Loudoun Now for July 28, 2016

LoudounNow Now LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 1, No. 38 ]

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Schools work to diversify workforce

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[ July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016 ]

Leesburg Taps Next Police Chief

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Allyson Lee gives her sheep a bath just before weigh-in on the opening day of the Loudoun County Fair, where he’s headed for auction.

FAIR BUSINESS

Loudoun Kids Get a Lesson in Agriculture

BY PARISS BRIGGS

S

ure the Loudoun County Fair, now in its 81st year, offers plenty of allure for those looking for some summer fun, with its swirling carnival rides, scrumptious fried foods, demolition derbies and rodeo acts.

But for many Loudoun kids, typi-

cally those who can be spotted at the fairgrounds in dusty jeans and cowboy boots, the fair is serious business.

Many of the kids in 4-H, a club where youth ages 5 to 19 learn about agriculture, have raised animals in the months and even years leading up to fair week, which kicked off Monday and runs through Saturday.

For some 4-Hers, this is their first year

raising animals; others have been doing it since they were toddlers. Ryan Virts and Erin Davis, both 17, are among those in the second group. They’ve raised sheep, goats and hogs over the years, and said it’s taught them a lot about responsibility and the agricultural business.

“I think agriculture is really dying in

Following a nationwide search, the Town of Leesburg found its new police chief close to home.

Town Manager Kaj Dentler announced during Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting that Gregory Brown, a captain with the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, has been selected as Leesburg’s next police chief. He will begin his new post Oct. 3. He replaces Joseph Price, who retired in March after 16 years leading the department.

Brown will be the town’s first black police chief and the highest ranking minority in the town’s government. His appointment comes at a time of increased racial tensions nationwide and follows a push by the Town Council to Brown pursue diversity in the town’s hiring practices.

“I am both honored and humbled to have been chosen as the Town of Leesburg’s next chief of police,” Brown, who was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting, stated in a press release. “I look forward to serving and partnering with the community beside the men and women of the Leesburg Police Department in order to further solidify a culture of trust and legitimacy with the citizens, visitors, and businesses of our town.”

Brown joined the sheriff ’s office in 1997 and most recently served as commander of the Eastern Loudoun substation.

During his time with Loudoun County, he has served as a patrol deputy, school resource officer, criminal investigator, and an undercover officer in vice, narcotics and gangs. He subsequently served as a supervisor in each of these units, as well as a member of the Emergency Response Team and the Honor Guard. In addition, he has served as the deputy director overseeing all Basic Law Enforcement Training at the Northern Virginia Crim-

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Cannons Battle Back for Playoff Spot

BY RENSS GREENE

T

he Purcellville Cannons have propelled themselves to the playoffs with a 6-3 victory over the Winchester Royals on Monday night.

The Cannons didn’t look like a team headed for the postseason in the first half of its inaugural season in Purcellville. The team couldn’t put together a winning streak or a winning record.

“What hurt us early on in the sea-

son was our base-running mistakes and our defense,” said head coach Brett Fuller. “Our pitching was pretty strong.”

Fuller reshuffled the team’s lineup and roster throughout the season, even making the risky decision to drop a few players who produced good numbers on the field but made problems in the clubhouse. That decision, he said, angered his Board of Trustees.

“I’m not one of those guys that just goes straight by numbers,” Fuller said.

“Numbers are important, but I’ve been a coach a long time, and if I just did numbers and nothing else, then my record probably wouldn’t be as good as it is.”

Now, Fuller said the team has chemistry. Halfway through the season, Fuller and his crew decided the team would make a playoff run.

“We didn’t really decide to make a real run at this thing until after the all-

26

Loudoun Officers Hear Words of Thanks from Community

Monet-inspired artist paints Loudoun scenes

INDEX Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Nancy Giordano talks with families and law enforcement officers after delivering pizza and other treats to a station in Ashburn.

“We know the community supports us, but it’s good to have a reminder,” said Sgt. John Davis, of the APPRECIATION >> 39

Loudoun Gov..................... 4 Leesburg .......................... 8 Public Safety .................. 12 Education ....................... 14 Biz ................................. 18 Our Towns ...................... 22 LoCo Living .................... 26 Obituaries ...................... 32 Classifieds ..................... 33 Opinion .......................... 36

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Loudoun County and Leesburg law enforcement officers were shown some unexpected love recently in the form of pizza, doughnuts and crayoned thank-you notes.

What started as an impromptu delivery of sweets to a Leesburg Police station snowballed into a community-wide movement to show appreciation for local law enforcement following the police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

Nancy Giordano and a few friends who live near Leesburg talked about dropping off doughnuts at a station.

They decided it’d be nice to make deliveries to a couple of other stations too, so they created the “Loudoun Police Appreciation” Facebook page July 12 to organize their efforts.

“And it just took off,” Giordano said. “All of the sudden, we had all these different ideas of how we could show our appreciation.”

On July 20, she was joined by her kids, 13-year-old Jack and 9-year-old Lola, and several other families for a delivery to Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office’s University Station in Ashburn. They brought pizza, cupcakes, pie and notes for the men and women in uniform.

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New life eyed for Lincoln building

CANNONS >> 38

‘WE APPRECIATE YOU’

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Tech giants’ merger has Loudoun impacts

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The Cannons celebrate their 6-3 victory over the Royals, guaranteeing the Cannons a spot in the playoffs.

Leesburg regulates Pokémon Go craze

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9

Crescent Parke development a no go

3 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

[ P L AY O F F B O U N D ]

INSIDE

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[ LOUDOUN GOV ]

Terms Set for Museum Bailout

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

BY RENSS GREENE

T

he Loudoun County government has set the terms of its Loudoun Museum bailout.

According to the Memorandum of Agreement approved by county supervisors on Thursday, members of the museum’s Board of Trustees will now be required to raise or give $3,000 annually, or lose out on $150,000 in financial support from the county.

The county staff, working with the museum, had recommended a $2,000 requirement, but supervisors voted narrowly for a $1,000 increase over that.

Department of Management and Budget staffer Megan Bourke said the staff could recommend a higher fundraising threshold in the future, but had heard that $2,000 is a “daunting feat” for museum trustees now.

“As the museum board turns over and is reconstituted, and there are members serving in that capacity that have more financial means, I think that conversation can be reintroduced,” Bourke said.

Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) agreed that $2,000 is a number in line with similar requirements at other, larger charitable organizations, such as Morven Park, which requires $2,500 of its board members, or Oatlands, which requires $3,000.

“I think the Loudoun Museum needs to walk before they can run, and I’m sure that if it’s that easy to raise this money, they’ll be able to raise that amount in the near future,” Higgins said.

Higgins is a trustee on the museum’s board. County Attorney Leo Rogers

said Higgins’ vote does not represent a legal conflict of interests: “This question has come up before in other decision on the Loudoun Museum,” Rogers wrote. “In order to have a conflict of interest, Mr. Higgins needs to have ‘a personal interest in the transaction.’ Personal interest is defined in Va. Code § 2.2-3101 as having a financial benefit generally exceeding $5,000.

Mr. Higgins gets no financial benefit for his volunteer service on the Board of the Loudoun Museum.”

The Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conflict similarly discourages “even the appearance of conflict of interest,” although specifies “direct personal gain for oneself, one’s family, or any organization in which a Board member has a financial interest.”

Higgins said in a phone interview Tuesday that he sees no appearance of a conflict of interest, because he serves as a volunteer at the museum. “Conflict of interest is about anything that would inure to my benefit, and there’s nothing,” he said. “My participation on the board is because I am very interested in helping to preserve Loudoun’s history for all citizens of Loudoun and for the future of Loudoun. It kind of boggles my mind that we’ve had as much difficulty in sort of working through these things, when every time there’s a delegation from outside the county, the first place we take them is to the Loudoun Museum so they can learn about Loudoun County.”

Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) pushed for the higher number.

“If they feel that $2,000, or $3,000 or $4,000 is a daunting task for them to

Loudoun Now File Photo

help raise for the organization that they say they care about, then they probably need to reassess whether they need to be on that board,” Saines said.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) agreed.

“The reality is, there needs to be a different type of board of directors with different people on it,” Letourneau said.

“We can’t explicitly make that happen in the MOU, but we can kind of gear it in that direction.”

He also said the county has plenty of people of “significant means.”

The board voted 5-3-1 to approve the $3,000 requirement. Supervisors Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg), Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin), and Chair-

woman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) opposed the higher figure; Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) was away.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the county will give the museum a total of $156,000 in quarterly installments as the museum meets certain benchmarks to restructure the organization and hire an executive director to put the museum back on track.

The museum will also create a Program Advisory Board for supporters who want to serve the museum but not commit to giving at least $3,000 annually. The museum will meet monthly with MUSEUM BAILOUT >> 5

Supervisors Give District Offices a Budget Boost

BY RENSS GREENE Loudoun Supervisors’ district offices, except for Ashburn, each will get a $30,000 budget boost this year.

Supervisors voted 6-3 on July 21 to send $240,000 in unallocated money from the county budget to their district offices, the source of funding for supervisors’ individual projects, communications, and most importantly staff aides, who work and serve constituents in supervisors’ stead while elected officials are at their day jobs. After a motion by Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge), insurance costs for up to three staff members in each office will also come from the county budget instead of individual district budgets.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) drove the motion to increase district budgets, which he said is necessary—particularly in quickly growing districts like Dulles—to maintain an adequate level of constituent service and oversight of construction projects.

Currently, district offices receive $120,597 annually, while the coun-

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) confers with his one of his staff aides.

ty chairman’s office receives $161,040.

Those budgets are essentially separate from the county budget, including county employee raises. Letourneau said the funding levels are well below other large counties.

“We all know how hard our board aides work, and it has become evident during the time that I’ve been on the board that, at least in some districts,

[we] have seen significant population increase; the workload has exceeded the budget that we actually have to fund our staff,” Letourneau said.

Some supervisors disagreed. Board Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) said he has returned money to the county from his budget every year in office so far.

“I think with proper management, you can manage things and not spend your whole budget,” Buona said. He also pointed out that although the budget increase comes out of unallocated money in the budget this year, from now on, the higher allocations will be programmed into county budget expenses.

He asked the board to amend the budget increase to exclude his Ashburn District office, reducing the $270,000 package by $30,000. He also said he would vote against the increase whether or not Ashburn was cut out.

Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) also opposed the budget increase.

“I look at $270,000 and I think, there are other things of value that we could

use that money for,” Umstattd said.

“The schools, mental health. But I don’t want to criticize my colleagues on this, because I understand they truly feel strapped.”

Other supervisors said their offices need more help for a variety of reasons.

Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) said the lack of homeowners associations means more work for district staff in his rural western county. Conversely, Supervisor Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run) said his district, with more new businesses and development applications than any other district, struggles to keep up.

Buona, Umstattd, and Supervisor Suzanne M. Volpe (R-Algonkian) voted against the funding increase. Letourneau said he’s sure some supervisors will still be returning some of that money.

“At least now we’ll have a little bit of room to perhaps increase the hours for some of our aides and get a little more out of them,” Letourneau said. rgreene@loudounnow.com

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the county staff to check on its progress.

The memo also considers the possibility of the museum closing its doors while it restructures.

The memo is a yearlong agreement; the county may terminate or renew at will. The modified Memorandum of Agreement was approved 7-1. Supervisor Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run), who opposed the deal, has questioned whether the county should be in the business of bailing out the museum at all.

Meanwhile, Loudoun Museum board president Elizabeth Whiting wonders whether the board can shoulder the burden. She has said the Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting this week to discuss the terms of the MOA before a final vote August 10.

“We had blessed the county staff draft, and this obviously is a material change in what the board had considered,” Whiting said.

The $3,000 commitment, she said, is three times what the museum currently asks of its board members. She said that may make the process of turning over the board and recruiting new members more difficult.

“I think there’s a problem between expecting turnover and prematurely emptying the board when there are still things to be done,” Whiting said. “You need a governing board while the new board members are recruited.”

The $3,000 requirement is a stum-

bling block for the museum’s board entering the agreement.

“They’re enthusiastic about the concept,” Whiting said. “Our concern going into this is nobody wants to sign an agreement that we don’t think we have a shot at performing in good faith.”

And without the county money, the museum has said it will have to start shutting down.

“I think I read somewhere recently that there are 30,000 new nonprofits formed every year,” Whiting said. “Inevitably, there are going to be failures.

I think the fact that we have been in existence since 1967, with tremendous public support traditionally, didn’t set us up to understand that we might become one of them.”

Letourneau issued a call to Loudoun’s wealthy philanthropists from the dais.

“I will go ahead and issue a public call right now to the folks who care about history and preservation in Loudoun County,” Letourneau said. “Come on in and be an angel and save this organization and write a big check. We’ll put you on the board of directors—they’ll put you on the board of directors—you can assist some other board members, and let’s save this thing, because that’s really what it’s going to take long-term.”

“Our goal is securing the long term protection of the collection, and that’s where, in some ways, I think the two bodies talked past each other,” Whiting said. “But again, that’s what we’re chartered to do, is to protect this collection for eternity.”

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[ GOV BRIEFS ] ERP Upgrades On Track “It’s progressing as planned,” said Vince Marchesano of Vivad Technologies, LLC, giving the county’s Enterprise Resource Planning software update its first positive monthly report in a long time during July 21 meeting of the Board of Supervisor’s finance committee.

After negotiating a settlement with the company previously responsible for implementing the new software, Application Software Technology, the county hired Oracle America Corporation on May 9. It is now finishing implementation of ORACLE eBusiness Suite, which its company created.

Oracle was previously hired to consult when the project began to derail, and produced a report critical of AST’s work.

After refunds from the AST settlement, the board appropriated an additional $4.8 million to finish the ERP update. Work is scheduled to be completed in July 2017.

Loudoun Wins Family Self Sufficiency HUD Grant Loudoun County has won a $67,326 grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to increase income and decrease welfare dependency.

The department’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program involves five to seven

year contracts with eligible families incorporating individualized training and short- and long-term goals. Resources and special services such as childcare, transportation, education, job training, employment counseling, financial literacy, and homeownership counseling are provided to families through service providers in the community.

“By giving individuals the tools they need to succeed, we help strengthen Virginia’s economy and reduce dependency on already-overburdened public assistance programs in our state,” said Senators Mark Warner (DVA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) in a joint statement.

County Adopts Parks and Rec Fee Policy County supervisors last week adopted a new policy that will allow the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Service to offer employee discounts and seasonal sales.

Following a study with a third-party contractor, PRCS asked the board to give the department more flexibility to set its own fees. The new fee schedule gives that flexibility, as well as guidelines for cost recovery rates for each type of program. It also provides free admission to recreation centers and in-county rates for all PRCS programs for county employees.

The new policy also allows PRCS to

establish reduced fees for children of low-income families who want to take part in the Children’s After School Activities (CASA) program. Eligibility for lower CASA fees will be based on students’ eligibility for free and reduced lunch.

The department’s outreach to underserved communities will help it achieve national accreditation with the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies, agency representatives said.

Loudoun County to Give Middleburg 3 Acres The Town of Middleburg will grow by just over three acres if the county approves a boundary line adjustment with the town.

The town’s only wastewater pump station is in need of replacement, and although it is on land owned by the town, it and the access road to it are outside the town’s corporate limits. According to the county staff, incorporating that land into the town will facilitate the approval process for work on the pump station. The station only serves Middleburg properties.

Supervisors directed the county staff to draft a resolution of intent to adopt a boundary line adjustment, beginning a public hearing process. The wastewater pump station is located near the western portion of the town, off Windy Hill Road.

County Honored for 30 Years of GIS Innovation Geographic information system software giant Esri last week highlighted Loudoun County’s three decades of experience with GIS technology.

The county began using Esri’s GIS software in the late 1980s. Among its first uses was to help with site selection of a new landfill. By the early 1990s, the county opened its GIS data for public use and then putting the mapping system’s tools online a decade later.

“I’ve been watching Loudoun County for a long time through the evolution of their technology,” Esri founder Jack Dangermond stated. “Now we’re entering a new era. Loudoun not only continues paving the way in open data, but serves as an example for how government of all sizes can engage the public and become smart communities.”

The next step is to roll out a GIS-enabled computer aided dispatch system that will improve information available to dispatchers, including the location of vehicles and callers.

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Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman last week filed a lawsuit against Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson seeking to get the list of convicted felons who had their voting rights reinstated by executive order in April.

The case is filed as a Freedom of Information Act petition for the records.

Plowman, and other prosecutors around the state, have been requesting a list of the 206,000 names since May. The state government has refused to release the information claiming they were “working” papers and citing other disclosure exemptions.

Earlier, Plowman filed an amicus brief as part of the constitutional challenge to McAuliffe’s action filed by state Republicans. In that filing, he documented individual cases in which voting rights may have been restored to felons who were still in prison or serving probation—individuals who would not qualify for the restoration of rights under state criteria.

The release of names is needed to allow the individuals to be more thoroughly vetted, Plowman argued. He specifically raised concerns of allowing the felons to serve on criminal juries.

As of Tuesday, no hearing date has been set for Plowman’s lawsuit.

The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down McAuliffe’s order as violation of the state constitution following a July 19 hearing. During that hearing Justice William C. Mims, cited the disclosure of the names as an im-

portant element in the effort to restore felon’s rights using the governor’s clemency powers.

“The governor’s failure to provide that public document may be the fulcrum on which standing turns,” Mims, a former Loudoun delegate and senator, said during the hour-long hearing. “I, for one, do not understand how it is that a document of such importance can be shielded from the litigants and the citizens of Virginia.”

The high court’s order does not require disclosure of the names on McAuliffe’s list. However, the governor will be required to follow conventional procedures to restore voting rights on an individual, case-by-case basis. He immediately announced plans to restore the rights of 13,000 felons who had registered to vote following his April order so they could remain on voter rolls.

Loudoun County General Registrar Judy Brown addressed the Loudoun County Republican Committee on Monday night, providing an overview and update election preparations. She was asked about the status of felons who had registered to vote. She said state election officials have instructed localities to wait for direction, adding that if a decision is made to remove those names it could be done quickly.

Brown said that she felt bad for some of the felons held in limbo by the legal battle. Many of the ones whom she spoke with were excited to be able to participate in elections once again, she said.

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Plowman Sues for Release of Governor’s Felon List

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[LEESBURG ]

Council Rejects Crescent Parke Development Plan

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

T

he Leesburg Town Council on Tuesday night rejected plans to rezone 53 acres of vacant commercial to build a mixed-use community in the town’s Crescent District redevelopment zone.

A vote to approve the 53-acre Crescent Parke development failed on a 3-4 vote, with council members Katie Hammler and Suzanne Fox and Mayor David Butler in support.

The council first considered the application in November when the applicant, Lansdowne Development Group, narrowly won a council vote for a Town Plan amendment to allow residential development in the area. The rezoning application had been before the council for review since the spring, but a vote had been previously delayed at the applicant’s request to better integrate recommended changes.

The application sought approval for 198 townhouses, 96 stacked townhouses and 96 multi-family dwelling units.

Nonresidential uses would have included a maximum of 110,550 square feet of office space, 137,175 square feet of retail, an area for a future hotel, and a 2,000-square-foot community room.

The land stretches from the terminus of Gateway Drive to Davis Drive along the edge of the Leesburg Bypass. The land assemblage also includes the Olde Izaak Walton Park, land currently leased by the town but which the developers offered to donate to the town.

In a packed Council Chamber on Tuesday night almost a dozen audience members wearing some shade of red to show their opposition to the development. Some of these same residents spoke during the petitioner’s section of the meeting, when they called on council members to vote down the development.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Leesburg council member Tom Dunn speaks against the Crescent Parke application.

Town resident Scott Billigmeier presented the council with a petition with signatures from more than 300 opponents. Billigmeier, who had more than a decade ago been involved in encouraging the town to explore a way to lease or purchase Olde Izaak Walton Park, said that while positive changes have been made by the developer, the project remained too dense for the area.

“Proffers really can’t fix that to me,” he said.

The proffers offered by the developer were often cited during resident and council member comments, both positive and negative. In addition to purchasing the park for the town, millions of dollars in capital facility contributions were offered, along with the upfront construction of road networks throughout the property and a $75,000 cash contribution to study to remove from the Town Plan an option to extend the Dulles Greenway through the property, to name but a few.

Councilwoman Katie Hammler, who

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Leesburg council member Katie Hammler listens to fellow council member Suzanne Fox.

made the initial motion to approve the project, pointed to the proffers as a reason for her support of the project.

“I believe that accepting projects with significant proffers is a much better deal for the town than any other subsequent by-right development that wouldn’t mitigate its impacts,” she said.

Butler also noted the types of use— ranging from banks to factories—that could be built on the property without any council approval and without any proffers to improve roads or address other town needs. He said inevitably more houses would be built to house the region’s growing workforce and “urban infill is the best way to develop.” He said the proposed development was the “least impactful” to nearby residences. Crescent Parke “doesn’t destroy the neighborhood, it protects it,” he said.

But those on the majority side said despite the strides the developer had made with the project, it was just not the right fit for Leesburg.

Burk said the development did not

mix uses well, and is not the pedestrian-friendly, walkable development envisioned in the Crescent District, where Crescent Parke would lie. She also pointed to the phasing of the project, which would only require 5 percent of non-residential uses to be built before the 214th housing occupancy permit was issued.

Councilman Tom Dunn said he felt that the inclusion of Olde Izaak Walton Park had been too great of a focus in the application.

“There was an effort to look for reasons to approve [the project] because the park was being thrown into the mix.

I really felt this application should stand on its own merits and not be something that is bargained with citizens’ quality of life issues in an effort to get a park that we already have,” he said.

It had been an interesting week leading up to Tuesday night’s vote. Reports initially surfaced late last week that calls originating from caller ID sandbox.com had been going out to residents asking them to support the construction jobs and new road links that would result if the project was approved. One town resident, who asked not to be named, said the caller ID number that showed up on his phone was registered to a political election coordinator from the Mid-Atlantic region of the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

According to reports, residents receiving the calls were asked to tell Burk or Councilman Marty Martinez to support the project.

Hobie Mitchel, the developer behind Crescent Parke, on Monday denied any involvement in the phone campaign and said he did not know who was behind it. Mitchel said he made no promises to hire union help should the project be approved. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

[ LEESBURG BRIEFS ] Town Seeks Residents’ Input On Downtown Vibrancy The Town of Leesburg wants to know what would make you more likely to frequent downtown businesses and destinations.

The Leesburg Listens online forum, debuted earlier this year, is being used as the vehicle to garner input on resident perspectives on the downtown area. Economic Development Manager Marantha Edwards explained that this is part of the FY17 budget allocation for downtown initiatives, with funding set aside for marketing and partnerships with the Leesburg Downtown Business Association.

In January, the town hosted a forum seeking input from downtown stakeholders on what changes they would like to see in the downtown area, what they liked, what they didn’t like, and perhaps what the

town could do to help. This survey is a continuation of that effort, and Edwards said could guide ways in which the town could help support downtown in the future.

“The goal is in September to work to have another panel [discussion] on how to translate this into best practices for downtown,” she said.

The survey is live until Aug. 7 and can be found at leesburgva.gov/leesburglistens.

European Grocer Acquires Leesburg Land Last year, the German discount grocery store Lidl expanded to the American market, establishing a U.S. headquarters in Arlington. Now it looks like they are moving closer.

In June, the company purchased a 5.3-acre Leesburg tract, one of several parcels it has acquired in Northern Virginia. The company plans a rapid East Coast expansion.

Lidl’s Leesburg property is on Edwards Ferry Road, between the Battlefield Shopping Center and the REHAU headquarters. The property, long owned by International Pavilion LTD Partnership, is already zoned for commercial and industrial development.

Lidl operates 10,000 grocery stores across Europe.

Police Department Gears Up for National Night Out The Leesburg Police Department will host the annual National Night Out festivities Tuesday, Aug. 2. This year’s main event will be held in the Heritage Square community at 80 Hancock Place NE, with satellite locations in the Sycamore Hill community (Gingko Terrace) and Loudoun Hills (Meadows Lane NE).

With co-sponsor the National Association of Town Watch, National Night Out serves to: heighten crime

and drug prevention awareness; generate support for and participation in local anti-crime efforts; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

The event will run from 6-8 p.m.

Sponsors for this year’s event include Wegmans, Target, Kohl’s, Chickfil-A, and Cobb Theater. Other partners include Town of Leesburg Parks and Recreation, Leesburg Police Citizens Support Team, Leesburg Police Explorer Post #1041, the Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, InTotal Health, and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #69.

Events will include a barrel train, moon bounce, obstacle course, McGruff the Crime Dog, prize giveaways, crime prevention tips, food and beverages, and the FOP “Paddy Wagon.”

BY NORMAN K. STYER

REID >> 32

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Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Former Leesburg District Supervisor Ken Reid addresses criticism of his 2012 vote to support the Phase II Silver Line extension during a July 25 Loudoun County Republican Committee meeting.

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

The Loudoun County Republican Committee on Monday night heard pitches from four candidates seeking the party’s endorsement in November’s Town of Leesburg elections. One took some hits in return.

The committee will vote Aug. 15 on whether to endorse Kevin Wright for mayor and incumbent Tom Dunn and challengers Ken Reid and John Hilton for Town Council seats. During Monday’s meeting each candidate was invited to address the committee, lay-

ing out their conservative credentials and pledging to make the next Town Council more decisive, frugal and business-friendly.

It was Reid who came under fire.

He did not seek re-election to the Leesburg District seat on the Board of Supervisors last year, but later decided return to the Town Council, where he served from 2006 to 2011. Reid, who was an alternate Virginia delegate to last week’s Republican National Convention, said he was looking forward to helping a strong GOP slate take control of the council.

However, it was clear during the meeting that his endorsement vote will not be unanimous. Reid was criticized for casting the swing vote in 2012 approving Loudoun’s participation in Phase II of Metro’s Silver Line extension to Ashburn.

Greg Stone was among the activists who warned that joining Metro would be fiscal folly for Loudoun and campaigned tirelessly against the project.

He said Reid wasn’t just an early opponent of the rail project, but a key leader in the effort to block it.

“Ken Reid was the tip of the spear for the anti-Metro movement,” Stone said.

Stone and other members of the rail opposition group said that even days before the supervisors’ vote, Reid was leading meetings to organize the opposition.

9 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Reid’s Metro Vote Targeted in GOP Endorsement Request

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Town Leaders Assess Pokémon Impact

BY NORMAN K. STYER For decades, Leesburg merchants have debated ways to get more foot traffic in the downtown historic district. Suddenly, this month, the sidewalks are bustling again.

It isn’t the town’s $5 million streetscape upgrade that is drawing crowds (King Street’s outside dining tables remain mostly empty most days). Instead, the credit goes to an uber-popular free smartphone app—Pokémon Go. It started two weeks ago with a parade of pale millennials staring expressionless at their phone screens pacing back and forth along the downtown streets. Soon, older residents joined the virtual hunt and the craze has continued to build.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

A sign from the Leesburg Department of Parks and Recreation declares Georgetown Park a “Pokémon Go friendly park.”

The increase in foot traffic hasn’t been without problems. For example, the town’s Georgetown Park on South King Street is a popular gathering spot—apparently one with a lot of Pokémon sightings. The park also became a popular nighttime hunting spot, with crowds of 100 or more convening at 2 or 3 in the morning to play the game together, some even offering snack sales and phone re-charging stations.

The problem is the town parks close at dark and last week the Leesburg Police Department began enforcing that rule.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of trespassing in our public parks. As a result of the number of people congregating, there have been parking complaints as well, Interim Police Chief Vanessa Grigsby said. “As a town we’re discussing strategies that could work for both the Pokémon gaming community and town staff. From a law enforcement perspective, we just want to remind the community of trespassing laws, especially on private property—and gamers should pay attention and know their surroundings at all times, so they lessen their chances of becoming victimized.”

The town staff met this week to explore ways to accommodate the gamers—perhaps even encourage them—while also looking out for public safety and limiting disturbances.

One result was an agreement to allow the gamers in the Ida Lee Park, Georgetown Park, and Raflo Park for extend-

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

From left, RJ Jacobs, Gui Gomes, and Alini Correia catch Pokémon at Georgetown Park on Tuesday afternoon. Gomes and Correia, who came together, had never met Jacobs before.

ed hours—from dawn until 10 p.m.

They also urged hunters to be careful crossing streets, pick up litter, be courteous of others, and to avoid suspicious locations, especially at night.

The Leesburg Department of Parks and Recreation has put up a sign declaring the park a “Pokémon Go friendly park.”

RJ Jacobs plays at the park frequently.

“It’s not even the people in the park that are causing the problem,” Jacobs said. “I’ve been here a lot of nights when the cops showed up. It’s the people driving up and down the street.”

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Jacobs said the police are allowing aspiring Pokémon trainers to stand on the sidewalk by the park and play as long as they’re not in the way—a conversation that was cut short when another player wandered by to ask, “Are you guys only catching Rattatas and Pidgeys?”

Meanwhile, merchants are working to capitalize on the craze. The Village at Leesburg on Saturday offered a Village Pokémap to attract gamers to the center and 15 businesses offered special deals during the event. nstyer@loudounnow.com

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[ PUBLIC SAFETY ] Ashburn Giant Pharmacy Hit by Robber

Another Loudoun Deputy Charged with Domestic Assault

Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office detective on Monday released a photograph of the suspect involved in a robbery at the pharmacy inside an Ashburn Giant grocery store.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m. July 25, a man with his face wrapped in a white bandage entered the store at 43670 Greenway Corporate Drive. He presented a note demanding prescription Robbery suspect narcotics. A weapon was implied but not produced during the robbery and he made off with an undisclosed amount of prescription drugs. No one was injured during the robbery.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 20s to early 30s. He is about 5 feet 8-inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a slender build. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt with hood and blue jeans, sunglasses and a ball cap. He was walking with a cane.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective M. Grimsley at 703777-0475. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app. Callers who provide information to Loudoun Crime Solvers leading to an arrest and indictment may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office announced July 20 that a deputy was placed on administrative leave after being charged with domestic assault in Woodstock.

A similar incident involving another deputy occurred in Leesburg days earlier.

Deputy First Class Chad Neff, 32, was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault by members of the Woodstock Police Department. He was released by a magistrate on his own recognizance. Neff joined the agency almost five years ago.

He is on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Earlier in the week, the sheriff ’s office announced that Deputy Josiah Kennedy, 29, was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault by members of the Leesburg Police Department on Friday.

Sheriff Mike Chapman said in a statement that even in the face of the national tensions involving law environment and day-to-day stress of the job, professional behavior is required by his deputies at all times, on and off duty.

Chapman said the agency is expanding the availability of a contracted psychologist for his staff. Last year, the agency established a Chaplain Unit to provide guidance and comfort for deputies in times of crisis.

over the internet will spend the next 15 years in prison.

Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Burke F. McCahill on Monday handed down the sentence for Robert Norman Klink Jr., 36, of Frederick, MD. Klink pleaded guilty in March to charges of using communication systems to facilitate certain offenses with children, carnal knowledge, and forcible sodomy. McCahill imposed a total active sentence of 15 years and six months, plus 34 years and six months of suspended time, 7 years of supervised probation followed by lifelong unsupervised probation.

The case began in July 2015, when Klink began chatting with the victim over the internet. Their chats continued for several days, during which Klink proposed that the two meet in person and engage in sexual acts. The victim agreed to sneak out of her home and meet Klink at a pre-arranged location. Klink drove her to a secluded location where they engaged in sexual activity.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joshua Steward, who prosecuted the case, noted that this was not a case that arose from a planned law enforcement stingtype operation in which undercover law enforcement officers pose as minors. The case involved a real victim. Steward also said that a forensic examination of Klink’s electronics showed that after he continued to chat online with other minors.

Internet Predator Gets 15-year Prison Sentence

Lovettsville Bank Robber Gets 13 Years

A Maryland man who pleaded guilty to soliciting a 14-year-old Loudoun girl

A Maryland man who pleaded guilty to string of bank robberies, including

one in Lovettsville, will serve more than 13 years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett last week sentenced Andre Antoine Walker, 23, of Temple Hills, MD, to 162 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Walker He pleaded guilty in March to charges of bank robbery conspiracy, bank robbery, armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in relation to a bank robbery.

Walker also was ordered to pay $10,593 in restitution.

According to his plea agreement, Walker and co-defendant Malcolm Green robbed three banks in Maryland and one bank in Virginia.

On July 1, 2015, Walker and Green entered the BB&T Bank on Allentown Road in Camp Springs, MD. Walker passed a note to a teller demanding money in large and small bills. When the bank teller stated that she did not have large bills, Walker patted his waistband with his hand. The teller believed that this motion was meant to indicate that Walker had a weapon. The teller provided money and the defendants left.

On July 13, 2015, the defendants presented a demand note to a teller at the Essex Bank on Ingleside Road in Baltimore. The teller provided cash and the PUBLIC SAFETY >> 13

13 << FROM 12

Ashburn Restaurant Owner Sent to Prison for Child Sex Abuse A Loudoun restaurant owner was sentenced to spend 14 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to taking indecent lib-

Aldie Helps WV Firefighters

Contributed

After the Great Cacapon (WV) Volunteer Fire Department lost its station and much of its equipment in a July 5 fire, the Aldie VFD stepped up to help. The Loudoun station is replacing its ESM chase unit and had planned to sell it. Instead, the company opted to donate the Chevy GMC to Great Cacapon volunteers. From left, are Aldie Fire Chief Buzzy Carter; Jeff Flippo, president of the Virginia State Firefighters Association, Great Cacapon Assistant Chief Jim Reed of Great Cacapon; and Aldie VFD President Bernie Boteler.

three years and eight months of suspended time. Upon his release, Lugo will be placed on five years of supervised probation. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

Fire-Rescue to Convert Old Dispatching Center to Training Lab The county’s fire and rescue system will convert its old Emergency Communications Center to a training center for officers using, in part, money left over from the renovation of the Ashburn Volunteer Fire Department. The fire-rescue system abandoned the communications center in November as it moved toward a cen-

tralized, unified communications center for all first responders.

In total, the county is dedicating $461,266 to the project—$287,881 will come from cash proffers from Evergreen Rural Village, with the remaining $173,385 transferring from the leftover money for the Ashburn station renovation.

Design of the new lab is complete. It will provide a space for training and evaluating command personnel, and will be located in the basement of the Fire and Rescue Training Academy near Leesburg Executive Airport.

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defendants left with about $100. A dye pack ignited in Green’s pants, burning his legs and ruining the money.

On July 17, 2015, the defendants walked into the BB&T Bank on Cypress Avenue in Millington, MD. Green passed the teller a note demanding money, and threatening to come back shooting if his demands were not met. When the teller hesitated, Walker pulled out a gun from his waistband, brandishing it several times. The teller provided cash and the defendants left.

On July 24, 2015, the defendants entered the BB&T Bank in Lovettsville. Green brandished a gun and gave the teller a note demanding money and no dye packs. The teller provided money and the defendants left.

The total amount that the defendants stole from the banks was in excess of $10,590.

Investigators identified the defendants through fingerprint analysis on a robbery note, law enforcement databases and surveillance footage of the robberies. They were arrested on Aug. 3, 2015.

Green, 24, of Temple Hills, MD, also pleaded guilty to his participation in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 154 months—almost 13 years—in federal prison.

erties with a child in his care.

Leopoldo Jacobo Lugo, 59, was sentenced July 11 by Circuit Loudoun Court Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. He pleaded guilty to the charge in March.

Lugo, owner of El Sol Azteca in Ashburn and four restaurants in Richmond, was charged after investigators deter- Lugo mined that he sexually abused a minor child over the course of several years, with at least one incident occurring while Lugo and the victim were living in Loudoun County. The case came to light after the female victim was interviewed in response to a complaint made to the Virginia Department of Social Services.

Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Gigi Lawless urged Fleming to go beyond the state’s guidelines when handing down his sentence. The Virginia Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a defendant’s criminal history and other factors, called only for probation in this case.

According to a statement issued by the Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Lawless said, “The defendant’s behavior is repulsive and disgusting and we as a society simply cannot tolerate it.”

“You have one role as a parent and that is to protect your child, and you, sir, failed,” Fleming said, before imposing a total active sentence of 14 months in the Virginia Department of Corrections, plus

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

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Art-based Preschool Celebrates Grand Opening

Courtesy of Loudoun County Public Schools

From left, John Champe High School Principal John Gabriel, Simpson Middle School Principal Katrina Smith, Human Resources Director Asia Jones, and Woodgrove High School Assistant Principal Don Keener take part in diversity training.

SUMMER TRAINING Loudoun Schools Look for More Diverse Workforce

BY DANIELLE NADLER

L

oudoun public school leaders have been fairly blunt in their concerns about one statistic over the past year: In a county that is becoming more and more diverse, most of its teachers are white.

Just 12 percent of the school system’s teachers and administrators are racial minorities, a far cry from the 48 percent of minorities who make up the student body. And it’s not that they aren’t applying. From October 2014 through September 2015, 19.5 percent of the applicants for licensed positions were a race other than white. Of the employees hired during that time, 8.32 percent were minorities.

School administrators are spending part of their summer working to close that gap between the student population and employees’ racial makeup.

They set aside $54,165 to bring in consultants to shine a light on unconscious bias and improve hiring practices. In 21 sessions now through September, 500 administrators—including principals, deans and department heads— are learning how to recognize and address their own biases.

“We’ve been very transparent about this,” said Asia Jones, the director of the school system’s human resources who is spearheading the training. “We have a very diverse student body, and our goal is to continue to diversify and have that reflected in our licensed employees, our teachers and our administrators, who are role models for our students.”

The training is part of a new push to diversify the school system’s workforce. That became a stated priority of the School Board after a report released earlier this year by the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development spotlighted the racial divide

Center Stage Preschool, a fine art and Montessori-based preschool program, is hosting a grand opening and open house Friday through Sunday.

The school is at 20955 Professional Plaza in Ashburn.

The opening event will feature tours, signup specials, prizes, refreshments and games for families with children ages 3-6.

The first 100 families to arrive will receive a special $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Center Stage Preschool uses the Montessori approach to specifically cater to a child’s ability to explore, learn life skills, socialize with others, and be a valuable member of the community, according to a press release announcing the new program.

“The most important learning phase for children is from birth to six years when children absorb their environments and lay the life long foundations for their futures,” stated Heather Carboneau, director of CSP. “At Center Stage, we strive to inspire children to develop healthy imaginations, self esteem and respect for others.”

The grand opening event runs 5-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturday, and 3-6 p.m. Sunday.

To take advantage of pre-registration discounts, RSVP to the event at centerstageashburn. com. Walk-ins are welcome.

Blue Ridge Award Recipients Announced

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Ball’s Bluff Elementary teacher Karin Ellison jogs past her second-grade class before they ran their laps as part of a fun run fundraiser in May.

between the county’s 78,000 students and its 10,000 employees. The report was done in response to an inquiry from the Loudoun County chapter of NAACP, which raised concerns about the lack of diversity among school division employees.

The training, delivered by Montage Diversity Consultants of Florida, teaches about unintentional biases. Tiffany Taylor Smith, Montage’s diversity and inclusion executive, has told the administrators in the workshops that they may have a bias that formed from an experience that occurred when they were a toddler and is engrained in their minds years later.

“If that situation was about a par-

ticular person that belongs to a particular group, those emotions would come and you wouldn’t necessarily understand why, and that could directly influence your engagement with that person unconsciously,” she said. “Our training is meant to equip people to recognize, ‘whoa, where is this coming from,’ and be able to catch it.”

The workshop teaches people how to identify “an old tape is playing” and how to erase it and “build a new one,” she added. It is meant to bring to light biases related to disabilities, gender, age, culture, as well as race.

Stephen Reeves, president of Mon-

Griffin Hacket, a graduate of Woodgrove High School, is one of two students to receive the Jane Pratt Blue Ridge Mountains Education Award, a $1,000 scholarship.

The award, established in 2014 in memory of founding member of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains Dr. Jane Pratt, is bestowed upon graduating seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship through participation in school projects, internships, and community activities.

Hacket, who will attend Radford University next month, stated in a press release announcing the award, “Even from a young age, I tried my best to spend as much time as possible on the mountains. Part of the reason I chose my university is because it’s fairly close to the mountain range, so that I can continue to spend time in the mountains that I love. …I believe that it is important to spend time contributing to protect our environment from the many harms it faces and plan to continue to do so when in college.”

SCHOOL NOTES >> 15

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The second student to receive the award this year is Jefferson County High School graduate Kaitlyn Boyd, who will attend Blue Ridge Community and Technical College.

Learn more about the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains at friendsofblueridge.org.

Loudoun’s Domokos-Bays Named SNA President The School Nutrition Association installed Becky Domokos-Bays as its president for the 2016-17 school year during its 70th Annual National Conference earlier this month.

Domokos-Bays, supervisor of school nutrition services for Loudoun on sourcing and getting candidates in,” Jones said, noting that the recruiters are making a point to connect with students at colleges and universities with high minority populations. “We’re able to be strategic in reaching out.”

Speaking to concerns some in the public have raised that the push for diversifying the workforce will mean hiring racial minorities over white applicants of the same ability, Jones said she and her staff would continue to hire the best applicant, period.

“We’re not looking at quotas—this is not affirmative action. It is about inclusion,” she said. “For someone to think we’re watering down the can-

County Public Schools, will represent SNA’s 56,000 school nutrition professionals nationwide.

She has managed the school meal programs in Loudoun County since SeptemDomokos-Bays ber 2014. With 430 employees, the School Nutrition Services team serves more than 78,000 students in 89 schools.

Domokos-Bays is focused on attracting new students to the cafeteria.

She has hosted taste tests and surveyed students to gather feedback on didate pool because we’re making it more diverse is an implicit bias within itself.”

Phillip E. Thompson, president of the Loudoun County NAACP, said the training does not go far enough to solve the school system’s diversity shortfall. The training is not mandatory for administrators, and he doesn’t expect a one-day workshop to “erase thirty years of perceived bias.”

“We are dealing with a culture that will not or does not want to change,” he added. “It would be nice to for LCPS to invite the NAACP and other representatives of the minority community to sit in on the ‘Diversity Training’ to

menu items. She also launched a new grab-and-go breakfast program that has helped boost breakfast participation by 28 percent districtwide.

Domokos-Bays previously served for 12 years as director of food and nutrition services for Alexandria City Public Schools. Prior to her time in Alexandria, she served for 14 years as support operations specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools.

The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. see exactly what is being thought and to maybe add some additional input or perspective.”

Taylor Smith acknowledged that it will take time for school divisions, especially as large as Loudoun’s, to make big improvements in its hiring practices.

“When you’re talking about large entities like educational institutions, you’re not going to see change happen over night,” Taylor Smith added. “But this district has made an investment, which speaks to the improvements they want to make.” dnadler@loudounnow.com

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tage Companies, said he’s seen an increased demand for this type of training in schools and in the corporate world.

“Schools are saying, we need to prepare students for the global world.

They’re going to be working with people from all over the world, from all different cultures and if we’re not preparing students for that, then we’re doing them a disservice,” he said.

But businesses tend to change their hiring practices faster than school divisions, he added. “Corporations are always looking for the return on investment, and they’re recognizing that if their organization is more diverse and more integrated, they’re going to be more successful in meeting the needs of their customer base.”

The Loudoun school system is also looking to solve the challenge of drawing more minorities to the field of teaching.

To do that, the School Board added a line item to its budget this year for two recruiters—the first the school division has had dedicated recruiters—who will focus on attracting more racial minorities and educators to hard-to-fill positions, such as special education and English Language Learner teachers.

“So in addition to looking at our own practices, we’re bringing in those two recruiters to try to widen our net

<< FROM 14

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap.

All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.”

This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-9753.

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Patrick Henry College Wins World Moot Contest

BY DANIELLE NADLER Patrick Henry College picked up more metal for its trophy case this month when it won the eighth annual Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition in Geneva, Switzerland.

Michael Farris, chancellor of the college in Purcellville, coached the team of rising juniors, William Bock and Helaina Hirsch, to victory July 20.

Patrick Henry College has won multiple national championships in undergraduate moot court competition, but just one other world tournament.

The Bock-Hirsch duo was the only team in the competition from an undergraduate school. They competed against teams from 24 law schools, including Yale Law School, the only other American university to qualify for the tournament.

“Everyone else in the tournament were law students and they’ve had many many courses in law, and our students have had three,” Farris said.

“It was really exciting.”

The Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition is presented by the Centre for Human Rights and the students presented their arguments in the chamber of the United Nations in front of an impressive panel of judges. It included judges from the South African Constitutional Court, the International Criminal Court, European Court of Human Rights, and two highly regarded law professors.

Students were required to submit

Courtesy of Patrick Henry College

William Bock and Helaina Hirsch, rising juniors at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, won the Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition on July 20.

extensive briefs based on a hypothetical case involving international law and human rights issues. After the brief writing competition, the best 25 teams from around the world were invited to participate in the oral argument competition.

In the finals, Bock and Hirsch beat a team of law students from Moi University in Kenya. Bock, of Indianapolis, also was awarded the first place oralist in the tournament and Helaina, of Lafayette, CA, was named the second place oralist. They both won a scholarship to return to Switzerland

next year to attend a global human rights academy to study international human rights law.

Since 2004, Patrick Henry College has won nine of the past 12 American Moot Court Association National Championships, regularly facing leading universities including the University of Virginia, Duke and Holy Cross.

Its only prior international competition was in 2005 in a successful oneon-one competition with Baliol College of Oxford University. dnadler@loudounnow.com

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17 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

The new Pearson-Smith Realty has a commanding aerial view of Loudoun Station and a future Metro stop.

Chuck Smith and Eric Pearson cut the ribbon, symbolically and officially opening Pearson Smith Realty’s new office atop Loudoun Station overlooking a future Metro stop. Smith said that Metro will be “the most important development in the history of Loudoun” and that he is glad to open his business where both it, he, and Pearson were born and raised, Loudoun County.

Pearson Smith is Loudoun Station’s first commercial tenant, opening only a few days after the Department of Economic Development opened its new office next door.

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Office with a Metro View

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OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Study: Loudoun Continues to Lead Virginia in Investments

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Verizon, Loudoun’s largest private-sector employer, announced this week that it’s buying Yahoo Inc.

VERIZON + YAHOO

Yahoo Sale Could Have Loudoun Job Implications

BY NORMAN K. STYER

L

oudoun’s largest private-sector employer is getting bigger—and making a bigger investment in cyberspace—but that doesn’t mean more jobs are coming.

Verizon announced Monday a $4.83 billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc. The company said it plans to merge the operations of that one-time cutting edge Internet giant (once valued at $125 billion) with those of another—AOL, which it bought last year for $4.4 billion.

The transaction is expected to close in late 2016 or early 2017.

Yahoo is based in Sunnyvale, CA, and a key question for Loudoun leaders is whether the deal will result in more tech jobs heading to the West Coast, or even to New York, where Verizon and AOL are headquartered. That has been

a disturbing trend, a regional economist warned recently.

Terry Clower, of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, was a speaker during a Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce’s economic forum earlier this month.

“You’ve been losing the information jobs since 2001. It’s been a steady decline,” Clower said. “We lost the mojo in this region which we had with AOL and those guys. We lost our mojo to California.”

He said an important element in creating a more diverse regional economy—one less dependent on federal spending—was to keep the small businesses that are created by Northern Virginian’s prolific entrepreneurs here even after the startups are acquired by larger firms.

Statements from Verizon and AOL

leaders indicated that the future structure of the company’s operations hasn’t been laid out.

“Just over a year ago we acquired AOL to enhance our strategy of providing a cross-screen connection for consumers, creators and advertisers,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s CEO and chairman, in a statement. “The acquisition of Yahoo will put Verizon in a highly competitive position as a top global mobile media company, and help accelerate our revenue stream in digital advertising.”

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong said the deal could catapult the company back to the top of the digital media industry.

“The deal will get major coverage and you will read many theories on the potential outcomes of the deal—we are MERGER >> 20

Chef Repp Takes Over at Lansdowne Resort Marcus Repp is the new director of culinary operations at Lansdowne Resort and Spa, the latest change in the resort’s multi-million-dollar renovation and rebrand effort.

Born in Friedberg, Germany, Repp Marcus Repp graduated from Küchenmeisterschule Rothenburg ob der Tauber as a certified master chef before cooking and eating his way through Europe and Russia, as well as the Caribbean, Grand Cayman and St. Maarten Islands. In addition to his duties as Lansdowne’s executive chef, Repp is a certified Cross Fit coach, Harley Davidson motorcycle enthusiast, and Habitat for Humanity volunteer and youth coach.

Prior to joining the staff at Lansdowne, Repp worked at properties owned by Westin, Marriott and Hilton, serving in roles from executive chef to director of culinary operations. Repp previously served as the regional director of food and beverage for Columbia Sussex Hotel

The financial technology company SmartAsset recently completed its second annual study on counties receiving the greatest amount of investment in their local economies and again found that Loudoun County tops the list in Virginia.

The study ranked jurisdictions in four categories: business establishment growth, GDP growth, new building permits, and municipal bond investment. Loudoun ranked first in three of them: 15.8 percent business growth; $232 million GDP growth and 31.3 new building permits per 1,000 homes.

“Being number one in new commercial investment is always an achievement. But being number one in back-to-back years is proof that Loudoun County has become a premier business location in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Buddy Rizer, Loudoun executive director for economic development, stated. “Virginia is a pro-business state, with a number of strong jurisdictions. Ranking at the top of the commonwealth is testament to the unique assets that make companies want to start and grow in Loudoun County.”

The City of Suffolk ranked second, followed by New Kent and Arlington.

Bingham Named to Space Flight Authority Gov. Terry McAuliffe has appointed Jeff M. Bingham to serve on the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority.

The Round Hill resident served as the staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s subcommittee on Science and Space until his retirement. Today he runs Focused Solutions and Strategies LLC. Also known as Virginia Space, the authority was created by the General Assembly in 1995 to promote commercial space activity, economic development and aerospace research within the commonwealth.

Massage Hope Celebrates Anniversary

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Lansdowne Resort and Spa has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation.

Group, where he oversaw the food and beverage operations for 41 hotels. Most recently he was the interim executive chef for The Marker San Francisco, then managed by Destination Hotels, which owns Lansdowne Resort.

“Chef Marcus Repp has an exquisite style of cooking, which I am so pleased to embed in the Lansdowne Resort and Spa good life,” Resort Manager Dennis Marcinik stated. “His vision mixed with his ability to delight the palette creates

the perfect recipe for success in launching the property’s new culinary culture.”

Repp will be responsible for overseeing all culinary brand standards, staffing, training and recruiting for all on-property restaurants as well as the catering and banquet services. He also will play a key role in the upcoming food and beverage redesign, which will be announced later this summer including five new culinary destinations on the property.

Massage Hope in Lansdowne will celebrate its first anniversary Aug. 1, with free massages to new and existing clients and raffle prizes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Massage Hope is a therapeutic, sports, and prenatal massage center owned by Johnny and Arelis Koons. It is located at 19490 Sandridge Way, Suite 200. They treat client problems with techniques such as neuromuscular massage, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, sports massage, prenatal massage, and stretching.

Appointments for the anniversary massages are available in 30-, 60-, 90- and 120-minute increBIZ NOTES >> 20

19

Leesburg Office Front royAL neW

$164,900

ting!

Lis

Leesburg neW

$265,000

ting!

Lis

Hamilton Office

Leesburg neW

$250,000

ting!

Lis

PurceLLviLLe neW

$265,000

ting!

Lis

bLueMont neW

$299,900

ng!

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Leesburg neW

$650,000 ng!

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Great Views! One of the few remaining Hamlet lots in Beacon Hill. Lot overlooks pond and golf course.

One of the few remaining Hamlet Lots in Beacon Hill, lot backs to the equestrian center!

Private 2.16 acres w/creek fed pond. Stone FP, wood floors, log walls, side porch with space for siwng. 2 structures for storage.

This well built home is a great value, tasteful interior colors, finishes on a beautiful treed lot with lower property taxes.

29 Acres beautiful ½ mile of Catoctin Creek frontage c1898 Victorian Farm House. Front and side porches.

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FALLing WAters, Wv $147,800

Montross

Front royAL

LovettsviLLe

hAyMArket

ALexAndriA

$209,000

Large 3 BR, 3.5 Bath townhouse with garage in Riverside Villages, easy access for short commute to VA.

Well kept 3 bed, 2 bath home offering: Access to the Potomac River, Club house, Pool, Fenced yard, Front porch & Home Warranty!

Mountain home on 2 acres w/an open floor plan, spacious bedrooms, gated community with a pool.

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Front royAL

Leesburg

$395,000

$264,900

Beautiful 3 year old rambler on nearly an acre with granite kitchen counters, HW flooring and spacious bedrooms. www.MrisHomes.com/WR9661957

PurceLLviLLe

$675,000

ng!

Listi

neW

Almost 5000 SqFt. Glorious kitchen. 3 board fencing, gated entrance, professionally landscaped, 2 nice barns w/4 stalls.

$475,777

$168,000

!

Price

Well maintained, MOVE IN READY, Granite in kitchen w/ss appliances, main floor laundry, gated golf course community.

Entry-level, great location, wood burning fireplace, private patio, hardwood laminate, w/d combo, community amenities.

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hedgesviLLe, Wv $570,000

Leesburg

WAterFord

Walking distance to downtown Leesburg with easy commuting access, front porch, large rear deck and great backyard.

Spacious contemporary located on 3.5 acres with lovely mountain views, large deck and in-ground pool.

Excellent location for commuter.

NEW carpet on first floor, deck off the back. Great first time buyer or investor opportunity!

Charming cottage, full walkup attic & basement, house back to protected views & overlooks the neighbors pond.

River and community views from 2 enclosed porches. 3 bedrooms & 3 baths. Marble foyer, hallway & baths, granite countertops!

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sterLing

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$724,990

$5,500,000

$186,500

$679,900

$429,900

$799,000

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Leesburg

$625,000

$1,374,000

Work, live and play at ONE LOUDOUN! Home features upgraded kitchen and bathrooms w/granite counters.

Great Opportunity! Nearly 22 acres of prime land, zoned RC with existing home and barn sold as is.

On private cul-de-sac, loaded with upgrades, HW on main level, master w/panoramic views, NEW hot water heater. NO HOA.

Saltwater pool & spa, outdoor kitchen & pavilion. Finished lower level has theatre, wet bar & recreation are + bedroom & bath.

Private lot! Coffered ceilings, upgraded mouldings, master w/ sitting room & spa quality bath, fully fin lower level.

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PenFedRealty.com/Offices/ 13835/Leesburg

HAMILTON 540.338.4171

PenFedRealty.com/Offices/ 13828/Hamilton

© 2015 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.

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LEESBURG 703.777.8200

New energy efficient craftsman inspired 4 bed, 4.5 bath home designed for today’s living on 3.5 acres with a custom kitchen.

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$735,000

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

Very well maintained 3 BR home in great location close to downtown Front Royal and commuter routes.

$162,500

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

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[ BIZ NOTES ] << FROM 18 ments. Ten percent of all sales on Aug. 1 will be donated to the Raise Your Glass Foundation, Reece Leggitt Golf Classic benefiting Shriners Hospital for Children.

For more information or to schedule an appointment call 703-858-2323 or go to massagehope.com.

First Class Fitness Celebrates Purcellville Opening First Class Fitness Services celebrated its grand opening at 860 E. Main Street in Purcellville with a July 11 ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Vicki and Rob Frye, Loudoun residents for more than 20 years, opened the studio to provide fitness classes, personal

training services, nutritional programs and health seminars geared toward women who want to work out in a gymlike environment. They will offer bootcamp, cycle, yoga, kids yoga, full body workout, barre, kickboxing, zumba & turbo classes, as well as personal training sessions. The first class is free. For more information, go to firstclassfitnessstudio. com or call 540-441-3378.

AVIE Offers Hair Growth Treatment AVIE! MedSpa and Laser Center in Leesburg has added PRP hair restoration to its list of services. The non-surgical treatment counteracts hair that is balding or thinning because of age or genetics.

The Platelet-Rich Fibrin Matrix treat-

ment uses platelet rich plasma, a substance that occurs naturally in the blood and contains a number of essential proteins and growth factors used to restore function to cells and tissues in targeted areas throughout the body.

During PRP hair restoration, a sample of blood is drawn and nutrient rich PRP is isolated before being injected back into the scalp under a light topical anesthetic. The process stimulates the function of hair follicles for enhanced growth of natural hair.

Co-owner Kim Marinetto, RN, said she has seen PRP hair restoration help both men and women alike regain the lively and luscious hair of their youth. PRP hair restoration treatments can be combined with Viviscal Professonal products for even greater results.

For more information, go to aviemedspa.com.

Butewicz Joins Middleburg Real Estate Stacy Butewicz has joined Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties as a Realtor.

Licensed since 2011, she began her

Merger WALNUT HILL $649,000

Bucolic retreat less than an hour from DC in the Loudoun County countryside. Private, 11 wooded and open acres with pond. Almost 3000 sq. ft. of finished space. New kitchen with eat-in room overlooking pond. Stainless steel appliances, gas cooking, quartz counters, cherry cabinetry.

Custom walnut built-in bookcases (harvested from property) in living room. Updated baths (2.5), five bedrooms, including master with sitting room and main level guest bedroom. Original heart pine floors, pinched seam metal roof, expansive deck and stone walls. Vegetable garden, chicken coop, mature plantings and perennial beds. Near the lovely villages of Taylorstown and Waterford; Minutes to the MARC commuter train.

GREAT FALLS MAIN LEVEL MASTER $775,000

This Extra Lg Colonial W/Over 3K Sq Ft On 2 Lvls & Partially Finished Basement. This Unique Home Offers 5 Bdrms. 2nd Master On Mn Lvl Offers Walk In Closet & Full Bath. Upper Master Has Lg Sitting Room. DR W/Built In Shelves, 2Fps, Light Filled Kitchen, Eat In Space Over Looking Treed Lot, In- Ground Pool & Patio. Fresh Exterior & Interior Paint & All New Carpet.

CLARKE CO. TAXES

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$249,000

Fantastic Rambler On Almost 1 Acre, Less Than 4 Miles From Loudoun County Line. Great For Commuters.

Hardwood Floors In Bedrooms And Living Room.

Brand New Master Bath. Perfect, Large Country Kitchen W/Tons Of Cabinets And Bay Window.

New Sliding Glass Door Leads To Deck On Private Lot. Newer Items Include; Refrigerator, Dishwasher, Furnace, Washer, Dryer, Water Heater & Roof.

AVAILABLE LOTS OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD IN LOUDOUN — $50,000

REDUCED!!! $259,900

This Home Shows Immaculate. Old Home Lovers Delight. Home Dates Back To 1790 W/Some Exposed Interior Logs But Offers Completely Updated Kit W/ Granite & Large Pantry. Newer Windows, Main, Lvl Laundry Room, French Doors Leading To Dr. Original Hardwood Floors Under Carpet. One Car Garage & Shed. Great Corner Lot With Delightful Side Porch.

Walk To New Shopping Center & Local Restaurants.

Fantastic opportunity to build on .42 acre lot at end of cul-de-sac backing to stream. Community offers interest in the environment and energy efficient building.

Enjoy the night sky with no city lights. Convenient to commuter train and Leesburg. Well installed.

GREAT VALUE IN LOUDOUN COUNTY — $37,500

Rolling hills, trails, wildlife..... Quiet community offering interest in the environment and energy efficient building.Special lot that has authorization for a garage. Well Installed. Convenient to Leesburg and commuter train. Don’t miss this opportunity.

<< FROM 18 working in an important space on important things,” Armstrong wrote in a memo to employees. “We won’t do everything perfectly and that is not our goal. Our goal is to take a growth mindset to this deal and to our ability to invent and learn. We have clear goals

real estate career in New Jersey, servicing equestrian properties.

As a former New Jersey State Equestrian of the Year and owner of high end European investment horses, Butewicz’s broad network of contacts has allowed for much of her success. She received the NJ Realtors’ Circle of Excellence Sales Award for her large dollar volume of closed transactions. She has been showcased on Fox News for her equestrian talents and on Fox Sports Radio for offering her expertise on “The Voice of Real Estate.”

She also created the “Aspiring Equestrian Fund,” a scholarship to give back to those who are financially challenged but seek an equine-related career.

In 2015, Butewicz began to travel to Virginia and to study different markets before deciding to bring her expertise to Loudoun County.

“Growing up in horse country doesn’t make you an equestrian and being a Realtor doesn’t make you a horse farm specialist,” she said. Her clients range from boutique farmers to world-class horse trainers and investment bankers.

Contact her at stacy@atokaproperties. com or 732-266-4774. and a clear mission and we will figure out how to reach those goals by being differentiated, creative, taking risks, and working really hard.”

Verizon has stated that Marni M. Walden, executive vice president and president of Product Innovation and New Businesses, will oversee AOL and Yahoo during the merger. nstyer@loudounnow.com

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July 28 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Aug. 3, 2016 LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

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[ OUR TOWNS ]

[ TOWN NOTES ]

Lovettsville Square Retail Comes to Fruition

BY MARGARET MORTON

T

he first phase of Lovettsville’s long-awaited retail center got an enthusiastic welcome Friday night as a crowd of about 100 gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for NVRetail Inc.’s Lovettsville Square.

Those celebrating the dedication of the building included past and present Town Council members, state and local elected officials, and representatives from the county’s Department of Economic Development and Visit Loudoun.

Among those speaking at the ceremony were Mayor Bob Zoldos, former Mayor Elaine Walker, state Del. David LaRock (R-33), Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin), Loudoun Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Tony Howard, and NVRetail Vice President Judd Bostian.

Thanking residents for supporting the endeavor, Bostian said feedback has been “exceedingly positive now that Phase 1 of the building is complete.”

LaRock thanked those who will be providing services “that will make day to day life a little more comfortable,” and Higgins noted “this will really put Lovettsville on the map.”

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Lovettsville Square, in the heart of the small western Loudoun town, was formally dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

That’s been the town’s intention since the project was proposed more than a decade ago.

It’s been a long wait, as Walker noted in her remarks Friday night. “I’m very, very happy and pleased after 14 years to finally have this come to fruition,” Walker said.

While the initial design was for a two-story building, the existing one-sto-

ry structure “is just fine,” Walker said.

When the project’s distinctive clock is complete, it will be “a dream come true,” she said. The town’s Parks Committee has recommended two designs for the clock faces, out of an original seven, to the council, which was scheduled to vote the final choice on Thursday.

RETAIL >> 23

Work Continues to Bring New Life to Grace Church

BY MARGARET MORTON Lincoln-area residents are considering several alternatives for the future use of a historically significant, but long abandoned, church following the recommendations of area planners and architects.

Under options outlined by members of the Loudoun County Design Cabinet, the former Grace Methodist Church could find new life as a worship center, museum or education center. Residents are working to decide which is the best fit for their community and how to raise the money needed to implement that vision.

The design cabinet is composed of professionals connected with the building trade—architects, engineers, landscapers and planners among others—who act as a program under the Department of Economic Development, and who provide their design consultation services to communities and organizations around the county.

The group gathered in Lincoln at the request of the Lincoln Preservation Foundation in April to explore options for the small fieldstone building. The final report from that session was completed by county planner Christopher Garcia this month.

The building was constructed at the end of Brooks Lane in 1885 to house the African-American Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1942, dwindling membership led to the congregation’s move to Purcellville. The building now is only used for funerals and has deteriorated considerably.

Ard Geller is president of the Lincoln Preservation Foundation. “The greatest thing about the charrette and

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Ideas to breathe life back to the mostly long-abandoned Grace Methodist Church in Lincoln are under consideration by residents and the Lincoln Preservation Foundation.

the report is that it’s a catalyst to get the community engaged,” he said last week.

Noting that the future of the boarded-up building is of concern to everyone, Geller said, “The majority was in favor of doing something.”

The report did not disclose anything new to what options the foundation has already considered, but it confirmed the feasibility of those options and also highlighted constraints, Geller said.

Comments expressed during the April meeting emphasized that the structure should be made usable, but kept as close as possible to its original design. The facility should be used on an occasional basis to discourage traffic-generating events on the narrow

lane; speakers advocated pedestrian access rather than vehicular to preserve the quiet surroundings.

Building Plan A concepts had a dual objective—to restore the church configuration and install an education/ historical information center on the main level, and create living space for a caretaker in the basement. The objective would add a pulpit and altar and pews, but also develop media/learning space with audio-visual equipment and museum display space.

Building Plan B took a different approach—to fully restore the church for worship on the first level, and to create a living museum and educational and teaching space on the basement level for the vocations that might have been a part of the local heritage, such as quilt making, food preparation and shoe making and repair.

Geller said consensus is building around plans for a museum that would represent the history of village inhabitants—be they Quakers, African-Americans, veterans—so it would be a microcosm of the evolution of the United States in one small village.

“We’d be an example of all that,” Geller said, adding he would like to include Native Americans in the mix.

The foundation board is working with Grace Annex in Purcellville, that owns the Grace Church building to further explore those options, Geller said. Three working groups have been established to develop the use of the property and a restoration plan; define museum content and displays; and develop a fundraising strategy and plan. mmorton@loudounnow.com

Middleburg UMC Welcomes New Pastor Middleburg United Methodist Church has a new pastor, the Rev. Steven Weedling.

The Indiana native served 28 years in the U.S. Navy Weedling before enrolling in Eastern Mennonite Seminary, graduating with a master’s degree in pastoral care and counseling in 2009. Before coming to Middleburg, Weedling served as pastor at two churches in Danville.

Weedling says he strives to be fully engaged in conversations with others and has a passion for worship, teaching, learning and mission. He also will serve as pastor for the Rectortown UMC. His wife, Faith, serves as pastor at Bethel United Methodist Church, and they live in Rectortown.

Purcellville How to Reach a Police Officer The town’s police department has issued information on how assistance to the public is provided and the best method by which to gain timely response from law enforcement.

The town works with the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office Emergency Communications Center, through which all calls for police assistance in the town are handled. In the case of an emergency, residents should call 911. A Purcellville police officer or a sheriff ’s deputy will respond. For non-emergency situations, residents should call 703-777-1021, the sheriff ’s office call center. For non-officer required assistance, call the Purcellville Police Department at 540-338-7422, which is available during regular weekday business hours.

Neersville Environmental Mini Camps Scheduled The Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship in Neersville is about to kick off a series of one-day mini camps for children aged 8-12.

Participants take part in a variety of outdoor adventures as they explore the center’s 900 acres of fields and forests. The camps will be led by naturalist Phil Daley and others experienced in the field. Dates and topics are: July 27, butterflies and other insects; Aug. 3, TOWN NOTES >> 23

<< FROM 22

mmorton@loudounnow.com

[ TOWN NOTES ] << FROM 22 birds and their habitats; and Aug. 10, the secret world of reptiles and amphibians.

The camps will be held on Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Center at 1661 Harpers Ferry Road, north of Hillsboro. Separate registrations are required for each of the sessions and attendance is limited to between six and 25 campers. Registration should be made at BRCES.org. Each session will cost $15. For more information, leave a message at 540-668-7640 or email info@blueridgecenter.org.

Aldie

an army surgeon, quartermaster, artillery officer and cavalryman, who will discuss their roles during the war—on both sides.

The program will be given on Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the educational and interpretive programs at Mt. Zion.

For more information, contact Mt. Zion Historic Site Manager Tracy Gillespie at 703-327-9777 or tgillespie@nvrpa.org. The park is at 40309 John Mosby Highway, Aldie.

PROVIDING CLEANING SERVICES for carpet, rugs, upholstery and hard surfaces on site or at our in plant facility

Loudoun Carpet Care™ understands the importance of providing consistent, reliable personal service to our clients, both returning and new. Our pledge is to offer honest advice about all of the services we offer, and to complete each job the best of our ability.

Lovettsville

NOVA Parks Presents Civil War Program “The Long March North to Gettysburg” is the title of the next living history program at Mt. Zion Historic Park, scheduled for Aug. 6-7.

The Historical Interpretive Branch of the Winfield Scott Hancock Society will present the program, sponsored by NOVA Parks, and will focus on Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s march north after the Battle of Chancellorsville, with the Union Army in pursuit.

The program will showcase officers and soldiers of the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia as they marched to Gettysburg in 1863. Among those to be depicted are

Historical Society Meets The Lovettsville Historical Society will hold its annual membership meeting at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Lovettsville Museum, 4 E. Pennsylvania Ave. The meeting is open to all members and prospective members interested in the history of the town and surrounding areas. A report will be given on the past year’s activities and acquisitions as well as on upcoming events. Elections for the board of directors also will be held.

For more information, contact Vice President Edward Spannaus at 540-822-9194 or Secretary Bruce Funk at 301-834-4829.

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Walker praised Elm Street Development for sticking to its commitment to bring a retail center to Lovettsville.

“They promised and they delivered,” she said.

One of the first tenants in Lovettsville Square will be Dr. Troy Mohler, of Loudoun Medical Group’s Leesburg-Sterling Family Practice, who opened a practice in Lovettsville three years ago in the old Lovettsville Post Office.

“I’ve been so busy over the last couple of years that I needed to expand,” Mohler said, noting he has hired a nurse practitioner to help with the increased

23 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Retail

patient load.

What he likes about the new center is that it’s an ideal location and doubles his present space. “I had total control over how the office would be laid out. I could design my own space,” he said. On Aug. 29, he and staff will close for most of the day to move their operation across the street.

He will be joined by another member of the medical profession, Palmercare Chiropractic. Bostian said NVRetail has secured three signed letters of intent and two more prospective tenants who are actively negotiating letters of intent.

If those arrangements come to fruition, the bulk of the leasable space would be under contract by the end of the year.

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24

Davis Church Deal Erodes

BY RENSS GREENE A crumbling, centenarian church at the busy intersection of West Church Road and Davis Drive in Sterling is in its final days.

Repeated attempts to stop a developer’s plans to build a mini-warehouse self-storage facility on the property— including an 11th-hour appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals claiming the developer did not give enough notice of a public hearing—have fallen flat.

A deal that would have preserved the church’s façade and placed it in a pocket park on the corner of the property also has fallen through.

Instead, the developer, The Young Group, has said there will be benches, pavers, plantings, and an art installation in the pocket park, with a historical plaque and repurposed organ pipes.

According to the developer, the county staff classified the façade as a structure, meaning the mini warehouse would have been reduced in size to meet lot coverage requirements. Instead of $5,000 in seed money for the park, The Young Group says it will contribute $25,000 to whichever group wants to take over maintenance of the park.

“We’re trying to be generous,” said LoudounNow

2016

FAVORITES

Young Group president Robert Young.

“In my community, in Falls Church, if I told folks that I was going to give them a pocket park with a little bit of art on it, they’d go nuts and say ‘you’re the most wonderful guy in the whole damn world.’”

Disassembling, moving, reassembling, and renovating the entire church, he said, would be enormously expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“The whole thing is just ridiculous and impossible,” Young said. “For a building that’s been declared non-historic, for a building that’s in very, very bad physical condition—for a building where all the architecturally important things were taken away in the ’70s— what’s left?”

He also said an unannounced visit by some of the project’s opponents to the property owner’s home in Fairfax was unwelcome.

“I don’t understand, honestly, where these people are coming from,” Young said. “As far as I’m concerned, they didn’t deal in a straightforward way with us. They were pretending to negotiate while at the same time trying all kinds of tactics behind our back to kill the project.”

A rendering of the pocket park art installation planned for the Davis Church lot, provided by The Young Group.

Debate over who should pay to save the church is at the heart of the argument. While Young said opponents to the self-storage facility haven’t raised any money to save the church, some of those same opponents say they were never given a chance.

Aaron Gilman is the chairman of the Sterling Foundation, which was the chief organization considered to take over maintenance of the pocket park.

Gilman also serves as the Sterling representative on the comprehensive plan stakeholder steering committee. He

said he’s only known about the project for six months, which he said isn’t enough time to fundraise.

“I honestly don’t know that they were ever going to do something, because we kept asking, what’s your budget for teardown, and they never had a budget,” Gilman said. “If you’re two months away, you’d think you’d have that number down pat.”

The Sterling Foundation rejected a contract from The Young Group to maintain the facility, Gilman said, because it made The Sterling Group responsible for the park for 25 years without indemnity.

“It wasn’t something I can accept on behalf of The Sterling Foundation,” Gilman said.

Whether the church is a Sterling historical landmark or a long-neglected run-down building, it will soon be gone.

“We gave it a shot,” Gilman said. “I think they’re going to plow it. It’s too bad, but that’s just the way the developer wants it, and he has the right to do what he should be able to do with his property. He did go through the right avenues, he did get the right approvals, it just hurts to see Sterling history getting torn down for a five story warehouse.” rgreene@loudounnow.com

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Rotarians Help Continue Prosperity at Conklin Church

25 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

BY NORMAN K. STYER

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Pastor Carlos Lawson thanks members of the South Riding Rotary Club for a donation to help preserve Prosperity Baptist Church as historian Larry Roeder looks on.

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“When I come here, I feel like family,” Roeder said Sunday when he was invited to speak to the congregation on the importance of recording the history of the black community. “History is about people and how they lived.”

Roeder also is leading the effort to help preserve the small church building. On Sunday, members of the South Riding Rotary Club attended the service and presented a $500 check to help with improvements. Roeder said he hoped it was the first of many donations that would come from community organizations to help the congregation.

Lawson said he hoped his congregation also could work more closely with the Rotary club and others to meet the needs of the community and build a brighter future together.

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

For more than a century, the tiny Prosperity Baptist Church has been a community hub of southeastern Loudoun County.

Whether the neighborhood is called Conklin—the area’s traditional name— or South Riding—the identity shared by the subdivisions that now surround it— the church is working to continue that role in the face of rapid change.

The South Riding Rotary Club on Sunday stepped up to help that effort.

During an afternoon worship service, Pastor Carlos Lawson reflected on the church’s 117-year history, starting with its founding in 1899 by Jennie Dean, a Loudoun County slave who gained her freedom following the Civil War. The church’s role in the community over the years went beyond tending to resident’s spiritual needs. For example, Lawson noted that when many homes in the area were lacking indoor plumbing even into the 1990s, neighbors would come to the church for water.

Lawson said he worried that history would be lost as people look forward and forget where they came from. That concern helped to build a partnership with historian Larry Roeder, the chair for research on the Friends of Thomas Balch Library’s Black History Committee.

Roeder has developed a detailed six-volume history of Conklin and was given access to the church’s records to help tell the story of the people who lived there.

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26

LEAVING HER MARK

Bruce Makes a Splash in Loudoun’s Arts Scene

BY JAN MERCKER

I

f you’re into art and haven’t heard of Lauren Bruce Wodicka, chances are you will soon. The 35-year-old Leesburg artist is building a following for her fresh-yet-classic style.

Bruce’s warm painter’s eye and southern-girl charm are attracting a new generation of art lovers in Loudoun, with young professionals and families snapping up her luxurious landscapes and still lifes.

Bruce is the featured artist during a First Friday reception at Sotheby’s in Leesburg on Aug. 5. Her works are also displayed at the nearby 27 South Interiors design store.

A former Alexandria gallerist, Bruce has turned her impressionist’s eye to pastoral landscapes since moving to Leesburg five years ago. And there’s a quiet magic in her paintings of farms and vineyards, water scenes and interiors.

“Sometimes people will say you feel like you’re pulled in, like there’s a pathway in,” Bruce said of her work.

Bruce, who lives in Leesburg with her husband and young children, has a studio in her home, where she also runs an interior design business.

She grew up in Lynchburg and has loved painting as long as she can remember. One of her first paintings was an homage to the French impressionist Claude Monet, she said, and the impressionist influence is still evident in her work. However, she recalled with a laugh, her first paid commission was not an impressionist landscape but a painting of her high school football team.

Bruce studied studio art and art history at James Madison University and spent her senior year studying painting at the Lorenzo De Medici Institute in Florence, Italy, adding European training to her repertoire.

“I do think the way my eye sees light and color might have been impacted by being in Europe,” Bruce said.

After college, Bruce relocated to Old Town Alexandria where she joined the renowned Art League and opened Lauren B. Gallery on King Street while still in her 20s. In Old Town’s thriving art and design scene,

Courtesy of Lauren Bruce Wodicka.

the young artist built a base of clients from around the country for her paintings and also launched her design business as she began to include refinished furniture in her gallery and clients began asking for design help in their homes.

“I sort of fell into the design world by way of my shop. I do love helping people in their house, too. The two sort of go hand in hand,” Bruce said. ” Five years ago, when Bruce was pregnant with her first child, she and her husband moved to Leesburg. she had become a fan of Loudoun County during her time in Alexandria through furniture and décor-finding trips to Lucketts and Leesburg. And the town seemed like a perfect fit for a young family.

“I grew up in a town with a heart. Alexandria had a heart. In a lot of areas in Northern Virginia, I couldn’t find a historical town center, something that enriched the community. [Leesburg] felt more charming and as an artist I need that,” Bruce said.

The county’s spectacular scenery has also been an

FYI See Lauren Bruce Wodicka’s work at a First Friday reception Friday, Aug. 5, at Sotheby’s Hunt Country International Realty, 22 W. Market St., Leesburg.

Details at laurenbrucestudio.com.

inspiration, and Bruce’s work highlights Loudoun’s rural and historic appeal, as illustrated in a recent series featuring Oatlands Historic House and Gardens.

Bruce now has two children, ages 5 and 2½, and fits the image of a polished Loudoun County mom with a laid-back style. But she’s known as a talented and hardworking artist, and has devoted the past few years to building connections with buyers and fellow members of Loudoun’s close-knit arts community.

Bruce made a splash in June when she participated in the annual Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour as a featured artist at Franklin Park Arts Center in Purcellville and has also been artist in residence at the new 27 South Interiors, which opened on King Street in May. Bruce met 27 South owners Carolyn and Nick McCarter shortly after moving to Leesburg and instantly clicked with the couple and their design esthetic. Their relationship has meant a chance for Bruce to get her work in front of a slightly different audience.

“Putting your artwork somewhere other than a gallery often times exposes you to people who wouldn’t typically walk into a gallery,” Bruce said. “Sometimes galleries can feel intimidating—or someone doesn’t even know they want a piece of art.”

Commissions are a big part of Bruce’s work as new clients request paintings of their own of favorite farms and vineyards. She sells small paintings for as low as $50 while larger pieces go for $2,000 and up. She said she is usually able to work with clients to find a price that meets their budget for a commissioned piece.

And for Bruce, that connection with clients is a key part of her work.

“That moment where you see that connection happen and they love it as much as you love it: that’s what makes me want to paint.” jmercker@loudounnow.com

27

[ THINGS TO DO ] Purcellville.

Details: northgatevineyard.com

Round Hill.

Details: theoldfurniturefactory.com

With influences from Coltrane to Hendrix and a wide repertoire of classics and originals, White gets audiences into a summer groove. No cover.

Now in its 12th year, this monthly jam is a multi-generational event where folks come to play their instruments or just listen to all styles of acoustic music from bluegrass, old time, folk, and Celtic. Suggested donation is $5. Beer, wine and barbecue will be available for sale.

PLAZA PARTY: BILLY COULTER Saturday, July 30, 6-8 p.m.; Village At Leesburg Village Plaza, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg.

Details: villageatleesburg.com

Courtesy of Acoustic On The Green

ACOUSTIC ON THE GREEN: CAL EVERETT Saturday, July 30, 7-9 p.m.; Leesburg Town Green, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: acousticonthegreen.com From his early success leading the pop group 4 out of 5 Doctors to his later accomplishments with the pop and rock bands Zip and Onestop, Everett continues to pursue the perfect pop music formula. This is Everett’s fifth appearance at AOTG. The event is free and open to the public. Pets, alcohol and smoking are prohibited.

LIVE MUSIC: WILLIE WHITE Saturday, July 30, 2-5 p.m.; North Gate Vineyard, 16031 Hillsboro Road,

TARARA CONCERT SERIES: BRUCE IN THE USA Saturday, July 30, 6 p.m.; Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Lucketts.

Details: tarara.com A powerful and intense Springsteen tribute including lead singer Matt Ryan accompanied by top musicians recreates the E Street Band experience.

Tickets are $15. Advance purchase is recommended as many shows sell out in advance.

BLUEMONT CONCERT SERIES: THE PAN MASTERS Sunday, July 31, 7 p.m.; Loudoun County Courthouse, 18 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: bluemont.org With roots in the Islands of Trinidad

and Tobago, the Pan Masters are perennial winners of steel band competitions along the East Coast. Their eclectic repertoire ranges from traditional island calypso, reggae and soca to interpretations of Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, the Beatles, J.S. Bach and other greats. Requested donation is $5. Lawn chairs, blankets and picnics are encouraged. No smoking, alcohol or pets.

ACOUSTIC WEDNESDAY: TONY M. Wednesday, Aug. 3, 6-8 p.m.; One Loudoun Plaza, 20626 East Hampton Plaza, Ashburn.

Details: oneloudoun.com Fun, family-oriented acoustic tunes from children’s singer Tony M. No cover.

JAMS AND DANCES ROUND HILL BLUEGRASS JAM Friday, July 29, 6 p.m.-midnight; Old Furniture Factory, 6 W. Loudoun St.,

LOVETTSVILLE CO-OP BARN DANCE Saturday, July 30, 4-8 p.m.; WeatherLea Farm and Vineyard, 39595 Weatherlea Farm Lane, Lovettsville.

Details: lovettsville-grocery.com Enjoy light fare, music from Craggy Island and dancing. Local wine and beer will be available for purchase. Co-op members are free. $5 per person/$20 per family suggested donation for guests and non-members.

FRANKLIN PARK SQUARE DANCE Saturday, July 30, 6-9 p.m.; Franklin Park Event Field, 17501 Franklin Park Drive, Purcellville.

Details: franklinparkartscenter.org The event tent and dance floor will be alive and kicking for the park’s first outdoor square dance. Bring a picnic dinner to enjoy with your family and then take part in a pre-dance workshop. Live music and calling begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 per person or $25 per family at the door.

MORE TO DO >> 28

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

American rock from this DC-based singer-songwriter, whose influences range from Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to John Lennon and David Bowie. No cover.

Courtesy of Panmasters Steel Orchestra

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

SUMMER TUNES

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July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

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28

[ THINGS TO DO ] << FROM 27

NIGHT LIFE

’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Tickets are $10 in advance and reservations are recommended. Complimentary appetizers will be served.

rative effort from the Mosby Heritage Area Association and NOVA Parks.

Admission is $10 for adults and free for students.

LIVE MUSIC: BACON GREASE BAND

COMMUNITY TABLE OF LOUDOUN DINNER

Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg.

Details: smokehouse-live.com Blues, rock, soul, jazz and funk from this Frederick, MD-based trio. No cover.

Courtesy of The Coal Men

All are welcome at this free, sitdown dinner served by members of Loudoun’s faith communities and schools and featuring great food and music.

THOMAS BALCH TALK: CROWDSOURCED TRANSCRIPTION

Friday, July 29, 8:30 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg.

Details: smokehouse-live.com

CLASSIC FRIDAYS SUMMER WHITE PARTY

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 5-7 p.m.; Round Hill United Methodist Church, 11 W. Loudoun St., Round Hill.

Details: ctloudoun.org

Courtesy of Main Street Theater Productions

LIVE MUSIC: THE COAL MEN

Dave Coleman and his band, The Coal Men, have released four albums and kept a rigorous touring schedule for more than a decade, playing stripped down rock ‘n’ roll. No cover.

ON STAGE

Thursday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m.; Thomas Balch Library, 208 W. Market St., Leesburg. Contact: 703-737-7195 Courtesy of Bacon Grease Band

LOCO CULTURE CONVERSATIONS IN HISTORY: FRANK STRINGFELLOW

Friday, July 29, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; The Studio, 45449 Severn Way, Sterling.

Details: thestudiova.com

Sunday, July 31, 3 p.m.; Mount Zion Church, 40309 John S. Mosby Highway, Aldie.

Details: mosbyheritagearea.org

Put on your summer whites and your dancing shoes for The Studio’s third annual summer party featuring DJ Larry Robinson playing the best in old school, R&B and Motown from the

Author Eric W. Buckland discusses the life of Frank Stringfellow, a Confederate scout and member of Mosby’s rangers—and a hero of the PBS series “Mercy Street.” The talk is a collabo-

Digital collections expert Sonya Coleman discusses the intersection between special collections libraries and new technology. Event is free but advance registration is recommended.

LOUDOUN THERAPEUTIC RIDING PAINTING PARTY Thursday, Aug. 4, 6:30-8 p.m.; Morven Park Carriage House. 17195 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. Details: ltrf.org Local artist Jill Perla guides participants in a fun painting party to benefit Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation. Tickets are $50 per person and are available online.

‘ANYTHING GOES!’ Thursday, July 28 and Friday, July 29, 7 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville.

Details: mainstreettheaterproductions.org Set sail with the Main Street Theater Productions crew and the music of Cole Porter. This classic tale of boymeets-girl includes favorite songs like “It’s De-Lovely,” “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” and “Anything Goes.” Tickets are $10 person.

‘OLIVER!’ Friday, July 29 and Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 31, 2 p.m.; Potomac Falls High School, 46400 Algonkian Parkway, Sterling.

Details: sterlingplaymakers.com

JUMP TO >> 29

CATCH CANNONS FEVER

PLAYOFF GAME FRIDAY vs. STRASBURG

7:00PM FIREMAN'S FIELD PURCELLVILLE

Gates Open at 5:30pm

PURCELLVILLECANNONS.COM

The Sterling Playmakers present the classic musical based on Dickens’ novel about the adventures of young Oliver Twist. Tickets are $15. Performances continue weekends through Aug. 14.

Sunday Concerts at 7:00 PM at the Loudoun County Courthouse 18 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA

LIBATIONS

29 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Leesburg

<< FROM 28

2016

BLUEMONT

[ THINGS TO DO ]

JULY 17

SUNDAY BRUNCH WITH CHRIS COMPTON

Multi-instrumentalist Chris Compton has played in ensembles ranging from jazz combos to reggae bands and has done his share of acoustic songwriter showcases. For fans of James Taylor, Amos Lee and Paul Simon, Compton is worth a listen. Music is free with brunch.

COMING UP LOVETTSVILLE FAMILY LUAU Saturday, Aug. 6, 7-9 p.m.; Lovettsville Community Center Pool, 57 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. Contact: 540-8225284 Lovettsville Pool turns into a tropical paradise for one night only, complete with wacky games, swimming and music. Concessions will be available.

Knicely Jazz Trio gypsy jazz

CORCORAN BREWING COMPANY KICKING KEGS FOR CANCER Saturday, July 30, 1-6 p.m.; Corcoran Brewing Company, 205 Hirst Road, Purcellville. Details: corcoranbrewing.com

JULY 24

Corcoran celebrates its fifth anniversary with a benefit festival to raise money for local families seeking treatment for cancer. The event includes offerings from 20 breweries, live music, food sales and children’s activities.

Cost is $40 per person and includes a commemorative glass.

modern swing and jazz

King Teddy JULY 31

Pan Masters

No registration is required. Admission is $3 for ages 3 and up, 50 cents for children 2 and under.

Caribbean steel drum band $5 admission $4 Bluemont friends & seniors $2 for kids under 12

LIVE MUSIC: THE MACHINE PERFORMS PINK FLOYD Saturday, Aug. 6, 9:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre The Machine has paid tribute to Pink Floyd for more than two decades and plays a diverse mix of the band’s 16-album repertoire—from the greatest hits to obscure gems. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

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Sunday, July 31, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg.

Details: smokehouse-live.com

30

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

loudounnow.com

[ A LOUDOUN MOMENT ]

A right of passage with teenagers hanging out at the midway at the Loudoun County Fair.

Fair Fun A photo essay by Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Late July means fair time in Loudoun. The Loudoun County Fairgrounds has stayed busy all week, showcasing the county’s agriculture offerings, as well as fair favorites like fried foods, carnival rides and friendly competitions involving everything from bunny hopping to hay-bale tossing. See the full schedule at loudouncountyfair.com/schedule.

Allyson Alto and Dan Virts struggle with a stubborn sheep during the sheep and goat weigh-in at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds on Monday.

Erin Calley, age 12, of Middleburg, walks her steer into the “weigh-in” at the Loudoun County Fair on Monday.

It’s true that goats eat everything! This little guy was having a taste of mom’s collar at the Loudoun County fairgrounds.

31

<< FROM 1

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

William Lotman, age 6, of Lovettsville, competes in the hay-bale toss contest Monday night.

at least as a hobby. “[The animals] are just really wonderful creatures to be around.”

4-H kids don’t typically consider the animals they raise and sell at the fair to be pets, but a few will say it’s hard not to fall in love with them.

Rebecca Scott, 13, said she decided to raise chickens because she wanted to prove they can be nice animals, too. “I think growing attached to some other kind of animal [aside from dogs and cats], is my favorite part.”

Jeremiah Morrison, a 14-year-old now in his fifth year as a member of 4-H, is partial to a particular type of livestock. He loves raising Nigerian

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Daniel Morrison holds his silver spangled hamburg pullet at the Loudoun County Fair.

Dwarf goats because, he says, their milk is especially sweet.

Even his sweet goats are slated to be

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Loudoun County,” Virts said. “There’s a lot more houses instead of farms.

[It’s important] for kids to learn about where their food comes from. They need to learn about what Loudoun’s history really is, and its agriculture for sure.”

Many of the kids have been raising their animals—chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs and cattle—over the course of months and years, preparing them for shows and the fair’s Friday night auction. Lamb starts at $3.25 a pound; swine starts at $3.25; goat starts at $3; and steer starts at $3 a pound. A steer can go for well over $3,000 at auction.

Davis admits it’s always tough for her to give her animals up each July. This week, she’ll say farewell to her sheep, goats and hogs that she’s spent several months with. “I get really attached to them,” she said. “It’s really hard for me to sell them.”

For 9-year-old Bea Furlow, the excitement comes with raising and showing her pigs and goats. This is her fourth year in the fair, and she is showing a total of 13 animals this week. On top of that, Bea is serving as Little Junior Miss Loudoun County Fair, a title she won during the pageant at the fairgrounds Sunday evening.

Although it can be tricky at times, Bea said she loves working with animals, and wants to continue doing so

auctioned off at the end of this week, however. When asked what it’s like to sell the animals, Jeremiah’s father, Todd Morrison, said it’s strictly business. “[The kids] don’t get personally connected with the animals they’re going to sell,” he said, adding it is not all bad for the livestock. “The animals have a great life,” he said. “It’s just one bad day.

It serves a purpose—to nourish us.”

The 4-H Club is still very much the heart of the county fair, which was originally named the Loudoun County 4-H Fair. Its members volunteer to clean up the fairgrounds and run events throughout the week. Most also make it a point to spend time outside of the barns, and the fair’s daily lineup offers a full slate of happenings to keep them, and other fair-goers, entertained.

A pie-eating contest and a professional bull riding competition will headline the fair Thursday, a watermelon-eating contest and Heritage Tinsmithing Demonstration will cap off a full day of events Friday, and the beloved kiss-a-pig contest, professional bull riding and a rodeo will wrap up the fair Saturday.

The fair opens every day at 9 a.m. at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, 17564 Dry Mill Road near Leesburg.

Daily passes are $15 for adults and $5 for children, with specials for senior citizens, members of the military and first responders throughout the week.

See the full schedule and purchase tickets at loudouncountyfair.com.

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Fair business

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32

New chief << FROM 1 inal Justice Academy. Before joining the sheriff ’s office, he worked for the Metropolitan :-”< Washington Airports Authority Police Department.

Dentler also announced that Captain Vanessa Grigsby, who had been serving as interim chief since March, has been promoted to deputy chief of the department, a role that has not been filled since 2002. Her new role will be effective Aug. 1 and her new rank will be major. She joined the department in 1997 and served in command positions since 2004.

“Captain Grigsby has done an outstanding job serving as the interim police chief,” Dentler said. “Her experience and leadership have prepared her for this important role within the police department.”

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, which led the recruitment and selection process, took input from Leesburg community members as

part of its efforts to hire a new chief.

More than 80 candidates applied for the position, with 21 selected for phone interviews. Six candidates were then selected for on-site interviews before two finalists were selected for further consideration. The finalists were interviewed by the Town Council, and participated in a forum with a community panel. Dentler then met individually with both finalists before making the decision to hire Brown.

“Mr. Brown distinguished himself throughout the process as the best candidate for the position of police chief,” Dentler stated. “His professional integrity and approach to community policing in the 21st century along with his broad experience with the County of Loudoun Sheriff ’s Office were important factors in the selection process. I look forward to working with Mr. Brown in the police department’s mission to serve and protect the community.”

A swearing-in ceremony for Brown is anticipated for late September. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

do the same with Stone and other members of the opposition group.

The explanation did little to quell << FROM 9 the animosity, but former Sterling District Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio and Stone said Reid changed his vote at Committee Chairman Will Estrada the 11th hour and without telling mem- urged members to keep an eye on the bers of the opposition group in advance. bigger picture.

Stone asked, “Why did you lie to me?”

Delgaudio, also an outspoken Silver Reid said he changed his mind be- Line critic, said Reid used “faulty reacause of the emergence of a tax district soning” in deciding to support the rail plan intended to ensure that landown- line, but said that should not disqualify ers closest to the rail line would pay the him from serving on the Town Councost of its construction. He said that res- cil. “We want to take a bad situation idents of his district showed support for and make it better,” he said, adding that the rail extension. He also claimed that Reid has worked hard to support Reif he didn’t vote for the project another, publican candidates and has been runTo was Place Obituary, unnamed, Republican supervisor ningan a strong campaign. prepared to cast the fifth vote needed to “Thisor is Death an important seat,” Estrada Memoriam Notice move the project forward. “The people said. “I don’t want to continue to see of the county demanded it,” Reid said. the Democrats have a stranglehold on Contact: Lindsay Morgan Reid said that he had already “made Leesburg.”

(703) 770-9723 peace” with another vocal Metro critic, lmorgan@loudounnow.com Del. Dave LaRock (R-33), and hoped to nstyer@loudounnow.com

Reid

House of Worship To Include Your House Of Worship

Email: classifieds@loudounnow.com Call: (703) 770-9723

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Touching Hearts and Minds for Tomorrow

Are you looking for a fun, creative, academic environment with exceptional resources and experienced teachers?

Do you need an affordable full-day Kindergarten which teaches Christian values in a small class setting? Enrolling now for 2016/17 Half Day & Full Day options available 6 weeks-Kindergarten Call 703-771-7625 for a tour today Leesburg Community Church 835 Lee Ave SW Leesburg, VA

www.LeesburgCC.org/preschool

[ OBITUARY ]

Alfred Canady, Jr ALFRED CANADY, JR. (Age 83) of Ashburn,VA, formerly of Kin· ston, NC, Newark and Roselle, NJ on Thursday, July 21,2016 at Veter ans Medical Center, Martinsburg, wv. Loving husband of Mary A lice Canady; devoted farther of Craig Canady (Darlene) of Leesburg, VA, Darlene Canady-Burt (Clinton) of Ashburn,VA and Krystal Canady (Ramelle) of Bridgewater, NJ. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Kristen J. Burt (Patrick) of Ashburn, VA and Mason canady

of Leesburg, VA; a host of other relatives and friends. Viewing will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2016 from 10 a.m. untiltime of service, 11 a.m. at the Heritage Fellowship Church, 2501 Fox Mill Rd., Reston, VA 20171. Interment Quantico National Cemetery, Trian gle, VA on August 1, 2016 at 11 a.m. Arrange ments by LYLES FUNERAL SERVICE, Eric S. Lyles, Director.

Serving No. VA. Lie. VA/MD/DC. 1-800-388-1913.

To Place an Obituary, Memoriam or Death Notice Contact: Lindsay Morgan (703) 770-9723 lmorgan@loudounnow.com

Crossword

33

HIRING HAIRSTYLIST ASHBURN • BRAMBLETON • LEESBURG

ALL POSITIONS New ASHBURN Location Leesburg and Brambleton Apply online at www.brgrill.com or in person Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Leesburg, 955 Edwards Ferry Rd Phone: 703-669-5505 Brambleton, 22865 Brambleton Plaza Phone: 703-327-1047 Ashburn, 44065 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza Phone: 703-729-0100 NOW HIRING! Job Fair – Wednesday, August 3, 2016 YMCA Loudoun County The YMCA is hiring for after school site supervisors and group leaders who will work with children ages 5-12. Multiple positions are available throughout Leesburg, Ashburn, Sterling, South Riding, and Aldie. These are after school program part-time positions. The after school programs are located in Loudoun County schools and run Monday thru Friday from 2pm to 6pm. The programs begin August 29th.

How to apply: Submit your resume and a cover letter to: ymcaloudouncountyjobs@ gmail.com In the subject line indicate which position you are interested in.

Job Fair: Join us Wednesday, August 3, 2016 any time between 1:00pm - 4:30pm for onsite interviews. You must bring 2 copies of your resume.

Location: YMCA Loudoun County - 26 B Fairfax Street, SE Leesburg, VA 20175 Call 703-777-9622 to set up an appointment.

Pay rate: Pay rates depend on experience, qualifications, and position.

Site Supervisors - $14.16 per hour Sr. Group Leader - $12.76 per hour Group Leader - $10 per hour *Hiring is contingent upon passing criminal background checks and drug screening.

www.ymcadc.org

Leesburg Sterling Family Practice Is Expanding

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

Immediate opportunity for highly motivated individual to manage the operations of the Loudoun Habitat ReStore in Leesburg, VA. The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of supervisory and retail/thrift store management experience. Must enjoy working with the public and have the ability to communicate effectively (both oral and written). Demonstrated experience and knowledge of donation acquisition, volunteer management and marketing is required. This person must be well organized, possess strong time management skills and be able to handle multiple projects. College degree is preferred.

Our benefits package includes health insurance, 401K, paid holidays and paid leave. Send resume with salary requirements to tcashen@loudounhabitat.org. No phone calls.

The Operations Assistant is primarily responsible for processing sales orders, working with the sales department as a liaison, contacting clients and purchasing departments to ensure all information is correct and received in a timely manner, and assisting the Operations Team Leader with the day to day administrative tasks, problem solving, maintaining production stock/inventory. Other responsibilities may include the production, integration and logistics process including but not limited to: production of software, integration and testing of systems, testing of individual components, packing and shipping of the product or solution to the client, testing software and hardware for Technical Support.

Required Work Experience, Skills and Knowledge The operations assistant/ logistics coordinator must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED equivalent and some college.

Training in related fields such as electrical engineering, technical business administration, data processing etc., is strongly preferred.

Required work experience, skills and knowledge, as well as information about location and benefits, can be found on our website: http://www.noldus.com/jobs-us/operations-assistant Please submit an electronic copy of your résumé along with a cover letter describing your motivation for applying to: hr@noldus.com.

(When responding, please refer to the job number 2016-06/L.)

loudounnow.com

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.

Habitat ReStore Manager

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

Now Hiring

Leesburg Salon Great location 10x12 private room bring your business keep your business reasonable rent, utilities included fully furnished no drama professional laid back License required Contact: 571-271-4009

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Employment

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34

Business Card Directory BARBER SHOP Ashburn Barber Shop 44031 Ashburn Shopping Plaza, #139 Ashburn, VA 20147 Ashburn Village Center Same Shopping Center as Old Giant, Popeye Chicken, Burger King, Kinder Care & Ashburn Service Center

$1 OFF

Any Haircut

Not valid with any other offer or discount.

With coupon only. One coupon per customer.

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BOBCAT

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Start to finish / To 11/2 Weeks

Tom & Kay - We do our own work / Remodeling

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Order online www.globalidentitysolutions.com

CHIROPRACTOR

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r amhall Trucking

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Great Service At Affordable Rates • Excellent References

CONSTRUCTION C ustom C onstruCtion A dditions • r epAirs Blue Ridge Remodeling, Inc. 540-668-6522

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Since 1976 • Free Estimates Licensed & Insured

EXCAVATING

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CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION ConCrete & Masonry

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PROS TM

Class “A” General Contractor

Your Renovation Specialists in Loudoun County

Baths Decks Kitchens Basements Renovations Handyman Lists & more!

Driveways Patios Walkways Stoops/Porches Steps

Brick Flagstone Concrete Pavers Stamped Concrete

DECKS Baker’s

Painting & Remodeling

Serving Northern Virginia area for over 10 years.

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

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FLOORING Chevy Chase Floor Waxing Service Polishing • Buffing • Waxing

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GARDENING HANDYMAN Baker’s YOUR LUSH GARDEN Flower, Veggie, Butterfly, Native, Herb gardens, Ornamental Bushes, Design, Plant, Prune, Mulch, Maintain Low hourly rates. Pkg. avail.

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GARAGE DOORS

Residential - Commercial - Move-In/Out Carpet Cleaning - Excellent Reference Reasonable Rates - Licensed & Insured FREE ESTIMATE

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CLEANING SERVICE

CLEANING SERVICE R&D CLEANING SERVICE, LLC

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Serving Northern Virginia area for over 10 years.

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING ROTTED WOOD REPAIR DECKS • BASEMENTS • KITCHENS • BATHS BASEMENT FINISHING & REMODELING

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VA Class A License #2705019491

EVENTS Loudoun Event Management Benjamin Hall (571) 246-8409 loudouneventmanagement@yahoo.com • Weddings • Catering • Corporate Events • Dinner Parties BOOK YOUR EVENT TODAY!

HANDYMAN Loudoun, Virginia • 540-514-4715 Lic/Bonded & Ins.

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

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HOME IMPROVEMENT Full Remodeling Additions Basements Kitchens Bathrooms

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July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

Business Card Directory LANDSCAPE

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General Contractor & Handyman Services

YVAN DIAZ (571) 505-5565

www.handymanloudoun.com Licensed & Insured

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

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MILLWORK

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After shop work 1 to 2 days to install & Tom & Kay Remodeling 703.819.7391 Licensed Insured

ROOFING

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1 year old white Husky with distinctive gray/black markings Microchipped Reward Last seen on Mountain Road near Britain Road (SW of Lovettsville)

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

Free Estimates

[ OPINION ]

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36

Restoring Rights The debate over Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s effort to restore the voting rights of more than 200,000 convicted felons by fiat reached

OPINION | CLASSIFIEDS | LOCO LIVING | BIZ | OUR TOWNS | EDUCATION | PUBLIC SAFETY | NEWS | LOUDOUN NOW July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

its proper conclusion last week in the chamber of the Supreme Court of Virginia, albeit in a ruling divided along party lines.

It was a sloppily executed overreach, made worse by the refusal to disclose to the public who benefited from the action.

However, that should not be the end of the conversation. The governor’s action puts a spotlight on a valid concern: How hard should it be for a now law-abiding resident who has paid his or her debt to society following a felony conviction to regain the rights of citizenship? As more states move to a virtually automatic system of restoration, Virginia’s requirement of petitioning the governor looks increasingly archaic.

Whether there is merit in changing Virginia’s roadmap for a return to full citizenship is a question the General Assembly should

[ LETTERS ]

tackle.

Funding Boost

Ignored

Loudoun’s Board of Supervisors vote to increase funding for the operation of district offices can be viewed as another investment needed to maintain the county’s system of part-time legislators.

The previous board nixed talk of giving raises to supervisors even as some claimed that increased pay would attract candidates of higher caliber or those with more time to devote to the office.

But in recent years, there has been a push to prevent a move to full-time board seats. Instead, supervisors were given more resources to hire staff aides and conduct constituent outreach. That budget has grown while supervisors’ stipends have held constant.

Increasing the allocation should result in improved service to residents and businesses, but it is unlikely to lighten the full-time load that part-time supervisors are expected to carry.

LoudounNow

Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC 15 N. King St., Suite 101 • Leesburg, VA, 20176 PO Box 207 • Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723 Norman K. Styer Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com

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Danielle Nadler Managing Editor dnadler@loudounnow.com

Advertising Director

Margaret Morton Senior Writer mmorton@loudounnow.com

Contributors Jan Mercker

Susan Styer sstyer@loudounnow.com Classified Manager Lindsay Morgan

Renss Greene, Reporter rgreene@loudounnow.com

lmorgan@loudounnow.com

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Production

Douglas Graham, Photographer dgraham@loudounnow.com

Electronic Ink 9 Royal St. SE Leesburg, VA 20175

Editor: As a homeowner in one of the largest HOAs in Loudoun County, we are required by the governing documents to maintain our property to certain standards. These standards were put in place and are enforced in order to keep our community appealing and our property values where they should be.

Our Board of Directors and our Community Association staff members work very hard to maintain all of our assets, such as common area, recreation centers and the largest, the Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion. We also regularly reach out to entities that have equipment within our community to ensure that they are completing their scheduled maintenance as well.

As president of the Board of Directors, I can say that we have had great response with all of these entities, with the exception of one. Verizon has been contacted on several occasions to remove all broken utility boxes that are no longer required to provide service to the residents in the area or repair and properly maintain those utility boxes that are still providing service to residents. Verizon has sent someone out to look at them several times but soon after they disappear and never show back up to perform the maintenance.

The board has worked with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors to try to get Verizon to remove/repair the utility boxes to no avail. The board even had the association’s legal counsel contact Verizon. The utility boxes still sit broken, with wires open to the elements or sticking out and corroded.

When Verizon was given easements to install their utility boxes many, many years ago, unfortunately the easement did not include a clause that they also must maintain their equipment. Even so, it’s a shame that Verizon feels that it does not need to maintain their utility

boxes throughout Ashburn Village and blindly ignore any requests to do so.

It would be wonderful if it could live up to its own company credo—“a blueprint that directs us to live up to the highest standards possible when serving our customers, share-owners, communities and each other.”

Sounds like Verizon may need a new credo.

— Samantha Bailey, President Jennifer Horvath, Secretary Ashburn Village Community Association Board of Directors

Transparent?

Editor: I read with considerable interest the legal explanation offered by County Attorney Leo Rogers in defense of his client, Supervisor Tony Buffington, claiming in good lawyerly tones that Supervisor Buffington’s numerous text messages sent to his board colleagues during their deliberations on the Harris Teeter application were not a violation of the Freedom of Information Act’s open meeting requirement because they were not “willful and intentional.”

County Attorney Rogers does a good job of getting his client off the hook.

His efforts could easily earn him a job with the Hillary Clinton campaign; they could use a man with his skills.

But here is my question that you don’t need a lawyer to answer: Were Supervisor Buffington’s actions in the best interest of the “open and transparent” county government Chairwoman Phyllis Randall promised us back in January?

— David C. Halgus, Ashburn

Amenities Editor: Not all residents are against the new proposed Harris Teeter.

JUMP TO >> 37

[ LETTERS ]

Tree Rewards Editor: Thank you one and all. Two thou-

award winner once again.

— Patricia Hatfield, Chairwoman Leesburg Tree Commission

Too Hot for Spot Editor: Recently, while shopping for produce at an outdoor market on a hot, sunny day, I noticed several dogs panting heavily and frantically picking up their paws from the pavement. I took my sandal off and felt the ground with my own foot. It was so hot that I was in pain within a second.

I rushed around the market, warning people that their dogs’ feet must be burning. One tiny dog was in so much pain that she was running in place.

Thankfully, most of the people I talked with cared about their dogs and quickly picked them up or moved them to the cool grass. But many people still don’t realize how dangerous hot pavement is and harm their dogs by dragging them along on stifling days.

My own pup stays safe and cool inside a shaded stroller, but on hot days, I leave him at home where he is most comfortable. I urge everyone to think of their pups’ paws this summer and always test the pavement before setting out. Remember: If it feels hot, it’s too hot for Spot.

— Jamie Schwartz, Bethesda, MD

[ OPINION ]

OUR and its surrounding farms were able to slumber undisturbed for many years. Indeed, numerous buildings in the village appear as they do today because of those seven decades of neglect.

By the later 1930s, new life was beginning to stir. A trickle of newcomers from the Washington area appreciated Waterford’s picturesque buildings and rural setting, and began to renovate old structures throughout the town. In 1936, when the village was no longer incorporated, Loudoun County paved Waterford’s roads, making the village more accessible.

Two brothers from an old Waterford family, Edward and Leroy Chamberlin, began buying and restoring buildings in the 1930s. Later, other families and individuals concerned with the welfare of this all-but-abandoned-town joined the Chamberlins in preserving Waterford’s structures, traditions and rural setting. After meeting informally, this small group in September 1943 formed a nonprofit organization known as the Waterford Foundation Inc. As recorded in the minutes, the founders of the Foundation had “a deep feeling of obligation to serve and a desire to preserve, restore and improve the village of Waterford.” The mill was the first purchase, as it was the reason for the town’s beginnings.

YARD

WATERFORD FOUNDATION >> 38

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Actions during the Civil War by both sides ravaged Waterford’s agricultural economy, causing a good number of residents to depart. Of those who remained, few saw the prosperity prevalent in Waterford in the early 1800s, when the village’s economic vitality within Loudoun was second only to Leesburg.

Still struggling after the war, Waterford’s commercial development was further weakened in the 1870s, as the railroad pushed west of Leesburg, but bypassed Waterford. While area farmers benefitted from improved access to urban markets, the influx of cheaper goods from large manufacturing centers rendered many local cottage industries obsolete. New construction in Waterford dried up. Although much of America experienced a rise in productivity and industry in this, the Gilded Age, Waterford foundered. Few residents could afford to modernize and update their homes. World War I and the Great Depression led to further decline. In 1937, a Historic American Buildings Survey of Waterford described a village dominated by dilapidated houses.

But buried in this grim scene was a circumstantial seed for improvement and preservation. Waterford’s stagnation as a commercial center meant it was not worth demolishing the old to make way for the new. The old town

BACK

BY MARGARET GOOD AND TOM KUEHHAS

• IN

Waterford’s Strong Foundation

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

I live in this Blue Ridge District and am enjoying all the great amenities being offered to us. It seems that just all the new residents who have moved into our district within the past 10 years oppose anything else coming in.

Also with all the new residents coming in it seems they’re not opposed to all the new schools. So I can say I’m not opposed to all the amenities for us older residents that have been here more than 40 years.

— Aleta Kennedy, Aldie

sand Redbud trees were given away at our booth at the Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival this year, courtesy of the Leesburg Tree Commission.

The popular booth was staffed by youth volunteers from Heritage High school, the Kincaid Forest HOA, Loudoun County Tree Stewards, Mayor Dave Butler and his son, and the Tree Commissioners. The winning smiles and helping hands of all volunteers working alongside the commissioners, made the event a huge success.

A free raffle was also held to give away 10 7-foot-tall Redbud trees to an excited crowd. Our community is better off for having more trees.

Thank you Leesburg residents for making our town a Tree City USA

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

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37

July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016

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

loudounnow.com

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Waterford foundation << FROM 37 A secondary aim was to “… revive and stimulate a community interest in recreating the town of Waterford as it existed in previous times with its varying crafts and activities.” Skilled artisans and craftspeople had plied their trades in Waterford for 200 years. That tradition was continued with the first exhibition of arts and crafts in October, 1944. The Waterford Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit (the Waterford Fair) was born.

Since its creation in 1943, the Foundation has worked diligently to acquire, place preservation easements on, and restore or rehabilitate the historically significant buildings in the village. As some structures are not residential, they have remained under the Foundation’s ownership, and are now used primarily during the Fair. They accurately paint a picture of a typical rural 18th19th century village: schools, churches, stores and barns amid a large number of residences. This picture acknowledges what a robust community it was.

Today, the Foundation continues its mission to preserve the historic buildings and open spaces of the National Historic Landmark District of Waterford, and through education to increase the public’s knowledge of life and work in an early American rural community.

It owns 13 properties, and has purchased, eased and resold many others to ensure their protection. The Foundation also has gone to great lengths to protect surrounding open space from development that would destroy the 270-year-old visual connection between the old mill town and the farms it served. In the process, the Foundation has acquired a national reputation as a model community-based preservation organization. In 1970, the U.S. Department of the Interior validated the Foundation’s decades of pioneering work by establishing the Waterford National Historic Landmark District.

The virtually intact village of Waterford was named one of Loudoun County’s first Historic and Cultural Conservation Districts in 1972. It consists of 750 acres nestled in the rural surrounding of an additional 670 acres.

These 1420 acres make up the larger National Historic Landmark. Waterford also is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register. Waterford today has more properties under preservation easements than any other location in Virginia. These easements provide additional protection of this unique heritage site, which in 2011, was named by First Lady Michelle Obama a Preserve America community.

Margaret Good is the Waterford Foundation’s preservation director and Tom Kuehhas is the Foundation’s executive director) Comments or questions about may be directed to mgood@waterfordfoundation.org or tkuehhas@waterfordfoundation.org.

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

Cannons << FROM 3 star game,” Fuller said. “By that time, I had a pretty good idea of who my quality pitchers were that were going to deliver for me when I needed it most.”

Once he convinced his players to buy in—which included cajoling some players who may be getting more playing time with their college teams—the team started gunning for its playoff spot. On Monday, playing in front of more than 700 fans at Fireman’s Field, they secured their spot at fourth out of six teams in the Valley League North division, beating the number tworanked Royals and ranking just high enough to head to the postseason. The team carried as 19-22 record—and a five-game winning streak—into Tuesday night’s final game in Strasburg.

“It’s a long season, and I’ve been in this league long enough to know that it doesn’t matter where you’re seeding in the playoffs,” Fuller said. “It’s just getting to the playoffs. It was important to for me to put us in a position where we could make a playoff run for these fans, because they’ve been so supportive this year.”

And, as he pointed out, the playoffs reset the record—“everybody’s zero and zero.”

But the playoffs will also test how adaptable the team can be. Like every Valley League team, the Cannons will enter the postseason without several players—some are going back to school, others are being shut down by

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Left-handed pitcher Daniel Gooden says goodbye to head coach Brett Fuller. Gooden is one of the players the team will lose going into the postseason.

their college coaches to make sure their arms are fresh for the college season.

But even if it’s the Purcellville Cannons’ first season and first trip to the playoffs, it’s not new to Fuller. Two teams, he says, have made the playoffs in their first season: The Purcellville Cannons, and the Charles Town Cannons, playing in the franchise’s previous home in West Virginia.

“We know we have something special here, and we just hope we can build off of it,” Fuller said.

The Cannons will kick off the playoffs in a three-game series against the top-ranked Strasburg Express in Strasburg Thursday, July 28. The Cannons will play at home Friday, July 29. rgreene@loudounnow.com

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39 July 28 – Aug. 3, 2016 LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office deputies read thank-you notes from local families.

<< FROM 3 University Station.

Generally, Loudoun residents are respectful of officers, Davis noted, but lately he’s seen more people going out of their way to show their appreciation. “We’ve had people buy us lunch, or restaurant owners give us half off meals. It’s really nice.”

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA-10), who also attended the gathering at University Station, said she has seen Loudoun law enforcement work closely with residents to keep the peace over the years. She gave the example of their response to the graffiti of swastikas and hate speech that popped up in neighborhoods a few years ago.

They worked with federal agencies and community members to find a solution, she said. “I think this is a great model for what the rest of the country needs to do.”

Sheriff Mike Chapman, who also attended the gathering, said he’s kept a close watch on his deputies in the days following the police shootings. He attended the Sunday morning roll call to check in with them and encourage them.

“We told them we understand what they’re going through,” he said. “We told them, you know, you need to keep your head on a swivel but realize we have to be right there to de-escalate tense situations.”

He said the sheriff ’s office emphasizes building relationships with all of the various communities in Loudoun.

“We’re actively engaged. …We look at that as paying it up front,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’ve built up trust between us because it’s trust that will get us past anything that would be a threat to us.”

Giordano said her newfound group will do its part to offer support. So far, they’ve delivered enough food and notes to cover several shifts at the Leesburg Police Department and at the sheriff ’s office’s University Station. She isn’t sure where the Loudoun Police Appreciation movement will go from here. It may just be an occasional delivery of goodies to a station or a few kind words to officers on duty.

“We’ll see,” she said. “I just want to make sure they know how we feel as a community: We appreciate you. I want to bridge that gap between the police and the community.”

FRED DRUMMOND AND

STANLEY CAULKINS A LIFETIME OF SERVICE 2012 LAUREATES

PLEASE JOIN US SEPTEMBER 30TH WHEN WE CELEBRATE

dnadler@loudounnow.com

THE

STEWARDSHIP OF

MARGARET MORTON AND

JUDGE THOMAS D. HORNE 2016 LOUDOUN LAUREATES

THE

PUBLIC SAFETY | EDUCATION | OUR TOWNS | BIZ | LOCO LIVING | CLASSIFIEDS | OPINION

Appreciation

TO MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR THE THE BELMONT COUNTRY CLUB GALA

Danielle Nadler/Loudoun Now

Thank-you notes greeted many local law enforcement officers on duty in the past two weeks.

loudounnow.com

WWW.LOUDOUNLAURELS.ORG

40

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