LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE
[ Vol. 1, No. 35 ]
[ loudounnow.com ]
[ July 7 – 13, 2016 ]
Bluebirds get a boost
24 FBI: Sterling Man Plotted to Aid ISIS in US Attack LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT
Ferraiolo Fitness was one of five Crescent Place business tenants that were formally announced at an open house June 30. The event was meant to mark the progress of the project and drum up excitement for the shops that are slated to open by October. Other businesses that have purchased—not leased—storefronts include Loudoun Nail Spa, Passport Coffee & Tea, Bread & Butter and Best Rack Around. They all close on their units this week.
A 26-year-old Sterling man is behind bars after allegedly plotting to aid a mass shooting and providing other support to the group known as Islamic State. Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, identified as a former member of the Army National Guard, was arrested Sunday. In a brief appearance in federal district court Tuesday, he was arraigned and held without bond. According to the federal complaint released Tuesday, Jalloh allegedly attempted to help purchase weapons to be used in what he believed was going to be an attack on U.S. soil committed in the name of ISIS. Investigators also say he provided money to help individuals seeking to join ISIS. The FBI’s affidavit also alleges Jalloh said he was considering a “Nidal Hassan-style attack.” Hasan is the former U.S. Army major who killed 13 people and injured 32 in a mass shooting at Fort Hood, TX, in 2009. The FBI’s confidential informant had told Jalloh that the weapons would be used in an attack on two U.S. military personnel inside the country, followed by an unspecified attack by ISIS. The affidavit says Jalloh was born in Sierra Leone and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He works as a control room operator at Amazon, according to his Facebook page. Jalloh was arrested after Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, working with the FBI, sold him a disabled AR-15 on Saturday, July 2. Earl Curtis, owner of Blue Ridge Arsenal, said Jalloh could not purchase the weapon on his first visit because he did not have the three forms of identification required to purchase an assault firearm. “He seemed like a normal guy walking in,” Curtis said in an interview Tuesday. A few minutes after Jalloh left, FBI agents came into the store. “Normally, I would have said, if the guy comes back in I’m going to refuse him,”
CRESCENT PLACE >> 38
ISIS IN LOUDOUN >> 39
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Crescent Place marked its progress this week as its first business tenants closed on their retail space. Even several months before build out, the community’s developers have been praised for transforming Harrison Street near downtown Leesburg.
NEW LIFE IN LEESBURG Crescent Place Could Lead the Way to Retail Resurgence BY DANIELLE NADLER
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o doubt, it was a gutsy move. Developers Hobie Mitchel and Donald Knutson had an itch to convert a run-down manufacturing complex along Harrison Street into a welcomed extension of Leesburg’s downtown. The idea was to build a walkable community, with 224 townhomes and condos and storefronts that look out onto the open space of Raflo Park and the W&OD Trail. That proposal, which has now come to
fruition, hit an important milestone this week as Crescent Place’s first business tenants were handed the keys to their retail spaces. Those who cast the vision for the development years ago say its success could lead the way to the revitalization of other underutilized properties. “We made it,” Ralph Ferraiolo said last week. Ferraiolo, owner of Ferraiolo Fitness and the very first tenant to purchase retail space at Crescent Place, stood in the shell of the building that will soon house his third fitness studio. “The final product is even more than they promised.”
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OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 7 – 13, 2016
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INSIDE
Fireworks light up the sky across the street from the Old Waterford School in the Waterford. Between showers Sunday and Monday, Loudouners got out to enjoy parades, barbecues, concerts and fireworks shows. See photo gallery, Page 30.
County panel favors One Loudoun’s rec center idea
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School Board reopens boundary debate
FYI See them all. Find a full list of artists, sponsors and locations of the painted oak wine barrels at discoverpurcellville.com.
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Nan Bowe’s painted barrel depicts a calf at Dogwood Farm on Lincoln Road, the last active dairy farm in Loudoun.
STREET SCENES BY MARGARET MORTON
WINE BARREL ART >> 9
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Teen gives brother the gift of grab
INDEX Loudoun Gov..................... 4 Leesburg......................... 10 Public Safety................... 12 Education........................ 14 Biz.................................. 20 Our Towns....................... 22 LoCo Living..................... 24 Loudoun Moment............. 30 Classifieds...................... 33 Opinion........................... 36
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urcellville’s arts scene has become even more colorful over the past month as 32 painted oak wine barrels began appearing around town. The imaginatively painted barrels resulted from an initiative by the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, coordinated by committee member Michael Oaks. Oaks said the program was designed as a fun project that would provide a showcase for local artists, highlight the
Purcellville area as a tourist destination and draw business to town. Oaks and his wife, Kim Patterson, contributed the barrels. The artists volunteered their time and talents to paint depictions of Purcellville or rural western Loudoun themes. Businesses paid $200 each to sponsor a barrel. In November, the barrels will be auctioned off at Catoctin Creek Distillery. Artists chose a varieties of images—including farms, horses, wineries, birds, people, buildings and rural roads—through which to display their creativity and talent.
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Wine Barrel Art Brings Buzz to Purcellville
There are some well-known sites depicted, including Dogwood Farm on Lincoln Road that is the last remaining dairy farm in the county. Artist Nan Bowe’s depiction of a calf feeding from a milk bottle stuck into the barrel is ingenuous. Denise Dittmar’s image of Old Town Purcellville touches on past activities seen around the town. Native American Indian artist René White-Feather, of Bluemont, highlighted the contributions of her culture, using the theme “Sights and Sounds Indians Gave and Left Loudoun.” Her oak barrel is displayed in front of the Dominion Tea shop on North 21st Street. And the public, artists and business sponsors appear to be loving it all. Oaks said he gets calls about the project every day, as the buzz builds around the often whimsical depictions of western Loudoun life. Jeff Browning, owner and president of Browning Equipment, is fully supportive of the endeavor. The company sponsored the Corbin Farm barrel, painted by Anita Hurst under the theme of “Farms of Yesteryear.” “At $200, [the sponsorship] is a pretty good value,” Browning said. “To see the arts community flourishing in Purcellville is kind of nice.” Hurst, who moved from Portland,
Good reads, good eats, good libations coming to One Loudoun
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Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Illuminating Loudoun
County looks to fill youth shelter gap
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July 7 – 13, 2016
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OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 7 – 13, 2016
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Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Commissioner of Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr. at a Board of Supervisors meeting in February.
Commissioner of Revenue Ends DMV Select Services
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Loudoun’s newer youth shelter, which may be converted into a youth group home.
YOUTH SHELTER SHAKEUP County Looks for Shelter Shortage Solution BY RENSS GREENE
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oudoun’s Department of Family Services will ask the Board of Supervisors to fill a gap in caring for at-risk children when it seeks to convert one of its youth shelters to a group home. The newer of the county’s two youth shelters could be headed for change. On July 5, the DFS will ask supervisors to consider converting that shelter into a longer-term 12-bed youth group. “The issue is that the majority of kids that we’re seeing need something
bigger or more intensive,” said Department of Family Services Deputy Director Hope Stonerook. “A shelter is about crisis intervention. Whatever the crisis is, you’re trying to resolve the crisis and then move on to step B.” Children can stay in the youth shelter for no more than 90 days, but Loudoun doesn’t have any options right now for at-risk youth who need a place to stay for longer than that. The residents are between 12 and 18 years old, and are referred from DFS; the Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental ser-
vices; or the juvenile courts. Currently, DFS sends those children to places like Richmond or Charlottesville. This disrupts the children’s education and connections to friends and family. “It’s really difficult for families to do the family component when their families are a couple hours away,” Stonerook said. “That’s really the push behind this.” Instead, DFS says, at-risk youth in Loudoun only have two options locally: The youth shelter or the juvenile SHELTER SHAKEUP >> 7
Loudoun to Open Door to Affordable Housing Grants BY RENSS GREENE For years, Loudoun County has shut its own Affordable Dwelling Unit program out from the state and federal grants that most localities use to extend their workforce housing programs. The Board of Supervisors is beginning the process of opening the door to those grants. The problem lies in the regulations of the county ADU program. Developers who rezone land for large subdivisions (more than 50 units) are required by county zoning rules to contribute a certain number of units, distributed throughout the development, to the county ADU program to be rented or sold below market value. The requirements on those units—especially relating to how long they stay in the ADU system before returning to market value, income requirements, and requirements to notify the county in the case of mortgage delinquency or default or foreclosure—conflict with standards set by the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That means that, although developers may be required to build ADUs, those same rules prevent them from qualifying for VHDA and HUD grant funding. Numbers compiled by the Windy Hill Foundation, which recently secured funding to build Heronview Apartments,
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Windy Hill Foundation Executive Director Kim Hart addresses the Board of Supervisors.
96 affordable units at Kincora, show Loudoun misses out on a lot of money with these rules. According to Windy Hill, since 2006 the Virginia, DC, AFFORDABLE HOUSING GRANTS >> 6
Starting with the new fiscal year on Friday, July 1, Loudoun Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr. will no longer offer DMV Select services at his offices. Wertz made the decision when the county declined to fund three new positions in his office to handle the excess workload of DMV Select services during this year’s budget deliberations. At the heart of that decision was a philosophical debate over whether the county should be filling in the gaps in state services, especially in a tough budget year. DMV Select workload has increased 50 percent since fiscal year 2014, and more than 500 percent since the first year the program was offered at the commissioner’s office in 2006, according to Wertz’s office. DMV 2 Go mobile customer service will continue to visit the commissioner’s Sterling office at 21641 Ridgetop Circle. Many Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles transactions can be handled online at dmvnow. com.
County Library Cards to Feature Loudoun Art Loudoun’s artists are invited to submit designs for a limited-edition commemorative Loudoun County Public Library card. A panel of judges will look for original artwork and photography that reflects the spirit of Loudoun and the library’s work. “A commemorative card is a great way to celebrate reading and learning in Loudoun County,” said Chang Liu, library director. The card will be issued during Library Card Signup Month in September. Artwork can be any kind of original, two-dimensional art. The deadline for entries is July 30, 2016. To enter the design contest, get an entry form at library. loudoun.gov ro at any Loudoun County Public Library branch.
Planners Lean Toward One Loudoun Sportsplex Approval
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Planning Commissioners in an informal vote last week found a majority in favor of One Loudoun’s proposed 80,000-square-foot indoor sports center. One Loudoun’s developer, Miller & Smith, has proposed building the sports center at One Loudoun and handing it over to the county government ready to use. If the county agrees, the developer would proffer the sports center in exchange for rezoning to build an additional 685 apartment units, 40 townhouses, and a mini wareRenss Greene/Loudoun Now house self-storage facility on its 358Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Salmon (Dulles) and Vice Chairman Cliff Keirce (Broad Run), left, listen as Miller & Smith Vice President Bill acre property. May and Cooley LLP partner Colleen Gillis make theri case for One Loudoun’s proposed indoor sports center during the Planning Commission’s The sports center is offered as an June 28 work session. alternative to $18.5 million in capital facilities contributions, cash payments which cover the cost of providing “The sportsplex is a force multiplier and make a lot of profit,” said Miller & Some commissioners and Parks, county services to new residents. It that this county may never see again Smith Vice President Bill May. “What’s Recreation and Open Space Board would also substitute for county re- if we don’t take this opportunity,” said been represented is that … the wake member Jim Bonfils support the sports quirements for developers to provide Commissioner Jim Sisley (At Large). that comes from this facility, in the center, but say it needs more study. civic spaces such as libraries, art galler- The developer, along with tourism [transient occupancy tax], the restau“I really would like to see some hard ies, museums, churches, or post offices leaders at Visit Loudoun, have argued rants, the hotels, the tourist dollars that analytics behind it,” said Commissionaround the new housing. that the sports center can bring massive come from this facility being here, is er Fred Jennings (Ashburn). “I don’t The county planning staff opposes tax revenues into the county, offsetting where the benefit is to the county. Not think it’s going to fail. I just want to many aspects of One Loudoun’s rezon- a potential shortfall in operating costs that anybody who owns and operates make sure we can avoid some of the ing application, including those parts from ticket sales. One Loudoun and this facility is going to be making a pitfalls that will erode the potential of it relating to the sports center. The Visit Loudoun have cited the Round windfall.” profit.” sports center, they say, does not meet Rock Sports Center in Round Rock, “We’re not trying to get out of any Chairman Jeff Salmon (Dulles) said the definitions either for capital facil- TX, as an example of what they want to capital facilities contributions,” said the sports center was a good opporities or for civic space, and the sports do here. That center operates at a defi- Cooley LLP partner Colleen Gillis, tunity, and he could support it with a center’s operating costs could have a cit, but the city’s convention and visi- who represents the developer in its ap- condition that the county could decide, big impact on the county budget. tors bureau estimated the sports center plication. “We’re not trying to reduce before construction begins, to take the But a June 28 straw poll found six brought $4.7 million in spending into our commitment. We’re just trying to capital impact cash instead. of nine commissioners in favor of the the city in 2015. provide the county as much flexibility “I hesitate to say, I can get guarproposal, with two opposed and one “No one at this table has said that as possible to check the boxes for what PM absent. 7.7.16 Avie LN HalfPg (CS).pdf 1 6/30/16 the 3:30 facility will be hugely lucrative Loudoun needs to be successful.” SPORTSPLEX >> 7
July 7 – 13, 2016
BY RENSS GREENE
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Windy Hill Foundation Wins Funding for Workforce Housing at Kincora BY RENSS GREENE \ The Windy Hill Foundation has been awarded more than $15 million in tax credit funding from the Virginia Housing Development Authority to build Heronview Apartments, 96 units of affordable workforce housing at Kincora. The funding will help pay for the construction of a 4-story, 120,000-square-foot apartment building with 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments. They will be available for households making 50 percent of the area median income or less, with rent ranging from $915 to $1,135 per month. Heronview will also offer 10 fully handicap-accessible units available to households making 40 percent of area median income or less, with rents ranging from $505 to $965 per month. “From our humble beginning 35 years ago in western Loudoun Coun-
ty, Windy Hill is pleased and excited to have grown large enough to now offer apartments at this scale to meet the overwhelming need for affordable workforce housing in eastern Loudoun,” Kim Hart, executive director of Windy Hill Foundation, said. The Loudoun County Housing Office provided design assistance with HUD funding made available through the Community Development Block Grant Program. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to forgive all County Building Permit and Land Use fees related to the project. Construction is expected to begin next spring, with residents moving in the summer of 2018. These apartments will be among the first residential units to open at Kincora, a 6.7 million-square-foot, mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Rt. 7 and Rt. 28. “With these tax credits Windy Hill
Foundation will make it possible for 96 families to enjoy high quality housing right here in the community where they work, play and attend school,” said Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony Howard. “That’s great news not only for these families but for our Loudoun community. This project will add to Loudoun’s stock of affordable workforce housing and allow more employees to live closer to their jobs, thereby reducing the burden on local roads while keeping more of their income in the local community.” Heronview Apartments will be certified to platinum standards by Viridiant of Virginia for its earth-friendly design. Each unit will include ENERGY STAR energy-saving appliances and water-saving faucets and shower heads. rgreene@loudounnow.com
Courtesy Windy Hill
Affordable housing grants << FROM 4 suburbs have received $358.32 million in housing grants. Only $17.62 million of that came to Loudoun—all for Windy Hill projects, and none under the county’s ADU program. Windy Hill Foundation Executive Director Kim Hart attended the Board of Supervisors’ June 23 meeting when it unanimously adopted a Resolution of Intent to Amend the relevant county codes. He also reminded the board that time is a concern—if the county doesn’t finish its revisions by the new year, the county will miss out on another year of funding. That includes what is expected to be more than $15 million in tax credits for Heronview Apartments. “It has to get done before we have to sign our contract with VHDA at the end of the year, because if that’s not fixed, I can’t sign that contract,” Hart said. “And I really don’t want to send back the $15 million.” Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian), who is credited with leading the reform of Loudoun’s ADU laws on the board, said she expects supervisors will take action in November. “I always say, in Loudoun, workforce housing, we’re talking about someplace for our teachers to live, our firefighters, our nurses,” said Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large).
A rendering of the Heronview Apartments at Kincora.
rgreene@loudounnow.com
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Cochran Family Dental
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bathrooms. Please present coupon to receive the offer. Fri:will 8-1pm • Sat: 8-1pm (Once/month) The interior drywall be replaced Not to be combined with any other offer. with impact-resistant drywall, 24hr and Emergency Service some of the shelter’s distinguishing features will go away—a fireplace and sunken living area that don’t meet safety or ADA standards. The entrance area will also be taken out and redePURCELLVILLE $829,000 signed with mirrored glass and a lobby area. Spectacular and pristine stately home that has it all. 7600+ SQFT 3 fully finished levels that The county’s newer youth shelter are immaculate and will not disappoint. 3 acres& beautifully landscaped, towering River won a Signatures of Loudoun Pace SetBirches surround an oasis of patios, decks and gazebos for the ultimate entertaining. Fully ters award when it was opened in 2012. fenced rear yard. Easy commuting, close to everything yet private with mountain views. Too “Most of the architecture’s trying many features to list! to do some kind of architecture that would reflect the rest of the campus over there, which is pretty cool,” said project manager Sandy Hunter, noting that the newer youth shelter and shared kitchen are also LEED Gold certified. In the meantime, the county’s newer youth shelter is double-bunked to make up for missing bed space. “The stay at the youth shelter is very short,” Stonerook said. With the youth shelter’s short stays generally and lowHAMILTON er numbers in the summer, Stonerook STERLING said she doesn’t anticipate any prob$679,000 $610,000 lems: “Just looking at the history of the 3 + acres IMMACULATE 5 bed capacity of the building, I think with the 18 beds [in the other youth shelter] we’ll be good.”
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detention center. The conversion, if approved, is not expected to cost the county any more. The building would need to be re-licensed for the new use under the Virginia Department of Social services. The other shelter, across a parking lot from the new shelter at the southern end of town, is getting a $1.4 million makeover. The older of the county’s two shelters has remained largely unchanged since 1989, when it was opened under the county Department of Youth and Family Services—which hasn’t existed since a county government reorganization in 1997. Since then, running the shelter has been contracted out. Currently, the county contracts with a nonprofit, the North American Family Institute. The shelter will get a complete interior renovation. “The renovation is about bringing the building up to standards and code and making it more energy efficient,” Stonerook said. Work has already begun. The county has removed all records from the building, as well as air conditioning units, electronics, and anything else the shelter can still use. According to county documents, the building will get new exterior siding and trim, new
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anteed money, or I can get hopefully-pretty-good, we-think-it’s-a-greatidea money,” Salmon said. May and Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson made clear that the idea for the sports center did not come from the developer, but from Visit Loudoun and the county’s Department of Economic Development. “When they approached me about the possibility of this facility being done in Loudoun, I found it intriguing,” May said. He had joined Erickson and Department of Economic Development Assistant Director Miguel Salinas on a tour of the Round Rock Sports Center. “When you look at it, revenue and tax revenue follow sports tournaments,” Erickson said. “We need to be able to find a place for that to land here in the county, or we will lose that com-
July 7 – 13, 2016
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A sign by the front entrance welcomes youth staying at the older of the county’s two youth shelters.
Offices in Ashburn, Burke, Fairfax, Leesburg and Purcellville
July 7 – 13, 2016
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Nighttime Economy Committee Presents Recommendations BY RENSS GREENE After a year of work, countless meetings, and reams of research, the Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee has presented its recommendations for bringing the Loudoun lifestyle into the future. Despite the name, the committee’s work has spanned far beyond nightlife. The recommendations reach from entertainment, to transportation, to housing affordability, to public safety—and taken together to form a framework for future county policies. The committee’s co-chairmen, B.F. Saul Company Vice President Todd Pearson and Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tony Howard, see their committee’s work as essential to Loudoun’s economy. “To compete for the talent and the community investment, Loudoun must develop vibrant, walkable communities,” Pearson told the Board of Supervisor’s finance committee. “If you want to attract investment, you have to first attract their workforce.” The committee, a subcommittee of the Economic Development Advisory Commission, envisions urban, walkable, transit-serviced communities where people can live, work, and play without needing to get in a car. Pearson and Howard highlight several recommendations in their report, including allowing projects the flexibility to adapt to market conditions, prioritizing housing diversity and affordability, and focusing on public spaces and public safety in the county’s growth plans. The committee’s work contemplates how to create those urban spaces while maintaining what Howard called a “uniquely Loudoun” environment. “First and foremost, I believe this is a workforce issue,” said Board Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn). “If we want to attract the type of educated, technology-driven workforce that we need in this county, keep them, and retain them, then we need to create the right entertainment and nightlife environment here in the county. It’s so necessary.”
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
From left, Nighttime Economy Ad Hoc Committee co-chairmen Todd Pearson and Tony Howard speak to the county finance committee.
Despite twice postponing a public input session because of weather, the committee’s public unveiling of its work in March was well-attended, and an online survey gathered more than a thousand responses. The committee took the public comment at that meeting and shaped its final recommendations. The finance committee recommended that the full board adopt NEAC’s report and forward it to the Transportation and Land Use Committee, which will look at what’s needed to put NEAC’s recommenda-
tions into action. Despite a request from the Economic Development Advisory Commission, the finance committee did not recommend a seat for NEAC on the comprehensive plan stakeholder steering committee. However, Pearson already serves as the EDAC representative to the stakeholder committee. Read the committee’s full report at LoudounNow. com. Search for “nighttime.” rgreene@loudounnow.com
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<< FROM 3 OR, with her husband to Purcellville eight years ago, brought experience with public art projects. In Oregon she created a 6-foot Mickey Mouse figure as part of Disney’s 75th anniversary celebration. For this project, Hurst’s imagination was struck by the huge barn at Fields Farm, where her kids attend Mountain View Elementary School. Her piece is an amalgam of Cole Farm, Fields Farm and Corbin Farm—a horse farm near Hamilton which she first saw in a 1912 newspaper photo at the Thomas Balch Library. Mary Shea Knight, owner of Piper Dan’s Keltic Shoppe at 10 E. Main St., sponsored Dittmar’s version of Old Town Purcellville. She’s familiar with the concept, having participated in a similar endeavor in Massachusetts. “We did painted sheep; it was a huge success and we raised a lot of money for charity. And it did bring a lot of people in, they came in and shopped in local shops,” she said. And when the sheep were auctioned off, just as the oak barrels will be in the fall, “they went for thousands of dollars,” Shea Knight said, adding a similar result in Purcellville “would be awesome.” Artist Penny Hauffe created the Woodpecker Wine-Tasting barrel, depicting the bird clinging to the side of the barrel and sipping wine out of the barrel tap. Hauffe and her husband have long supported and been involved with public art, in Reston and Leesburg, so she’s thrilled to help extend that idea to
July 7 – 13, 2016
Wine barrel art
Purcellville. “I was all in from the first conversation with Michael,” she said, describing the venture as a great way to beautify the town and raise awareness and money for public art. “What’s not to love?” Her barrel idea grew from a painting Hauffe did of a woodpecker in her exhibit at the Town Hall. She also was an artist-in-residence at North Gate Vineyard, which is sponsoring the barrel—so the idea of woodpeckers helping themselves to a free wine tasting came naturally. And seen from that broader perspective, the initiative feeds a growing movement in which Purcellville is becoming a major hub for public art in the county. Liz Jarvis chairs the Purcellville Arts Council, whose mission is to foster art and make Purcellville a community where artists want to live and work. “The rotating art exhibits in the Town Hall shows that the town embraces the concept, which is accessible to everyone,” Jarvis said. She praised those who have pioneered the rise of public art in Loudoun, including longtime arts community leader Gale Waldron, the Round Hill Arts Center and the Franklin Park Arts Center. The volume of feedback, both about the oak barrels and the recent Western Loudoun Arts Studio Tour, has been huge. “People are so excited, I’ve heard it everywhere,” Jarvis said. “They want public art. They want to live in a cultural hub.” Oaks will be distributing promotional cards with a map showing the barrels and artists.
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Loudoun Museum Curator Leaves for Alaska BY MARGARET MORTON
A
fter five years as curator and director of administration at the Loudoun Museum, Alana Blumenthal will leave the job to become curator of collections and exhibits for the Kodiak Historical Society on Kodiak Island, off the coast of Alaska. “It is a major move to a unique location, and I am excited to take on a new set of challenges,” she said in a statement announcing her departure. Kodiak’s native Alutiq settlement dates back 7,000 years, and Blumenthal will be working in an area rich with history—including native culture, the Russian era, and the American era after the land was sold to the United States in 1867 for $7 million— roughly 2 cents per acre. A devotee of history, Blumenthal noted she will be working in the oldest building in Alaska—and the oldest building of Russian origin in North America. “It will be all new history for me,” she said. Blumenthal’s service in Leesburg has coincided with the institution’s
Credit: Loudoun Museum
Alana Blumenthal
most tumultuous years as it wrestled with shrinking financial support needed to maintain its operations. And it is the museum’s board members and the volunteers, many of whom she has trained in curatorial duties, whom she will miss the most, she said. “I’ve developed such wonderful relationships,” she said, calling her col-
leagues “phenomenal” for their passion and dedication. Museum Board President Elizabeth Whiting praised Blumenthal for her work at the museum. “We owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude for being willing to come to us when we were in a state of turmoil,” Whiting said, praising Blumenthal for her “gameness and willingness” to tackle anything and everything that was needed to allow the museum board “to leverage very spare resources to [achieve] a stable operation.” Blumenthal said her five years working for the museum during uncertain times have provided her with a lifetime’s worth of experiences. “I have been honored to play a part in stewarding Loudoun’s history during this time,” she stated. In Alaska, Blumenthal will be curating a collection of 25,000 items, but she said she would miss the Loudoun Museum’s “wonderful 10,000-item collection,” which she has organized and digitalized so people can easily research items online. One thing Whiting does not worry
about is keeping the museum running, as the board of directors and its cadre of volunteers know exactly how to step in and keep the core curatorial duties in place. “We’ve had experience before, and we’ll do it again,” Whiting said, referring to a prior occasion when the board of directors and the volunteers stepped up and kept everything running smoothly. Currently, the museum and the county government are in negotiations for a contract that would enable the museum to get on more stable footing. Whiting said she anticipated that the Board of Supervisors would be discussing contract terms at its last meeting this month. Blumenthal’s last day on the job will be July 13. Three days later, she and her husband, Justin, along with their two dogs, will head off for a nine-day drive trip to their new home. The last leg of the trip is a 12-hour ferry board ride to Kodiak. “I start work the next day,” Blumenthal said, laughing. mmorton@loudounnow.com
[ LEESBURG BRIEFS ] Council Initiates Proffer Changes The Town Council last week initiated a series of changes to town land development regulations to prepare for the impact of a new state proffer statute that took effect July 1. The package will now go to the Planning Commission for review. Proposed changes include updates to the Zoning Ordinance; beginning work on changes to the Town Plan; and the repeal of current proffer guidelines. Last week’s vote also imposes an interim policy on proffers until the new changes can be formally endorsed. This interim policy mandates that no new proffers will be accepted with residential rezoning applications until the town staff has completed, and the council has adopted, the changes. Staff review of proffer changes, and the ensuing legislative review process, is expected to take at least six months. The new state proffer statute will allow applicants for rezoning applications to challenge the reasonableness of a proffer even if it was voluntarily submitted. Any on-site proffers submitted by rezoning applicants now have to be “specifically attributable” to resolve the impacts generated by a new development on surrounding facilities, such as schools, parks, and public safety. There are even further stipulations for off-site proffers, as well as cash proffers, including that a development must receive a “direct and material benefit” from any pro-
posed proffer, including funds given to relieve the stress on area schools or public safety facilities.
Butler Plans Kickoff Mayor David Butler has planned his campaign kickoff for Monday, July 11. From 5 to 7 p.m. at K2M’s new headquarters at 600 Hope Parkway SE, the event will feature music Butler from several local bands who will take turns performing for those in attendance. Butler is running for his first twoyear term as mayor. He was appointed mayor in February following Kristen Umstattd’s resignation to begin her term as Leesburg District supervisor. He is challenged by Vice Mayor Kelly Burk and former Town Council member Kevin Wright.
Council Eyes Commission Pay, Structure The Town Council seems keen on keeping stipends for its commissioners intact, but looks to explore the overall structure of Leesburg’s advisory panels. Last week, on the suggestion of Councilman Bruce Gemmill, the council discussed whether to do away with stipends for its commissioners.
Rotary, PD Initiative Benefits Families Several area families are being provided with food baskets as a part of “Thanksgiving in July”, a project sponsored by the Rotary Club of Leesburg in partnership with the Leesburg Police Department. Six families were identified through contacts within the schools to receive these baskets. Along with the baskets of food, each family will receive a gift card to an area grocery store. The baskets were delivered to the Leesburg Police Department June 30 by Rotary Club members Ron Rogos and Jim Gable. “The partnership with the Rotary Club of Leesburg to provide these food baskets is a great example of being able to give back to the community and provide less fortunate families a healthy meal,” Interim Chief of Police Vanessa Grigsby stated. “We value our partnerships with local organizations and look forward to continuing to look at creative ways where we can assist others in our community.” Gemmill had proposed doing away with stipends all except members of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Board of Architectural Review and Planning Commission. Gemmill pointed to the 43 boards and commissions that exist within Loudoun County government, only
12 of which come with some form of stipend. Doing away with the stipends for the town’s boards and commissions, except for the aforementioned three, could save the town around $76,000 a year. Commission LEESBURG BRIEFS >> 11
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Veteran Officer to Retire Sergeant Mark A. Davis
il Process, and the Court Security Sections. He served as the Sheriff ’s Office liaison when the current court complex was constructed. He was hired by the Leesburg Police Department in 2004 and served in a variety of roles to include patrol officer, patrol sergeant, training officer, firearms instructor, and most recently as the traffic management unit supervisor. Davis earned several awards over his career, including a Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce Bronze Medal of Valor in 2015 for physically disarming a man threatening to harm himself and others.
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Sergeant Mark A. Davis, a 35year Loudoun law enforcement veteran, retired from the Leesburg Police Department on July 1. Davis’ career joined the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office in 1980, starting as a corrections officer. He later worked in the patrol and narcotics divisions and was a member of the Sheriff ’s Office’s first group of motorcycle traffic units. He also was a founding member of the agency’s dive team. He served as an instructor for seven years at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy and worked as a shift supervisor at the Adult Detention Center. Later in his career, he was promoted to lieutenant and worked in several different units to include the Adult Detention Center, Civ-
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members receive a $100 monthly stipend for serving. “In the broad scheme of a $94 million budget it seems like small potatoes, but it could go a long way toward hiring a town staffer in a much needed area,” he said. There was not much enthusiasm for going forward with Gemmill’s proposal; however, a majority of council members did express an interest in reviewing the structure of its 14 boards and commissions.
July 7 – 13, 2016
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Loudoun Judge Bars 10-year-old Golfer from Competing
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A Loudoun judge has told a 10-yearold girl who’s been described as a prodigy on the golf course she cannot compete. The girl is at the center of a custody battle between her parents, Michael Vechery and Florence Cottet-Moine. As part of a custody order filed June 7, Circuit Court Judge Irby awarded her mother sole legal custody and primary physical custody. The order also included a stipulation that she could not play competitive golf for one year. That’s a big deal for a kid who’s winning golf tournaments up and down the East Coast, and has her sights set on a professional career on the golf course. Last fall, she won the all-ages women’s division 2015 club championships for Algonkian Golf Course in Sterling. She shot an 84 on the first and only 18-hole round she’d ever played. Young golfers typically play 9-hole tournaments. Last year, she won 15 out of the 19 tournaments in which she competed, Vechery said. “I don’t think there’s anybody, at her age and at 68 pounds, who’s played the
amount of golf she’s played and has played the way that she has,” Vechery said. Adam Harrell, with Elite Performance Golf Academy in Leesburg, said the girl’s father is her primary coach, but he has given the girl a lesson or two. “She’s having a lot of success,” he said. “She wins everything in her age group. She’s a good young player.” It’s unclear why Judge Irby banned the girl from competing on the course. The custody order read that the daughter “shall not be permitted to play competitive golf for one year. Competitive golf is defined by the court as no tournaments and no lessons with any golf pro with the exception of the Father. The Father and [daughter] may play no more than one (1) round of golf per week or five (5) hours with putting and practice whichever is greater.” Vechery said he and his daughter are most upset that the custody ruling means less time together. Jonathan Rochkind, Cottet-Moine’s attorney, did not respond to a request for comment. dnadler@loudounnow.com
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The case remains under investigation and additional charges are likely, according to the agency.
The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect sought in the June 26 armed robbery of residents of a Lansdowne apartment. The victims reported two men knocked on the door in the 19000 block of Bent Tree Terrace about Sought by LCSO 9 p.m. and then forced their way into the apartment. A struggle ensued and both the suspects brandished a firearm. The suspects took multiple items from the home before fleeing the area. Detectives believe the victims inside the apartment were targeted. The Sheriff ’s Office arrested one suspect. Courtez X. Day, 21, of Ashburn, was charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of abduction, breaking and entering with intent to commit robbery, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was apprehended June 29 and was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. The agency released a composite sketch of a second suspect.
Man Sent to Prison after Sexual Activity with Teen Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Douglas L. Fleming, Jr. on Thursday sentenced a Maryland man to prison for coercing a 14-year-old girl he met through social media into Fusco sexual activity. David Anthony Fusco, 27, pleaded guilty in January to two felony charges of carnal knowledge. Fleming sentenced him to six years and 11 months in prison According to county prosecutors, Fusco began an Internet relationship with a victim in 2013. The two met on the online website meetme.com. Fusco and the victim also communicated via Facebook, Kik, and text messages. In December 2013, Fusco met the victim in a park near her home in Loudoun. After the victim got into Fusco’s vehicle, the two began to kiss. Fusco then locked the doors of the vehicle and told the victim that she couldn’t leave unless she engaged in sexual activity CRIME BRIEFS >> 13
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[ CRIME BRIEFS ]
Sterling Teen Held After Towncenter Plaza Assault
The Leesburg Police Department is asking for help finding the driver of a vehicle that struck and severely injured a bicyclist last week. At approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, June 26, a 57-year-old Leesburg man was attempting to cross the Leesburg Bypass in the area of Edwards Ferry Road when he was struck by a vehicle. The driver did not stop and continued northbound. The cyclist sustained severe head injuries and remains hospitalized. A passing motorist saw the victim lying in the road and stopped to offer assistance. The victim said the vehicle may have been a dark green Jeep Cherokee. Investigators are asking anyone with any information regarding the case to contact Detective Drogin at 703-771-4541. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the Leesburg Crime Line at 703-443TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent via TIPSUBMIT. Text “LPDTIP” plus your message to 274637
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A 17-year-old Sterling teen is behind bars following an early morning assault July 1 that left a man hospitalized. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, deputies were called to a fight at the Towncenter Plaza in Sterling just after midnight Friday. The victim, who was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, reported he was assaulted and that the suspect fled on foot. Deputies found the suspect
Leesburg PD Seeks Witness to Hit-and-Run Crash
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with him. The victim, frightened and unsure what to do, complied with Fusco’s request, according to evidence presented in the case. The victim later reported the incident to her parents, who immediately contacted the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office. In addition to the prison time, Fusco was sentenced to three years and one month of suspended time and was prohibited from any contact with the victim or her family. After his release from prison, Fusco will be placed on 10 years of supervised probation. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.
during a search of the area. The teen was charged with aggravated assault and held at the Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center.
July 7 – 13, 2016
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Fourth-graders Take Part in National Art Exhibit
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Campers test the reaction of various chemicals at STEM Camp last week. The camp is put on through a partnership between Loudoun County Public Schools and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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Popular Summer Camp Melds Fun and Learning BY PARISS BRIGGS
D
ancing robots and rocket launchers were just a few of the creations Loudoun County students made at camp last week. Now in its seventh year, the Loudoun County Public Schools STEM camp provides kids in grades four through nine with the opportunity to explore the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For 9-year-old Maddie Binkley, of Leesburg Elementary School, the best part about the camp was learning the scientific process. “I’ve just always liked science,” she said. “If [anyone is] interested in science, they should come here. We’re able to make chemicals and play with robotics; it’s a lot of fun.” Fun was a common phrase among the participants, including 13-yearolds CJ Camachi and Rohan Bajpai of Smart’s Mill Middle School. “It’s good,” CJ said. “[The camp] progressively gets more detailed as it goes on,” Bajpai added. But the kids aren’t the only ones who enjoy the program. Gertrude Okyere, a teacher at Sully Elementary School in Sterling, is in her fourth year as a camp instructor. She said the best part is the freedom it gives to students. “It’s the freedom to create,” she said. “The freedom to make mistakes and the freedom to fix them. We’re trying to create a generation of people who can do that.”
Pariss Briggs/Loudoun Now
Maddie Binkley, 9, tests the pH levels of different acids.
The camp takes place at two locations, Sterling and Smart’s Mill middle school, over the course of two weeks. Pat Herr, an LCPS science teacher and one of the camp’s leaders, said the program has grown tremendously. “Seven years ago, we had 30 kids and two grade levels,” she said. “We now have 300 kids.” From force and motion to biomimicry (imitating nature to solve human problems), the camp tailors the activities to the students’ grade level. “What we’re giving them is not what they’ve had in school, but what they’re going to get,” Herr said. “They go into class with experience behind them.” The camp is more than just made-
up scenarios. It involves a lot of problem-solving, and many of the missions and assignments are based on real-life events, such as natural disasters and the mortality rate of bees. “[With] everything we’ve done here, we give [the students] the real experience out in the world,” Herr said. Each year, the camp tries to incorporate the latest tech-savvy learning tools. This year’s included 3D printers and doodlers. “We want the kids to be exposed to the new technology as much as possible and be able to use it,” Herr said. With two former STEM campers now enrolled in the Loudoun Academy of Science and another bunch taking home Science Olympiad competition awards, Herr said she’s excited to see what the future holds for the students enrolled this summer. “We’ve seen them excel at school,” Herr said. “It’s exciting to see where they’re going.” The majority of the program is funded by Howard Hughes Medical Institute and organized with the help of the school system’s Science Department. The STEM camp is by invitation only. Principals from the schools nominate and select students to participate. “The camp is for kids who are interested in science and math that haven’t necessarily had an enrichment experience,” Herr said. “They’re kids who wouldn’t necessarily get a camp experience.”
Forty fourth-grade students from Cardinal Ridge Elementary in South Riding will have their artwork displayed in a most unusual way. Their work will be combined with that of 8,000 other students to wrap the skeleton of a 385foot Space Launch System rocket replica. It is currently on display through Aug. 31 at the Thomas Stone National Historical Site, at 6655 Rose Hill Road, in Port Tobacco, MD. The Space Launch System is what NASA calls its dream rocket, representing the dream of going to Mars and beyond. The theme of the artwork covering the rocket is “Stories of the American Revolution,” which theme aligns with the fourth-grade curriculum. Each student researched a person or event from the American Revolution, then illustrated the person or event in a 2-foot-by-2-foot, quiltlike square. Under the direction of art teachers Lane Bolyard and Abby Luckenbaugh, the students also created artist statements about their work.
47 Invited to Gov’s Foreign Language Academies Loudoun County Public Schools will send 47 students to the 2016 Governor’s Foreign Language Academies in Latin, German, French, Spanish and Japanese. Since 1987, the Virginia Department of Education has sponsored Governor’s Foreign Language Academies, summer residential programs for Virginia’s most motivated and talented foreign language students. The 2016 Governor’s Summer Residential Foreign Language Academies will include full-immersion academies in French, German, and Spanish; a partial-immersion Japanese Academy; and a Latin Academy. See a full list of the students accepted into the program at LoudounNow.com.
Tuscarora Raises $5K for Make-A-Wish Students at Tuscarora High School recently got creative to raise $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They hosted a Harlem Wizards basketball game in May and invited the community to come and watch the elite basketball team’s talents in action. The event was organized by Laurie Dunham’s leadership class for their One to the World project. Dunham’s goal was to teach her students to lead, take a stand and make a change. The Wizards played against a home team, made up of teachers, students and other Loudoun school leaders, including Superintendent Eric Williams.
A first: School Board Reverses Some Boundary Changes ents who live on and near Thomas Mill Road pointed out that that map would mean buses crisscrossing paths. But Hornberger said, unfortunately, their concerns got lost in the larger discussion, and the school system does not have the resources to have the Transportation Department study every attendance map proposed. At times, the School Board has as many as a dozen proposed boundary plans on the table. “We try the best we can during the attendance process,” he said, “but the county is growing and some small tweaks may need to be made after the fact.”
“
....WE’RE OPENING THE DOOR FOR EVERY PARENT WHO’S UNHAPPY WITH THEIR SCHOOL ASSIGNMENT TO COME IN AND SAY, WELL, THIS BUS PASSES MY HOUSE SO I SHOULD GO TO THIS SCHOOL.
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In a school system that draws new attendance boundaries almost every year, this is a first. Seventeen students who were initially slated to change elementary schools this fall will now get to stay put. The students were initially reassigned to Kenneth Culbert Elementary School in Hamilton, 7 miles from their homes along Thomas Mill Road, but can now remain at Catoctin Elementary in Leesburg. The Loudoun County School Board voted June 28 to make the small change to attendance boundaries adopted in March after it came to light that two buses would be picking up just a handful of students on the same road and transporting them to two different schools. “It really is about a transportation efficiency,” Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) said. But the decision could cause some ruffled feathers among the 1,100 other students who were reassigned schools. The three board members who voted against the change raised that concern during a lengthy debate. A visibly frustrated Eric DeKenipp (Catoctin) noted that the change would push Catoctin Elementary’s enrollment to capacity, and that 600 more homes are slated to be built as part of the proposed Crescent Parke development that would sit in that school’s attendance zone. “What happens when Catoctin
doesn’t have room for those students? We pay for transportation for them to go to another school. I don’t see the efficiency,” he said. DeKenipp has a personal aversion to how school leaders assign students. He took the School Board to court in 2012 after his daughter was reassigned from her neighborhood school, John W. Tolbert Elementary, to Frederick Douglass Elementary 3 miles away. He lost the case, but the judge urged the School Board to make the process leading to boundary decisions more transparent. “There are inefficiencies throughout central Loudoun,” DeKenipp said Tuesday. “And frankly we’re opening the door for every parent who’s unhappy with their school assignment to come in and say, well, this bus passes my house so I should go to this school,” he said. Tom Marshall (Leesburg) and Debbie Rose (Algonkian) also raised concerns about setting precedent. Joy Maloney (Broad Run) said that’s a concern of hers, but added that the School Board is the one who can decide that going forward, adding, “It’s not like we’re the Supreme Court.” “Precedent is not going to stop me from doing the right thing here,” said Beth Huck (At Large), who worked with the families along Thomas Mill Road and the Transportation Department to find a solution. “I know it hasn’t been done before, but it’s a way to make it right.” Leading up to the board’s adoption of the new boundaries in March, par-
July 7 – 13, 2016
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New Principals Named for 4 Loudoun Schools BY DANIELLE NADLER Loudoun Superintendent Eric Williams announced a slate of new school principals and other administrative changes at the School Board’s June 28 meeting. The biggest news of the evening was the appointment of Renee Dawson as principal of the future Brambleton Middle School, set to open along Braddock Road in the fall of 2017. She’s served as assistant principal at Woodgrove for five years, and Woodgrove Principal Sam Shipp sat with her at the board meeting as her new position was made official. “She really is everything that you would hope for in an educator,” Shipp told Loudoun Now. “She sees the potential in all students and works with them closely to help them achieve the goal they’ve put forth for themselves. She’ll be dedicated to that school community. They’re very fortunate to have her.” Dawson has taught Spanish and French at West Frederick Middle School in Maryland and at Berea Community High School in Kentucky. She also taught foreign languages at Harper Park and Smart’s Mill middle schools and Heritage High School in Leesburg. Beth Huck (At Large), whose son will attend Brambleton Middle, said from the dais that she’s “absolutely ecstatic” that Dawson was tapped to lead the school. “You just bring absolute joy to everything you do,” she added. Christopher O’Rourke will step up from assistant principal of Briar Woods High School in Ashburn to serve as its principal. He takes the role following the retirement of beloved Principal Ed Starzenski. “You have big shoes to fill, and I know you know that,” board member Joy Maloney (Broad Run) told him. “I appreciate that you are stepping up to this position.” O’Rourke, who’s worked at Briar Woods for five years, said he’s excited to continue working with the families and staff members he’s built relationships
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Christopher O’Rourke poses with his wife, Meghan, and sons, Myles and Riley, after he was named as Briar Woods High School’s new principal.
with over the years. “It’s an awesome staff, great parents and community. … It’s a good place.” O’Rourke taught mathematics for Fairfax County Public Schools, before he served as an assistant principal at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, assistant principal at Tuscarora High School in Leesburg, and assistant principal at Briar Woods. Janet Platenberg was named as the new principal of Catoctin Elementary, following the retirement of Jennifer Rueckert. Platenberg has served as principal at Steuart W. Weller Elementary in Ashburn since 2008, and was named Loudoun’s Principal of the Year in 2013.
Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) commended Platenberg for helping so many families feel welcome in a new school following major boundary readjustments. “I know I’ll start getting emails from people in that school community who are bemoaning the fact that you’re leaving. Thank you for your service there,” he said. Platenberg taught elementary school before moving into administrative positions. In Loudoun, she’s served as assistant principal of Lowes Island Elementary and principal of Potowmack Elementary before taking the lead at Steuart W. Weller Elementary. Dennis Racke will transition from assistant principal at Creighton’s Corner Elementary to serve as principal at Lovettsville Elementary. Huck, whose children attended Creighton’s Corner while Racke worked there, said he will be missed in the Ashburn community. “We just wish him the best of luck at Lovettsville,” she added. Racke taught elementary school in Florida before moving to Loudoun to teach at Horizon Elementary and later serve as an administrator at Creighton’s Corner Elementary. Elaine Layman will move from her position as principal at John W. Tolbert Jr. Elementary to serve as the school system’s elementary education supervisor. She replaces Michele Freeman, who retired. Board member Tom Marshall (Leesburg) told Layman she’s done an excellent job at the helm of Tolbert Elementary in Leesburg. “Never heard a complaint about Tolbert Elementary School,” he said, “and that’s what I like to hear.” She’s taught in Manassas and Virginia Beach before transitioning to Loudoun, where she taught at Waterford Elementary and served as assistant principal at Mill Run Elementary. “She brings a breadth depth of experience to her new role as elementary education supervisor,” Williams said. dnadler@loudounnow.com
What’s in that Turf? School Board Green Lights Tests to Find Out
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Aaron Wyche/Viva Loudoun
Freedom High School's Jantzen O'Toole
means an ending point for me.” Concerns have been raised nationwide that exposure to artificial turf fields’ crumb rubber infill may cause cancer. Loudoun County Health Department Director Dr. David Goodfriend recently reported to the School Board and the Board of Supervisors that he could not find a correlation between use of the rubber pellets—made from recycled tires—and cancer in athletes who play on the fields. “The number one issue is if it puts kids in harm’s way then we’re not going to do this. The challenge is to prove something is safe and not causing a problem,” he told county and school leaders during a March 18 meeting. “I can’t prove the negative at this point that crumb rubber cannot increase the risk of cancer.”
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Addressing concerns about the safety of artificial turf playing fields, the Loudoun County School Board voted last week to test the fields’ infill for dangerous toxins. The push to test school fields that have been outfitted with synthetic turf came from the county Board of Supervisors. It asked the School Board for permission to test three fields—one from each of the manufacturers used by the school district—and said the county would cover the $27,900 bill. In its June 28 vote, the School Board agreed to allow the tests, provided that the tests are also conducted on three grass playing fields. “We adjusted the language on this to recognize the fact that natural grass and natural soil also have chemicals in them,” board member Jeff Morse (Dulles) said, adding that seeing what’s in natural turf have will provide a baseline “and help us determine relative levels of toxins.” Several School Board members stressed that greenlighting the tests does not mean they are ready to rip out artificial turf at the 11 high schools that have it, or even go with another material for future fields. “I do not plan on having knee-jerk reactions to this information. … I want to make it clear, if I see one carcinogen, it’s not like I’m out the door with the fields,” Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) said. “This is a starting point; this is by no
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Comstock’s Leadership Event Nudges Girls to Lean In BY PARISS BRIGGS The message was all about girl power, as women professionals gathered at George Washington University’s Ashburn campus last week urged a room full of middle and high school girls to step it up. “Don’t feel that you can’t do something because you’re a woman; do what makes you happy.” Those were the words of Dr. Rebecca Filla, a Fairfax based obstetrician and gynecologist, who told the girls they are capable of anything, regardless of their gender. Filla was one of four women on a panel of successful leaders in science and technology who spoke as part of Rep. Barbara Comstock’s 10th Congressional District Young Women Leadership Program. Now in its fourth year, the program gives girls in their teens the opportunity to meet women who hold leadership positions in a variety of fields. Gathered inside the GWU auditorium, the students heard from a bioengineer, a burn surgeon, and other women who provided them with advice and words of encouragement. Students also heard a frank message from Jennifer Siciliano, vice president of Government Relations for Inova Health System: “It’s OK not to know
Pariss Briggs/Loudoun Now
Girls in Rep. Barbara Comstock’s 10th Congressional District Young Women’s Leadership Program hear from Jennifer Siciliano, vice president of Government Relations for Inova Health System.
right away what you want to do— what’s not OK is not working hard,” she said. Siciliano told the girls that with a combination of hard work and fun, they will be successful. Comstock said she was inspired to start the Young Women Leadership Program by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In,” along with her TED Talk that encouraged women to pursue leadership roles. “I wanted to make sure that women were thinking about leadership roles in all professions,” the congresswoman said.
In its first year, the leadership program enrolled about 75 to 100 girls. Last year, 250 participated and this year 400 signed up. The hope is to provide girls with the confidence to pursue their ambitions. “We always want to encourage the young women to not let whatever situation limit them,” Comstock said. “We work to provide them as much exposure in many different fields [as possible].” When asked what advice she has for young girls on pursuing their passion, Comstock recommended trying different activities until they find it.
“You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do when you grow up,” she said. “Explore, read, and make sure you’re soaking up every bit of information out there. Expose yourself to things you don’t even think you might be interested in.” Regardless of the field, Comstock wants young women to know that great opportunities are out there. “Today there exist so many opportunities in every field,” she said. “Just don’t let anything hold you back.” The program holds events periodically throughout the summer. Learn more at comstock.house.gov.
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BOOZE & BOOKS Barnes & Noble Pilots New Concept at One Loudoun
Photo courtesy NVHomes
NVHomes’ designs will soon be a part of the Willowsford community near Aldie.
NVHomes Joins Willowsford Development
BY LEAH FALLON
N
eed a reason to hang out at a bookstore? Here it is. Barnes & Noble is planning four new market concept stores, including one next year at One Loudoun in Ashburn, that will offer wine, beer and food. The bookstore giant is trying out a new tactic to pull people back into its stores rather than ordering their books from its online competitor, Amazon. Barnes & Noble, which closed eight stores last year, and plans to shutter eight more next year, has rethought the bookstore format by bringing in beer and wine. The café experience is designed to entice customers and bring new opportunities for guests to host book clubs, interview for a job, or go on dates. “The expanded café will amplify the in-store experience for our customers as they are encouraged to come alone or in groups,” said Jaime Carey, president of Development & Restaurant Group at Barnes & Noble. The plan is to expand the café to offer “shareable, American-style food” along with wine and beer to bring customers to the store during evening hours. They will continue to serve Starbucks’ drinks and treats, but by tapping into the dining experience, the company hopes to boost sales.
Courtesy of AvroKO
Renderings of what the Barnes & Noble Café, planned for One Loudoun, will look like.
That’s key, as its new offerings come months after Amazon opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, with plans to open more nationwide. Along with One Loudoun, Barnes & Noble stores in Eastchester, NY, Edina, MN, and Folsom, CA, will also pilot the new concept. So why Loudoun County? “Loudoun is a great community and we think they want a bookstore,” Carey said. “Barnes & Noble has been well-supported by the Loudoun com-
munity so far and has received a wonderful reaction to the new store.” One Loudoun’s popular urban-inspired, mixed-use community may be the right place for a bookstore that offers a bit more than books. Julie Miner Dillon, vice president of marketing for One Loudoun, said Barnes & Noble’s new concept will complement the development’s existing slate of restaurants, bars and shops, BARNES & NOBLE >> 21
[ NONPROFIT NEWS ] tion and games and entertainment for children. Meal-only tickets are available for $30 each. Proceeds will provide college scholarships to local high school students and fund several Loudoun County charities. For more information, call Ron Mizerak at 703-881-2360 or go to leesburgdaybreak.org. Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Rotary Club Promotes Charity Pig Roast
July 7 – 13, 2016
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Members of the Rotary Club of Leesburg-Daybreak got creative to promote their 10th annual Pig Roast, planned for September. They lined up along King Street during Leesburg’s First Friday, donned pig noses, and handed passersby pamphlets that advertised the fundraising event. The roast will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, 17558 Dry Mill Road, west of Leesburg. General admission tickets cost $100 and include two dinners, beer and wine, one raffle ticket, and an evening that also includes live music, a silent auc-
Firehouse Subs Foundation Helps Rescue Squad Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation recently awarded the Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad a grant to purchase $19,190 worth of new extrication equipment. The equipment will improve the squad’s rescue capabilities for victims in motor vehicle accidents, as well as during emergencies at quarries and farms. Firehouse Subs franchisees Barbara Levy and Marc Engelking, Firehouse Subs Area Representative Dan Lowe, and Sterling District Supervisor Koran Saines gathered at Firehouse Subs in Sterling to celebrate the grant award. Firehouse Subs created the Firehouse
Willowsford, a development near Aldie inspired by Loudoun’s farming heritage, announced this week that NVHomes is joining its portfolio with designs that will only be offered in Willowsford. Willowsford is divided into four villages. This is the last builder for The Grange Village, a section of the community that includes a pool, dog park and community garden. “We are very excited to add NVHomes to our extensive roster of quality builders,” Willowsford’s Vice President of Marketing Stacey Kessinger stated. “It is exciting to see The Grange Village at Willowsford as it closes out and becomes a truly well-defined community.” Designed exclusively for Willowsford, NVHomes will offer floor plans that range from 3,732 to 4,627 square feet, as well as features such as large center-island kitchens, second-floor laundry rooms, two-story open foyer, family rooms with 19foot ceilings and grand owner’s suites. Some of the special features offered include hardwood floors on the main level, a threecar garage, oak stairs, special craftsman trim packages and other options. The homes start in the mid-to-upper $700,000s. The model home will open to the public July 17. Learn more at willowsford. com.
StoneSprings Earns CT Accreditation
Courtesy of Firehouse Subs
From left, Chief Bryan Andrews, Firehouse Subs area representative Dan Lowe, Firehouse Subs franchisee Marc Engelking, Sterling Rescue Vice President Stephen Grant, and Capt. Greg Brown, of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Subs Public Safety Foundation in 2005 with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment, and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. The foundation has since given more than $18 million to hometown heroes in 45 states and Puerto Rico, including more than $751,000 in Virginia. Learn more at firehousesubs.com/foundation.
StoneSprings Hospital Center in Brambleton has been awarded accreditation in computed tomography as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology. This is the hospital’s second accreditation from the radiology college. “The ACR golden seal of recognition is synonymous with exceptional performance and dedication by our entire team of board-certified radiologists, qualified technical staff, and management,” stated Dr. Scott Cassar, department chair of radiology at StoneSprings Hospital Center. “We are proud to have earned this distinction and will continue our commitment to BIZ NOTES >> 21
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not to mention the development’s anchor tenant, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “We are very excited that Barnes and Noble has chosen One Loudoun to showcase their new bookstore concept,” she said. “It is so smart of Barnes & Noble to think outside the box and bring a different experience to the bookstore vision.” No word yet on if the bookstore will tap Loudoun-produced libations for its booze and book concept. But that would likely sweeten the deal for Loudoun residents and visitors who seek out local brews and wines. Reactions are mixed. “I love bookstores. I like to be able
Loudoun Valley Floors...
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Barnes & Noble
to touch and read the first chapter before I buy it,” said Nevein Zalenski, who has three kids and works as a substitute teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools. “It would be great for a book club. There is just something about a bookstore.” “They need to do something [to draw customers]. I love the e-readers, but you still need community around books,” said Paul Mulgrew, of Sterling. “The community aspect is what they need to focus on.” “To be honest, I wouldn’t be tempted by beer and wine to go to Barnes & Noble,” said Kim Hovda, of Leesburg. “I either read books on my Kindle or I buy my books at Costco because they have all the new titles, and it’s convenient.” “I love it,” said Michaela Mulgrew, of Sterling. “By making it more of a hangout, it would be successful.”
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Purcellville Council Debate Ownership of Brownell Clock BY MARGARET MORTON When visiting Purcellville’s historic downtown the vision and creative talents of builder Bruce Brownell are on full display. Now a small tribute to his memory has become a point of contention among Purcellville Council members. The council is debating whether to assume ownership of a clock that was erected to Brownell’s memory after his death in 2004. It was Brownell who began the transformation of the 21st Street area in the 1980s, when he restored the former flour mill on the west side, and began plans to restore the train station and Adams Seed Mill on the east side. Those buildings now form the nucleus of Centennial Square, a downtown complex that boasts offices, shops and the Magnolias at the Mill restaurant. The Purcellville Preservation Association partnered with the town to obtain grants to purchase and restore the Train Station, construction of the 21st Street parking lot, and street improvements. In recognition of Brownell’s contributions, the PPA purchased and installed a four-face clock the Train Station parking lot, with the aid of Brownell’s children, Jason Brownell and Kelly Howard. The clock is located on land owned by the Brownell family’s Western Loudoun Development LLC. Unfortunately, the clock has worked only intermittently over the past four years and Town Manager Robert W. Lohr Jr. told the council many people assumed it was the town’s responsibility—and want government to do some-
thing about fixing the clock. The clock’s manufacturer is out of business and parts are unavailable. Efforts to make it operational again have been unsuccessful. Lohr said Jason Brownell was willing to grant an easement and would work with the town to get the clock operational again. During the council’s June 28 work session, Lohr suggested that the town assume ownership and maintenance, with stipulations. Mayor Kwasi Fraser was concerned about the cost, and suggested the town should use the clock for advertising— connecting it to the Internet and converting it to a digital signage format. But the town does not permit digital advertising in the historic downtown, and that idea did not sit well with other council members. Councilwoman Joan Lehr, for whom the work session was her last meeting, said “I am really concerned. The biggest thing is maintaining the downtown. If we don’t maintain it as a clock, I’d let Jason take it down. I don’t want to see flashing pink lights.” Councilwoman Karen Jimmerson agreed. “In the eyes of the people, we own it,” she said, suggesting the town partner with Jason Brownell and do a fundraiser with the Purcellville Historical Society. “We need to maintain the historical look; 21st Street needs to maintain integrity.” The council voted 6-1, with Councilwoman Kelli Grim dissenting, to start the process of securing an easement from the Brownells.
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
The clock next to the Train Station in Purcellville was dedicated to the memory of the late Bruce Brownell, who was involved in the restoration of downtown Purcellville.
mmorton@loudounnow.com
[ AROUND TOWNS ] Lovettsville Council Bids Farewell to Gray During its June 23 meeting, the Lovettsville Town Council said goodbye to councilman Rodney Gray, who has concluded his four-year term on council following a four-year term on the Planning Commission. Mayor Bob Zoldos praised Gray for his “integral” role on council and various committees and projects, noting his voice would be sorely missed. The council declared June 30 “Rodney Gray Day.” Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary M. Clemens is scheduled to administer the oath of office to members of the 2016 council, including Mayor Bob Zoldos and Councilmen Mike Senate, Jim McIntyre and Robert Gentile, at the Walker Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7.
Historical Society Explores Petersville The next presentation in the 2016 Lovettsville Historical Society’s lec-
ture series will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 17, at St. James United Church of Christ. Jody Brumage will speak on “The Forgotten Story of Petersville,” a small community just north of Brunswick, MD. Lovettsville Historical Society Vice President Ed Spannaus said Petersville is one of the oldest and yet least known communities in the Middletown Valley. Most people from Lovettsville, he said, know it just as a small crossroads where Rt. 79 and Rt. 180 intersect on the way to Frederick, MD. But despite its low profile, Spannaus points out it has regional distinction. It has been home to two governors of Maryland—Thomas Sim Lee and Francis Thomas—and possessed historic religious institutions, as well as being the site of significant educational advances in the region. Brumage is historian and curator of the South Mountain Heritage Society in Burkittsville, and will present new discoveries about the history of the Petersville community and its regional and national significance.
Admission to the lecture is free, but donations to the tax-exempt organization are welcome to help defray expenses of the program. The church is located at 10 E. Broad Way in Lovettsville. For more information, contact Spannaus at 540-822-9194 or 703-727-9758.
signed on along with 12 food providers and four artisan vendors. Lead musicians include Andy Hawk and the Train Wreck Endings, The Greenbeets, and the Colin Thompson band. Tickets sales also are tracking well, she said, noting 3,300 tickets had sold so far.
Purcellville
Council to review availability fee options
Sponsors Sign On for Wine and Food Festival During the Town Council work session June 28, Special Events Coordinator Melanie Scoggins reported that plans for the July 16 Purcellville Wine and Food Festival are moving ahead. The sponsorship program is going well, including Harris Teeter and the Dulles Greenway, and Scoggins said she hopes to sign up four premier sponsors. The VIP table program that offers eight reserved seats, four bottles of wine, 16 tasting tickets and other perks also is proving popular, with 50 percent already sold, Scoggins said. As of June 23, 11 wineries had
During its June 28 work session, the Town Council, at the suggestion of Councilwoman Kelli Grim, punted further discussion on the town’s availability fee process to the first meeting of the new council, scheduled to July 12. Director of Public Works Alex Vanegas noted the council had wanted to review or modify the process by which availability fees are approved. He said the current process involves a one-time fee charged for each new connection or an increase in usage above the capacity for an existing meter size to connect to the town’s water AROUND TOWNS >> 23
Outgoing Purcellville Council Members Saluted town.” “Remember, it’s not about us, but about everyone in town,” McConville said. Nave said his six years on the council had enriched him. He had focused on being “unaligned” with any particular group on council, and always endeavored to do “what’s best for the town.” Nave has worked extensively with the neighborhoods in and around town, calling that “a core government function.” McConville said he was proud of his involvement with the town, starting with Parks and Recreation events— Rock the Field, now the Music and Arts Festival, and the Christmas trolley tours of holiday lights. He called the Parks and Recreation volunteers a great group, and thanked Special Events Coordinator Melanie Scoggins for her work. Particularly, he cited staff as a “huge asset” to the town,” saying members’ endless patience with council members’ questions. Councilwoman Kelli Grim had no comment, but Councilman Doug McCollum thanked the three outgoing council members for their “leadership and tireless service.” Each one had been open to discussion and guidance. “You made me more effective,” he said. The outgoing council appointed Jimmerson as interim vice mayor to cover the period July 1 to July 12, when the new council will hold its first meeting. mmorton@loudounnow.com
and sewer system, and asked for council’s direction. Discussion on how the town could recoup outside legal fees for the Planning Department relating to review items such as deeds, plats, and bonds—currently running at about $1,200 per month—was also postponed for further review and discussion by the incoming council.
Quilting Event Ahead Joshua’s Hands is set to hold another of its community sewing events to make quilts for wounded warriors. This will be the 12th such event and quilters of all ages are welcome to join the effort. There will be plenty of jobs during the July 8 to 17 program, including taking jeans apart, cutting and sewing and quilting. No experience is required and all supplies will be provided. Donations of red, white and blue cotton fabrics are sought. Experienced quilters are welcome to bring their own machines. Cash donations also are welcome to help underwrite expenses—$53 will sponsor one quilt. The quilting will take place at the Purcellville Plaza Shopping Center, 201 N. Maple Av., Units C-D. For more information, go to joshuashands.org.
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The 2014 Purcellville Town Council met for the last time June 28. Vice Mayor Patrick McConville and Council members Joan Lehr and John Nave left office June 30. New Councilmen Chris Bledsoe, Ryan Cool and Nedim Ogelman will attend their first council meeting July 12. Mayor Kwasi Fraser, who turned back a challenge from Lehr in May, thanked all his departing colleagues for their “indefatigable” community service. With many new members joining the council, it would be “folly for us not to knock on your door and ask for counsel,” he said, noting that Lehr, in particular, would be taking a wealth of institutional knowledge with her. Former Mayor Bob Lazaro, during the council’s June 14 meeting, also paid tribute to the outgoing members, particularly citing Lehr, who had been his council colleague for eight years. Councilwoman Karen Jimmerson said that despite disagreements from time to time, she valued and appreciated their service and opinions. Lehr recalled her long involvement with town government. After serving on the Planning Commission, she was elected to the council for two fouryear terms. “I don’t know how to say thank you [enough] to staff,” Lehr said. “Everything they do is for the residents of the town.” Lehr said she wanted to set the record straight in one area. “We were
not the council of growth,” she said, referring to a frequent characterization leveled by critics at the past two councils. When she first came to Purcellville in 2000, the population was 3,500. In 2008, when she came on council, the figure had risen to 7,500. “In my eight years on council, we’ve only added 1,400 people. You need to look at it differently, need to look at how growth has slowed, although business has grown,” she said. Listing some of the town’s achievements since 2008, Lehr cited the purchase of Fireman’s Field; placing conservation easements on the Hirst Reservoir property; acquiring and converting the former Baptist Church as the new town hall; receiving the Siemens Sustainability Award; completing the Southern Collector Road; and starting major town events—including the Loudoun Grown Expo, the Wine and Food Festival and the Music and Arts Festival. “We had an enormous impact on what happened in town,” she said. The three outgoing members had some recommendations. “As I leave, I ask the council to look forward—not back,” Lehr said. “And don’t base decisions just to look good—while you’re elected on [your] promises, they can’t always happen. You have a fiduciary responsibility to everyone in town and all the stakeholders.” Nave also urged the council to remember their oath of office, and to “do good, do good—for the best of the
July 7 – 13, 2016
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24
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
David Nevitt/Loudoun Now
A countywide effort to monitor breeding sites of Loudoun’s bluebirds has been in effect over the past decade. At right, a female bluebird brings a cricket to her young.
ON THE TRAIL OF BLUEBIRDS Monitors Keep an Eye on 50 Loudoun Breeding Sites BY MARGARET MORTON
K
arla Etten fell in love with bluebirds when they began making visits to her backyard garden in Brambleton. That love affair has ramped up significantly in her role as the Loudoun County bluebird coordinator for the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, and for the Virginia Bluebird Society. “I love the whole concept,” she said. “I’m an avid gardener, and seeing them in the garden, and growing berries and other plants that attract them, I thought it was great.” A neighbor started a Brambleton bluebirding club, and that’s what kicked off her career as a bluebird monitor nine years ago. Etten now heads up the efforts of 75 volunteers who monitor the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s 600-plus nesting boxes at bluebird trails throughout the county. They are charged with observing and recording data on bluebird activity during the breeding season. The conservancy has run the program for the past 10 years in partnership with the Virginia Bluebird Society. Etten connected with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Nicole Hamilton through the Virginia Bluebird Society. The trail monitoring is run as a partnership between the two organizations, Hamilton said. Etten’s responsibilities include coordinating the monitoring of nests all over Loudoun, she said, from which data points are collected from 50 different sites, a mix of public and private hosts that include homes, farms, wineries, and schools. That endeavor to monitor the birds has grown from just one nest box a decade ago to more than 600 boxes. Bluebirds have a lifespan of about three years in the wild, according to Etten. The first babies of this season have already hatched, in early May, and a second brood is on the way. “A lot depends on the weather; we
Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
Bluebird nests can be found at homes, farms, wineries, and schools throughout the county.
had such a cruel spring, so things got a bit delayed,” Etten said. And that makes a difference to the bluebird population, as it tends to fluctuate according to weather variations. The past two years were not kind to the bluebird population, according to data collected by the monitors, showing two very cold winters in 2014 and 2015, plus cool and rainy spring weather during the nesting seasons that is not good for hatchlings. The total population last year was estimated at more than 740, way down from the 2014 count of 1,269. Last year’s milder winter and data so far show an increase in the population, but it may take a few years to get back to the 2013 count of 1,555, Etten said. And it’s not just the weather that can be a problem. Bluebirds, even when safely ensconced in their nests or bluebird boxes, can fall victim to their most dangerous enemy—the common house sparrow. “They’re the main concern for all na-
tives. They’ll go into the nest box and attack the parent in the head, and do the same to the babies, also—it’s really quite gruesome,” Etten said of the non-native bird’s onslaught. Often, they’ll take the bluebird feathers to line their own nest. Typically, the female bluebird will have three nestings. Usually at the beginning of the season she will lay about five eggs in a clutch, then fewer the next two times. The male bluebird will come in to mark the nesting territory around the end of March, then the female comes in to set up home, so to speak. She will lay one egg per day, then brood until the hatchlings emerge in about 14 days. “From then on we watch the nest. They usually begin to fly in about 21 days,” Etten said. Today, there are at least 75 bluebird monitors, who come from all walks of life and who live in all parts of the county, Etten said. “Families, singles, children and youth, seniors, including lots of retirees, and people who like walking the [bluebird] trails. They’re people who are interested in helping provide stewardship for native cavity nesters,” Etten said. She monitors a couple of nest boxes at her home, and she’s also looking to find more bluebird box hosts at farms and orchards around the county. Wineries also make a good site, she said, noting two of her best locales are at Sunset Hills Vineyard near Purcellville and at 50 West Vineyards near Aldie— both owned by Diane Canney. Canney is an enthusiastic supporter of environmental sustainability, and works with the conservancy to support monarch butterfly gardens as well as bluebird houses through her solar-powered wineries, according to Sales Manager Matt Riley. Riley said there are approximately 15 bluebird boxes at each vineyard. “We are dedicated to working with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy
to help grow bluebird populations in our area,” he said. The 50 West nesting boxes are new this year, but Riley noted there was already activity in the spring. The two-year-old breeding program at Sunset Hills also has been successful. And visitors appreciate the conservation efforts. “We try to create fun things, such as nature walks, and we take them around the vineyard—it ties in with our larger sustainability mission,” Riley said, noting western Loudoun is “a big area for wildlife— people here are so conservation minded.” Etten has a few school sites, including the Middleburg Charter School and Briar Woods High School. In addition to finding new sites, other needs include donated lumber from old sheds and barns, preferably cedar, Etten said. She’s also looking for volunteers to make the bluebird boxes. Etten advises homeowners on ways to entice bluebirds to their yards. “Use native plants,” she said, noting homeowners can get their gardens certified as a native plant site. She also said that, for most the year, bluebirds only eat insects, and switch to berries in the winter. Hamilton points out that to support a healthy birdlife, “you need a healthy habitat,” noting the monitoring partnership started as a way to engage people with wildlife, so they can see the connection between cavity nesters and their habitat. Increasingly, Hamilton said, the program looks at landscaping management, with a focus on avoiding pesticides and insecticides—which will kill off the insects vital for the birds. A study of the chickadee showed that the bird would have to get 5,000 insects to feed a single clutch of hatchlings. Of her decade spent monitoring bluebirds, Etten said, “I continue to love doing it. There’s never a dull moment, I always come across something new.” And others feel the same way, sharing information, photos and posting questions on Facebook. For more information on the monitoring program, go to loudounwildlife. org, link to Citizen Science and then to the bluebird tab. mmorton@loudounnow.com
25 July 7 – 13, 2016
Norman K. Styer/LoudounNow
Battle flags mark gravestones of 80 unknown solders at a monument in Sharon Cemetery.
Civil War Trails: Middleburg Free Church
Norman K. Styer/LoudounNow
Loudoun’s latest Civil War Trails marker is located outside Sharon Cemetery where some 250 Confederate soldiers are buried.
After more than six years of work, the Loudoun County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee marked its swan song last Sunday at the Middleburg Baptist Church. Members of the now disbanded committee joined with the church congregation, the Mosby Heritage Area Association and Clinton Hatcher Camp #21 Sons of Confederate Veterans to dedicate a new Civil War
Trails sign. Placed along the iron fence of Sharon Cemetery, the marker tells the story of the Middleburg Free Church, which served as a hospital for Confederate soldiers following the Second Battle of Manassas, and of several notable war veterans buried inside its gates. The cemetery also is home to a monument to unknown soldiers, thought to be one of the earliest—possibly the first—of
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such memorials. The committee earned accolades for its work explaining the impact of the war on Loudoun’s landscape, economy and people during the state-wide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the war. Much of that work involved the placement of permanent historical markers, increasing them from 13 to 31 during its tenure.
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The Middleburg Free Church was built in 1840 to serve as a meeting place for the town’s Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and Episcopalians. Today, it is home to a Baptist congregation, but all gather on the grounds each Father’s Day to celebrate their common roots.
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July 7 – 13, 2016
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[ THINGS TO DO ] SUMMER TUNES VAL PLAZA PARTY: JONNY GRAVE Saturday. July 9, 6-8 p.m.; Village At Leesburg Village Plaza, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: villageatleesburg.com Enjoy live music from this DC-based bluesman, along with outdoor games and pop up fountain.
Courtesy of Acoustic On The Green
ACOUSTIC ON THE GREEN: TODD WRIGHT Saturday, July 9, 7-9 p.m.; Leesburg Town Green, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: acousticonthegreen.com Internationally acclaimed songwriter Todd Wright shows off his own musical chops at this week’s AOTG
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Oatlands Commemorates World War II Following the five ry Group, the Gen. years’ commemoration George C. Marshall of the Civil War by the House, Americans Loudoun County Sesin Wartime Musequicentennial Comum, Loudoun Herimittee, the county’s tage Farm Museum, historians are now foLoudoun Museum, cusing on more recent Journey Through Halhistory—World Wars I lowed Ground, and and II. many present-day vetOatlands Historeran support groups. ic House and Garden On Sunday, there will dedicate the weekwill be an afternoon end of July 9 and 10 tea, from 1-3 p.m., to an observance of and a lecture in the the second world war Carriage House, given in Loudoun County: by George C. MarCourtesy of Oatlands shall expert Rachel “From the Front Lines to the Home Front: Morton Eustis Thompson and her Oatlands and World aide Bill Vitale, about War II.” Gen. and Mrs. George The event will feature living histo- C. Marshall. ry interpreters, oral history recordReportedly, President Roosevelt ings, service dog training, displays said of the quiet military hero that of military vehicles and Jeep rides, he could not allow him to be the military exhibitors, children’s activ- Supreme Allied Commander in Euities and performances of the songs rope because he was too valuable of the period. Veterans of all wars are in directing the overall supervision invited to record their oral histories of the war. The general and his wife in a special mobile studio. Saturday Katherine became Leesburg resiprograms will feature veterans Dick dents, having bought Dodona Manor Graff, Eli Linden and Lincoln Harner (now the Marshall House) as their discussing their wartime experiences. first non-military quarters home in Exhibitors include those from 1941. The two loved working on their the 29th Infantry Living Histo- gardens—he focusing on vegetables,
she on flowers, particularly roses—as an escape from the pressure of their public lives. Archival photographs of the Marshalls at home will be shown in the Carriage House. The tea includes sandwiches, scones, sweets and Oatlands’ special afternoon tea blend, available for purchase in the gift shop. Advance reservations are required by calling 703-777-3174. The cost is $29.95 plus tax for ages 3 and up. Lori Kimball, director of programming and education at Oatlands, cites the impact of the war on all Americans—from rationing to victory gardens to family members or friends who served. The Eustis family at Oatlands and the surrounding community lost loved ones who died serving overseas. Hours will be Saturday, July 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 10, rain or shine. Admission is $20 per family or $10 for an individual. Admission is free for active duty personnel and all veterans (ID required.) Food and beverage concessions will be on site, and the public can take walk-through tours of the Oatlands house free of charge. No dogs or outside food are allowed. For a full schedule of events, go to oatlands.org or call 703-777-3174.
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[ MORE TO DO ] show. The event is free and open to the public. Pets, alcohol and smoking are prohibited.
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LOCO CULTURE BUTTERFLIES OF LOUDOUN IDENTIFICATION CLASS Sunday, July 10, 2:30-4 p.m.; Winmill Carriage Museum, Morven Park, 17195 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Details: loudounwildlife.org
BLUEMONT CONCERT SERIES: DUPONT BRASS Sunday, July 10, 7 p.m.; Loudoun County Courthouse, 18 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: bluemont.org This innovative brass band from Washington, DC, was launched by music students from Howard University in 2012. Their eclectic style and repertoire promises an evening of fun for all ages. Requested donation is $5. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics are encouraged. No smoking, alcohol or pets.
Wednesday, July 13, 6-8 p.m.; One Loudoun Plaza, 20626 East Hampton Plaza, Ashburn. Details: oneloudoun.com
Sunday, July 10, 3-5 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Meet the artists and check out works from Franklin Park’s annual show featuring miniatures in various media. Event is free and open to the public.
NIGHTLIFE LIVE MUSIC: ANGELA PERLEY AND THE HOWLIN’ MOONS Friday, July 8, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Courtesy of Mosby Heritage Area Association
ACOUSTIC WEDNESDAY: BRENT PETERSON
ART RECEPTION: TINY TREASURES
HISTORIC PELHAM MANSION TALK AND TOUR Sunday, July 10, 2 p.m.; Middleburg Academy, 35321 Notre Dame Lane, Middleburg.
Known for atmospheric Americana with electric guitars, swooning vocals, and songs that split the difference between rock ‘n’ roll and dreamy psychedelia, this Columbus, OH-based quartet is one to watch. No cover.
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LIVE MUSIC: DELTA RAE WITH JEANNE JOLLY Saturday, July 9, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St.; Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Delta Rae is a six-piece rock band from North Carolina that’s drawn comparisons to a southern Fleetwood Mac, while opening act, singer/ songwriter Jeanne Jolly, reminds critics of Linda Ronstadt. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of show.
LIVE MUSIC: SHANE GAMBLE Saturday, July 9, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Blending pop, country, Americana, and indie rock, Shane Gamble’s music is propelled by a steady and assured rhythm section, layered guitars, and beautiful vocal harmonies, with themes of love, loss, and emotional redemption. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
LIVE MUSIC: THE LEGWARMERS Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m.; Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg. Details: tarara.com Tarara’s summer concert series continues with the best of the 80s from this popular Arlington-based band. Tickets are $15. Advance purchase is recommended.
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Learn tips and tricks for identifying 55 of our 85 local butterflies. Nicole Hamilton will lead the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy class in an indoor session. After the class, participants can go outside and check out their skills. Cost is $5 for members, $10 non-members.
Courtesy of Bluemont Concert Series
The Mosby Heritage Area Association offers a rare glimpse at historic Pelham mansion near Middleburg. The program begins at Middleburg Academy with a talk by preservationist Jana Shafagoj on Victorian architecture, followed by a visit to the historic house and refreshments. Cost is $30 for MHAA members, $40 for non-members.
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Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St.; Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com The beloved ’90s jangle pop band, known for hits like “Hey Jealousy” and “Follow You Down” return to the Tally Ho for a great night of musical nostalgia. Tickets are $39.50 in advance, $50 day of show.
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ON STAGE LAST HAM STANDING Courtesy of Gin Blossoms
LIVE MUSIC: GIN BLOSSOMS Wednesday, July 13, 8:30 p.m.; Tally
Friday, July 8, 8 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org
Super funny comedy improv for all ages. These local favorites will keep you laughing. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for children.
GALLERY COFFEEHOUSE: MADDY CURTIS AND CALEB NEI Sunday. July 10, 6:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Two well-known local musicians join forces for a lovely evening of jazz and blues tunes. Nei creates masterful solos and renditions of classic jazz standards on piano while Curtis’ vo-
cals bring a sincerity and tone. Coffee is included. Admission is $8 at the door. Tickets: $8/person Pay at door
LIBATIONS KEY WEST FEST Saturday, July 9, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Purcellville. Details: breauxvineyards.com Now in its 11th year, this laid back festival features music from The Archives and The Key West Band, wine tastings, food vendors, crafts and children’s activities. Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at the gate.
AMERICANA BRUNCH WITH JASON MASI Sunday, July 10, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Smokehouse Live The DC-based singer/songwriter has drawn comparisons to soul artists like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, folk and blues icons like Van Morrison and James Taylor. Free with brunch.
WITH THE KIDS VAL MOVIES UNDER THE STARS: ‘HOOK’ Wednesday, July 13, 8:30 p.m.: Village At Leesburg Village Green. Russell Branch Parkway, Leesburg. Details: villageatleesburg.com
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30
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Residents line King Street in downtown during the Independence Day parade.
Courtesy Amie Ware
Loudoun Celebrates the Stars and Stripes
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Jaimson Hinkle, 20-months old, points as the fire trucks approach during Leesburg’s Independence Day parade. Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Shawn Stephens takes photos during the Independence Day parade in Leesburg.
Loudouners’ Independence Day celebrations stretched from late last week into this week, with parades, potluck dinners, concerts and fireworks shows.
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam in the Leesburg Independence Day parade.
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
Jeff Bean and Tom Briner of the 7th Son of WV Blues and Rock band entertain a crowd in Waterford.
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Some members of Pack 39 enjoyed the Purcellville parade more than others.
Courtesy Amie Ware
The Town of Hillsboro briefly closed down Route 9 on Saturday for its parade.
31 July 7 – 13, 2016
Library Foundation Book Sale Nets $45,700 The 2016 Loudoun Library Foundation book sale at Smart’s Mill Middle School was a big success, according to foundation representative Jean Zenowich. The June 24-26 three-day sale garnered $45,700, which will be used to support Loudoun Public Library programs. “We had our highest Friday receipts ever, and we sold so many bags at Sunday’s bag sale we needed to run out to secure more,” Zenowich said. About 4,000 people attended the weekend sale, including a number who came back for more. Many of those who came looking for bargains praised organizers for the scope and efficiency of the sale, which included more than 100,000 books, DVDs, CDs and vid-
eos, especially given that the sale was almost cancelled because the foundation had trouble finding space for storage and sorting. That late start played a role in the final revenues, which were about $3,000 below last year. “But we’re very pleased, especially if you look at the fact that we really truly almost didn’t have a sale this year,” Zenowich said. On the plus side, about 800 more book lovers turned out for the sale. Longtime sale volunteer Mary Fishback, the librarian at Thomas Balch Library, marveled at the reach of the event. “We had people from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Charleston, SC, just to name a few people who mentioned where they were from.”
[ MORE TO DO ] << FROM 28 Bring the family and enjoy Steven Spielberg’s classic 1991 take on the Peter Pan tale as part of VAL’s bi-weekly series. Bring a blanket.
BAND JAM WORKSHOP
This workshop for ages 10 and up is for young people interested in playing in a band but not sure where to get started. If you have an instrument, bring it—otherwise the center will provide instruments to
COMING UP RALPH CURTIS AND NASHVILLE IMPOSTORS Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23, 7:30 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org A summer favorite, the Nashville Impostors bring back their show paying tribute to 50 years of country music. Performances pay tribute to Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Conway Twitty and other greats. Tickets are $20.
loudounnow.com
Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m.-noon; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter.org
try out. Cost is $40 per person.
LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | PUBLIC SAFETY | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
The gymnasiums and classrooms at Smarts Mill Elementary School were filled with rows and rows of books—more than 100,000—as part of the Loudoun Library Foundation’s annual sale.
Sterling Teen Gives Brother a Real Helping Hand
July 7 – 13, 2016
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32
Pariss Briggs/LoudounNow
Lucas Filippini shows off his new prosthetic hand, created by his brother.
BY PARISS BRIGGS For his 6th birthday, Lucas Filippini received a gift he’ll never forget. His older brother, Gabriel, used a 3D printer to make him a prosthetic hand. The Sterling Elementary School student said it was the best present he’s
received. “I like it; I like it a lot because I can grab stuff with two hands,” he said. Lucas was born with an underdeveloped left hand, which made it difficult for him to perform some daily functions, such as zipping his jacket and tying his shoes.
With his younger brother placed on a waitlist for a prosthetic hand, the Park View High School junior decided to take matters into his own hands. When Gabriel heard the school had a new 3D printer, he reached out to his teacher, Kurt O’Connor, with an idea. “Out of the blue, he approached me about building his brother a prosthetic hand,” O’Connor said. Being unfamiliar with the new technology, O’Connor and Gabriel collaborated with Enabling the Future, an organization that provided free blueprints, and Makersmiths of Leesburg, a hobbyist group that provided the knuckle joints, to create the hand. “This was definitely a community effort,” O’Connor said. “Using resources and instructions from Enable, we were able to knock this thing out.” After trial and error, the hand was developed to fit Lucas, and presented to him June 17, the day he turned 6. The prosthetic hand has increased Lucas’ mobility. He said he’s learning to tie his shoes, and can now hold and carry items with both hands. The boys’ mother, Romina Barrera, said the hand is helping Lucas in ways she couldn’t imagine. “He’s doing stuff we never thought he would be able to do,” she said. “This is going to help him do other things.” Despite his success in making a prosthetic hand, 16-year-old Gabriel said creating and outfitting patients with prosthetic limbs is not a career he’d like to pursue at the moment. “That’s not what I’d like to do, but it was a fun project,” he said. “It made
Pariss Briggs/LoudounNow
Gabriel Filippini, 16, with brother 6-year-old Lucas Filippini.
[Lucas] happy; that’s all that counts.” Regardless, Gabriel and O’Connor said they may continue to make more hands for Lucas, and already have two larger sizes in the works. O’Connor suggested the next one should mimic a superhero. “I say we should do, like, an Iron Man,” he said with a laugh. A proposition to which Lucas was not opposed.
[ OBITUARY ] William Jasper Washington William Jasper Washington, 79 of Madison House, Leesburg, Virginia departed this life, Monday, June 27, 2016. William was born on Tuesday, September 1, 1936, in Loudoun County, VA. He was a son of the late Jasper Essex Washington and the late Rosa E. Twyman Washington. William was a faithful member of First Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and loved his volunteer work at the Senior Center. He leaves to cherish his memory, two brothers; George P. Washington (Geraldine) of Goose Creek, SC, and Major C. Washington of Potomac Falls, VA; a sister, Jacqueline Bryant of Sterling, VA; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. William was predeceased by two brothers; Charles Washington (Ann) of Manassas, VA and Howard Washington of Greensboro, NC. Funeral services was held on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at First Mount
Olive Baptist Church, 216 Loudoun St, SW, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 with the Rev. Harold S. Stinger officiating. The family received friends for visitation prior to funeral. Burial services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Leesburg Senior Center 102 North Street, NW Leesburg, VA 20176. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com
To Place an Obituary, Memoriam or Death Notice Contact: Lindsay Morgan (703) 770-9723 lmorgan@loudounnow.com
Elementary School Teacher
Loudoun Country Day School is a looking to hire an assistant teacher in Prekindergarten and 1st grade. The ideal candidate would have experience in elementary education, enjoy teaching and working alongside children, have no fears about using technology, and enjoy themselves. Candidates should send resumes toemployment@lcds.org.
Crossword
HIRING PARALEGAL
MAIDS NEEDED
No evenings or weekends
Pay starts at $12-$12.50 per hour
Must have driver’s license Please contact: (571)291-9746
Experienced Bus Driver
position at Loudoun Country Day School, approximately 20 hours/week. Must have a Class B CDL License and interstate classification. Position includes driving field trips in the metro DMV area. Please email resume to Joe.Kaylor@lcds.org
Small Estate Planning law firm in Purcellville area seeks experienced paralegal to assist with drafting legal documents (Revocable Trusts; Wills; Powers of Attorney; etc.); preparing client correspondence and files; interacting with clients; back-up for scheduling appointments. Must have proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook; be detail oriented and have strong organizational skills. Familiarity with estate planning is preferred. Part time, salary commensurate with experience. Please send resume to eplawfirmf@gmail.com
Leesburg 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
In Print & Online One Low Price Email: classifieds@loudounnow.com to place your employment ad
For Hire Pinky’s
Licensed Home Daycare in Foxridge Community
CPR certified Contact: Evelyn Will teach Spanish (703) 568-0846
Full Time openings for infants & toddlers
LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | PUBLIC SAFETY | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION
Loudoun Country Day School is looking to hire a 4th or 5th grade teacher. At a minimum, the ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, 5+ years elementary education experience, an aptitude for teaching and using technology, and a passion for teaching children. Candidates should send resumes to employment@lcds.org.
Assistant Teacher
July 7 – 13, 2016
Employment
33
For Free
Contact Eleanor (703) 771-0052 Located in Leesburg
loudounnow.com
Giving Away Chickens
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Business Card Directory
BARBER SHOP
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LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | PUBLIC SAFETY | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION
er 10 years. k projects
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571-439-5576
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July 7 – 13, 2016
OR
Business Card Directory
35
[ OPINION ]
OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 7 – 13, 2016
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36
The Pay Question The Board of Supervisors’ plan to undertake a comprehensive review of employee compensation levels—in the fire service and beyond–is an important step as the region’s economy slowly rebounds from the recession. The findings of those studies, however, may put government leaders in a tighter bind. Rest assured, the recommendations of the various consultants will not be cheap; seldom have such studies found that government workers were overpaid. The effort to rebalance the salary structure comes at a time when many board members also are pushing for expanding services, such as in the social services field. Those priorities, if left in a vacuum, hold the potential to create a paralyzing budget crunch next spring. Long before they take up the fiscal year 2018 tax rate debate, supervisors should have a clear vision of their government service priorities. That’s not an afternoon-long discussion or even a topic that can be tackled entirely in the board’s planned—but recently postponed—strategy retreat. And implementing the new board’s service wish list is not likely to happen in a single fiscal year, but will be a culmination of this board’s four-year term. Supervisors will find no easy answers. For example, the effort to increase the compensation for firefighters and emergency medical service providers is aimed at ensuring that those who complete their training at Loudoun taxpayers’ expense stay on the local force at least long enough to recoup those costs. But there is more in play there than the amount first responders take home in their paychecks. Scheduling policies and advancement opportunities also play a major role in employee retention. Supervisors also must explore ways to shore up its volunteer ranks, with the knowledge that deferring the need to hire more career personnel leaves more resources available to support the system overall. Although positions in fire-rescue and the Sheriff ’s Office require the most extensive—and expensive—up-front training, high staff turnover rates are costly for any department. As the economy heats up, the government will find more competition for workers in a region that already is one of few in the nation operating at near full employment. “We need to pay our county workers more” may be a valid starting point for a discussion among supervisors, but it is far from a viable operational strategy.
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 Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com Renss Greene, Reporter rgreene@loudounnow.com Kara C. Rodriquez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Douglas Graham, Photographer dgraham@loudounnow.com
Contributors Pariss Briggs Leah Fallon Jan Mercker Advertising Director Susan Styer sstyer@loudounnow.com Classified Manager Lindsay Morgan lmorgan@loudounnow.com Production Electronic Ink 9 Royal St. SE Leesburg, VA 20175
[ LETTERS ] Do It Editor: Congratulations to the staff of Loudoun County’s finest hometown newspaper, Loudoun Now, for the comprehensive story of the men and women of our fire and rescue service being shortchanged by our Board of Supervisors while they continue to give away our tax dollars to national organizations whose CEOs earn millions, dole out our tax dollars to organizations who may or may not make any effort to raise funds, and even give our programmed tax dollars to influential communities who cancelled their annual fair because of a weather forecast. As a former captain with a fire and rescue service with a disabled paramedic/firefighter daughter and son in-law both facing a lifetime of intense pain because of injuries suffered on the job, I was as mad as a hen in a barnyard full of roosters to learn that our supervisors, like Rip Van Winkle, just woke up to learn the men and women of our Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Service were being paid 20 percent less than their counterparts in surrounding counties. Why were they so surprised to learn that firefighters train in Loudoun County and then relocate to earn higher wages in surrounding departments? As if this oversight of the pleas of Chief W. Keith Brower Jr. and the men and women of our treasured fire and rescue service wasn’t bad enough, our esteemed Board of Supervisors has implemented a new ambulance billing process that will be a cash cow for the county and a minimum sharing of the proceeds with our fire and rescue service. With eyes blinded by the potential new “easy money” for the county to hopefully use wisely the system implemented has been deemed so paper processing oriented and complex that many old folks like this writer will consider a taxi for a trip to the emergency room rather than be frustrated and
harassed by the new ambulance service billing process. The time is appropriate for our supervisors to stop debating national issues, giving away our tax dollars to undeserving recipients, and adhering to their campaign promises of truly representing the constituents of their districts on matters of importance to all taxpayers in Loudoun County. The time is appropriate for our supervisors to stop dragging their feet and implement a fair and equitable salary classification system for our fire and rescue service, provide an immediate 20 percent increase in wages to mirror all our surrounding counties in order to stop the loss of more Loudoun County trained men and women of the fire and rescue Service, and increase the current minimum share of the county’s new ambulance billing cash cow to ensure the continuation of the spirit of cooperation between the career staff and the valuable volunteer system. Statistics document the fact that old folks, like this writer, are more likely to require the services of our fire and rescue service ambulance transport to local emergency rooms. Or Board of Supervisors should be aware that Loudoun County’s 40,000-plus old folks are deeply interested and support our fire and rescue service and we all vote. Therefore, how fast our board initiates positive action to resolve this issue will be of the utmost interest to all of us. — Lou Gros Louis, Lasndowne
A Better Course Editor: Globalism v. Nationalism—although the media seems to be fixated on unearthing the variables associated with these 21st century terms I would suggest there is one really big term being ignored. MORE LETTERS >> 37
37
[ LETTERS ]
— Bob Ohneiser, Lucketts
Editor: I write to support County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall’s observation in her State of the County Address indicating that our career firefighters
Contemptable Editor: If the case of Anthony Roberts doesn’t show the faults of our criminal “justice” system, nothing does. Roberts finally admitted to the murder of a Lansdowne man and the attempted murder of the victim’s wife in an attack that occurred more than seven years ago. If Roberts had not finally “man upped” for his crimes, his criminal case would not have been heard before September of next year. Roberts only took responsibility to avoid being sentenced to death. Once the death penalty is abolished in America, prosecutors will be denied a tactic used against murderers like Roberts to, in his case, compel a guilty plea thereby precluding a costly, lengthy trial scheduled to start nearly a decade after his crimes took place. Finally, Roberts is quoted in your article as being “man enough to sit in prison and man up for these crimes.” He is not a man; he is a contemptable coward who doesn’t know the meaning of remorse. Roberts is as low as they come. — Scott Wallace, Leesburg
Poor Whiting was abandoned in front of our shelter because of his age. He has some deformities of his front feet due to malnutrition & neglect in his past, but in all other ways he’s as healthy as a 2 year old!! He is so gentle with people & is very grateful to receive the love & care that he deserves but was denied to him for so many years. He loves other dogs but doesn't care for kitties. Don't let his age fool you! He has many happy years ahead of him! Visit our website for available animals & applications.
WHITING
www.middleburghumane.org
(540) 364-3272
Electronic Manufacturing & Engineering Services Electronic Instrumentation & Technology Sterling, VA 20164 Mechanical Engineer/Designer
Join EIT’s award winning Engineering Team as a mechanical engineer/ designer. We design, manufacture and build a variety of electronic instrument assemblies used in medical, avionics, telecom, scientific and other types of instruments. Two examples which we designed and build for third parties:
Helicopter Avionics
Electroptic Tester
Background: BS in Mechanical Engineering or Associate Degree in Mechanical Design desired but not mandatory. At least five years mechanical design and practice required. Competency in SolidWorks or comparable design tool also required. Some familiarity with electronics desirable. Degrees and certificates are not critical but the ability to work effectively with colleagues and contribute technically is very important.
Duties: • Mechanical design using SolidWorks or equivalent • EMS Process Engineering support • Some technical writing • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Compensation and benefits are competitive. Please direct inquiries to EIT HR: tquigley@eit.com
108 Carpenter Drive • Sterling, VA 20164 Phone: 703-478-0700 Fax: 703-478-0291
www.eit.com
loudounnow.com
Don’t Overlook The Volunteers
— Bradley J. Quinn, President, Fire Fighter Purcellville Volunteer Fire Company
MIDDLEBURG HUMANE FOUNDATION
LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS | PUBLIC SAFETY | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION
When is the last time you heard anyone talk about bilateralism? When is the last time you heard or read of the strategic significance of the U.S. being non-multilingual? Why do politicians talk about the value of a strong dollar while knowing that only through a continuing weakening dollar can we pay back our nearly $20 trillion debt and continue to borrow to cover the over $90 trillion of future commitments? These are pretty big challenges for a short article to cover but I will at least try. Shortly after World War II there was a historic meeting at Bretton Woods where the idea of connecting the currencies of Europe so fluctuations could be muted was considered. It didn’t work but the idea or preference for not having major fluctuations in currency values never went away (see Brexit issues, China peg to the dollar or review Federal Reserve currency balancing operations). NAFTA was a simple concept that guaranteed wages in the U.S. would be limited, yet it was passed anyway. By comparison with any other single country, the U.S. dominates yet our federal politicians seemingly unarmed with any currency or economic acumen continue to mute our strengths out of some fictional globalistic view. Just because the U.S. can drive an advantage under a bilateral deal does not mean the U.S. is not interested in mutual benefits to drive growth via fair trade. The U.S. needs foreign currencies to be strong and their consumers to be able to buy American goods. Where in the Constitution did our forefathers authorize giving away American assets to foreign sovereignties? There is no real accountability nor even public disclosures of explanations for these billions of dollars in outflows. What happens when a foreign government such as China negotiates with the U.S.? The natural first language of China being Mandarin has to be converted to English because the U.S. is monolingual. This means every thought/deal point is heard by the U.S. in their initial language while the Chinese counterpart has to convert it. Imagine how much harder this is for Chinese companies to deal with American companies. If the U.S. was weaker individually or smothered in a temporary regionally constructed environment with a different language would we not lose our natural advantage in the bargain? The U.S. should emphasize bilateral arrangements, insist on English as the continuing language of business worldwide, and the media should seriously fact check all politician statements instead of checking their partisan base view prior to air time.
are undercompensated by comparison to adjoining fire and rescue systems (Walking Through Fire and Out the Door: How Can Loudoun Keep Its Firefighters?, Thursday June 30). As a volunteer fire fighter and company president I have firsthand knowledge of the need for this situation to be rectified consistent with the advice from the combined fire and rescue system’s senior leadership. However, I would like to add a dimension to this conversation often overlooked when discussion of costs of the provision of high quality emergency response services occurs: that of the economic benefits to our citizens of the volunteer contribution to such response. The article mentions that there are 800 active volunteers in Loudoun who respond to emergency calls collaboratively with career staff. The direct compensation for their time and service is zero. The economic benefit of deferred or forgone salaries and benefits to an active volunteer cadre accrue to all citizens in Loudoun and reduce the direct operating costs of our combined system in the aggregate. Such savings include the costs associated with volunteer owned and financed facilities and apparatus (like the tower ladder pictured in the article). To be clear, I fully support any action that would improve the compensation and the follow-on benefits of keeping our career firefighters in Loudoun. Yet, I would like it to be known that maintaining an active volunteer presence in Loudoun already contributes to enormous cost savings and therefore should provide additional incentive to invest more fully in the needs of a rapidly growing combined fire and rescue system and in particular to the compensation needs of the career element of our system.
July 7 – 13, 2016
<< FROM 36
A Vision for Central Leesburg
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OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 7 – 13, 2016
loudounnow.com
BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ
Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now
Sproutman, by Brian D. Kirk, is one of five sculptures on display as part of Leesburg’s new artsPARKs project.
Art in the Park BY NORMAN K. STYER After a decade of work, the Leesburg Public Arts Commission celebrated the town’s first permanent exhibit Saturday with the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the ArtsPARKs project in Harrison Park. The collaboration between the town, businesses and area artists converts the streamside park along Harrison Street into an outdoor sculpture gallery. “It looks completely different than it did six months ago,“ Mayor Dave Butler said of the park, which got a makeover before the five statues were set up. “It is really becoming a jewel for Leesburg.” Both Butler and Vice Mayor Kelly Burk acknowledged it has been a struggle to get Town Council support for public art displays. Butler said, “the town council has not been overly enthusiastic” about arts funding, but he thanked the business and the art community for pulling together behind the park project. “It shows that Leesburg is getting cooler in a lot of respects,” Butler said. Burk recounted the long, and so far unsuccessful, effort to win Town Council support to create a mural on the town parking garage wall at Mervin Jackson Park, but also noted the work of a cadre of volunteers to push the public art movement forward. “It’s all because of people who volunteer their time,” Burk said. “People who have the vision to see that art is important and that art improves the quality of our lives.” The exhibit includes five sculptures selected by a panel of judges. Artists whose works are on display are Brian D. Kirk, Peter Wood and Michael M. Clay. Burgevin & Larkin, REHAU, Knutson, Lawrence and Suzanne Stipek and the Rotary Club of Leesburg sponsored individual statues and Middleburg Bank, Lansdowne Development and Friends of Leesburg Public Art provided donations for the overall project. nstyer@loudounnow.com
One man and his vision for central Leesburg could go a long way toward determining the future look of a key portion of the county seat. Lansdowne Development Group President Hobie Mitchel is the man behind two projects—Crescent Place, which celebrated the opening of some of its commercial space last week, and Crescent Parke, another mixed-use development proposed off Rt. 15 in the area between Davis Avenue and Gateway Drive. The latter project awaits a vote from the Town Council, which could come as early as next week. Mitchel’s two projects are located in the town’s Crescent Design District, a 428-acre area governed by form-based code, zoning regulations that focus on building form and design over regulations governing specific uses. It’s this type of area, that emphasizes a walkable, multimodal public space with a mix of uses, that is an attractive type of development to Mitchel. “Our goal is to, one at a time, redevelop the Crescent District of Leesburg and we think there’s a huge opportunity
there to bring a lot of change and lifestyle things into the downtown area to help support the Historic District and everything else down there,” he said. “One project can make a big change; we have Crescent Parke on the south end, Crescent Place on the north end. The goal is to try to fill in the blanks. We’d like to do that.” Mitchel said he and his business partners have already been in discussions with other nearby property owners in the Crescent District about future projects and are excited about some other possibilities down the road. Adding “lifestyle products” to the area surrounding Leesburg’s downtown area is something that can only help the downtown as a whole, he said. In addition to helping to connect different uses throughout central Leesburg, Mitchel is focused on activities to supplement what’s already on the ground. Although much is still to be determined about the future of the Crescent Parke project, one use he sees as intriguing for that project is a type of outdoor music venue, akin to The Barns at Wolf Trap. krodriguez@loudounnow.com
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Hobie Mitchel
Crescent Place << FROM 1 Knutson, president of Lansdowne-based Knutson Companies that built much of Crescent Place, said practically everyone gathered at the open house was making an investment in the property, from the residents to the business tenants who bought their units. “Everybody’s played a role in where we are, and everybody—almost everybody—has been passionate about this project and making it a success,” he said. Marantha Edwards, Economic Development director for the Town of Leesburg, said, even months before Crescent Place is at build out, the development has brought new life to the neighborhood. “It’s already transformed Harrison Street. The activity level has increased along the trail and the park,” she said. Nanette Parsons, who’s run her brassiere shop Best Rack Around at Market Station for the past few years, said she was wowed when she saw the transformation of Harrison Street. “It’s new construction but it still fits in with historic Leesburg,” she added. Parsons listed several reasons why she wanted to move her store just down the street to Crescent Place. She said her second floor shop at Market Station can, at times, be difficult for people to find, and she loved the idea of owning her own space. “It’s almost too good to be true,” she said as she watched a sign reading “Best Rack Around” go up in her new storefront’s window. “I feel at home.” Husband-and-wife team David and Linda Kamminga will undertake a brand new venture in the two units they purchased, Passport Coffee & Tea in one suite and Bread & Butter in the suite next door. David Kamminga said the bakery will serve internationally
Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now
Donald Knutson, president of Knutson Companies that built much of Crescent Place, introduces the development’s first business tenants at an open house June 30.
inspired treats, while the coffee shop will offer the usual coffee shop fare, plus loose-leaf tea and spiked caffeinated drinks, he called “coffee cocktails.” Leesburg has a few coffee shops, but he sees a niche for one more. “We saw a need in the market, and we want to offer something a little different,” Kamminga said. Francieli and Timo Roessner, who bought a townhome in the development, said they’re just as excited as the retailers to call Crescent Place home. They commute to work in McLean and Sterling, so on evenings and weekends, they love the idea of walking to downtown shops and restaurants, including those that will open at Crescent Place. “Downtown has a lot of character and a little bit of everything,” Francieli Roessner said. Ollin Toler, Knutson’s vice president of construction, said while he considers downtown an amenity to Crescent Place residents, he also sees the development as an amenity for people who live in and near downtown.
“The retail portion of the development is not just for our residents, but it’s an opportunity for other downtown residents to walk down and enjoy the shops,” he said. “We really have something special here.” Knutson told the shop owners and residents gathered for the open house that, he agreed, the development turned out beautifully. “But it’s really just a building,” he added. “In the long run, it’s really about the people, the place, the relationships and what we’re building here… a community.” In all, Crescent Place will include 30,000 square feet of retail space. The entire second building of storefronts has been sold, but a third building planned for retail still has units available. Some of the townhouses and condos are also still awaiting buyers. Learn more at crescentplaceliving.com and theshopsatcrescentplace.com. dnadler@loudounnow.com
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Curtis said. “You just don’t want to have somebody purchase a gun that’s going to cause some type of harm.” Instead, the FBI persuaded Curtis to sell Jalloh a disabled firearm. Jalloh came back to the store in the evening, purchased a Stag Arms SA1, which a Blue Ridge Arsenal employee disabled, and was arrested the next day. According to court documents and court proceedings, in March, a now-deceased member of ISIS brokered an introduction between Jalloh and an individual in the U.S. who was working with the FBI as confidential source. The ISIS member was plotting an attack in the U.S. and believed the attack would be carried out with the assistance of Jalloh and FBI’s confidential source. Jalloh allegedly met with the FBI source in April and May. During the April meeting, Jalloh told the source that he was a former member of the Virginia Army National Guard, but that he had decided to quit after listening to online lectures by Anwar al-Aulaqi, a deceased leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Jalloh stated that he recently had taken a six-month trip to Africa, where he had met with ISIS members in Nigeria and began communicating online with the ISIS member who later brokered his introduction to the FBI source. During that meeting, Jalloh also told the source that he often thought about conducting an attack and that he knew how to shoot guns. Jalloh praised the gunman who killed five U.S. military members in a terrorist attack in Chattanooga, TN, last July, and stated that he had been thinking about conducting an attack similar to the 2009 attack at Ft. Hood, TX. During the May meeting, Jalloh asked the source about the timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an operation for the month of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month currently being observed. “I will support with whatever you need from me, I need the reward from Allah and my sins to be forgiv-
July 7 – 13, 2016
ISIS in Loudoun
en,” Jalloh said, according to the FBI affidavit. Jalloh also asked whether the source could assist him by donating to ISIS. Ultimately, Jalloh provided a prepaid cash transfer of $500 to a contact of the FBI source that Jalloh believed was a member of ISIS, but who was in fact an undercover FBI employee. In June, Jalloh travelled to North Carolina and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain firearms, before he bought an assault rifle rendered inoperable at Blue Ridge Arsenal on Saturday. He was arrested the following day and the FBI seized the gun. All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Sterling, one of the nation’s largest mosques, has been proactive in its efforts to build bridges among other faiths and to denounce violence and radical teachings. Following the news of Jalloh’s arrest, Rizwan Jaka, who chairs the ADAMS board emailed a statement. He cautioned the public to remember that criminal complaints are not evidence of guilt, and that law enforcement informants should not go so far as to target one group based on race or religion. “We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a fringe minuscule minority of miscreants acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” he wrote. But Jaka also called for a complete investigation and prosecution if Jalloh is found guilty. He condemned violent extremism and said the Muslim community in Northern Virginia disassociates itself with these “un-Islamic acts.” “ADAMS has always been clear and very forthright in our position that those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they falsely claim to represent,” he said. He urged anyone with information about any suspicious activities related to Jalloh to contact the FBI Washington Field Office at 202-278-2000. If convicted on the charges, Jalloh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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