger

Martin G. Hamberger of Hillsboro, Virginia passed away on September 1, 2023. He passed peacefully with his family surrounding his bedside. Martin grew up in Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania the son of Calvin and Mary (nee Snitzer) Hamberger. They engendered in him self-sufficiency and toughness, often taught in the classroom of the outdoors, but also a deep empathy and warmth that all who knew him felt. His mother inculcated an appreciation of politics, which became the driving force of much of his professional career. Martin graduated from Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in 1965 and earned his JD from Georgetown in 1968. After securing an internship with Senator Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, Martin ascended into the role of Chief of Staff for Senator Scott by age 26 in 1969. Martin ran Scott’s successful 1970 reelection campaign as well as the Ford campaign for President in Pennsylvania. After a short time practicing law in York, Pennsylvania Martin opened a boutique lobbying firm in Washington DC, which included representation of numerous Fortune 500 companies during some of the most interesting business events of the 1980s and 1990s. Aside from a brief period as in-house counsel to a client, Martin practiced public policy law successfully until his retirement from the field in 2009. In 1993, Martin’s two sons, Eric and Scott started a business in international trade. Martin and his wife Rose Ann were founding shareholders and indispensable counselors. While Martin did not join the company full time until 2009, he was an integral part of the business from the start. No job was beneath him and no work would be beyond his skills. By the time Martin retired from the company it had grown from a garage start up to an industry leader. Martin and Rose Ann retired to their Blue Valley Farm, in Western Loudoun County, where they spent their time in the company of family and friends. Martin is survived by his wife 56 years, Rose Ann, his sons, Eric and Scott, their wives, Katie and Megan, as well as his grandchildren, Robert, Michael, Kathryn, Abigail, Casey, Reese, and Rhett. Martin is also survived by his two brothers, Thomas and Edward. For funeral arrangements please visit: https://www.hallfh.com/ obituaries/Martin-George-Hamberger?obId=28915302. In lieu of flowers, the Hamberger Family asks friends and family to consider making a gift to the Knights of Columbus at St. Francis de Sales in Martin’s memory. Address: Knights of Columbus, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Court, Purcellville, VA 20132.

Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls

The Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls announced its fourth annual Girl emPower Summit will be Saturday, Sept. 23.

Hamilton Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal Stabbing of Father

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

A 25-year-old Hamilton-area man is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to killing his father with a hatchet after consuming psychedelic mushrooms.

Agnus Brown on Sept. 7 entered guilty pleas to charges of voluntary manslaughter and stabbing during the commission of a felony as part of a plea agreement accepted by Circuit Court Judge Matthew P. Snow.

Shortly before 6 a.m. Jan. 2, Loudoun County deputies were called to a home on Twinoaks Place for a reported stabbing. Arriving deputies found 62-year-old David Eugene Brown inside suffering from life-threatening injuries. He died at the scene. His son, known as Gus, was located in a neighbor’s driveway and arrested without incident.

According to court filings in the case, Angus Brown returned home that night from a double shift at a Leesburg restaurant and interacted with family members normally before going upstairs to his bedroom where he ate mushrooms that had been recommended by coworkers to aid his anxiety. Around 3:50 a.m. family members were awakened by noise and found Brown to be agitated and delusional, fearing he was under attack. He

was carrying a camping hatchet. While working to calm Brown in the kitchen, his father tried to take the hatchet and Brown struck him at least once in the neck before running from the house.

Mental health evaluators concluded Brown was under substance induced psychosis at the time the attack. Brown was described as being distraught and inconsolable in the wake of the incident.

In a statement filed by Brown’s attorneys, they said he previously suffered a “psychotic break” in 2018 and was under psychiatric care for two years. More recently, he had worked with a therapist to address anxiety and depression but was not prescribed medication.

Prosecutors said the plea agreement, which included a reduction in the original charge of second-degree murder to voluntary manslaughter, was proposed with the support of the Brown family and the investigators in the case.

Snow noted that, according to filings by defense attorneys and prosecutors, there remained a dispute about Brown’s mental status and intent on the morning of the attack, as well as questions about whether the only eyewitness, one of Brown’s brothers, would testify against him at trial. The judge said the family’s support of the plea agreement was an important consideration.

Snow noted that under the state’s sen-

Plea Agreement Proposed in Patricide Case

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

A plea agreement was continued last week in the murder case of well-known Loudoun brewer Dean Lake, who was found dead in his home in April last year.

His son, Schuyler Lake, 21, was charged with second-degree murder, credit card fraud and unlawfully obtaining a credit card. He had been scheduled for a nine-day trial in June.

In the proposed plea agreement, Lake would plead guilty to second-degree murder and his prison sentence would be no longer than the high end of state’s sentencing guidelines, a recommendation developed based on the nature of the crime, previous criminal history and other factors. Lake would not be prosecuted on the charges of credit card fraud and unlawfully ob-

tencing guidelines, the manslaughter conviction would call for a prison sentence ranging from two years and four months up to five years and 11 months. While that was below the 10-year sentence called for in the plea agreement, he noted that

SAFETY briefs

Woman Fatally Struck on Rt. 50 after Stabbing Father

The Sheriff ’s Office is investigating a domestic stabbing that occurred Sept. 8 at a South Riding home as well as a fatal pedestrian crash that took the life of the suspect.

According to the report, the stabbing was reported on Pilgrim Square shortly before 9:50 a.m. Sept. 8. Deputies found a man with lacerations on his arms following an altercation with his adult daughter. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries described as not life threatening.

Just after 10:30 a.m., callers reported a pedestrian, later identified as the suspect in the stabbing incident, was hit and killed by a commercial truck in the westbound lanes of Rt. 50 at the Loudoun County Parkway intersection.

a hospital for treatment and was listed in stable condition, according to the report.

taining a credit card.

A document listing evidence that prosecutors would present during a trial included the Leesburg Police Department locating Lake’s identification card, a pair of blood stained shoes, and an iPhone at the scene. The iPhone contained photographs of the scene and contained an Apple ID and email accounts known to belong to Lake. The blood on the exterior of the shoes was determined to belong to his father and DNA samples taken from the interior of the shoes matched Lake’s DNA, according to the document. When Lake was taken into custody, he was observed to have injuries to his hand, head and back. A DNA profile collected from the victim’s fingernail clippings matched Lake’s DNA.

Lake is scheduled to appear before the court Thursday Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. to discuss the details of the plea agreement. n

guidelines for a second-degree murder conviction would call for at least 13 years in prison. Brown has no prior criminal history.

A Dec. 14 sentencing hearing is scheduled. n

ing to the Sheriff ’s Office.

Investigators

Seek

Information on Sterling Stabbing

The Sheriff ’s Office is investigating a stabbing that happened last week at a McDonalds restaurant in Sterling.

Deputies responded to the parking lot of the McDonalds on Free Court at 9:20 p.m. Sept. 6 where a male was suffering from a stab wound. He was transported to

Investigators are asking anyone who was in the area and may have seen something, to contact Det. T. Rodriguez at 703-777-1021.  You may also submit an anonymous tip by calling 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app.

Therapist Charged with Sex Act at Ashburn Spa

A 54-year-old massage therapist from an Ashburn spa has been charged with committing a sex crime while performing a massage on a female customer, accord-

Xudong “Gilbert” Hu, of Reston, was charged Sept. 6 with one count of obscene sexual display, a Class 1 misdemeanor, following an investigation by the agency’s Special Victims Unit. The charge stems from an incident that occurred July 31 at the Relax Spa on Ashburn Road.

The Special Victims Unit continues to investigate the case and ask anyone with more information to contact Det. A. Rawlings at 703-777-1021 or Allison.Rawlings@Loudoun.gov.

Hu was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. n

Giving Back

Shah Family Gives $250K to Loudoun Hunger

Loudoun Hunger Relief has received a $250,000 gift to support its Beyond Food Capital Expansion efforts from the Jiten & Sujani Shah Family Charitable Fund.

The gift supports the $3 million capital campaign to build the Loudoun Hunger Relief Community Services Center in Leesburg and a new Community Market.

Jiten “Jay” and Sujani “Jen” Shah said their family has lived in Loudoun since 1999, in Sterling and later Ashburn.

“We’re aware that there are two versions of Loudoun County. The version that makes headlines states that we are one of the richest counties in the country. The version that gets less attention is that many families in our community struggle with food insecurity,” they stated. “We are excited to support Loudoun Hunger Relief as they expand to ensure that all our community is fed. We knew when we were ready to make an investment back into our local community that Loudoun Hunger Relief was the right place—they are a critical partner in the non-profit ecosystem that support Loudoun families”.

The expansion to Loudoun Hunger Relief’s Leesburg location includes a nonprofit services center housing other non-profits including Loudoun Literacy Council, Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers and Crossroads Jobs. And it will provide outreach space to Loudoun County human service agencies, serving families more efficiently at a one-stop spot for all of those services.

Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Plans Sept. 17 Veterans Services Fair

Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, with support from Northrop Grumman and the Lovettsville Ruritans, will open its doors Sunday to showcase its therapeutic equine-assisted services and programs offered by other veterans’ organizations.

The Heroes First Fair will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 17 and will provide an opportunity for veterans to come together to network and learn more about community resources that are available. The event is free and open to the public.

The program also will feature live music by Chris Ellinghaus, beer from One Family Brewing, and food trucks.

It also includes a new best-practice, full choice free grocery market supported with increased warehouse storage, truck bays, and volunteer workspace.

The Leesburg expansion will grow Loudoun Hunger Relief from 4,300 square feet to 13,500 square feet, planned to open in late September.

“LHR is incredibly grateful and excited for the investment from Jay and Jen

Shah as we work to serve our neighbors in need across the county,” Loudoun Hunger Relief President and CEO Jennifer Montgomery said. “They are particularly interested in food access for eastern Loudoun residents and approximately half of the families LHR serves live in eastern Loudoun. Their gift will have impact for decades to come allowing us to serve those in need with dignity.” n

May Family Foundation Offers $500K to Build Laurels Endowment

The May Family Foundation will contribute up to $500,000 in matching funds to grow the endowment supporting Loudoun Laurels scholarships. The initiative comes on the 10th anniversary of the scholarship program’s launch in 2013.

Over the past decade, 27 Loudoun County Public School students have received $40,000 scholarships, disbursed in $10,000 annual increments, to help defray the cost of attending a Virginia state college or university. The scholarship recipients are typically among the first generation in their families to attend college and are selected for their demonstrated academic potential, as well as for their creativity, special skills, work ethic, and willingness to help others.

The scholarship program builds on

the Loudoun Laurels Foundation’s annual recognition of “laureates” who have contributed greatly to Loudoun County by seeking scholarship candidates who display some of those honorees’ best qualities.

A Loudoun County businessman, electrical engineer, inventor, aviator, and politician, Joe May began his association with Loudoun Laurels in 2008, expanding the program launched at Inova Lansdowne Hospital in 2006. The program has recognized 32 individuals who have devoted their energy, ingenuity, and industriousness to make Loudoun County a better place to live. In working to building an endowment, May hopes to ensure the continuance of its annual scholarships to deserving high school seniors.

“We’ve been very pleased with what our scholarship program has been able to do thus far. We know that with additional support we can achieve so much more,” May stated.

The May Family Foundation $500,000 challenge will be formally announced at the 2023 Loudoun Laurels gala to take place at Lansdowne Resort on Friday, Sept. 22. The event honors 2023 laureates, Sheila Johnson and Lew Parker, as well as scholarship recipients Elizabeth Morejon and Josmar Chavez. n

Loudoun Now Editor-in-Chief Norman K. Styer serves on the Loudoun Laurels Foundation Advisory Committee.

“There are a lot of veterans and veterans’ services in Loudoun County, many of which are unknown to our veterans,” said Rear Admiral Scott “Sparkj” Fuller, USN (ret), the lead veteran board member for LTR. “This event provides an excellent opportunity to bring the two together while providing a family friendly environment to network with other veterans. We owe it to those who served to protect this great country and I have personally seen the impact these services, like therapeutic riding, have on our veterans.”

Veterans’ services that have committed to date include Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, Boulder Crest of Virginia, Beckner Counseling, Everymind (Serving Together), The Choice Group, ECPI University, several Loudoun County VFW and American Legion Posts with their Veterans Service Officers, Loudoun County CVEB, and the Marine League.

Loudoun Therapeutic Riding is located at 14490 Berlin Turnpike south of Lovettsville.

For more information go to ltrf.org or call 703-771-2689.

LTR was founded in 1974 as a pilot study for therapeutic riding. It is the oldest program of its kind in Virginia. Current programming includes therapeutic riding and driving, Equine Services for Heroes (veterans) and Silver Spurs (seniors), Equine Assisted Learning and Hippotherapy. LTR is a 501(c)3 organization and relies on donations. n

Loudoun Hunger Relief

A rendering of the planned free grocery market at Loudoun Hunger Relief, part of the nonprofit’s plans to expand its own services and create a hub for nonprofits.

Business

OpTech Tapped for RadioisotopePowered Satellite Project

Optimum Technologies in Sterling has been selected by Zeno Power Systems to support the mission design and integration of a cutting-edge radioisotope power system into a low Earth orbit satellite for the U.S. Air Force. The $30 million project aims to deliver the innovative satellite by 2025.

Zeno Power Systems, a startup founded in 2018, specializes in developing radioisotope power systems that convert the heat from decaying nuclear materials directly into electricity using a power system that is smaller and more cost-effective than previous technologies. U.S. military is seeking to deploy RPS satellites with extended maneuverability capabilities and eliminate concerns about fuel depletion.

The role of OpTech, which provides multi-disciplinary aerospace engineering and program management services, will involve designing the satellite configuration to effectively manage the thermal, electrical, propulsion, and power subsystems.

Hildebrand and Jeffrey Gick founded Optimum Technologies in 2015.

Douglas to Lead Rosendin Amid Transition

Keith Douglas will be the next CEO of Rosendin, the nation’s largest employeeowned electrical contracting company. The promotion of the Sterling-based division manager was announced as part of a new succession to the Executive Leadership Team upon the 2025 retirement of two longstanding executives.

Douglas will assume his new duties in January as CEO Mike Greenawalt transitions to CEO Emeritus. Matt Hisaka will take over as chief financial officer as Lorne Rundquist transitions to CFO Emeritus. The company also named Angie

Hart as Executive Vice President for the West Region.

With over 30 years of experience, Douglas joined Rosendin as a division manager in 2012 to open mid-Atlantic operations as the company expanded its national footprint into the east. Under his leadership, operations in the region quickly grew as Rosendin became one of the largest electrical contractors on the east coast. Beginning in 2020, Douglas became the chief operating officer of the eastern region, serving on the Executive Leadership Team. Over the next four years, he oversaw and grew operations at

nine regional offices in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Haas Joins JK Moving Services to Manage Talent Development

JK Moving Services has named human resources executive Carrie Haas as its director of Talent Development.

Haas will be responsible for the development, coordination and facilitation of talent and leadership development initiatives at JK and its sister company CapRelo, as well as building competency models, succession planning and talent review

tools and processes.

Haas most recently served as senior director, human resources business partner at Vail Resorts. She has owned her own HR consulting business and held senior HR roles with Banner Health, Danaher, and Target Corporation. Haas has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and a MBA from the University of Minnesota.  n

Douglas

Haas

Lovettsville Council Weighs By-Right Use for Accessory Dwellings

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.com

The Lovettsville Town Council delayed a decision on updating the town’s housing regulations after an Aug. 30 public hearing.

Town Zoning Administrator John Merrithew said the Planning Commission proposed no major changes regarding building and lot standards or permitted uses in the zoning districts.

He said one of the proposed changes is to permit modifications to building and lot standards in all residential zoning districts through conditional use permits, rather than requiring rezoning applications. The commission also added a definition for affordable dwellings.

“The definition simply reflects what is used by the county and other towns in the county to define what does affordable mean,” Merrithew said. “… [affordable housing] will be affordable to a family whose income is 70 percent or less of the area median income, in that case about

Celebrating Life on the Ridge: Bluemont Fair Returns Saturday

The Bluemont Fair marks its 53rd year this weekend when thousands of visitors will converge on the Blue Ridge mountain village for a community festival that includes crafts, music and food.

The fair is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17, rain or shine. Admission is $10 for adults with visitors nine and under are free.

Among the fair highlights are the 30th annual Pickle-Making/Pie-Baking Contest, which takes place on Saturday at the E.E.Lake Store; local authors whose works cover a variety of topics for all ages will have copies of their books to sign and share; archeologist David Clark will highlight Loudoun’s ancient and historic heritage with interactive displays, demonstrations, and hundreds of handson artifacts; a petting zoo; and Indian

$104,000 for a family of four. And in the case of a rental situation, the median income would be 50 percent of the area median income, which is I think around $70,000.”

But the majority of the council’s discussion revolved around changes to regulations on accessory dwelling units.

“[The Planning Commission] proposed to make accessory apartments a permitted use in all the zoning districts with the exception of the retirement community district,” Merrithew said. Currently, accessory apartments are only allowed through conditional use permits.

Merrithew said the new regulations also required that the owner must occupy one of the units on the lot, limit the accessory unit occupancy to one family and no more than two bedrooms, require a full kitchen and avoid new entrances to the front of the buildings. He said properties also are not permitted to hold a permit for an accessory dwelling unit and a short-term rental, such as AirBnB, at the same time.

“The big deterrent to this type of use has been the utility situation and a requirement in the utility section that would require an automatic up sizing of your meter from 5/8 to a 3/4 of an inch in order to have the accessory apartment,”

ACCESSORY DWELLINGS

continues on page 19

LUCKETTS Ruritan Club Opens Scholarship Applications

The application period for the annual Lucketts Ruritan Club memorial scholarship will open Oct. 1 and students are encouraged to begin assembling their applications.

The purpose of the scholarships is to p romote higher education for students who demonstrate the values of community service, academic aptitude, and a strong work ethic, and who are motivated to master skills to reach their goals. The club has two categories of applications: one for graduates attending fouryear colleges or universities with the intention of obtaining a bachelor’s degree, and one for graduates attending community college with the intention of obtaining an associate degree.

The scholarship is available to high school seniors who live in the Lucketts area including those from public schools, private schools, or home schooled.

The application package includes an essay, at least one letter of recommendation, and financial need information, among other information. The deadline to submit complete packages is March 15.

For complete information, go to luckettsruritan.org/scholarship.

MIDDLEBURG

EIN PROSIT: It’s Oktoberfest Saturday

Middleburg celebrates Oktoberfest on Saturday with festivities on South Madison and Federal streets from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

village; beer garden; and a village-wide scavenger hunt.

The fair is sponsored by the Bluemont Citizens Association and proceeds go toward paying for the village’s street lights, providing student scholarships for local

students, making improvements to the village’s historic buildings, supporting community beautification, and aiding neighbors in need.

For full details go to bluemontfair.org n

The Sept. 16 event features two biergartens, German-inspired food, a stein holding contest, art fair, car show, live music, interactive children’s activities. Local bands Something’s Brewing and Blaskapelle Alte Kameraden will perform.

The Art Fair will feature artwork from 25 local and regional artists.

AROUND TOWN continues on page 19

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Lovettsville resident Corey Brown speaks during the Aug. 30 Town Council public hearing.

Photo by Renss Greene Paul Muirhead of the Catoctin Area Turners demonstrates his woodworking to the crowds at the 2022 Bluemont Fair.

Accessory dwellings

continued from page 18

Merrithew said.

He said the commission recommended changing the language to make the meter upsizing a requirement only if the water usage on the property exceeded the meter limitations.

Council Member Bobby Merhaut expressed concern that making accessory dwelling units easier to build would put a strain on the town’s utility system. He said he thought the requirement to upgrade a water meter was made intentionally to make it harder to own an accessory unit.

Mayor Christopher Hornbaker said he was concerned that the affordable housing definition might exclude some county and state programs that served individuals with an income slightly over 70 or 50 percent of the median income.

“If we take this approach, are we discouraging that as possibly a program? … I would just hate to see that we come and say, ‘it has to be this’ but there’s other programs that other localities throughout Loudoun County have taken advantage of,” he said.

Merrithew said the Planning Commission had not discussed that, but he agreed that the current definition could cause the

town to miss an opportunity for certain programs.

Three community members spoke during the public hearing, including Planning Commission Chair Bob Custard who said he was not speaking on behalf of the commission.

“Accessory apartments really support families,” he said. “If you have young children and want to have a nanny or an au pair, an accessory apartment is a good option for you.”

He said accessory apartments could benefit families by providing living spaces for adult children that move back in with their parents after college, aging parents and care givers.

“All these things support healthy families,” he said.

He said the accessory units also provided a form of affordable housing and extra income for families that needed it.

Resident Fred George said he agreed with Custard.

Resident Corey Brown said he also agreed but was concerned that allowing accessory dwellings as a by-right use would lead to uncontrolled growth in town.

The council voted unanimously to adjourn the public hearing and continue it at a future meeting in collaboration with the Planning Commission. n

AROUND towns

continued from page 18

Oktoberfest beer from Old Ox Brewery and Lost Barrel Brewing, wine from GreenhillVineyards, Cana Vineyards, 50 West Vineyards, and Boxwood Winery, and cider from Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery will also be available for purchase. Regional artisans will display exhibits of fine art, pottery, jewelry, photography, wearable art and more.

For more information, go to middleburgvaoktoberfest.com.

ROUND HILL

Council Seeks County Funding for Water Tank

The Round Hill Town Council is going big with this year’s request for capital project support from the county government.

As part of the county’s annual budget preparation, County Administrator Tim Hemstreet solicits requests from the incorporated towns for support of

planned construction projects. In recent years, Round Hill has been landed commitments of county funding to help build its Southern Gateway Pedestrian Trail—a $2.3 million contribution spread over four years from the county’s allocation of funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority—and to stabilize the stone farmhouse at Sleeter Lake Park, with $225,000 in local tax revenue.

This year, the town is requesting $3.7 million to help build a new water tank on the south side of town. That was one of the large upcoming capital projects that prompted the Town Council to sharply raise utility rates this year.

Mayor Scott Ramsey described the funding request as a long shot. But with the vast majority of the system’s 1,800 utility customers living outside the municipal boundaries, town leaders hope to make the case that the investment could provide a significant, long-term benefit to those county residents with lower rates and improved safety and service. n

GETOUT

LIVE MUSIC

JUSTIN SUEDE

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14

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

NO RESOLVE/ HALOCENE

8 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St. SW., Leesburg. $22. tallyhotheater.com

ROWDY TOLBERT

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

FAST EDDIE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

NATHANIEL DAVIS

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

FREDDY HALL

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

BRITTON JAMES

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

ZAC QUINTANA AND THE SAGES

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

ACOUSTIC SOUL

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

JASON MASI

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

CLARK PEKLO

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 21

Crossroads Music Festival Returns to Downtown Leesburg

In its fourth year, BENEFIT’s Crossroads Music Festival is expanding to two days, with SHAED, a multi-platinum Washington, DC-based trio, opening the event with a special Friday night concert.

Held Sept. 15-16 at venues throughout downtown Leesburg, the festival raises funds for nonprofits serving the Loudoun County community. This year, 33 musicians and bands will be performing original music on a dozen stages.

BENEFIT is a nonprofit coalition of musicians and

Dulles Day: Aviation Up Close

Thousands of visitors gathered on the tarmac at Dulles Airport on Saturday to get an up-close look at aircraft and raise money for Special Olympics Virginia before the annual Dulles Day festivities were cut short by a thunderstorm.

The family festival allows visitors to get up close, and even inside, military, commercial and vintage planes and helicopters, and also includes a car show and live music performances.

The heart of the event is the Plane Pull, in which teams of 25 members compete to pull an 82-ton airplane over a 12-foot course in the quickest time. Over the past 30 years, the event has raised more than $3 million for Special Olympics Virginia. During the day some teams, weathered occasional sprinkles and short downpours when it was their turn to take up the pull rope. But when lightning appeared on the horizon, the event was called off—denying 14-year champions the Chesapeake Sheriff ’s Office team, which was scheduled to pull in the final group, the opportunity to defend its title n

community leaders uniting people with music to raise funds and awareness for other nonprofits serving Loudoun County. BENEFIT awarded grants totaling $25,000 to eight nonprofits from the proceeds of its 2022 Crossroads Music Festival.

“We are thrilled that we are able to expand the festival to two evenings of live music performances and that we have SHAED joining us to perform on Friday evening,”

CROSSROADS continues on page 22

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

2023 Loudoun Youth Battle of the Bands winner Sheltered will be among nearly three dozen performers joining in Saturday’s Crossroads Music Festival throughout downtown Leesburg.

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 20

CROSSROADS MUSIC FESTIVAL

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 Downtown Leesburg, Leesburg. crossroadsmusicfest.org

CHRIS TIMBERS & MIKE

ECHOLS

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

STRYPER

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $40. tallyhotheaters.com

BOOM

8 p.m. to midnight, Friday, Sept. 15

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

RIKI J & BLUE RHYTHM

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

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

CHARITY BAND JAM

12 to 9 p.m. Saturday,

Sept. 16

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

SELA CAMPBELL

1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

MELISSA QUINN FOX

1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

DAVID THONG

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

DAVE MININBERG TOASTS THE OLD OAK

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Forever Farm and Vineyard, 15779 Woodgrove Road, Purcellville. foreverfarmandvineyard.com

BRENT KIMBROUGH

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

PETE LAPP

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Bear Chase Brewing

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

MELISSA QUINN FOX

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

NEW DOMINION BAND

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts vanishbeer.com

LAURA CASHMAN

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

BRIAN HARRIS

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Bleufrog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway bleufrogvineyards.com

HILARY VELTRI

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 22

CROSSROADS

continued from page 20

BENEFIT co-founder and president

Ara Bagdasarian said. “We have such great talent in our region, and it’s wonderful to be able to highlight all these musical artists at an event that supports our Loudoun community. SHAED’s roots are in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, and we’re excited that a music group from our region that has received international acclaim will be performing at our event.”

The Friday, Sept. 15, segment of the festival will start at 7 p.m. on the lawn at the Loudoun County Courthouse in downtown Leesburg. The show is a free concert. No smoking, coolers, alcoholic beverages, or pets will be allowed on the grounds. The downtown streets will be closed to traffic starting at 4:30 p.m. and reopen by midnight.

On Saturday, Sept. 16, performances will be held on 12 stages at 11 different venues in downtown

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 21

DAN CRONIN

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

BROKE SUPERSTARS

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 MacDowell’s Beach, 202 Harrison St. SE., Leesburg. macsbeach.com

JIM STEELE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

CHAD LAUGHLIN

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

GARY JAY & THE FIRE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

Best Bets

Leesburg from 5-10 p.m. Each artist will perform a 60-minute set.

This year’s performers include Big Bad Juju, Laurie Blue, The Lenny Burridge Band, Sela Campbell, Bob Crerie Band, Cycle J, Connor Daly, Ben Demase, Chris Ellinghaus Music, Eternal Moon, Favorite Child, Frayed Knots, David Goodrum, Downe Lands, Andy Hawk, Rob Hoey, Intellect, Julia Kasdorf Duo, Lil’ Maceo, LK3MY5T, Juliana MacDowell, Lucas

Mason, Mike McCabe, Dave Mininberg , Mintons Academy of Music, Mission Road,Penelope Lyla, The Plunge, The PUSH, The Ragweeds, Max Redding and The Dogwood Gospel, Sheltered, Summer & Eric, and the Chris Timbers Band.

Passes for the Saturday evening segment of the festival may be purchased for $20 in advance online at CrossroadsMusicFest.org or for $30 at each performance venue during the festival.

With the purchase of a festival pass, attendees will receive a wristband at check-in. Wristbands will provide attendees access to Sept. 16 event-day specials at participating music venues and a collectible 2023 Crossroads Music Festival T-shirt, available while supplies last. Passes are not required for entry at any venue participating in BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival. However, proceeds from festival pass sales benefit area charities.

“We are so excited about the continued expansion of Crossroads Music Festival,” BENEFIT co-founder

and vice president Amy Bobchek said. “Growing to a two-day event with more venues and artists than ever before means we can make this year a record-breaker for fundraising. We want to engage the community in supporting local nonprofits, shine a light on the incredible musicians who are performing this year, and continue to create a culture of giving here in Loudoun.”

Festival sponsors include Toth Financial, Keane Enterprises, Loudoun Now, Music Planet Radio, Risr Media, SoundView Services, Birkitt Dental, Apple Federal Credit Union, Coldwell Banker Realty – Leesburg, ProJet Aviation, Greensorb, Loudoun County Department of Economic Development, and Leesburg Arts & Cultural District. Where’s the Music? and the Town of Leesburg Department of Economic Development are co-presenters of the Friday night event.

Festival pass, performer lineup, schedule, and venue information for BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival can be found at  CrossroadsMusicFest.org. n

SHAED

Friday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Loudoun County Courthouse crossroadsmusicfest.org

BENEFIT’s 2023 Crossroads Music Festival kicks off with a special Friday night concert by the indie pop trio SHAED. Singer/songwriter Ryan Wright opens. Free. No coolers or pets permitted.

GROUP THERAPY BAND

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Lost Rhino Brewery, 21730 Red Rum Dr., Ashburn lostrhino.com

JASON MASI

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Quattro Goombas, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie quattrogoombas.com

STRYPER

Friday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

The pioneering Christian metal band takes the Leesburg stage building on the release if its 14th album, Armageddon-influenced “The Final Battle.”

BAREFOOT & SUNSHINE

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

TED GARBERCONSTITUTION DAY

COOKOUT

3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, Loudoun Field Center, 13951 Freedom Center Lane, Lucketts

BRUCE IN THE USA

Saturday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m. Tarara Winery tararaconcerts.com

Bruce in the USA is a highenergy, note-perfect, and visually accurate musical experience of a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band show. Bring a blanket or chair and enjoy an evening in the winery grove.

QUENTIN WALSTON JAZZ TRIO

Saturday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. Franklin Park Arts Center franklinparkartscenter.org

The Quentin Walston Trio is an exciting piano, bass, and drums jazz group that performs sets of original music and jazz standards. Quentin weaves jazz history and stories behind his own compositions into the concerts.

loudounfieldcenter.org

THE BRISK BAND

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

CROSSROADS MUSIC FESTIVAL

5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, Downtown Leesburg,

Leesburg. $20. crossroadsmusicfest.com

HUBIE G & THE LOST CORNER VAGABONDS

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

CRAZY JANE BAND

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138

John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com

STEVE GEORGE AND FRIENDS

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro.

GET OUT

continues on page 23

File Photo

The Chris Timbers Band is among nearly three dozen performers joining in Saturday’s Crossroads Music Festival throughout downtown Leesburg.

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 22

harvestgap.com

TAYLOR CARSON DUO

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

BRUCE IN THE USA

6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

QUENTIN WALSTON TRIO

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

LIVE WIRE: THE ULTIMATE AC/DC EXPERIENCE

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

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

ONE MORE

8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 16

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

SHORT HILL MOUNTAIN BOYS

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

STEEL DRUMMIN’ ON THE BEACH

12 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

WILL BASKIN

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

BLUE BOTTLENECK BAND

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

BRENT KIMBROUGH

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com

BRUCE EWAN

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255

Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

JOSH SOWDER

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

JP JONES

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

KEVIN GRIFFITH

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

DAVID ANDREW SMITH

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Bleufrog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway bleufrogvineyards.com

KERRY MCCOOL

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

LIVE MUSIC

continues on page 24

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 23

FREDDIE LONG

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

KEN WENZEL

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

JOE DOWNER

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. Harvestgap.com

MIKE ROCK

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

ANDY CARIGNAN

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

JASON MASI

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

CHASING AUTUMN

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

NICK ANDREW STAVER

2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Casanel Vineyards and Winery, 17956 Canby Road, Leesburg. casanelvineyards.com

DIXIE RYTHM

3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 105 E. Washington St., Middleburg. emmanuelmiddleburg.org

ROBBIE LIMON

5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

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

ICON FOR HIRE

8 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $17 to $35 tallyhotheater.com

MICHAEL CARTER

5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20

Lost Rhino Brewery, 21730 Red Rum Dr., Ashburn lostrhino.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20

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

CECIL DELLOMA

7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20

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

GEOFF TATE’S BIG ROCK

SHOW HITS

7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21

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

HAPPENINGS

LOUDOUN CHAMBER DEIA SUMMIT

7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15

The National Conference Center, 18665 Conference Center Drive, Leesburg. $75. loudounchamber.org

RAPTORS OF VIRGINIA

6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245

Black Hops Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org

COMMUNITY YARD SALE TO BENEFIT CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Forever Farm and Vineyard, 15779 Woodgrove Road, Purcellville. foreverfarmandvineyard.com

HAWK WATCH

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Snickers Gap, Bluemont. loudounwildlife.org

LOUDOUN COUNTY

EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Carver Senior Center, 200 E. Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. carveralumni.com

MIDDLEBURG’S OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATION

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, Downtown Middleburg. middleburgva.gov

OKTOBERFEST AT WHEATLAND SPRING

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Wheatland Spring Farm+Brewery, 38506 John Wolford Road, Waterford. wheatlandspring.com

LOUDOUN RECOVERY

FESTIVAL

12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Douglass Community Center, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg. loudoun.gov/preventionalliance

LOUDOUN OUT OF THE DARKNESS WALK

12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 One Loudoun, 20626 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn. supporting.afsp.org

VILLAGE AT LEESBURG PET FESTIVAL

12 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

Village at Leesburg, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. villageatleesburg.com

HARRY PRICE BOOK SIGNING

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16

October One Vineyard Tasting Shop, 7 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. $15. octoberonevineyard.com

FEAST IN THE FIELD

4:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 11414 Olde Stone Lane, 11414 Olde Stone Lane, Lovettsville. afarmlessordinary.org

LOUDOUN HERITAGE

MUSEUM 20TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 Kalero Vineyard, 36140 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. heritagefarmmuseum.org

BIRDING BLES PARK

8 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Bles Park, 44830 Bles Park Drive, Ashburn. loudounwildlife.org

HEROES FIRST FAIR

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 Loudoun Therapeutic Riding, 14490 Berlin Turnpike, Lovettsville. ltrf.org

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF AN OWL

2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17 House 6 Brewing Co., 44427 Atwater Drive, Ashburn. loudounwildlife.org

KALIKIE CLASSIC GOLF

TOURNAMENT

9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20

Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club, 41601 Raspberry Drive, Leesburg. strokecomebackcenter.org n

Legal Notices

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

/v.

Maynor Martinez Acosta, putative father and Unknown Father

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

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

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

COUNTY OF LOUDOUN, VIRGINIA PROPOSED CAPITAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT

FY 2029 – FY 2040

The Planning Commission will review and consider the capital projects contained within the Proposed FY 2029 - FY 2040 Capital Needs Assessment (CNA). The CNA is a planning document that projects the probable inventory of capital projects within the County of Loudoun for the designated time period based upon the County’s population growth forecasts and adopted Capital Facility Standards (CFS).

This document is prepared and published for information and planning purposes only. Inclusion of any item(s) in the proposed CNA does not constitute any obligation or commitment on the part of the County to appropriate funds for that item or purpose. There is no allocation or designation of funds by the County for any purpose until there has been an appropriation for that purpose by the Board of Supervisors in the County’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP). A copy of the proposed CNA is available for inspection at the Government Center, described below.

Specific questions should be directed to Nikki Speight, Assistant Director, Office of Management and Budget at (703) 737-8521.

LEGI-2023-0043, DULLES LOGISTICS REZONING:

ZMAP-2022-0022 & ZMOD-2022-0069

(Zoning Map Amendment & Zoning Modification)

ESC Lansdowne LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map Amendment and zoning modification for approximately 8.85 acres of land located on the north side of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) and west of Pleasant Valley Road (Route 609) in the Dulles Election District (the “Subject Property”), and more particularly described as: 25435 Pleasant Valley Road, PIN 097-30-2707-000, Tax Map # 107///3/////B/. For ZMAP-2022-0022, the applicant seeks to rezone approximately 8.85 acres from the MR-HI (Mineral Resource – Heavy Industry) and CLI (Commercial Light Industry) zoning districts to the PD-GI (Planned Development – General Industry) zoning district. For ZMOD-2022-0069, the applicant seeks zoning modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property and/or proposed development, including reducing the required buffer yard adjacent from 25 feet to 15 feet.

LEGI-2023-0037, PLEASANT VIEW SUBSTATION: CMPT-2022-0002, SPEX-2022-0032 & SPMI-2022-0003 (Commission Permit, Special Exception & Minor Special Exception)

Dominion Energy Virginia has submitted applications for a commission permit, special exception, and minor special exception for approximately 7.48 acres of land located northwest of Cochran Mill Road (Route 653) and west of Samuels Mill Court in the Leesburg Election District (the “Subject Property”), and more particularly described as: 19571 Samuels Mill Court, PIN 150-16-7050-000, Tax Map # /61/////////5A. For CMPT-2022-0002, the applicant seeks a commission permit to expand an existing utility substation, categorized as a “Utility Substation, Distribution,” in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance. For SPEX-2022-0032, the applicant seeks a special exception to remove the legal non-conformance status of the existing utility substation use. For SPMI-2022-0003, the applicant seeks a minor special exception to modify buffer yard opacity requirements.

The conditions and periods of the foregoing Agricultural and Forestal Districts to which parcels are being considered for addition are as follows:

NEW CATOCTIN SOUTH 4 Years 20 Acres

MIDDLEBURG EAST 4 Years 50 Acres

NEW FEATHERBED 4 Years 40 Acres

June 2, 2020

July 18, 2023

November 4, 2022

Each of these Districts will be reviewed prior to its expiration date pursuant to Chapter 1226 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County.

Received applications were referred to the ADAC for review and recommendation. The ADAC held a public meeting on August 14, 2023, to consider the applications. The report and recommendations of the ADAC will be considered by the Planning Commission at its public hearing.

In accordance with Section 15.2-4307 of the Code of Virginia, the applications are available for inspection 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 by calling 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies or electronically at: https://www.loudoun.gov/adac (8-142023 ADAC Meeting under Agendas and Bylaws). Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/pc (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for Public Hearings Packet).

LEGI-2023-0048, BELMONT INNOVATION CAMPUS:

ZMAP-2022-0021, SPEX-2022-0042, SPMI-2023-0013 & ZMOD-2022-0077 (Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, Minor Special Exception & Zoning Modification)

Loudoun GC, LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment, a special exception, a minor special exception, and a zoning modification for approximately 111.7 acres of land located south of Route 7, west of Belmont Ridge Road, east of Cochran Mill Road, and north of Route 267 in the Ashburn Election District (the “Subject Property”) and more particularly described as:

AGDT-2023-0002,

AGDT-2023-0003, AGDT-2023-0004,

INTERIM ADDITIONS TO AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTAL DISTRICTS

Applications have been received by the Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning and referred to the Agricultural District Advisory Committee (ADAC) and the Planning Commission pursuant to Chapter 43, Title 15.2 of the Code of Virginia to amend the ordinances for the following Agricultural and Forestal Districts to add the following parcels:

For ZMAP-2022-0021, the applicant seeks to rezone approximately 70 acres from the PD-GI (Planned Development-General Industry) and A-3 (Agricultural Residential) zoning districts to the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district to develop data center uses. The application area also includes approximately 41.7 acres of land that is currently zoned PD-IP, for a total application area of 111.7 acres. For SPEX-2022-0042, the applicant seeks to increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the PD-IP zoning district to 1.0. For SPMI-2023-0013, the applicant seeks to modify the buffer yard requirements of Table 4-1404 by eliminating required buffer yards between uses and to reduce plantings and buffer yard widths. For ZMOD-2022-0077, pursuant to Section 5-1400, the applicant seeks to reduce parking setbacks from 35 feet to 25 feet and building setbacks from 75 feet to 35 feet along Gloucester Parkway and Russell Branch Parkway.

LEGI-2023-0027, INNOVATION GATEWAY:

ZMAP-2022-0001, SPEX-2022-0002, ZMOD-2022-0005, ZMOD-2022-0006, ZMOD-2022-0007, ZMOD-2022-0008, ZMOD-2022-0009, & ZMOD-2022-0010 (Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, & Zoning Modifications)

Any owner of additional qualifying land may join the applications with consent of the Board of Supervisors, at any time before the public hearing that the Board of Supervisors must hold on the applications. Additional qualifying lands may be added to an already created District at any time upon separate application pursuant to Chapter 43, Title 15.2 of the Code of Virginia.

Any owner who joined in the application may withdraw their land, in whole or in part, by written notice filed with the Board of Supervisors, at any time before the Board of Supervisors acts pursuant to Virginia Code Section 15.2-4309.

FRH REALTY, LLC and BCG JV STERLING have submitted applications for: a zoning map amendment, a special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 29.13 acres of land located west of Shaw Road (Route 636), east of Sully Road (Route 28), and south of Old Ox Road (Route 606) in the Sterling Election District (the “Subject Property”) and more particularly described as:

Legal Notices

For ZMAP-2022-0001, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the PD-RDP (Planned Development – Research and Development Park) to the PD-TC (Planned Development – Town Center) and PD-OP (Planned Development – Office Park) zoning districts in order to develop 425 multifamily attached (MFA) dwelling units at a density of approximately 40 dwelling units per acre within the proposed PD-TC zoning district and to develop 700,000 square feet (SF) of data center use with the proposed PD-OP zoning district. For SPEX-2022-0002, applicant seeks to increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the PD-OP district from 0.6 to 1.0. For ZMOD-2022-0005, ZMOD-2022-0006, ZMOD-2022-0007, ZMOD-2022-0008, ZMOD-2022-0009, and ZMOD-2022-0010, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: allow a PD-TC District of a minimum of 12 acres, allow a Town Center Fringe without a Town Center Core in the PD-TC district, allow a minimum five foot setback between the parking spaces within the PD-TC district and the eastern boundary of the PD-OP district, to eliminate the requirement for a town green in the PD-TC zoning district, to allow for 100 percent of the total gross floor area within the PD-TC district to be devoted to residential use, to eliminate the requirement for a minimum 3 percent of total gross floor area used for civic uses and/or other public uses, educational uses, cultural uses, or community rooms and buildings in the PD-TC district, to allow a block perimeter of a minimum of 3,200 feet without a through-block pedestrian linkage in the PD-TC district, to allow a minimum five foot setback between the parking spaces within the PD-OP district and the northernmost drive aisle of the PD-TC district, and to allow a building height of up to 110 feet if it is set back from streets or from lot lines that do not constitute boundaries of districts with lower maximum height restrictions, in addition to each of the required minimum yard dimensions, a distance of not less than one foot for each one foot of height that it exceeds the 60 foot limit in the PD-TC district.

LEGI-2023-0049, LOUDOUN STATION: ZMOD-2022-0078 (Zoning

Modification)

Comstock Loudoun Station, LC and CLS Phase I, LC have submitted an application for a zoning modification for approximately 26.42 acres of land located South of Shellhorn Road (Route 634), east of Ashburn Metro Drive, north of the Dulles Greenway, and west of Metro Center Drive in the Broad Run Election District (the “Subject Property”) and more particularly described as:

For ZMOD-2022-0078, the Applicant seeks a zoning ordinance modification for regulations affecting the Subject Property including allowing the trees planted in the Inner Core subarea to satisfy the 10 percent on-site tree canopy requirement or reducing the tree canopy requirement from 10 percent to 7.5 percent.

LEGI-2023-0028, MT. PLEASANT BAPTIST CHURCH:

SPEX-2022-0003

(Special Exception)

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, of has submitted an application for a special exception for approximately 15.31 of land located west of Old Carolina Road (Route 615), and north of Buchannon Gap Road (Route 764), in the Litte River Election District, and more particularly described as 24337 Old Carolina Road, PIN 363-17-6399-000, Tax Map # /98////////16/. The applicant seeks to expand an existing Church use in the AR-3 (Agricultural Residential) zoning district. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed use is listed as a Special Exception use under Section 2-403(C).

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. 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 of the public hearing; however, speakers may also sign-up at the public hearing. 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 public hearing to request additional time to speak on behalf of such organization.

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

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation for any 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

9/14 & 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.

Legal Notices

COUNTY OF LOUDOUN, VIRGINIA AVAILABILITY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION REPORT (CAPER) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023

The Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development has prepared a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 on the performance of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program within the County for the period from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Copies of the draft CAPER for FY 2023 will be made available starting Friday, September 1, 2023, through Monday, September 18, 2023, and may be examined at the office of the Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development, 106 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The CAPER is also available online at https://www.loudoun.gov/. Written comments on the CAPER may be submitted via email to housing@loudoun.gov or via mail to the CDBG Program Manager, PO Box 7000, Leesburg, VA 20177. For questions, please call 703-737-8755.

09/14/23

EARLY VOTING

November 7,

2023 - General & Special Election

Early Voting – All registered voters are eligible to vote early in-person, no excuse required. In-person early voting begins at the Office of Elections on Friday, September 22, 2023.

Important Dates for Leesburg Early Voting –

Office of Elections –750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite 150, Leesburg 20175

• Early voting starts on Friday, September 22, 2023

• Early voting hours – Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Early voting ends Saturday, November 4, 2023.

• Extended hours –

o Weekdays – October 23 – November 3

§ Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

§ Tuesday, Thursday – 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

o Saturday, October 28 and Saturday, November 4 – the office will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

NOTE: The Office will be closed on Monday, October 9, 2023, for Indigenous People Day.

Important Dates & Deadlines:

Claude Moore Recreation & Community Center – 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling 20164

• Early voting starts – October 23, 2023

o Saturdays, October 28 and November 4 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

o Weekdays – October 23 – November 3

§ Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

§ Tuesday, Thursday - Noon - 7:00 p.m.

Dulles South Recreation Center – 24950 Riding Center Drive, Chantilly 20152

• Early voting starts – October 23, 2023

o Saturdays, October 28 and November 4 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

o Weekdays – October 23 – November 3

§ Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

§ Tuesday, Thursday - Noon - 7:00 p.m.

Carver Senior Center – 200 E. Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville 20132

• Early voting hours:

o Saturdays – October 28 and November 4 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 5:00 pm is the last day upon which one may vote an absentee ballot in person for the upcoming election.

To find more information regarding the upcoming election, visit our website at www.loudoun.gov/voteearly

Judith Brown, General Registrar / 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite 150, Leesburg, Virginia 20175

Email: vote@loudoun.gov / Telephone: 703-777-0380 / Fax: 703-777-0622

9/14 & 9/21/23

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OLD TOWN ONE-WAY STREET REVIEW

The Town of Lovettsville is in the process of exploring one-way conversion of narrow streets in the old town area of South Church Street, East Pennsylvania Avenue and South Light Street. 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, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

5:00-6:30PM

Town Council Chambers

6 E Pennsylvania Avenue

Lovettsville, VA 20180

Project Description: The project is to address pedestrian and vehicular safety along the narrow nonconforming streets in the old town area, within existing rights-of-way and pavement sections. The project will include redefining South Church Street, East Pennsylvania Avenue and South Light Street to one-way operation between East Broad Way and South Locust Street, consistent with the Town-wide Transportation Plan project number 7. The Town has engaged the Transportation Engineering firm of Wells and Associates to provide traffic study analysis and pavement striping and signage design. A representative of Wells and Associates will be at the meeting to present the analysis and options.

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, September 28, 2023 to Charles 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 current concept design options 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.

9/14 & 9/21/23

LOUDOUN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMUNITY INFORMATION MEETING NOTICE

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) will hold a community information meeting to review a proposed High School and Elementary School on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, in the auditorium at Brambleton Middle School (23070 Learning Cir, Ashburn, VA 20148) at 6:00 p.m.

A Commission Permit application (CMPT-2023-0006) has been filed to allow a High School (HS14) and future Elementary School to be co-located on the site with Watson Mountain Middle School (previously known as MS-14). The 172.9-acre site is located on the west side of Evergreen Mills Road, south of Red Hill Road in the Blue Ridge Election District (2011)/ Little River Election District (2022). Access to the site will be from Red Hill Road and Evergreen Mills Road, on Hidden Fox Court and/or Steeplechase Loop Drive. The site is more particularly identified as Tax Map Number /91/////////8/ (MCPI 242-18-1260) and is zoned A-3 (Agricultural/Residential) with a small area of TR-3UBF (Transition Residential-3, Upper Broad Run/Upper Foley). The property is located partially within the Floodplain Overlay District and partially within the Reservoir Protection Area. This application is subject to the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance and the proposed use requires a Commission Permit in accordance with Section 6-1100 of the zoning ordinance. The proposed schools are governed under the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan. The subject property is designated as Transition Large Lot Neighborhood Place Type in the Comprehensive Plan; this designation includes low density residential communities and public facilities as conditional uses.

The proposed High School use is identified in the School Board Adopted FY 2024 – FY 2029 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as High School (HS-14) with a planned opening in Fall 2028 (2028-2029 academic year). The opening date of the proposed Elementary School has not yet been identified.

The purpose of the meeting is to share information with the surrounding community on the proposed schools. Please contact our office if you are unable to attend the meeting and would like more detail on the application. Information related to CMPT-2023-0006 is posted on the LCPS website (www.lcps.org/Page/227914, using the ‘High School (HS-14) & Elementary School (TBD), Dulles North Area’ folder link).

Those who need translation/interpretation assistance or a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability in order to participate meaningfully in the meeting should contact the Planning and GIS Services office at least three (3) business days prior to the meeting.

Beverly I. Tate, Director

Loudoun County Public Schools

Division of Planning & GIS Services

960 Sycolin Road SE, Suite 110, Leesburg, VA 20175

Telephone: 571-252-1050

Email: LCPSPLAN@LCPS.ORG

9/14 & 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

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TO CONSIDER AMENDMENTS TO LEESBURG TOWN CODE:

CHAPTER

2 (ADMINISTRATION); ARTICLE V (BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS)

In accordance with Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, sections 15.2-1102, 15.2-1411, 15.2-1500, 15.2-2212, 15.2-2306, 15.2-2308, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA

at which time the public shall have the right to present oral and written testimony on proposed amendments to the Town Code. Chapter 2, Article V of the Leesburg Town Code will be discussed. The amendments will serve to amend boards and commissions membership requirements as well as modify and clarify the rules regarding meetings and compensation for members.

A copy of the proposed ordinance is available from the Town Clerk, located in Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.); or by calling Eileen Boeing, Town Clerk, at 703-771-2733.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning these matters will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations 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.

9/14 & 9/21/23

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

CHILDCARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES, RFP No. 638806 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, September 28, 2023.

CONSULTANT SERVICES FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING & PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING, RFP No. 614792 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, October 17, 2023.

COURTS COMPLEX PHASE IV - CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AT RISK SERVICES, RFQu No. 615792 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, October 24, 2023.

IRRIGATION SYSTEMS INSTALLATION, IFB No. 633797 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, October 12, 2023.

SOLID WASTE ENGINEERING & MONITORING SERVICES, RFP No. 638795 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, October 16, 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.

9/14/23

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

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

Town of Leesburg

Employment Opportunities

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

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

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.

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The Nation’s Guest: Lafayette in Loudoun

BY PAUL MCCRAY

In 1824, excitement was building in the United States for a visit by the Marquis de Lafayette. General Lafayette, as he preferred to be called, was invited by American friends, and a resolution of Congress, to tour the country he aided during the Revolution. Escaping political turmoil in France attracted Lafayette to the idea of spending a year as the “Nation’s Guest.”

Lafayette, a French citizen, believed in the American fight for freedom, and may have been further motivated to fight the British by the 1759 death of his father in battle against that country. He was offered the rank of major general in the Continental Army, and when he found that America lacked the funds to transport him across the Atlantic to join the war, he bought a ship and loaded it with guns, ammunition and other supplies. Despite little in the way of military experience, he was credited with excellent battle tactics, leadership and courage, helping to win the war for America. He was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, but returned to service and was instrumental in the final campaign cornering Cornwall at Yorktown, ending the war.

The Loudoun “Committee of Arrangement”

After arriving in the United States in September 1824, Lafayette planned to see old friends and comrades from the army and visit sites of the battles where he fought. But he was inundated with requests from across the 24 states to visit cities and towns, including the Town of Leesburg. A group of prominent Loudoun men, taking the name “Committee of Arrangement,” gathered Dec. 14, 1824, to discuss extending an invitation to Lafayette. They adopted several resolutions:

“Resolved, That this meeting entertains the liveliest gratitude for the services of General Lafayette, the most profound respect for his character.”

“Resolved, That Messrs. Charles F. Mercer, Wm. T. T. Mason, and Lafayette Ball, be a committee for the purpose of waiting on General Lafayette, and of requesting him and his suit (his entourage) to honour this town by a visit, and by accepting its hospitality.”

These three men were well known and influential in Loudoun and beyond. Mercer was a member of Congress and the main force behind the C&O Canal. Mason was a nephew of George Mason

and son of Thomson Mason, a signer of the Loudoun Resolves prior to the Revolution. Ball, who went by the name Fayette, was son of General Lafayette’s former aide-de-camp, Burgess Ball, and a relative and godson of George Washington, who gave him his name. Another Committee resolution recommended the federal government recompense Lafayette for “…his early services, and unexampled sacrifices in the glorious cause of our independence, as may be worthy of his virtues, and of the gratitude of the freest and happiest people on earth.”

Lafayette Comes to Loudoun

With Mason taking the lead, the three men visited Lafayette at his hotel in the City of Washington. Despite the accolades and appreciation presented to Lafayette by Mason, they were told his schedule would not likely allow him time to visit Leesburg.

The Loudoun newspaper, The Genius of Liberty, reported on Lafayette’s travels, some of which came close to Loudoun. But the Committee of Arrangement did not give up hope, and on June 28, 1825, learned the general wished to visit the three living ex-presidents from Virginia. Luckily, one lived in Loudoun: James Monroe, who served in the Revolution with Lafayette, and who left office earlier in the year. By July 12, the newspaper reported that Lafayette would come to

N U R C K R

general was wounded.

O BA AY D

Loudoun.

On Aug. 6, Lafayette traveled to Oak Hill, Monroe’s estate south of Leesburg, with President John Quincy Adams, the general’s son, George Washington Lafayette, and personal secretary August Le Vasseur. According to Le Vasseur, after President Adams paid the toll and the carriage started across the Potomac River bridge, they heard a shout and were chased down by the toll keeper who told the president he underpaid. At that point the man recognized Lafayette and said he shouldn’t have charged the toll and that “…all gates and bridges were free to the nation’s guest.” Lafayette said he was traveling privately and paid the remaining toll amount.

After a two-day trip, Lafayette and Adams arrived at Oak Hill and spent several days with Monroe, walking around his farm and enjoying his company. It was probably a welcome break from their hectic schedules of the past year with Lafayette traveling from town to town while Adams was campaigning and assuming the presidency.

On Aug. 9, a contingent of Loudoun militia arrived to escort the men to Leesburg for a daylong celebration. In attendance were members of the Committee of Arrangement, local politicians, prominent citizens of Loudoun and an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. Lafayette was honored with multiple speeches and toasts, but seemed most taken with the participation of local children’s academies.

Lafayette warmly greeted a former Revolutionary War soldier, James Crook, according to local lore, who had served with him at Brandywine and was said to have assisted caring for him when the

In the evening, Lafayette and his entourage traveled north to Temple Hall for a reception held by William T. T. Mason and his wife. Mason’s two youngest daughters received an extraordinary honor when the three guests stood as their sponsors, or godfathers—Adams and Monroe for Mary Louise Mason and Lafayette for Mary Carroll, sometimes known as Mary Lafayette Mason. President Adams later expressed dismay at being placed in that position, but stood as sponsor or godfather, as requested.

From Temple Hall, the men finished what must have been an exhausting day by traveling to Belmont, east of town on the Leesburg Turnpike and home of Ludwell Lee, Lafayette’s aide-de-camp during the Revolution.

Lafayette’s Concern for Enslaved People

At each stop in Loudoun, as in most southern cities during his tour, Lafayette was served by enslaved workers at farms, hotels and plantations. This experience likely disturbed him, as he was steadfast in his belief that enslaving other human beings was wrong. Lafayette was quoted as saying “I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America, if I could have conceived that thereby I was founding a land of slavery.” After the Revolution, he wrote to George Washington suggesting they buy land together where Washington’s enslaved could work as free laborers. Washington indicated interest in the idea but deferred discussion until they could talk in person, which never happened. Lafayette later began this experiment on land he purchased in the French colony of Cayenne (present day French Guiana).

Since 1825, though many histories have been written about Lafayette’s tour, few mention his visit to Loudoun. But the people of this once rural, but now booming, county have not forgotten the man who might have been their most famous guest.

In preparation for the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit, NOVA Parks this month will unveil a new Lafayette Trail historical marker at Temple Hall Farm Park. Learn more at novaparks.org. n

Paul McCray, a 31-year Loudoun resident, managed NOVA Parks in Loudoun County for many years, and continues his work as a park historian. In 2011, he received a Thomas Balch Library History Award.

Library of Congress

Marquis de Lafayette

Smith pardoned

continued from page 1

prove his innocence. Smith was appealing a District Court conviction in a Circuit Court case.

“I wanted to win this on my own merit in court, straight up,” he said. “I didn’t want a pardon and really one was never really talked about until after my last court hearing, when I made it very known to everyone that I was very disheartened about what had happened in that hearing and it was time for Youngkin to do something about this misjustice, and I never heard from him until real recently,” he said.

Smith was arrested at the June meeting after he said he showed up to listen to what was being said about the policy. The policy, among other things, stated students could use bathrooms and locker rooms of their gender identity. Smith’s daughter had been sexually assaulted by a boy in a girl’s bathroom at Stone Bridge High School May 28, 2021. That same student went on to sexually assault another student at Broad Run High School in October after being transferred to the school.

Smith said a woman began yelling at his wife Jessica Smith and he stepped in to defend her. He said the woman threatened to damage his reputation and business. Video of the event shows a Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputy near Smith talking to him and trying to pull him away from the woman. Smith resisted and was wrestled to the ground by two deputies.

He was charged with obstruction of justice, which was eventually thrown out, and disorderly conduct, both

Labor agreement

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costs,” he said. “For every study that somebody could show me that says PLAs don’t, I can give you three that show that they do.”

He also expressed concern that the agreement would mean the eventual contractor would hire mostly out-ofstate labor, since few Virginia workers are unionized.

“This motion is going to guarantee a payday for folks who don’t live in Virginia. This is outside help that is going to be coming, because it’s the only way to comply with the PLA on a lot of our projects,” he said, adding he would likely request a

misdemeanors.

Youngkin stated in his pardon that Smith exercised his constitutional right to attend the public meeting when a “community member threatened to spread false and malicious information about Mr. Smith’s business with the intent to damage his reputation.”

“Scott Smith is a dedicated parent who’s faced unwarranted charges in his pursuit to protect his daughter. Scott’s commitment to his child despite the immense obstacles is emblematic of the parental empowerment movement that started in Virginia,” Youngkin stated in announcing the pardon. “In Virginia, parents matter and my resolve is to empower parents i[s] unwavering. … I am pleased to grant Scott Smith this pardon and help him and his family put his injustice behind them once and for all.”

Smith’s appeal was scheduled for a Sept. 25-26 trial, the same day fired Loudoun County Public Schools superintendent Scott Ziegler is scheduled to go to trial on charges of engaging in prohibited conduct and penalizing an employee, also misdemeanors.

Ziegler was fired by the School Board in December 2022 after the unsealing of a special grand jury report empaneled to investigate the incidents was released and stated the division was looking after its own interests instead of the children.

“I don’t even know how they were going to poll a jury that day,” Smith said speaking of his now canceled trial.

Smith said he and his lawyers were prepared to go to trial and win, but will take this ending.

“We weren’t playing around, we were

post-hoc analysis to see where the workers for the project came from.

Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) referred to federal Department of Labor guidance that workers do not have to join unions to be covered under project labor agreements. Randall pointed to the possibility of including union and non-union labor in the project labor agreement.

“We will see where we come out. It may be at the end of this we go ‘you know what, maybe that’s not where we want to go,’ or maybe ‘this was OK, this was very good,’” Randall said. “At the very least, I definitely want to see if something like this can address the issue of paying people under the table and all those types of wage theft issues that are rampant, just rampant, in

going to win this one way or another. But it’s gone on too long and it needed to end, and I think this was a good ending for everyone,” he said.

Asked about the timing of the pardon, Smith said “in the political machine, timing is everything, isn’t it?”

“It was a really complicated thing, but Youngkin couldn’t pardon me unless I dropped my appeal and I refused to do that,” Smith said. “I just wasn’t going to drop my appeal and accept responsibility for something I didn’t do. My court date is two weeks out. I think Youngkin was hoping this would have been over by now and I won on my own merit.”

Smith said there is a lot going on behind the scenes and said what happened to the children, and his daughter in particular, needed to be taken care of.

“The [Attorney General] came to town to do that and that is what they did, and we [Youngkin and Smith] finally came to an agreement and here we are today,” he said.

Smith said they plan to file a federal Title IX case by Oct. 1 and look to play a role in the local elections by encouraging people to vote. He said Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj, who personally prosecuted the charges against him, was “absolutely relentless in the way she took care of this.”

He also called on Sheriff Michael Chapman to take accountability for what his deputies did that night.

“You know, it wasn’t just my arrest. There were over 500 people there that night and every one of their constitutional rights got stomped on,” he said.

Smith said he and the deputy who ar-

all of Virginia and also here in Loudoun County.”

Staff members reported they looked through the county’s capital plans for a larger-dollar project involving a variety of trades, which would have minimal direct impact on the community if delay occurred.

The $89.6 million office building project is under design and expected to finish construction in fiscal year 2027, and is part of an ongoing county project to save money in the long term by moving county offices out of leased space and consolidate those offices into county-owned buildings. The building is planned among a cluster of other county government buildings including the Loudoun Homeless Services Center, the Loudoun Coun-

rested him that night had made peace and he believed the deputy had no bad intentions, but that it was a bad decision.

Biberaj released a statement Sunday night calling the pardon a “political stunt” and interference into an active case.

“He chose to interfere in the legal process but not for justice but for political gain. If the governor truly believed that the evidence would show that the Republican sheriff lied about the facts and wrongfully arrested Smith, that the Magistrate wrongfully issued the arrest warrants, and that the Republican Special Prosecutor was wrongfully prosecuting him, Youngkin would have permitted the case to go to trial and let the truth be told,” Biberaj stated. “This is the system in American. The justice system does not work when a governor becomes the judge and jury.”

Smith said his family is ready to move forward. He said his wife was exhausted and his daughter had been subjected to constant bullying but had graduated and looked forward to the future.

He said he hoped people took away from this to not be afraid to speak up and defend your family.

“They tried to silence parents with the memo all the way to the [Department of Justice] right? They tried to silence parents across America who were making a movement to stop this nonsense in our public school system and they used me. They used my arrest and my video for two years to push that narrative. Well, that narrative is over. I win,” he said.

He said he plans to support other parents who have run into the same problem with their school division. n

ty Public Schools central garage, and the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Training Academy.

County staff members are also looking toward what the terms of that project labor agreement will be, such as prevailing wage requirements, measures to prevent wage theft and forbidding strikes. Purchasing Agent and Division of Procurement Assistant Director Cheryl Middleton said writing the agreement may also require hiring outside counsel with experience in the field.

Supervisors voted 4-1, with Letourneau opposed, to make the recommendation to the full board. n

Think big

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imagination to solve real world problems.

The space encouraged J.L. Simpson seventh grader Reagan Hughes to come up with innovative and creative ideas around a problem she saw with her brother and his child car seat. Hughes decided to create a new and improved car seat after hearing her younger brother—then three years old, now 10—complain about how uncomfortable he was in his seat and figuring out how to unbuckle it.

She added greater cushioning to the seat area as well as a head and shoulder rests and kept it a five-point harness for safety but removed the clip at the chest so children couldn’t get out.

“Whoever gets him out they just push the button and pop out the buckle then lift the straps over their head and pull him out,” she said. “It’s simpler than having to unbuckle two buckles.”

She also added cup, snack and toy holders, a fan and a shade.

She said she’s ready to move her idea to the next phase of creating a protype and testing it.

“I really want it to be the next car seat,” she said.

Patrick Reaser another seventh grader at J.L. Simpson also took something he saw and made it better. He created an adjustable locker to help both short and tall people access their locker without straining their back.

Division Computer Science Supervisor Nicholas Grzeda said the space benefits both teachers and students throughout the division by training teachers in computer science and giving students hands on experience with technology to create project-based learning assignments.

He told a story about a second grade class from Evergreen Mill Elementary

School last year that decided to help a fellow classmate who was losing their site by creating Braille plates for each class at the school using the 3D printer, so the student could read the names of the classes.

“We are taking teaching to the next level, so instead of the students using the 3D printer and printing things off because you can, now it’s like, let’s take it to the next level—what can the students build on their own, and then let’s learn about patents,” he said.

Riverside High School seniors Arin Rahman, Vicente Santos and J.P. Laczkovich benefited from a new partnership with AWS this year that added a post level AP Computer Science Course for seniors.

Laczkovich said the class gives them the next step in their education and can lead to one certification in computer science to help them with college applications and jobs when they graduate high school.

Santos, who wants to attend George Mason University and get a degree in computer science, said the additional course taken during his senior year adds to the already high level of competency in computer science he has gained through other classes at the school.

“When I was thinking about what I was

going to take for computer science related classes for later on I was a little concerned because there was nothing that reached the standard I was already at,” he said. “So I was really glad this class with AWS was able to keep reaching the bar even higher and to get me to take a course that is actually going to be more beneficial,” he said.

Laczkovich agreed and said it was an amazing opportunity for students to learn real world skills and apply them.

High School Computer Science Lead and Riverside High School computer science teacher Kathryn Cossa said her seniors were so excited about the course that they formed a tunnel out of the 18 students in the class at the entrance and cheered as everyone walked in.

The AWS Think Big Space is a collaboration between AWS, Loudoun Education Foundation and Loudoun County Public Schools and is part of the division’s efforts to drive STEAM education. Since the space opened in December 2022 it has served more than 600 educators, 2,200 elementary and middle school students and 47 local business owners.

The AWS Think Big Space at J.L. Simpson Middle School is the third space funded by Amazon in Virginia and the first in Loudoun County. n

“We are taking teaching to the next level.”

— Nicholas Grzeda LCPS Computer Science Supervisor

Published

Proof of Concept

PO

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

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Opinion

Traditionally, the foundations of the county government’s procurement process have been fairly straightforward: get the highest quality product or service at the lowest price, and use local vendors when possible. Value for the local taxpayer ranked as the highest concern in the deliberations.

As the Board of Supervisors moves ahead with plans for a pilot construction project that would require the use of union labor, advocates express confidence it would result in a better project, while also appearing to be, at least in part, pursuing a social experiment with the belief that it would result in better jobs or higher pay for the workers employed in the endeavor.

The exercise comes during an already challenging time for the construction industry with high supply costs and labor shortages. Even under the traditional contract conditions, the trend has been for fewer companies to be bidding on projects and for project

Proof in the Pudding

Editor:

There are obviously several opinions as to whether or not Chair Randall’s trips abroad are warranted. Personally, as someone who served in local government as a county, city and town manager, I do not believe that Sister Cities benefits outweigh the enormous costs of traveling abroad. However, I will save that argument for another day and time.

I am writing to help county residents better understand how public policy budget practices work. When the county manager prepares and presents a budget, he or she take into consideration all sources of county revenue that may become available. That includes revenue from all taxes, fines fees, grants, federal, state and other local sources. Based on his/her evaluation of revenue sources that may become available, the manager proposes how to best spend that money for the benefit of all county residents. All proposed expenditures, including transfers to other agencies are detailed in the proposed budget before getting voted on by the county board. So, for example, money going to the economic development agency is detailed in the budget, along with how that money is to be used. When it comes to expenditures where a certain degree of discretion is expected to

prices to climb sharply.

Consistently through the board’s discussions on this topic, the county staff has warned that requiring a project labor agreement would be expected to increase cost further while limiting the number of qualified contractors and possibly excluding local businesses from the participating.

A process that results in higher costs, less competition and potentially reduced local benefits doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. It sounds like still higher taxes are in store for the local folks.

The purpose of a pilot project is to offer proof of concept one way or another. These supervisors will hold the responsibility for the outcome when ribboncutting day arrives.

For the record, the starting point, according to the adopted budget, is an $89.6 million project set for completion in fiscal year 2027. n

be used, often times the manager is not the deciding authority, i.e. board chairperson’s trips abroad.

There are enterprise funds such as utility funds where all the revenue received for the utility is used (by law) for the utility. And, the money is separately accounted for. But, like General Fund money, Utility Fund money is county money. Whether it is paid for from water and sewer fees, or hookup fees, etc. it is county money generated by county residents.

It is wrong to say that trip money is not taxpayer money just because it doesn’t come from tax revenue. It is all county money. It is a source of county revenue.

Following the same logic, CRA’s, EDA’s IDA’s, etc. were established as another way to earmark county revenue to be spent in specific areas of the county. I am not just talking about Loudoun. This is true in jurisdictions throughout the United States. It often works when the money is used for the purpose it is intended for. And the governing bodies make the decision to set up such entities knowing that other local government services need to be funded from other sources also found in the budget. That is the tough part, where local government managers must seek to find a balance between one source of revenue and another. But county mon-

ey is county money.

Funding trips to promote economic development is using county money. And there should be accountability at the highest level. There should be a direct financial benefit. The “proof would be in the pudding.” How many companies have relocated to Loudoun from countries that the chairperson visited using county money?

— Samuel Finz, Purcellville Split the District

Editor:

The hiring of Dr. Aaron Spence as the new superintendent of schools appears to be just the latest mistake of the Loudoun County School Board.

This board, that has the potential of being completely replaced after the November elections, approved a contract that is an insult to the taxpayers of Loudoun County. For Dr. Spence to ignore standard hiring procedures and create a new executive position before he even reported to work is inexcusable. Natalie Allen, who previously worked with Dr. Spence in his most recent job, has been hired as chief of Communications and Community, while the 13 award-winning staffers in the current LETTERS TO

THE EDITOR

LETTERS to the editor

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communications department, apparently were not considered for this opportunity.

These are the actions of yet another overbearing executive who exhibits strong strains of arrogant entitlement.

There is no dispute that Loudoun County sustained exceptional growth over the past decade or so, impacting all areas of life and having a significant effect on education. There was a 31% increase in population from 2011 to 2021 forcing the Board of Supervisors to focus on building school after school to keep up as student enrollment grew from 65,653 to 81,642. Sixteen new schools were built during the same time period. One of the unintended consequences of all this expansion was the creation of a gargantuan fiefdom at 21000 Education Court.

The total number of employees in the LCPS system has grown from 9,120 employees in 2011 including 5,049 teachers and 420 administration-professional staff. The total number of employees in 2022 was 13,018 and the current number of teachers is 5,924. The Center of the American Experiment estimated that between 2000 and 2019 the number of school administrators in U.S. public schools grew 87.6 percent compared to student growth of 7.6 percent, so it’s not

Boulder Crest

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handing over those duties to new Josh Goldberg on the first of the year, and remains involved as the chair of Boulder Crest’s board. Since its founding, Boulder Crest has grown quickly into a well-appointed retreat in Bluemont as well as opening a second retreat in Arizona.

He said Boulder Crest launched with the goal of serving around 700 people a year—and has far surpassed that goal, now having served more than 100,000 people. And Goldberg said the nonprofit has ambitions to keep growing.

“As Ken said, and as I like to say, 10 years in, 100,000 people, and you really haven’t seen anything yet,” Goldberg said. “We are just getting started. And while I say that with some inspiration and hope, I also say that with some sadness, because the truth is the active duty military rate of suicide is the highest it’s been since 1938.”

He pointed out that more servicemembers and first responders die by suicide than in the course of their duties.

too hard to imagine where that extra 3,000 employees were assigned as one agenda driven superintendent after another sought to cement their power with the help of a compliant school board.

After 18 months of viewing the LCPS distance learning curriculum, my family is one of the many who voted with their feet. They left Loudoun County the very day after school closed in 2021 and moved to Pittsburgh. Allegheny County is 739 square miles serving 142,268 students and has 43 separate school systems. The school district my grandchildren attend has just five schools. A new, stateof-the-art high school, a middle school, two elementary school, and a learning academy. That’s a school board that is manageable.

I was raised in Westchester County, NY. It’s 450 square miles—smaller than Loudoun County’s 521 square miles—but has 43 school districts serving 146,760 students.

While these are apples to oranges comparisons, it may be time to seriously consider a second school district. Certainly, establishing a second school system would provide an opportunity to do some serious delayering at Education Court and pay better attention to the realities of life between eastern and western Loudoun County.

— Ellie Lockwood, Ashburn

“The idea that that job is less deadly than themselves, than suicide, is a moral outrage,” he said.

“We take people in from all over the world who we don’t know anything about and we make them into some pretty remarkable people,” Falke said. “And what we don’t do a good job at is making them civilians afterwards, and that’s really where we fit in at Boulder Crest.”

Gov. Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin presented Boulder Crest with a Spirit of Virginia award. Youngkin said the “post-traumatic growth” system created at Boulder Crest has “given a pathway, a vision, to deal with unthinkable things.”

“This approach that is so familiar to the men and women who have served in the cloth [sic] resonates in such an inspiring way,” Youngkin said. “It allows them to flip the script and recognize that because they have gone through fire, they are strengthened, and they have an unbounded, not a limited, future.”

More information about Boulder Crest Retreat and the Boulder Crest Foundation is online at bouldercrest.org. n

READERS’ poll

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: New ownership. New QB. What’s your expectation for the Commanders this season?

• 35.4% Mediocre at best

• 25.7% Another disappointing year

• 23.9% Just beat the Cowboys

• 13.3% Winning the Division

• 1.8% It’s a Super Bowl year

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

Should

require union labor agreements for public facility construction projects?

the county board

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