LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE
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January 21, 2016
Energizing Loudoun’s Nighttime Economy Business leaders unveil millennial magnet strategy BY RENSS GREENE In hurried meetings in windowless rooms in the Loudoun County government center, dozens of people in unheralded committees within committees are trying to give Loudoun a nightlife. Members of the Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee—of the Economic Development Advisory Commission, of the Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee, of the Board of Supervisors—and its seven subcommittees have been working since June to find a way to fit the newest old development idea, urban walkable environments, into Loudoun County. “There’s a cultural phenomenon happening in the country,” said NEAC co-chairman and Loudoun Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony
Howard. “Folks are moving back toward the cities. In my parents’ generation, and in my generation a little bit, folks were migrating out from the cities, and that’s why Loudoun developed as well as it did since the ’80s.” Loudoun’s suburban leanings have served it well in the past, and there’s still a need for suburban homes. The county has grown explosively as people move further out from the DC area. Now, however, Loudoun businesses complain they have difficulty attracting workforce, because younger employees demand an urban walkable environment: a place where people can go about daily routines without climbing into the car. People are moving back to the cities. That urban environment has a few notable traits, among them population density and nightlife.
“In order for mixed-use to be successful, it really does take an 18-hour economy,” said NEAC’s other co-chairman, Todd Pearson. “You have to have morning, daytime, and nighttime. Right now, you’ll maybe have some lunch, and there’s some evening play, but there’s really no nighttime economy, so that was one of the areas that we thought needed some improvement.” Pearson, 35, is the perfect example of the sort of young professional Loudoun loses out on. Successful, entrepreneurial, and with a young family, he felt forced to leave Loudoun to live his demanding lifestyle. His family has lived for generations in the county, and after growing up here, coming back after college, and starting a family, he was the first in his family to NIGHTTIME ECONOMY continued on page 31
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee co-chairmen Tony Howard and Todd Pearson stand at Loudoun Station. The Ashburn development is an example of what the future of Loudoun growth may look like.
After Another Life Lost to Mental Illness, Community Calls for Action BY DANIELLE NADLER
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Flowers and candles left by classmates form a memorial at the site where a 17-year-old Loudoun Valley High School student committed suicide Jan. 14.
The public suicide of a Loudoun Valley High School student has rattled the Purcellville community in the past week and reawakened a county-wide conversation about the need for mental illness education and prevention. A 17-year-old killed himself at a playground near the school Jan. 14, according to law enforcement and school
officials. Casey Kemps, a friend and former roommate of William Robinson, said he was shocked to hear of his friend’s death. He described the high school junior as goofy and funny. He liked anime and was “all about punk rock.” “He was a best friend to everyone,” Kemps said. “He always made sure evMENTAL ILLNESS SUPPORT continues on page 20
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Community Leaders Urge Unity to Make King’s Dream Realty “No one walks alone,” May Rihani said during Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Leesburg. The statement prompted a standing ovation from the few hundred who gathered at Douglass Community Center. Many had just spent part of the chilly morning marching together from the Loudoun courthouse to the community center on East Market Street. The annual half-mile walk commemorates the marches led by King, the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1963 at the age of 39. In her keynote speech, Rihani, an activist for girls’ education, said King has inspired notable progress in the U.S. and around the world, but humanity still has a long way to go to achieve racial equality. “His vision of civil rights as a pathway to social justice needs to become the driving force for each and every American if we truly believe in a future lived with dignity and fulfillment,” said Rihani, author of “Cultures without Borders.” “If we march shoulder to shoulder we can make Dr. King’s vision a reality and we will reach the top of the mountain.” The 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” Celebration was a daylong event, with performances by the Loudoun Valley High School jazz ensemble, Steps by T.A.M.M.Y. Harper Park Middle School’s Allegro Strings, Dance Academy of Loudoun, Loudoun Bible Church kids’ choir, among others. The ceremony culminates with the singing of the song that became a key anthem during the civil rights movement, “We Shall Overcome.” —Danielle Nadler
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Hundreds of people begin the march from Loudoun County Court House in downtown Leesburg to Douglass Community Center for the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” celebration Monday. Left, the Rev. Jamila Gault performs the invocation at the Loudoun County Court House in downtown Leesburg before the march to Douglass Community Center for the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” celebration. Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
DEA Exhibit Highlights Far-Reaching Impacts of Drugs BY DANIELLE NADLER Law enforcement officials want to give the public a better picture of the toll drug abuse can take. The far-reaching effects of the drug industry are captured in a traveling exhibit of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Museum, “Drugs, Costs and Consequences,” that will be on display in Leesburg through September. A crowd gathered Tuesday to formally open the 10,000-square-foot display with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Through powerful visuals, the exhibit presents a look at the destructive health, environmental, safety and family impacts of substance abuse. It has traveled to 10 cities in the past 10 years, and been toured by more than 22 million people. Admission to the exhibit is free. It is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 750 Miller Drive SE Suite F-1 in Leesburg. During Tuesday’s ceremony, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said the display could not come at a better time because of the swell in local heroin and prescription drug abuse cases in recent years. Curbing substance abuse needs to be about cracking down on drug producers and sellers, as well as working on preventative efforts by educating the public, he said.
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Museum traveling exhibit, “Drugs, Costs and Consequences.” The exhibit is in Leesburg through September.
“We’re approaching this from all angles,” he said, noting that the exhibit is the education piece of that effort. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring (D) said help addressing heroin and illegal prescription use was one of the most repeated requests that he heard from local law enforcement officers when he took office two years ago. Last year alone, heroin and prescription drug addiction claimed the lives of
more than 700 people in the state, he said. “It’s devastating, and it’s crossing all kinds of socioeconomic lines. No corner of Virginia is unaffected by this.” His office has stepped up efforts to go after the men and women who are profiting from drug sales, from doctors who write illegal prescriptions to high-profile drug dealers. “We’ve prosecuted more than 28 cases involving over 200 pounds of heroin,
and we’ll continue to do that,” Herring said. But, echoing other speakers at the ceremony, the attorney general reiterated that prosecutors cannot do it alone. “We are not truly going to get this turned around without serious prevention and education efforts, and this kind of an exhibit is a huge tool in that effort.” Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10) said during a visit to Central and South Americas last summer she saw the horrific effects the drug industry has had on the communities in Columbia, Peru and Panama. The U.S. has implemented programs to train people in those countries caught up in drug production and trafficking for other professions. She met one woman who was proud to now produce chocolate instead of cocaine. “We need to continue to work on solving this problem at its source, as well as educating the public here,” she said. Several Loudoun schools already have field trips to the exhibit planned, and a representative from the DEA Educational Foundation said the organization would pay the way for students to visit the exhibit if they’re inhibited by transportation costs. Learn more at drugexhibit.org. dnadler@loudounnow.com
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January 21, 2016
loudounnow.com
At the Ice Fest
Rich Daily works on his ice sculpture during the third annual Winter Ice Fest and Mega Block Ice Carving Competition. Ten world-class ice carvers went head to head Saturday at the Village at Leesburg. The competition has been sanctioned by the National Ice Carving Association.
A Loudoun Moment A photo essay by Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Warm weather made things a challenge today for competitors in the ice-carving competition.
Todd Dawson perfects an ice sculpture during Saturday’s competition.
Village at Leesburg patrons take a moment to warm up by the fire.
January 21, 2016 |
loudounnow.com
Loudoun’s Craft Breweries want to thank the citizens of Loudoun for their continued support. We are proud to bring quality, locally manufactured products to our community. We are dedicated to supporting job growth, generating tourism tax revenue, and giving back to the community through service and charitable contributions. We look forward to serving you at any of our 16 taprooms in the future.
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January 21, 2016
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LoudounGov
CountyBriefs Council of Governments Elects Letourneau Vice Chairman
County, Utility Battle over Pipeline Price; Road Project May Stall BY RENSS GREENE According to Loudoun County staff, the fracking boom has hit Loudoun in an unexpected way—by driving up the cost to the county government of a gas pipeline project by an order of magnitude. So said Joe Kroboth, director of the Loudoun Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure, in a meeting of the county Finance/Government Operations and Economic Development Committee last week. Two Columbia Pipeline Group gas pipelines must be relocated before the county can move ahead with its $6.3 million plan to extend Mooreview Parkway to connect Croson Lane and Old Ryan Road in Ashburn. The county took over a private developer project in October 2013, using the developer’s funds as reimbursement in a proffer agreement and bringing the parkway into the public sphere. The link would provide access to Moorefield Station Elementary School, Moorefield Community Park, and the future Ashburn Metro station. In August 2014, CPG notified the county that it had cancelled plans to upgrade the two gas lines crossing the area. CPG said it had found the gas lines, which were installed in the 1950s, in like-new condition. “Pipeline age is a smaller factor than how it is maintained during its life,” wrote CPG spokesman Scott Castleman in an emailed statement. The pipeline, he said, is regularly inspected with aerial and foot-patrols, in-line inspections, 24/7 remote monitoring, and has never had an incident. Without CPG’s upgrade, the county will have to bear the cost of relocating the gas lines, paid up front. “In our first initial discussion, when they first told us in August of 2014 that we would now have to pay for it, they had quoted a price to us for Mooreview Parkway, both crossings, $180,000,” Kroboth said. Since then, he reported, CPG’s price has increased to $1.44 million. With contingency funding, the relocation will cost $1.8 million. Why the increase? County staff say they were told the fracking boom has driven up demand for qualified contractors. They said these contractors only take on smaller projects like this pipeline relocation when they fit in between much larger jobs. But CPG says that price quote never happened. Kroboth said it was a verbal quote. Castleman said that Tony Redd, the Columbia Gas representative who supposedly gave that quote, has no memory of doing that, and Castleman said the
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
A Columbia Pipeline Group marker stands where one of two gas pipelines—which the county will pay to relocate—crosses Old Ryan Road in Ashburn.
$180,000 quote was “so low it didn’t make sense.” “It really wouldn’t even make sense to share numbers, because they wouldn’t have anything to go off at that point,” Castleman said. “Before we can give a quote or an estimate on a project like this, there has to be an assessment done, and the assessment was not kicked off until February or March of 2015.” He added that he’s not aware of any significant price increase for this kind of work in the last few years. And as far as the price goes, what CPG says, goes. “We are at their mercy,” Kroboth told the finance committee. “They will not allow any other contractor to perform the work. They control the contractor. They certify the contractor, and they control the prices.” To cover the cost, the county staff recommended supervisors to use revenue from Loudoun’s 2 percent gasoline sales tax. Supervisors in the finance committee balked at the supposed price jump. “Figures lie, and liars figure,” said Supervisor Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn). “I can make my costs be whatever I want my costs to be.” Buona said even if CPG gave a detailed cost explanation, the county would have no way to know if it was accurate. “We’re being extorted,” Buona said. “It’s that simple.” “It almost feels like we’re kind of being blackmailed, to some degree, to get this done, and I don’t like the feel of this,” agreed Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large). Finance committee Chairman Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said CPG should contribute at least part of
the cost, since CPG will benefit from the work. “We know at some point in time they’re going to have to upgrade this because of the development that’s occurring,” Letourneau said. The committee tabled the issue while County Attorney Leo Rogers and his staff negotiate payment terms and explore the county’s options. “We’re looking into all options of regulatory authority when it comes to CPG, but our first effort is to work with them,” Rogers said, declining to elaborate. But the county is under the gun. CPG has promised to schedule the work for April if an agreement is reached by Feb. 1. If the work is delayed, however, the Moorefield Parkway project will be put on hold. The parkway project has already encountered delays and cost overruns. “My greatest concern is that if we delay the pipeline work, which must be done in advance of the roadway construction, we potentially could miss this construction season again and delay the project a year,” Kroboth said. And the gas tax won’t always be around to absorb surprise bills like this—starting in FY2019, all gas tax funding is slated to go to Metro operations. “In the future, if we encounter a situation like this, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Buona said. Meanwhile, the Board of Supervisors has put off conveying an easement to Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc. at Broad Run Stream Valley Park nearby. Although Columbia Gas is a separate entity to CPG, Letourneau said the county is “still exploring that relationship.” According to press releases from CoPIPELINE PRICE continues on page 8
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the association that serves as a meeting ground for representatives of 22 localities, the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, and the U.S. Congress, has elected Loudoun Supervisor Matt Letourneau (R-Dulles) to one of its two 2016 vice chairman seats. “I think it’s appropriate that Loudoun County have somebody” in that position, Letourneau said, referring to the county’s rapid growth and the pending Metro Silver Line extension into Loudoun. Letourneau has served on MWCOG since 2012 and was its corporate president in 2014. His election marks the first time a Loudoun representative has been vice chairman since County Chairwoman Dale Polen Myers served in 1999, according to MWCOG spokeswoman Laura Ambrosio. “I think the focus of COG for this coming year will be on improving Metro safety and operations, and looking longer term at Metro,” Letourneau said. The COG vice chairman office is a common avenue to election as chairman. If Letourneau ascends that office, he will be the first Loudoun representative to do so. – Renss Greene
Presidential Primary Absentee Ballots Available Voting in Virginia’s 2016 presidential primaries has begun. Absentee ballots are available for qualified voters who will be unable vote March 1. In person-absentee voting takes place at the Loudoun County Voter Registration Office, 750 Miller Drive S.E., Suite C, Leesburg, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until Feb. 26, as well as on Saturday, Feb. 27. The last day for voters to apply to have an absentee ballot mailed to them is Tuesday, Feb, 23. To obtain an application, go to Voter Registration Office or to loudoun.gov/voting. Candidates qualifying to appear on the ballot are: Democrats: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders Republicans: Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Jim Gilmore, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, John Kasich and Carly Fiorina. Lindsey Graham’s name also will appear on the ballot, although he has withdrawn from the race. Virginia has open primaries; however, the Republican Party of Virginia will ask voters in the Republic primary to sign a “statement of affiliation.”
January 21, 2016 |
loudounnow.com
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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
The 2016 Planning Commission assembles for a group picture. From left, front row: Kathy Blackburn (Algonkian), Charlie Douglas (Blue Ridge), and Jim Sisley (At Large). Back row, from left: Dan Lloyd (Sterling), Ad Barnes (Leesburg), Eugene Scheel (Catoctin), Vice Chairman Robert Klancher (Ashburn), Chairman Jeff Salmon (Dulles), and Cliff Keirce (Broad Run).
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The Loudoun County Planning Commission re-elected Jeff Salmon (Dulles) as its chairman during its first meeting of the year Tuesday, January 12. Salmon said he hopes to provide “good, thoughtful recommendations” to the new Board of Supervisors. The commission elected Robert Klancher (Ashburn) as vice chairman. Salmon said that, although this year the decision was to keep the same chair-
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January 21, 2016
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BY MARGARET MORTON The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District’s Chris Van Vlack returned home from an Orlando, FL, conference last week in a self-described “state of euphoria.” That’s because, after six years of trying, the 35-year-old urban/ag conservationist won a national contest during the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual convention. “‘I’m still up in the stratosphere,” Van Vlack said as he contemplated his win. He was a contestant in the Farm Bureau’s Discussion Meet program, in which participants are evaluated on an exchange of ideas and information on a pre-determined topic. “It’s not a debate. It’s designed to provide a discussion in which try to get consensus, find a solution to the problem—and the one judged to have done the best job at reaching the solution wins,” Van Vlack said. He won the Virginia contest Dec. 1 and was among 37 competitors nationwide to move on to the AFB convention. The question for his four-member panel in the final round was: “How can we influence state and local policy that more effectively balances the social and economic interests of farmers and ranchers versus burdensome federal regulation?” “We each got a 30-second opening statement and a one-minute closing statement. All the rest is a discussion between all of you.” Van Vlack laughed, noting that sometimes the other contestants will do all they can to not support the proposed solution. “Everyone said to us, ‘You four were the friendliest to each other we’ve seen in a final for a long time.” At age 35, and after a half dozen years of trying, Van Vlack was thrilled to have won the national competition. “I’m in my final year of eligibility—and I finally broke through,” he said. In addition to his work with LSWCD, Van Vlack has a custom-hay operation between Lovettsville and Hillsboro. His daytime job involves working on state- and county-funded cost-share programs, writing farm plans for those wishing to enter the county’s land use program, and, on the
PIPELINE PRICE
continued from page 6
lumbia Gas’s parent company, Indiana-based NiSource, Inc., CPG was spun off from NiSource in July 2015. NiSource stockholders received shares in CPG, and many top NiSource officers joined CPG. According to CPG’s website, all of its senior management came to CPG from NiSource or worked at CPG before the companies separated, and six of the seven members of CPG’s board of directors were previously on NiSource’s board. This includes CPG CEO Robert C. Skaggs, Jr., who serves as CPG Chairman of the Board after serving as CEO and president at NiSource. Letourneau said Columbia Gas has had problems with the county lately, too. He said his office has been working with the
Chris Van Vlack
urban side, working with homeowners’ associations, tree planting programs, holding rain barrel workshops and landscape planning. Having the award announced before 6,000 people was “surreal,” he said, recalling that after his group finished Monday morning, “we were whisked into the big general convention hall and the award announced. The rest of the day was spent in radio and television interviews. It was pretty whirlwind.” Best of all, he said, was the boost it gave Virginia. “We haven’t won Discussion Meet for more than a decade and Virginia was also runner up in the other two competitions.” Virginia Farm Bureau Regional Field Services Representative Dana Fisher complimented Van Vlack for his “tremendous accomplishment.” Discussion Meet involves direct competition and Fisher cited Van Vlack for showing his knowledge, skill and ability, particularly for what he took from his six years’ endeavor, learning and working with the system. “It’s a pressure packed event. We’re very proud of him.” LSWCD Board Chairman Jim Christian also had good words for Van Vlack, saying he was not really surprised that he had won the competition. “I looked at the questions he had to answer. He spoke to the attributes he shows every day at work,” Christian said, calling him imaginative and creative—the “go to” person at the office. mmorton@loudounnow.com Loudoun Valley Estates Homeowners’ Association since June to resolve problems with another easement. After work was complete on that easement, Letourneau said, the area was not restored to the HOA’s satisfaction, and the damage is now causing trouble for the county’s storm drainage. “When an entity, a utility, is granted an easement and doesn’t adequately make it right, word gets out, and we have good reason to be concerned about moving forward with another easement,” Letourneau said. He moved to defer the easement question to March to give the county attorney “a chance to have more in-depth discussions, not just on this issue, but on a number of easement issues that exist with Columbia Gas.” rgreene@loudounnow.com
January 21, 2016 |
loudounnow.com
Crimelog TUESDAY, JAN. 12 SUSPICIOUS EVENT 22600 block of Gleedsville Manor Drive, Ashburn A resident reported that someone got out of a vehicle and appeared to tamper with a mailbox.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 13 LARCENY 21000 block of Falling Rock Terrace, Ashburn Someone stole prescription medication and cash from a vehicle.
THURSDAY, JAN. 14 BURGLARY/ASSAULT 47300 block of Darkhollow Falls Terrace, Sterling The resident reported that a female acquaintance entered the home and assaulted him. She was found in Fairfax County and held on an emergency custody order. FRAUD 19500 block of Smith Circle, Ashburn The resident received a call from someone claiming to be her grandson and asking her to obtain gift cards so he could avoid arrest. The resident complied before learning the call was not from her grandson and was a scam. ASSAULT/SEXUAL BATTERY 21000 block of Academic Way, Ashburn A woman reported an assault that occurred Jan. 8 while she was working. A male acquaintance grabbed her, touched her inappropriately and held her against her will. De Jesus Velasco, 55, of Winchester was charged with abduction, sexual battery and simple assault. He was held without bond at
Two Sought in Armed Robbery at Sterling Home The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s office is investigating a home-invasion robbery that occurred Jan. 14 at a home on Mayfield Way in Sterling Park. According to the report, two men entered the home about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The suspects confronted two males in the basement. One displayed a firearm. They took a wallet and cash and left the house. They were seen running toward West Greenthorn Avenue near the W&OD Trail. Deputies searched the area but did not find the suspects. One was described as a black male approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall, wearing black pants, a black hoody and with facial hair. The second was a black male the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. SEXUAL BATTERY 42300 block of Soave Drive, Ashburn A woman called deputies and reported she was inappropriately touched by a man. Lewis M. Carrera, 26, of Centreville, was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery. He was released by a magistrate on a personal recognizance bond.
FRIDAY, JAN. 15 SUSPICIOUS EVENT 34000 block of Harry Byrd Highway, Bluemont The resident reported that a man entered the home through an unlocked door. The homeowner ran to a neighbor’s house and called the sheriff’s
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Cyclists Hit by Car in Sterling A Manassas man faces a felony charge after hitting a cyclist in Sterling Thursday morning. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, the cyclist was traveling on Cascades Parkway in the area of Price Cascades Plaza just before 6 a.m. Jan. 14 when he was struck from behind by a 2008 Honda. The driver fled the scene, but was tracked down. Emigdio A. Mejia, 42, of Manassas, office. The area was searched, but no suspect was found. A wallet was reported stolen. The suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. His face was covered.
SATURDAY, JAN. 16 ROBBERY 46000 block of Old Ox Road, Sterling The victim reported he was walking in the area when he was approached by three unknown black males dressed in black hoodies. They asked him for money and when he attempted to give them some they grabbed his wallet and assaulted him. The was treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital.
was charged with felony hit and run. He was held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on a $2,500 bond. Injuries to the cyclist were described as minor.
Driver Found, Rescued After Search Deputies were called to the 23600 block of Sally Mill Road near Middleburg on Friday afternoon. An abandoned vehicle was found with crash damage. Deputies learned that the driver had not been seen since the previous day. A search of the area was conducted with the help of the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter. The driver was found in the area suffering from hypothermia. The woman was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital for treatment. ASSAULT 900 block of Cheshire Court, Sterling A male walking in the area said he was assaulted. He was taken to Inova Loudoun Hospital for treatment.
SUNDAY, JAN. 17 MISSILE AT AN OCCUPIED DWELLING 11700 block of Armistead Filler Lane, Lovettsville A resident heard a loud noise and found a discharged round from a firearm had damaged an interior wall.
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wearing a green jacket. A woman who ran from the home when the suspects entered, fell and was injured. The sheriff ’s office said the home appeared to be targeted and the robbery was not a random act.
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Leesburg New Downtown Residents Moving in at Crescent Place KARA CLARK RODRIGUEZ, CONTRIBUTING WRITER More feet will be hitting the streets of downtown Leesburg, as residents have begun moving into their new digs at Crescent Place. The 12-acre development along Harrison Street across the street from Raflo Park, boasts 224 residential units to go along with 30,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Hobie S. Mitchel of Lansdowne Development Group, who is spearheading the project along with homebuilders Knutson and Ryan Homes, said this week that residents have already begun moving into their new homes. Crescent Place includes a mix of townhouses, residential over retail and stacked townhouses. Of the 224 units available, 90 have been sold. In terms of the available commercial space, Mitchel said that about one-third of available property is under contract, with strong interest in the rest. The first business owner to sign on the dotted line for retail property was Ralph Ferraiolo of Ferraiolo Fitness. Mitchel noted that Ferraiolo was also the first to sign on for space at Lansdowne Town Center, where he still has a location today. Available commercial space in Crescent Place comes in the form of for-sale retail condos, with tenants able to purchase multiple spaces. Retail space in the development is still under construction, with some on schedule
Leesburgbriefs Announcing “Leesburg Listens” A new online civic engagement forum has launched on the town’s website. Town Public Information Officer Betsy Arnett gave the Town Council a preview of the new initiative last week. Called Leesburg Listens, the forum is located on the town website, leesburgva. gov, under the Residents tab. Town staff members will periodically post topics seeking public input. Interested parties may register on the town website to provide feedback on myriad topics. Arnett said two proposed topics so far have been whether to expand Town Hall hours to better meet the needs of residents, and feedback on the town’s trash and recycling schedule. Registered users will be able to answer survey questions put forward by the town staff on the forum, view relevant
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Some Crescent Place units feature commercial space on the ground floor and outdoor living space on the top.
for May delivery. Additional buildings will be constructed this summer, Mitchel said. With the development beginning to show the signs of neighborhood activity, rather than construction, Mitchel said the final community is better than even he imagined. “Now that you see it and it’s done, what a difference it’s made in the whole downtown Leesburg,” Mitchel said. “It really has created the seed of redevelopment in the Crescent District.” The project is an example of the type of development town leaders and property owners envision for the area long eyed for redevelopment. It is this walkability factor that has been a major attractor for those moving into the documents and maps and graphics, and provide comments seen by staff members. The town is using Peak Democracy Inc., as vendor for the forum. The cost to run the program is $7,000, which was included in the town’s fiscal year 2016 budget, Arnett said.
Splash Pad Safe Plans to build a permanent stage on the Town Green and a splash pad behind Town Hall appear safe—for now. A motion by Councilman Tom Dunn to rescind approval of the projects failed to find a second during last week’s Town Council meeting. The council voted to approve funding for both projects in November using a surplus of funds from the Hope Parkway road extension project as well as insurance money the town received from a vehicle accident in the Town Hall parking garage last spring. In December, Dunn indicated plans to rescind the votes but wanted to wait un-
Crescent Place Grand Opening Celebration Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 410 Harrison St SE, Leesburg Details at crescentplaceliving.com
residences, Mitchel said. Empty nesters and young professionals alike have been some of the early adopters of the Crescent Place development. Kevin Arbogast falls into the latter category. An employee at Toth Financial on South King Street and immediate past chairman of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Comtil the council’s January meeting to put forward such a motion.
mittee, Arbogast said he wanted to buy in an area where he could walk to downtown shops and dining. He also said being able to live in a natural downtown area—not one created in other town center-esque developments—was a special opportunity. “You can’t replicate what’s there. It’s a huge draw in and of itself,” Arbogast said of downtown Leesburg. He’s moving in today, Jan. 21. A grand opening celebration for the Crescent Place is planned for Jan. 30, when Mitchel said the models will be open to the public for the first time. Currently, all home sales are being conducted out of trailers on site so Mitchel said he is excited to be able to show off the homes to all interested.
er of the engineering and planning departments at Fairfax Water. “Bob brings over 38 years of civil engiEtris Joins Utilities Dept. neering and public utility experience to The Town of Leesburg named Robert the Town,” Amy Wyks, Leesburg’s direcEtris its as deputy director of utilities. tor of utilities, stated. “We’re delighted to Etris will oversee the department’s re- have him as a member of the Leesburg view of land development Utilities team.” applications, manage the A professional engiinspections division, assist neer, Etris holds a bachwith assessing and planelor’s degree in civil and ning system upgrades and urban engineering from provide support to the opthe University of Pennerational divisions of the sylvania. He is a member department. of the American Water Etris comes to the town Works Association and is from Whitman Requardt & past chair and past secreAssociates, where he mantary of the Virginia Secaged a variety of water and tion. He received AWWA’s wastewater projects from Fuller Award in 1992 and Robert Etris the planning stages through the Distinguished Service design and construction administration. Award in 1993. Prior to his career in civil He previously served as director of the engineering, he served on active duty in Public Utilities Division for the City of the United State Navy as an Electronic Falls Church for eight years and manag- Warfare Technician.
January 21, 2016 |
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January 21, 2016
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Education
Award-Winning Poet Urges Teens to ‘Say Yes’ to Opportunity BY DANIELLE NADLER Kwame Alexander didn’t mince his words—or bother to rhyme them— when he told the students packed into Riverside High School’s auditorium, “Poetry saved my life.” Alexander, who lives in Reston, is a New York Times bestselling author of 21 books, including “The Crossover,” which received a 2015 John Newbery Medal. He stopped by the five-month-old Riverside High School in Lansdowne Jan. 13 to encourage students to “say yes” to unexpected opportunities, and maybe even take another look at poetry.
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Guilford Elementary students take a virtual tour of Montpelier using the Google Expedition Pioneer Program.
Sterling Students Get Sneak Peak at Google’s Virtual Field Trip Technology BY DANIELLE NADLER “Whoooaa!” A sound not typically heard during a lesson on the U.S. founding fathers was uttered in unison on a recent morning by fourth-graders at Guilford Elementary School. They got to be beta testers for the Google Expedition Pioneer Program, which allows classrooms of students to explore world landmarks virtually. And when teacher Dana Trombly turned on the program to pull up a 3D tour of James Madison’s house, the students made their excitement known. “You have to try this,” fourth-grader Ricky Gonzalez said to this reporter. “It’s crazy cool.” A smart phone, loaded with the Google Expedition Pioneer app, is placed in what’s called Google Cardboard, which acts as 3D goggles that the users hold up to their faces. If users are virtually exploring the Louvre, Barcelona or Montpelier, they can walk through and explore the scene just as if they were there in person. From a tablet, a teacher can click on an object within the scene—like a painting of George Washington or a bust of Benjamin Franklin—and an arrow will appear on the students’ screens to indicate where they should be looking. A bubble with information about the item will pop up to provide students with a mini lesson. “It is really amazing,” Robert Rauch, Guilford Elementary’s technology resource teacher, said as he explained Google Expedition’s possibilities. Getting the program in the hands of
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Google Expedition Pioneer Program uses Google Cardboard, which acts as 3D goggles.
students at the Sterling school has been a longtime goal for Rauch. He first applied to be a part of the Google Expedition pilot last May and continued to apply over the next several months until he finally received an emailed response last month saying the school had been one of a handful on the East Coast chosen to test drive the program. “I learned about it at a tech conference and was blown away,” he said. “It could be a game-changer.” For example, Guilford Elementary students’ fieldtrip to Jamestown in November made for a 12-hour day, and it took weeks of maneuvering to reserve a bus for the day, Rauch said. “With this, they can tour Montpelier in 20 minutes.” Google representative Kristen Thomas spent Wednesday debuting the platform at Guilford Elementary and another day showing it off at Eagle Ridge Middle School in Ashburn. She said
it might soon be the go-to vehicle for school fieldtrips. “It’s an inexpensive way for students who may not come from a family where they get to travel a lot to see the world. They can walk through Paris or go on a snorkeling expedition,” she said. Google has not yet announced when the product will be available for purchase, but Thomas expects it will be soon. The timing might be just right for Loudoun County. The public school system has cut back on funding for activity buses and field trips in recent years, while it’s pumped millions more into technology. Last year, it dedicated $13 million to expand bandwidth capabilities and make room for a division-wide BYOT (bring your own technology) program. Richard Contartesi, assistant superintendent for Technology Services, said the school system will have progressed from a bandwidth of 300 megabytes per second in 2013 to 10 gigabytes per second in the past six months, which means the Internet connection is fast enough and able to serve more devices. “We’re smoking now,” Contartesi said. To continue steps toward the multiyear roll out of the BYOT program, Superintendent Eric Williams has reallocated funds in his proposed budget for next fiscal year to provide every teacher with a mobile device. He has said that the initiative is not mandated but it is intended to untie the hands of educators who want to use more technology in the classroom. dnadler@loudounnow.com
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Poet and author Kwame Alexander, winner of a 2015 John Newbery Medal, encouraged Riverside High School students to step out of their comfort zone during a visit Jan. 13.
As a teen, he said it was his skills in poetry—not on the football field or the basketball court—that finally convinced his crush to agree to be his prom date. As he got older, poetry became an outlet during hard times and, eventually, his livelihood. After success with several books of poetry for adults, his wife suggested he write a children’s book. He had never written for children, except small poems for his daughter. “But I’m a say yes person,” he told the students. He wrote “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band,” which garnered several awards and became one of the nation’s best-selling children’s books in 2012. Following the book’s success, a friend encouraged Alexander to write a book for middle and high school students. “I told her ‘I’ve never thought about writing for teens.’ But I’m a say yes person,” he repeated. So he got to work on a 250-page book that tells the story of two African-American twin brothers entirely through verse. He sent the manuscript to publisher after publisher and received rejection letter after rejection letter—19 in all. He was ready to call it quits, until he received a letter from HMH Books for Young Readers, saying the staff was excited to publish “The Crossover.” Several months later, he got an early morning call to tell him the book had won the 2015 John Newbery Medal for ALEXANDER continued on page 13
January 21, 2016 |
loudounnow.com
Stewart Tapped as Madison’s Trust Elementary Principal David W. Stewart will be principal of the new Madison’s Trust Elementary School in Brambleton. Superintendent Eric Williams announced Stewart’s appointment to the Loudoun County School Board last week. Stewart has served as principal at Guilford Elementary in Sterling since 2006. Before he took the helm at Guilford, he was assistant principal at Cedar Lane Elementary in AshDavid Stewart burn for five years. Before his roles in administration, he taught fourth and fifth grade at Sanders Corner Elementary in Ashburn and fifth grade at Salem Elementary in Spotsylvania County. Madison’s Trust Elementary School is slated to open in August near the intersection of Northstar Boulevard and Creighton Road. The School Board recently wrapped up a months-long process to redraw the attendance boundaries in the Brambleton area to assign 744 students to the new school and relieve neighboring overcrowded schools.
Budget Public Hearings Set The Loudoun County School Board will take feedback from community members on the superintendent’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 during two public hearing sessions this month. The public hearings are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, and Thursday, Jan. 28, at the school system’s administration building, 21000 Ed-
Sheridan Elected to National PTA Loudoun County School Board Vice Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) has been elected to a two-year term on the National Parent Teacher Association Board of Directors. Sheridan first volunteered for the PTA when she served as Forest Grove Elementary School’s PTA vice president for three years and president for two years. She Brenda Sheridan also served on the PTSA at Sterling Middle School. Sheridan’s leadership then moved to the state level. She served for two years as Virginia PTA’s Hunt District director, and another two years as the Virginia PTA Membership Chair. In 2009, she was elected as Virginia’s PTA vice president and served as the organization’s president from 2013 until June 2015. Sheridan has represented the Sterling District on the School Board since 2011.
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School notes
ucation Court in Ashburn. Speakers can sign up in the boardroom at the start of the meeting or in advance by calling 571252-1020. The School Board is slated to adopt a budget Feb. 2. See details on the budget process at loudounnow.com/education.
Schools Shuffle Committee Leadership Posts BY DANIELLE NADLER The start of another four-year term for the Loudoun County School Board has brought with it four new members and new committee assignments. During the board’s first business meeting of the term Jan. 12, three of the new members were tapped to lead fairly influential committees. Firstterm member Joy Maloney (Broad Run) will co-chair the Joint Board of Supervisors/School Board Committee, along with Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (Catoctin). Eric DeKenipp (Catoctin), also in his first term, will serve as chairman of the Healthy, Safety and Transportation Committee. And Tom Marshall (Leesburg) was assigned as chairman of the Personnel Committee. Marshall led that committee from 2007 to 2011, before he was unseated by Bill Fox. Marshall won his School Board seat back in November. “I want to thank you personally for making me chairman of the Personnel Committee after a four-year hiatus,” he said to Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn). Jeff Morse (Dulles) was appointed as chairman of the Finance and Facilities Committee, and Debbie Rose (Algonkian) will serve as chairwoman of the Discipline Committee.
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Newly elected Beth Huck (At Large) was assigned to serve as chairwoman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Communication. Hornberger will be chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Academies of Loudoun. The chairman posts for three committees will remain unchanged, with Morse continuing to lead the Charter School Committee; Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) staying on as chairwoman of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee; and board Vice Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) continuing as chairwoman of the Legislative and Policy Committee. Hornberger said he was unable to give all board members their first choice of committee, but said he tried to accommodate most of their preferences. During board comments, the chairman, who’s in his second term, acknowledged the enthusiasm shown by the new board members during their first business meeting. “I know amid that enthusiasm you get hit with a lot of new information. But hang in there,” he said. “Keep that enthusiasm high. We all need that.” dnadler@loudounnow.com
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the “Most Distinguished Contribution to American Literature for Children.” “It’s like the Oscars or the Grammys of children’s book writing,” he explained. “In that moment I started thinking, what if I had walked out of the room at the first no? Or number 17, 18 or 19?” And he urged the teens, “Be a yes person.” Several students said yes to Alexander’s invitation to come to the mic and read some of their poetry. The students read words about everything from snow days to difficult relationships. Alexander commended them for stepping up, and told them at their age he was more concerned about being cool than writing. “But I’m serious,” he said, and repeated, “Poetry saved my life.”
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Biz
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) speaks at the Visa Cyber Fusion Center.
Gov. Lauds New Visa Cyber Fusion Center in Ashburn BY DANIELLE NADLER A high profile trio stopped in Ashburn last week to celebrate the unveiling of Visa’s Cyber Fusion Center. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Attorney General Mark Herring (D) and U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) congratulated and repeatedly thanked the company for choosing the commonwealth to launch its new, high-tech center. “We beat out Colorado and Texas to
BizNotes Loudoun Career Fair Planned The Loudoun Workforce Resource Center’s first industry-based Career Fair of the year will be held Wednesday, Jan. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Leesburg. Six staffing/service providers will be on site promoting a variety of job opportunities in accounting, administrative support, general labor, airport baggage claims and airport food services. Featured employers include AirServ, @ Work Personnel Services, Gate Gourmet, Kelly Services, Manpower and Veterans Management Services Inc. The companies promote contract, temporary, temporary-to-permanent and direct hire positions. Advantages to job seekers include positions with flexibility, transition into permanent employment, and opportunities to gain experience and additional skills. These positions are ideal for those who want to
get them here,” McAuliffe said during a Jan. 14 tour of the center. The secure facility will serve as the company’s hub for rapid cyber threat detection. Visa executive Bill Sheedy told the elected officials and press gathered in the new space that, from where they were standing, some of the top cybersecurity “warriors” were identifying and responding to emerging fraud trends. “We’re invested in ensuring consum-
ers and merchants in Virginia and in the United States and around the world are empowered and safe and secure when they use their Visa card,” said Sheedy, the company’s global executive of Corporate Strategy, M&A and Government Relations. “Obviously, putting our capital behind it with buildings and facilities like this are incredibly important in the manifestation of that commitment.” McAuliffe called the commonwealth a world leader in the cybersecurity in-
try out a new career and make contacts with potential permanent employers. Prior to attending the Career Fair, participants are encouraged to stop by the Resource Center for a résumé critique session and pick up a Job Fair Tips handout. Free workshops are offered on résumé writing, interview skills, Microsoft Word and Excel basics, and job searching with social media. Workshop registration is available online at loudoun.gov/wrcworkshops. The Workforce Resource Center is located at 102 Heritage Way NE in Leesburg and is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon. Learn more about the center’s programs and services at loudoun. gov/wrc.
Office as well as other clients of the firm. Smith has more than 15 years of journalism experience working for a range of publicaDusty Smith tions across Northern Virginia and in Washington, DC, including Leesburg Today and Loudoun Now. He gained expertise in a range of issues at the local, state and federal level, particularly regarding development and transportation. “Dusty brings a breadth of knowledge of the Washington Metropolitan area, particularly with respect to development and transportation,” Jim Lamb, president of Commonwealth Consultants, stated. “We’re excited to add his skillset to our team.” Most recently, Smith operated his own digital news website, Ashburn Rising, and worked for The Casey Group, a Leesburg-based public relations firm.
Former Journalist Joins Metrorail Outreach Effort Commonwealth Consultants has named Dusty Smith as the firm’s director of Public Relations. His responsibilities include working with the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project’s Outreach
dustry, thanks to partnerships with companies like Visa and the dozens of other tech enterprises that have planted roots in Northern Virginia. Loudoun County boasts the highest concentration of data centers in the world, and about half of all Internet traffic travels through those centers. Plus, McAuliffe noted, Virginia was the first state to use credit cards with computer chip technology. “We’re leading by example,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard to put Virginia in the forefront of this industry.” Warner listed some daunting statistics to illustrate the dire need for facilities like Visa’s Cyber Fusion Center. He said the U.S. Department of Defense receives more than one million cyber attacks each day. “And on the criminal side, cyber attacks have had a $120-billion-a-year hit just to the American economy,” he added. The investment in that industry is not only a need, but it also presents an opportunity for Virginia to diversify its economy, especially as the federal government considers cutting back on contract work, the senator said. “This is a great opportunity to build one of the pillars of the 21st century economy.” During his comments, Herring agreed that the threat is very real and can be intimidating—since he was sworn in as attorney general two years ago, his office has received 621 data breach notifications. But he said the commonwealth has all the right ingredients to draw hightech companies to respond to that threat. “Our outstanding public schools, highly skilled work force, reliable and reasonably priced energy make Virginia a great state for companies like Visa to locate in and Loudoun County in particular,” he said. dnadler@loudounnow.com
Three Words: Purcellville EDAC Opens Branding Survey Purcellville’s Economic Development Advisory Committee is seeking public input to help identify the distinct “brand” of the town. The committee has prepared a one-question survey asking the public to provide three adjectives describing the town. The effort is designed to help the EDAC and Town Council understand the “Purcellville Brand” and provide greater input into future activities. The survey can be accessed at: surveymonkey.com/r/purcellvillebrand and will be available until Friday, Jan. 29.
Vaaler Expands to Florida Vaaler Commercial Real Estate, Loudoun’s largest independent commercial real estate firm, has opened a new office in Stuart, FL. “We have expanded our footprint locally with an office in Purcellville, and nationally, with a new office in Stuart, BIZ NOTES continues on page 15
January 21, 2016 |
loudounnow.com
Orbital ATK Wins $1.5B Contract to Continue Space Station Missions Dulles-based Orbital ATK Inc. has been awarded a second NASA contract to provide commercial cargo delivery and disposal services to and from the International Space Station. The contract, valued at up to $1.5 billion, covers six initial cargo missions starting in 2019. Additional missions could be awarded in the 2021-2024 period based on the space station’s operational requirements. The mission will launch from Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island. Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (DVA) joined in making the contract announcement Jan. 14. “This is a big win for Virginia and space exploration,” the governor said. “As a result of collaboration with our federal partners in NASA and our congressional delegation, NASA will continue an important contract that brings our state to the national forefront in the commercial space business, creating jobs and strengthening Virginia’s new economy.” The announcement comes after repairs were completed to the MARS center, which was damaged in October 2014 when a rocket lifting the Orbital ATK resupply vehicle exploded after liftoff. “MARS is open for business and the return to space flight,” McAuliffe said. For the upcoming missions, the Cyg-
Courtesy of Orbital ATK
nus spacecraft can be carried into orbit by either the company’s Antares launch vehicle, which was upgraded following the launch failure, or United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket. The company said the choice allows NASA to better tailor missions for specific ISS operational requirements and demonstrates the flexibility of the Cygnus spacecraft for cargo supply to the ISS. “We are grateful for NASA’s continued confidence in our ability to provide reliable and affordable commercial cargo transportation services to the International Space Station,” David W. Thompson, Orbital ATK’s president and CEO, stated. Orbital ATK has already delivered approximately 16,000 pounds of cargo to
the space station in four missions since 2013. Its next resupply mission is scheduled for launch in March aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL. Then, operations will return to Virginia, with a launch planned in May or June at Wallops Island. Improvements made to the Cygnus spacecraft during the past year allow it to transport 40 percent more cargo than the previous design. The next mission will deliver 7,700 pounds of cargo to the ISS. Payloads include supplies, materials for scientific experiments, equipment and other items that are used by the astronauts in the space station. “This announcement is great news for Orbital ATK, the Eastern Shore and all of Virginia,” Warner stated. “It means creating or retaining hundreds of high-skill jobs across the Commonwealth – from Orbital’s headquarters at Dulles to the Spaceport at Wallops Island – in support of scientific discovery and the space station mission.” “This is a game-changing investment for the Commonwealth,” Kaine stated. “I was proud to help attract Orbital ATK to the Eastern Shore as governor, and I’m encouraged by the recovery MARS has made to return to normal operations. I look forward to many successful missions launched from Wallops Island in the years to come.”
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FL,” stated Rich Vaaler, president and principal broker for the firm. “We have close to 50 listings in Northern Virginia and plan to focus on tenant and buyer representation in the Southeast Florida region.” There have been several staff additions as well. Sherri Miller, formerly with Landmark Mall and Tyson’s Galleria, has joined the Leesburg office. Paul Smith and David Haddock are the primary agents in the Purcellville office. Mike Moran has joined the office in Stuart, FL.
TEGNA Foundation Gives $5K to Step Sisters’ Cancer Support The Step Sisters, a Loudoun-based nonprofit that provides support to breast cancer patients, has received a $5,000 grant from TEGNA Foundation/WUSA 9. The money will be used to purchase transportation services such as taxi vouchers and gasoline gift cards for patients in Loudoun and Fairfax counties, which has been identified as a sorely needed service during treatment. “We believe that no woman should delay treatment, simply because she lacks transportation,” Angela Fuentes, president of The Step Sisters, stated. “We are thankful to TEGNA Foundation for their support as we expand throughout Northern Virginia, reaching as many patients as possible.” For more information, go to stepsisters.org.
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Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Issues $1M in Loudoun Grants The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $1 million to Loudoun nonprofits for 2016. Since its inception in 1987, the foundation has pledged or made grants of more than $57.6 million to various charities, including $15.8 million to Loudounbased organizations. “Dr. Moore spent most of his adult life in Loudoun County and was defined by his belief that education is the key, and that everyone deserved the opportunity to get a quality education,” Foundation Deputy Executive Director K. Lynn Tadlock said in a statement. “The trustees strive to fulfill his wishes by concentrating a large portion of the grant budget on educational organizations in and around the place he called his home.” Included among the foundation’s gifts and support to Loudoun-based programs in 2016 are: • Loudoun Youth, Inc. - $25,000 • Inova Nursing Scholarships - $95,000 • Arc of Loudoun – $50,000 • Loudoun Cares - $50,000 • Loudoun Education Foundation $282,000 to support Odyssey of the Mind, High School Graduation Celebration Project, Teachers Endorsement Scholarship Project, Making a Difference, Future Leaders Scholarship Program and the Claude Moore Scholars Program. • Loudoun Literacy Council - $60,000 • Loudoun County General Distributions - $300,000
• Connect Northern Virginia-Connect Loudoun - $10,000 • Five Stones Institute - $20,000 • Loudoun Symphony - $5,500 • National Center for Children and Families - $15,000 • Virginia Council on Economic Education - $19,000 • Bluemont Concert Series - $5,000 • Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties $80,000 • Computer C.O.R.E. - $15,000 “Those gifts together with the more than $1.5 million in real estate taxes we pay annually, demonstrates the Foundation’s commitment to Loudoun County,” Executive Director J. Hamilton Lambert stated. In addition to the charitable giving, the foundation also contributes the use of more than 50 acres of open space to the National Capital Area Council of Boy Scouts of America for camping use by local troops. In addition to the annual support for the Loudoun County education system and area charities, major contributions also have been made to the Loudoun Environmental Indicators Project at George Washington University, Claude Moore Colonial Farm Park at Turkey Run, Claude Moore Heritage Farm Park, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, UVA School of Nursing, the University of Virginia Medical Library, the Roanoke Higher Education Center, the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport, and Inova Health Systems.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.
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Add the Loudoun Now newsroom as a stop on your First Friday tour of Downtown Leesburg. Meet the staff of your new community-owned newspaper. Share your ideas for stories and services. Stop in at the newspaper office at 15. N. King Street (next to the Lightfoot Restaurant) between 6 and 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5.
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Townbriefs
Purcellville Vice Mayor Ben Packard Resigns BY MARGARET MORTON Purcellville Vice Mayor Ben Packard resigned from the Town Council last week. He is moving out of town. Packard was elected to a four-year term in May 2014. His plans to move were finalized last month, but he has not closed on the purchase. Although he has not moved, he decided to resign now. “Let me point out, that as a town resident I am legally eligible to remain on Town Council until I am no longer a resident,” he said. Packard said he had spoken with a number of people whose judgment he respected, and that the “vast majority suggested I stay on council until and if my house closes.” However, Packard said that since he plans to put his house up for sale shortly, he recognized that if he had to move before this year’s budget is finalized it would be unfair to ask someone else to step in at short notice on such an important issue. After thinking it over during the Christmas break, Packard said Tuesday, “while I would love to continue town service, the factors to step down tonight outweigh the factors to stay on.” It was not immediately clear whether the council would appoint someone to
Ben Packard
fill his seat until a special election is held in May. Town Attorney Sally Hankins said she would prepare a petition to the Loudoun County Circuit Court asking to add the election of an individual to complete the two years remaining on Packard’s term to the May ballot, which also will include the mayor’s seat and three other council seats. The council voted Jan. 12 to appoint Councilman Patrick McConville as the town’s new vice mayor. At the meeting, Packard thanked his fellow council members for their collaboration, as well as that of “the amazing” town staff. “I wish them the best of luck. Election season is coming up again, and I would
Resident Raises Brutality Allegations Against Purcellville PD in 2008 Arrest BY MARGARET MORTON During the Purcellville Town Council’s Jan. 12 meeting, Bluemont resident Jeanne Girolami publicly accused the Purcellville Police Department of misconduct and wrongful arrest of her husband in 2008 and announced she is seeking financial reparation from the town. Giramoli had earlier met with Mayor Kwasi Fraser and Town Attorney Sally Hankins. Fraser declined to place the matter on last week’s council meeting agenda, but invited Girolami to air her grievance during the public comment session. Girolami sent an email to local media Jan. 8 claiming the case “involves a case of false arrest, falsified evidence and malicious prosecution.” In her email, she claimed that fabricated evidence had “helped the County of Loudoun to maliciously prosecute the man, knowing full well that the
charges and evidence he brought before the court were fraudulent.” Town representatives declined to comment on the claims. Former Police Chief Darryl Smith did not return phone calls seeking comment. In 2008, the Girolamis were dog walkers for the Lowry family, who lived on South Maple Avenue, next to Teresa Maxwell. The Sept. 2, 2008, incident appeared to have stemmed from a fender bender by Girolami’s husband, Louis, who ran into Maxwell’s fence. Girolami claimed her husband had not received a trespass order and that Maxwell had called the police to arrest him. Girolami said her husband, who is diabetic, had broken his arm a few days prior to his arrest after a fall and had it surgically repaired. She claimed it was re-broken and badly injured during the arrest. Girolami, who was away on vacation at the time, said her husband spent 12 hours in jail, the couple’s three dogs were seized and taken to the animal
encourage council to be civil and positive,” Packard said. Reached for comment Jan. 13, Packard said his decision had not been affected by the uncivil tone of some of the online comments demanding he step down from council. “I’m a lawyer. I have a thick skin,” he said, laughing. Asked if he had any parting thoughts for his colleagues, Packard urged council members to be serious about their new annexation policy. Noting disagreement on the council over whether to allow any expansion of the town boundaries, Packard said the council needed to make up its mind whether it wished to follow the policy that allows landowners to make annexation proposals. It was not fair to invite applicants to go through the process if there was no real intent to follow it through to the end, he said. Packard also urged council members to try to make a positive statement about the town’s finances, which, he said, are in good shape despite criticism by some about the amount of outstanding debt. “They need to explain that debts can’t always be transferred from fund to fund, and come up with ways that could minimize the debt,” he said. “Don’t whine, just come up with a viable plan.” mmorton@loudounnow.com shelter, and her husband’s truck was seized. She further claimed her husband was refused medical care for his arm while in jail and also was refused insulin for his diabetes. “They believed he was faking it,” she said. “The chief of police should have apologized; he manufactured evidence,” she alleged during the council meeting, adding her husband was taken to court and told he needed to plead guilty or they would file other charges. Purcellville Police records show that a trespass notification order dated Feb. 21, 2007, was issued to Louis and Jeanne Girolami notifying them to refrain from entering Maxwell’s property or be subject to arrest. General District Court records show that Louis Girolami appeared before District Court Judge Julia Cannon on Nov. 14, 2008, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 days in jail, all suspended. Other conditions imposed were that he permanently remain off the Maxwell property and not to walk the Lowrys’ dogs for a year. He was put on probation for one year, according to the disposition order. mmorton@loudounnow.com
Purcellville Musicians Sought for May Music and Arts Festival Organizers of the Purcellville Music & Arts Festival are on the hunt for musical groups and individual performers to include in its May 21 entertainment lineup. They encourage “all styles of local bands, entertainers, musical arts and performers” to apply to participate. Applications are required by Feb. 15. Performers will be selected by an entertainment subcommittee of the Purcellville Parks and Recreation Board, based on a number of criteria. Go to purcellvilleva.gov to download an application. The annual festival celebrates the community, history and culture of Purcellville, and last year drew 2,000 visitors. The free festival is held at Fireman’s Field. For more information, contact Melanie Scoggins at mscoggins@purcellvilleva.gov or Brian James, Parks and Recreation Board Entertainment Subcommittee representative at brianjames8@gmail.com.
Hamilton Council Balks at Signing Rt. 7 Complaint Letter The Hamilton Town Council last week decided to hold off on signing on to the Town of Purcellville’s proposed letter to the Virginia Department of Transportation protesting traffic congestion on eastbound Rt. 7. Purcellville’s letter, while thanking VDOT for the improved traffic flow for westbound Rt. 7 traffic west of through the construction of a third lane, asked for a review of the eastbound lanes to address morning rush hour gridlock. Hamilton council members agreed that there was a problem, noting that at times it was almost impossible to access the Rt. 9/ Rt. 7 interchange from Rt. 7 Business because Rt. 9 traffic runs continuously through the roundabout. Council members said they wanted to review the letter further, which they will do at a special workshop on Jan. 28.
Lincoln MHAA Lecture Examines Civil War’s Aftermath The Lincoln Community League will host the final lecture in the Mosby Heritage Area Association’s Civil War Sesquicentennial series at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at the Goose Creek TOWN BRIEFS continue on page 19
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Friends Meeting. MHAA Executive Director Richard T. Gillespie will present “1866: Change, Resistance, and Uncertainty in the Northern Virginia Piedmont.” The popular series, during the past six years has highlighted the impacts of the war on Loudoun and surrounding area. The lectures began Oct. 14, 2009, with a look at pre-war Loudoun and its environs in 1859. The series concludes with a look at the uncertain post-war situation in Loudoun and Fauquier counties. Gillespie will use local photographs and tales of historic sites and landscapes to weave a compelling picture of civilian and soldier experience after the end of the war. Gillespie will give a similar lecture in Lovettsville before the Lovettsville Historical Society on Sunday, Feb. 14, at 2 p.m. at St. James United Church of Christ, 10 E. Broad Way. For more information, go to mosbyheritagearea.org or contact info@mosbyheritagearea.org.
Round Hill Music Therapy Program Coming to Arts Center Loudoun nonprofits are entering a partnership with Middleburg’s A Place to Be to offer music therapy at the Round Hill Arts Center.
The initiative is designed to help individuals of any age overcome life challenges through the benefits of music and the performing arts. A Place to Be music therapists already offers programs at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne, at the Paxton Campus in Leesburg and its home base in Middleburg, but are ready to expand the offerings in western Loudoun in partnership with various nonprofits, starting next month. The programs will be held on Monday and Tuesday afternoons at the arts center on Rt. 7 just west of Round Hill. A Place to Be co-founder Tom Sweitzer is eager to show how music can help people meet their personal goals and make their lives better. While his particular focus has been on helping developmentally disabled young people, Sweitzer says music therapy can be of benefit and bring enjoyment to any age, including those suffering from dementia or recovering from a stroke. For Round Hill Arts Center President Jenny Hunter, the partnership is a natural extension of the center’s mission: To be a place where the arts and the community meet. Now in its 17th year, the center offers subsidized classes and camps to atrisk children through its Community Arts scholarship program and partners with VSAarts of Loudoun to offer hands-on visual arts instruction for children. Half-hour sessions start Feb. 8 at a cost of $50. To schedule, call 540-687-6740. For more information on clinical music therapy, go to aplacetobeva.org. For information on the arts center, email info@ roundhillartscenter.org.
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MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT continued from page 1
eryone was taken care of before himself.” Kemps had noticed that his friend had been a little down lately, but he didn’t know he was having such a difficult time. “It was out of the blue,” he said of William’s death. The tragedy has woken up the community to the reality of the dangerous toll depression can take, Kemps said. “It’s sad to say that before Will took his life, it wasn’t something that I thought much about.” Kemps said William’s family has been impressed by the response of students,
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teachers, parents and those in the broader community who never knew the teen. “The community has been absolutely incredible. Everyone is there for everyone right now. People are saying, ‘if you need anything text me, call me.’” When students arrived at school Friday, the day after William’s death, they were greeted by Post-it notes on each locker that read, “You are loved!” The notes were hand-written by members of Loudoun Valley’s National Honor Society. Neil McNerney, a Loudoun Valley parent, said area businesses also pulled together to show their support for the mourning school community. More
Courtesy of Neil McNerney
Post-it notes with encouraging hand-written messages greeted Loudoun Valley High School students Friday.
than two dozen mental health professionals made themselves available to speak with students at the school. That day, his company, The Wellness Connection, arranged lunch for the counselors, and Jersey Mike’s donated a tray of subs and Harris Teeter refused payment for drinks, chips and other snacks— without being asked, McNerney said. “It is always gratifying to see local stores do what they can to help.” The outpouring also came in the form
of donations. Kemps launched a GoFundMe page, called the William Robinson Fund, that has brought in enough money to pay for funeral costs and create a memorial to William. In four days the site raised $9,330. Kemps said he’d love to buy a small plot of land and create a place where young people feel safe to gather with MENTAL ILLNESS SUPPORT continues on page 21
Obituaries Teresa Enright Eliezer Teresa Enright Eliezer, age 87, of Leesburg, Virginia passed away on January 12, 2016 while at INOVA Loudoun Nursing Center. The cause was congestive heart failure. Born March 29, 1928 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late John D. Enright and the late Mary G. Enright. She earned a B.A. in Sociology from Moravian College in Bethlehem in 1949. While attending Moravian College, she met her future husband, David Eliezer, who was a student at neighboring Lehigh University. After marrying in 1950, they relocated to Virginia, settling in Fredericksburg. For many years, she worked with foster children as a social worker for Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties. After retirement, she moved with her husband to Leesburg. In addition to her husband of 61 years, she is predeceased by a daughter, Loraine, who died in infancy and a brother John J. G. Enright of Bethlehem. She is survived by a son, Kenneth F. Eliezer of Leesburg, two daughters Elaine Eliezer Supan (Paul) of Leesburg and Jean E. Richards (Nic) of Yorktown, a brother
Henry J. Enright of Mexico City, and a sister Anne R. Enright of Bethlehem, PA. A graveside service will be held in Union Cemetery on Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army 10 Cardinal Park Drive SE, Leesburg, Virginia 20176. www.colonialfuneralhome.com
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MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT continued from page 20
friends. “It could be like a hideaway. A place where everyone is welcome.” Purcellville Town Councilwoman Karen Jimmerson said the week has taken an emotional toll, especially on students who regularly pass by the playground where William’s body was found. “It’s a tragedy for these kids, as a school and a community. We need to figure out how best to deal with this,” she said Tuesday. In the days following the student’s death, a rumor circulated among Loudoun Valley students that a friend of William’s was planning an attack at the Purcellville school. After parents began posting on Facebook that they planned to keep their children home from school Tuesday, Loudoun Valley Principal Sue Ross sent an email late Monday assuring families that it was safe to come to school. “Out of frustration, a student may have said something irresponsible that was overheard by other students. To their credit, these students reported these words to the administration immediately,” Ross said. “The student was questioned and it was determined that there was no threat whatsoever.” According to her email, law enforce-
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ment was on campus Tuesday as a precaution. Aside from the 30 percent of students absent—up from the typical absent rate of 5 percent—it was a fairly typical school day, according to Public Information Officer Wayde Byard. This has been the third high-profile case in western Loudoun involving suicidal teens in the past year and a half. A Woodgrove High School teen reportedly shot himself in October 2014. Another Loudoun Valley student, Christian Alberto Sierra, was shot and killed by a Purcellville police officer in May 2014. The 17-year-old was threatening to kill himself before he lunged at a Purcellville police officer with a knife, according to a commonwealth’s attorney’s report that found the officer was justified in his action. Since Sierra’s very public death, Purcellville leaders have talked about the need to create a program or organization to provide consistent support for teens struggling with depression and other forms of mental illness. To keep the conversation going, Leesburg Community Church hosted a community meeting Wednesday focused on eradicating the stigma often associated with mental health issues. Follow coverage of that meeting at LoudounNow. com.
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LoCo ThisWeek Living NIGHT LIFE
LIVE MUSIC: CABIN CREEK
Friday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd SE Suite 120, Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live. com Influenced by the old-time string band and bluegrass music they grew up near Fredericksburg, the members of Cabin Creek formed their modern and unique folk sound. No cover.
THE 9 SONGWRITER SERIES Friday, Jan. 22, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St. Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick brings together nine artists for an evening of musical storytelling. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 day of show.
DANNY KNICELY WINTER CONCERT Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org The internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist gives his 10th annual winter concert featuring members of The Blue Rhythm Boys, Furnace Mountain, The Woodshedders, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, Danny Gatton’s band and The Dixie Power Trio. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Courtesy of Justin Trawick
Justin Trawick will bring together eight of the region’s most celebrated musicians for a songwriter series that takes the stage Friday, Jan. 22, at the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg.
Justin Trawick Takes a Leap BY JAN MERCKER A few years ago, Justin Trawick took a negative (getting laid off from his day job) and turned it into an opportunity (making a living as a musician). The talented singer-songwriter hasn’t looked back and is making a name for himself—both as a performer and as a connector in the Washington, DC, area and beyond. The Leesburg native, who now lives in Arlington, keeps busy playing solo and with his band the Common Good. He’s also the founder and organizing force behind The 9 songwriter series, established to bring together independent musicians so they can play better venues. The latest installation of The 9 is Friday, Jan. 22 at the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg. “It’s enabled us to play in places we wouldn’t have been able to play on our own, to play in front of crowds we normally wouldn’t play in front of,” Trawick said of the series, which has touched down in DC, New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans and elsewhere. The series brings a different line-up every time, and Trawick himself usually (but not always) plays the shows. As the organizer, he likes to mix
it up—putting nationally known musicians like Jon Carroll (Grammy-winning vocalist from the Starland Vocal Band of “Afternoon Delight” fame) and Michael Clem (co-founder of the beloved ’90s band Eddie from Ohio) on stage with young talent like Lovettsville’s Teddy Chipouras and Leesburg-raised, Nashville-based Cassidy Ford. “The inclusion factor—from a Grammy winner who’s probably in his 50s to a kid that’s still in high school—is a really cool feeling,” Trawick said. Trawick encourages collaboration and stage-sharing, and has fostered a sense of camaraderie and mutual support among musicians with very different styles. “It’s heart expanding. It’s an opportunity to show up and challenge oneself, being able to stretch out a little bit—even outside the boundaries of our own genre,” said alt-country songstress Janet Emma Garbe, who will play her second The 9 show at the Tally Ho and has planned on-stage collaborations with Juliana MacDowell, Carroll and Clem. “Justin really throws his whole self into his music,” Garbe said. “He’s a lot of fun and as a connector he brings the encouragement to collaborate both prior to the gig and on the spot. It’s an op-
work as a singer-songwriter. The award was presented last week in the southernmost city. MacDowell, who performs locally solo and with Joey and the Waitress, is working on a new album in Key West with producer Ian Shaw.
Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road. Details: luckettsbluegrass.org Smith has had a long and successful career with her own brand of music combining elements of bluegrass, acoustic country, blues and swing. Her band is made up of top DC-area musicians who are no strangers to the Lucketts stage.
LIVE MUSIC: AS IF Saturday, Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Relive the Clinton years with hip-hop, rock and dance at the ultimate ’90s dance party. Tickets are $5 in advance, $10 day of show.
TRAWICK continues on page 23 Courtesy of Hard Swimmin’ Fish
MacDowell Brings Home a Clammy Sharing the Tally Ho stage during Friday’s The 9 program will be Leesburg’s latest award-winning songwriter. Julianna MacDowell didn’t win a Grammy, like co-performer Jon Carroll. She is, however, the latest winner of a Key West Clammy for her
LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS: VALERIE SMITH AND LIBERTY PIKE
LIVE MUSIC: THE HARD SWIMMIN’ FISH Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.; Palio Ristorante Italiano, 2 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: hardswimminfish.com The Frederick, MD-based blues trio brings their old school jam to Palio for the first time. No cover. Courtesy of Ralph De Palma
The 2015 Clammy Award presented to Julianna MacDowell by CW Colt.
MORE TO DO on page 24
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Knicely and Friends Pay Tribute to Gipsy Jazz Saturday Danny Knicely’s 10th annual winter concert this weekend will commemorate the 106th birthday of one of the greatest guitarist of all time, Django Reinhardt. And Knicely has pulled together a lineup worthy of such a celebration. The performance will feature past and present members of The Blue Rhythm Boys, Furnace Mountain, The Woodshedders, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, Danny Gatton’s band, and The Dixie Power Trio. At the center of the talent-packed stage will be Knicely, a multi-instrumentalist and music producer from the Shenandoah Valley. He has garnered many awards for his mandolin, guitar, and fiddle expertise, including first place in the mandolin contest at the prestigious Telluride Bluegrass Festival. His skills on the mandolin and original compositions can be heard on his debut album “Roots and Branches” and his colorful, versatile, acoustic guitar picking are the highlight of his latest release “Waltz for Aimee.”
TRAWICK
continued from page 22
portunity to grow ourselves out of our comfort zone.” For Trawick, who turns 34 the night of the show, discovering his father’s old guitar in a closet in the family’s pre-Civil War house outside Leesburg just before high school was a revelation. “A guitar for me was a really great creative outlet that—as an only child living in the country—I didn’t have,” he said. The Loudoun County High School graduate was a saxophonist in school but found that singing and playing guitar was where his heart lay. His interest in language led him to study communications at Longwood University, and he worked in that field in the DC area after college, while continuing to play music, finding his voice and building relationships with venues. “When I was in college, my girlfriend at the time thought I had a bad voice,” Trawick said with a laugh. And it took him a while to overcome the nerves when he moved from songwriting to solo singing. But his imperfect (although engaging) voice and wry songwriting have won him fans around the region over the last few years. When Trawick was laid off from an account executive job in 2008, it was a turning point. “Not realizing it, I had actually created a sizeable network of venues that will book me and that will pay my rent,” he said. Since then, music has become a fulltime job. Trawick is busy playing around the Mid-Atlantic region (usually 15 to 20 gigs a month), recording (he’s released
Courtesy of Danny Knicely
Join Knicely and his multi-talented friends as they pay tribute to Reinhardt, who earned his fame in the ’30s and ’40s when he developed a new style of jazz guitar technique, often referred to as hot jazz guitar. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane in Purcellville. Tickets are $20 with advance purchase online at dannyknicely.com/ Store.html#winter and $25 at the door.
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Some of Loudoun’s favorite voices are set to play the Tally Ho Friday as part of The 9 songwriters series. Justin Trawick Teddy Chipouras Ken Wenzel Michael Clem Janet Emma Garbe Juliana MacDowell Jon Carroll Cassidy Ford Andrew McKnight five records over the past dozen years) and hosting and producing a weekly cultural podcast—“The Circus Life”—featuring interviews and live performances from movers and shakers in the DC music scene. Not to mention his work to secure new talent and new venues for The 9. The 9’s debut at the Tally Ho (where he watched movies as a kid in the theater’s former life) is a coup for Trawick, who says fans who come for one act can expect to find a great vibe and discover new favorites. “It’s fun to be in a packed room with people who are all there for the same thing.” The 9 songwriter series, featuring Justin Trawick and eight Loudoun and DC-area performers, comes to Leesburg’s Tally Ho Theatre Friday, Jan. 22, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. For tickets and information, go to tallyholeesburg.com. To sample Trawick’s tunes, go to justintrawick.com.
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LIVE MUSIC: COLIN THOMPSON Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. SE Suite 120, Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com The son of acclaimed Americana music artist Randy Thompson, Colin has developed a playing style all his own. Often compared to the great slide guitar players, his style is a fresh and unique combination of all his influences with his own spin. No cover.
LIVE MUSIC: RULE G Saturday, Jan. 23, 9 p.m.; Spanky’s Pub, 538 E Market St., Leesburg. Details: spankyspub.com Enjoy bluesy rock with an edge from this Frederick, MD-based band. Cover is $5.
ON STAGE CREATIVE DANCE CENTER WINTER BENEFIT Saturday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m., Stone Bridge High School, 43100 Hay Road, Ashburn. Details: ipayouth.org
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The benefit show produced by the Institute of Performing Art for Youth features students from Creative Dance Center studios in Chantilly, South Riding and Ashburn performing lyrical, hip-hop, tap and contemporary dance. Performance benefits the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter and the Paxton Campus. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Thursday, Jan. 21-Saturday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m., Capital Community Church, 20430 Ashburn Village Blvd., Ashburn. Details: theaterpalooza.com or 800-969-2603 Theaterpalooza presents this musical adaptation of the beloved C.S. Lewis novel. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children and seniors.
LEARN SOMETHING BIRDING THE BLUE RIDGE CENTER Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 a.m., Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, 11661 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville. Contact: jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on its monthly bird walk at a beautiful 900-acre preserve in northwestern Loudoun County. Bring binoculars if you have them.
GET ME STARTED PAINTING Saturday, Jan. 23, 1-4 p.m., 35246 Harry Byrd Highway Suite 170, Round Hill Arts Center, Round Hill. Details: roundhillartscenter.org Artist Dana Thompson will introduce the basics of oil painting, from composition to color theory, guiding participants through a winter still life. For ages 16 and older. Cost is $50.
COMMUNITY OF GARDENS: HISTORY IN OUR GARDENS Saturday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m.; Purcellville Library, 220 E Main St., Purcellville. Details: communityofgardens.si.edu. Cynthia Brown, Smithsonian Gardens education manager, will give an overview of the Community of Gardens program and how gardeners can help the Smithsonian preserve everyday garden history at this kick-off event for the library system’s Community of Gardens story drive. Residents can submit a memory, story, photograph, or video about a garden in America and become a part of the Smithsonian’s collection.
MEET THE ARTIST: JOAN GARDINER Sunday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m., Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org As part of Franklin Park’s coffeehouse series, local potter and tile artist, well known for her large-scale installations at many of Loudoun’s libraries and at the Franklin Park Arts Center, will explain her creative process. Admission is $8 at the door and includes coffee.
LIBATIONS BREAUX VINEYARDS FOURTH FRIDAY Friday, Jan. 22, 5-9 p.m., Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. Details: breauxvineyards.com Food, wine and live music from local favorite Chris Hauska. Admission is free.
WINE KITCHEN MOVIE NIGHT WINE DINNER Monday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m., The Wine Kitchen, 7 S. King St., Leesburg. Details: thewinekitchen.com This five-course dinner features dishes inspired by classic films (like “Blazing Saddles” and “Pulp Fiction”) paired with carefully selected wines. $75 price includes wine pairings. Advance reservations are required.
ADROIT THEORY BREWING ANNIVERSARY PARTY Saturday, Jan. 23, noon-8 p.m., Adroit Theory Brewing, 404 Browning Court, Unit C, Purcellville. Details: adroit-theory. com Celebrate Adroit Theory’s second anniversary with a festival celebrating dark brews. Event features new releases, guest breweries food from Saffron Gourmet. $10 entry fee includes a souvenir glass and one drink ticket. Additional tickets will be available for sale.
OATLANDS BURNS NIGHT SUPPER Saturday, Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.; Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg. Details: oatlands.org Celebrate the birth of poet Robert Burns with a traditional Scottish dinner at Oatlands’ historic carriage house. Haggis will be served and kilts are encouraged. $100 per person admission includes
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More to do
continued from page 24 a hearty Scottish dinner and non-alcoholic beverages. Cash bar is available with wine and Catoctin Creek Distillery whiskey.
COUNTRY BRUNCH WITH WALLY WORSLEY Sunday, Jan. 24, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. SE, Suite 120, Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Worsley’s high tenor voice and silky guitar picking make his performance something not to be missed. Admission is free with brunch.
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OLD OX BREWERY CHILI DAY BENEFIT Saturday, Jan. 23, noon-4 p.m.; Old Ox Brewery, 44652 Guilford Drive, Ashburn. Details: oldoxbrewery.com Second annual chili tasting at the Old Ox features tastings from 10 of Ashburn’s finest restaurants for a suggested donation of $10, with all proceeds going to benefit the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. Event also features the debut of Old Ox’s new specially brewed red ale AVFRD War Wagon Red, a raffle of a one-of-a-kind fire fighters helmet signed by the entire Redskins team, and an opportunity to tour a fire truck.
WITH THE KIDS
BURGERS AND BEER FUN RUN
FAMILY FRIDAY AT RHAC
Monday, Jan. 25, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Potomac River Running, Village at Leesburg. Details: potomacriverrunning.com/location/leesburg
Friday, Jan. 22, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Round Hill Arts Center, 35246 Harry Byrd Highway Suite 170, Round Hill. Details: roundhillartscenter.org
This weekly event starts off with a group run for all levels starting at Potomac River Running, followed by burger deals at BurgerFi.
Make glass lanterns to celebrate the lunar new year. Cost is $35 per family of four, $8 per additional family member. Admission price includes pizza and materials.
ME AND MY DOLL Saturday, Jan. 23, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.;
Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. Details: loudounmuseum.com Bring your own 18-inch doll and make a book about your adventures, plus matching bonnets. Admission is $35 and includes a special tea time lunch. Advance registration is required.
COMING UP JANUARY BLUEGRASS JAM Friday, Jan. 29, 6 p.m.; The Old Furniture Factory, 6 W. Loudoun St., Round Hill. Details: theoldfurniturefactory.com
This monthly jam in the heart of Round Hill attracts musicians from around the region. Barbecue dinners from Savoir Fare and drinks will be available for purchase.
LIVE MUSIC: BLUE OYSTER CULT Friday, Feb. 5, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com The heavy metal pioneers are known for ‘70s and ‘80s hits like “The Reaper” and “Burnin’ For You.” Tickets are $59 in advance, $69 day of show.
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540-882-9600 Mon-Thur 10am-8pm • Friday 10am-1am Saturday 10am-1am • Sunday 10am-8pm
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Employment The All American Steakhouse and Sports Theatre is looking to expand its staff at the Ashburn Location. We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic and experienced servers to add to our existing staff. We will also be interviewing experienced cooks for the line, grill, fry and prep. Send resumes to Ashburnsteakhouse@hotmail.com or stop by to fill out an application.
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING At the January 20, 2016, and January 28, 2016, School Board meetings, the members of the Loudoun School Board will seek public comment about Loudoun County Public Schools’ Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2017. Comments will be welcome at School Board meetings throughout the budget process. Those who want to speak at the School Board meeting(s) may sign up to do so at the meeting(s) or have their names placed on the speakers list in advance by calling (571) 252-1020. A schedule of School Board meetings is also available at this number and on the Loudoun County Public Schools calendar at www.lcps.org. Meetings are held at
LOUDOUN’S RUNS, CREEKS, BRANCHES AND RIVERS ACROSS 1) English Lord Protector 5) A former sheriff 8) Gambino underboss 10) Costner’s Durham 11) Good for the gander, too 12) A wood patch 16) Bei Bei is one 17) Microscopic
18) A wide one 19) An election district 20) Meat cutter
DOWN 2) Great Pyramid building block 3) Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO 4) Municipality 6) 1974 Spielberg flick
7) Rodent lodge 8) TV’s new “Wives” locale 9) Explorer, with Lewis 10) Converse of 17 Across 13) Huskies home 14) Washington’s coin 15) Particles following a comet ANSWERS ON PAGE 31
21000 Education Court Ashburn, VA 20148. Persons, who, due to a disability, need assistance to participate meaningfully in School Board meetings, should call (571) 252-1020 at least five days prior to the meeting.
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Opinion Tackling a Business Challenge
Starting next week, the general public will get a peek at the future of Loudoun. That’s the one where young professionals ride their hoverboards to the office down the street from their apartment every morning and then stay out late choosing from an abundance of neighborhood entertainment options each night. That may not be exactly be the vision developed over the past year by platoons of county business leaders, but it’s close. Members of the Nighttime Economic Development Committee delved deep into planning and zoning concepts in their efforts to attract young workers needed to grow their companies and to provide the resources required to attract other businesses to the county. Yes, the phrase “Loudoun nightlife” may be considered something just short of an oxymoron by some. However, the county’s roll-up-the-sidewalks-at-night reputation increasingly is an economic development hurdle. The trend is for young workers to choose to live in the urban environs of Arlington or Bethesda, only to seek Loudoun roots when they are ready to raise their families. Without a shift, local businesses will be challenged to import a greater portion of their workforce from the east, or to move closer to where their employees live (not in Loudoun). That is not a choice county leaders want companies to face. The package of recommendations assembled by the study task force will ask county supervisors to push the boundaries of Loudoun’s traditional development philosophy. That’s OK. Similar shifts in the past gave rise to the traditional-style town center communities that are so popular with families today and to the rural enterprises that have come to define western Loudoun as a regional destination. Specifically, there will be a push to allow more high-density residential development in more places in eastern Loudoun. Areas long planned for office and commercial centers will be eyed for the development of concentrated mixed-used nodes—intended to take the live-work-play concepts championed in places such as Lansdowne, the Village at Leesburg and One Loudoun to new levels. While the nighttime economy group comes to that recommendation from a workforce development viewpoint, county government leaders will hear similar comments from landowners and developers as the broader efforts to revamp the Silver Line corridor development policies and revise the General Plan move forward this year. Supervisors will have to wade carefully through the policy recommendations to determine which ones advance the county’s long-term economic development goals and which are aimed at providing spurring development beyond the community’s needs or capacity. Done right, the exercise will set the stage for sustained business growth. The wrong decisions not only could undermine that effort, but also jeopardize the long-term economic health of the county. This should be viewed as a business plan, not a development plan.
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Letters Move Forward Editor: At the Jan. 12 Leesburg Town Council meeting, there was an important agenda item that required a council vote on how to move forward on filling the vacant mayor position. Four times the council voted on the nomination of a current council member and four times the vote failed. This outcome left the council divided and with no clear picture of how future discussions will productively proceed. The citizens of the Town of Leesburg should be very concerned about the potential negative ramifications of not having an interim mayor for 90 days. The town of Leesburg is now in a position of having a mayor selected through a job search process conducted by the Town Council or a Circuit Court Judge, with no predictable outcomes as to the quality or number of candidates. The council voted to continue its discussion at its next work session and the likely route it will attempt to choose at the next council meeting is the open application process for the public to submit résumés.
Norman K. Styer Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com
If none of these applicants get four votes, the Circuit Court judge could be the ultimate decision maker. My sense is that if the Town Council conducts a selection process, the voting will be along the same partisan positions I witnessed Jan. 12 with the Town Council members seeking to protect their own seats or blocking any appointment within the current council. We cannot afford to waste the time and the reputations of good people seeking to serve. Last week, I spoke at the town council meeting in favor of any current council member being appointed to this important seat. The town deserves a better selection process than a job search that would be political in nature with too many important issues at stake just to select a “place holder.” The inability of our current council to move past personal or partisan issues to support the needs of the town is why we all must attend the next Town Council meeting on Jan. 26 at 7:30 pm. Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and Councilman Dave Butler are to be commended for their leadership and willingness to have their names placed forward for consideration only to be denied the interim mayor position because they did not achieve the four re-
Renss Greene, Reporter rgreene@loudounnow.com Douglas Graham, Photographer dgraham@loudounnow.com Contributors Kara Clark Rodriguez Jan Mercker
LETTERS continues on page 29
Advertising Director Susan Styer sstyer@loudounnow.com Classified Manager Lindsay Morgan lmorgan@loudounnow.com Production Electronic Ink 9 Royal St. SE Leesburg, VA 20175
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Technology Won’t Replace the Classroom, Yet BY DEEP SRAN One of the biggest questions in education today is what role technology will play in the classroom. The goal of putting a web-enabled device in every student’s hand (going “1to-1”) has not been achieved yet, but it is widely accepted as inevitable (and desirable, with some reservations). When that happens and adaptive software becomes available, it will be transformative. What is difficult to predict is how long change will take and how profound it will be. For example, if all content and instruction are delivered on devices, which is a natural progression from today’s “blended learning,” and adaptive software can provide student-specific feedback and make instructional “decisions” based on student achievement, technology will render traditional physical classrooms and schools, and even teachers, obsolete. Having said this, my experience is that change comes slowly to education. I first used a computer in school in the early 1980s, had my first desktop computer at home in 1985, took my first laptop to law school in 1993, and regularly used email and Internet searches as a first-year lawyer in 1996. The transition from the first computer in the classroom to the first computer I brought to the classroom took almost 15 years. In 2016, more than 20 years since I first brought a laptop to school, many students across the country, including in this county, are still not using a device in every classroom. At the same time, my experience as a consumer and as a professional have shown how quickly fundamental, even existential, change can happen when technology matures and is widely adopted. Smartphones have changed how
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quired votes. Now through March among the major Leesburg issues facing the Town Council are road projects, courthouse expansion, land development and the next two-year budget. How this important open seat in Leesburg will be filled is an urgent situation that must be discussed with the community for open dialogue. We must publicly hold our town council members accountable to listen and to act. Please join me to petition the Town Council members to move forward with a fair, nonpartisan and open process deserving of the importance of being the mayor of Leesburg. Our town deserves more than a “placeholder” or a “meeting coordinator” to serve as mayor for the next 11 months. – Ron Campbell, Leesburg
I find information, buy things, pick restaurants, travel, and communicate, all in less than 10 years following the launch of the iPhone. Ten years ago, no one was on a mobile device in an elevator or in line at a grocery store or on an airplane, and now almost everyone is. In terms of existential change, the fact that anyone anywhere can now work in the web-enabled information economy, and that algorithms can replace humans for sophisticated tasks, means that the only problems and questions that cannot be outsourced or automated will be the ones no one has encountered yet. One consideration as we think about the role of technology in the classroom is whether adopting new technology always leads to improved student outcomes. The answer here is not clear. Web-enabled devices make possible information retrieval, content creation, and communication that expand what students can learn and do. At the same time, the like-
lihood of distraction while working, the challenges to maintaining stamina while reading, and the perils of social networks and around-the-clock connectedness are troubling. In my experience, education is at its best when there is a co-located, sustained, and deep conversation between a student, a teacher who knows and loves their subject, and peers who add ideas and ask questions. This is the ideal learning environment. Technology can make the conversations between students, teachers, and peers about course content richer and, in some cases, more personalized, but I do not believe technology can produce better student outcomes than an ideal classroom environment. As long as there are humans, I believe we will need humans to teach them. However, while the best learning happens in small seminar classrooms with great teachers, this does not mean K-12 education will go in this direction.
My Choice
Mr. Wright for his re-election. Butler, Martinez, and Burk all campaigned for Kevin that year. I also know for certain that Kevin Wright is highly respected by Katie Hammler, as well. A true, independent, servant of the people of Leesburg, I think it only logical Kevin Wright should be solicited to fill our interim mayor’s role. He is definitely my first choice. – S. Ann Robinson, Leesburg
Editor: Your Jan. 14 editorial, “The Next Step,” is spot on. I couldn’t agree more ... every word. And since the Leesburg Town Council is apparently without a true leader that a majority respect, I am going to request and recommend that they contact Kevin Wright to apply for and accept the interim mayor’s position. As a resident of Leesburg for more than 25 years, I have been observant and closely involved in local town issues and budgetary hearings. To my knowledge, Kevin Wright never indulged in partisan maneuvering or backroom scheming for personal ambition or block voting. He had the respect of his colleagues on the Town Council and on the Planning Commission (and others), as well. Steeped in a long history of being rooted in serving the community of Leesburg, he brought his considerable intellect and knowledge to thoughtfully bear on all issues. Moreover, although not a member of the Democratic Party, he was highly praised and promoted by David Butler in 2010, such that the local LCDC endorsed
Non-negotiable Editor: Your recent article “Local lawmakers at odds over guns” reveals the utter contempt some elected public servants hold for the civil liberties of Virginians. Senator Barbara Favola, along with Delegates Jennifer Boysko and Kathleen Murphy, all Democrats, have signed on as co-patrons to a measure subjecting Virginians who make the personal choice to obtain the court-issued concealed firearm permit, to be checked against the so-called “federal terrorist screening database” and thus denied or approved
Changes that save money or add instructional capacity where it would otherwise be missing are more likely to drive change. This is why I think urban and rural school districts that currently struggle to retain teachers or to adequately fund schools will end up leading K-12 education in the direction of a greater reliance on technology. So, what is the future of technology in the classroom? In the next 10 years, I do not think schools will look or function very differently. I think every student in America will work 1-to-1 on a device with broadband access, but students will still get on a bus to go to a school and sit in a classroom with a teacher and peers. Looking further ahead, however, I think existential change is coming, unless we improve the classroom experience in a cost-effective way. Online classes will proliferate and provide the majority of instructional experiences, particularly in urban and rural schools, because technology will be able to produce student learning outcomes that equal or exceed those possible in many traditional large, lecture-based classes—for less money. And, once it is shown that a significant number of classes can be delivered cheaply and remotely on a device, the case for physical classrooms and schools will begin to erode. This is already happening in higher education. I think we either make classrooms better or hope technology doesn’t make things worse. Deep Sran, founder of Loudoun School for the Gifted in Ashburn, has been on a mission to improve formal education for two decades. Contact him at dsran@ idealschools.org. accordingly. This database includes the “no fly list” along with an unknown number of other “watch list” databases. No one knows with any precision exactly who is, or isn’t, or why someone makes it onto these government suspicion lists. There is no standard for inclusion on the database. You need never have been charged, committed, or convicted of any crime to be included. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that even a simple Facebook post can land you on one of these databases. Senator Favola claims “99 percent of the people on the list are really dangerous.” Senator Favola is being dishonest, or is completely ignorant of the facts. According the ACLU, the government admits that an astonishing 40 percent of the people on the “master watch list” have “no recognized terrorist group affiliation.” And it only gets better. Since there is almost no reasonable way to address inclusion on any of these LETTERS continues on page 30
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government suspicion lists, an individual’s constitutionally protected right to due process is effectively null and void. The oppression of your civil rights is exactly what these Democrat legislators are working so hard for. The Fifth Amendment of U.S. Constitution reads in part: ”…nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Similarly, the Virginia Constitution states that no person shall be deprived of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Any legislator with basic reading comprehension is able to grasp these simple civil rights. When they work against these protections, their fitness for office is questionable. There is no ambiguity nor missing context. No 18th century niceties; just clear and concise words of simple meaning. Senator Favola, and Delegates Boysko and Murphy support stripping Virginians of their civil right to due process under the law. Don’t buy the story this only applies to firearms. Once this most basic, critical, civil right is a peeled away, then all of us can be persecuted for any reason the government deems. Particularly hard hit will be Virginians of middle-eastern decent. Media reports indicate 95% of these databases are made up of foreigners, and mistakes in spelling or like names is often the cause of people being placed unjustly on a government suspicion list. Both Republican and Democrat administrations are responsible for the creation and growth of these suspicion lists. Only the naive believe there is no purpose in keeping track of known terrorist and their associates. However, the civil rights of Virginians must be preserved and strengthened above all. If we descend to into an Orwellian police state environment, (many argue we’re already there) then the terrorists have already defeated us. Senator Favola, and Delegates Boysko and Murphy, should immediately withdraw their names from this effort to strip Virginians of the constitutionally protected right to due process. The civil rights of Virginians are non-negotiable. – Chris Manthos, Leesburg
Life-Saver Editor: I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the gentlemen who immediately responded to my urgent call for medical assistance last Thursday at the Wegmans in Leesburg. While I was sitting in my parked vehicle noshing on a croissant that I had just purchased, I suddenly began choking on a piece of food that had become stuck in my throat and instantly left my vehicle and frantically approached a gentleman who was walking toward his car. Recognizing my dilemma, which I signaled to him by pointing to my throat and at-
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In Our Backyard:
The Civil War Comes Home to Roost through Maryland on the northwestern defenses of Washington, Early’s force had reSome of Loudoun County’s Civil War landtired across the Potomac at White’s Ford on scape is intact. Still standing are microcosms of July 14. Resting at Big Spring just north of that world of the 1860s, telling us quietly what Leesburg until dawn of the 16th, they now transpired. were moving toward the Shenandoah Valley, Purcellville, today a burgeoning western and, they hoped, to relative safety. But two Loudoun town of 8,000, was but a flyspeck vilUnion corps crossed the Potomac early that lage along the Leesburg-Snickers Gap Turnpike, Saturday morning, shelling Early as he deold Rt. 7, at the outbreak of civil war. With its parted Leesburg, and now followed. A Union turnpike location, though tiny it was functional, force was also sent from Harpers Ferry. Unhousing Purcell’s Store and post office, a “wagsure of the ultimate destination of Early’s on stand” (wagoners’ road house), a hotel, livery force—back to Richmond and Petersburg? stable and blacksmith and wheelwright shops. West to the Shenandoah Valley?—General Stagecoach service connected Purcellville to the Loudoun Now Crook sent out a reconnaissance-in-force new Alexandria & Loudoun Railroad terminus A Civil War Trails marker at from Hillsboro. The First Brigade of General A. N. Duffie’s Calvary Division, about 300 at Leesburg and over the Blue Ridge to Win- the corner of Main Street and Hatcher Avenue in men under Colonel William B. Tibbetts of chester. With the firing on Fort Sumter by forces of Purcellville details the the 21st New York Cavalry, reached Heaton’s July 16, 1864 battle on the new Confederacy in April 1861, President Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Crossroads east of Purcellville at mid-afterLincoln demanded troops from all states put Early’s army following an noon. They found Early’s wagon train passdown the rebellion. In ostensible compliance, attack on Washington. ing by. the governor of an unwilling Virginia called out Dividing his force into several detachthe militia. ments and using two artillery pieces, Tibbetts attacked furiPurcellville, Hamilton, and Hillsboro boys were the first ously all along the wagon train. The main attack came up the in Loudoun to respond to the likely war emergency; they Berlin Grade Road (today’s Hatcher Avenue) to the pike and marched with the Hillsboro Border Guards on April 19 to captured some 200 wagons and 150 prisoners. Hearing this the Loudoun County Fair Grounds west of the new Union firefight, dusty Confederate infantry under Generals Robert Cemetery at Leesburg to establish Camp George Mason and E. Rodes and Stephen Ramseur marched on the double-quick prepare. to the rear and counterattacked. After intense fighting, the On May 23, Virginians voted on this hugely important is- Confederates reclaimed 118 of their wagons and all but 54 sue. At Purcell’s Store—still standing at Hatcher and Main to- prisoners. They destroyed one of the two federal cannon enday—the precinct vote tallied 82-31 for secession. Blacksmith gaged. Still, along with Confederate prisoners, horses, and Asa Janney, whose house still stands three doors east of the mules, the Union force escorted to Harpers Ferry 37 wagons Purcellville Library, and his old friend, storekeeper Rodney filled with booty taken by the Confederates in Maryland. They Purcell, compared notes on the election; both voted for se- torched 43 Confederate supply wagons before departing. cession. Asa’s son Joe had already signed up; so had young Today, as we come to the intersection of Hatcher and East Franklin Purcell. Both donned the gray, joining Company A, Main Streets in Purcellville, it could be easy to forget the his8th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, the Hillsboro Border Guards. tory witnessed by the buildings still there. Passing on the stoMinutes after the statewide vote was announced—6 to 1 for ries of Loudoun’s past to our youth, to our newest residents, secession—federal troops invaded Virginia. Joe and Frank and to our government officials, is crucial to show them why marched off to war with the other local boys. Joe would lose aging structures must be preserved. We must encourage his left leg in the first great fight of the war at First Manassas, stewardship for the historical landscape among our citizens. July 21st. Franklin Purcell would come home very ill that DeRecently, the Mosby Heritage Area Association, working cember. Decisions matter. with the Loudoun Civil War Sesquicentennial Steering ComBy 1862, Purcellville saw federal troops a number of times. mittee, the Town of Purcellville, and Visit Loudoun erected a Six weeks after Antietam, General George B. McClellan’s staff Virginia Civil War Trails sign at this crossroads, making sure commandeered Rodney Purcell’s home next to the store as the story will not be lost. Please go by to see it. headquarters. More came through in July 1863 after Gettysburg. Richard T. Gillespie is the executive director of the Mosby But in July, 1864, the war came home to roost in tiny Pur- Heritage Area Association. In Our Backyard is compiled by the cellville. On Saturday July 16, General Jubal Early’s ConfedLoudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition. erate army began to pass through the village, heading west To learn more about the organization or to participate in the on the turnpike to Snickers Gap. After a daring attack down rural road initiative, to go loudouncoalition.org.
BY RICHARD T. GILLESPIE
tempting to utter the word “Heimlich,” he immediately responded by properly administering this life-saving maneuver; with two abdominal thrusts the food particle became dislodged from my throat. In addition to my being most grateful to the gentleman who came to my rescue, I wish to urge everyone to learn this important life-saving technique. Free online instructional classes, as well as classroom training courses are offered (for a small fee) by the American Red Cross and other local organizations. – John Mileo, Lansdowne
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NIGHTTIME ECONOMY leave. He now lives in Washington, DC. “I was getting up and leaving before my kids woke up, and getting home after they went to bed, and it just wasn’t something that was suitable for my family,” Pearson said. “When I first got my license, that was like I got freedom. And now the car has become a ball and chain around my leg, and it’s a time suck.” The new generation’s emphasis has shifted, Pearson said. They chafe at time wasted sitting in traffic. Where before employees sought work-life balance— keeping the two separate—now they seek work-life integration. “All that adds time back into my life, and there’s that integration factor where I’ve got things that are overlapping, where I’m gaining time,” Pearson said. But it’s not too late to bring him back. “That being said: I think Loudoun is a great place to live,” he continued. “That’s why I’m still heavily invested out here, and still heavily involved. To the extent that we could find that live-work-play environment, we would certainly consider it.” NEAC members are conscious of how the urban walkable environment would fit into Loudoun. “It’s not always the answer, but I do think that there is a case to be made for how density can actually relieve some of the issues that Loudoun has, taking the pressure off the rural economy,” Pearson said. These high-density environments also come with efficiencies in utilities and transportation, making the infrastructure investment dollar go further. And building high-density areas in eastern Loudoun could protect western Loudoun from suburban sprawl. “Growth’s going to happen, and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it, and it should happen,” Pearson said. “There’s really two ways you can accommodate growth, and that is: sprawl… and vertical growth.” In other words, encourage strategically chosen spots to grow densely populated, instead of building more acres of suburban homes. The new Metro stations figure well into this concept. The Loudoun Gateway Station, at the northern end of Dulles Airport, and the Ashburn Station, near the Dulles Greenway’s Rt. 772 interchange, are slated to open in 2020. The Loudoun Station development, just west of the Ashburn Station site, is
We believe that everyone in our community over the age of 55 years old should have their hearing screened annually as part of their personal wellness program. More than 36 million people in the U.S. have some hearing loss.1
You can also lend your voice through a survey at surveymonkey.com/r/ 247Loudoun. an early implementation of the higher density, mixed-use idea, with shopping, dining, entertainment, and living all in one place. “We’re going to look back on this in 10, 15, 20 years and say, this was just a postage stamp size compared to the overall development,” Howard said. Howard and Pearson hope to have NEAC’s recommendations in place in time to guide major development along the Metro corridor and elsewhere as the regional economy continues to recover from the 2008 recession. “I think that markets going to dictate when things actually happen, but the next couple of years, from a policy perspective … are just as critical as the actual decision to bring Metro to Loudoun,” Pearson said. NEAC is now ready to go to the public. The background reading and consulting is done. The subcommittees have met. It will present its draft recommendations for public input at a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Loudoun Station. The public will meet at BLVD at 43805 Central Station Drive in Ashburn. Members will take the input back to committee, factor it into their recommendations, and then those recommendations will make their way up the chain: through EDAC, to the finance committee, and to the Board of Supervisors. Howard said it will provide “best practice understanding,” perspective, guidance, and a picture of “how it can all fit together.” “I think it takes a lot of foresight, it takes a big investment, and a lot of belief,” Pearson said. “I think the demand’s there. The question is: How do you get to critical mass?”
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www.leesburgfamilyhearing.com 1. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, www.nidcd.nih.gov.
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DOWN 2) LIMESTONE [BRANCH] 3) JEFFRIES [BRANCH] 4) TOWN BRANCH 6) SUGARLAND [RUN] 7) BEAVERDAM [RUN] 8) POTOMAC [RIVER] 19) CATOCTIN [CREEK] 20) BUTCHERS [BRANCH]
See this week’s Crossword puzzle on page 27
The Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee will take public input on its recommendations to boost Loudoun’s night life at a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at BLVD in Loudoun Station. The address is 43805 Central Station Drive in Ashburn.
ACROSS 1) CROMWELL’S RUN 5) SIMPSON [CREEK] 8) PINEY RUN 10) BULL RUN 11) GGOOSE [CREEK] 12) DUTCHMANS [CREEK] 16) CUB RUN 17) LITTLE RIVER 18) BROAD RUN
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January 21, 2016
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