Loudoun Now for March 17, 2016

LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 1, No. 19 ]

[ loudounnow.com ]

[ March 17 – 23, 2016 ]

PEDALING LOCAL WARES

28

SPRING REAL ESTATE GUIDE ..........

17

‘Paradigm Shift’ eyed for Leesburg schools

BY DANIELLE NADLER

SAVING SELMA Historic manor poised for rebirth after sale

BY MARGARET MORTON

O

ne of the grand old buildings of Loudoun is about to be restored to its former glory.

On Tuesday, Sharon D. Virts and Scott F. Miller completed the purchase of Selma, the historic 20-room mansion on Rt. 15 north of Leesburg. The seller was businessman Peter J. ter Maaten, who lives in Holland.

Virts, a Loudoun native, is the founder and CEO of FCi Federal, in Ashburn. Miller, company president, oversees the company’s operations.

The couple plans to restore the house and to live there—a decision that has been hailed with relief by preservationists and

SEE “SELMA THROUGH THE CENTURIES,” PAGE 39, FOR MORE ON THE PROPERTY’S EARLIEST YEARS. others who have mourned the slow dilapidation of the long-ignored mansion.

At the end of a long driveway on the west side of Rt. 15, Selma sits in a similar position to Morven Park to the south. Both are grand houses, gleaming white, silhouetted against the steeply rising wooded Catoctin Mountain at their backs. But while Morven Park has undergone a full restoration, in recent years Selma has been subjected to neglect and vandalism that have threatened the integrity of the house.

Rick Martin Photography

The 20-room Selma mansion, once a beloved venue of Loudoun’s best-known residents, sat empty for 16 years. Now, a local couple wants to breath new life into it.

The new owners are very excited with their acquisition, for which they paid about $1.2 million. What has buoyed Virts and Miller is the enormous amount of recent interest in the house—including a growing number of followers of a newly created Facebook page, “Selma Mansion Rebirth,” as well as preservationists and those who had attended events there.

“So many people have contacted us to say they want to help,” Miller said. First, the couple plans to stabilize the house and the roof, clear all the brush off the exterior walls and stop water from leaking in.

Miller estimates the restoration process will take from 18 months to two years to complete.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” he said.

“We believe in Top Notch Service and Giving Back to our Local Community. Find out firsthand why Loudoun County named us the 2014 Small Business of the Year”.

SAVING SELMA >> 39

Leesburg kids, brace yourselves. Major attendance changes are likely coming your way.

Most Loudoun County School Board members want to make significant revisions to school assignments to fix what they consider an unfair distribution of the town’s poorest and non-English-speaking students.

Attendance zone boundary changes have to be made to reduce overcrowding at Evergreen Mill Elementary School.

A few board members and some residents favor reassigning just a few hundred students to bring down Evergreen Mill’s enrollment. But comments from board members this week indicate the majority want to see what board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) called a “paradigm shift.”

Hornberger and board member Eric DeKenipp (Catoctin) unveiled their proposal that would return hundreds of students to their neighborhood schools. Their attendance map, “Plan 12,” would reverse decisions made by previous school boards in 2006 and 2011 to assign students from the cluster of apartment complexes in central Leesburg to schools that are as far as 3 miles away.

The shifted boundaries would result in a higher concentration of low-income and English Language Learner students at two schools. It would mean that 59 percent of the student population at Leesburg Elementary and 56 percent at Frederick Douglass Elementary would qualify for the federal LEESBURG BOUNDARIES >> 38

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March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

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More Loudoun Students Are Eating Breakfast

BY DANIELLE NADLER

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services’ Deputy Undersecretary Katie Wilson enjoys breakfast with 6-yearold Jasman, left, and other Frederick Douglass Elementary School kindergarteners March 10. The number of Frederick Douglass students eating school breakfast has more than doubled in the past year.

the first stop of their day.

BREAKFAST IN LOUDOUN’S A little over PUBLIC SCHOOLS COST $2.10. a year ago, the cafeteria staff Learn more about what’s stocked more served in the schools’ packaged foods cafeterias at and allowed lcpshealthycafe.org. students to grab food and take it with them to class.

“When we Then, word spread about the started the grab-and-go program, that really made a dif- breakfast program as kids saw ference,” Assistant Principal their classmates eating their Diane Herndon-Wilson said. meal during the first few min“Before kids tended to not utes of class.

Plus, students have more want to be late for class, so than a box of Cinnamon Toast they’d just skip breakfast.”

Crunch as an incentive to come to breakfast. Kids who line up for breakfast have a chance to win prizes, such as stickers and breakfast with Principal Paula Huffman.

S t u d e n t s throughout Loudoun County’s 88 public schools have, recently, gotten more of a nudge to eat breakfast. More middle and high schools have launched “grab and go” programs similar to Frederick Douglass’ and allowed students to eat during the first few

dnadler@loudounnow.com

‘GREAT PROPOSAL, WRONG PLACE’ Old Arcola School Reuse Plan Under Fire

BY RENSS GREENE

W

indy Hill Foundation’s OUR BIGGEST proposal to save old Arco- CONCERN HAS la Elementary School by ALWAYS BEEN converting the building into affordable housing is under fire—and under the THE TRAFFIC AND Dulles jet traffic.

THE SAFETY OF The county recently asked for proposals for a public-private partnership OUR CHILDREN.” to save old Arcola Elementary School, which is listed on both state and federal registers of historic places. The building was built in 1939 and served as a school until the 1970s, when it was converted to a community center.

The Windy Hill Foundation, which builds affordable housing in Northern Virginia, made the only proposal that met all of the request’s requirements. Windy Hill proposes to renovate the building into apartments and build a separate two-story, 36-unit apartment building on the property. The foundation would also include five units for the intellectually and developmentally disabled, build an ARCOLA SCHOOL >> 38

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Arcola Elementary School sits under the flight path of one of Dulles International Airport’s runways.

Businesses get kudos for supporting schools ......15

Public safety made budget priority ..........................6

State budget comes with teacher raises .............26

Congressional hopefuls stump in Loudoun ...16

Loudoun Gov ............... 5 Crime .......................12 Education ................. 14 Our Towns.................27

LoCo Living ............... 28 Obituaries .................32 Classifieds................ 33 Opinion ................... 36

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[ INDEX ] More reason to raise a glass in Leesburg ..........8

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

The 7:30 a.m. bell blared.

“Get ready, ladies. Here they come,” Cafeteria Manager Cathy Wilson said to her team.

They took the cue to slip on plastic gloves and stand in position behind trays of food, just as dozens of students rounded the corner into the cafeteria to line up for breakfast. The hungry kids were greeted with “good mornings” on their way in and stickers that read “Wake up to breakfast at Frederick Douglass” on their way out.

On a typical day, the Leesburg school serves breakfast to about 175 students. Most schools don’t see such a crowd for what’s considered the most important meal of the day.

But Frederick Douglass administrators and teachers have fine-tuned the breakfast program to make it easier for more students to begin their school day with a full stomach. In the past year, Frederick Douglass has seen the number of students who eat school breakfast grow by 117 percent.

The surge in participation was enough to draw a USDA administrator to belly up to the cafeteria table alongside students last Thursday morning.

Katie Wilson, deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, visited the school to celebrate School Breakfast Week and find out what’s luring so many students to make the cafeteria

minutes of class. Sugarland Run Elementary in Sterling has seen success in getting kids to eat when cafeteria workers deliver coolers of breakfast foods to the classrooms each morning.

The changes have boosted participation in the breakfast program by 28 percent system wide, according to Loudoun County School Nutrition Services Supervisor Becky Bays.

“Kids want fast, especially when you get to the middle school and high school level, and that’s made all the difference,” she said.

Research shows that breakfast is tied to improved math scores and lower tardiness and truancy levels, Bays said.

About 31 million students nationally eat school lunch, and about 10 million participate in school breakfast programs. Throughout the country, the number of students who eat school breakfast is on the rise, Wilson said, but not quite to the degree it is in Loudoun.

“It’s about logistics, and it takes a school administration willing to make it a priority to make it work,” she said. “Everybody has to see the value in it. … It prepares students for their school day.”

Wilson followed her own advice. She joined kindergartners for a round of breakfast pizza sticks—a favorite among Frederick Douglass students— before touring the school garden and visiting with fourth-graders as they planted vegetables.

March 17 – 23, 2016

USDA Wants to Know Why

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[ A LOUDOUN MOMENT ]

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

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PILOTS&PAWS Leesburg Executive Airport Commission Chairman Dennis Boykin took March 9 off to “play hooky”—flying his 1969 Piper Comanche C to Fayetteville, NC, and back to pick up two rescue dogs for the Pilots N Paws program.

Pilots N Paws is a nonprofit organization that helps connect people who shelter, foster, or rescue animals with volunteer pilots to transport them.

Boykin joined Pilots N Paws after starting another organization to rescue English Springer Spaniels. Last week, he transported Dexter, a German Shepherd, and Leo, a mix.

Dexter and Leo were traveled from the Cumberland County, NC, shelter to new homes through Promises Animal Rescue in Gainesville, Va. Pilots N Paws is a great way for pilots to do good while getting flight time—dogs don’t count under FAA rules for carrying passengers, and pilots can write off the aviation fuel they burn as a donation to a charitable organization.

Photo essay by Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

5

[ LOUDOUN ]

BY RENSS GREENE

They recommend things like arts, entertainment and culture districts; diverse and affordable housing options; urban, walkable environments; and multimodal transportation, which means opening up options such as riding a bus and cycling to get from place to place.

Committee members also walked away with a few new ideas after speaking with people at the event.

Scott Loftis, of the panel’s public space and amenities subcommittee, said people bemoaned the lack of outdoor spaces for concerts and for teenagers, and the lack of international-themed evenings and events.

“One of the things they said was that nothing stays open late around here,” said Kristopher Diemar from the entertainment subcommittee. People recommended to him changes in noise ordinances to allow more live music.

“Affordability is critical, not just at the basic level, but at multiple price points and the style and type of housing that people want to buy,” said Chauvon Mcfadden from the housing diversity and affordability subcommittee.

As of Monday night, 971 people had taken an online survey from the committee. That survey will be online collecting answers through Friday.

To see NEAC’s draft recommendations and take the survey, go to loudoun.gov/nighttime-economy. rgreene@loudounnow.com

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In May of 2015, the Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee set to work trying to figure out how to make Loudoun a place where the next generation wants to live, work and play.

Committee leaders said Loudoun’s previous economic development strategies have served it well. For a time, office parks, data centers, suburbs, and proximity to the Metro buoyed its economy.

But NEAC co-chairmen Todd Pearson and Tony Howard say the millennial generation doesn’t want to live in a suburb and commute to an office park. Research shows that millenials, who in 2015 became the majority of the American workforce, are flocking instead to places that allow them to integrate their work and home lives that allow them to socialize and connect.

So NEAC was created to figure out how Loudoun can keep up. On Monday evening, Pearson, Howard, and other NEAC members unveiled the first draft of their plan at BLVD in Loudoun Station in Ashburn and took suggestions from the public. Eightyfour people crowded into the room to take part.

“We found that this is about much more than what happens at night,” Howard said.

Their recommendations touch a wide range of topics, from public safety to transportation to entertainment.

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Nighttime Economy Plan Goes Public

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[ LOUDOUN BRIEFS ] State Car Tax Relief Falls to 43 percent Remember when Gov. Jim Gilmore promised to eliminate the car tax? This year, the state government will fall 57 percent short of keeping that promise.

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors last week agreed to hold the personal property tax rate—unchanged for more than 30 years—at $4.20 per $100 of value. Personal use vehicles valued at $1,000 or less are exempt from the tax. State tax relief is offered on the first $840 of a resident’s car tax bill—the amount due for a vehicle valued at $20,000. The concept in 1998 was that the state government would eliminate that tax by paying localities that money instead. Those with more expensive cars would pay the rest of their balance.

The program was never fully funded, however. The assembly initially agreed to honor Gilmore’s promise with funding for localities phased in over five years. In 2004, the assembly abandoned that plan and froze the reimbursements at 70 percent—giving localities the option of whether to waive the remaining 30 percent or require car owners to pony up.

Loudoun, like most counties, opted for the latter. The program took another hit in 2006 when the assembly capped statewide funding for the tax-relief program $950 million annually. Of that, Loudoun receives $48,070,701, an amount unchanged since then.

That approach hits hardest the residents in fast-growing localities. As the number of vehicle increases, the share of tax relief afforded each vehicle decreases. The vehicle tax base has increased 59 percent since 2005.

Last year, the state funds covered about 46 percent of the taxes charged on a $20,000 vehicle; this year that will drop to 43 percent, a maximum of $361.

The Board of Supervisors, so far unsuccessfully, has pushed for a statewide study of all local government allocations provided through the tax relief program.

Fire, Rescue, and Sheriff Get Help Loudoun supervisors in budget straw votes have approved a fulltime operational medical director for the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management.

“Considering that we’ve been hobbling along with a part-time person, who in reality has been providing full-time work to the county for more than a decade, we need the full-time position,” said Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian).

“In reality, if we look back on it, he really should have charged for more.”

The department also won funding for a human resources administrative assistant, a payroll assistant, and a quality assurance and quality improvement officer. Combined Fire-Rescue System Chief W. Keith Brower Jr. said the latter position would help the department catch up on quality monitoring.

“In theory, every EMS call should be reviewed for compliance,” he said.

“As it stands right now, we are not looking at calls proactively. We are reacting to complaints about service delivery.”

Supervisors also met part of Sheriff Mike Chapman’s request, although they couldn’t stomach the bill for his full request of $2.7 million above what is covered in the equalized tax rate budget, including both new positions and one-time startup expenses. Of Chapman’s $6.7 million total request, $1.3 million appears in County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s recommended budget, which, as is, includes a tax increase.

Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) said the sheriff had “outdone” himself with his request.

“You’ve just added a half a penny to the tax rate, by yourself, with your enhancements,” Buona said.

Ultimately, supervisors voted to fund an administrative assistant, a juvenile sex crimes detective, a community resources deputy, and in increase to the business licensing enforcement unit.

Other motions to hire an adult detention center cook and and two additional traffic deputies failed narrowly.

Bus routes set to change Loudoun County Transit is taking comment on plans to change some bus routes and fares.

Under the proposal, fares on routes 72, 83, and 84 would be reduced from $2 to $1, and transfers between local routes would be free.

Long-haul bus fares would increase from $8 per trip to $9.

Route 62, the Ashburn Connector, would run more often, but the Ashburn Village Boulevard leg to Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne would be eliminated. Instead, the bus route would extend to One Loudoun, allowing a transfer to Route 70 to Invova Loudoun Hospital.

Route 72, the Wiehle Express, would increase in frequency and stop service along Russell Branch Parkway east of One Loudoun and to Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne.

Route 85, the Dulles South Connector, would now run along Rt. 50 from Stone Springs Boulevard to Loudoun County Parkway, and along Loudoun County Parkway from Rt. 50 to Tall Cedars Parkway. Mid-day routing would extend from East Gate Park and Ride to Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail. Timing would be adjusted for easier transfers to Route 88X. Route 88X, from the Telos Park and Ride lot along Rt. 7 to the Wiehle-Reston East Metrorail Station, would extend to Inova Loudoun Hospital in Lansdowne and run less frequently.

The schedule would also be made to more closely resemble Metro Connection timetables.

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Burk Kicks Off Mayoral Campaign

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ Standing at what she cited as a prime example of “smart economic growth,” Leesburg Vice Mayor Kelly Burk stated her case for why she should be the town’s next mayor.

Burk hosted her campaign kickoff Saturday at Crescent Place, a mixed-

use development along Harrison Street. She pointed to the project as an example of the kind of development the town needs, one that replaced an old, crumbling factory with an attractive space that meets the needs of current and future residents.

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WINE AND DINE — OUTDOORS Alcohol service on downtown sidewalks a go

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

Y

ou’ll now be able to enjoy downtown Leesburg’s widened King Street sidewalk with a glass of wine.

The Leesburg Town Council last week approved a Town Code change that paves the way for alcoholic beverage service on downtown streets and sidewalks, for both outdoor dining at eating establishments and during some special events.

The council voted 6-1 to change the law, Councilman Tom Dunn opposed.

In her presentation last week, Town Attorney Barbara Notar said many town departments had been involved in the logistics of how regulations would be applied.

Gwen Pangle, chairwoman of the town’s Economic Development Commission, was among those who spoke in favor of the changes. She said commissioners enthusiastically and unanimously voted to support the initiative.

“We really believe that, in addition to all the studies the county is doing about boosting the nighttime economy, it’s a great idea for Leesburg to do the same thing,” she said.

Restaurants that are able to offer outdoor dining on the sidewalks will need to have their ABC permit extended to include the outdoor space. Under the town ordinance, alcoholic beverages can be served at the outdoor tables until 11 p.m. The businesses must also apply for a special permit from the town, which can be revoked by the town at any time. There also may be black-out dates

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Alcoholic beverages can now be served outdoors by downtown Leesburg restaurants and at special events.

at the town’s discretion, Notar said. Any seating area where outdoor alcohol service is permitted must be roped off.

The outdoor alcohol regulations also apply to events on town streets in the B-1 District, which covers the downtown area. An event organizer would need a special event permit to serve alcohol. Notar pointed out that in 2015 alone there were 23 events that closed town streets. Street festivals or events put on by community organizations, churches and even race organizers can now serve alcoholic beverages if they are granted permits.

Finally, the council also permitted alcoholic beverage service during special events at the Leesburg Executive Airport, the Leesburg Town Green, Mervin Jackson Park and Festival Field at Ida Lee Park, where the gazebo sits. Again, alcoholic beverage service would be permitted in these places only if a permit has been received by the event organizer.

Mayor David Butler’s motion for a

condition that outdoor tables that serve alcohol be at least 7 feet from the street curb found only the support of Councilwoman Suzanne Fox, with Dunn abstaining on that vote. Ultimately, Vice Mayor Kelly Burk’s motion to place the setback at 5 feet passed, with Butler and Dunn dissenting. Fox gained unanimous support for her motion that states that the town will not waive any fees for event organizers who are applying for a permit for an event where alcohol will be served.

Those who supported the measures believe it will be yet another tool to add vibrancy to the downtown area. Burk pointed to existing restaurants that have outdoor dining and outdoor alcoholic beverage service—MacDowell Brew Kitchen, for instance.

“They’re packed during the warm weather months,” she said. “This is something that’s really going to revitalize the downtown, get people out and about.”

Several restaurateurs who spoke at

the public hearing concurred. Even though the ordinance will not impact his business because the sidewalk in front of the store is too narrow, Shoe’s Cup & Cork General Manager Curtis Allred was a proponent.

“People want to eat and drink outside. It’s an experience that attracts people to the downtown,” he said. “If you don’t have those things, your downtown is going to die.”

Wine Kitchen owner Jason Miller also pressed the council to help “level the playing field” for downtown businesses with more “fake downtown” options popping up in Loudoun County, namely town centers like the Village at Leesburg and One Loudoun. He also pointed to the downtown area of Frederick, MD, where Wine Kitchen has a location.

Frederick is “filled with people on streets, dining. It lets people see there’s life,” he said.

But not everybody at last week’s meeting was supportive.

Wirt Street resident Fred Williams said he was not convinced a 5-foot setback would be sufficient for pedestrians, strollers and even wheelchairs to pass. He said those walking on the downtown sidewalks would end up stepping in the street as they navigate around the roped-off areas for outdoor dining and alcohol beverage service.

The lone nay vote, Dunn said he had reservations about allowing alcoholic beverage service on town property. He said the onus was on the downtown business community to add to the feet on the street.

“Sidewalks were never going to be the answer to everything downtown. There has to be a purpose for coming downtown and it has to be a good enough purpose. It’s up to the businesses to provide that,” he said. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Leesburg Council Digs in to Budget

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ The Leesburg Town Council began the review of Leesburg’s proposed $94 million fiscal year 2017 budget during a three-hour work session Saturday.

As it is the second year of the town’s two-year budget, council members are largely focusing on what has changed since the presentation of the budget last spring.

Among the changes highlighted Saturday were $196,439 in additions to the General Fund, most notably plans to hire a full-time network administrator. That position alone accounts for almost half of the proposed enhancements. Other enhancements include: $45,000 for downtown initiatives through the Parks and Recreation Department; $33,000 in cybersecurity insurance for the Finance Department; and $2,200 for the Leesburg Police Department to hold a leadership academy for area teens.

Also highlighted were increases in operational costs, including an almost $200,000 increase in the town’s contract for refuse and recycling services.

SPOTLIGHT ON LEESBURG BUDGET This prompted a conversation among council members about the need to address service level expectations for residents (see Budget Spotlight story, Page XX).

The lack of state revenue sharing for milling and paving services is another hit to the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. According to Town Manager Kaj Dentler, the state has eliminated its maintenance funding to localities, which in the past the town has allocated to resurfacing streets. Dentler has budgeted $475,000 in town funds for those projects; that’s the amount the town expected to receive from the state. In years past, the town has budgeted up to $1 million for milling and paving, but the state contribution to road maintenance has dwindled over

the past few years, Dentler said.

While Capital Projects and Public Works Director Renee LaFollette said the local funding should be sufficient for the upcoming year, the council should make plans in case state funding does not come back. Keeping future milling and paving funding level at $475,000 will drive costs up in later years, as some roads will get pushed to the back burner and require a more extensive maintenance.

The council also devoted a significant amount of its time Saturday morning to the Capital Fund, out of which the seven-year Capital Improvements Program is funded. The Catoctin Skate Park project may increase by another $100,000 because of soil conditions on the site. There has been some thought to move the skate park from Catoctin Circle to Ida Lee Park, but Dentler noted Saturday there has been a lot of community support to keep the skate park where it is now, and just move it within its current site.

The Hope Parkway road extension, which concluded late last year, was also highlighted.

That project came in under budget, making $1.2 million available for other capital projects, such as the Morven Park Road sidewalk widening; the north hangars at Leesburg Executive Airport; remaining downtown improvements between King and North streets; and continued bond funding of project management costs. A recently approved project for a water feature at Mervin Jackson Park next to Town Hall has already received $300,000 in funding from the Hope Parkway savings.

Clark Case, director of the town’s Financial and Administrative Services Department, reviewed with the council the town’s move to utilize pay-asyou-go, or PAYGO, financing to draw down on the town’s dependence on debt for CIP projects. PAYGO can free up the town’s existing bond proceeds and postpone the issuance of new debt.

Each year the town’s financial team will plug in a PAYGO increase of up to $200,000, Case said. About $5.25 million in PAYGO financing is eyed for LEESBURG BUDGET >>> 9

Service levels may take a hit

Leesburg budget

million in the Utility Fund. The town is also anticipating $3.3 million in funding from the Northern Virginia Transit Authority to pay for transportation projects in Leesburg. The total budget is a 4 percent decrease from the current fiscal year’s budget.

The council is expected to continue its budget review at its March 28 work session.

<< FROM 8 the CIP through 2021.

In total, the proposed breakdown of the $94 million budget is: $55 million in expenditures and debt service pegged for the General Fund; $1.7 million in the Capital Asset Replacement Fund; $13 million in the Capital Fund; and $21

– Kara C. Rodriguez

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

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20436 Tanager Pl, Leesburg

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18291 Mullfield Village Ter, Leesburg

42081 Trengwinton Pl, Leesburg

11885 Shaker Meadows Ct, Herndon

13493 Arcadian Dr, Leesburg

41338 Raspberry Dr, Leesburg

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

trucks to better monitor brush and leaf pick-up frequencies and find efficiencies in routes and schedules.

The state’s sharp cutback of the funds it contributes to the town for street work (zero dollars in the current fiscal year) may also spur a conversation about deferring road maintenance. While state funding has declined, the town has added 60 lane miles, a 33 percent increase, since 2004.

Council members seem to be painfully aware that changes, and hard conversations, may be around the corner.

“We’re going to have to change the way we are setting the community’s expectations,” Councilman Tom Dunn said.

But, as perception is everything, changing service levels in town may be a difficult task, and perhaps not a very popular move.

“We provide services that people expect—nothing frivolous, nothing extreme,” Vice Mayor Kelly Burk said.

March 17 – 23, 2016

As the Town of Leesburg’s budget has tightened over the past decade, its population continues to swell. The town now boasts about 50,000 residents and about 15,000 rooftops, which include a mix of housing types. Many residents have come to expect a certain level of service provided by town government, including services such as biweekly trash pick-up, recycling service, brush and leaf pick-up and streets that are both clean and swept and smooth to ride on, thanks to scheduled milling and paving.

But those services come with a price tag, and as the town’s population has soared, so has the impact to the budget.

Town Manager Kaj Dentler noted in his budget presentation to the council that the contract for recycling and trash service alone will increase by $200,000 this year. Brush and leaf pick-ups have also increased, although not to the degree of the refuse collection contract.

Capital Projects and Public Works Director Renee LaFollette told the council in its Saturday work session that GPS units are being added to town crews’

9

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10 loudounnow.com

Burk kickoff

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

<< FROM 7

www.leesburgfc.com Leesburg FC soccer club is looking for 7- and 8-year-old boys and girls to join its U7/U8 pre-travel soccer academy. The objective of this foundational course is to focus on each individual player's foot skills development.

The training sessions are conducted by Leesburg FC's licensed and professional coaches.

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Wednesday, March 23

10:00am - 2:00pm

571-258-3800

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Bunn y B a z n o na

Bunny Bonanza

Join the Heritage Farm Museum for Bunny Bonanza on Wednesday, March 23 from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

Interact with live rabbits, meet the Easter Bunny, and enjoy hands-on exhibits and crafts for all ages.

Discover opportunities to volunteer to work with animals in our area. A “must-see” for anyone who owns a rabbit or is thinking about becoming a rabbit owner.

Bunny Bonanza is free with paid Museum admission.

pressed by Burk during her stump speech was the need for transparency in government and a commitment to embracing the town’s diversity.

Burk was introduced by County Chairwoman Phyllis Randall (D-AtLarge) and former Leesburg mayor, and current Leesburg District supervisor, Kristen Umstattd (D).

Randall noted that it was Burk who introduced her for her campaign kickoff for the chairman’s seat almost exactly a year ago. She said she hoped to provide the “same magic”—a campaign victory—for Burk.

Randall said that the Leesburg Town Council “has been interesting” since Umstattd left her post as mayor after 13 years to join the county board.

She highlighted the council’s monthlong struggle to choose a new mayor, which ended with the selection of Councilman Dave Butler.

“Things did not go quite as smoothly as we’d hoped,” in the transition of leadership on the council, she said.

“We have a new mayor that none of us expected. When I heard about what happened [in the controversial mayoral appointment process] I thought, ‘OK, he’ll be [mayor] for eight months and then go home.’”

Burk also said it is a “real shame to see where the council is at this point.”

“There are deals made, secrets kept,” she said.

Burk said she hoped to bring back more of an air of transparency and “open government.” She said Umstattd did that well.

“When someone came and spoke before the council they knew they were being heard. We’re going to bring it back,” she said to cheers and applause.

An almost 40-year resident of the town, Burk said that much has changed since she moved to Leesburg. She has seen the town grow from a population of about 8,000 to now hovering around 50,000 residents. And with that growth has come increased diversity that Burk says the town needs to embrace. She pointed to last year’s creation of the town’s Diversity Commission, an initiative she is proud to have been a part of starting.

Umstattd said she has known Burk for years, both as a dedicated public school teacher and Town Council member. She called Burk “a strong advocate for preservation, the environment and fiscal responsibility,” who has worked with her fellow council members “with compassion and restraint.”

“There is no one better to be mayor of Leesburg,” Umstattd said. “She will be the best mayor we have seen in this town.”

Burk will face former Councilman Kevin Wright on the November ballot.

Butler has said he is considering a run for a full two-year term in the mayor’s seat, but has not made a decision.

Participating organizations include: Leaps and Squeaks Rabbit and Cavy Club of Northern Virginia, Fairfax 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club, The American Rabbit Breeders Association, The Fairfax County Animal Shelter

21668 Heritage Farm Lane • Sterling, VA 20164 The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is conveniently located within Claude Moore Park in Sterling, Virginia.

Directions: From Route 7, exit onto Cascades Parkway South. Turn left onto Loudoun Park Lane. Continue through Claude Moore Park and follow signs for the Heritage Farm Museum.

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LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

The Town of Leesburg now knows the true cost of a 3-foot snow storm and its resulting clean-up–$696,431.

According to a town staff report, the storm will cost $645,915 more than what was budgeted in the General Fund, and $50,516 more than the Utility Fund’s regular operating budget.

These overages are due to clean-up efforts, repairs and emergency response related to late January’s winter storm Jonas, which left many town streets impassable for days as town crews and contractors helped dig out.

Last week the council unanimously approved a transfer from the town’s Unassigned Fund Balance to cover the costs of affected departmental budgets.

In the General Fund, $125,000 is budgeted annually for snowstorm clean-up efforts, Town Manager Kaj Dentler explained. This covers the estimated cost of two average-size snow storms of 8 to 12 inches. Years ago, the town used to budget for 8 to 10 storms per fiscal year but previous councils and former Town Manager John Wells reduced that number to the now two storms budgeted for.

The new strategy of purposefully “under-funding” the budget for winter storms is part of the town’s long-term financial approach, Dentler said, and utilizing money from the Unassigned Fund Balance to cover any overages in the annual budget for winter storms is

part of the arrangement.

“This is why you have these reserves,” Dentler explained to the council. “This is not a surprise. The size of the storm was a big surprise, but overall this has been our practice for the last several years to have to reimburse ourselves.

This storm is just of epic proportions so that is why the bill is bigger.”

The breakdown of overages in the General Fund’s budget includes: $260,126.07 in salaries and benefits; $7,353.01 in lodging and meals; $339,270.50 in contracted snow removal fees; and $164,165.43 in repairs and supplies.

For the Utility Fund, the overages included: $31,560.59 in salaries and benefits; $637.41 in lodging and meals; and $18,317.96 in repairs and supplies.

According to the staff report, the town is working with Loudoun County government to submit for reimbursement to the Federal Emergency Management Administration and also look into other opportunities to cover some of the storm costs. But any reimbursement is not expected to come within the current fiscal year, the report reads.

The council is still expected to discuss the town’s response to the storm in terms of snow removal efforts, which was widely criticized as some neighborhood streets were impassible for close to a week.

yC l g n i r Ca

11 March 17 – 23, 2016

Leesburg Gets $700K Winter Storm Bill

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

loudounnow.com

12

[ CRIME ] Man Pleads Guilty In Child Sex Case A 22-year-old man faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault at an in-home child care business in Sterling.

Michael Dylan Kessel pleaded guilty to one count of taking indecent liberties with Michael Dylan Kessel children. Circuit Court Judge Stephen E. Sincavage will hand down his sentence June 30.

The case began last June 2015, when Loudoun investigators were contacted by the family of a victim. The child care service was operated by Kessell’s mother, but he occasionally had oversight of the children during the course of the day.

According to evidence in the case, Loudoun detectives arranged for and monitored a phone call between the victim’s mother and Kessel. During the hour-long call Kessel admitted to inappropriately touching the victim, saying “I’m extremely sorry,” and asking the victim’s mother if she was going to take the matter to the police because he was “worried about himself.”

Kessel was removed from the home by Loudoun Child Protective Services. Electronic devices seized from the home contained images of children sleeping in the same bed as Kessel and evidence of web searches related to child pornography.

Arrest warrants were obtained for Kessel in September and he was arrested at a relative’s home in Marion County, FL. Kessel is being held without bond in the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

Hamilton Man Sentenced to Federal Prison on Drug Charge A year-long investigation by the Leesburg Police Department and the FBI culminated last week with a Hamilton drug dealer being sentenced to serve 5 years in federal prison.

Leesburg Police investigators suspected Lonnell K. Sanya, 37, was distributing powder and crack cocaine and heroin in town.

On Nov. 19, 2015, the department and the FBI conducted surveillance on Sanya and subsequently arrested him on local charges.

The execution of a search warrant at his Hamilton home resulted in the seizure of a vehicle, a large amount of cash and illegal narcotics.

On Jan. 7, Sanya was charged under federal law for Lonnell K. Sanya conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Sanya pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve 60 months in the United States Bureau of Prisons. Sanya also was convicted on a revocation of supervised release and was sentenced to an additional 24 months in prison.

Investigators Release Sketch In Falcon’s Landing Burglary Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office detectives have released a composite sketch of a person of interest in a February burglary at the Falcon’s Landing retirement community in Cascades.

Between 11:30 Burglary suspect a.m. and 1 p.m. on Feb. 18, a large amount of jewelry was reported missing from a residence in the complex. The victim reported that just prior to leaving her home, a man came to her door and when she answered, he said he was at the wrong house.

A similar encounter occurred around 12:30 p.m. that same day when a man went to a home on Langley Drive. When the resident answered, he said was looking for his dog.

Both witnesses described the subject as being 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall with olive skin, a heavy build, and short brown hair. He was wearing dark pants and a dark maintenance-style shirt and jacket with no logos.

Anyone with any information about the case is asked to contact Det. J. Jeffers at 571258-3181.

Heroin Forum to Focus on Addiction Support, Prevention Efforts Area leaders will continue to raise awareness of the dangerous heroin epidemic during a March 18 forum in Leesburg.

The session is organized by U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10), Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is the second forum designed for parents and students regarding heroin addiction, the resources available to those who are addicted, and prevention efforts.

Representatives from the Sheriff ’s Office, Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, Loudoun County Public Schools, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Loudoun County Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Developmental Health Services

and the Drug Enforcement Administration will participate. Also in attendance will be Nick Yacoub, the peer support specialist supervisor/ senior recovery coach for the Substance Abuse Addiction and Recovery Alliance. He will share his story of abuse and recovery after an arrest in Loudoun County, which culminated in treatment as part of his sentencing.

The program will be held at the DEA Museum, 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite F-1, starting at 6 p.m.

The roundtable discussion is part of a series of initiatives surrounding the formation of the regional Heroin Operations Team one year ago in an effort to curb heroin overdoses and related crimes in the region.

Leesburg Council Presses Pause on SRO Funding Request

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ Be careful what you wish for. That was the message conveyed

by Leesburg District Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) to her former Town Council cohorts Saturday morning.

Umstattd appeared before the council during its budget work session just days after the Board of Supervisors received a letter from the town requesting full funding of School Resource Officers in Leesburg schools.

Currently, middle and high schools in Leesburg are patrolled

by Leesburg Police Department officers, although the county pays 70 percent of the cost for those SROs. Mayor Dave Butler penned a March 8 letter asking the county to pick up 100 percent of the cost.

Many supervisors—some of whom noted they saw that letter only minutes before a March 10 budget work session—reacted negatively to the town’s request, with Supervisor Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) calling the request another example of the town “trying to shift over every burden to the county.”

On Saturday, Umstattd said the letter did not have the best timing, as county supervisors had already completed review of the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office funding in its preliminary budget deliberations. Umstattd advised the council to wait until after the newly created joint town/county committee on finding efficiencies between the town police department and county sheriff ’s office had issued its recommendations. She said, if the council was determined to press ahead with its request, the county would post its own deputies at town schools rather than fully fund Leesburg police officers’ positions. She also said it was likely the county board would divert gas tax funding earmarked for Leesburg—$580,000 in FY 2017—to cover the extra cost.

“The best thing for Leesburg taxpayers this upcoming fiscal year is to continue with the current status quo because you’re bringing in $1.2 million,” between the gas tax funding and the amount the county already contributes to town SROs,” Umstattd said. “Otherwise you lose that funding and it’s not just gas tax it’s also the fact that the county right now is paying 70 percent of six or seven Leesburg police officers.”

The Town Council has held a preference to have town police officers in the schools and full county funding the positions has long been on its wish list. But Saturday, following Umstattd’s remarks, the council appeared content to put the brakes on its request and instead discuss it as part of the joint committee’s work.

And council members seemed hopeful that good things could come from those talks.

“This joint committee will maybe be the start of more face-toface interaction between the county and the town,” Councilman Bruce Gemmill posited. “You can’t beat that.”

— Reporter Renss Greene contributed to this report.

Ladies Board Seeks Applications for Nursing Scholarships The Scholarship Committee of the Ladies Board of Inova Loudoun Hospital is those interested in the nursing profession to apply for grants supporting their education.

The funds are raised at the hospital gift shop, the Twice is Nice Thrift Shop in Leesburg, the Lights of Love Christmas remembrance program and the annual Ladies Board Rummage Sale.

For the 2015-2016 year, a total of $100,000 was awarded to 48 students, with scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000.

To be eligible for selection, students must live or work in Loudoun; be enrolled in an accredited school of nursing, or posses an acceptance letter for future entrance; have completed one semester (nine credits) or 30 undergraduate college credits; and have a 3.0 GPA. Students may be awarded only two consecutive Ladies Board scholarships.

Scholarship application forms are available at the hospital gift shop; the office at Loudoun Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 235 Old Waterford Road, NW; the Twice is Nice Thrift Shop, 305 E. Market St.; and online at ladiesboard. org. Applications must be postmarked by April 5.

For more information about the program, call Joyce Biesecker at 703-777-6357.

13

March 17 – 23, 2016

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

loudounnow.com

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

14 loudounnow.com

Hillsboro Charter School Hires Its First Principal

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

BY DANIELLE NADLER

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Park View High School sophomore Yailin Gonzalez, far right, stands with representatives from Women in Technology as they accept an award for supporting young girls interested in STEM-related careers.

Event Lauds School-Biz Partnerships

BY DANIELLE NADLER

I

t takes a village to raise a child. That was the underlying theme of the Loudoun County Public Schools’ School-Business Partnership Breakfast held Friday.

And hundreds who are counted as part of that village that supports local students gathered at the National Conference Center to celebrate the work the business community does to help Loudoun’s schools.

The event recognized a total of 240 partnerships between the local business and nonprofit communities and Loudoun County schools. Among those, five were chosen for special recognition and Partnership Awards.

Donna Fortier, executive director of Mobile Hope and vice chairwoman of the School Business Partnership Council, said it was a daunting task to narrow down the submitted entries to just five award winners.

“We really are a community that gives back and is engaged,” she said.

The award winners are as follows: Developmental Connections was praised for its work with Rosa Lee Carter Elementary. The nonprofit organization, that serves children with developmental disorders, has worked closely with the school to raise money for Marvin’s Club, an after-school program that

teaches developmentally delayed students social and recreational skills.

Rosa Lee Carter Principal Ann Hines acknowledged that the relationships between schools and businesses benefits all involved, especially the students.

“As educators we are charged with the challenge of preparing our students to enter the workforce. And we know you are asking, as business leaders, that we equip all our children with the skills needed so your employees may be creators, collaborators and problem-solvers,” she said.

George Washington University was recognized for its work with the school system’s Art and Science departments.

The university works with the county’s public schools in a variety of ways, among them is its annual invitation to 150 high school students to tour its Ashburn campus. The day of workshops is designed to teach students about STEM-related careers.

Orbital ATK was praised for its consistent support of the annual countywide science fair. Odette D. Scovel, science supervisor for the school system, said anytime she has asked the Sterling-based company for help—even to cover the cost of plane tickets for students to compete in an international fair in Russia—they’ve been there.

Rockwell Collins was applauded for

consistently opening up its doors to students from Park View High School.

The avionics and IT company invites students to visit its Sterling division to experience science and math in aeronautics design, engineering, and simulation.

Women in Technology was recognized for its work to help spark interest in science and technology among girls at Belmont Ridge Middle School and Park View High School. The organization helped fund robotics teams and worked with students to teach them about future job opportunities.

Other awards announced at the ceremony included the Make A Difference Award, which went to 13-year-old Zach Pracher for his work to provide Kindles to low-income students; the Legacy Award, given to Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation for helping to fund Park View High School’s artificial turf field, among other support; and the J. Hamilton Lambert Exemplary Leadership in Education and Community Service Award, given to Wagner Grier.

Grier, who retired in December after 14 years as principal of C.S. Monroe Technology Center, described the recognition as “icing on the cake” after a rewarding career in education. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Hillsboro Charter Academy has named Trisha Ann Ybarra-Peters as its first principal.

The elementary school will open in August as Loudoun County’s second charter program.

Ybarra-Peters’ appointment was made after a nationwide search and a review of nearly 50 applicants, according to a press release announcing the hire. In her almost 20-year education career, Ybarra-Peters has taught in both traditional and non-traditional schools, including the past 10 years in Loudoun County Public Schools.

Ybarra-Peters 46, currently is a special education teacher and case manager for learning disabled, emotionally disabled and autistic students at J. Michael Lunsford Middle School in South Riding. She also taught special education at Belmont Ridge Middle School, and, for a year, worked as a literacy coach at the Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center. Prior to coming to Loudoun in 2005, she worked with academically atrisk youth in Riverside, CA. She began her teaching career in 1996 as a special education teacher in Montana.

Ybarra-Peters said she’s followed the story of parents and teachers pulling together to save Hillsboro Elementary from closure and was compelled by the “blood, sweat and tears that went into creating the charter.”

Hillsboro Charter Academy will offer a project-based learning curriculum with science, technology, engineering, arts, math, to kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Ybarra-Peters said too often those kind of specialized lessons are provided only to academically gifted students.

“Here’s the deal: everybody should have those opportunities,” she said. “I’ve always been blown away by the fact that when I’ve seen students given the choice of their task or project, they would always go for something I don’t think a teacher would traditionally assign. They went for the hard tasks. … I believe if we can find the key for each child, we can unlock their intrinsic motivation to learn.”

Hillsboro Charter Academy is a tuition free, school of choice, which means any Loudoun County elementary student can attend. Learn more at hillsborocharter.org. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Danielle Nadler/LoudounNow

Hillsboro Charter Academy has named Trisha Ann Ybarra-Peters as its first principal.

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

15

BY DANIELLE NADLER

A

“I feel like changing it to Hope Middle School really encompasses what the recommendation of the naming committee was about,” she said. Quoting from a letter written by Sherri Carmical, who lost her son Declan to cancer, in support of the name, she said, “Hope is who we are as kids, as parents, as people. … It is hope that guides us.”

Maloney noted that a petition in support of Hope Middle School had close to 400 signatures, including signatures of the mothers of Declan Carmical, Mathias Giordano, Gavin Rupp and Gabriella Miller, all of whom lost their lives to pediatric cancer.

Maloney was joined by three other members in support of naming the school Hope, but the motion was one vote shy of passing.

Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn), Jeff Morse (Dulles) and Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge), who were among those who opposed the motion, said they wanted to honor the committee’s wishes.

Morse said he’d like to one day see a school called Hope, but not this one.

“The process is important here,” he said. “I don’t want to encourage the community to come forward with their ideas and then have the board pick the name at the last minute.”

The $49.34 million middle school will open in Brambleton to students in August 2017. dnadler@loudounnow.com

[ SCHOOL NOTES ]

and FEATURING

Mike Ault David Sanders Nathaniel Davis Andrew Hart Chris Blosser

JWC Preps for Prom Wishes

Three high schools participated in the inaugural Colossal Canned

Food Castle Cup Challenge last week, and Riverside came out on top.

Students from Riverside, Stone Bridge and Broad Run high schools collected non-perishable food and used the items to create large castles. On March 10, judges from Loudoun Interfaith Relief and the Rotary Club of Ashburn traveled to each of the schools to determine which castle was most impressive.

Riverside’s castle won for its sheer stature. The students stacked cans of macaroni, soup, peanut butter and spaghetti sauce more than 15 feet tall.

Tom Newman, Interact Club Sponsor at Broad Run High School, said representatives from Loudoun Interfaith Relief will pick up the donations this week to restock its food pantry.

Ted Garber, shares his genre-bending “BluesAmericanaRock” showmanship and captivating singer-songwriter sensibility. His smokey, bluesy vocals, howling harmonica riffs and screaming guitar licks are enticing audiences wordwide, taking us on a diverse musical journey from the Big Apple to the Big Easy, hovering in the Mississippi Delta before heading South of the Border.

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Refreshments by GK BBQ & MacDowell Brew Kitchen

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Schools Introduce Donation Drive with Competitive Edge

A Night to Remember

The Junior Woman’s Club of Loudoun is requesting donations of new or gently worn formal dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry, accessories, and un-opened cosmetics through March 26.

The donations will help put on the club’s annual Prom Wishes event, set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the Teen Center at Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road NW in Leesburg. The one-day boutique invites girls to select prom attire free of charge. Registration is not required, but girls can pre-select an appointment time at jwcl.org.

Donated items can be dropped off Loudoun County Community Centers, Salon Ten, Maggie’s Closet, Studio Pink Fit, Teen Center at Rust Library, South Riding Town Hall, and the Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion.

All donations are tax deductible and items not used during this year’s event are donated to other similar events in the area. For more information, contact promwishes@jwcl.org or go to jwcl.org.

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

months-long debate over what to name Loudoun County’s next middle school is finally settled.

In a split vote last week, the School Board agreed to call it Brambleton Middle School.

The board initially voted last June to name the school after former Virginia House of Delegates Speaker John F. Ryan, following the recommendation of a naming committee. It later reversed its decision after community members brought to light that Ryan might have ushered in racial segregation laws. Their alternate choice, naming the school after Mathias Giordano, a Leesburg student who died of bone cancer in December 2014, was also rejected. The board had concerns about honoring one student but leaving out so many others who have died young.

The naming committee was asked to go back to the drawing board, and seven months later, its members put forward Brambleton Middle School as its final recommendation.

And the committee’s suggestion was almost rejected again.

Ahead of the board’s vote March 8, School Board member Joy Maloney (Broad Run) put forward the name Hope Middle School for consideration.

She said it captures the intent of the committee when it suggested naming the school in honor of Mathias.

March 17 – 23, 2016

After Heated Debate, MS-9 Has a Name: Brambleton Middle School

[ POLITICS ]

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

loudounnow.com

16

At Ashby Ponds, Democrat Bennett Lays Out Priorities

BY NORMAN K. STYER

T

he residents at Ashby Ponds got their introduction to LuAnn Bennett on Friday.

The Democrat seeks to unseat freshman Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R) in the 10th Congressional District in November.

Bennett, who owns a real estate management company in Washington, DC, met with members of the Ashburn retirement community’s Progressive Group, answering their questions and collecting petition signatures required to get her name on the ballot this fall.

The race will be in the national spotlight, as both Republicans and Democrats view the district as being in play. Republicans have held the seat since 1981, the year Frank R. Wolf took the seat. Wolf retired at the end of his 17th term in 2014.

Answering questions from the audience, Bennett touched on a range of topics including gun control (she supports requiring background checks at gun shows) and her pro-choice stance (“I trust women”).

Several questions concerned the state of the economy and the prospects for the next generation.

“Finishing off this recovery is a major concern of mine,” Bennett said.

She said it was important to rebuild the middle class and that she supports increasing spending on infrastructure projects, improved job training and increasing the federal minimum wage. The nation’s youth face challenges in preparing for the 21st century economy. “Increasingly education is becoming more and more important but less and less affordable,” she said.

“Our current system isn’t serving our working families,” Bennett said.

Audience members also were concerned about the dysfunction in Congress. Bennett said the partisan focus of drawing election district boundaries discourages cooperation and promotes extremism.

In many cases, she said, representatives who work

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

LuAnn Bennett, a Democrat running in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, speaks with residents of Ashby Ponds.

across party lines or try to find compromises lose support back in their home district.

“It’s a serous problem,” she said, but one that none of the elected politicians have incentive to change.

“It’s one of those problems that has be solved from the outside in.” She supports having independent commissions take charge of redistricting, something that’s being pursued in several states.

While the 10th Congressional District long has been in Republican hands, it is not exclusively Republican territory, she noted. Voters have supported Wolf and Comstock, but also Democrats like President Barack Obama and Gov. Terry McAuliffe. “It has some balance and basically I like that.”

Bennett noted the district’s more moderate make up has been reflected in Comstock’s voting record on Capitol Hill, which the Democrat said is less conservative than when she was serving as a delegate in Richmond. “It’s a little bit hard to know what she stands for,” Bennett said, adding that highlighting Comstock’s inconsistencies will be a focus of the campaign.

See Bennett’s campaign website at luannforcongress.com. nstyer@loudounnow.com

Democrats Launch Robo-Call to Fund School Budget

Courtesy of Barbara Comstock for Congress

Comstock Launches Re-election Campaign Barbara Comstock formally got her campaign for a second term in Congress underway during a March 9 event in Sterling.

The Republican held a campaign kickoff event at the Sterling Volunteer Fire Station. She was joined by Frank R. Wolf, who served as the representative for the 10th Congressional District

for 34 years before retiring in 2014. He then endorsed Comstock as his predecessor.

During a brief speech, Comstock highlighted her work with local law enforcement officials to raise awareness about the heroin epidemic and human trafficking. She also touted legislation that is expected to pass the U.S. House

this week that would label ISIS’s attacks on religious minorities genocide.

In her bid for re-election, Comstock faces Democrat LuAnn Bennett, a real estate executive who lives in McLean.

See Comstock’s campaign website at barbaracomstockforcongress.com.

The voice of Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) was heard in Loudoun households this week.

A recording of the new county supervisor was sent via robo-call asking Loudouners to attend Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors public hearing to ask the board to fully fund the schools. The call was paid for by the Loudoun County Democratic Committee.

Other supervisors have said the county can’t afford the School Board’s full budget request, and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet has said it would add several cents to the real estate tax rate.

But Umstattd said, because of stable or declining property values in some neighborhoods, many wouldn’t see a big tax hike.

“When I looked at some of the average home prices to see what the impact would be of fully funding the schools, tax bills would be lower than they were two years ago,” she said in an interview. “So if you look at what happens over the course of time, it’s doesn’t look like a hefty tax increase.”

– Renss Greene

[ S P R I N G R E A L E S TAT E G U I D E ]

17 March 17 – 23, 2016

Spring Market Is Hot Already — and Getting Hotter

BY DANIELLE NADLER

“SELLERS ARE SEEING MULTIPLE BIDS AT THIS POINT.” a dozen recent listings in various parts of the county—Sterling, Aldie, Leesburg and western Loudoun—that have sold in seven or fewer days.

One was a single-family home 4 miles outside Purcellville that was put on the market in what Millman referred to as “the dead of winter.” It sold in four days, and she continued to get calls about it days after it was under contract.

“When I get something selling that fast and with that interest level when there’s still snow on the ground, that tells me we’re going to have a hot market,” Millman said.

The surge in activity last month may be, in part, attributable to an unusu-

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

This week’s market trends report on Loudoun County’s real estate market shows that home prices and total sale volume are up over previous years.

ally slow January. The DAAR’s trends report for January showed the market took a hit, with new contracts falling by 4.6 percent, the first decline in 16 months.

“I think there was this pent-up energy in the market, probably from the

snow storms,” said Allison Metzger, a partner and Realtor at Picket Fence Realty, based in Leesburg. A low inventory combined with a lot of people ready HOT MARKET on page 24

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T

alk to most any real estate agent about Loudoun County’s housing market, and you’ll get a resounding, possibly out of breath, response.

“It’s good. It’s healthy. It’s exciting,” Shaila R. Millman, a Realtor with Century 21 Redwood Realty, said this week.

There’s a lot to be excited about, particularly if you’re a seller.

The February market trends report released by the Dulles Area Association of Realtors this week shows that home prices and total sale volume are up—way up—over last year. More than 360 sales closed last month, up 11 percent over February 2015. The median sales price rose to $415,000, $6,000 higher than last year and $116,000 higher than 2009, when the market was in its slump.

Those stats coupled with record low inventory has meant most homes are selling fast.

Millman, who is the director of Dulles Association of Realtors, can rattle off

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18

[ S P R I N G R E A L E S TAT E G U I D E ]

When is the Right Time to Sell Your Home?

BY ALLISON METZGER

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

I

f you are planning to sell your house this year, there are steps you can take now to ensure you reap the highest price and shortest time on the market. A recent study of the real estate market has determined the best time to sell your house—for the most amount of money—is spring. Although this may not necessarily be ground-breaking news, now sellers and Realtors know exactly what days of the year to list a home.

According to a Zillow study, nationally, homes sold in late spring (May 1 through May 15), sell around 18.5 days faster, and for 1 percent more, than the average listing. In the Washington, DC, market, the specific date range that boasts the highest prices and fastest sales are between April 15-April 30. With the average sales price of $475,218 in Loudoun County in 2015, that could mean an average of $4,750 extra in a seller’s pocket.

Zillow says local market variations and weather patterns make the buying season more volatile in some parts

of the country. The markets with the largest sale differences between the best months and worst months to list are regions with distinct climate changes such as Seattle, Minneapolis and Washington, DC, making it more important for sellers in these regions to carefully consider the time frame of their home sale.

Based on MRIS (Metropolitan Regional Information Systems) data, as of February 2016 and for the eighth consecutive month, inventory in Loudoun County is lower than the same point last year. The 15.5 percent

drop-off marks the largest decline since April 2013. This helps make it a seller’s market in the county, leading to more competitive offers, and quicker home sales.

To have your house ready to sell in this peak time frame, consider starting the home sale process now to meet the April 15 deadline. It may take up to 30 days to properly prepare your house for sale.

First, interview two or three qualified Realtors to find a personality that matches your needs and is an expert in your housing type and market area. A Realtor will give you a market analysis and suggested listing price for you home. They will also be able to give you suggestions for staging, renovations or touch-ups necessary to fetch you top dollar for your home.

After you have chosen a Realtor and made any necessary home improvements, professional photos and videos will be taken to market your home. Your home only has one chance to make a first impression on real estate web sites, social media and in brochures. Give yourself enough time

to have signs and lockboxes installed.

Scheduling an open house the first weekend it is on the market will allow the bulk of the visitors to take a look without you being inconvenienced throughout the week.

Market conditions can change weekly depending on weather, interest rates and economic conditions both locally and nationally. If your house does not receive an offer within the first two weeks it is on the market, revisit the sales price, property condition and marketing efforts. With a little advanced planning, you can ensure your home sells faster and for more money if you list it between April 15 and April 30.

Allison Metzger is the founder of Picket Fence Realty LLC. She can be reached at allisonkmetzger @gmail.com or 703-963-0923.

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[ S P R I N G R E A L E S TAT E G U I D E ]

Jealous Yet? Ashburn’s In Love with Belmont Chase

March 17 – 23, 2016

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

BY JAN MERCKER There’s a love affair blooming in Ashburn: between the Belmont Chase retail center and the surrounding community.

Anchored by the Whole Foods Market, which opened last summer, the center has since attracted a range of fun and trendy restaurants and shops.

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“It fills a hole that we didn’t know we had at Belmont,” said Belmont Country Club HOA President Rushi Shah, an 11-year resident of the community.

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January’s major snowstorm. The center is walkable from some parts of the community and an easy drive for others.

And while Whole Foods is a big draw, popular niche restaurant chains are also pulling in crowds.

One of the restaurants that’s generating lots of buzz is Cava Grill. The DC-area chain (that has expanded to open locations in New York and Los Angeles) is known for its healthy buildyour-own entrées and fresh juices.

Cava is known to have a cult following, and devotees in Loudoun are no exception since the Ashburn branch opened last November. “Obsessed” is a word that came up frequently during a recent discussion about the chain on a community Facebook page.

“Cava Grill definitely builds and maintains a devoted following. I am one of them. There really are not other options for truly healthful and delicious cuisine—both words being operative,” Cava spokesman Dusty Lockhart said.

One Facebook fan says her “happy place” is the center’s popular Pure Barre fitness studio for a workout, followed by a restorative lunch at Cava.

For HOA president Shah, who had experienced the Cava Grill phenomenon in Tysons Corner before its Loudoun opening, it was a perfect addition to the neighborhood.

“I love it and the fact that they opened one here is amazing,” he said.

Another new eatery, Cooper’s Hawk Winery, is also garnering rave reviews—and big crowds—since opening last month.

The Chicago-based chain operates a handful of locations around the country. Loudoun, with its growing population, was a natural fit, said Jeffrey Patterson, general manager of the Ashburn branch.

The restaurant’s appealing niche is its extensive offering of wines under its own label, blended by head winemaker Rob Warren (in an interesting twist, some Loudouners may remember Warren from his days as head winemaker at Tarara Vineyards near Lucketts).

The company also offers retail wine sales—so if you like the glass you had

at dinner, you can buy a bottle to take home.

Cooper’s Hawk makes its own wines from a dizzying range of varietals (from grapes sourced mostly from the West Coast but also from Europe and elsewhere). The Ashburn location offers dozens of its own wines by the glass, and offers pairing suggestions with its “modern casual” menu. Patterson said two of the restaurant’s most popular items are Gnocchi Carbonara and Short Rib Risotto.

For Brit Jones of Ashburn, Cava is a favorite for a casual meal, and Cooper’s Hawk for “fancy-ness and grown-upness” when looking for a nice evening out with her husband and children.

“We just love Cooper’s Hawk. The staff and management really went all out to ensure we had a pleasant dining experience,” Jones said.

Cooper’s Hawk attracts a range of diners from all walks of life—from young professionals to families.

“It’s a very broad spectrum—that’s what we like,” Patterson said.

After just a few weeks, the buzz has already caught on, and regulars say reservations are a must since there’s usually a wait. Patterson says the restaurant will be opening its patio later this spring.

Other community favorites include Pazzo Pomodoro, a cantina style Italian restaurant—described by one social media fan as “a hidden gem”—which regularly hosts live music; and MOD Pizza, a build-your-own wood-fired pizza place known for its industrial chic decor. Peet’s Coffee, a San Francisco-based chain with a following of its own, is a popular meeting place for Belmont locals.

It appears that this is one retail center that’s a perfect match for the neighborhood (and there may be folks in other areas of the county who are just a little bit jealous).

And to top it all off, Shah says Belmont Chase reps have been helping the community maintain road medians and attending HOA committee meetings.

“They’ve been great neighbors,” Shah said. jmercker@loudounnow.com

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

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[ S P R I N G R E A L E S TAT E G U I D E ]

Selling? Job Number One: De-clutter

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

BY MARGARET MORTON

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repping a home for sale can be arduous—physically and psychologically.

But, according to some local real estate agents, sellers who can get over the emotional hump of having to box up treasured items that have graced the walls for years reap rewards terms of the price they can get for their home.

Agents try to put sellers in the mind of buyers as they begin staging the home. A potential buyer wants to walk into a house that’s clean, fresh smelling, tidy and with an easy flow.

The most important overall task given to clients who want to sell their house for top dollar is to de-clutter.

Berkshire Hathaway agent Kelly Gaitten, who’s been in the real estate business for 15 years, said clients vary in their reaction to the advice given to them.

“Some have a good feeling for what they have to do. They watch TV shows.

They’re savvy and they get it. Some don’t,” the Hamilton-based agent said.

“The first thing is to de-clutter, tidy everywhere and box up things that are going to have to be moved anyway and store them in the basement or garage,” Gaitten said.

The seller should understand that the buyer “is looking for things that might cost them money to fix,” Gaitten said, noting a house with “weird” paint colors might appeal to some, but probably not to most.

“If there’s been deferred maintenance, things are in disrepair—the buyer sees dollar signs,” she said. And the remedy can be simple.

“If there’s a stain on the ceiling from an old leak that’s been fixed, just paint

guage, for signs of distress, but we esit,” Gaitten said.

Eve and Mike Weber with Long and tablish that we want to make the most of the sale.”

Foster in Leesburg agree.

Pangle likes to stage things herself, Sellers have to think in terms of selling a product, rather than their starting with the outside: “Nice flowerpersonal home, Eve Weber said. Once beds, a clean door and windows.”

Inside, she also advocates de-clutterthey realize that, they can neutralize the effect and take away a lot of per- ing and depersonalizing.

“Take things off the counter, all the sonal items.

Initially, she said, that can be diffi- magnets off the fridge. You want a bit cult if the seller doesn’t understand the of a minimalist look to make it look bigger,” Pangle said. concept. “I have to conShe said that many vince them to trust me so clients instinctively they get the best result.” sense there’s something She does that by walk- “WHEN STAGING wrong with the flow in ing through the house and a room, but can’t figsuggesting the ways in A HOUSE SHE’S ure out how to make it which the seller can make the house more attractive. PREPARED TO BE right.

“You need good flow Setting the tone from the and energy, so take out outset is important—fo- RUTHLESS.” pieces [of furniture] cusing on the front door that impede the flow. and exterior appearance.

You want clean smells, Sometimes, maybe 5 percent of the time, the Webers call in but it’s a fine line—you want it to smell a professional stager to help make the good, but not too much,” Pangle said.

When staging a house she’s prepared seller feel more comfortable.

“They’re professional decorators and to be ruthless, recalling an entire room they can come in and suggest how to full of cloth dolls in one home, and anreposition things,” Mike Weber said. other with grandma bears on the bed.

And sellers don’t have to take away all “They’ve got to go,” she said.

Her personal approach is to “take their personal photographs or decorations. He also points out that some- away 75 percent of what’s there, then times developers add fabricated “fam- add back judiciously.”

While there’s not a lot of available inily” photos in the model homes to give ventory at the moment, Gaitten is not them a personal touch.

Veteran Realtor Gwen Pangle, bro- yet seeing sellers’ getting full price. But ker/owner of Pangle and Associates in she has a sense that’s about to change.

She’s been busy since Christmas, and Leesburg, is fully aware of the emotionshe’s seeing more buyers in the market. al aspects involved in selling a home.

“We have a conversation about the That gives sellers more incentive to get most difficult part of the job—which their home in the best shape they can is to help the seller see the home as a to get top dollar. product,” she said. mmorton@loudounnow.com Pangle then walks through the house with the client. “I watch the body lan-

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Local real estate agents say simple things like clearing out clutter and painting the walls in neutral tones can do a lot to sell a home quickly.

[ S P R I N G R E A L E S TAT E G U I D E ]

To Be Sold

Time to Close the Door on Open Houses If I asked you to allow me to borrow your home, for no fee, so that I could set up a “branch office” to meet potential clients for myself would you permit me to do that?

Further, if I asked you permission to put signs in your neighborhood and attach balloons to your mailbox to draw attention to the fact that I was inside waiting to meet complete strangers, would that be an attractive offer? I think not.

So why do so many Realtors come to you with the suggestion to do just those very things?

The answer is at the same time both obvious and not so obvious; but either way it is a poor use of your property and resources.

Newer agents, and there are many of them every year, pick up the habit of open houses from older agents. In fact, many newer agents who do not have listings of their own to sell, volunteer to hold homes open as a means of meeting potential buyers.

Seasoned agents hold open houses for the same reasons, as well as to demonstrate to their clients that they are being “active.”

And, while it is true that occasionally a property sells as a result of hold-

Next Time: What do realtors actually do to sell your home? ing it open to the public; even a broken clock is right twice a day. It is generally a poor return on your investment.

Open houses can also be dangerous for the Realtors, the property and the family. Criminals can “case” the property, leave doors or windows open, steal treasured items, cash or prescription drugs. A recent example of this was the arrest of an Ashburn man who stole more than $15,000 from area homes by pretending to be an interested buyer. Even well-meaning visitors can damage the premises.

I believe that sometime in the nottoo-distant future, the practice of open houses to the public will be banned.

That time cannot come soon enough.

Robert Pizzimenti has been a licensed Realtor in Virginia since 1998 and is a member of the Professional Development Committee of The Virginia Association of Realtors, the Education Committee of The Dulles Area Association of Realtors, and one of two instructors certified

by Virginia to teach Realtors The Certified Negotiation Expert designation course.

He also owns and operates a training and business consulting firm called Achievement Concepts.

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LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

Buying is a decision usually made emotionally and justified by logic. The realtor’s job is to get qualified buyers excited about your offer. One way to do this is to get other Realtors excited first, so that their clients can feel their enthusiasm. The majority of buyers come from other Realtors. For that reason, an open house to agents (A Broker’s Open) makes more sense than an open house to the general public. It’s more productive and it’s a lot safer.

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23 March 17 – 23, 2016

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<< FROM 17 to buy at the recent low interest rates has made for a seller’s market, she said.

“Sellers are seeing multiple bids at this point.”

Some of the activity may also be spurred on by websites, apps and other relatively new technology that gives both buyers and sellers more information at their finger tips, according to Millman.

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On the other hand, buyers have websites like Pinterest and Houzz that offer ideas for showcasing and remodeling homes, and also Zillow, that publishes prices of homes for sale. All of this has generated high expectations for what buyers want in a home, Millman said.

“They want a house that’s show ready. … And if a seller is really savvy, they’ll use the newest colors, designs and

flooring and it’s going to sell fast.”

Another tool that she credits to the quick turnaround of homes is photography that allows prospective buyers to virtually tour a home. Century 21 Redwood Realty, based in Ashburn, started posting virtual tours about two years ago and has since seen homes move faster and buyers request to visit fewer homes in person. “By the time they get to the property, they’re familiar with it and they’re excited about it,” Millman said.

Metzger predicts homes in Loudoun County will continue to sell fast until early summer, especially if the number of properties for sale remains low. “It always eventually falls off a little bit, but it doesn’t seem like there’s enough people jumping to put their homes on the market right now.”

And while the numbers indicate a seller’s market, Millman said that doesn’t mean it’s not a good time to buy. “It’s a fantastic time to buy. The price points are really affordable for many people,” she said. But market trends show they’re on the rise, she added. “Buy now because prices are going up.” dnadler@loudounnow.com

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with disabilities and seniors, and toys for kids. Toys for Tots, they collect and donate to us,” she said.

Under the agreement with the county, Help for Others ran the gifts distribution program, but the county continued to maintain the list of eligible recipients and paid rent for the first couple of years. In 2013, Help for Others took over the task of finding permanent space.

“It’s so sad, and the need is there. But we can only do so much. We’ve looked at all avenues.”

In her letter to donors, volunteers and supporters, Mpofu asked for help from those who knew of property owners who might be able to provide a permanent home. Alternatively, if another nonprofit was willing to take

over the program, “we’d love to hear from you,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Mpofu is spreading the word among participants, parents, donors and supporters.

Stonerook said she has been talking with Mpofu to see if there were some sort of temporary arrangement that could be made.

“We really have not yet had the opportunity to see what, if any, role the county could play. We’d need to talk with other nonprofits to see what possibilities there might be,” she said.

“There could be ideas out there, but we need a lot more conversations. It’s March, so we still have some time.” mmorton@loudounnow.com

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It was sad news that Loudoun Holiday Coalition Executive Director Gloria Mpofu imparted to donors, volunteers and supporters over the weekend.

In a letter expressing gratitude for their efforts over the past two decades to brighten the holidays for thousands of people, Mpofu said the nonprofit would be significantly scaling back its annual “neighbors helping neighbors” endeavor to provide gifts to seniors, disabled individuals and children.

“While 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the holiday program, it’s with a heavy heart that I must share the news about the program going forward. We will not be able to do a distribution in 2016,” Mpofu wrote.

The problem is one familiar to many nonprofits: A lack of space.

Most nonprofits have scarce resources to put toward rent, and Help for Others, the organization that leads the Holiday Coalition, has tried for a few years to keep the program going without a budget for warehouse space.

Lower donations in recent years have intensified the problem and made it difficult to meet a monthly rental fee of $5,000.

“We’ve been hopping from place to place. It’s hard to find enough money,” Mpofu said over the weekend, noting that area businesses and the United Way have been supportive.

The organization has done its utmost to raise money and find space in which to store and then distribute donated items, to no avail, according to Mpofu.

The current lease expires in June and

Mpofu said the organization is unable to commit to a renewal because of the financial uncertainty. She hopes to do a smaller distribution using a storage unit in Sterling.

The holiday distribution of food, clothing and gifts previously had been coordinated by the Loudoun County Department of Family Services, but was turned over to nonprofits. “We didn’t have the manpower resources to do the program any more,” said Loudoun Family Services Department Deputy Director Hope Stonerook.

The gift collection and distribution program was transferred to Help for Others, which received its nonprofit status in 2007, while Loudoun Interfaith Relief took over food distribution. “Now, it’s mainly gifts for adults

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26

General Assembly Wraps Up Adopted state budget earmarks money for Dulles

BY RENSS GREENE The Virginia General Assembly’s 2016 session came to a close Friday with the passage of the state’s $100 billion biennial budget.

The adopted spending plan comes with big news for Dulles Airport: Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed $50 million for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority over the next two years survived budget deliberations.

The $25 million-per-year supplement, McAuliffe said, will help Dulles Airport push down ticket prices as it struggles to compete with other major airports.

“Dulles Airport is one of Virginia’s premier economic assets, and this critical investment will make it even stronger,” McAuliffe stated. “This funding will help support 45,000 direct and indirect jobs related to the United [Air Lines] Hub at Dulles and encourage other carriers to provide enhanced air travel offerings.”

Education The new budget includes about $900 million more in K-12 spending in the next two years than the previous biennial budget. Included in that figure is about a 2 percent raise for public school teachers.

Two bills that might have caused headaches for local schools were left in the House education committee. Del. Jim LeMunyon’s (R-67) House Bill 250 would have allowed students who have been assigned to different schools by attendance boundary changes to finish out their time at their current school.

Another, Del. Kathleen Murphy’s (D34) HB 457, would have required every new elementary school to be built with room for full-day kindergarten, and required Loudoun’s School Board to develop a plan to phase in full-day kindergarten in three years.

Del. Dave LaRock’s (R-33) HB 259 would have prohibited the state Board of Education from replacing Standards of Learning with Common Core Standards without first getting approval from the General Assembly. The governor vetoed the bill, and the House of Delegates fell two votes short of overcoming the veto.

Two bills sponsored by Del. Thomas A. “Tag” Greason (R-32) to modify the Standards of Learning were successful.

One, HB 831, requires that SOL exams include computer science and computational thinking, including computer coding. This comes while educators debate allowing coding as an alternative to foreign language requirements.

Another, HB 381, requires the Board of Education to prescribe alternative SOL assessments for children with disabilities.

Proffers The General Assembly hit Loudoun hard this year with a bill that will limit agreements the county government makes with developers to keep up with growth.

The bill was penned by the Homebuilders Association of Virginia and passed by state legislators and signed by the governor over the objections of localities across the state. The Virginia Municipal League and Virginia Association of Counties tried unsuccessfully to get a waiver process written into the bill, and several counties wrote letters to the governor’s office to ask for a veto.

VACO general counsel Phyllis Errico said the bill eliminates flexibility and enforces a “one-size-fits all, pretty restrictive scheme.”

“You have localities that are trying to foster development in a reasonable way in making sure that they have the proper infrastructure for the development, and you have developers who want to offer things that are an asset to the development they’re doing, or an asset to the community, and are viewed favorably, and I think both sides lose some under this legislation,” Errico said.

Supervisors and staff from Loudoun spent time in Richmond trying to get exemptions written into the bill, and most of the Loudoun delegation of state delegates and senators voted against the bill outright or worked to get revisions written in.

Meanwhile, the county continues to discover ramifications of the bill, and several legislators have said they plan to continue working to weaken the bill’s impact next year.

“I think we’ll really be watching

McAuliffe Vetoes War Memorials Preservation Bill Governor Terry McAuliffe last week vetoed a bill aimed at strengthening the states’ prohibition on the removal of war memorials. He also called for a special task force to study ways to balance preservation and concerns about the public displays of symbols of the Confederate South.

The bill easily passed in the House of Delegates, but was narrowly approved in the state Senate, where it was opposed by Democrats. The legislation was prompted by a Circuit Court ruling that

closely in the next year to see what the real-life ramifications are,” Errico said.

Commendations for Schools The General Assembly also approved a laundry list of accolades for Loudoun schools and students. These include resolutions recognizing the follow: The Stone Bridge High School boys’ cross country team, which won the Virginia High School League Group 5A state championship (Greason).

The Stone Bridge High School girls’ volleyball team, which won the VHSL Group 5A volleyball championship, bringing home their first state title (Greason).

The Riverside High School girls’ volleyball team, which won the VHSL Conference 28 championship in the team’s first season [Greason and Del. J. Randall Minchew (R-10)].

The Briar Woods High School cheerleading team, which won the VHSL Group 5A state championship, its fifth state title (Greason).

Loudoun County Public Schools, which won a 2016 Programs That Work award from the Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition for the school system’s Science Research Institutes for teachers [Greason, LeMunyon, Minchew, Murphy, Del. John J. Bell (D-87) and Del. Jennifer B. Boysko (D-86)].

Alexis Grandis, who created Hopeful Hats and donated 75 hats to Mobile Hope just before Christmas (Greason).

Mill Run Elementary School, which opened an outdoor classroom in cooperation with the Piedmont Environmental Council (Greason).

The Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Management for its response to heavy snows in late January (Greason, Bell, Boysko, LaRock, Minchew and Murphy).

Sara Christie, an Ashburn elementary school teacher who won a 2015 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher award.

Christie was one of eight educators across the state to win the award, which comes with a $2,000 cash prize and a $2,000 classroom credit from The Supply Room Companies (Greason).

The Riverside High School gymnastics team, which won the VHSL Conference 21 West championship (Grea-

interpreted the state’s law prohibiting the removal of the memorials to only apply to those erected after 1998—the year the law was expanded to cover all war memorials, not only those related to “the War between the States.”

Last week, the Loudoun County Democratic Committee and the Loudoun Chapter of the NAACP joined calls urging the governor to veto the bill.

McAuliffe directed Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward to form a work group with the Department of Historic Resources “to begin a dialogue and study best practices about how to balance the preservation of history with the legitimate concerns many Virginians have about certain types of monuments and memorials.”

“The rich history of our Commonwealth is one of our great assets,” McAuliffe wrote. “My administra-

son).

The Broad Run High School wrestling team, which won the VHSL Group 5A Conference 14 championship. Two of its team members, Brandon Steel and Jonathan Birchmeier, also placed first in their weight classes at the VHSL Group 5A state championships (Greason).

The Briar Woods High School girls’ swim team, which was undefeated in the regular season won the VHSL Conference 14 championship (Greason).

The Briar Woods High School boys’ swim team, which had an undefeated regular season and won the VHSL Conference 14 championship (Greason).

The Stone Bridge High School hockey team, which had an undefeated season and won the 2016 Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League championship with a score of 6-0.

(Greason) The Patrick Henry College moot court team, which won the American Collegiate Moot Court Association national championship, its ninth national title. [LaRock, Minchew, Sen. Richard H. Black (R-13) and Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27)].

The Loudoun Valley High School boys’ cross country team, which won the VHSL Group 4A state championship (LaRock, Minchew, Black and Vogel).

The Loudoun Valley High School golf team, which won the VHSL Group 4A state golf championship (LaRock, Minchew, Black and Vogel).

Loudoun Valley High School student athlete Drew Hunter, who broke a 15year one mile run record, was named the Gatorade National Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year, won the Foot Locker Cross Country National Championship, and broke the Virginia record for a 5K run (LaRock, Boysko, Minchew, Black, Favola and Vogel).

Freedom High School, which will host its class prom as a charitable event, with all ticket sales and donations benefiting children living with pediatric cancer (Bell, Boysko, LaRock, Minchew, Favola and Wexton).

The General Assembly wrapped up its regular session work a day early. But the dust hasn’t quite yet settled—legislators will meet again on April 20 to finish up and act on bills vetoed by the governor. rgreene@loudounnow.com

tion strongly supports historic preservation efforts, including the preservation of war memorials and monuments. However, this legislation would have been a sweeping override of local authority over these monuments and memorials including potential ramifications for interpretive signage to tell the story of some of our darkest moments during the Civil War.” The governor acknowledged that localities around the state are debating whether to retain, remove, or alter Confederacy symbols.

“These discussions are often difficult and complicated. They are unique to each community’s specific history and the specific monument or memorial being discussed. This bill effectively ends these important conversations,” he wrote.

27

PURCELLVILLE Town Council Approves $5,200 in Sports Grants

Council to Pursue Marketing Video The Purcellville Town Council is divided over a proposal by the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee to authorize CGI Communications of Rochester, NY, to develop a marketing video promoting the town. Council members are concerned about the vendor’s plan to make the video for free but to include advertising. Also, concerns were raised about whether the proposal should go through a formal procurement process. The project was approved 5-2, with Councilwoman Joan Lehr and Doug McCollum opposed because of the advertising concerns. The council also agreed to research what it would cost if the town made the video without advertising. Assistant Town Manager Danny Davis is contacting the Monroe Technology Center and Loudoun Valley and Woodgrove high schools to assess options.

After failing to resolve problems with the Town Hall heating and cooling system with the original contractor, the Town Council authorized an emergency contract with Seasonair, Inc. to replace defective refrigerant piping at a cost not to exceed $105,000, and to install a refrigerant monitor and alarm on each of the 34 wall units, for up to $28,070, according to Seasonair’s March 3 proposal.

LOVETTSVILLE Market Study Results Planned for May Release The Lovettsville Town Council has focused more sharply on its economic environment and commissioned a market study with a view to helping current and future business owners understand the town’s potential.

Recently, a research analyst from South Carolina came to town to inspect what Lovettsville had to offer, and to meet with members of the Town Council to learn about the greater Lovettsville community.

The outcome of the study will help the town leaders decide how to best support businesses. The study results will also be helpful in assisting property owners develop vacant commercial, according to Mayor Bob Zoldos. Results are expected to be released in early May. As one of the early steps to improve the downtown, the council last week “lit up” the area with new streetscape lighting. Also, the town will hold its Business Expo on April 24.

Buzzard Update Lovettsville leaders are cautiously reporting that the inflatable pool toys hung atop the town water tower have hastened the departure of the vultures that roosted there. Two of the plastic whales, dubbed Humphrey and Willy, deflated in the cause, but the last one, Moby Dick, is still flying.

Eggstravaganzafest The Lovettsville-Waterford Ruritans Club will hold an egg hunt for all ages March 26 on the Town Green. There also will be a cake walk, basket raffles, a petting zoo, and a visit from the Easter Bunny.

The event is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m.

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The town has received the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its FY 2016 budget.

It is the sixth year running that the town has received the award, which is given to municipalities that have met nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation.

The GFOA presented a certificate of recognition to Purcellville Treasurer/Director of Finance Elizabeth

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Krens as the primary department head involved in the budget preparation. Krens thanked her team, Steve Coakley, Paula Hicks and Debbie Capitan. The Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

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The Purcellville Town Council has awarded grants to a number of sports groups, as recommended by the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Receiving funding were: Catoctin Basketball Club, $800; Loudoun County Field Hockey League, $500; Loudoun Timberwolves soccer team, $800; Loudoun Valley Ice Hockey, $500; Western Loudoun Girls Softball League, $500; Western Loudoun Volleyball League, $1,000; and Western Loudoun Wrestling, $500.

The council also gave Loudoun Valley and Woodgrove high schools $300 each.

Two applicants— Fielder’s Choice Travel Softball and Upper Loudoun Youth Football—were not recommended for funding, mainly because they are larger organizations with more resources.

The council voted 5-2 to approve the funding, with Mayor Kwasi Fraser and Councilwoman Karen Jimmerson opposed. They questioned whether the organizations should receive town funding.

March 17 – 23, 2016

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March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

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AN ARTISTIC PATH Designated Artisan Trail Envisioned for Loudoun County

BY MARGARET MORTON

V

isit Loudoun and a committee of Loudoun artists are developing a new trail for Loudoun—coming on the heels of the Wine Trail, Civil War Trails, and the LoCo Ale Trail.

It’s an idea still in its infancy, but one that’s got people excited.

“We’ve been meeting since last July on our position supporting the arts,” Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson said in a recent interview.

The idea to establish an artisan trail—putting the spotlight on all forms of art in Loudoun—originated from a request by Lisa Strout, a Leesburg artist known for her ceramic sculptures.

“She came to us in June to ask for help in facilitating and communicating support for the arts in Loudoun,” Erickson said, noting that many artists felt isolated and wanted to link to a more centralized community. Strout also approached Leesburg Economic Development Director Marantha Edwards.

Out of that request came the idea for the artisan trail program that would put Loudoun’s artistic and hand-crafts movement on the map.

Public awareness of the arts in Loudoun has grown over the past decade, largely through the Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour and the work of the Loudoun Arts Council, but this new initiative seeks to raise that profile to a new level.

A committee—with representatives from the arts and agri-business communities—set about to market the idea and raise $26,000 in seed money for the project.

One of the committee’s first projects was to devel-

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Potter David Norton, seen in his Round Hill studio, is one of many Loudoun artists who could be listed on the future Loudoun Artisan Trail. The concept would showcase locally made art.

THE LOUDOUN ARTISAN TRAIL COMMITTEE Members listed below represent a broad swath of Loudoun artistic groups across the county. They are:

■■ Liz Jarvis, Purcellville Arts Council ■■ Elizabeth Bracey, Franklin Park Arts Center ■■ Donna Torraca, Friends of Leesburg Public Arts

■■ Jim Sisley, Leesburg Arts and Cultural District

■■ Tom O’Neil, Leesburg Commission on Public Arts

■■ Peter Wood, Middleburg Arts Council

■■ Sandy Danielson, Artists in Middleburg

■■ Marantha Edwards, Leesburg Economic Development Director

■■ Meredith Hilt, Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour

■■ Jill Evans-Kavaldjian, Round Hill Arts Center

■■ Stilson Greene, graphic artist

■■ Haig Kavaldjian, Loudoun Arts Council ■■ Mary Kenesson, Loudoun Arts Council

op a common calendar to promote arts programs in Loudoun that already is spurring greater interconnections in the arts community.

The panel plans to partner with The Artisans Center of Virginia, which helps develop artisan trails that have a demonstrated economic impact. Erickson adds that the center uses a formula to establish the trails that not only includes music, theater and art but also a strong agri-tourism component incorporating handcrafted cheeses, wine and beer.

Using that formula, a Loudoun Artisan Trail could help form alliances between artisans, performance or art venues, retailers, restaurants and bed and breakfast inns and independent hotels.

Visitors would connect to destinations in Loudoun through art.

■■ Doris Kidder, Photoworks ■■ Susan Colwell, Music Planet Radio

It also would be a boost to Loudoun’s tourism efforts by bringing another focus of interest to potential visitors.

The cost to join the ATV network is $26,000.

Loudoun’s towns, which also could benefit from the increased tourism opportunities, are being approached to support the program. Leesburg has just committed to $2,000, and other municipalities—including Purcellville, Hamilton, Hillsboro, Round Hill and Middleburg, either are considering the proposal or will be approached by the end of the month, according to Erickson.

“This will be a public-private partnership, and we will then go to local companies and various guilds to ART TRAIL >> 30

29 March 17 – 23, 2016

[ THIS WEEK ]

EGGCELLENT ADVENTURES Saturday, March 19, noon-4 p.m.; Ida Lee Park, 60 Ida Lee Drive NW, Leesburg. Details: leesburgva.gov This beloved annual tradition for children 7 and younger includes candy and prize filled eggs, amusements and photo ops with the Easter Bunny. Cost is $10 in advance, $15 day of event. Advance registration is recommended.

ROUND HILL ARTS CENTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA Saturday, March 19, 2-4 p.m.; Round Hill Arts Center, 35246 Harry Byrd Highway, Round Hill. Details: roundhillartscenter.org The annual egg decorating extravaganza features new techniques and media—and you don’t have to dye at home! Cost is $3 per person or $10 per family. Bring your own hardboiled eggs.

MOTHER NATURE’S EGGCELLENT ADVENTURES Wednesday, March 23, 10 a.m.-noon; Claude Moore Park, 2154 Old Vestals Gap Road, Sterling. Details: loudoun. gov/claudemoorepark Hop around stations focusing on Mother Nature’s egg laying animals. Warm up by the campfire while roasting marshmallows, visit the Nature Center, play games and make a craft. Cost is $5 per child. Advance registration is required.

LOVETTSVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER EGG HUNT Wednesday, March 23, 10:30 a.m.-noon; Lovettsville Community Center, 57 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. Contact: 540-822-5284 Children ages 1 to 12 are invited to join this fun and exciting event with crafts, games, and an outdoor egg hunt.

There will also be a special visit from the Easter Bunny.

Cost is $5 per child. Advance registration is required by March 18.

ON STAGE

LIVE MUSIC: MARK FORREST, IRISH TENOR

‘DEAD TUESDAY’ MURDER MYSTERY DINNER THEATRE

Friday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville.

Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

Thursday, March 17, 6:30 p.m.; Salamander Resort, 500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg; Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20, 6:30 p.m., Waterford Old School, 40222 Fairfax Street, Waterford.

Details: stagecoachtc.com

Courtesy of Mark Forrest

THIS WEEK >> 30

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Stage Coach Theatre Company presents a murder mystery set at a New Orleans Mardi Gras ball.

Tickets are $98 for the Middleburg show and $60 for the Waterford show. Tickets for each performance include dinner, with drinks sold separately. Advance reservations are required.

Mark Forrest brings a fullscale Irish production to Franklin Park, with songs, dancing and traditional Irish music.

This Gold Star performance presented

by Friends of

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IDA LEE EASTER EGG HUNT

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<< FROM 29 Franklin Park Arts Center includes reserved seating. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the door.

LUCKETTS BLUEGRASS: THE BOXCARS Saturday, March 19, 7 p.m.; Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg. Details: luckettsbluegrass.org These Grammy nominees have quickly risen to bluegrass super group status. Tickets are $15 at the door.

Sunday, March 20, 7 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org

Courtesy of Larry Mitchell

LIVE MUSIC: LARRY MITCHELL AND THE IMMORTALS Saturday, March 19, 6-9 p.m.; Lovettsville Game Club, 16 S. Berlin Pike, Lovettsville. Details: loudounmusic.com Mitchell, a Grammy-winning producer and performer, will be joining Lovettsville’s popular teen band The Immortals for a concert to raise funds for The Immortals’ annual trip to Cleveland, OH, to work with underprivileged children. Admission is by donation.

Rescheduled from January’s snowedout event, internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist (and Loudoun resident) Danny Knicely performs his 10th annual winter concert. This year’s show focuses on the legacy of Gypsy jazz icon Django Reinhardt, with a number of special guests.

Tickets for the January show will be honored. Additional tickets are $20 online, $25 at the door.

You’re the star when you sing karaoke backed up by the seasoned musicians of the Harikaraoke Band at this popular monthly event. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: RICKIE LEE JONES Friday, March 18, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg.

Details: tallyholeesburg.com The Grammy winner and cultural phenomenon, known as a pioneer of confessional songwriting, promises an evening of honesty and excellence. Tickets for the fully seated show are $49 in advance, $60 day of show.

THIS WEEK >> 31

NIGHTLIFE LIVE BAND KARAOKE Thursday, March 17, 8:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com

Rickie Lee Jones Credit: David McClister

Brainstorm

A workout for the mind Thursday, March 31st 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

For more information on the proposed artisan trail, email Erickson@ visitloudoun.org. mmorton@loudounnow.com

at The Senior Center of Leesburg 102 North Street, Leesburg Representatives from Waltonwood Ashburn will be on site to present Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology’s Brain Neurobics program.

Join us and learn what simple activities and exercises you can do to help improve your memory and strengthen your brain.

RSVP by March 28th

(703) 594-7350

March 17 – 23, 2016

seek their support,” Strout said.

Artist and Loudoun Arts Council President Jill Evans-Kavaldjian said there has been considerable interest from the towns she has visited, including Hamilton and Lovettsville.

Evans-Kavaldjian is a fine artist and graphic artist who’s been working in Loudoun for almost 20 years. She is a graduate of VCU’s School of Fine Arts in Richmond, and, in addition to managing the Round Hill Arts Center, she is an arts instructor.

Evans-Kavaldjian said she’s had a very positive reaction as she’s presented the idea to various town councils.

“They saw it as a great idea,” she said.

Round Hill potter David Norton is also enthusiastic about the idea. Norton’s functional stoneware is much sought after, and he welcomes the opportunity the trail affords to connect Loudoun artists to discriminating and serious consumers.

Norton is familiar with artisan trails in other areas of Virginia and predicts such a venture in Loudoun will benefit artists in working studios, but who do not have retail space.

“Now people will be able to find us,” he said.

Strout is excited. “I love the whole idea,” she said. “This is a real opportunity for the community to come together under the guidance of Visit Loudoun, and it will include all kinds of artisanal activity.”

Erickson said the end product will be a map listing all participants and a specially designed website.

“We were very happy to facilitate it,” she said.

As soon as organizers have commitments for 50 percent of the $26,000 needed to launch the project, they can move forward. Erickson anticipates it will take a year to 18 months to complete.

g Openin soon!

A SHBURN 44141 Russell Branch Parkway, Ashburn, VA 20147

The Information Center is located on Russell Branch Pkwy., near the intersection of Ashburn Village Blvd. and Russell Branch Pkwy. Just look for our white and green Waltonwood bus!

www.facebook.com/waltonwoodseniorliving | www.Waltonwood.com

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DANNY KNICELY WINTER CONCERT

Art trail << FROM 28

LOUDOUN NEWS

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[ THIS WEEK ]

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[ THIS WEEK ] LIVE MUSIC: SWELL DAZE

LIVE MUSIC: GHOST PEPPER

Friday, March 18, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Spanky’s Pub, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. Details: spankyspub.com

Saturday, March 19, 6-11 p.m.; Mad Horse Brew Pub, 34 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. Details: madhorsebrewpub.com These favorite Loudoun/Frederick-based rockers celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day and get the whole town dancing. No cover.

Saturday, March 19, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com One of DC’s favorite local bands, The Muddy Crows are back after a European tour. No cover.

LIVE MUSIC: TEN—THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE TO PEARL JAM Saturday, March 19, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg. com Known for creating an authentic reproduction of a Pearl Jam concert, this acclaimed tribute band captures the spirit of the rock icons. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show.

The Harrisonburg-based alt-rockers with Loudoun roots return home for a special show. $5 cover.

LIVE MUSIC: AN EVENING WITH EDGAR WINTER Sunday, March 20, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg.

Details: tallyholeesburg.com The rock/blues multi-instrumentalist and singer is known for hits like “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride,” and an enduring solo career. Tickets for this fully seated show are $35 in advance, $45 at the door.

LOCO CULTURE VADA/NOVA CLINIC AND SCHOOLING SHOW Saturday, March 19 and Sunday,

THIS WEEK >> 32

Call today for an additional 5% off!

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LIVE MUSIC: THE MUDDY CROWS

March 17 – 23, 2016

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[ THIS WEEK ] << FROM 31 March 20, 9 a.m.; Morven Park, 41793 Tutt Lane, Leesburg. Details: vadanova.org

March 17 – 23, 2016

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

VADA/Nova, one of Northern Virginia’s favorite dressage shows, displays the nuts and bolts of dressage, as riders are critiqued by judges and incorporate comments into their next ride. Free for spectators.

CIVIL WAR WALKING TOUR OF LEESBURG Saturday, March 19, 10 a.m.-noon, Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St, Leesburg.

Details: mosbyheritagearea.org Historian Richard Gillespie guides participants through Leesburg’s surviving Civil War townscape and helps them imagine Loudoun’s county seat engulfed by war. The tour includes stops at three skirmish sites, two historically important churches and the courthouse lawn.

BLUEMONT COUNTRY DANCE Saturday, March 19, 8 p.m.; Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. Details: bluemont.org This month’s event features music from Jim Morrison and Friends and

calling by Tom Hinds. Optional beginners workshop starts at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $12, $8 for students, seniors and Bluemont members.

FRANKLIN PARK ARTS IN THE GALLERY Monday, March 21, 12:15-1:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville.

Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Art lovers, artists and art students, this monthly series is for you. Enjoy a casual lunch in the Franklin Park Arts Center gallery. Local artist will demonstrate their process and give a guided tour of the exhibit. $12 fee includes a box lunch.

LIBATIONS

Stone Tower Winery, 19925 Hogback Mountain Road, Leesburg. Details: stonetowerwinery.com Celebrate spring with refreshing rosé wines from France, the New World and Stone Tower’s own cellars. Tickets are $40 for wine club members, $50 for non-members. Advance registration is required.

COMING UP LIVING COLOUR Friday, April 1, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg.

Details: tallyholeesburg.com The band made waves in the ’80s for its fusion heavy metal, punk rock, funk, jazz, hip hop and alt rock.

They reunited in 2000 after a nearly 10-year breakup and continue to tour

with most of the original members.

Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 day of show.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE BURG Saturday, April 2, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Middleburg Community Center, 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg.

Details: shakespeareintheburg.com The American Shakespeare Theatre returns to Middleburg for the annual spring festival. This year’s performances are Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” (2 p.m.) and Shakespeare’s “Henry V” (7:30 p.m.). The weekend also includes a Champagne brunch featuring the winner of the festival’s one-act play competition at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 3. Tickets for Saturday’s shows are $40. Tickets for brunch are $25.

DIRT FARM BREWERY OYSTERFEST Saturday, May 19, noon-6 p.m.

18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. Details: dirtfarmbrewing.com Dirt Farm launches its inaugural Oyster Fest with the folks from Nomini Bay Oyster Ranch in Virginia’s Northern Neck. Oysters are three for $5, six for $10 or 12 for $15.

STONE TOWER SOMMINAR: ROSÉ WINES Sunday, March 20, 1-2:30 p.m.;

Virginia Joanne Lee 59, passed away in Leesburg, VA

on March 11, 2016.

Joanne as she like to be called was born May 14, 1956 to Robert Franklin Spring and Helen Virginia Russell Spring and lived in Hamilton most of her young life until she married her husband of 40 years, Lewis G. Lee, Jr. on November 1, 1975.

She attended Loudoun Valley High School and went to work for the Loudoun County Government in the Land Use department for 25 years when she retired.

She was preceded in death by her mom and leaves behind her father, her husband, two children Jeremy Lewis Lee of Leesburg and Erin Denise Lee (Charles Porch) and her love, grandson Charlie of Woodbridge, VA. For many years, Joanne was active in church, working with youth and as a Sunday school teacher. She loved time with family and reading.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 pm at the Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, VA. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 11 am at the funeral home.

Interment will follow in Hillsboro Cemetery, Hillsboro, VA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association PO Box 11454 Alexandria, VA 22312, or to the Western Loudoun Community Church of Round Hill, PO Box 840, Purcellville, VA 20134.

Please share condolences with the family www.LoudounFuneralchapel.com

To share your condolences with our readers, contact Lindsay Morgan at 703-770-9723 or via email at lmorgan@loudounnow.com

Courtesy Living Colour

Mrs. Isabelle B. McKimmey 98, lifelong resident

of Loudoun passed on Thursday, March 10, 2016.

Isabelle B. Boger was born in Lovettsville, on May 24, 1917. She was a daughter of the late Elmer Boger and the late Ida McKinley Boger. As a young woman Isabelle worked in a ladies hosiery factory in Brunswick, MD. Mrs. McKimmey was a wonderful wife and homemaker. She lived a life of farming and found ways to raise extra money by raising chickens, and drying flowers that she would go and sell at local craft

shows.

Isabelle was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, John Willard McKimmey, in 2006. She was also predeceased by her only son Willard Jackson McKimmey in 1985, daughter in law Blanch Penny McKimmey in 1998, and her sister Frances “Betty” Boger.

She leaves her family to cherish her memory including her grandson Marty and granddaughter in law, Sabrina McKimmey of Waterford, and 2 great grandchildren Huntley Jackson, and Kayla Atleah McKimmey, plus several nieces, nephews, and many good friends.

The family will receive friends from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia.

Funeral Services will begin at 11:00 AM Thursday at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, with Rev. Roland England officiating.

Interment will follow in Lovettsville Union Cemetery, Lovettsville, VA 20180.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Capital Caring 24419 Millstream Drive Aldie, VA 20105.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com

JOIN US THIS EASTER! 3/25 Good Friday - Sunset Communion Service on the Blue Ridge (Bear’s Den). Hike from trailhead - 6:15 pm 3/27 Easter - Worship at church 6:30 am (Outside) and 10 am (Inside) 19619 Evergreen Mills Rd, Leesburg Welcome@EvergreenChurch.net (703) 737-7700

Visitors Warmly Welcomed

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

2016 March e 15th kends t have hicle enter

Easter Worship

March 17 – 23, 2016

SE GS

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Business Card Directory

BOB CAT

DECKS

* Bobcat Services * * Gravel Driveway Repair *

hall Trucking Br am 540-822-9011

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Let us heLp you carry your Load!

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Kenny Williams Construction, Inc. * Decks & Fences * Additions * Garages * Screened Porches * Finished Basements Free Estimates

703-771-8727

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Serving Loudoun County for 35 years.

Class A Contractor

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Office: (703) 729-5995 Fax: (703) 738-7011

“Big Enough To Service & Good Enough To Care”

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virginiahandyman1775@yahoo.com The Quickest Solution To A Problem Is To Fix It

HANDYMAN

Baker’s

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Licensed & Insured Contractor who performs “Handyman Services, Rental & Re-sale Turnovers“ Taking orders for spring deck projects *We Accept ALL Major Cards* 571-439-5576

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Purcellville Lawn & Landscape

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GARDENING Your Lush Garden

Professional, Certified & Experienced Gardener.

Flower ♣ Veggie ♣ Butterfly Native & Herb Gardens ♣ Ornamental Bushes ♣ Design ♣ Plant ♣ Prune Mulch ♣ Maintain Low hourly rates

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March 17 – 23, 2016

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Serving Northern Virginia area for over 10 years.

Taking orders for spring deck projects BUILD DECKS & FENCES POWERWASHING & STAINING FREE ESTIMATES & DECK INSPECTIONS

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HHHHH FIVE STAR GENERAL CONTRACTOR & HANDYMAN SERVICES • Interior & Exterior Painting • Power Wash & Stain Decks • • Bathroom & Kitchen Remodeling • Finish Basements • • Electrical • Plumbing • Mailbox Replacement • • Clean Gutters • Install Crown Molding • Drywall Repairs • Exterior Rotten Wood Replacement • • Small or Large Jobs We Do It All •

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PAINTING Paint and Stain LLC Since 1997 Home Improvement • Licensed Contractor

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landscape Cell: 571-722-5897 www.hgblandscape.com

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CORUM’S LAWN & LANDSCAPING • Lawn Maintanence • Landscape & Hardscape • Tree Service • Drainage Solutions • Bobcat Services

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Excellent References • Free Estimates Licensed, Insured, and Bonded Serving DC, VA, & MD • Angies’ List Member

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REAL ESTATE Stephany DeBerry

cell: 571.258.7371 stephany.deberry@exprealty.com www.stephanysellsthedmv.com 43723 Lees Mill Sq Leesburg, VA 20176 Licensed in VA & MD

Providing SUPERIOR service since 2006

Business Card Directory TREE REMOVAL

VACATION

WINDOW CLEANING Chesapeake Potomac Window Cleaning Co.

C2 Operations offers Professional Roofing, Siding, Remodeling, & Specialty Services throughout Loudoun Co. & Northern Virginia

Services Include:

~ Window Cleaning * inside & out by hand * residential specialists ~ Power Washing * no damage - low pressure * soft brushing by hand

Roof Repairs • Roof Replacements • Siding Gutters • Windows • Doors Skylights & Maintenance We perform the job you need, when you need it, and at the price that you can afford. *SDVOSB* c2operations.com 703.651.6677

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Town of Leesburg is hiring Senior DPR Engineer

Regular Full-Time $63,976-$107,380 DOQ Closing Date: Open until filled Required: BS in Engineering; 4-6 years Land Development Engineering experience; valid driver’s license.

Preferred: BS in Civil or Land Development Engineering; 10+ years Land Development Engineering experience; Virginia P.E. or L.S. license; FEMA certified CFM; ESI Designated Plans Examiner; bilingual in English/Spanish.

TO APPLY: Please go to www.leesburgva.gov/jobs to apply online.

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

Crossword

Leesbug Sterling Family Practice Is Expanding Our sixth location located in the Medical Professional Building at Stone Springs Hospital in Aldie, VA is scheduled to open this Summer. If you are compassionate, energetic and love working with a team, then we need YOU. FT positions are available for LPN’s and MA’s. Pediatric and or family practice preferred but willing to train the right candidate. We offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as direct deposit, 401K and many other benefits. FT positions are also available in our Broadlands location.

Please send your resumé to: lgray@lmgdoctors.com or fax: (703) 726-0804 attention Lisa

Yard Sale

GREENHOUSE JOB OPENINGS Mid March - June 15, 2016 3-4 days a week thru March 5 days a week thru June 15th with alternating weekends lifting required • must have driver’s license & vehicle Ellmores Garden Center (540) 338-7760

Moving Sale Saturday, March 19, 9am-2pm, rain or shine 608 Beauregard Drive, Leesburg Furniture, household items, tools, patio furniture, and much more

House of Worship

New Life Praise & Deliverance Church

“Come & Experience Pentacost with the Annointing of the Holy Spirit”

A Church Alive is Worth the Drive!

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Sunday School - 10:00 am Sunday Worship Service - 11:30 am Prayer Tues. 7:30 pm / Bible Study Wed. 7:30 pm www.be-blessed.org *Bishop Michael Gilcreast (681) 252-3784 305 S. Charles St. Charles Town, WV 25414

Don’t worry Loudoun we deliver

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Employment Local Film Production Co. Seeks 1-2 student cinematographers to film action movies on weekends in April.

Call Jack at (703) 627-2643

March 17 – 23, 2016

ROOFING

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[ OPINION ]

Boundary Busting II A few weeks ago in this space we urged the School Board to question whether its policy of scattering students from Leesburg’s poorest neighborhoods to elementary schools all around town was in their best academic interest.

Since then, scores of speakers have lined up at public hearings to defend the policy or, conversely, to advocate the return of the children to a neighborhood-school setting. School Board members, too, appear split, although by Monday night a move to abandon the policy appeared to gain momentum.

A final vote is expected before month’s end, with no more meetings planned on the topic.

This is no small decision. The outcome of the debate will result in anywhere between 200 and 2,000 students being transferred to new schools next year.

Yet, the School Board still lacks the two most critical pieces of information.

First, they don’t have empirical data from which they can determine whether students from low-income families—many coming from homes where English is not the principal language—reach greater academic heights when served in a neighborhood school equipped with extra resources to address their special needs or when they are blended with a significantly different student population. This week, the administrators began circulating information that appeared to show students in eastern Loudoun schools with similar demographic backgrounds to those in the targeted Leesburg neighborhoods performed well in their neighborhood schools when supplied adequate support resources. A deeper examination is needed.

Also, School Board members have not heard from the families that would be most affected by a policy change. The collection of speakers appearing during four nights of public hearings—while divided on which course was best—certainly lacked the diversity that is at the heart of the debate. They were white, articulate English speakers. Some effort has been made to reach out to a broader audience—letters announcing the dates and places of the public hearings were sent home in backpacks, for example—but without tangible success. School Board members should not interpret that silence as indifference when dealing with members of the county’s most disenfranchised populations. If those families won’t or can’t travel to Ashburn or the County Government Center for weeknight hearings, School Board members should at least offer to meet with parents in the apartment and townhouse neighborhoods that are in the bullseye of this exercise. Having those conversations is the only way school leaders can sort through the increasingly heated rhetoric and determine how to best meet the students’ needs.

It may take more than two weeks—perhaps far longer—for School Board members to get those answers, but it serves no good purpose to pursue a “paradigm shift” without having them.

LoudounNow

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

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[ LETTERS ]

Women’s Rights Editor:

March is Women’s History Month and as we celebrate the accomplishments of women in America and the world it is a time to also reflect on the misconceptions that abound regarding the rights of Muslim women.

The status of women in Islam is that they stand on the same level as Muslim men and can attain the same level of spiritual heights as men.

Both men and women have the same commandments and rights and privileges. Only their duties are different because their range of activities is different. The highest level of reward for good deeds in life is heavens and in Islam it is said that heaven is under the feet of the mothers.

In fact, Islam gives women many rights, including getting educated, sharing in the property, choosing their own life partners. Some of these rights were not enjoyed by Western women until the 19th century. For example, until 1882, the properties of women in England were given to their husbands when they got married and they had no control over the usage of such properties. Fourteen hundred years ago, Islam laid out clear guidelines with regards to inheritance for both men and women. The teachings of Islam state that the man is the head of the household and is financially responsible for his family. A woman on the other hand has the right to inherit and own property but is not obligat-

ed to provide for the family.

There are many examples of women in the history of Islam who played great roles in societies they lived in.

Khadija, the first wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) was not only a successful business woman but also a great friend and confidant of her husband. It was she who sent a proposal of marriage to the Holy Prophet who was 15 years her junior.

Aisha, another wife of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) was highly educated in the matters of religion. She imparted this knowledge to both women and men.

Many of the sayings of the Prophet (Ahadith) are attributed to her. In the modern times, there are also examples of Muslim women who have achieved coveted status in societies.

Pakistan and Bangladesh, both Muslim countries, had women as prime ministers. Benazir Bhutto served as the prime minister of Pakistan twice. The current prime minister of Bangladesh is also a woman, Sheikh Hasina. And who does not know the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai who defied the Taliban to stand up for the rights to girls’ education.

Thus women in Islam are not only loved, cherished and protected by the immediate family, but also by the community and their faith. So the rights of women in Islam are as strong as they are anywhere else.

— Rabia Khan, Leesburg

BY THE WATERFORD CITIZENS’ ASSOCIATION

• IN

The Waterford Citizens’ Association was established in 1954 to support the citizens of the Waterford School District in the preservation of the historic heritage and to promote citizen involvement in the Waterford community.

In Our Backyard is compiled by the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition. To learn more about the organization or to participate in the rural road initiative, to go loudouncoalition.org.

YARD

H

did before Milltown Road was paved.

“Cutting through Waterford is a shortcut.” It actually takes more time to drive through Waterford than to take Rt. 287 and Rt. 9. Cutting through may seem quicker because there are no stoplights, but it’s not.

“Waterford’s streets can be widened to accommodate more traffic.” Waterford’s narrow roadways were designed centuries ago to accommodate horse and carriage traffic. Today, they are integral to Waterford’s protected heritage. Many of the historic buildings sit just a few feet from the edge of the existing roadway. The Old Mill, a building considered by some to be Waterford’s crown jewel, is just 23 inches from the edge of First Street.

“There is nothing we can do to cut down on Waterford’s traffic.” Residential areas in Virginia and elsewhere route traffic so that commuters get to their destinations and residents have safe streets. There has been a plan to do just this in Waterford for a long time.

The county-approved 1987 Waterford Area Management Plan recommends circulation of local traffic only, and provides detailed road improvements to enhance flow on the main roads that bypass the village. A 2003 consultant study endorsed by village residents and other stakeholders made similar recommendations.

So what are the next steps?

The county government and the Virginia Department of Transportation have agreed that Waterford’s growing traffic volume is in part a commuter cut-through problem. The supervi-

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istoric Waterford is known for its bucolic scenery, well-preserved 18th and 19th century buildings and, more recently, the overwhelming amount of traffic it sees during rush hours.

Thousands of commuters cut through the once peaceful village daily on their way to and from work—so many that locals joke about the “parades,” and visitors can’t safely enjoy a walk during peak commuting times.

Waterford’s narrow, quaintly askew historic streets are being asked to do the job of major transport arterials.

The situation poses a grave risk to one of the most treasured heritage sites in Loudoun County and the country, and threatens the safety of commuters and residents.

Even among landmarks, the village is special: it’s one of only three National Historic Landmarks that encompass entire towns. The well-known Waterford Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit, for which the village closes its streets to cars, attracts tens of thousands of visitors over three days each October and contributes $4.5 million to Loudoun County’s economy annually.

But many of the features that brought Waterford recognition through our country’s highest historic designation are now altered by steady streams of traffic. Historic Waterford’s status as a village largely unchanged from its 18th and 19th century appearance is threatened.

The more than 3,000 vehicles that pass through Waterford daily have also made the streets dangerous for commuters, residents, their children and visitors. At the Post Office intersection alone, peak traffic rates are approximately 280 per hour in the morning, and 360 per hour in the evening. At least five crashes have been documented in the village in the past year.

The problem will only get worse as the area continues to grow. Loudoun County projects that, by 2020, there will be a 30 percent increase in the number of housing units compared with 2010 census figures. The Maryland and West Virginia communities that generate a portion of Waterford’s cut-through traffic are also expected to experience growth.

A few misconceptions have made it difficult to solve Waterford’s traffic problem: “Commuters have nowhere else to go.” Commuters can take Rt. 287 and Rt. 9, major arterials designed for moving large volumes of traffic, just as they

37

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

Commuter Traffic is a Threat to Waterford

help us urge the county to enact a plan to keep our historic streets scenic and safe. Please contact your Board of Supervisors representatives at 703-7770204 and urge them to support the goals of the 1987 traffic management plan for Waterford.

March 17 – 23, 2016

BACK

O UR

sors will be asked this month to approve funding for a study to determine whether Waterford meets criteria for solutions available under VDOT’s Control of Residential Cut-Through Program.

The Traffic Committee of the Waterford Citizens’ Association is examining choices made in other communities, and widely consulting within and outside the village, including a Historic Villages and Rural Roads Workshop this summer, sponsored by the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition, the Waterford Foundation and the WCA. The daily deluge of traffic in Waterford is endangering the village’s landmark status as well as the safety of commuters, area residents and visitors. We hope Loudoun residents will

March 17 – 23, 2016 OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | CRIME | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW

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38

Arcola school << FROM 3 athletic field, and preserve the school’s gym for community use.

“This is really not Windy Hill looking for a place to put a project,” Foundation Executive Director G. Kimball Hart told the board during a March 9 public hearing. “We responded to the county looking for a way to save the old Arcola school. We would like to help you save the old Arcola school.”

But the plan has a hitch.

The building is about two and a half miles from the end of one of Dulles Airport’s runways, directly under the airport’s left-turning traffic pattern and near the centerline of a planned fifth runway. Jetliners thunder low overhead day and night, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s sound meter on the roof of the building consistently registers the loudest noise of all the meters scattered around the county.

Airport representatives and some supervisors wonder whether putting in housing there might not be doing future residents any favors, and harming the airport as well.

“Would you want to live under that?” asked Supervisor Matthew F. Leatourneau (R-Dulles). “Because even if you attenuate the indoors, you showed a nice courtyard. Who wants to stand in a courtyard when you have an 85 decibel rating, which is scientifically dangerous to the ears according to medical analysis, above you?”

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

MWAA VP of communications and government affairs David Mould holds up a map of air traffic over Old Arcola Elementary School.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, sustained noise of 85 decibels or higher can cause hearing loss. Onetime sounds cause hearing loss at 120 decibels or more.

“At two and a half miles distance from the airport, your standard commercial jet airliner is at an altitude of 800 feet,” Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) said. “I’m a former pilot. A 747 with four large Pratt [and] Whitney engines has a wingspan of 211 feet. That looks like a pterodactyl over your house.”

Other supervisors, however, support the project, and point out that the previous board, including Letourneau and Buona, voted unanimously to move the project ahead.

“Are we forcing anyone to move in there?” asked Supervisor Tony R. Buff-

ington (R-Blue Ridge). “No.” Supervisor Koran Saines (D-Sterling) said he enjoys jet traffic and seeing planes at night over his neighborhood, and Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) pointed out that under the area’s antiquated zoning, this development would be by-right on privately-held land.

“Had we gone ahead and sold this property in September of 2014, rather than pursue this arrangement with Windy Hill or somebody else, whoever bought that property could have done exactly what they’re talking about doing, and had access to water and sewer, and had no limits on the number of houses and units they built on the property,” Higgins said.

Airport industry representatives spoke against the project. Keith Meurlin, president of the Washington Airports Task Force, said allowing housing near the airport would generate complaints to elected officials about the airport, resulting in tighter regulations on airport traffic—which he said is responsible for regulations choking flight traffic around Reagan National Airport. David Mould, vice president of communications and government affairs at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, agreed that the housing would be bad for both the community and the airport.

“In the spirit of being a good neighbor and a good civic partner, we do oppose putting our neighbors in harm’s way by building homes of any kind in such proximity to an active runway,” Meurlin said.

Leesburg boundaries << FROM 1 free and reduced meals program, used by school division leaders as an indication of socioeconomic status. The rate is currently 26 percent at both schools.

Hornberger said the proposal, if adopted, would assign students to the closest school that has space. “As it appears now that there is more interest by individual board members to explore and look into this paradigm shift, I thought it’d be important to bring forward a plan that actually does it,” he said.

It also frees up classroom seats at Cool Spring, Evergreen Mills and Tolbert elementary schools to make room for students from future developments, such as Tuscarora Crossing and Market Square, and avoid future boundary changes. “This is a district that’s gone through four boundary reviews in eight years,” DeKenipp said. “We’re tired of this.”

Board members Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) and Debbie Rose (Algonkian) said they liked Plan 12 because it would return students to their neighborhood schools.

Turgeon had strong words in response to several emails she received urging the board to send academically at-risk students to the best schools, referring to busing low-income students

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Loudoun County School Board members, from left, Jeff Morse, Eric Hornberger and Brenda Sheridan listen during Monday’s public hearing on elementary school boundary changes. The board is expected to adopt an attendance map March 29.

and English Language Learners to schools where they can be with more affluent and English-speaking peers.

“There’s not a school within Loudoun County that’s not the quote-unquote ‘best school.’ To say that a particular school is not the ‘best school’ is insulting to that population and insulting to the education professionals who teach there,” she said.

Rose pointed to data from the school system that showed Loudoun County students do best when they attend

schools closer to their home. She noted that elementary schools with some of the highest rates of poor and non-English speaking students in Sterling have tallied impressive test scores in recent years.

Tom Marshall (Leesburg) countered Rose’s point. Marshall, who favors evenly distributing students based on their socioeconomic make up, said “the jury’s still out” on which model is best for students.

“Central Loudoun is happy with what we’re doing and we feel we have

Denise Kloeppel, who lives nearby, said the jet noise isn’t as bad as the gridlock on Stone Springs Boulevard nearby.

“Our biggest concern from our HOA has never been the noise of the airport.

Our biggest concern has always been the traffic and the safety of our children,” Kloeppel said.

But some organizations support the project. Bill Wilkins, chairman of the Loudoun County Heritage Commission, read a statement from that commission commending the proposal, which he said “demonstrates proper respect for the architecture, appearance, and character of the school and its setting.”

Kelly Kerchner, the community manager at Shreveport Ridge Apartments, which provides affordable workforce housing, said the project is badly needed. She said Shreveport Ridge can’t keep up with demand for housing as it is.

“As of today, we still have over 200 families on our waitlist in need of affordable workforce housing,” Kerchner said.

The board voted 7-2, Letourneau and Buona opposed, to send the proposal ahead to a future board meeting as Windy Hill fills out the last details of the plan.

“This, to me, is not a vote against the airport,” Buffington said. “It’s a vote to save the school.” rgreene@loudounnow.com

good results,” he said, prompting cheers and applause from several in the audience.

Jeff Morse (Dulles) also questioned the school system’s research. He said it differs from what research shows on a national level, and much of the progress made by Sterling schools has been over the past couple of years.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to throw out the entire model of distributing low-income students when we have just two years of data,” he said.

Families on both sides of the issue clashed during the fourth and final public hearing on the boundary changes Monday. Of the more than 70 speakers who approached the board, a few dozen from Leesburg Elementary waved blue signs urging the board to “Keep LES Together.” Plan 12 would reassign some in the Exeter to Frances Hazel Reid Elementary.

Others, including Kara Griffin, wore green to show solidarity to stay at Evergreen Mill Elementary. “Plan 12 is brilliant,” Griffin said. “It’s the right thing for the students, the teachers and the principals.”

Read more about the other proposals at LoudounNow.com/Education.

The board is expected to adopt a map March 29. dnadler@loudounnow.com

39 March 17 – 23, 2016

Saving Selma << FROM 1

In the Beginning

Selma Today

Selma has a colorful history that goes back to the county’s origins and involves some of its best-known residents. The land was once part of the Virginia Proprietorship managed

by Lord Fairfax, situated on the centuries-old, north-south trading route, the Carolina Road— today’s Rt. 15, according to the 2007 nomination to Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites listing. Its known history dates to the 1700s.

A portion of the Proprietorship was sold to John Dixon in 1731, who then sold it to Aenas Campbell in 1754. Three years later, Campbell became the county’s first sheriff after Loudoun was created out of western Fairfax County. Selma was part of Campbell’s large es-

tate, Raspberry Plain. In 1760, the Raspberry Plain tract was sold to Thomson Mason, who farmed it in corn, rye, oats and buckwheat.

Mason was the younger brother of George Mason IV, author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. When Thomson Mason died in 1785, his son, Stevens Thomson Mason, inherited the land. He became a colonel in the Virginia Revolutionary Army and, later, a U.S. senator. In 1800, his younger brother, Armistead Thomson Mason, received that part of the Raspberry Plain tract that came to be known as Selma.

The First House Armistead Mason built the first house at Selma between

loudounnow.com

mmorton@loudounnow.com

Courtesy of Rick Martin Photographiy

Recent photos of the Selma mansion shows the wear of neglect.

1800 and 1810. His house, at first, fared better than its builder. Armistead Mason headed the Democratic Party in Loudoun, while his cousin, John Mason McCarty, was an ardent Federalist. The two men became so passionate in their political differences that McCarty challenged Mason to a duel. Dueling was illegal in Virginia, so the two men fought it out in Bladensburg, MD, in February 1819.

Mason was killed instantly.

But, some 60 years later, the original house also met its fate.

After passing to different owners, the major part of the house burned in the late 1800s.

In 1897, Selma was sold to Elijah Brokenborough White, the son of Elijah Viers White, a revered Confederate soldier and a leading businessman in Loudoun, the president of People’s National Bank in Leesburg (today’s Lightfoot Restaurant) and the owner/operator of White’s Ferry. Elijah B. White reportedly started building the mansion that sits on the property today not long after his purchase, completing it in about 1902.

Selma changed hands over the years and under the Eppersons became a favorite venue for weddings and charity events.

Many participants in events at Selma are among those currently delighting in the news of its purchase and eventual restoration.

—Margaret Morton

In 2002, ter Maaten sold part of the property to developer Edgemoore Homes, and kept the house and a 50-acre conservancy lot.

But little maintenance or upkeep was done over the intervening years, leading to the property’s 2007 nomination to the endangered sites list, submitted by Collins and Loudoun preservationist Lori Kimball.

The house has not been lived in for 16 years and has steadily fallen apart, bit by bit. Slowly the once grand house deteriorated, with cracks in the exterior walls, paint peeling off the interior walls, and weeds and overgrowth enclosing the mansion. Vandalism and theft have also been problems.

Selma is important, preservationists maintain, because of its significant architecture, its significance in the county’s history—representing its architecture, history and a fast-vanishing agrarian lifestyle—and because it holds a special place for the many residents who visited Selma for special events, including charitable events and weddings.

Kimball and others formed the Save Selma group, an informal collection of preservationists and historians along with people who cared about Selma. They received permission from ter Maaten to access the house. They documented the neglect and used their personal funds to buy plywood and other materials to try to keep vandals, ghost hunters, and others out.

In the 2007 nomination, Kimball said with rehabilitation “the mansion could again be someone’s home and/or used as an event site.”

That statement seems prophetic with the news of the Virts-Miller purchase of the mansion and their intent to fully restore it and live in it. Already, the couple has cleared mounds of vegetation from around the house, allowing it to breathe once more.

Kimball, who is now Director of Programming and Education at Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, said she and the Save Selma group were elated to hear of the sale.

“Isn’t that grand? After all these years of neglect and vandalism, it will be restored to its former glory.”

Selma Through the Centuries

Courtesy of Scott Miller

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | CRIME | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

The history of the 212-acre Selma Plantation dates back to 1700.

After most of an earlier house burned in the late 1880s, the current Selma mansion was built in about 1902 by Elijah Brokenborough White. As builders he employed the Norris Brothers of Leesburg, who were well known for their elaborate woodwork, which is well displayed in Selma’s glamorous rooms.

It was at Selma that White bred champion Percheron draft horses. His daughter, Jane Elizabeth, inherited Selma and lived there until she died in 1970.

“Miss Elizabeth,” as she was known, carried on her parents’ tradition of gracious living and entertaining at the house.

Leesburg antique cars dealer Ben J. Epperson and his wife, Ruth, purchased the 212-acre Selma Plantation in the early 1970s, both living in the house and renting it for weddings and special events. In 1999, the Eppersons sold the farm and house to ter Maaten, who retained the Eppersons’ daughter, Benji Collins, as his property manager for a few years. Collins continued her mother’s weddings and events business in the house.

Ben Epperson died in 2003, but his widow recalled happy days living at Selma. Asked what she liked most about the house, she said, “You could never answer that question, there’d be too much—you couldn’t pick out any thing—it was all of it.”

She said she and her husband and three girls felt privileged to have had the chance to take it on and to keep it for almost 30 years.

“We all loved it—who wouldn’t?”

When she heard the news that Selma has been purchased Tuesday, she said, “I’m so happy.”

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