Loudoun Now for Feb. 2, 2017 by Loudoun Now

LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 2, No. 13 ]

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Travel ban prompts airport protests

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017 ]

With Metro in Sight, Loudoun Rethinks School Construction BY DANIELLE NADLER

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Real estate agent Sean Dunn stands in front of the old Weona Villa Motel in Round Hill. It has been closed since 2007 but now, under new ownership, could be a sought-after destination once again.

Sale Expected to Bring New Life to Iconic Motel BY JOHN MCNEILLY

hen word got out three weeks ago that the long-vacant, eight-room Weona Villa Motel near Round Hill was for sale, social media exploded with curiosity. Sean Dunn, the owner and lead broker of Purcellville’s Fieldstone Real Estate, who’s managing the motel’s sale, had posted about the Weona on his business’s Facebook page on Jan. 13 to get in front of the official listing announcement the following week. Within three days, he had received several solid offers from potential buyers. And after six days, the property was officially under contract. “The response was truly overwhelming,” Dunn said. His office received hundreds of calls and

emails inquiring about the 63-year-old motel, and his Facebook post was shared 88 times. “It clearly shows how special the property is, and how important the Weona Villa remains to western Loudoun,” he said. Few seemed to know the entire story behind the empty though well-maintained Weona Villa Motel, located on Rt. 7 Business just east of Round Hill. Several folks speculated online about the motel’s mysteriously long vacancy. Some said they heard it was haunted—that a person had been murdered there and a ghost aimlessly roamed the property— but the property’s heirs say that isn’t true. One person wrote that the motel rooms, decked out in ’50s vintage chic, chillingly remained exactly as they were since the day the place closed nearly a decade ago (which, as it turns out, is true). But according to a family heir of the property, the full story behind the historic

property is anything but scary or macabre. Jack Harper, a highly regarded, recently retired Boston TV reporter and the coheir of the motel has fond memories of the property that his aunt and uncle, Dorothy and Bob Harper, built and opened in 1954. The couple ran the motel until it was unceremoniously closed in 2007, following Bob’s death. Jack Harper remembers hearing that his father wasn’t an early believer in the motel. When Bob shared with his older brother his idea to close his nearby gas station to instead build and run a motel in off-thebeaten-path Round Hill, Jack’s dad said it “was crazy and would never work.” Not only did it work, it flourished. From the time Bob Harper had his seven-acre, six-room motel (two larger rooms were added in the 1980s) and private MOTEL SALE >> 12

If there’s one thing Loudoun County knows how to do well, it’s school construction. The school system has built and opened 21 school buildings in the past decade. In 2010, the construction team adopted ready-made prototypes for elementary, middle and high school designs to bring down costs and speed up construction, as it worked to keep pace with unprecedented enrollment growth. But now, the coming Metro stations brings a push toward urban community designs and school system leaders might have to rethink what a typical Loudoun County school looks like. As county supervisors plan for what type of homes, retail, office space, and, yes, schools will surround the future Metro stations, they are asking members of the Loudoun County School Board and the schools’ construction department to get ready to think creatively. “For many reasons modern, town center-style school sites are definitely something we have to consider,” said Supervisor Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run), who represents the part of the county that will include the Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn stations and land near Innovation Center station. School leaders have described the potential new model as “Metro schools.” The county staff has called them “urban-style schools.” Whatever the term, the idea is for elementary, middle or high school to have several stories and less open space, plus modified designs to allow for some parking and fields. Schools like this will definitely be needed as Metro’s extension into Loudoun County comes online in 2020, according to a report from consultant MTFA Architecture. Two major developments, Waterside and The Hub, already have been approved near SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION >> 34

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BY RENSS GREENE

Ali Kaligh/Loudoun Now

Telos Corporation CEO John Wood says that shrinking the federal workforce could actually be good news for Loudoun County’s technology companies.

Commission questions airport-area housing limits

Sewing studio responds to political blacklist threat

HIRING FREEZE >> 35

19-year-old charged for Ashburn burglaries

Bus drivers, riders: Your pleas have been heard

This chef thinks big

Ali Khaligh/Loudoun Now

Gilda Assai receives a welcomed hug from her friend Hani Bakhshai at Dulles Airport on Saturday. Assai, a permanent U.S. resident with a green card, had traveled to Iran to visit family and was held for five hours of questioning at Dulles by U.S. Customs and Border Protection following President Trump’s executive order.

Travel Ban Hits Home

INDEX Loudoun Gov..................... 4 Leesburg........................... 8 Public Safety................... 12 Education........................ 14 Our Towns....................... 16 Biz.................................. 20 LoCo Living..................... 24 Obituaries....................... 28 Classifieds...................... 29 Opinion........................... 32

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families seeking refuge from persecution,” the governor said in his statement. “This executive order is antithetical to the values that make America great, and it will make our country less safe.” The president said the decision was meant to protect the United States from potential terrorist attacks. McAuliffe told reporters at the airport that he supported strong vetting to prevent likely terrorists from entering the United States, but said Trump’s order goes too far and warned that the policy could breed hatred toward America.

In the hours after President Donald J. Trump imposed a temporary immigration ban on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, politicians and protesters with national news crews in tow converged at Dulles Airport to object to the action. Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Mark Herring went to the airport Saturday afternoon to join the criticism of the action. “I am outraged and disappointed by the actions President Trump has taken to ban travelers from certain Muslim nations and to close our country to

Herring called the executive order “un-American and unlawful.” “This ill-conceived and poorly-implemented order is leaving families, professors and students at our colleges and universities, workers in healthcare and high-tech industries, and even lawful permanent residents in limbo,” he said. On Tuesday, Herring filed documents for Virginia to join as an intervenor in a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of the executive order. Protests at the airport continued through the week. Critics of the policy lined up in the international arrivals section to form a welcoming committee of sorts, cheering on travelers who cleared customs and immigration review.

ernment money in the long-run because of staffing problems, or problems in recruiting or disruption of key government operations and required services to the American people,” Comstock said, although she declined to be interviewed for this story. Loudoun has for years had close ties to federal spending. The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development’s list of the 11 county em-

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

n Jan. 23, his first full day in office, President Donald J. Trump signed a memorandum directing a 90-day hiring freeze on federal civilian employees, and Loudoun leaders are waiting for the economic impact to be felt. The three-month halt on hiring is to be followed by a plan to reduce the federal workforce through attrition. The presidential memorandum exempts military personnel and allows the heads of departments to exempt any positions deemed “necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities.” The memorandum is also broadly-worded enough that executive branch department managers have been working to interpret the policy, but it drew immediate criticism from both sides of the political aisle in Congress. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10) said in a statement released the same day that she does not support “acrossthe-board” freezes. “As the General Accounting Office has previously reported, past hiring freezes in both Republican and Democrat administrations have cost the federal gov-

ployers with more than 1,000 employees, excluding the county government and schools, includes three major federal contractors, the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security. A report by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission published in 2015 found that non-defense federal spending in fiscal year 2014 in Loudoun amounted to almost a billion dollars. Overall, Virginia ranks seventh in the country in terms of federal contracts. Three out of every four federal dollars spent in the commonwealth—a statewide total of $295 billion during the study period— went to Northern Virginia businesses. Business leaders are still grappling with the implications of Trump’s memorandum. Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer said “it’s too soon to tell” what the effects on Loudoun will be. “I think none of us know exactly what the extent of these executive orders are going to do and how they’re going to be rolled out,” Rizer said. “I think that it is definitely worth monitoring, and we’re talking to a lot of our companies as well.” Rizer and others see parallels to

INSIDE

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Federal Hiring Freeze: Mixed News for Loudoun Business

[ LOUDOUN GOV ]

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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Planning commissioners Eugene Scheel (Catoctin) and Tom Priscilla (Blue Ridge).

Planning Commissioners Challenge Dulles Noise Zone BY RENSS GREENE

oudoun planning commissioners and speakers at the panel’s public hearing on the county’s Silver Line plans last week again raised the possibility of taking a second look at the noise protections prohibiting homes around Dulles Airport. Supervisors voted in November to reaffirm the county’s longstanding policy discouraging homes in the high-noise zones near Dulles Airport. In that vote, the full board reversed a recommendation by its Transportation and Land Use Committee that would have allowed some mixed-use development near the Loudoun Gateway station, just north of Dulles Airport and under the flightpath of its north-south runways. Now, the 1993 noise level contours used by county planners to dictate the limits of residential development have again come under attack.

“Loudoun Gateway station could be your real game-changer,” said Patricia Nicoson, longtime planner and former president of the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, one of the organizations that pushed for Metro to come into Loudoun County. “There’s 300 acres of pretty much empty land, and it’s right near the Broad Run floodplain, a potentially great park.” Nicoson said those 300 acres could be a “wow factor” for the county, and that the county’s easternmost Metro station is the “most valuable player in terms of revenue generation for the county in the future.” The 1993 study, she said, is out of date, repeating a common argument in favor of a more recent 2005 study of a different type. Other speakers representing business interests, including DuPont Fabros, West Dulles Properties, and NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, also spoke in favor of allowing homes near the airport. DuPont Fabros and West Dulles Properties both own large

County IT Looks to the Cloud BY RENSS GREENE Technical problems that brought down computer systems countywide two weeks ago gave new urgency to the county government’s plans to move to the cloud. Power supply problems at one of the county’s aging in-house data centers brought down many of the county’s systems and persisted for two days. County Administrator Tim Hemstreet told supervisors at a meeting during the outages that the IT staff had been working around

the clock to get everything running again, and that the outages may have accelerated ongoing plans to move many county systems to the cloud. “What we had originally anticipated was that we would slowly begin moving aspects into the cloud where it made sense,” said Department of Information Technology Director Wendy Wickens. “The reality is that it may make more sense to move quickly.” The county is contracting with technology research firm Gartner Inc. to develop and plan out the costs

tracts in the Silver Line planning area near the airport. Ross Stevens, of Kimley-Horn Associates, spoke representing NAIOP, encouraging mixed-use development near Loudoun Gateway station and “flexibility” in implementing the county’s Silver Line plans. Kimley-Horn is also on the consultant team that is working on the county’s comprehensive plan revision, which is running in parallel to its Silver Line comprehensive plan amendment. Cooley LLP attorney Amanda Williams, speaking for DuPont Fabros, said the county has a relatively small amount of land to work with in the metro tax district, including her client’s 115 acres. She argued the company should be allowed to build mixed-use developments on its property. Without that, she said, those 115 acres will continue to lie vacant. Others, however, defended the longstanding county policy. “We understand maximizing the economic potential of all metro rail inof a cloud strategy. Wickens said that report is expected by the first week of March. Some county applications are already cloud-based—including the library system and the real estate appraisal system. Wickens said moving to the cloud gives the county cost savings, the ability to grow and shrink systems as needed, and resiliency. “What I think we’re looking for is really leveraging the cloud to ensure that we have full disaster recovery,” Wickens said. “So in the event of some kind of significant or catastrophic event, we can continue to operate, because our systems are backed up in multiple data centers.”

vestments,” said Brian Fauls, Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce government affairs manager. “However, [doing so] in a way that does not detract from Loudoun’s existing economic assets, such as Dulles Airport, is essential.” Commissioners Ad Barnes (Leesburg) and Eugene Scheel (Catoctin) argued that the noise study must be updated. “I have grave concerns for what we’re seeing for the development patterns around Loudoun Gateway,” agreed Commissioner Cliff Keirce (Broad Run). “It looks like a flex-industrial park-and-ride lot.” Chairman Jeff Salmon (Dulles) said there is “no appetite” to stop the county’s Silver Line planning while a new noise study is conducted. “Otherwise, we’re sitting here for 18 months, which seems like an awful long time when the Metro will be here by that time,” Salmon said. Instead, he DULLES NOISE >> 7 Wickens said it the transition also marks a shift in the role of IT departments away from being “Mr. Fix-it.” “There’s this concept of IT as provider, where we are a provider of services, versus IT as a broker of services,” Wickens said. In the second case, IT staff members use their knowledge to manage vendors of programs and services. “In a lot of ways, we’re very lean as a county in how we manage things,” Wickens said. “Leveraging the cloud is actually a really good opportunity for us to continue to be lean and also grow.” rgreene@loudounnow.com

ECHO ‘Stretched to the Breaking Point’ BY RENSS GREENE

system and programs to help those who can’t help themselves, it would be very tough,” Chapman said. “I encourage you to at least look very hard into the budget and see in your hearts to make sure we can help those programs like ECHO, and that we can move forward and continue helping those that need it the most.” ECHO Senior Director of Operations Zanelle Nichols said programs like those offered by the nonprofit are often overlooked. “It is easy to see why we need to fund mental health programs when we have individuals walking into classrooms and shooting their classmates,” Nichols said. “It’s easy to see why you need to fund substance abuse programs when you have an opioid epidemic. And it’s very easy to see why developmental services are often overlooked, because we don’t make the headlines.”

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017 LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

Staff members and supporters of Every Citizen Has Opportunities, the nonprofit organization that helps place people with disabilities in jobs at area businesses, asked county supervisors last week not to forget the organization during this year’s fiscal year 2018 budget deliberations. “This year, we’re stretched to the breaking point,” said ECHO CEO Paul Donahue Jr. The last time ECHO had an increase in funding support from the county government, was fiscal year 2008, he said, and this year the agency already has a waiting list of 28 people. John Chapman of Round Hill said his adult daughter, Brianne, delivers mail at Inova Loudoun Hospital, a job she found through ECHO. “As a mother and father you can only do so much, and without having the community, the hospitals and school

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[ GOV BRIEFS ] CTB Proposes $81M for Loudoun Projects The Commonwealth Transportation Board has released its Smart Scale ratings for transportation projects around the state in fiscal year 2018, including a recommendation to send $81 million to seven Loudoun projects. Loudoun’s seven projects are more than any other Northern Virginia locality, and behind only Fairfax and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission in dollar amount. The Loudoun projects include intersection improvements at Waxpool Road and Loudoun County Parkway; a park and ride lot; construction of Arcola Boulevard between Rt. 50 and Rt. 606; acquisition of transit buses; funding for the Rt. 7/Rt. 690 interchange and improvements to the Rt. 7/Rt. 287 interchange; and construction of Westwind Drive between Loudoun County Parkway and Rt. 606. All told, those projects are expected to cost $166 million. Fairfax stands to attract $104 million for two projects, and the NVTC could get $93 million for capacity expansions along Virginia Railway Express line to Fredericksburg. Smart Scale, originally established in 2015 as House Bill 2, is intended to provide an objective, nonpolitical way of deciding which transportation projects to fund with state money. The CTB will

now take public comment on its draft 2018 funding scenario before adopting a final funding program in June.

Information Meeting Set on Court Complex Garage Plans The county government will host an informational meeting about the construction of the Pennington parking structure as part of the courts complex expansion project on Feb. 16 in the Board of Supervisors meeting room at the County Government Center, 1 Harrison St. in Leesburg. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Representatives of the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure, the architecture and engineering firm Dewberry Architects, Inc. and the construction firm Howard Shockey and Sons, Inc. will present information about the construction of the four-tiered parking garage on the existing Pennington parking lot property, northeast of the North Street and Church Street intersection. Following the meeting, the information presented will be posted online at the Loudoun County website at loudoun.gov/courts-expansion.

Clerk of Court Plans Black History Month Open House Loudoun County Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary M. Clemens will host a

Historic Records Division open house in honor of Black History Month. Many of the documents and minute books featured will be on display for the first time. The exhibition, “From Slavery to Desegregation: Exhibition of African American Documents from the Historic Court and Board of Supervisors Records,” will display documents related to the history of African Americans in Loudoun from the time of slavery to the desegregation of Loudoun’s public schools. This exhibition will include historic court documents and minute books of the Board of Supervisors. The Clerk’s Historic Records Division has also added the complete index of the Record of Free Negroes 1844-1861 to the Loudoun County website. The index provides information about free blacks in Loudoun, including names, ages, freedom certificate numbers, physical characteristics, who they were emancipated by, and more. The indexing and checking all entries for accuracy took more than six months. One of the certificates referred to in the record—that of Joseph Trammell— has received national attention. The metal box in which Trammell carried his freedom papers is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The certificate, which was entered by the court on May 10, 1852, will be

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on exhibit during the Feb. 11 event. More information about the Clerk’s Historic Records Division can be found at loudoun.gov/clerk/archives. The open house will be held from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Loudoun County Courthouse, 18 E. Market St. in Leesburg. See more at loudoun.gov/ blackhistory.

Loudoun Libraries Schedule Black History Month Events In celebration of Black History Month, the Loudoun County Public Library system plans several events to commemorate African-American achievement and the Civil Rights movement. These events will include: Meet Dr. King: Bright Star Theatre, a professional touring group, celebrates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by promoting peace, leadership and conflict resolution. Black History Heroes, Soldiers and Spies: Bright Star Theatre will perform a lively, interactive show illustrating how the Buffalo Soldiers explored and settled the American West, how the Tuskegee Airmen took flight to help win World War II, and how spy Mary Elizabeth Bowser worked for the Union during the Civil War. The Greatest Sports Heroes from A to Z: Bright Star Theatre’s tribute to black athletes, including Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Jackie Robinson. Learn fun facts and important lessons about perseverance, health, wellness and integrity. African-American Troops in the Civil War: Author and historian Bob O’Connor will share his research on the soldiers of the United States Colored Troops that fought for the Union army and navy during the American Civil War. O’Connor will also recognize soldiers from Loudoun County. Book sale and signing to follow. Black History Hall of Fame: Bright Star Theatre salutes groundbreakers who have contributed to our nation›s past, present, and future, including Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, Buffalo Soldiers, and Mae Jemison. North Star: Bright Star Theatre’s upclose and personal glimpse into the courageous life of Harriet Tubman; from her earliest days on a Maryland plantation to her work as conductor and spy, and her own journey to freedom. For details, go to library.loudoun. gov/events.

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Dulles Airport representatives and some supervisors have battled back attempts to allow residential construction near the airport many times before. “I don’t think it’s well understood what the nature of that 1993 study is, versus the environmental impact statements that have been done more recently,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) during supervisors’ recent debate. His district includes the airport and Loudoun Gateway station. “The 1993 study was at full buildout of the airport, which includes another runway and 40 to 50 million passengers a year, of which we’re at 50 percent of that capacity right now. I guess the question to them is, do they really think that the full buildout potential of Dulles Airport has changed from 1993 until now, and if so, what has changed?” He also argued that the county may already have enough mixed-use development planned, and that it could begin competing against itself and spread the market for that high-value development too thin. Airport officials have also argued in

UN DER CO NT RA CT

Out of Date?

UN DER CO NT RA CT

suggested the commission may recommend a new noise study be conducted alongside the county’s work.

CO MI NG SO ON !

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the past that Dulles should learn the lessons from its sister airport, Reagan National Airport. “I think it’s ironic that our sister airport 25 miles down the road is living the consequences of people living under flight patterns today, seeking accommodations and relief, and I don’t think that this region wants to put ourselves in that position,” said outgoing Dulles Airport Manager Chris Browne during supervisors’ debate. He said Dulles is the product of “real visionary planning and investment made 50 years ago,” with room to grow. But the threat of restrictions on flights in and out of the airport could threaten that, along with the airport’s ability to market itself as allowing unrestricted, 24-hour operations. And even supervisors who voted to allow residential closer to the airport— such as Transportation and Land Use Committee Chairwoman Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian)—say it’s too late for a new noise study. “If we were, as a county, to want to initiate another study, it would cost at least $1 million, and it would take two years,” Volpe said. “Do we want to hold up this entire process of the Silver Line Comprehensive Plan Amendment, that we’ve been working on for several years now, to wait for a study?” The Planning Commission on Tuesday deferred a recommendation on the Silver Line until after another work session.

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A Pipe Dream Come True

Eric Brown tours the skate park construction site in Leesburg on Monday, a week after the Town Council voted to rename the facility in his honor. As a teenager, Brown led the community charge to establish the original skate park, rallying fundraising and political support. That was more than 20 years ago. Today, the town is building a new modern facility, which will open later this year as the Eric Brown Skate Plaza. Brown said the project was “validation” of his lifelong desire to make a positive impact in his community. “This inspires me to accomplish more,” he said.

Blacklist Threat Spells Big Weekend for Leesburg Business BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

hat appears to have been an attempt at political intimidation gave way to a big weekend for a downtown Leesburg business. Last Thursday, Nicole Morgenthau, owner of Finch Knitting + Sewing Studio at the corner of Loudoun and Wirt streets, received an unusual email. The email, with the subject line “Are you an anti-election establishment?,” stated that a list was being compiled of Leesburg businesses “that are openly hostile to customers who voted for Donald Trump.” It asked the business owner to refute “tips” that had allegedly been received that she had published several Facebook posts that were hostile toward the election of the new president. If she declined to comment, the email continued, “we will assume these comments are legitimate and publish your information in an upcoming guide.” Morgenthau said she was “shocked” when she read the email. “It’s not something that makes any kind of sense based on what we do at Finch,” she said. Morgenthau added that her personal Facebook page is also free of tirades against the president or his election. The email was signed by Michelle Madigan and did not identify a specific organization. When Morgenthau

Loudoun Now/File Photo

Finch Knitting + Sewing Studio in downtown Leesburg saw an influx of new customers over the weekend, some from out of state.

responded to the email asking what social media posts they were referring to, she received a response that said they were given tips from people on a listserv who said there had been “multiple tirades against the president” posted on social media by the business. That email said they had not personally seen the posts, but would “ask for screenshots.” That email was signed by Kelly Shaw, Morgenthau said. Morgenthau added that one of the emails she received included a link to a story about a Tennessee knitting shop where the business owner refused to sell pink yarn to those participating in the recent Women’s March.

As to who may have sent the emails, or what the impetus for them was, Morgenthau said she has no idea. “I have no known enemies,” she joked. In response to an email from Loudoun Now to the address used to send the message to Morgenthau, Shaw directed this reporter to a December 2014 article on Samuel-Warde.com entitled “The 10 Right-Wing Companies That Every Progressive Should Boycott.” Morgenthau shared the email she received with followers of Finch’s Facebook page, and also posted her response to the sender. “Hello Michelle, We are not and

never have been hostile toward any human being who wishes to step foot in the front door of Finch. As a matter of fact, the very groundwork of Finch has always been to be a place of inclusiveness. We acknowledge and embrace that we have customers who come from a wide variety of political, racial, and religious backgrounds. Just as this diversity of beliefs occurs in many of our own families, the Finch family is a safe haven, a neutral space where any and all beliefs are sacred and anybody should feel welcome. All belong here.” The community responded in a big way to Morgenthau’s message of inclusiveness. On Monday, the Finch owner said the knitting and sewing studio had more than 200 on Saturday and Sunday, and the vast majority of them were new customers. Sixty-seven percent of Finch’s sales on Saturday came from new customers, and 83 percent on Sunday. “The community has really rallied and been very supportive. They’ve really responded in a dynamic way to the positive message of inclusiveness. That was repeated to me over and over and over again,” Morgenthau said. And for those who may not have been aware of all the goings-on related to the initial email, a sandwich board sign outside of the studio offered a welcoming note. “You belong here.” krodriguez@loudounnow.com

[ LEESBURG BRIEFS ] civil celebrant in Virginia. In addition, she and her husband, Bill, own and operate Weddings on Wirt Street, a wedding venue in downtown Leesburg. Fox and her family have been Leesburg residents since 2003. The motion to appoint Fox to the vice mayor’s post passed on a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Kelly Burk, and council members Tom Dunn and Marty Martinez dissenting. Dunn, nominated by Councilman Ken Reid, and Martinez, nominated by Burk, were also nominated to the vice mayor post. The motion to appoint Dunn failed on a 2-5 vote, with the support of Dunn and Reid. Since the motion to appoint Fox was taken up before Martinez’s nomination, there was no formal vote on his appointment.

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Leesburg Town Councilwoman Suzanne Fox has a new title—vice mayor. Fox received a majority of support to be appointed to the post Jan. 24. She was nominated Fox by Councilman Ron Campbell, who said he believed Fox had the knowledge and people skills to do well at the position. “I believe [she] has the political know-how, has a desire to build these bridges and use political capital not in her own self-interest but in the interest of the town and the betterment of it,” Campbell said. He also said he believed Fox will be “willing to form coalitions and partnerships” and will not be influenced by politics. Fox said she felt “humbled” by the nomination, as well as Campbell’s words. “I do feel it was important for the town to see good, strong bipartisan leadership in this town,” she said. “I think it will send a great message.” Fox has served on the council since 2015. Professionally, Fox is the owner of Legacy Weddings, a wedding planning/coordinating business, and is a

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Fox Elected Vice Mayor

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approvals pave the way for the construction of two automobile dealerships on the north and south sides of Russell Branch Parkway. Each dealership would be a maximum of 33,502 square feet, and both will contain indoor sales areas, outdoor vehicle display, and service areas. According to the staff report, the dealership on the north side will be located between Lowe’s on the east and the Cobb movie theater parking lot on the west, with East Market Street to the north. The dealership on the south side will be between the town’s Public Works/Utilities facilities to the west, and an open space area in a townhouse section of the Village at Leesburg development. Along the south edge of the Brown’s property, the developer plans to build a portion of the Tuscarora Creek pedestrian/bike trail. The Town Council had previously approved a Town Plan amendment to change the land use designation of the property from Regional Office to Community Office/Light Industrial and remove plans for a Keystone Drive connection from the town’s Road Network Policy Map. The votes on the rezoning and special exception applications were unanimous. An amendment proposed by Councilman Ken Reid prohibits the applicant from installing outdoor intercoms at either of the dealerships.

State of The Town Presentation Planned Mayor Kelly Burk will continue the tradition begun by former mayor David Butler last year, as she delivers her first State of the Town address Wednesday, Feb. 8. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the address will take place in the Council Chamber on the second floor of Leesburg Town Hall. The public is encouraged to attend. Burk’s address will be broadcast on the town’s local government access cable channels. In addition, the address will be streamed live at leesburgva.gov/ webcasts.

Town Hires New Clerk A former Town of Purcellville employee is now Leesburg’s new clerk of council. Eileen Boeing previously served as operations coordinator for the Boeing Town of Purcellville. In that role, she provided staff support to the Town Council as well as several of the council’s subcommittees and the town’s LEESBURG BRIEFS >> 11

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The Planning Commission this week will continue to grapple with changes to the town’s floodplain regulations while under a tight timeline to make its recommendations to the Town Council. The town must comply with the changes following the remapping of floodplain boundaries throughout Loudoun County. Updates to the Zon-

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advisory boards. She is the director of customer support for Zodia Aerospace. Boeing will begin her new job Feb. 21. She replaces former clerk Lee Ann Green, who served as clerk of council for the past nine years. “We are delighted to have Eileen join the Town of Leesburg,” Town Manager Kaj Dentler stated in a press release. “Her strong customer service and business process improvements background in the private sector, along with her previous local government experience, really made her stand out from the other candidates.” Boeing is equally delighted about her new venture. “I am very excited to return to public service after having spent the last nearly five years in the private sector. There is a great sense of satisfaction knowing that as part of a collective team, such as the Town of Leesburg, that your actions have a direct impact on the citizens you serve. I am excited to get started in a few weeks,” Boeing said.

ing Ordinance, Subdivision and Land Development Regulations, Design and Construction Standards Manual, and Town Code are needed to continue the town’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. According to the staff report, a principle requirement for participating in NFIP is that the town must adopt ordinances and regulations to meet or exceed FEMA and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation requirements related to floodplain management. The two agencies provided the town with a model floodplain ordinance, and the town staff has put together a list of ordinance amendments needed to comply with the changes. The FEMA-mandated deadline for these changes is Feb. 17 and, with the commission taking up the matter for a vote this week, means that the Town Council will have to hold a public hearing on the matter at its Feb. 14 meeting and vote that same night. The town held an informational meeting for affected landowners Jan. 17, and several speakers expressed caution to commissioners on the changes at its Jan. 19 meeting. Among the concerns is that adopting the new regulations could restrict new development, or redevelopment, on sites characterized as major or minor floodplain and subject to the new regulations. The town has dedicated a section of its website to help explain the changes, leesburgva.gov/floodplain.

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

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Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

loudounnow.com

Motel Sale << FROM 1 home built in 1954, until its closing 53 years later, the motel was a sought-after destination. The Weona Villa, meant to be a play on the words “we own a villa,” quickly earned a reputation as a simple but immaculately maintained stop-over, serving countless families passing through, tourists visiting DC, vineyard-goers soaking in the new but

fast-growing local wine industry, and workers who could stay for weeks at a time while constructing power lines in rural western Loudoun County. Dunn shares a story about a framed letter that hung in the motel lobby since the 1980s. It was from a visitor who, angered at the steep prices of DC hotels, decided to stay at the Weona Villa before he knew just how far it was from Washington, DC. But the Harpers soon won the guest over with their generosity that he promised in the letter that he would

Ali Khaligh/Loudoun Now

Dave Miller and Nils Schnibbe are hoping to add to the downtown Leesburg boom with their Maryland-style crab house and patio garden, coming this spring.

Something Fishy Happening Restaurateur Teams Up for New Crab-Shack Venture BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ A fixture on the downtown Leesburg restaurant scene for almost a decade is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle again, this time with a Maryland-style crab house. Nils Schnibbe and good friend Dave Miller are planning a springtime opening for Captain Catoctin’s Crab House, in the former Cajun Experience location on Loudoun Street. It will be the third downtown restaurant Schnibbe has been a part of, having formerly served as manager at Doener Bistro and a part owner of MacDowell’s Brew Kitchen. For Miller, the opening of his first restaurant fulfills a longtime dream of operating a crab house. “When I moved to western Loudoun 18 years ago, the first thing I said was ‘where’s the crab house’,” he said. “I’ve been toying with the concept for the whole 18 years I’ve been here.” A jack of all trades, Miller began his professional career as a graphic designer and art director, took time to pursue a songwriting career, and most recently was an antiques dealer. Fortuitously, much of his antique collection has nautical elements and will become a backbone of the restaurant’s décor. Ironically, when Schnibbe first came to America from his native Germany more than 11 years ago, he started out packing crabs for a wholesaler in Great Falls. “So it comes full circle for me,” he said. Schnibbe and Miller had been good friends for years, first meeting in a casual encounter at Hunter’s Run Wine Barn near Hamilton. Miller had been seriously formulating a plan for a crab house, perhaps first as a roadside con-

cession, last fall when Schnibbe left MacDowell Brew Kitchen. “I jokingly texted him I heard you’re no longer at the Brew Kitchen, what are you going to do now,” Miller recalls. “He said ‘I’m open to anything.’ So I said, how does a crab house sound?” The two began talking about the prospect seriously, and, just a few weeks later, the Cajun Experience space became available and since then it’s been full steam ahead. Miller points to the St. Michaels, MD, area as inspiration for the environment they are attempting to recreate. “It’ll be like a crab dock, but without the water unfortunately,” he says. “The kind of place you would pull a boat up to all up and down the bay.” The picnic tables will be lined with paper, fresh, local crabs will be aplenty, and additional menu offerings will include steamed shrimp, oysters, crab legs, soft shell crabs, fresh ground burgers, wings, and soups and stews for the colder weather. Local brews will also be on tap, and a kids menu will be available for the young ones. “There’s something for everyone,” Schnibbe said. For Schnibbe, a longtime staple in the restaurant scene, he always knew he wanted to be back downtown for his new venture. They hope their restaurant concept will also catch fire with downtown’s many patrons, and believe there’s room for everyone to be successful. Miller has an appropriate nautical analogy. “The tide raises all the ships in the harbor,” he said. For more information about the restaurant, go to Captain Catoctin’s Crab House & Garden’s Facebook page. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

CMY

return to the motel whenever he visited the area. “The Weona was really their baby,” Jack Harper said. “They didn’t have children of their own, so they poured themselves into it. Their pride and joy showed in everything they did. Guests and locals came to really admire their kindness.” He remembers the couple’s thrill when they were informed by AAA in 2004 that they were then officially the oldest, continuously operated, family-owned motel in the nation. Jack Harper remembers his uncle as a hard-working visionary. In addition to opening a motel in the middle of a then-quiet Loudoun County in the ’50s, he listened carefully to the power line workers staying at his motel. He was so impressed by their work and busy schedules that he invested money in their company. Their stocks did quite well, and Bob Harper prospered as a result. Jack Harper describes his aunt, Dorothy, as a feisty, classy lady who liked to come across as tough, but who was really a kind woman. She grew up in a large house in nearby Hamilton and had worked in a bank in DC when she met and married Bob. She was responsible for maintaining all the Weona Villa rooms herself, which she attacked with a persistent dedication to cleanliness and care. Her family was known to joke with her about the literally thousands of beds she changed during her lifetime. “That was something she didn’t like to talk about,” laughs Harper. Sadly, it explains why Dorothy Harper couldn’t bear the thought of the motel 161213_LTP_print_ad_9-063x6-67_LoudounNow_HalfHoriz_crvs2.pdf 1 12/15/16 changing ownership after her husband

died in 2007. She continued to live in the private home on the property until her death two years ago. Throughout the eight years the motel was shuttered, she continued to maintain the property and rooms as if a guest might show up at any minute. Dunn and Jack Harper said many were surprised by the enthusiastic public response to the Weona’s listing. Before members of the Harper family agreed to sell, they asked the slew of interested buyers to put together creative proposals for the property that would respect the Weona’s rich history and place within the community. Dunn said he cannot yet publically name Weona’s soon-to-be owners or their specific plans for the property. He wouldn’t say whether it would still serve as a motel, in a part of the county that has a demand for rooms. Several proposals have been floated to build a hotel in nearby Purcellville to serve visitors of the county’s 40-plus wineries, the booming rural wedding industry and families visiting students at Patrick Henry College, but nothing has come to fruition. The heirs are pleased with the plans, and Jack Harper indicated that the property that for so long has held the intrigue of the community, would have a promising future. “We’re excited about the prospective buyers. They truly respect the history of the motel and the area,” he said. “We look forward to letting the community know all about it as soon as everything 12:56 AM is finalized.”

[ PUBLIC SAFETY ]

Family Displaced After Lovettsville House Fire The Loudoun County Fire Marshall’s Office has ruled that a Jan. 22 fire that started in the garage of a Lovettsville home was accidental, caused by an electrical problem. The family of three safely escaped the burning home, but has been displaced. Damage was estimated at $365,000. Just after 6:30 a.m. last Sunday, a 911 call reported the house fire on Fry Farm Road. Fire-Rescue crews from Lovettsville, Purcellville, Hamilton, Round Hill, Leesburg, Loudoun Heights, Lucketts, and Frederick County, MD, responded. Once the fire was under control, crews initiated salvage operations to protect the residents’ undamaged belongings.

grey sweatshirt, blue jeans, black gloves and a bandana covering the majority of his face. Both suspects were described as being in their late teens to early 20s. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Det. S. Schochet at 703-777-0475 or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app. The Loudoun Sheriff app is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. https://youtu.be/uiqPJnt5ssk As a result of the incident, Loudoun County Fire-Rescue issued a safety tip aimed at limiting the spread of fires once they occur. While smoke alarms the top priority for fire safety, the agency said keeping interior doors closed can serve as a protective measure. The Lovettsville fire initially was confined to the garage area as the door to the inside of the residence was closed. The construction materials and open designs used in today’s homes, along with their synthetic furnishings and contents, cause fires to burn hotter and faster than in the past. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire. Residents should keep bedroom doors closed when possible and, in case of a fire, close the doors when escaping a room or building.

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Robinson was charged with two counts of felony burglary, two counts of felony credit card fraud, and felony grand larceny for the theft of the Toyota Highlander. He also was charged with receiving stolen goods from an auto theft case in December, when a vehicle was stolen from Bluemont Junction Square. The vehicle was reported stolen on Dec. 5 and recovered on Dec. 29 in the area of Ruritan Circle. According to information provided in search warrants, investigators believe Robinson and several other suspects have been involved in a string of burglaries, including several that involve stealing the vehicles from the homes as well—often driving them for several hours and then leaving them parked nearby. In one November case, the group left behind a cell phone in a stolen car that helped investigators identify potential suspects in the thefts. Robinson remains held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. A preliminary hearing in Loudoun County District Court is scheduled for March 9.

Credit: LCSO

Security video recorded the two men as they robbed the Prime Mart on Jan. 30.

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

A 19-year-old Sterling man remains behind bars this week after being charged in connection with two Ashburn burglaries. He is also a suspect in several other Robinson burglaries in the area in recent months. Antoine E. Robinson Jr. was apprehended Jan. 26 after the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence on Stablehouse Drive in Sterling. Robinson is accused of entering two homes on Bidwell Court on Jan. 23 about 9:30 a.m. through open garage doors. Investigators say he entered one home and stole cash, wallets and the contents of a purse. A neighbor reported seeing him run from the area and leave in a white Toyota Highlander. The vehicle was later determined to have been stolen from Winding Branch Terrace earlier that day. It was later recovered in the area of Margate Court.

The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office has released surveillance video of the suspects in Monday night’s armed robbery at a Church Road convenience store in Sterling. Around 9:40 p.m. two men with their faces covered entered the Prime Mart store. One threatened the cashier with a pistol and demanded money. He also grabbed lottery tickets, while the second suspect grabbed cigarettes. The suspects then fled. The cashier was not injured. The surveillance video of the robbery can be viewed at http://sheriff.loudoun. gov/primemart The first suspect was described as a white male wearing a black jacket over a grey hooded sweatshirt, a black/brown glove, blue jeans, and red sneakers. The second suspect was a male wearing a

13 Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Suspect Charged in String of Ashburn Burglaries

LCSO Searches for Sterling Armed Robbery Suspects

loudounnow.com

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

School Budget Aims to Boost Drivers’ Pay, Students’ Lunch Price BY DANIELLE NADLER

uperintendent Eric Williams described the steps he wants to take to attract and retain bus drivers as “an assertive approach.” “The reason it’s assertive is because we have significant challenges,” he told the School Board last Thursday evening. “It is not without hesitation that we propose this.” The Loudoun school system has 114 vacant driver positions, which has meant more stress on the Transportation Department’s staff and longer bus rides for students. As part of his proposed budget for next fiscal year, Williams, along

Keep tabs on all-things budget related at LoudounNow. com/BudgetDebate. with Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kevin Lewis, is recommending an increase in drivers’ pay and hours. Coupled with the School Board’s decision last month to decrease the cost of what drivers and other part-time employees pay for health insurance, the changes will mean drivers will bring home more per paycheck. “This will be a huge help in recruiting, we believe. … It could help us solve this driver shortage,” Lewis said.

He is recommending bumping drivers up one grade on the salary scale, from level 11 to 12. For new drivers, that would mean a pay increase from $18.10 to $19.32 per hour, and veteran drivers would get a raise from $34.18 to $36.60 per hour. Lewis noted that Loudoun school bus drivers’ pay ranks fourth when compared with five nearby school systems in Northern Virginia. He also wants to give drivers a few more hours per week. He is suggested that drivers who now work fewer than five hours per day get contracts that guarantee at least five hours a day, and those who typically work between five and six hours a day be guaranteed six hours a day.

Under his plan, drivers would also get a $500 bonus for referring new hires, and the new hire would get $500 if he or she stays more than 90 days. In all, what Lewis called a driver “recruiting and retention” effort would cost just less than $2.4 million. He is also recommending that money from 20.5 full-time equivalent vacant bus driver positions be repurposed to create several new positions to support transportation operations. Those include four transportation coordinators, two payroll specialists, one information systems specialist and an area transportation BUDGET UPDATE >> 17

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

People crowded the school boardroom again last week to protest the potential termination of Dominion Principal John Brewer.

Dominion High School students demonstrated at the county school administration building Friday to show their support for John Brewer to be reinstated as their principal.

Administration Breaks Silence on Principal, Protests Continue BY DANIELLE NADLER Two days after Dominion High School graduates, current students, parents, and staff members packed the School Board meeting room for a second time, the school system on Jan. 26 issued a formal statement on the status of Principal John Brewer. The popular principal is on leave and, according to one School Board member, has been recommended for termination by Superintendent Eric Williams. While scores of speakers have lined up at the past two School Board meetings to praise Brewer for his extraordinary work at Dominion, district leaders largely have remained mum on the controversy. School system spokesman Wayde Byard issued a statement last Thursday. He did not specifically address Brewer’s employment status, but said

in general terms that a grievance procedure could take “several weeks to multiple months” to resolve. On Friday, about 20 Dominion students took advantage of their day off school to hold a protest at the Loudoun County school administration building in Broadlands. Carrying signs that read, “Bring Back Brewer,” the students sat in the building’s lobby and then marched along the sidewalk in front of the building. The students, joined by a half dozen parents, said the statement sent the night before from school administration made them more upset. “It’s a letter that says nothing about nothing,” parent Jackie Funk said. “It was kind of patronizing,” said Amy Curran, president of Dominion’s Parent Teacher Organization. “If they think we’ll be quiet and just go away, they are absolutely wrong.”

Brewer has been on leave since early December, when Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office launched an investigation of Brian Damron, who served as Dominion’s band director from July 2012 to January 2015 under the leadership of Brewer. School records show that Brewer wrote a letter of recommendation for Damron that the band director submitted to Duval County Public Schools in Florida, as part of his application. Damron was later accused of making sexual advances toward a 15-year-old student there. No charges were filed, but the band director has since resigned. LCPS Music Supervisor Michael Pierson also wrote a letter of recommendation on Damron’s behalf, according to records from Duval County Public Schools. He has not been placed on leave, according to Byard. Dominion parent Mark Harrington

acknowledged that the school system leaders may not be able to give details about why Brewer is being recommended for termination, because it is a personnel issue, but he said they could give some information. He gave an example of when Brewer spoke to band parents after Damron resigned. The principal held a meeting with the band parents, including Harrington, and explained that he could not give specifics about why Damron left, but said the band director was not ill, he was not facing criminal charges, and he would likely not return. “Then he talked about the next steps,” Harrington said. “That’s how it’s done. There’s a school that my kid’s in and I don’t know what’s going on.” dnadler@loudounnow.com

[ SCHOOL NOTES ]

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Courtesy of Allison Swisher

Students and teachers from Freshwater Elementary School in Louisiana sent Middleburg Community Charter School a thank you banner for their donations.

The students of Middleburg Community Charter School recently learned that even kids as young as kindergarten can help improve the lives of others in need. After they heard about how hard many schools in Louisiana were hit by the devastating flood in August, they decided to adopt an elementary school and gather donations to restore some of what was lost. Allison Swisher, counselor at the charter school, is from the Denham Springs, LA, area, one of the parishes that was completely flooded. She contacted a counselor she knew at Freshwater Elementary School to ask what her team in Middleburg could do to help. “They were ecstatic,” she said. “Typically, in any community when someone needs help other people nearby pull together and help out. In this situation, the whole community needed help, so they had to look outside of their community.” The school had lost everything, so Swisher put a call out to Middleburg par-

ents and students, asking for donations. She also tied it into a classroom lesson on how to show kindness to others. The response was huge, Swisher said. Students and their families donated books, paper, crayons, athletic equipment, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and gift cards to Amazon and Target. Some of the schools in Louisiana that were flooded will likely have to be razed and rebuilt, but Freshwater Elementary reopened early last month. Swisher said the homes of every one of her friends and family in and around Denham Springs was severely flooded. Her parents are still living in a two-bedroom apartment with four other people because there is such a shortage of housing. But she said Middleburg’s donation effort provided some encouragement and support when it was needed most. “I think people are unaware that there’s so much devastation,” she said. And of the folks at Freshwater Elementary she added, “They were so happy to get the supplies.” Last week, Middleburg Charter reSCHOOL NOTES >> 16

Middleburg Charter Helps Louisiana Flood Victims

loudounnow.com

Principal Noto Leaves Potomac Falls for Herndon

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BY KYRA BRESLOW Despite being only halfway through the school year, Elizabeth Noto worked her final day as principal of Potomac Falls on Friday. This week she took over as principal of Herndon High School in Fairfax County. The decision has her returning to the school system where she began her career in education 13 years ago. “Herndon is very similar to Potomac Falls, and when I worked in Fairfax years ago, I thought that it would be a really good place to be. But the principal was so young, and I thought he would never retire, and he’d be a lifer at that school. Then, he moved on,” she said, noting that William Bates took a job in Baltimore. “The thing about these jobs, principal jobs, is that if you’re a fit for the community, the job sort of speaks to you.” The transition will also help to stabilize her family’s situation. She and her husband, the athletic director at Langley High School, both work long hours. With the later school start times in Loudoun, it makes it difficult for Noto to juggle work and her kids. She said she’s often running from a meeting to pick her kids up at day care at 5 p.m. Then, after the kids go to bed, she catches up on emails and other work, sometimes until 11 p.m. “I can’t do that forever,” she said. “It just bums me out. But family-wise, this is just a lot better for us.” While her time at Potomac Falls has been relatively short, Noto has learned some important lessons about how to run a school effectively in her three

years here. “When I came here, I resisted getting to know everybody because I didn’t know what my relationships were supposed to be like with students and Noto staff yet—I had never been a principal before. It took me about a year or two to realize how important it was for me to get to know the folks in my building,” she said. “One of the things that I love about Loudoun is how important relationships are here; I kind of resisted that at first. [Now] I really spent a lot of time at events and chatting it up with folks in the hallway, getting to know people on a more personal level. I think that has really been rewarding for me.” While leaving a void at Potomac Falls, her arrival at Herndon will be a relief for students, staff, and the community after their principal left over the summer. “They haven’t had a principal all year, so for them they’ve been in a transitioning process all year. For us, we’re just going to have a short period transition. If I could stay until the next principal started, that would be ideal, but they can’t wait that long, so it’s a balance,” Noto said. The hiring process to replace Noto could take anywhere from two to six weeks, according to Nereida Gonzalez-Sales, Loudoun’s director of High

School Education. The school system forms a hiring committee that consists of a school board member, a school staff member, a parent, and other administration staff members. Faculty and staff received a survey seeking their input about qualities they are looking for in the new principal and nominations for the staff representative required for the principal selection board. Noto plans to give the new principal advice once he or she is hired. “What I hope to do with the new principal is to meet with him or her and be with them during the transition to give them the skinny on what works best for staff meetings and other things like that,” she said. “Because we’ve worked out a lot of kinks and I hate for us to go backwards on any of it; that would be hard.” Noto hopes the transition for Potomac Falls is as smooth as possible, and the school won’t have to be under an interim principal for any longer than necessary. “I appreciate all the support everyone has given me; it’s been kind of mixed. Some people are mad at me [for leaving] and some are wishing me good luck,” Noto said. Assistant principal Jarvis Weeks, who has worked at Potomac Falls for seven years, has confirmed that he has applied for the position, but he declined to comment further until the selection process has progressed. Kyra Breslow is a Potomac Falls High School student and managing editor of the school’s newspaper, The Roar. Contact her at kyrabreslow@gmail.com.

[ SCHOOL NOTES ] << FROM 15 ceived a big thank you card signed by the teachers, parents and students of Freshwater Elementary.

Riverside Holds Mattress Sale Riverside High School is holding a mattress sale fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4. The sale will include more than 20 mattress models from popular manufacturers, such as Simmons Beautyrest, Southerland, Symbol Mattress and Comfortaire. Mattress and box sets are priced from $199 to $2,799. Adjustable power bases, air beds, Egyptian cotton/ micro-fiber sheet sets, pillows, mattress protectors, and frames will also be sold. All products are new and come with factory warranties. Delivery and pickup options are available and credit cards are accepted. The sale will take place at Riverside High School, at 19019 Upper Belmont Place in Lansdowne.

Conference Inspires Young Leaders Virginia Academy in Ashburn held its third annual Student Leadership Conference last week. More than 70 students attended the conference, which is meant to inspire students to make positive changes through their leadership. The event included a panel of five guest speakers, including county Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Sheriff Mike Chapman.

Budget update

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supervisor, among five other positions. School Board members commended Lewis and Williams for their ideas to bring on new drivers, and keep the ones they have. Chairman Jeff Morse (Dulles) noted that the Support Services Department, and especially transportation, were targeted for funding cuts during some of the tightest budget years. “I know your department has suffered,” he said. Debbie Rose (Algonkian) called the changes “legitimate and worthy priorities.” “I think a lot of things you proposed will go to the customer satisfaction issues that we heard a lot about this year,” she added. “I look forward to not having those at the beginning of next school year.” Lewis delivered good and bad news about the driver shortage: He said more than 320 attended an information seminar for prospective bus drivers and bus attendants—much more than he expected. But the hiring is not keeping up with the demand. There are 500 more student riders than there were at the beginning of the school year, bringing the total to roughly 50,000. “So we’re not making up ground yet on the driver shortage. Not yet,” Lewis added. The budget Lewis drafted for Support Services in total requests $161.2 million, up 12.2 percent from the

17 Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

<< FROM 14

current fiscal year. The departments of construction, planning, safety and security, transportation, and facilities fall under the Support Services Department. Other highlights of that budget include a request for $5.3 million to purchase 36 more buses and 20 light fleet vehicles and $1.7 million to replace part of schools’ security systems. It also calls for a 5-cent increase on students’ lunches. That would bring the price to $3.05 at elementary schools and $3.15 at middle and high schools. Lewis said that, while participation is up 6 percent for lunch and 31 percent for breakfast this year, the School Nutrition Services Department, which supports itself through meal sales, is seeing a rise in food prices and health insurance costs for employees. Plus, he noted, the school system dropped the price by 10 cents two years ago. The proposed budget also includes $200,000 to convert the Academy of Science space housed at Dominion High School into classrooms. The board has not yet taken a vote on what should go in that space, once the Academy of Science moves to the Academies of Loudoun campus in 2018, but the staff has floated the idea of turning it into a school system welcome center, space for the English Language Learners bridge program or for the adult education program.

loudounnow.com

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[ OUR TOWNS ]

Council Members Criticize Planning Commission Appointment BY MARGARET MORTON

our members of the Purcellville Town Council objected to Supervisor Tony Buffington’s (R-Blue Ridge) choice to serve as the Blue Ridge District representative on the county Planning Commission. Former Town Councilman Tom Priscilla was appointed to fill the vacant seat Jan. 19. Priscilla has lived in Purcellville since 1990, has served on the council from 2004 to 2014 and the town’s Planning Commission from 2002 to 2014. Councilwoman Kelli Grim began the campaign against Priscilla in a Jan. 23 letter to Buffington, in which she asked for a meeting with the supervisor concerning the appointment. Grim criticized Priscilla’s voting record, claiming the current council “is buried deep beneath the heavy burdens of digging out of his irresponsible land use decisions.” Grim sent her letter on Town of Purcellville letterhead and signed it as a councilwoman. Buffington called Mayor Kwasi Fraser on Jan. 23 to ask if that was the view of the entire town council. Fraser admonished Grim for her action. “It is absolutely inappropriate for your letter to Supervisor Buffington to be sent on town letterhead. Whether or not you meant it, such action gives the impression that it was written on behalf of the town, and it was not,” he wrote in a Jan. 24 letter to Grim. He requested she make it clear that the views expressed were her own and not those of the Town Council. Vice Mayor Karen Jimmerson, whose husband, Richard, was Buffington’s opponent in the 2015 campaign came to

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Planning Commissioner Tom Priscilla takes the oath of office Jan. 24.

Having taken the time to get to know Tom, I am completely confident he shares my desire to ensure the rural, historic and scenic character of western Loudoun for generations to come. Grim’s defense. Jimmerson stated she did not interpret Grim’s email and attached letter “to be from anyone but her since her signature and name was the only one attached to it.” Jimmerson said Grim was entitled to use the official letterhead for correspondence as a council member. The vice mayor also wrote to Buffington, calling the appointment “very

disheartening,” and accused Priscilla of making “extreme” land use decisions that defied the sentiments of Purcellville residents. Councilmen Ryan Cool and Nedim Ogelman joined in the criticism of Priscilla and of the selection process while stressing they were writing independently of council. On Jan. 26, Cool wrote Buffington

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Residents celebrate Hillsboro's recent boundary expansion with a Jan. 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Old Stone School.

Hillsboro Celebrates Expansion, Growth Opportunities Residents of Hillsboro got up early Saturday morning to celebrate the town’s recently approved expansion and to get an update on efforts to upgrade the utility system, construct the long-planned Rt. 9 traffic calming upgrades and get back its own ZIP code designation. Mayor Roger Vance provided at State of the Town address and oth-

er elected representatives—U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, County Chairwoman Phyllis Randall and Supervisors Tony Buffington and Geary Higgins—pledged to support the town’s efforts. After a community breakfast, residents joined in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the expansion of the town’s boundaries.

Residents review plans for the Rt. 9 trafficcalming project during a Jan. 28 State of the Town meeting.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, right, joined with supervisor Tony Buffington in offering to support the town infrastructure and economic development plans

and members of the board of supervisors questioning whether Priscilla was qualified to represent western Loudoun residents as the county worked through the Envision Loudoun comprehensive plan update. He “not only does not share that vision, but his track record of misguided and poor planning precedes him and serves as a clear example of that,” Cool wrote. Cool suggested that Priscilla serve at an interim capacity until Buffington meets with western Loudoun town leaders to collect a list of potential nominees from each town and then name a replacement. Ogelman’s Jan. 28 letter stated that Priscilla’s track record as a Purcellville Planning Commissioner and Town Councilman was the antithesis of what most in Purcellville and western Loudoun expect from their representative, especially when the county is developing a new comprehensive plan. Ogelman supported Cool’s call for a new selection process. “Citizens of the Blue Ridge district entrusted you to make appointments that reflect—not undermine—their expressed interests, but I believe your decision to appoint Mr. Priscilla violates that trust,” Ogelman wrote in his letter to Buffington. Cool and Ogelman requested the issue be taken up by the full Board of Supervisors during its Feb. 7 meeting. Reached for comment Friday, Buffington said that he had received many expressions of support for Priscilla, in whom he had great confidence. Buffington released a statement late Friday in response to Cool’s letter. “While I respect Town Councilman Cool’s request, Mr. Priscilla is extremely qualified for the position. Having taken the time to get to know Tom, I am completely confident he shares my desire to ensure the rural, historic and scenic character of western Loudoun for generations to come; therefore, I have no intentions of replacing him. As a result of Councilman Cool’s concern, I contacted Mayor Fraser directly to personally assure him of my commitment to the Town of Purcellville and to let him know that I would never support a recommendation from the Planning Commission that was not in the best interest of western Loudoun. The overwhelming majority of responses to Tom’s appointment have been extremely positive from folks on both sides of the aisle and I look forward to his service to the Blue Ridge District and Loudoun County.” Priscilla declined to comment on the matter. Former Town Councilman Steve Varmecky, who served for two and a half years beginning in 2002, then again from 2006 to 2010, said he did not remember the council ever being asked for its opinion on a commissioner’s selection by the Blue Ridge District planning commissioner. He was enthusiastic about Priscilla’s appointment. “No one in my experience knows more about land use issues than Tom,” he said, adding “I’m glad to see him there.” mmorton@loudounnow.com

[ TOWN NOTES ] Town Leaders Prepare 2017 Priorities At Retreat

Council Explores Reclaimed Water Sales Options Continuing its search to generate more revenue from town assets, Purcellville leaders are exploring the sale of

reclaimed water. Reclaimed water includes wastewater, storm water and gray water that is treated to a lower standard than drinking water. Pollutants and pathogens that are potentially harmful to the environment or human health are removed, making the water suitable for commercial uses such as irrigation, livestock watering and car washes. Because of the lower treatment level, the water can be sold at a lower rate, providing a significant savings to high-volume users. To move the project forward, the town would need to develop a water reclamation plan, get permits from DEQ and possibly the Virginia Department of Health, and build dispensing stations.

ROUND HILL Hummel Appointed to Council Seat The Town Council on Jan. 15 appointed Planning Commissioner Michael Hummel to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Kimberly Fortunato. Her term will expire June 30, 2020. Jean Daley was appointed to fill Hummel’s Planning Commission seat. Also, Lori Minshall was appointed to the commission, replacing Betty Wolford, who stepped down from the post.

STUNNING MODERN TOWNHOMES WITH AWARD WINNING DESIGN IN THE HEART OF LEESBURG LIVECRESCENTPLACE.COM

They’re Back: Can the USDA Chase the Vultures Away? The vultures have returned to their roost on the town’s water tank and town leaders are debating whether to finance a new campaign to chase them away. Because of the nuisances and damage the birds can cause, the Town Council has been examining options to persuade them to move elsewhere. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Loudoun Wildlife Conservatory are sharing ideas. The council last week reviewed a $3,179 proposal from the USDA to use pyrotechnics, effigies, lights, lasers and firearms. Mayor Bob Zoldos said no action was taken because of concerns about the expense and impact these methods could have on the neighborhood. Another alternative: Just wait a few months knowing they’ll move along on their own. Last year, the town attached inflatable orca whales to the top of the water tank following a theory that the birds would be scared away. The birds weren’t.

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The Economic Development Advisory Committee has extended the deadline for businesses to complete the survey that is intended to gauge the sentiment of town business owners. EDAC is requesting that businesses complete the survey no later than Feb, 28. In addition to outreach by members of the Town Council, EDAC, and students from the DECA program at Loudoun Valley High School, businesses will be receiving a mailing from the town requesting participation in the survey. Business owners can complete the

THE KNUTSON DIFFERENCE

The Town Council is scheduled to hold its annual planning retreat at Town Hall on Feb. 4. The mayor and council members will work with Town Manager Laszlo Palko to identify priority initiatives for this coming year. Among the projects on the to-do list is developing an economic development strategy and creating an Economic Development Authority; developing a Town Square Master Plan and engaging in a branding and tourism marketing effort; conducting an analysis of the town’s public works capabilities and potential to take on more road maintenance and parks and recreation work; conducting an analysis of utility usage over the past five years and the potential movement to radio meters to provide residents with timelier usage data; developing a social media policy and Freedom of Information Act policy; and evaluating and implementing agenda management technology to improve public access to meetings. How did town leaders do after last year’s planning retreat? The town has published its annual report, which can be viewed on the government’s website, lovettsvilleva.gov.

survey online at purcellvilleva.gov/bizsurvey. Paper copies of the survey can be obtained at Town Hall. The Business Survey asks 18 questions, ranging from the quality of town services to amenities that would attract visitors and challenges that business owners face. EDAC will take the results of the survey and make recommendations to the Town Council based on input from the business community.

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

LOVETTSVILLE

[ BIZ ]

loudounnow.com

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Chauvon McFadden, of Crimson Wealth Strategies, fights back tears as he accepts the Young Professionals Leadership Award.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Lynn Tadlock, deputy executive director of giving for the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, accepts the Community Leadership Award in the Nonprofit Executive category.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony Howard.

Chamber Awards Honor Community Champions BY DANIELLE NADLER

oudoun business and nonprofit leaders put the spotlight on five men and women who have shown exceptional commitment to the local community and its citizens. The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce announced its Community Leadership Award winners at a ceremony held at the National Conference Center on Jan. 26. Chauvon McFadden, with Crimson Wealth Strategies, won the leadership award in the Young Professionals category. Pam Jones, of Extraordinary Transitions and Long & Foster, was honored with the Executive Leader Award. Palmercare Chiropractic won the leadership award in the Small organization category, and AH&T Insurance won for the Large Organization category.

View more photos from the Community Leadership Awards ceremony at loudounnow.com/gallery. Lynn Tadlock, deputy executive director of giving for the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, won the leadership award in the Nonprofit Executive category. Tadlock thanked her mother, who taught her the importance of community, and J. Hamilton Lambert, executive director of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation. Tadlock said Lambert “dragged me off of a tractor and put me in a leadership role. I consider him one of my best friends and a mentor, so thank you for helping me get to this point. McFadden was brought to tears as he approached the podium to receive his award. He thanked his wife, who he called his best friend, and the other

Visit Loudoun Calls for Tourism Nominations Visit Loudoun has put out its annual call for its tourism awards program, designed to showcase the work and contributions of individuals and organizations serving in the county’s tourism industry. The 2016 winners will be recognized during Visit Loudoun’s Annual Meeting & Tourism Awards luncheon May 11 at the Holiday Inn Washington Dulles. The Back of the House Hero and the Action award categories are new. The Love Loudoun Ambassador award replaces the previous Front Line Employee award, while the New Event of the Year and the Annual Event of the Year awards will no longer be given in large event and small event categories. The deadline to submit nominations is 4 p.m. March 1.

business and nonprofit leaders in the room. “What makes this community so amazing is that so many people choose to share their talents for the benefit of somebody else,” he said. The event also served as the Chamber’s annual meeting, and the first event that Tina R. Johnson took part in as Chamber chairwoman. As the lead on the Chamber’s board of directors, Johnson said she wants to focus on small businesses and nudge people to use their “purchasing power” to support Loudoun County businesses. “I believe that small business is the heart and soul of our community. When we use our purchasing power to support small business, we are essentially giving back to the local economy,” she said. “Think local. Think Loudoun.” Several other awards were given out at the meeting. Amy Owen, executive director of the Community Foundation for

Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, said she was speaking on behalf of all of the county’s nonprofit organizations when she offered her thanks to Chamber CEO and President Tony Howard. Specifically, she thanked him for supporting the idea in 2008 to create programs to support and further the work of Loudoun’s charitable organizations. Ranna Golden, of Paychex, was named the Chamber’s Ambassador of the Year. And four people took home Chairman’s Awards for their work to support the local business and nonprofit community: Dave Trosko, of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; Mindy Carlin, of Access Point Public Affairs; Dave Jones, of Long & Foster; and Chris Browne, who announced this week that he is retiring as manager of Dulles Airport. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Individuals who work in the tourism industry are invited to nominate candidates in nine categories: • Tourism Management Employee of the Year • Love Loudoun Ambassador • Tourism Volunteer of the Year • New Event of the Year • Annual Event of the Year • Tourism Promotion/Campaign of the Year • Back of the House Hero • Action Award for an individual or organization that assisted or aided others, and Visit Loudoun’s highest honor • Judy Patterson Award, recognizing those who demonstrate extraordinary commitments to promoting tourism in the county. Entries must be for individuals, organizations or programs for activities that occurred or were completed during 2016. Programs that begun in 2016

will be considered for 2017 awards. For more information, go to visitloudoun.org/ tourism-industry.

21 Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

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1 DETAILS OF OFFER: Offer expires 2/11/2017. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Buy one window or patio door, get one 40% off and 12 months no payments, no interest when you purchase four (4) or more windows or patio doors between 1/22/2017 & 2/11/2017 with approved credit. Additional $50 off each window or patio door when you set your appointment by 2/11/2017; no minimum purchase required. APR of 16.68% as of 6/1/2015, subject to change. No interest and no payments for 12 months available. Interest accrues from date of purchase but waived if paid in full within 12 months. Savings comparison is based on the purchase of a single unit at regular list price. Available only at participating locations. See your local Renewal by Andersen location for details. License MN: BC130983/WI:266951. Excludes MN insurance work per MSA 325E.66. MHIC #121441. VA Lic. #2705155684. DC Lic. #420215000125. Some Renewal by Andersen locations are independently owned and operated. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. ©2017 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. ©2017 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved.

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VRT DMV Press Release: Virginia Regional Transit (VRT), under new management, announces the re-opening of the DMV Select Office at VRT’s location at 109 N. Bailey Lane in Purcellville. The DMV Select office opened its doors to the public December 19, 2016 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrated on January 4, 2017.

Those in attendance were from Left to Right, DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb; VRT CEO Bruce Simms; VRT Board Chairman Brian Wells; Senator Dick Black; Erin Rayner, a representative from Congresswoman Barbara Comstock’s office; Delegate Dave LaRock; and Purcellville Mayor Kwasi Fraser. Each played an instrumental role in the re-opening of the DMV office to the public.

VRT will also host the DMV 2 Go Full-Service Mobile Customer Service Center on a monthly schedule. Please see the DMV website (dmv.virginia. gov) to detail the services offered at the DMV Select and the DMV 2 Go Service Center scheduled dates.

The DMV Select Service Hours are 8am - 4:30pm Monday thru Friday. No lines, no waiting! VRT also offers Emission Inspection Services during DMV service hours with no appointment necessary at the same location.

[ BIZ NOTES ] Ashburn. Morris Tapped to Lead JKH reports annual revenues of more CapRelo than $400 million from 25 companies Barry Morris is the new president and CEO of CapRelo. The Sterling-bas ed global employee relocation management firm serves private and public sector clients. Morris re- Morris places longtime Mickey Williams, who will remain with the company in the role of executive vice president of the Enterprise Executive Board for CapRelo and JK Moving Services. “Barry is an exceptional leader whose track record speaks for itself,” CapRelo Chairman Chuck Kuhn stated. “After thorough succession planning and an extensive search process, we selected Barry from a strong field of executive candidates. He is highly regarded in the tech industry and is known for growing profitable organizations and for his communicative leadership style.” Morris previously held executive leadership roles Dell EMC, Polycom, Cogent Communications and Nortel Networks.

JKH Plans Ashburn Headquarters JKH Holdings has announced plans to move its U.S. office from McLean to

in five countries, including Opterna and NeST Technologies Corp. in Sterling. The company has signed on to move its headquarters to the Gramercy District smart city project adjacent to the Ashburn Metro station on the north side of the Dulles Greenway. “We are excited to move our headquarters to Gramercy District—a location where we can work and participate directly with this pioneering smart city initiative that is reshaping industries and the way people live,” JKH Chairman Javad Hassan stated. JKH plans to set up shop in the Gramercy Phase 1 building, expected to open in the second quarter of 2019. The building will have 44,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space with 55,000 square feet of office and co-working space and 350 apartments above. The Gramercy District development, led by 22 CityLink, is planned as “smart city in-a-box” concept to include 2.5 million square feet of mixed-use development.

Raytheon Promotes Cybersecurity Scholarships Raytheon Company and the Center for Cyber Safety and Education will offer six new scholarships this year to encourage women to pursue cybersecurity degrees. BIZ NOTES >> 23

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[ BIZ NOTES ]

The Middleburg Real Estate/ Atoka Properties team continues to grow with the addition of Greg

Masucci

Four chambers of commerce— Loudoun County, Arlington, Greater Reston and Prince William—are gearing up for the second annual Northern Virginia Restaurant Week, March 2027, in conjunction with the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging and Travel Association. Loudoun Chamber President and CEO Tony Howard said the best part of last year’s event was that it helped re-emphasize the value of making business connections over a meal. “Too often, we become overly reliant on email and social media, that it can be easy to forget the importance of personal connections. Loudoun’s hospitality industry does an outstanding job of providing meaningful opportunities for business leaders to meet face-to-face to forge new opportunities and relationships. I’m looking forward to another week-long celebration of great food and great business connections,” he said. Registrations will be accepted until the beginning of the event in March, but registering early will ensure participants maximum exposure. Sponsorship opportunities are avail-

Moiz Named to State Real Estate Board Sterling resident Ibrahim A. Moiz, an attorney with the NOVA Business Law Group, LLP, has been appointed to a seat on the Virginia Real Estate Board. Moiz is a 2007 graduate of How-

ard University School of Law, where he was an Oliver Hill Fellow for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in the employment discrimination project. Before join- Moiz ing NOVA BLG, he worked as the legislative assistant for Del. David Poisson (D-32). Moiz serves as outside general counsel to domestic and international-based information technology and healthcare companies.

OPEN HOUSE! Sunday, Feb. 5th 1–3pm Rt. 7West, Right On Charlestown Pike, Right On Clarks Gap, Left On Factory, Left On Main Around Waterford Mill, Right On Milltown, Approx 4 Miles To 13161 On Left. Follow Easement To Home

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Masucci Joins MRE/ Atoka Properties

Registration Opens for Restaurant Week

able. Signature sponsors to date are Upper Crust Pizzeria-DC Metro, One Loudoun, Reston Town Center and Potomac Mills; several opportunities remain. Platinum Partners include Bistro 360 and Historic Manassas, Inc. For more information about the event and the sponsorship opportunities, contact Abby Moreau atamoreau@loudounchamber.org or call 571-209-9036.

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

“Recent global surveys show young women see fewer opportunities in cyber careers than young men do,” stated Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon’s Dulles-based Intelligence, Information and Services business, in announcing the initiative. “If we can create a clear path to cybersecurity careers for women, we can help eliminate the serious cyber talent shortage and make our country and the world more secure.” Funding will come from The Center, a charitable trust formed in 2011 by the international nonprofit (ISC)². Three scholarships will go to women entering college, and three to mid-career professionals seeking to expand their skill sets or change career fields. Selected scholarship recipients may receive a paid summer internship in Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services Cybersecurity and Special Missions business. For more information, including eligibility requirements, go to iamcybersafe.org/scholarships.

Masucci, who is licensed in Virginia, DC and Maryland. He began his real estate career in Chicago where he helped open the South Loop district and has more than 20 years of experience buying, selling, renovating, managing, investing in, and financing real estate.

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

<< FROM 22

NEW LISTING Leesburg • $249,000

Rolling hills, trails, wildlife..... Quiet community offering interest in the environment and energy efficient building. Special lot that has authorization for a garage. Well Installed. Convenient to Leesburg and commuter train. A great opportunity to build an energy efficient home.

loudounnow.com

Fantastic 2 acre lot with 3 bedroom rambler. Home in need of work, but would be a great property and location when finished. Split bedroom floor plan, many hardwood floors, carport and basement. Being sold “as is.”

GREAT VALUE IN LOUDOUN COUNTY $37,500

[ LOCO LIVING ]

Spotlight On Chefs

loudounnow.com

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Executive Chef Chris Ferrier in the kitchen at The National Conference Center ahead of the Chef’s Table event.

Place settings await the diners ahead of the Chef’s Table at The National Conference Center.

Meet National Conference Center’s Chris Ferrier Then we take guests to the kitchen and have four or five different courses and explain how we prepare the food. We do really nice à la minute cooking for 30 to 40 people. Or we can serve 1,000 people in the ballroom. The other great thing about the Chef ’s Table is that John Walsh, the food and beverage director, and I go to Riverside High School quarterly and judge [family and consumer science] students’ cooking. This week, we went over and one group did cupcakes, one group did hors d’oeuvres, one group did an entree. Out of the groups, whoever won invites their parents and the kids do [a Chef ’s Table] for parents, the teacher and the principal.

BY JAN MERCKER

hris Ferrier likes to think big. But lately the executive chef at the National Conference Center near Leesburg is also going

small. For years, NCC’s dining program has focused on large banquets and feeding the thousands of attendees that flow in and out for conferences and training sessions. But when new owners took over the property in 2014, they brought Ferrier on board to upgrade the quality of banquet food—ditching old-school buffets and expanding made-to-order offerings. At the same time, Ferrier is bringing increased attention to NCC’s smaller Chef ’s Table dinners for private groups, featuring high-end menus and wine pairings developed by NCC’s wine guru Mary Watson. He also oversees NCC’s Black Olive Bar, a little-known hideaway within the sprawling complex that’s open to the public, as new owners renovate dining areas with a focus on creating more intimate spaces for eating and hanging out. Ferrier, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who lives in South Riding with his wife and teen daughter, talked with Loudoun Now about his focus on local sourcing on a large scale, and his new interest in the increasingly popular sous vide cooking technique. Loudoun Now: What brought you to National Conference Center? Chris Ferrier: I’ve always been into high volume. When I heard [NCC ownership] had turned from Aramark to LaKota [Hotels & Resorts], I became interested. And when I heard about their concept of getting rid of steam table buffets and cooking à la minute for 500, 600, 700 people, it sparked my interest. Because I like that stress, I like that pressure.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Executive Sous Chef Simone Dundy and sous chef Justin Shahan prepare salads for the Chef’s Table at the National Conference Center..

LN: Give me the nutshell version of your background. CF: Most of my career is with Hyatt Hotels here in the DC area. I’ve also worked for Levy Restaurants—they’re sports and entertainment. I worked for the White Sox, the Cubs, the Pacers and also a convention center in Omaha. So again—volume. LN: I’ve read you have an interest in local food. Is that challenging on a large scale? CF: In 2016, we used 70 different Virginia farms. It is a challenge to source, but our broad line distributor, Sysco Foods in Harrisonburg, made all the arrangements. There’s an organization called Food Hub based out of Charlottesville and they get local farmers together and find a distributor. … Of course, it’s helping a small farmer make a profit, but the small farmer is also taking some of their goods and giving them to smaller communities that don’t have a big budget for school food. … Also, Visit Loudoun had a meet and greet with Loudoun County

farmers. … We had a chance to meet them and talk with them about what they can produce in 2017 so we can start envisioning what our menus are going to look like. LN: Tell me about Black Olive? What do you have in mind for the menu there? CF: We do it seasonally. We’re making homemade chili for the winter and tomato bisque. We do shareable plates and flatbread pizzas with different toppings like wild mushrooms and asiago cheese and caramelized onions. Starting Feb. 1, we’re doing two or three types of themed cheese plates. ... Everything on one board is Spanish—Manchego cheese with toasted Marcona almonds. And we’re doing a French one with Comté cheese and baguette and dried grapes on a vine. LN: How do the Chef ’s Tables work? CF: We’ve been doing it for as long as I’ve been here. We do private ones, we do public ones. … We taste some wine and have some hors d’oeuvres.

LN: What do you like to cook at home? CF: I work a lot, and my wife just changed jobs. I started doing sous vide [at home]. Sous vide is cooking in a vacuum at a lower temperature in its own bag. You add seasonings— salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary. … My daughter has dance, and we pick her up when we get home, and we already have the sous vide done. LN: Do you have any tips for home cooks? CF: My tip is don’t overthink the recipe and the ingredients. Even my mother in law—who’s a great cook: it could be a roast chicken and she’s putting butter and thyme and rosemary and marjoram and sage under the skin and pepper and garlic and shallots and I was like, “That’s too much—you’re not going to taste the chicken.” Simplicity. We did a VIP private party and I did Wagyu [beef] tomahawk chops and all I put on them was salt and pepper and people were like, “What is on that?” You need to taste the meat. jmercker@loudounnow.com

[ THINGS TO DO ]

‘THE EMPRESS’S NEW CLOTHES’ Saturday, Feb. 4, noon; Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Purcellville. Details: stagecoachtc.com

LOUDOUN SYMPHONY: WINTER RESPITE Saturday, Feb. 4, 4 p.m.; Middleburg Community Center, 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg. Details: loudounsymphony.org LSO’s winter concert features guest conductor Juan Antonio Gallastegui Roca and violinist Teresa Gordon. The program includes Haydn’s “Symphony No. 88,” Bach’s “Concerto No. 1 for Violin” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1 in C Major.” Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors. Youth 12 and younger are free but must be ticketed.

LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS Saturday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Lucketts. Details: luckettsbluegrass.org

FRANKLIN PARK CHINESE NEW YEAR Saturday, Feb. 4, 1-4 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Jeff Scroggins leads a high-energy, five-piece bluegrass band known for an eclectic range of influences that marry second and third generation bluegrass. Opener County Line has been tagged as one of Virginia’s fast-rising, new bluegrass bands. Admission is $15 at the door.

Celebrate the Year of the Rooster with arts and crafts, lantern tiger riddles, refreshments and entertainment. The party also launches Franklin Park’s annual youth art show. Tickets are $10 per person or $35 per family of four or more. Call 540-338-7973 to reserve a spot.

Saturday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m.; Middleburg Academy. 35321 Notre Dame Lane, Middleburg. Details: middleburgacademy.org Middleburg Academy presents a screening of 1993 film “The Age of Innocence” with a guest appearance by Patricia Hess, the film’s assistant production manager. The evening starts with a reception at 7 p.m., followed by the film and a Q&A session with Hess.

NIGHTLIFE LIVE MUSIC: ANDY HAWK AND THE TRAIN WRECK ENDINGS Friday, Feb. 3, 6-8:30 p.m.; King’s Tavern, 19 S. King St., Leesburg. Details: andyhawk.com

MORE THINGS TO DO >> 26

LOCO CULTURE LEESBURG FIRST FRIDAY Friday, Feb. 3, 6-9 p.m.; downtown Leesburg. Details: leesburgfirstfriday.com Shake off the winter blues with a fun evening out featuring plenty of live music, gallery openings and shopping at local businesses.

ARTISTS’ RECEPTION: RENÉ DICKERSON AND ALYSSA IMES Friday, Feb. 3, 6-9 p.m.; Cooley Gallery, 9 N. King St., Leesburg. Details: thecooleygallery.com

LIVE MUSIC: OSAMA MALIK Saturday, Feb. 4, 7-9 p.m.; Trinity House Cafe, 101 E. Market St., Leesburg. Details: trinityhousecafe.com Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Osama Malik brings a blend of pop-inspired melodies, rich harmonies, and percussive rhythms. No cover. Courtesy of Osama Malik

Farm Heritage Museum Dedicates Schoolhouse to ‘Miss Su’ BY MARGARET MORTON

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum President Bill Harrison and Museum Co-Director Katie Jones cut the ribbon to open the Ms. Su’s Schoolhouse exhibit.

more. “We have a mural that details its history from Native Americans to horses and grapes, but there’s an open space—that’s reserved for the next 50 years,” Harrison said. The farm museum serves between 17,000 and 18,000 visitors per year, and Harrison estimated it would

reach close to 20,000 this year. “With social media, we’re now pulling in visitors from abroad also,” he said. The Museum is located at 21668 Heritage Farm Lane in Sterling. For more information, call 571-2583800.

loudounnow.com

Leaders of the Loudoun Farm Heritage Museum in Sterling gathered Sunday to formally dedicate its new one-room schoolhouse display in memory of Su Webb. The museum president died in October. Bill Harrison, a museum founder who has stepped back into the president’s role, said the “Miss Su’s Schoolhouse” exhibit resulted from Webb’s leadership, although the tireless conservation advocate might have objected to putting her name on the door. The classroom space in a corner of the museum was assembled with old materials and period furnishings to replicate a 1908 schoolhouse. “We have the desks, at which one or two students would sit, the cursive letters, a period portrait of President Woodrow Wilson, a map case, McGuffey’s Readers, a wood stove and the bell—we’ve got the works,” Harrison said. A schoolhouse had been one of the original exhibits proposed when the farm museum was incorporated in 1998, but by the time it opened in 2003 that item had been dropped. Museum visitors today learn about farm life—from advances in agricultural technologies to the barter system. “The kids go to the hen house

and take the eggs to the Country Store where they see what they can barter them for,” Harrison said. The addition of the schoolhouse is aimed at expanding lessons on the county’s history. Harrison, along with Terry Sharrer, a former Smithsonian Institution Curator of Health Sciences, was instrumental in the founding of the museum. “When I came here [in 1963], there were 26,000 people in what was an agricultural county,” Harrison said. More than 30 years later, he remembers thinking, “If our generation doesn’t do something to preserve it, more than 250 years of agricultural history will have been lost.” It was a cause that Webb, a passionate supporter of preserving the county’s history, signed on to. She joined the farm museum’s board of directors in about 2004, then succeeded Harrison as president when he stepped down nine years ago. Webb was indefatigable in her efforts to preserve the county’s history—including its farming knowledge. “She’d promote it everywhere,” Harrison said, noting Webb was working as a volunteer on an almost daily basis at the museum at the time of her death last year. The repository of the county’s agricultural history still has room for

StageCoach Theatre Company presents an original children’s play based on the classic fairy tale. Empress Regina needs a new dress for the upcoming summit and when two wandering swindlers spin a yarn, the empress allows herself to be taken in, along with everyone else, for fear of being thought a fool. Admission is free. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH PATRICIA HESS

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Nationally acclaimed artist and Loudoun County resident René Dickerson’s works of acrylics on canvas are a masterful marriage of colors and can be found in private collections and corporate offices around the country. Sculptor Alyssa Imes creates cast iron and other three-dimensional works.

ON STAGE

[ MORE THINGS TO DO ]

MIDDLEBURG HUMANE FOUNDATION

loudounnow.com

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LIVE MUSIC: JUDY COLLINS Thursday, Feb. 8, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Judy Blue Eyes returns to the Tally Ho for an evening of old favorites and new material from her Grammy-nominated new album. Tickets are $59 in advance, $70 day of show.

(540) 364-3272

Courtesy of Judy Collins

burn. Details: lostrhino.com

<< FROM 25 Americana/blues/folk-rock from a Loudoun favorite. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: GYPSY SOUL REVIVAL

This multi-instrumentalist and singer covers a range of genres—from ’90s alt-rock to blues and classic rock. No cover.

Friday, Feb. 3, 8:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Blues, soul, funk, jazz and R&B from Charm City. No cover.

ATLANTIS FIRST FRIDAY Friday, Feb. 4, 9 p.m.; Atlantis, 45449 Severn Way, Sterling. Details: atlantisva.info The events venue holds its monthly first Friday dance party with old-school Motown, R&B and soul tunes, hand dancing and stepping. Hand dance classes start at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.

LIVE MUSIC: COWBOY MOUTH Saturday, Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com The New Orleans rockers bring the party to Leesburg. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready for fun. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of show.

LIVE MUSIC: CHRIS KOETHE Saturday, Feb. 4, 7-10 p.m.; American Legion Post 293, 121 N. 21st St., Purcellville. Details: vapost293.org Fun covers from country to rock to reggae and beyond at the American Legion’s monthly concert.

Courtesy The DCeivers

LIVE MUSIC: THE DCEIVERS Saturday, Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com The DC-based indie rock trio is known for fresh originals and high energy shows. No cover.

COMING UP PAXTON MANOR MY BLOODY VALENTINE Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11, 7-10 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 12, 7-9 p.m.; Paxton Campus, 601 Catoctin Circle NE, Leesburg. Details: shocktober.org The creators of the popular Shocktober haunted house return with their annual mid-winter fear-fest: Think creepy clowns, scary dolls and a terrifying twist to your typical Valentine’s date. The event is rated PG-13. An online only couple’s pass offers two tickets for $50. General admission is $30 per person in advance or at the door.

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

‘THE LITTLE MERMAID’ Friday, Feb. 17, Saturday, Feb. 18, Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday matinees at 1:30 p.m.; J. Lupton Simpson Middle School, 490 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. Details: thepickwickplayers.com

Courtesy reverbnation.com

LIVE MUSIC: JAY POWELL Saturday, Feb. 4, Lost Rhino Brewing Company, 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ash-

The Pickwick Players present Hans Christian Anderson’s wistful story of a mermaid who falls hopelessly in love with a fish-eating human—complete with magical transformations, colorful set and costumes and a happy ending.

27 Feb. 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8, 2017

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Loudoun Country Day School School Bus Driver Class B CDL License required Position includes benefits. Please email resume to: Joe.Kaylor@lcds.org 20600 Red Cedar Drive Leesburg, VA 20175 703/777-3841

St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Purcellville, Virginia seeks a full-time experienced Sexton/Custodian to be responsible for cleaning/maintaining the church building, plus other maintenance chores. Flexible hours; $15/hour. Please email resume to the attention of Rev. David Milam at revdocdavem@aol.com.

Hiring? We can help. In the mail weekly. Online always. classifieds@loudounnow.com

www.akidsplacewest.com 16 Months Through Kindergarten

AWARD WINNING PROGRAM

is looking for: Full Time & Part Time (2:30-6pm)

Pre-School Teacher 703-777-9012 akidsplacewest@gmail.com 248 Loudoun Street SW, Leesburg

FT LPN or MA

Large family practice in Loudoun County looking for a FT LPN or MA who is compassionate, energetic and loves working with a team. Pediatric and or family practice experience preferred but willing to train the right candidate. EHR experience highly recommended. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401k and many other benefits. Please send your resume to lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax to 703-726-0804, attention Lisa.

Potomac River Group (PRG) is seeking a qualified accounting professional who is looking for a career within a small business environment. PRG is a defense and homeland security contractor based in Ashburn, VA. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated and detail oriented individual with excellent accounting, logistical and organizational skills. Base Requirements • Provide accounting and clerical support to Controller • Process GSA & Non-GSA orders • Enter Accounts Payable - Invoices & credit card transactions • Maintain customer and vendor files • Review and enter travel vouchers & employee expense reimbursements • Accounts Receivable - Invoicing • Correspond with vendors and customers • Monthly reporting to Program Managers • Assist with month-end closing • Other duties as assigned; determined by needs of the accounting/finance dept.

Busy Home Healthcare Agency established in 1993 with offices in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties looking for CNA, HHA or PCA. Nursing Students also Encouraged to Apply! for immediate work for all shifts. We offer benefits to fulltime employees such as health/dental insurance, vacation, simple IRA retirement. We also offer direct deposit. Please apply online at http://www.icareabouthealth.net

Small business in Leesburg, VA seeking a full-time cake decorator. Looking for a reliable, self-motivated, passionate employee who works well in a team environment. Must have experience in both buttercream and fondant decoration. Job duties include but not limited to: Fill and decorate cakes for orders. Do all necessary artwork for cakes. Please send pictures of your work along with your resume to info@layeredcakepatisserie.com

Crossword

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Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

Employment

To successfully work at PRG, you must have a willingness to assist with a variety of projects, both within and beyond your area of expertise. Knowledge of Quickbooks, Word and Excel a must. 3+ years of accounting experience required. Must be eligible for a security clearance.

PRG is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

loudounnow.com

Please email jobs@prgusa.net with your resume and salary requirements.

loudounnow.com

Resource Directory ACCOUNTING / TAXES

Jay M. Jamison

Accounting & Income Taxes

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Since 1976 • Free Estimates Licensed & Insured

DECKS Baker’s

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EVENTS Loudoun Event Management

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Resource Directory GARAGE DOORS

HANDYMAN

HANDYMAN HHHHH

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HANDYMAN Baker’s

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Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

FITNESS

[ OPINION ]

loudounnow.com

Conduct Unbecoming Efforts by members of the Purcellville Town Council to scuttle Tom Priscilla’s recent appointment to the Loudoun County Planning Commission more closely mirror the paranoia and hysterics on display in the nation’s capital than the conduct expected from government leaders in western Loudoun. It’s not clear why a majority of town’s council members believe they should get a vote in the selection of the Blue Ridge District planning commissioner; that would be a first in county history. The person in that seat has no control over development within the town’s borders, but instead is expected to represent the interests of district residents from Brambleton to Hillsboro, as well as those across the county. Mr. Priscilla’s decade of service on the Town Council and the town’s Planning Commission provides an ample résumé to demonstrate his qualifications for that responsibility, one matched by few. It is clear that Mr. Priscilla, years after stepping down from his town posts, remains on enemies list kept by those who view the changes in Purcellville over the past decades as resulting in some sort of blight—contrary to its reputation as a well-managed, desirable community in which to live and work. The tone of this week’s debate is reminiscent of the battle that surged when a previous Board of Supervisors appointed an eastern Loudoun supervisor to serve as the county’s representative on a town planning board after a continuous election. That one kicked off heated secession talks with the aim of forming Catoctin County. Hopefully, the council’s energy will be put to better use as it undertakes some innovative measures to strengthen the town’s business base and improve the affordability of its services. Meanwhile, Mr. Priscilla can lend his expertise as one of nine votes working to implement planning and zoning policies in the rest of the county. Both would be well served by leaving the demonization of political opponents to the experts in Washington.

LoudounNow

[ LETTERS ] Combat the Carnage Editor: I have been a resident of Loudoun County for 30 years. The budget for Loudoun County Schools is $1.1 billion this year. Last week, there were four more drug- and alcohol-related deaths in the area. Loudoun County is one of the most affluent counties in the nation. Loudoun County is also one of the very few counties in Virginia without a 30day in-house drug and alcohol treatment center, huh? Inova Loudoun’s Cornwall hospital will detox you for five days and then you are out—that’s it. There is something drastically wrong with this picture. Oh, did I mention the drug court program was denied funding five years ago? The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors will be taking another look at the program this year when setting the budget. Three of nine supervisors have returned my calls regarding both the drug court program and a 30-day in house treatment center. Families know the ripple effect of addiction. I’m done with this frothy emotional appeal. These are the facts—and the carnage continues.

Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 • Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 • Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723 Norman K. Styer Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com Renss Greene, Reporter rgreene@loudounnow.com Kara C. Rodriquez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Douglas Graham, Photographer dgraham@loudounnow.com

Contributors Jan Mercker John McNeilly Kyra Breslow Advertising Director Susan Styer sstyer@loudounnow.com Display Advertising Tonya Harding Katie Lewis Classified Manager Lindsay Morgan lmorgan@loudounnow.com Production Electronic Ink Leesburg, VA 20175

— Jim Vogel, Leesburg

Get A Grip Editor: Well, my goodness! The proposed 2018 Loudoun County Public School budget will exceed $1 billion. Really, it’s time to get a grip. Does anyone question any aspect of the LCPS? I certainly do. Why does LCPS have a garbage truck? Why does LCPS have a fleet of cars? Why are there so many administrators? Has the use of white boards and iPads improved student learning? Why are mental health professionals in schools the responsibility of taxpayers? More money poured into the education system does not result in better learning. The U.S. spends more money

per pupil than any other nation, but in reading, math and science, American students lag behind many other countries. According to a Washington Post article, the Obama administration spent $7 billion over five years, which was the largest federal investment to target failing schools ever. That enormous expenditure produced no meaningful results. Let’s get a grip. Expensive bells and whistles aren’t the solution. Faith, functional families, and the character building of yesteryear so are the answer, — Maureen H. Whalen, Leesburg

Important Access Editor: Jan. 26 was my 37th birthday and the last birthday I shared with my breasts. People usually think of their mothers on their birthday, and I do, but I also think about my mother’s breast, which nursed me in infancy and lead to her early death at age 60. I can’t remember if it was the day before or after my 24th birthday that my mother had her mastectomy. I know she felt guilty for having her mastectomy so near my birthday but I never wanted her to feel that way. My mother had triple negative breast cancer that metastasized to her liver. She died on Oct. 15, 2005, just six days after my wedding. We were on our honeymoon in Hawaii when we got the call to come home. She passed before we made it home to say good bye. My maternal aunt had breast cancer 36 years ago. Her daughter was diagnosed three years ago and nine months ago another of my maternal aunts was diagnosed with breast cancer I have tested negative for BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, but my family history of breast cancer cannot be ignored. I have been seeing a breast surgeon for more than three years. We have decided together that a bilateral risk reducing mastectomy is in the best interest of my health. I’m not going to wait for breast cancer to be found in my breasts. Every time I feel discomfort in my breast, I worry that it is my turn for cancer. I have also LETTERS >> 33

[ LETTERS ] << FROM 32

— Charlotte McConnell, Sterling

mily Dental

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been living with MS for over a decade. I am healthy now but who knows for how long. I know the pain of losing your mother too early and I want to save my 2 children from that pain. I nursed my boys for a combined total of 44 months. I was eager to wean my youngest at 18 months because I was worried about my breast health. Losing a loved one to breast cancer is not unique to me as I have known many other women who have died of breast cancer. It is estimated that 319,220 women and 2,470 men in the United Sates this year will be diagnosed with breast cancer. How many of these men and women rely on Planned Parent-

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

hood for breast cancer screenings? How many of them will go undetected if they don’t have access to Planned Parenthood? How many of these women will die this year which will create a void in their families that will never be filled? I miss my mother every day and wish she could have met her grandchildren. I wish she could be with me when I have my mastectomy. One of the many reasons I support Planned Parenthood is in the hopes that they can prevent more people from dying from breast cancer. We need to ensure that people have access to life saving cancer screenings which are provided by Planned Parenthood.

As recognized by Loudoun’s Economic Development Department, those business opportunities come, to a large extent, with the territory: “No amount of incentive can make a bad location good. Loudoun County offers tremendous opportunities for the right businesses to thrive.” Western Loudoun and its growing rural economy are justly earning the respect and recognition as critical components to this county’s dynamism. And, what has been and remains, at the core of this segment’s growth is the same entrepreneurial drive for innovation and business success that energizes the technology sector in the east. While at a different magnitude and with smaller numbers in revenues, jobs and overall immediate economic impact, fostering the rural economy accrues long-term benefits to all residents. Ensuring that thousands of acres remain in agricultural use rather than be consumed in sprawling residential development will, in the long term, save billions in costs for services. Likewise, the preservation of this unique urban-rural duality within Loudoun County should be regarded as an extraordinary asset that serves as a point of distinction in the competitive game of attracting cutting edge businesses and industries. Fortunately, in place in the Loudoun Department of Economic Development is a strong rural business division dedi-

cated to helping both new and existing rural businesses. The county’s Rural Economic Development Council is also a key voice in formulating and advocating policies in the interest of rural businesses. The current Board of Supervisors has shown an astute awareness of and support for building a robust rural economy. But at the forefront of this effort are the men and women, old and young, longtime Loudouners and newcomers, who possess the drive and innovative spirit to take a chance on the land. The extraordinary endeavors over the past decades by risk-takers who have turned thousands of acres into productive vineyards have proven the agro-tourism hypothesis. In their wake are hundreds of agro-entrepreneurs seeking to create and carve out new niches to serve quality-conscious consumers. Everyone wants good, healthy food. Indeed, within a stones throw of Hillsboro are dozens of these innovators who are fundamental to the future of farming and a robust rural economy. Don Virts is a family farmer who works day and night to maintain an uninterrupted 250-year tradition of farming Loudoun land by harnessing technology to grow organic produce all year round at CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) Farm. Sam and Molly Kroiz at Georges Mill are just completing excavation for what will be one of only a handful of cheese caves in the southeast to better produce and protect their widely acclaimed organic cheeses. Dawson’s Gap Farm saw a need and opportunity to serve like-minded organic farmers to become a leading distributor in the commonwealth of nonGMO feeds and organic fertilizers. A historic barn houses Carol Lenhart’s Birch Hollow Yoga studio. Organic farmers, boutique farmers, craft brewers and distillers are pursuing their passions, and in turn building key outposts across the rural west to serve connoisseurs and leisure travelers. Farmhouses, historic homes, barns and structures are being saved through repurposing as bed and breakfasts, restaurants, event venues, galleries

and artisan studios, further enhancing the viability of agro-tourism growth. These, and countless other small businesses and entrepreneurs are taking risks and making significant investments—investments that will benefit all of Loudoun as well as themselves. Jobs and ancillary businesses are being created to support these enterprises. Now is the time to match this private sector agro-innovation and investment by redoubling corresponding public-sector support akin to that delivered to traditional technology-industrial sectors at Loudoun’s Mason Enterprise Center. Imagine the impact of active investment and participation in an incubator to leverage and launch rural small businesses, and the development of financial incentives and access to financing for expansion of existing operations and startups. Likewise, while maintaining vigilance to protect viewsheds and ensure appropriate-sized and compatible rural uses of land, streamlining bureaucracy and facilitating commonsense solutions that encourage investments should be a paramount goal. In the next few years Loudoun will face growing threats to its rural west. Its viability is dependent on the ability of farmers and agro-tourism entrepreneurs to keep the land in sustainable productive uses. Just as county leaders have invested in making Loudoun a technology industry juggernaut, they have the opportunity to support the reimagining and resurgence of a strong agricultural/ tourism economy, which will in turn ensure the preservation of a rural refuge at the doorstep of all of Loudoun’s residents. It is time to support and unleash the innovators—east and west.

Several board members are concerned that the schools would offer fewer services than other Loudoun schools, with little room for athletic fields, tracks or playground equipment. “Athletic facilities don’t have to be right on the campus,” Tom Marshall (Leesburg) added. Joy Maloney (Broad Run) responded, “Sounds like a comment from someone who doesn’t have constituents there.” Chairman Jeff Morse (Dulles) suggested his colleagues hold a work session to hash out details on what type of services should be offered at town center-style schools and whether the schools would enroll just students from the new Metro developments or students in already established neighborhoods. And whatever the School Board’s decision on future school designs, it needs to be made quickly, Morse stressed. “If we don’t provide input now, I’m concerned that [supervisors] will move this train further down the rails before we get on, and then we’re playing catch up,” he said. “We need to tell the Board of Supervisors that not only are we engaged, but say what we anticipate a school in metropolitan Loudoun would look like.” Changing what schools look like near Metro is likely not an option but a must, Meyer said. He noted that the tax districts set up around the stations to help

pay for the rail line will be for naught if county facilities like schools take up large swaths of land, leaving little room for tax-generating businesses. “These are the questions that we are going to have to deal with, unless someone can show me 75 acres in that area that doesn’t destroy our tax base—that’s what we got for signing up for Metro,” he said. Meyer said that not providing school sites near Metro would mean overfilling the already crowded schools in the area. Plus, he expects families moving into Metro housing developments marketed as walkable communities will want town center-style schools nearby. Some of the townhomes, he said, could be as big as 1,800 square feet. “That’s big enough for three bedrooms, so we better be ready for kids,” Meyer said. The consultant’s report points to several schools near Metro stations in Fairfax County as models for Loudoun. Fairfax also has three elementary schools near Metro stations that sit on 12 acres or less and are built for as few as 540 students and as many as 948 students. The consultant’s report crunched the numbers, equating one school, Hunters Wood Elementary near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro station, to 105 square feet per student. By comparison, Loudoun

County’s newest school, Madison’s Trust Elementary School, averages 114 square feet per student. Lewis said his construction team is “ready and willing” to consider new school designs if the School Board gives him that direction. He is the assistant superintendent of Support Services, and formerly oversaw the construction department during some of its busiest years when it implemented the current prototype design for the schools. “This is an opportunity for us to collaborate and work together with county staff that meets the needs of the small area plan and also meets the instructional needs,” he said, and he stressed that the construction team’s focus will remain on building designs that are education venues first and foremost. “The Department of Instruction is our client—we’re designing and building buildings with a priority on teaching kids.” The School Board is expected to hold a work session on the idea next week. Supervisors are taking input now on the Silver Line Small Area Plan—the blueprint for what development will look like around the Metro stations—and scheduled to adopt it this fall.

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A VIEW FROM THE GAP

An Innovation Economy: East and West BY ROGER VANCE

oudoun County has been at the forefront of what will be recognized as a historic revolution in communications and technology—one that has transformed our lives and reached every corner of the globe. The preponderance of global internet traffic passes through Loudoun and with that comes developers of software, applications and ancillary technology to facilitate and capitalize on that traffic and a world increasingly digitally dependent. Loudoun’s global reputation as fertile ground for innovators and risk-taking entrepreneurs is well founded and county leaders have leveraged that reputation to attract cutting-edge enterprises and has fostered an environment to nurture the next wave of start ups. Indeed, Loudoun remains among the very top locales in the nation for business investment and job growth and the aggressive outreach, assistance and incentives offered by the county have been key to that success. But innovation and entrepreneurship, which drives economic vitality and its corresponding benefits to all of Loudoun’s residents, is not restricted to the increasingly urban east. The technology and research corridors and sprawling data centers in eastern Loudoun have their corollary in innovative opportunities emerging in our rural west.

School construction << FROM 1 the Innovation Station at Loudoun’s eastern boundary and Ashburn Station will be surrounded by The Gramercy District, Loudoun Station and Moorefield Station developments. “It is essential that the school be planned and developed to respond to the unique needs of a more densely populated community and the demands and influences of a more urbanized community fabric,” the report states. School Board members sounded caught off guard when Assistant Superintendent of Support Services Kevin Lewis brought up the idea at their meeting last week. “This is kind of blindsiding me. It almost sounds like they’re looking for a utopian community,” School Board member Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) said. “We’re saying urban-style schools, but it’s not like we’re in the middle of New York City here. It’s not like we can’t build a school outside of that Metro area.” “This is kind of huge,” said Debbie Rose (Algonkian). “It has to be brought up with the stakeholders and constituents.”

Roger Vance is the mayor of Hillsboro. His column appears monthly.

dnadler@loudounnow.com

Hiring Freeze

big Loudoun presence) that sent shockwaves through the technology industry. “Here was the most security-conscious organization in the world, or one of the most security-conscious organizations in the world, saying that, ‘you know what, we’re just as secure if not better secured by moving to the cloud,’” Wood said. “When that happened, the world took notice.” How the hiring freeze and federal workforce attrition—if successful—will fit into Loudoun’s economy remains to be seen. “The private sector has a lot to offer the federal government,” Howard said. “It’s just a matter of whether we can implement those private solutions through strategic moves through the federal government.” rgreene@loudounnow.com

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Rizer said although many Loudouners rely on the federal government for their paychecks, the county, as a whole, has weathered sequestration relatively well. “We don’t have a government agency here,” Rizer said. “We have government contractors here, and so what you end up getting is perhaps opportunity.” He gave the example of data centers, one of the major strengths of Loudoun’s economy: “When the government started shutting down their data centers, it was great for our data center industry, because they started leasing space instead.” And Loudoun’s strategy of diversifying its economy has had benefits from the countywide level to individual corporations. “We benefit from the largess of the biggest purchaser of goods and services in the world, the federal government, but we also suffer when they do things like sequestrations,” Howard said. “A lot of our big companies—our Raytheons, and our Northrops, and all those—have really diversified their income line, and have been doing a lot more private business,” Rizer said. And some federal contractors could benefit from a federal workforce cut. “Typically, when there are government hiring freezes, agencies rely more on contractors to get work that isn’t ‘inherently governmental’ done,” said Sheila Blackwell, vice president for communications at Loudoun-based FCi Federal, which provides operations management and professional services to federal government agencies. “FCi expects to see an uptick in our staff augmentation type contracts as a result.” She said the freeze does not change FCi Federal’s hiring plans. John Wood, CEO and chairman of Telos Corporation in Ashburn, said his company, a major cybersecurity busi-

Filling the Gap

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

sequestration, which slashed federal spending indiscriminately beginning in 2013 after Congress could not reach agreement on budget cuts. Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tony Howard likened that to a “Sword of Damocles that Congress put over itself.” “Everyone agrees that that is no way to run an enterprise, particularly one the size of the federal government,” Howard said. “It’s not a very targeted nor strategic, and I would suggest, smart way of conducting business.” He added, “no successful enterprise that I know conducts business in this way, and no successful government agency conducts business in that way at the state or local level.” Howard also said cuts to the federal workforce could have an impact on the people who rely on the federal government for their paycheck and the businesses they frequent. “These are still folks who are spending money at businesses across Northern Virginia, so it can’t help but have an impact on the local economy if that workforce is cut, particularly if it’s done in Washington,” Howard said. But some Loudoun businesses could stand to benefit from federal workforce cuts.

sheets among Loudoun’s technology companies. Wood is hopeful that the new administration will focus on cybersecurity and updating government technology, which would bring new spending to companies like his. Updating federal technology, he said, could also benefit one of Loudoun’s major sectors: data centers and the cloud. “I do think … that he understands how at risk the U.S. government is in terms of cybersecurity,” Wood said. Most of the federal IT budget, he said, is spent on maintenance, leaving little money for the continuous upgrades that are necessary to keep up with the pace of computing technology. The only way for the government to keep up, he said, is the cloud. Wood pointed out that even the CIA moved to cloud computing in 2013, a 10-year, $600 million deal with Amazon Web Services (another company with a

Feb. 2 – 8, 2017

<< FROM 3

ness, has also diversified beyond the federal sphere. “We made the decision a long time ago to expand our presence beyond the federal government,” Wood said. “We’ve expanded commercially, we’ve expanded internationally, we’ve expanded very demonstrably, and I think the good news is that was met with success.” He pointed out the federal government has been operating under continuing resolutions, rather than actual budgets, for years. “The freeze doesn’t mean that much, because at the end of the day, what a continuing resolution is all about is freezing new spending, freezing new programs,” Wood said. “That’s what a continuing resolution is, and that’s what we’ve been living with for at least eight years.” Between the hiring freeze, and the possibility of an increased federal focus on cybersecurity, the Trump administration could be good news for balance

Feb. 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8, 2017