Loudoun Now for Dec. 22, 2016 by Loudoun Now

LoudounNow LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE

[ Vol. 2, No. 7 ]

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From our family to yours ...

Happy Holidays!

Dec. 22 – 26, 2016 ] AnnieLaurie and 2-year-old Will Walters get a visit and a present from Santa at Inova Loudoun Hospital on Dec. 15. Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Santa Swaps Out Reindeer for Helicopter to Visit Hospitalized Kids BY DANIELLE NADLER

aking into account the blustery wind conditions, Santa opted for a more high-tech means of travel in Loudoun recently. He flew via helicopter to Inova Loudoun Hospital

Students Offer Words of Hope After Losing Classmate to Suicide

last Thursday to visit with the county’s youngest patients. A second after they heard the sound of the chopper, patients as young as 18 months old pressed their faces against the windows of the Pediatric Unit to try to catch a glimpse of the man in red. Santa, who co-piloted the PHI Air

BY DANIELLE NADLER Post-it notes penned with words of hope and encouragement dotted the campus of Stone Bridge High School this week, on lockers and desks and classroom doors. The Ashburn high school’s 1,650-student body returned to school Monday, three days after one of their classmates lost his life. A freshman student attempted to harm himself in a room

Medical AirCare3 helicopter, brought the aircraft to a soft landing at the hospital campus in Lansdowne. He jumped from the cockpit and hurried in to spend almost an hour in the Pediatric Unit and Emergency Room. He delivered gifts to about 18 kids in their individual rooms and then invited several to gather around

for a reading of “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” “Where’s Mrs. Santa?” one boy asked Santa. “Oh, at home, hopefully making cookies for me,” he answered with a full-belly SANTA VISIT >> 38

near the gymnasium of the school Dec. 14. He was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital for medical treatment and was on life support until Friday. According to public Facebook posts from family members, the boy’s organs went to help save the lives of eight people, and his donated tissue helped 200 others. “All organs have a home. … Our Courtesy of Matthew Greason

POST-IT NOTES >> 38

Post-it notes offering hopeful messages are seen throughout Stone Bridge High School this week, following a suicide of a freshman student.

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14 12

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300’ reservoir buffer

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Turf field funding: not this year

Lewis indicted for girlfriend’s murder

Another 475 rooftops approved in Leesburg

Dominion names interim principal

Keep those kids busy this winter vacation

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

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1. Entry gate Reservoir-focused signage

5. Parking paths Major routes from parking

9. Reservoir Pavilion Interpretation & boat storage

2. Entry drive & turnarounds Plowable paved surfaces

6. Primary spine Accessible surfaces at major trails

10. Reservoir shelters 100-person capacity (30’ x 60’)

3. Parking areas Permeable surfaces Approximately 200 spaces

7. Boating path Access for crew & other boating

11. Rental boat operation (Approx.. 20’ x 30’)

8. Reservoir trails Natural surface Completes Reservoir circuit

12. Water-focused interpretation Play & informal gathering

4. Storm water bioretention gardens

13. Reservoir overlook 14. Boardwalks 15. Boating docks Crew & recreational access 16. Alford Road access Service road 17. Stream gardens 18. Wetland gardens

BY NORMAN K. STYER

fter a year of planning, the designs for a new park at the Beaverdam Creek Reservoir in Ashburn were unveiled during a community forum last week. After buying the reservoir from the City of Fairfax in 2014, Loudoun Water teamed up with NOVA Parks to manage recreational uses at the site. That partnership has blossomed with promises of much improved public access and more community activities—creating a 1,000-acre park with a 600-acre lake. Mark Peterson, Loudoun Water’s executive director of Stakeholder Relations, stressed that the primary focus would remain on protecting the drinking water source. Work with NOVA Parks and a consultant team over the past year have targeted a balance that

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

The Beaverdam Creek Reservoir in Ashburn, now drained for repairs, is almost unrecognizable. The manmade body of water will be closed for two years, but promises to reopen as a more public-friendly lake. The concept plan for Reservoir Park, top, includes a central pavilion, picnic shelters, boat ramps and miles of hiking trails.

meets that goal while also allowing residents to hike, fish and row on the property. Landscape architect Thomas Woltz led the development of the concept plan. “It is really an inspiring vision, an exciting project to be a part of,” he told the crowd of residents gathered at the National Recreation and Parks Association headquarters Dec. 14 to learn of the plans. Woltz sees the Beaverdam Creek Reservoir property as part of a larger network of parkland and water-filled quarries in the area in the years ahead.

“This is like a national park right here in Loudoun County, potentially,” he said. The plan envisions the construction of a pavilion and several shelters along with a boat dock and parking on the south end of the reservoir near the NRPA headquarters. An 8-mile hiking trail surrounds the reservoir. A focus of the project would be to promote ecological education with facilities to accommodate classroom field trips and displays explaining the shoreline ecosystem. BEAVERDAM >> 37

DECAL DEBATE: Other Counties Have Abandoned the Windshield Sticker, Should Loudoun Join Them? BY NORMAN K. STYER

For the county government, the decals are a $7 million revenue stream. It cost only $95,500 to make and mail the decals each year. For Zurn, the stickers are badge of tax compliance—a car not displaying a decal might be evidence of someone trying to skip out on payments. Since 1997, Zurn has worked with the Sheriff ’s Office on Project Fairness, a program that dedicates two deputies to

DECAL DEBATE >> 37

INDEX Loudoun Gov..................... 4 Leesburg .......................... 8 A Loudoun Moment......... 10 Public Safety .................. 12 Education ....................... 14 Our Towns ...................... 20 Biz ................................. 22 LoCo Living .................... 26 Obituaries ...................... 31 Classifieds ..................... 32 Opinion .......................... 36

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Should Loudoun dump its windshield tax decals? That’s a question coming before the Board of Supervisors. Other large Virginia counties have moved away from the window stickers but Loudoun Treasurer H. Roger Zurn said the tried-and-true program is the best way to ensure residents are paying their fair share of taxes. The issue came before the board’s finance committee last week. Under questioning from supervisors, Zurn and Sheriff Mike Chapman offered somewhat different views on the program. Loudoun charges each vehicle owner $25 for the annual decal, but you can’t buy one until your personal property taxes are paid in full.

exclusively seek out vehicles lacking decals and issue tickets requiring the fees—and taxes—be paid. The Treasurer’s Office credits the program with more than $20 million in revenue that would not have been collected without that additional enforcement. In 2006, Fairfax County abandoned its decal program, electing instead to add a $33 registration fee to vehicle owners’ personal property tax bills. The county reports that the move away from the windshield stickers hasn’t hurt its tax collections, claiming revenue collections of 102 percent to 99 percent billing annually since 2012, according to a staff report prepared for the committee. Zurn raised doubts about those figures. Chesapeake and Chesterfield counties, which also

RESERVOIR PARK Reservoir ParkPHASE 1 ACCES S AND AMENITIES Plans Spark Excitement

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Is Schools Outreach Next for Envision? BY RENSS GREENE

he first round of the county’s Envision Loudoun public roundtables, to gather input on the direction of the county’s new comprehensive plan, has wrapped up after six meetings with more than 900 participants, and a tally of more than 2,000 comments. “They love Loudoun, but it could be better,” said Planning Next consultant Jamie Greene. “And that was the fundamental question: What can we do to make living in Loudoun better?” The group of consulting firms that the county has hired plan to finish their report on the comments gathered at those community meetings in January, but in the meantime, the Board of Supervisors-appointed stakeholder steering committee that is guiding the county’s revisions of its big-picture planning documents is looking at other ways to gather input. Visit Loudoun President and CEO Beth Erickson and Tuscarora High School government teacher Wendy Yacoub, both members of that committee, suggested holding sessions in the high schools. Erickson said she had a high school student in one of the small group roundtables she led. “I will tell you, some of the thoughts that he brought forward were phenomenal,” Erickson said. Yacoub had even younger students in one of her groups. “It was a dumping ground of things they were concerned about, and a lot of it was the environment, which was awesome,” Yacoub said. “For a fifth grader to tell me that they’re worried about affordable housing was tremendous.” She offered to help coordinate listening sessions in the high schools. There have also been outreach efforts at Northern Virginian Community College, and Dr. Julie Leidig, provost of the college’s Loudoun campus, said she would also be glad to push involvement to her students. The county is also now gathering comments online at Envision-Loudoun.org. Although a complete summary

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

A participant in an Envision Loudoun session and project manager Chris Garcia talk in front of a map on which participants have marked their homes and workplaces.

of comments from the six Envision Loudoun meetings held around the county is not yet done, anecdotally, stakeholder committee members who led small group discussions said they heard some surprising things. Planning Commission Chairman Jeff Salmon (Dulles), who also chairs the stakeholders committee, said he heard from people living in the transition policy area that was created years ago to buffer the suburban east and rural west. “My expectations of the feedback were the transition policy area should be larger, if you live in it, it needs to be bigger, it needs to be more protected, and I heard the exact opposite,” Salmon said. “I heard that the transition area isn’t working, and it’s already suburban, so you should make it more suburban because it should be consistent.” The committee has also begun grappling with Loudoun’s explosive growth. Consulting firm McBride Dale Clarion planner and cofounder C. Gregory

Dale pointed out that Loudoun’s population has been nearly doubling every 10 years, but new projections have the growth rate slowing down over the next several decades. “It’s inevitable that you’re going to enter into this stage where it’s time to think about growth in a different way,” Dale said. “Less of a green field, less of an infinite space available. It really is the beginning of a different era of planning for this community.” Some committee members during their meeting Monday night worried about the perennial balancing act between residential and commercial development in the county, and others, like Bowman Consulting principal Packie Crown, pushed for more mixed-use zoning and creative solutions. Garcia, who leads the comprehensive plan work for the county, said the county will likely have to create new zoning regulations to deal with new types of development. ENVISION >> 31

Supervisors Again Cool on Turf Funding for Schools BY RENSS GREENE The Board of Supervisors’ finance committee has recommended against approving any of the School Board’s supplemental funding requests as it works to allocate money left over in the fiscal year 2016 budget. The county is in a better financial position than early forecasts suggested, now estimating $55.7 million left over from last year’s budget to be used for one-time expenses or to push down next year’s tax rate. The finance committee Dec. 13 made recommendations from a wish list for expenses that could be paid from that pot. Some of the requests that didn’t make the cut: new bookshelves at Cascades Library, body-worn cameras for

the Sheriff ’s Office, and new buses, turf fields, and textbooks for the schools. All of these items can come up again during regular budget deliberations next spring and the School Board has said that it will ask for all of those in its fiscal year 2018 budget. Some supervisors repeated their concerns that the School Board doesn’t have an adequate plan in place to handle recurring costs, such as replacing aging buses and books. Committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) pointed out the schools do have a plan to replace the bus fleet, but do not receive their full budget request from the county and divert funding away from new buses to other priorities. Committee members also worried

that proving money for more artificial turf fields would allow the School Board to use crumb rubber infill. Citing health concerns, supervisors are pushing for the School Board to use different materials for any new fields. “If the board appropriates funding right now, and the money is simply transferred to LCPS, then they will decide what to use it for, and they very well may decide to do rubber crumb,” Letourneau said. He said “given all the progress we’ve made on this” and that county staff are now looking again into alternatives to crumb rubber, he would like to preserve the county’s ability to push for an alternative. TURF FUNDING >> 7

[ BRIEFS ] Hemstreet Wins Virginia Asian Chamber Award The Virginia Asian Chamber of Commerce has presented Loudoun County Administrator Tim Hemstreet the Champion of Economic Visionary Award for 2016. Hemstreet is the sixth recipient of the award; the list of previous honorees include two state governors. “We selected Mr. Hemstreet for this honor because of the outstanding economic development success that has been achieved under his leadership,” stated chamber founder and Chairman Tinh duc Phan. Hemstreet took the job seven years ago at in the depths of the great recession, at a time when the county was facing deficits in the millions of dollars. Since then, the county budget has almost doubled and the county has maintained triple-triple-A bond ratings In May, during a trip to its Sister City in the Shunyi District, officials from Loudoun signed a marketing agreement between Washington-Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport.

Plans for Safer W&OD Trail Crossing Advance to Funding Debate It could cost $6-8 million to build a bridge or tunnel to safely move cyclists and walkers on the W&OD Trail across Sterling Boulevard, Loudoun Board of Supervisors were told this week. Members of the board’s finance committee last week agreed to continue talks about the safety project when it reviews the county’s sixyear Capital Improvement Program next spring. Koran Saines Supervisor (D-Sterling) has championed the project in an effort to improve safety at the busy crossing. During the past three years, there have been 17 crashes at the trail intersection, according to the county staff. Most were described as rear-end collisions caused by motorists stopping unexpectedly for crossing pedestrians or bikes. While supporting Saines’ effort to push funding for the Sterling Boulevard project, board Vice Chairman Ralph Buona (R-Ashburn) suggested the staff begin collecting accident data at all the at-grade W&OD trail intersections so county leaders can determine where other safety concerns are evident and develop a comprehensive plan to address them. For the Sterling Boulevard project, a bridge crossing like those typically used on the 45-mile long trail would cost $6.2 million to build. The staff also looked at a tunnel option that would avoid the need to relocate nearby powerlines; that option would cost $8.3 million.

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Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Cost Soars for Jenkins Park Construction BY NORMAN K. STYER

Efforts to address the youth sports field shortage in western Loudoun are facing a new challenge. Loudoun supervisors were told last week that construction bids to build new fields at Scott Jenkins Memorial Park near Hamilton have come in millions of dollars over budget. And even if money can be found to close that gap, the county’s park planners also want to install lights on the fields to increase their capacity—a suggestion that not only adds to the cost but one that could run afoul of a longtime local business. The 35-acre park opened in 2011 161213_LTP_print_ad_9-063x6-67_LoudounNow_HalfHoriz_crvs2.pdf 12/15/16 with a large diamond field, parking JENKINS1 PARK >> 31

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and a restroom building. This summer, the county solicited bids for Phase II, which includes three small diamond fields, a rectangular field and more parking. The county had budgeted $1.4 million for the work, but the lowest bid was $3.29 million. Adding lights to the fields would cost another $1.5 million. To keep the project on track, the county supervisors will to come up with $2.3 million more and award the bid to the lowest bidder. To follow that path, they’ll have to move quickly as the bid is set to expire at year’s end. An extension has been requested to allow the board to take up the issue at its first meeting in January.

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Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Plans to build three more ball diamonds and a rectangular field at Scott Jenkins Memorial Park may be delayed because of construction cost increases.

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McAuliffe Appoints Lazaro to Airports Authority Board

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

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As the Silver Line extends into Loudoun, the county’s influence on the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority may be growing. Gov. Terry McAuliffe last week appointed former Purcellville Mayor Robert Lazaro as a Virginia representative on the board that oversees Dulles and Reagan National airports, the Dulles Toll Road and the Silver Line construction project. Lazaro is acting executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. The governor also appointed David G. Speck, a former delegate and Alexandria City Council member, to a MWAA seat. The authority is governed by a 17-member board, with seven members appointed by the governor of Virginia, four by the mayor of Washington, DC, three by the governor of Maryland and three by the U.S. president. Other Virginia representatives are former Fairfax County Executive Anthony H. Griffin; former Fairfax County Chairman Katherine K. Hanley; Ceren D. Merrick, the founder and CEO of Pocket Mentor; attorney William E. Sudow; and former Arlington County Board Chairman J. Walter Tejada. Board terms are for six years, with a maximum service of two terms. Lazaro’s term runs through December 2022. Lazaro learned of his appointment last week.

File photo

Robert Lazaro

“The commonwealth had an online application system, so I just applied,” Lazaro said. “I’m honored to have been appointed by the governor and appreciate the confidence he’s shown in me.” “MWAA is an incredibly important asset to the metropolitan region—economically and transportation-wise,” he said. “I want to be an effective member of the board, to the best of my ability to make sure it’s a success.” While he has interest in serving on the board’s strategic planning and finance committees, Lazaro said he wants to meet with Chairman William Shaw McDermott to determine where he can be most useful. Ashburn resident Lynn Chapman served on the MWAA board from October 2012 until March when he moved out of the area.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Loudoun Hunger Relief volunteer Rachel Roberts sorts food in the pantry.

Three Loudoun Nonprofits Get Property Tax Relief BY RENSS GREENE Loudoun supervisors voted Dec. 14 to give three nonprofits a break on county taxes. In total, the county will forego about $45,000 in tax revenue from Loudoun Hunger Relief, Loudoun Soccer, and Tree of Life Ministries, said Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr. Two supervisors, Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Tony R. Buffington Jr. (R-Blue Ridge), worried about the way the county provides relief to nonprofits. Both abstained from voting, and Letourneau said the county is approaching a half penny on everyone else’s tax rate by giving up a total of $4.87 million in fiscal year 2017 tax revenue through nonprofit tax relief. He said the county needs better estab-

lished standards for tax relief. “This is purely the board’s discretion, so if we like a nonprofit, we give them the exemption, and if we don’t, then we don’t,” Letourneau said. “And I think someday that will get us in trouble, because we will get applications from nonprofits that board members will disagree with for some reason or other, and decide not to give an exemption for, or board members will be forced to give an exemption to an organization that they wish they didn’t have to.” Letourneau said he favors the county’s other process for giving aid to nonprofits. In this year’s budget, the county provided grants totaling more than a million dollars in funding for nonprofits. Other board members disagreed. TAX RELIEF >> 7

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families in the county. The tax exemption will total $1,296.75 in property and real estate taxes. Previously, county documents incorrectly reported real property taxes on the organization; Loudoun Hunger Relief does not own real property in the county, but has requested the exemption in case it purchases property in the future. Loudoun Hunger Relief received $47,237 in grant funding in this year’s county budget, and reported $3,289,691 in contributions and grant funding in its 2014 federal tax return. According to its application, Loudoun Soccer has more than 15,000 players and 2,000 coaches. It would be exempt from $42,661.15 in property and real estate taxes, mostly real estate. It reported $42,772 in contributions and grants and $4,584,334 in program revenues in its 2014 federal tax return. Tree of Life Ministries, which provides food, shelter and health care to low-income families, would be exempt from $180.03 in property taxes. Its 2014 federal tax return shows $705,050 in grants and contributions.

<< FROM 6 “There are a number of nonprofits who I believe step in in the place of government at all levels and carry burdens that the taxpayers, because of nonprofit generosity, don’t have to carry,” said Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg). County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) agreed that clear policies around tax exemptions could be helpful, but said the county is not picking nonprofits. “To say that it’s who we like and who we don’t like, it sounds like we’re cherry-picking in a way that we’re not cherry-picking,” Randall said. “In fact, we pretty much do everyone. Maybe we should talk about, in this cycle, do we want to have standards and what do those look like.” The board voted 7-0-2 to grant tax relief to the three nonprofits, Letourneau and Buffington abstaining. Loudoun Hunger Relief is Loudoun’s largest food pantry, collecting and distributing food to needy people and

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The crumb rubber infill in many artificial turf fields, made from recycled rubber, has been at the center of a long-running debate between the two boards. Some parents and supervisors worry it may pose a health risk to student athletes, although no concrete health risk has been established. An Environmental Protection Agency study on long-term health effects is ongoing but not expected to be complete for years. The School Board blocked a county request to test three artificial turf fields for levels of arsenic, lead, and other potentially hazardous substances unless the county also paid to test three natural grass fields. The county, in turn, has balked at funding artificial turf fields at the four high schools that do not have them unless the School Board uses something besides crumb rubber. Letourneau has asked county staff to take a second look at some alternatives to crumb rubber, which in the past were more expensive, but which he said may have come down in price. “I think the message is obvious, we don’t want to do crumb rubber, but right now that’s what they would probably do,” said County Chairwoman Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large). Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) voted to provide money for the fields and allow the school system to move ahead regardless. And Supervisor Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin), who is not a finance committee member but sat in for the Dec. 13 meeting, said voting down the field funding was a step backward. “I feel like what you all are going to be doing is akin to the motion that failed before the whole board, and that was to hold up these fields until the School Board to agreed to test them,” Higgins said. Previously the finance committee recommended the county refuse to provide funding for turf fields unless the School Board allowed ex-

CO MI NG SO ON

<< FROM 4

7 Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Turf funding

isting fields from three different manufactures to undergo health-risk testing, but the full Board of Supervisors backed away from that position. “We’re basically holding the fields hostage until we get that information, and we don’t know how long that’s going to be, and we really don’t have any guarantees from the School Board to that they’re going to go along with it anyway,” Higgins said. The committee voted 4-1 not to send the schools money for the fields, with Saines opposed, and voted unanimously not to send money for school buses and textbooks, preferring to take those up during the regular budget discussion. The committee also voted unanimously not to buy more body-worn cameras for the Sheriff ’s Office yet, worrying about possible additional unforeseen costs, such as the burden on the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office reviewing hours of footage or the cost of fulfilling Freedom of Information Act requests to see the video. Supervisors were nonetheless positive about the idea of body-worn cameras in the future. “I think right now, this year, we can’t afford it,” Randall said. “I certainly hope in years to come we can afford it.” The Sheriff ’s Office has already deployed a pilot program with 42 bodyworn cameras assigned to patrol, traffic, and correctional deputies. Sheriff Mike Chapman had hoped to add 77 cameras this year toward a total goal of 350 in fiscal year 2019. The committee recommended spending the general fund balance on several projects, including $2.4 million for new restrooms at Bolen Park and $1.3 million to complete the county’s comprehensive plan review. In all, the committee recommended spending $14 million in fund balance this year, reserving $3.6 million toward a possible reduction in the property tax rate, and forwarding $38 million to the fiscal year 2018 budget.

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[ BRIEFS ] Town Manager, Attorney Given Raises

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The Leesburg Town Council gave early Christmas gifts to two of the top town government leaders. Last week, the council approved raises for Town Manager Kaj Dentler and Town Attorney Barbara Notar. The vote to approve the salary increases passed on 4-0-3 votes, with council members Katie Hammler, Bruce Gemmill and Tom Dunn absent for the votes.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Newly elected members of the Leesburg Town Council, from left, Ron Campbell, Mayor Kelly Burk, Ken Reid and Tom Dunn.

Mayor Burk, New Town Council Sworn In BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

he new Leesburg Town Council was together for the first time last Thursday night, as Mayor Kelly Burk and three fellow council members were sworn into office. The swearing-in ceremony brought a packed crowd to Ida Lee Park Recreation Center to see Burk, the first mayor other than Kristen Umstattd elected by town residents in almost 15 years, take the oath of office. She was joined by Ken Reid, returning to the Town Council after a fouryear stint as Leesburg District supervisor that ended last year. Reid previously served on the council from 2006 to 2011 before winning the supervisor seat. Tom Dunn was also sworn in, after being re-elected to his third consecutive council term. Ron Campbell, the lone newcomer to the council, took his first oath. Each of the four took a moment to thank their supporters, family mem-

bers, and friends who made their successful campaigns possible. Reid stressed the importance of working together, putting aside political or personal differences, to create the best solutions for Leesburg and its residents. He even paid homage to County Chairwoman Phyllis Randall (D-At Large), who was in attendance, for creating cohesiveness on the Board of Supervisors, and said the Town Council should follow suit. Burk said she has “great expectations” for the next two years—the length of the mayor’s term— and highlighted goals of promoting a fair, open, and honest government; supporting growth if it brings benefits to the town; and pursuing transportation improvements. Campbell said he hoped to engage parts of the community that may have been overlooked in the past, and said representing the town is all about remembering the families that make it up. Dunn encouraged those in atten-

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Outgoing Leesburg Council Members Bid Farewell BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

dance to “keep us accountable” and stay involved in the legislative process. One of the first actions of the new council, which also includes returning council members Marty Martinez and Suzanne Fox, will be deciding who will join them on the dais. Burk’s election to the mayor’s post with two years remaining on her council term will require a special election to fill the rest of her term. But before the special election the council must appoint an interim council member, who will serve until the winner of the special election is sworn in. They have 90 days from when the council vacancy is created, expected to be on or near Dec. 31, to fill the seat. The town is accepting expressions of interest from town residents who want to be considered for the interim appointment. The council is expected to discuss, and potentially appoint, the interim replacement at its Jan. 9 organizational meeting, which begins at 5 p.m.

While last week served as a time to herald the arrival of Leesburg’s new Town Council, for three outgoing council members it was a week of fond farewells. At the end of the year, the terms of Mayor David Butler, and council members Katie Sheldon Hammler and Bruce Gemmill will expire. For Butler and Hammler, it will be the end of an era of sorts. Butler first joined the council in 2008, was re-elected in 2012, and early this year was appointed mayor by his colleagues to serve the remainder of former mayor Kristen Umstattd’s term this year. He was defeated in his bid for his first elected term as mayor by Kelly Burk.

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Dave Butler leads his last council meeting as Leesburg Mayor.

Hammler joined the council in 2004 and was re-elected twice before losing her bid for a fourth term in November. Both council members served as vice mayor during their council careers, and were active in various state boards and commissions, with Hammler most recently serving as president-elect of the Virginia Municipal League. For Gemmill, the council career was far shorter. He was appointed this year to fill Butler’s unexpired council term. Gemmill chose not to toss his hat in the council race for an elected term, and has said he will not seek the interim council appointment in January to fill Burk’s unexpired council term, despite being asked by several council FAREWELL >> 10

Leesburg Town Manager Kaj Dentler

Dentler received a 3.23 percent increase, bringing his annual salary to $185,000. His contract was extended through October 2018. Notar received a 3 percent increase, bringing her annual salary to $143,221. The town manager and town attorney both serve at the pleasure of the council and are the only town government positions who the council can vote to hire or terminate. Most town employees got a 3 percent raise this year.

Caulkins Named Member Emeritus A longtime town contributor was given an honorary title last week. Stanley Caulkins, 91, was named an emeritus member of the Leesburg Airport Commission. The owner of Caulkins Jewelers, Caulkins was a Town Council member and a key driver in the acquisition of land for the Leesburg Executive Airport. He was a founding member of the Airport Commission in 1962, and the airport’s terminal was named in his honor. Caulkins’ term on the Airport Commission was not to expire until 2018, but he has had to step away to deal with health issues.

Simpson Middle School Wins ‘Paint the Plow’ Contest The votes are in and students from J. Lupton Simpson Middle School came out on top in the Town of Leesburg’s 2016 Paint the Plow contest. BRIEFS >> 10

Leegate Approved, Leesburg Adds To Rooftop Total

The vision for the Leegate development, shown here looking to the southeast with Rt. 7 on the left and Battlefield Parkway at the top.

called ‘save ourselves’ to add more houses which only adds more traffic. I can’t ask the citizens of the town, the citizens of Loudoun County and ultimately the citizens of the state to pick up bills so we can add more houses,” she said. But Mayor David Butler, in voting to approve the application, said Lee-

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gate was of critical importance to the long-planned Battlefield Parkway interchange. He pointed to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority’s recent vote to allocate $20 million to the project, and said without the right of way contributed by the developer, the project’s future funding, and ultimately con-

struction, could be significantly delayed. The Leegate proffers also included an upfront $3.3 million cash contribution for off-site transportation projects; the construction of a Russell Branch Parkway extension linking to Trailview Boulevard, also to be done prior to the development moving dirt; 41 acres of parkland; and millions of dollars to offset school capital facility impacts. A new proffer places $100,000 in an interest-bearing account controlled by the town to be used to offset application

We’re constantly being asked to so-called ‘save ourselves’ to add more houses which only adds more traffic. — Katie Sheldon Hammer

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

In what has been a busy two months, the Leesburg Town Council signed off on yet another development that will bring more rooftops to the town. A narrow council majority approved a rezoning and special exception permits for the 77-acre Leegate development Dec. 12. The action clears the way for construction of 475 residential units, 430,000 square feet of office uses, 200,000 square feet of commercial uses, a 130room hotel, and two parking structures. Located in the southwest quadrant of East Market Street/Battlefield Parkway intersection, the development’s first two phases of the development will produce all but 70 of the proposed residential units, a mix of townhouses, two-overtwo condominiums and multifamily units, as well as 100,000 square feet of non-residential development. It was the phasing of the development, along with its impact on the area road network, that drew the ire of council members who voted against it. Councilwoman Katie Sheldon Hammler said the proposal did not adequately mitigate its impacts. She pointed to a nearby mixeduse development she did vote for—the Village of Leesburg—and its upfront construction of the Rt. 7/River Creek Parkway interchange to help address its impact on the road network. While Leegate developer Stanley Martin proffered the dedication of right of way to the town for the future Rt. 7/Battlefield Parkway interchange, it is not providing money for construction. “We’re constantly being asked to so-

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

[ BRIEFS ]

loudounnow.com

<< FROM 8 The Leesburg Commission on Public Art sponsored the second annual contest in which students from four schools painted snow plow blades on town trucks. The “Festival of Lights” entry from Simpson garnered 374 votes of the 1,071 votes cast. Other entries were “Chinese New Year” by Tuscarora High School, “Earth Day” by Harper Park Middle School, and “Pi Day” by Smart’s Mill Middle School.

Town Conveys Land to Rescue Squad For Expansion The Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad on Catoctin Circle can move ahead with its long-needed expansion, thanks to a boundary line adjustment approved by the Town Council last week. Council members voted 6-0-1 to approve a boundary line adjustment that conveys 0.45 acres to the rescue squad. In return, the rescue squad will convey 0.55 acres of floodplain to the town and will pay $260,000 in five annual payments, to account for the total additional cost to relocate and construct the updated skate park on town property. The skate park project, currently under construction, was moved to a different portion of the Catoctin Circle property to allow for the rescue squad expansion of its building and parking area. Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel noted that town staff and members of the rescue squad have been working together for more than a year to find an arrangement that would work for both parties.

Should the rescue squad ever cease operations at its current Catoctin Circle location, the recently conveyed property will revert back to the town, Markel noted. Councilman Tom Dunn was absent for the Dec. 13 vote.

PD Hosts ‘Holidays with the Cops’ Leesburg’s finest made Christmas a little brighter for some of the town’s neediest young residents. The annual “Holidays with the Cops” event took place Dec. 16. Seventeen children were paired up with a uniformed Leesburg police officers and allotted a sum of money to spend on Christmas gifts. This year, the program began with dinner for the children and their shopping buddies at the Leesburg Diner. After the meal, the police officers escorted the children to the Leesburg Target store, where they were able to shop to their hearts’ content. Once the children finished their shopping, volunteers from the Leesburg Police Citizens Support Team and Leesburg Police Department family members, dispatchers and administrative staff members helped the children wrap their gifts. Business sponsors for the 2016 Holidays with the Cops program included Target, Leesburg Diner, Common Ground Church, and Rouge Spa. Businesses interested in supporting Holidays with the Cops with in-kind or monetary donations should contact Tidmore at 703-771-4564 or ctidmore@ leesburgva.gov.

Farewell << FROM 8 members to do so. During last Tuesday’s council meeting, Butler shared some thoughts about his brief tenure as mayor. “It’s been a blast being on council and especially being mayor,” he said. “Being mayor is a lot more work than you may think it is, but it’s also a lot more fun than you may think it is. It could easily be a full-time job.” Butler also joked that he is now beginning to forward some emails to Burk, who will officially take up the mayor’s post Jan. 1. His service to Leesburg began a decade ago with his appointment to the Planning Commission and, looking back, he says he was proud of what he and his colleagues achieved for the town. “I leave feeling good about what we’ve been able to accomplish and satisfied we’ve served the residents of Leesburg as best as we could,” Butler said. Gemmill was not able to attend his last council meeting in office because of an emergency, but participated by telephone. Of his 10-month council career, Gemmill said he appreciated the opportunity to serve and is proud of the work he was able to accomplish. He pointed to the Crescent Parke rezoning application, originally voted down in July but which he brought back for reconsideration in September. “This was an actual opportunity to help to do something that makes a lasting impact in a different way by voting on Crescent Parke and being able to

work out a better deal for that,” he said. He said the discourse among council members during his tenure was largely positive, a tone he hopes will continue with the new administration. While Hammler is saying goodbye for now, she is hoping to be back on the council dais sooner rather than later. Unlike Butler and Gemmill, Hammler is putting her name in for the interim council appointment and has also said she will run in the special election for Burk’s unexpired term. In addition to wanting to continue to serve the people of Leesburg, Hammler’s position on VML puts the town in the position of having the town take the top post in the organization for the first time in history. However, if she is not chosen for the interim seat, a new president-elect from another municipality will be appointed. She is expecting to submit, along with her application for the council seat, a letter of support from the VML executive committee. Looking back on the 12 years she has served on the council, Hammler points to a multitude of accomplishments. Of what she is proudest of, she has numerous examples: being a part of the council that selected John Wells as Leesburg’s town manager, and the “exceptional succession planning” he instituted; voting to approve the Village at Leesburg mixed-use development and negotiating numerous proffers for the town, including the upfront construction of the River Creek Parkway interchange and money for projects at Ida Lee Park; and keeping the town tax rate low, especially during the recession. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Dec. 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28, 2016 LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

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[ PUBLIC SAFETY ]

Grand Jury Indicts Lewis for Girlfriend’s Death LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT A Loudoun grand jury has indicted Darrick Lee Lewis on charges of first-degree murder and five other felony counts in connection with the April 2 domestic-related shooting death of Christina Fisher in Leesburg. The charges were referred to the grand jury following a preliminary hearing before Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court Judge Avelina S. Jacob last month. Lewis is being held without bond at Loudoun Adult Detention Center. A seven-day trial is scheduled in Loudoun Circuit Court beginning Nov. 13, 2017. Lewis, 30, and Fisher had two children together. The shooting happened in Fisher’s townhouse in Leesburg’s Brandon neighborhood. According to testimony at last month’s hearing, Leesburg Police Detective Doug Shaw interviewed Lewis after the shooting. Lewis said he had been planning a birthday party for himself and his son at his father’s house in Middleburg. He expected Fisher, who he described as his on-again off-again girlfriend, to come to the birthday celebration, and when she told him on the phone that she wouldn’t, Lewis came to her house in Leesburg.

Darrick Lee Lewis

When he arrived at Fisher’s home, he went upstairs—carrying a Romanian-made, civilian version of the AKM, a modern version of the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle, which Lewis told police he was bringing in from the car to put away. He said he found Fisher in her son’s bedroom, she grabbed the rifle, the two struggled, and the gun went off. Loudoun Master Deputy Matt Devaney, a crime scene investigator, testified that he found a .762 caliber bullet casing and three bullet fragments, one on the floor, two in the mattress. The bullet struck

[ BRIEFS ] Online Threats Land Student in Jail A student is in custody after allegedly making threats against the Douglass School in Leesburg. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, the juvenile posted threatening comments on social media sites on Oct. 24 and Dec. 7. He was arrested Dec. 15 and has been charged with two counts of electronically threatening to harm a school. The Class 6 felony carries a sentence of up to a year in jail. The student is being held at the Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center.

New D.A.R.E. Officers Certified

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Fisher on a downward trajectory. Fisher was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital where she died before investigators arrived. Lewis told investigators that the gun went off accidentally during a struggle. After the shooting, he returned to his father’s house in Middleburg, but called the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office to turn himself in shortly thereafter. He told Shaw that there was a lot going on in his life, and that he wanted to give his side of the story, and Shaw said Lewis was cooperative throughout. Lewis claimed to have called 911, although Shaw said he found no evidence of that. The rifle, a WASR-10, was recovered on the lawn of his father’s house. Fisher, 34, was the mother of three children. Her death caused an outpouring of mourning and support in the community, including a candlelight vigil and a crowdfunding effort to cover her funeral expenses. In addition to murder, Lewis is charged with use of firearm in commission of a felony, assault with serious injury to person with protective order, breaking and entering while armed, possession of a firearm by convicted felon, and possession/transport firearms ammunition by convicted felon.

Three of the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office’s school resource officers graduated from the Virginia Drug Abuse and Resistance Education Association’s D.A.R.E. Officer Training School. Deputy First Class Rachel Burnett, Senior Deputy Mike Cenate and Deputy First Class Joshua Goddard completed the two-week course and will begin teaching D.A.R.E in their assigned schools this school year. The D.A.R.E. program has been taught to all fifth graders at county elementary schools since 1987. Sheriff Mike Chapman expanded the program into middle schools for sixth graders in 2012. Deputies provide D.A.R.E. instruction to more than 12,000 students each school year.

[ CRIME LOG ]

Wednesday, Dec. 14 LARCENY 120 block of Woodgate Court, Sterling Someone removed holiday lights from the front yard.

Friday, Dec. 16 SHOPLIFTING 24600 block of Dulles Landing Drive, Sterling Two suspects took merchandise from the store. Matthew T. Trudell, 18, of Leesburg, was apprehended and charged with grand larceny and possession of marijuana.

SHOPLIFTING 21000 block of Dulles Town Circle, Sterling Seema N. Sundrani, 40, of Leesburg, was charged with grand larceny after allegedly taking merchandise from a store.

LARCENY 1800 block of North Brunswick Street, Sterling A resident returned home to find the front door open and camera missing.

LARCENY 17300 block of Arrowwood Place, Round Hill After learning of other thefts from cars in the area on Dec. 7, the resident reported a firearm was taken from his vehicle.

Saturday, Dec. 17 DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY 20000 block of Charter Oak Drive, Ashburn Someone cut the homeowner’s holiday lights overnight.

SUSPICIOUS PERSON 20900 block of Timber Ridge Terrace, Ashburn Deputies were called to check on a man sleeping on the landing of an apartment complex. Gregory C. Morrison, 22, of New Jersey, was determined to be wanted on a robbery warrant and was taken into custody.

Sunday, Dec. 18 LCSO Releases Video of Round Hill Theft Suspects The Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office last week released surveillance video of two suspects believed to be involved in series of larcenies from vehicles in the Round Hill area. Overnight on Dec. 7, numerous vehicles along Main Street were entered. In one case, two firearms were taken from an unlocked vehicle. Investigators located video surveillance of two subjects rummaging through a vehicle in the area during the same general time of the thefts. The video can be viewed at sheriff.loudoun.gov/ RoundHillThefts. Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to contact Detective T. Sheffer at 703-737-8203 or to submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office app, available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

DRUNK IN PUBLIC Seneca Ridge Drive/Augusta Drive, Sterling Deputies were called to assist with a man who fled from a taxi without paying. Albert C. Hoang Luu, 24, of Herndon, was charged with public intoxication.

Monday, Dec. 19 UNDERAGE DRINKING 20000 block of Flatboat Court, Sterling Deputies were called to assist the rescue squad at a home with an unconscious male teen. They determined there had been a party with juveniles. Austin B. Heiden, 20, was charged with underage possession of alcohol, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and drunk in public.

Dec. 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28, 2016

loudounnow.com

Board Delays Vote on AntiDiscrimination Policy Change

[ E D U C AT I O N ]

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

loudounnow.com

BY DANIELLE NADLER

Loudoun Now/File Photo

Dominion High School Principal John Brewer stands with students on graduation day.

Support for Brewer Builds as Dominion’s Interim Principal Named BY DANIELLE NADLER “Bring Brewer Back!” Signs with the simple message were displayed throughout the School Board meeting room last week, written by current and former Dominion High School students, parents and staff members in support of Principal John Brewer. The 2010 principal of the year has been on leave for almost three weeks. School system administrators have said they cannot specify why Brewer is on leave or whether it is voluntary, but

[ SCHOOL NOTES ] Inauguration Day Will Be a School Day Loudoun County students and teachers will be asked to report to school on Inauguration Day, despite a request from some to declare it a system-wide holiday. The School Board voted 7-2 last week to follow its calendar adopted a year ago and to hold classes on Jan. 20. Board members Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) and Eric DeKenipp (Catoctin) opposed the motion, preferring the school day be canceled. “Some say it’s too late in the calendar year to make this change. But in 2008, the decision [to cancel classes for Inauguration Day] was made on Nov. 11. The precedent was set,” DeKenipp said. DeKenipp has five tickets to the

the move came as Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office launched an investigation of Brian Damron, who served as Dominion’s band director from July 2012 to January 2015 under the leadership of Brewer. The Sheriff ’s Office’s investigation was prompted by reports from a 15-year-old student in Jacksonville, FL, that Damron had made sexual advances toward him. Duval County Public Schools in Florida hired Damron last year after he abruptly resigned from Loudoun County Public Schools. School records show that Brewer, and

inauguration ceremony of president-elect Donald J. Trump. He pointed out that the School Board voted to alter the already adopted calendar to cancel school Jan. 20, 2009, for the first inauguration of President Barack Obama. School was also out for Obama’s second inauguration in 2013, but because it fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Board member Debbie Rose (Algonkian) countered his point, and noted that over the past 20-plus years, more often than not, Inauguration Day has been an instructional day in Loudoun. “In January, we have many days off, which is very hard on our kids and our teachers who have to get our kids back on track,” Rose said. Superintendent Eric Williams recommended holding classes that day, only because he did not want the calendar that had been set a year ago altered.

another Loudoun administrator, wrote letters of recommendations that Damron submitted to Duval County Public Schools, as part of his application. The investigation is looking into whether any criminal activity took place in Loudoun. As of Monday, the investigation was still ongoing. Bill Raye, former principal at Horizon Elementary School, has been appointed as Dominion’s interim principal. BREWER >> 16

Students who choose to attend the inauguration or watch it on television at home will accrue an excused absence that day, because they would be missing classes for educational reasons, according to Williams. Rose, and a few board members, suggested the board adopt a policy that offers a guideline on whether, going forward, Inauguration Day is a school holiday to avoid a last-minute, politically charged decision.

Next Year’s Calendar Comes with Lengthy Winter Break The 2017-2018 school calendar adopted last week will give students another long winter break and a pre-Labor Day start. The School Board voted unanimously last week to green light Option D, taking into account feedback they received from students, parents and school employees who weighed in via

The Loudoun County School Board has decided to hold off on any changes to the school system’s anti-discrimination policy. Board members were expected last week to weigh in on whether “sexual orientation and gender identity” should be added to a list of characteristics protected from discrimination specifically stated in policy. Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) first suggested the board delay the much-anticipated vote until school division attorney Stephen DeVita returns from leave. “There’s no rush on this, and I think we need to make sure we do it right, as best as we can,” he said. Several board members indicated that they wanted to ask DeVita whether the law allows them to delete the other 11 characteristics that are specified in the current policy, in the spirit of dropping labels all together. Nearly 30 people spoke during the Dec. 13 board meeting in support of adding language to specifically protect lesbian, gay, transgender and queer employees and students to policy. Many of the speakers said those labels describe them or their children, and not spelling them out in policy means they are left unprotected. Jamie Gregg, whose child is transgender, recently met with her school principal. “We were told by the principal as long as we didn’t rock the boat and exercise our rights, all would be fine,” she said. She encouraged the board to include the language in policy to provide guidance in how to treat employees and students who identify as LGBTQ. “Without a policy, these students, administrators and teachers DELAY >> 18

an online survey. Teachers will report to school Wednesday, Aug. 16, and the first day of classes is Thursday, Aug. 24. The last day of classes will be Wednesday, June 13. The adopted calendar includes two countywide staff development days that are student holidays, Monday, Oct. 23, and Monday, April 2. It also includes an 11-day winter break and a spring break March 26-30. School Board member Jill Turgeon (Blue Ridge) said she supports having a couple of mid-year staff development days, as oppose to scheduling them all before the school year. She also spoke in favor of a longer winter break to give both students and teachers time to recharge. “It allows families to have a little more time for winter holidays for travel,” she said. “When I taught, many of the students would visit family, sometimes outside of the country.”

Dec. 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28, 2016

loudounnow.com

16 loudounnow.com

Brewer << FROM 14

dnadler@loudounnow.com

Hornberger (Ashburn) would have reassigned those students to Stone Hill Middle School/Rock Ridge High School. Joy Maloney (Broad Run), the lone vote opposing Plan 8, said she favored Plan 7 because it would have dropped enrollment at Eagle Ridge Middle School and Briar Woods High School. Board members who backed Plan 8 said they think, in the coming years, every available seat will be needed at Stone Hill Middle School and Rock Ridge High School, especially as Metro’s Silver Line draws more residents. Plus, projections show enrollment declining at Eagle Ridge and Briar Woods. “Plan 8 is a strategic plan,” Morse said. “We pay the piper up front with overcrowding because we know what’s coming down the road. The footprint of Stone Hill and Rock Ridge has over 6,000 unbuilt units—they’re coming and we don’t know how fast they’re coming.” See details of the adopted plan at bit.ly/2gUrGmz.

But the dozens who spoke in front of the Loudoun County School Board at its Dec. 13 meeting asked for their school leader back. They described him as one of the county’s most beloved educators. They said he is the principal who arrives at school early and leaves late, spends most of his weekends attending students’ games and performances, and starts each school year by visiting every new student’s home to greet them in person. “He’s the kind of man that Hollywood would make movies about,” Ajay Chadha, a parent, said when addressing the School Board. He said Brewer takes the time to memorize every student’s name, that’s 300 new names each school year. “All I ask is that you reinstate Dr. Brewer so Hollywood can see a happy ending.” Pat Mancuso noted that Brewer helped get Generosity Feeds off the ground several years ago, and it’s now a national movement to feed hungry children. She described the principal as a man of “immeasurable character.” “To have his reputation tarnished like this—we ask you to be quick and fair in getting judgment and reinstate him,” she said. After the lengthy public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting, Superintendent Eric Williams did not specifically address the situation at Dominion, but offered a few words for those who packed the boardroom. “I want to acknowledge the input that’s been provided,” he said. “I appreciate the dedication of our speakers— from our students, to our staff members, and to our school communities. And please know that board members and staff members carefully consider all information in making the decisions regarding the topics that have been addressed.” Wayde Byard, the school system’s public information officer, said very little information can be released about Brewer’s leave or Damron’s investigation because they are personnel matters that the law requires to remain private. A petition at Change.org in support of Brewer has more than 1,700 signatures.

Loudoun Now/File Photo

Starting in 2018, Mercer Middle School, shown here, will serve sixth and seventh graders, while the new MS-7 middle school will house grades eight and nine, and John Champe High School will serve grades 10 through 12 until a new high school opens in 2020.

New Middle School Will Operate as Intermediate School to Handle Dulles Enrollment Surge BY DANIELLE NADLER For a second time in the county’s history, Loudoun will operate an intermediate school to get over an enrollment hump until a new high school can open. The Loudoun County School Board last week adopted new attendance zone boundaries that reassign several hundred secondary students in preparation for the opening of a new middle school (MS-7) in 2018 and a new high school (HS-9) in 2020. And, as part of shifting school assignments, the board also approved a big move designed to provide much-needed relief to crowded schools in the Dulles South area. They agreed to open MS-7 in 2018 as an intermediate school, housing grades eight and nine, while sixth and seventh graders attend Mercer Middle School, and 10th through 12th graders attend John Champe High School. If county supervisors and School Board members can accelerate the construction of HS-9, to open in 2020, then the intermediate option would be used for two years instead of three. “I don’t see that it’s possible to not

use the intermediate school solution,” School Board Jeff Morse (Dulles) said of the outside-the-box option. Ahead of the opening of Woodgrove High School in 2010, Harmony Middle School in Hamilton served as an intermediate school for western Loudoun students. Blue Ridge District representative on the board, Jill Turgeon’s kids attended Harmony when it served sixthrough ninth-graders and had a great experience. “I never saw it as something I was looking to avoid,” she said. “I hope moving forward the public can see this as a positive solution for our students.” On the boundary changes, board members agreed on how the attendance lines should be drawn south of Rt. 50—that students living south of Rt. 50 should attend schools south of that major roadway—but there was disagreement on boundaries in the Brambleton area. At its Dec. 13 meeting, the board voted 8-1 to adopt Plan 8, drafted by Morse. The plan keeps students living in the Belle Terra community at Eagle Ridge Middle School/Briar Woods High School. An alternate proposal, Plan 7, drafted by Chairman Eric

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Members of the audience at the Dec. 13 School Board meeting hold signs to urge the school system to specify the protection of gay and transgender employees and students in policy.

Delay << FROM 14 have nothing to use as guidance. It seems they are making things up as they go.” A handful of people spoke in support of keeping the policy language as is, but they did not receive a warm response from the crowd. Meg Killgannon and Bethany Kozme, both from Fairfax County, told the board they were providing voices from the future. They were told ahead of Fairfax County Public Schools’ decision last year to add sexual orientation and gender identity

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to its anti-discrimination policy that it would better protect students. But, they said, it has actually caused harm. “I beg you not to pass this,” Kozme said, adding that she was a victim of sexual assault. “All are equal except girls who don’t want to have a bisexual boy in their shower or locker room. … Do you really want to enable threats like this?” A few in the audience hissed at the two women on their way back to their seats. The earliest the School Board will take a vote on the policy is after the new year, at its next regular meeting Jan. 10. dnadler@loudounnow.com

Dec. 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 28, 2016

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[ OUR TOWNS ]

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

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OVERWHELMED Waterford Pursues Traffic Reduction, Partnership with Historic Villages BY MARGARET MORTON

arnings about heavy cut-through traffic rumbling through the historic village of Waterford have been cited as far back as the 1987 Waterford Area Management Plan. It’s a warning that’s come home to roost. Waterford Citizens Association President Wendy Roseberry says the topic is at the top of the organization’s “must do” list. The group made progress in June when the Loudoun Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Geary Higgins’ (R-Catoctin) request for a grant to conduct a traffic study of the area, authorizing $82,500 for that pur-

pose and directing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure to set the process in motion. But leaders in the National Historic Landmark village know they are not alone in the fight. During a meeting of the Loudoun Coalition for Preservation and Conservation this year, it became evident that many of the county’s older villages face similar challenges because of their locations on long-established roads. “Wendy and [Waterford Foundation Preservation Director] Margaret Good and other coalition members were concerned with cut-through traffic,” said Coalition President Al Van Huyck. When Roseberry cited the county study and pointed out the problem of cut-through traffic, others shared the same concerns, including Ard Geller,

Loudoun Now/File Photo

The Waterford Citizens Association wants to reduce the cut-through traffic in the town.

president of the Lincoln Preservation Foundation, and Mitch Diamond, representing Unison. As a result of those talks, a special rural village traffic workshop is being planned next spring, after the Waterford study is completed. It also became evident that traffic is not the only problem shared by the rural villages. That has spurred talks of forming a coalition of representatives from the county’s small historic communities. What form the coalition would take is still up in the air. Roseberry, Van Huyck and others are contemplating an email platform to share ideas and to promote stronger policies to protect villages as the county’s comprehensive plan is updated. After attending one of the recent Envision Loudoun listening sessions, Roseberry said the county was on board with the goal of protecting its historic villages from cut-through traffic, using Waterford as the model. Roseberry, who was elected pres-

ident of the WCA in January, previously chaired the association’s Traffic Committee. She was told by a local law enforcement representative that the village had around 3,000 commuting trips per day. That led to the push that resulted in the county grant. The Traffic Committee is now chaired by Mary Sheehan, who is looking at the county’s Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District as a model that could help protect Waterford and other villages. Adopted in 2002, the overlay district applies to a network of 32 mostly rural, unpaved roads in southwestern Loudoun and enacts protections for trees, walls and other features that line them. “We’ve seen the traffic at rush hour increase substantially,” Sheehan said. The traffic study will show where cars are coming from and where they are going. The WCA hopes the results would qualify the village for the Virginia Residential Cut Through program, which could result in measures to discourage through traffic. “Waterford streets are being used by arterial commuters—from Routes 15, 7 and 9,” she said. “The data will be the first thing—where is it that people are coming from. We hope to identify the bottlenecks. We understand commuters want to streamline their alternatives, but we need to protect the landmark and be stewards of it,” Sheehan said. Meredith Imwalle, who chairs the WCA’s Preservation Committee, agrees the county’s villages are at a disadvantage because they have no formal government system to protect them. “It’s not that we don’t want commuters; we want them to engage with us and not just drive through,” she said, calling the informal findings of 3,000 vehicles per day passing through Waterford’s narrow streets as “mind boggling.” It’s not the first time the village has tried to ease its traffic problems. The Waterford Foundation and the WCA in 2003 launched the Bury the Wires and Calm the Traffic Initiative, but only succeeded in completing the traffic-calming portion of the project—mainly adding more stop signs at village intersections. mmorton@loudounnow.com

Purcellville Council Readies for Sale, Lease of Town Properties BY MARGARET MORTON During a marathon Dec. 13 meeting that stretched past midnight, the Purcellville Town Council closed out its business for the year. Among the 14 items on the agenda were several that dealt with townowned properties. The council unanimously approved a special use permit to allow transitional housing at the town-owned home at 781 S. 20th St. The property has been leased for nine years by Good Shepherd Alliance for its Mary’s House of Hope that provides temporary housing for women and children. The action clears the way for the Good Shepherd Alliance to close on the purchase of the property by the end of the month. The town is selling the property for $300,000; the property is assessed at $344,000. The town’s former maintenance facility also is getting new life. The coun-

cil unanimously approved a special use permit to allow a makerspace operation as a permitted use in the townowned buildings at 785 and 787 S. 20th Street. The town has been in negotiation with Makersmiths over a proposed four-year, 11-month lease for the property. Makersmiths is a nonprofit that provides users with tools and gadgets, from 3D printers to laser cutters—even down to simple craft materials like paper and glue—to encourage creation and innovation. The draft lease envisions a payment of $250 a month for the first year; $1,250 a month in year two; $2,250 a month in years three through five, for a total rent of $99,000. Makersmiths would pay for utilities and maintain the structure and make at least $25,000 capital investment in the property annually. The town hopes to sign the lease in January. The town’s Parks and Recreation Committee also got approval to push

ahead with its exploration of building a “pump track”-style bicycle park on the water treatment plant property along South 20th Street. According to the staff report, a pump track is a small track using as little as 300 square feet of land and is a looping trail system of berms and “rollers” for bicycling without the rider pedaling. The name comes from the pumping motion used by the cyclist’s upper and lower body as they ride. Such a project could cost as little as $5,000 and as much as $149,000, according to materials provided to the council. The future of Fireman’s Field is still uncertain, although the council approved a motion to extend the lease with the county for one more year through the end of 2017 while the Town Council explores options to generate more revenue from the property. The council deadlocked on an early morning 3-3 tie vote on a motion to authorize staff to continue recruiting

a paralegal position to assist the town attorney that had been authorized in the spring as part of the adopted fiscal year 2017 budget. Only six members of council were present at the time. Town Manager Rob Lohr will give the council a full report on staffing needs and recruitment status at its Jan. 10 meeting. Among other actions on the night’s long agenda, the council deferred until January Patricia DiPalma-Kipfer’s request for a town-initiated rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment to permit mixed commercial development on her property next to Catoctin Corner at the east end of town; voted to not proceed with any requests for non-potable water connections pending discussions with its utility rate consultant; and formally established the Purcellville Arts Council as a permanent town committee. mmorton@loudounnow.com

[ TOWN NOTES ]

Four Apply for Town Attorney Post

Council Serves Up Staff Appreciation

Steward Publishes Debut Novel Writer and Paeonian Springs resident Ann Marie Stewart has just published her debut novel, “Stars in the Grass.” Stewart writes for The Country Register as well as Mentoring Moments, is a substitute teacher in Loudoun County, and directs music for Main Street Theatre—currently for a production Stewart of “Annie, Jr.” at Harmony Middle School. “Stars in the Grass” is set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, and tells a haunting tale of a family that struggles to face life after the heart-wrenching loss of its youngest son in an accident. The first-person narrative is told by 9-year-old Abby McAndrews, who describes how her seemingly idyllic family life was torn to pieces in the aftermath of the loss, as different members struggle to come to terms with the tragedy and their ensuing grief, guilt and loss—eventually arriving at being able to celebrate continuing life. The book will be released by Barbour Publishing on Feb. 1 under the Shiloh Run Press imprint. For more information, go to annmariestewart.com.

Lovettsville

Financial Documents Go Online in Transparency Push Mayor Kwasi Fraser has achieved a goal he set during his first council meeting in 2014—the launch of a financial transparency service through the OpenGov online platform. Although the mayor’s proposal did not succeed in 2014, the council last September approved the move to OpenGov, to bring “visibility, openness and accountability to town operations.” The site is now live at purcellvilleva. gov/opengov.

The OpenGov platform gives residents the ability to view and analyze the town’s entire financial data, monthly and annually. Visitors can download the data for offline analysis and share it on social media. The mayor stated the platform would take the complexity out of the financial reporting process by “democratizing our data in a meaningful and easy to understand way for our stakeholders,” which in turn will bring confidence in the council’s decision-making process. The service is used widely across the nation and locally by Leesburg and Winchester. The cost to Purcellville is just over $8,300 per year of a threeyear contract.

SOLD $245,000

SOLD $399,900

SOLD $444,900

SOLD $445,000

SOLD $549,000

SOLD $775,000

SOLD $335,000

High Water Usage Troubles Residents The town is not the only municipality that is facing concerns expressed by residents over water and sewer rates, but Mayor Bob Zoldos has responded to the issue in his weekly newsletter, and offered to sit down with residents along with Town Manager Laszlo Palko to explain “the complex issue.” Although social media postings cited a larger problem, the actual number of customers who reported concerns about high water usage reflected in their bills was 10 during the Cycle 3 billing, representing 1.2 percent of the town’s 780 water accounts, Zoldos wrote. About 22 reports were received for 2016 in total concerning the quantity of water usage reported by the town. Zoldos also said 7 out of 10 reports of high bills relating to water usage were in the New Town Meadows subdivision, where homes are now about a decade old. He advised homeowners to check their toilets, outside taps and faucets carefully for leaks. Zoldos has directed Palko to investigate the utility concerns and report to the council at its next meeting Jan. 19.

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SOLD $235,000

Most towns do something special for their town staff members during the holidays, and at least for the past decade the Middleburg Town Council has shown its appreciation by providing lunch for its employees. Last Friday, council members decorated tables in the council chamber and provided their own specialty dish for the employee appreciation lunch. “It’s really nice. We appreciate it hugely,” Town Administrator Martha Mason Semmes said last week. Economic Development Coordinator Cindy Pearson reacted with relish, and gratitude, with each dish brought by the council members. New Councilman Bridge Littleton brought chili with all the fixings, as well as chicken tenders—in honor of his father, former Town Councilman Trowbridge Littleton, who always brought chicken to the annual lunch. Peter Leonard-Morgan, also new to council, came with shepherd’s pie; Kevin Daley brought “an adult version of green bean casserole” and mac and cheese; and a third new council member, Phillip Miller, supplied some substantial and tasty hors d’oeuvres. Mayor Betsy David brought ham and rolls; Mark Snyder provided coffee and cold drinks; and Kevin Hazard provided a great salad with dates and

Paeonian Springs

Purcellville

The Middleburg Town Council is reviewing candidates to fill the town attorney post that will fall vacant at the end of the year. Town Attorney Angie Plowman gave notice in November of her intent to step down this month. She cited an increasing workload with her private sector clients and the need to spend more time outside Loudoun County. Plowman, the wife of Loudoun C om m on wealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman, has served as Middleburg’s town attorney since 2012. Town Administrator Martha Mason Semmes Plowman said four candidates have applied for consideration. She, Mayor Betsy Davis and Vice Mayor Darleen Kirk reviewed them over the weekend. Davis said interviews would start at the beginning of the year so the new attorney would be in place by the end of the month, or early in February. The appointment will be made by a vote of the full Town Council. Davis thanked Plowman for her service. “She worked hard, and we trusted her decisions and advice,” she said. Semmes also praised Plowman. “She’s been a very effective advocate for the town, handling a wide variety of legal affairs for the town. She has always been very accessible and helpful.”

pine nuts, while his wife contributed her famous lemon cake. Vice Mayor Darleen Kirk finished off the council contributions with “the best potato salad you ever put in your mouth,” and chocolate cake, Pearson said.

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Middleburg

[ BIZ ]

[ BRIEFS ]

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Orbital ATK Offers STEM Education Program

A New Plan:

Neustar Going Private Sterling-based Neustar will go private under a deal with Golden Gate Capital valued at $2.9 billion. The deal was announced Dec. 14. Founded as a division of Lockheed Martin in 1998, Neustar came to prominence as the administrator of the North American Numbering Plan for phone numbers and the manager of internet IP addresses. It lost that $450 million annual contract to Telcordia Technologies Inc. in 2014. Neustar is expected to continue to provide the service for several more years as the companies work on transition issues and a contract award challenge filed by Neustar works through the court system. In recent years, the company has become a leader in mining big data to provide real-time analytics to marketers. Several acquisitions put Neustar at the forefront of the digital monitoring products industry, including TARGUSinfo in 2011, Aggregate Knowledge in 2013 and,

Courtesy of Dave Morgan

County Considers Moving Up Tax Filing Deadline BY RENSS GREENE

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

most recently, MarketShare a year ago. In June, the company announced plans to split into two publicly traded companies—one focusing on its call routing services and the other on marketing and security services. San Francisco-based Golden Gate Capital had a stake of about 2.4 million shares in Neustar as of Sept. 30. The private investment group will pay $1.8 billion, with stockholders receiving $33.50 per share in cash. That’s a 21 percent increase over Tuesday’s closing price and 45 percent higher than the stock price on Nov. 11 when Golden Gate Capital’ filed disclosures its equity position. Neustar is among Loudoun’s largest private sector employers with more than 500 employees, according to the county’s Department of Economic Development. The deal is expected to lock in on Jan. 13 and to close by the third calendar quarter of 2017.

Loudoun supervisors are considering moving the filing deadline for the business tangible personal property tax deadline from April 15 to March 1. The change could give the county better revenue forecasts but the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce worries it may increase costs to businesses. The proposal would not change the payment deadline or amount due. According to a staff report from the Commissioner of the Revenue Robert S. Wertz Jr., revenues from the tax have increased significantly over the years, from $70 million in 2013 to about $155 million in 2016, mostly because of data center growth. Because it is a self-reported tax, it is

difficult for the county to predict revenues from the tax. Wertz says the earlier deadline would give the county a better idea of what tax revenues to expect before setting the real estate tax in April. But the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, while not openly opposing the measure, has worried it could put an additional burden on businesses, and has encouraged businesses to reach out to their supervisors if they have concerns. Businesses both file and pay another tax, the Business Professional and Occupational License tax, on March 1. Chamber leaders expressed concerns that moving the tangible personal property tax to the same date would increase confusion and concentrate workload around one due date. It

would also move the filing date away from the federal income tax filing date. “For many businesses, particularly small or sole proprietor businesses, keeping up with regulatory requirements, like tax filings, can be a significant cost in terms of money and time,” the chamber wrote. The Chamber’s government affairs manager, Brian Fauls, asked the board to delay a vote on the matter to give the county and business community more time to figure out unintended consequences. “If it does improve the accuracy of the county’s revenue forecast, which could lead to a more stable or even lower real property tax rate, that’s a FILING DEADLINE >> 23

Higher Orbits next month will host its first Go For Launch! program in the region at Orbital ATK’s Dulles headquarters. High school students will have the opportunity to participate in the three-day program that uses space exploration as a platform to engage students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; teamwork; communication; and leadership. Students will learn about human spaceflight and receive insight and feedback through a variety of hands-on activities delivered by experienced space and STEM professionals. Speakers scheduled to participate include retired Astronauts Frank Culbertson and Don Thomas, former ISS Flight Controller and Astronaut Instructor Michelle Lucas. “Encouraging students to excel in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is an Orbital ATK core value,” stated Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK Space Systems Group. “We are honored to host this next generation of space explorers at our headquarters in Dulles, Virginia and inspire them to design innovative science experiments that could be flown to the International Space Station aboard our Cygnus spacecraft. By using our campus as a test bed for these activities, we can provide a team of mentors, teachers and role models that will guide these students towards new adventures in deep space exploration and beyond.” The students will be challenged to develop an ideas space experiments, with a panel of judges selected candidate will compete to have their project launched into space. A Go For Launch! Project is scheduled for transport to the International Space Station next year. The program runs Jan. 14-16. For registration and details, go to goforlaunch.space.

Ashburn Toy Company Highlights African History Tiffney Laing of Ashburn has launched a new toy company, Ancestors & Descendants, with the goal of teaching children BIZ BRIEFS >> 23

[ BIZ BRIEFS ] about African American history and leadership. The company launched its first product, the History Makers Puzzle Block Set, in October. The 30-piece wooden block puzzle set allows children to stack, create, learn the alphabet, words, numbers and colors and is designed to help improve problem solving, memory and motor skills. Learn more at ancestorsdescendants.com.

Filing deadline << FROM 22

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benefit for all Loudouners,” Fauls said at a public hearing Dec. 14. “We get that. Having said all that, it is not time-sensitive to do this tonight and we would ask you to do just a little more due diligence.” Wertz said he had reached out to 10 of the county’s biggest businesses, but heard back from only one, Amazon Web Services. “Speak now or forever hold your peace, because I understand there were concerns, and I’m not completely convinced that all these concerns have been allayed,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). “But at the same time, nobody’s here other than the chamber to communicate those to us. Absent those concerns, I will support this item, because I see the benefits.” If approved, the new deadline would take effect in 2018. The board voted unanimously to forward the decision to a January meeting.

due to their high level of diversity and for the large number of students from underserved populations. The program will offer training to teachers and counselors within the schools to teach them the importance of the cybersecurity field and to relay the needs expressed by employers in Northern Virginia. Students will attend activities and have the chance to learn about the growing field of cybersecurity. They will participate in internships and “job-shadow” opportunities and will achieve a cybersecurity credential while still in high school. They will then move through NVCC and, ideally, go on to graduate from four-year institutions prepared to succeed in the in-demand, high-paying field.

King Spa has applied to open a 62,500-square-foot spa and sauna in the East Gate Marketplace along Rt. 50. Based in Illinois, the company operates Korean-style spas, or jimjibangs, near Chicago and in Dallas. The Loudoun spa would include dry saunas, recreational and therapeutic pools, relaxation spaces and an organic restaurant. The commercial center’s zoning permits operation of a health and fitness center, but the spa has applied for a zoning administrator’s determination to confirm that its development plans comply.

Abercrombie & Fitch Ann Taylor Banana Republic Bare Minerals The Cheesecake Factory Fink’s Jewelers Forever 21 Francesca’s Godiva Chocolatier H&M Hollister JCPenney Jos. A. Bank Clothiers LOFT Lord & Taylor Macy’s Nordstrom Old Navy Pandora P.F. Chang’s PINK Regal Cinemas Swarovski Teavana Vans Victoria’s Secret Zumiez & more

increase students’ exposure to these career fields, locking in their interest and giving them tracks to run on to get to the goal fully credentialed and ready to go.” Catherine Foca, president of the Capital One Foundation, said in a statement, “We are pleased to provide this funding, which will provide a great opportunity for students within economically-disadvantaged areas to experience the promise of a growing, in-demand career field, and it will help the region by preparing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.” NVCC will work as part of a cohort of 14 community colleges in Washington, DC, Maryland, New York and Texas to develop a pilot program with two Prince William County public high schools— Forest Park and Potomac—both chosen

LOUDOUN NOW | NEWS |

King Spa Plans South Riding Location

The Capital One Foundation gave Northern Virginia Community College a $100,000 grant to help develop its Cybersecurity Career Pathways Project. The project will be designed to support middle and high school students in Northern Virginia who have an interest in pursuing careers in cybersecurity. A statement from the community college said that the project will whet the appetite of a future generation of cyber workers and eventually fill a regional and national skills gap that will only continue to widen in the coming years. “We’re addressing industry needs early on,” Steve Partridge, NVCC’s vice president of Workforce Development stated. “We are working with the Capital One Foundation to address the high-skill need in Northern Virginia by working to

23 Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

<< FROM 22

Capital One Gives $100K to Cybersecurity Educational Pathway

[ NONPROFIT NEWS ]

loudounnow.com

Working for You: Bridle Paths

Comedy Night featuring 106.7 The Fan’s

Rouhier

Danny

with Lafayette Wright and Dylan Meyer 12/23/16 8:30 PM (Doors 7:30)

Pat McGee’s

New Year’s Eve Bash! 12/31/16 8:00 PM (Doors 8:00)

The Legends of the Gridiron featuring

John Riggins, Joe Jacoby, and Dexter Manley Presented by McLean Mortgage

01/06/17 08:00 PM (Doors: 07:30)

Peoples Blues of Richmond with Higher Education

01/07/17 08:30 PM (Doors: 07:30)

The 9 Singer Songwriter Series 01/13/17 08:00 PM (Doors: 07:30)

SAM GROW with

Scott Kurt

Bridle Paths is a nonprofit based in Leesburg that offers innovative trails to connection, in partnership with horses. Our mission is to provide strength, support, and healing to individuals and families through safe, effective, and high-quality equine-assisted activities and therapies. Bridle Paths offers a combination of mounted and unmounted programs to benefit individuals and families coping with a nexus of mental, physical, and behavioral challenges, and provides a safe and supportive environment where clients can be honest and authentic, think clearly about their challenges, and achieve growth, learning, and healing. Using the ground-based activities of equine-assisted psychotherapy and the mounted and horsemanship activities of therapeutic riding, Bridle Paths programs can benefit both families and the community. The program serves those with a wide variety of needs and diagnoses, including ADHD, anxiety and depression, autism spectrum disorders, brain injuries, cognitive impairments, genetic issues, post-traumatic stress, and trauma. We see an increasing need in the community for programs that foster

the development of relationships and connection, and horses are a great way to meet those needs. In particular, we seek to provide more equine-assisted programming for military families, trauma survivors, and young adults with special needs seeking to improve social and life skills as they transition to post-secondary education or employment. Community support is essential to the continued vitality of the Bridle Paths program, and every dollar counts. All of our sessions are provided on a volunteer basis, and all funds received go directly to the care of our horses. We strive to provide affordable sessions to our clients, and client revenues cover less than half of our current operating costs. Volunteers are critical to our program, and can help in a variety of ways, including with therapeutic riding lessons and horse and facility operations. Volunteers also provide support with special projects, including events and photography. Contact us to find out

Bridle Paths Program President Katie Fallon

how you can help; we’re certain to have a match for your skills and interests. For more information, go to bridlepathsva.org, or call 571-216-9089. — Katie Fallon Program President, Bridle Paths

Working for You is a rotating column providing space for Loudoun’s nonprofit leaders to let readers know what they do and how they can help the cause. To participate in the program, email editor@loudounnow.com.

01/14/17 08:30 PM (Doors: 07:30)

The Black Lillies 01/19/17 08:30 PM (Doors: 07:30)

Trial By Fire: A Tribute to

Journey

01/21/17 08:30 PM (Doors: 07:30)

TEN: The Ultimate Tribute to

Pearl Jam

01/27/17 08:30 PM (Doors: 07:30)

Emmet Swimming with ebo (reunion!)

01/28/17 8:30 PM (Doors 7:30)

Walker McGuire 02/03/17 08:00 PM (Doors: 07:00)

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A couple of budding artists take part in a painting workshop at Art Station in the Village at Leesburg. The studio is open over winter break, offering arts and craft workshops to keep kids busy.

The Winter Break Breakdown Plenty of Ways to Ward Off Cabin Fever

BY JAN MERCKER

his season’s unusual scenario with Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on weekends leaves a wide-open string of winter break weekdays to fill up. Whether you’re hosting out-of-town guests or just looking to shake the cabin fever and blow off some steam, we’ve got some suggestions for a week of fun to keep your family active and entertained.

Monday Dec. 26 Morven Park

its historic Davis Mansion on weekends but it will open its doors every day Dec. 26-30 from noon to 5 p.m. (last guided tour starts at 4 p.m.). It’s a great chance to check out the mansion decorated for Christmas before it closes for the month of January. In addition to guided mansion tours, Morven Park features self-guided tours of the Winmill Carriage Museum and the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, also on site. Admission for all three museums is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger. Morven Park is at 17195 Southern Planter Lane in Leesburg. Go to morvenpark.org for more information.

Farm Lane in Sterling. See details at loudounmuseum.com.

Tuesday, Dec. 27

Wednesday Dec. 28

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Home for the Holidays at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum

Morven Park

The gorgeous, 1000-acre estate near Leesburg generally only offers tours of

Take a step back in time over the break at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. This nonprofit dedicated to preserving Loudoun’s agricultural history offers a one-day, post-Christmas Home for The Holidays event featuring story-times, a chance for kiddos to create their own cookbook and a Grandma’s Kitchen demonstration. The event takes place Tuesday only from 10 am. to 2 p.m. The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum is at 21668 Heritage

2008, this old-school skating rink still draws fans from toddlers to teens. Bush Tabernacle hosts open skate daily Dec. 26-30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $6 and includes skate rental. Trainers for novice skaters are an additional $3. Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink is at 250 Nursery Ave. in Purcellville. For more information, go to bushtabernacle.com. Inside the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum

Roller Skating and a Puppet Show in Purcellville With its small-town charm, Purcellville is quickly becoming a hub for family-oriented fun. The Bush Tabernacle skating rink has been a western Loudoun institution since the early 20th century. Built in 1903 as a meeting hall by the Good Templars of Loudoun County, it became a roller skating rink in 1947 and has been a hangout for generations of Loudoun youth. Purchased by the Town of Purcellville and renovated in

No ice? No problem at Purcellville's Bush Tabernacle skating rink.

Just west of town, the Franklin Park Arts Center has boosted its children’s programming over the past few years. Fairfax County-based Bob Brown Puppets regularly draws crowds of little ones to the arts center. Brown and company return for a one-day performance WINTER BREAK >> 28

[ THINGS TO DO ] HOLIDAY COOKIE DECORATING Saturday, Dec. 24, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Salamander Resort & Spa, 500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg. Details: salamanderresort.com Learn to decorate cookies Salamander style at the Harrimans cooking studio. Cost is $30 per person.

turing sandwiches, scones and sweets. Cost is $29.95 plus tax per person for ages 3 and older. Advance purchase is required.

stand-up comedy. Tickets for this fully seated show are $12 in advance, $17 at the door.

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Friday, Dec. 23, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; King’s Tavern, 19 S. King St., Leesburg. Details: kingstavernandwinebar.com

SMOKEHOUSE LIVE OPEN MIC NIGHT

Get into the holiday spirit with this weekly open mic. No cover.

GINGERBREAD PANCAKE BRUNCH

Thursday, Dec. 22 and Thursday, Dec. 29, 7 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com

Saturday, Dec. 24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Copperwood Tavern, 20465 Exchange St., Ashburn. Details: copperwoodtavern.com

This popular weekly open mic hosted by local musician Chris Compton is open to music lovers of all ages. No cover.

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 7-9 p.m.; King’s Tavern, 19 S. King St., Leesburg. Details: kingstavernandwinebar.com

Enjoy Christmas Eve brunch at One Loudoun’s newest hotspot—with free gingerbread pancakes.

BREAUX VINEYARDS FOURTH FRIDAY

Saturday, Dec. 24, 9 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.; Salamander Resort & Spa, 500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg. Details: salamanderresort.com Join Mrs. Claus for a holiday brunch with fun crafts and Harrimans’ award-winning buffet. Cost is $45 for adults, $30 for children.

OATLANDS HOLIDAY TEAS Wednesday, Dec. 28-Friday, Dec. 30, 1-3 p.m.; Oatlands Carriage House, 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg. Details: oatlands.org Keep the holiday fun going with post-Christmas teas at Oatlands fea-

Get the holiday weekend started with Breaux’s award-winning wines and music from the Wandering Peacocks.

UNCORK’D ART SOFT OPENING Friday, Dec. 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Uncork’d Art, 21020 Sycolin Road, Suite 135, Ashburn. Details: uncorkdart.com Ashburn’s newest sip-and-paint studio launches with a soft opening event. Cost is $45.

LIVE MUSIC: MIKE WESTCOTT Friday, Dec. 23, 8 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com

LIVE MUSIC: THE ARCADIANS

Courtesy of Smokehouse Live

This Rockville, MD, native is known for great guitar chops and fresh original songs steeped in the traditions of the 60s and 70s guitar greats. No cover

COMEDY NIGHT WITH DANNY ROUHIER Friday, Dec. 23, 8:30 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg. com Fast-paced, clever and self-deprecating Rouhier is known for his sports radio talk show and his increasingly popular

Winter break is the perfect time to check out these Tuesday night regulars and their old school New Orleans-style jazz. No cover.

SWING DANCING AT SMOKEHOUSE LIVE Wednesday, Dec. 28, 7:45-10 p.m.; Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. Details: smokehouse-live.com Learn to swing and have some fun every second and fourth Wednesday. No experience or partner necessary. $15 admission includes one drink ticket.

FAMILY FUN ‘BARNYARD CHRISTMAS’

Courtesy of Tally Ho Theatre

Thursday, Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m.; Cascades Senior Center, 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling. Details: stagecoachtc.com

MORE TO DO >> 29

WINTER LEARN TO SKATE PROGRAMS AND CAMPS We offer an enjoyable and fun way to learn how to Ice Skate

Skate with Santa (public skate rates apply)

December 10 - 12:30 to 2:00 PM And December 11 - 2:00 to 3:30 PM

CHRISTMAS EVE BRUNCH WITH MRS. CLAUS

Friday, Dec. 23, 5-9 p.m.; Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane. Details: breauxvineyards.com

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS

Frosted Holiday Skate (public skate rates apply)

December 17 - 12:30 to 2:00 PM And December 18 - 2:00 to 3:30 PM Come skate with your Favorite Frosted Princesses

Get Your Last Minute Gifts for the skater in your family At the Ashburn Ice House Pro-Shop The Ashburn Ice House is Located at 21595 Smith Switch Rd., Ashburn, VA 20147

703-858-0300

loudounnow.com

Additional Public Skate Sessions during the Winter Break

Friday, Dec. 30

loudounnow.com

Winter break

Open Climb at SportRock

<< FROM 26 Wednesday, Dec. 28, at 3 p.m. “Nutcracker Fantasies” takes children and parents to the Kingdom of Faraway Places where they’ll meet characters like The Cupcake King, Chinese Juggler, Timmy the Turtle and Jack Frost. Admission is $5 per person at the door. Call 540-338-7973 to reserve a spot. Franklin Park Arts Center is located at 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville. For more information, go to franklinparkartscenter.org

Thursday, Dec. 29 Bounce and Create at Village at Leesburg Open studio at Village at Leesburg’s The Art Station is a blast—especially when the weather isn’t cooperating. The Art Station’s open studio offers candle making, soap making, canvas painting and 3D object painting (on wood, glass, ceramic or fabric). It’s a great way to enjoy some quality time with the family and take home a souvenir (or gift for the grandparents).

This well-equipped climbing center is garnering raves from parents and kiddos alike. It’s a big hit with the birthday party crowd but also offers open climb with guidance from trained staff members, an ideal time to try out top roping (on tall walls using ropes and harnesses) or bouldering (on shorter walls with mats but no ropes). Minimum age for open climb is 5, and adult supervision is required for children younger than 14.

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Instructor Lauren Gordon reads a book to kids attending a birthday party at The Art Station in the Village at Leesburg. The studio’s winter break offerings include candle making, soap making, canvas painting and 3D object painting.

And the best part is Mom doesn’t have to clean up! The Art Station offers an open studio Monday, Dec. 26, Wednesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, Dec. 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The studio is closed Tuesday, Dec. 27. The Art Station is located at 1601 Village Market Blvd., Suite 112 in Village at Leesburg. Cost for open studio time is by the project and starts at $11. For more information, go to theartstation. com. The recently opened Atomic Trampoline is a new kid on the block and features 16,000 square feet of indoor activities, including wall-to-wall tram-

polines, dodge ball, a foam pit and two slam ball courts. It’s a perfect spot to get the post-holiday wiggles out when it’s chilly outside. Atomic Trampoline is open Dec. 26-30 for kids jump (just for children 6 and younger) from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by open jump from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Cost for kids jump is $12 and includes one adult. Cost for open jump is $17 for one hour or $27 for two. Required special socks are $2. Atomic Trampoline is at 1604 Village Market Blvd., Suite 110. Go to atomictrampoline.com for more information—and don’t forget to fill out the online waiver before you go.

20% off from Nov. 27th ‘til Dec. 24th Some exclusions apply

We have White House Christmas Ornaments Diamonds • Emeralds • Rubies Sapphires • Gold • Silver • Crystal Painted Glass • Figurines • Ornaments Baby Gifts • Polish Pottery • Pyramids Nutcrackers • Smokermen • Schwibbögen Puzzles • Scarves • Umbrellas • Servware

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Extended Holiday Hours

36 Catoctin Cir. SE, Ste. B • Leesburg 703-777-1108 • info@caulkinsjewelers.com

SportRock offers open climb daily over winter break from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost for a day pass is $18 for adults and $14 for youth 17 and younger. Rental for shoes and harness is $5 each. A signed participant agreement is required. SportRock is at 45935 Maries Road in Sterling. For details, go to sterling.sportrock.com. jmercker@loudounnow.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

Annual Holiday Sale!

Dec. 12th Dec. 14th - 19th Dec. 20th Dec. 21st - 23rd Dec. 24th Dec. 25th- 28th Dec. 29th- 30th Dec. 31st

Climb to new heights at SportRock.

9:30 to 8:00 9:30 to 7:00 1:00 to 5:00 9:30 to 7:00 9:30 to 2:00 CLOSED 9:30 to 5:30 9:30 to 2:00

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.

fairhousing@dpor.virginia.gov • www.fairhousing.vipnet.org

[ MORE TO DO ] << FROM 27 This original holiday production tells the story of Farmer Jack, who has lost the spirit of Christmas, and his barnyard animals who help him find it. Show is suitable for the whole family and ideal for children 4 to 9. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-12.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE BUILDING CONTEST

Design and build a house out of graham crackers and candy. Prizes will be awarded to the most noteworthy creations at this all-ages program.

CENTRAL LOUDOUN CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

At a new location this year, the annual New Year’s Eve day event benefits Inova’s Life with Cancer program. The event includes 10K and 5K races and 2K fun run/walk.

FRANKLIN PARK FAMILY NEW YEAR’S EVE Saturday, Dec. 31, 7-9 pm.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter Ring in the New Year with a family-oriented celebration featuring entertainment by Fizzical Fairy Tales and Magic By Ryan, party favors for everyone, refreshments and crafts. Tickets are $10 each or $35 per family of four or more. Call 540-338-7973 to reserve a spot.

Wednesday, Dec. 28, all day at numerous locations around central Loudoun. Details: loudounwildlife.org

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

Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy in the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. The count circle has a 15-mile diameter and covers 177 square miles of Loudoun’s countryside from Waterford to Aldie. All are welcome, and amateurs are teamed with experienced birders. Courtesy of Pat McGee Band

BOB BROWN PUPPETS: “NUTCRACKER FANTASIES” Wednesday, Dec. 28, 3 p.m.; Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane Purcellville. Details: franklinparkartscenter Visit the Kingdom of Faraway Places and meet a cast of charming marionettes. Tickets are $5 at the door. Call 540-338-7973 to reserve a spot.

CONFETTI CLOCK COOKIE EVENT Thursday, Dec. 29, 4-5 p.m.; Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Purcellville. Details: library.loudoun.gov Get ready to ring in the New Year with these countdown-themed treats. Program is for youth in grades 4-12.

COMING UP RINGING IN HOPE RACE Saturday, Dec. 31, 9 a.m. Ashburn Farm, 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ash-

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Saturday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m.; Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. Details: tallyholeesburg.com Ring in the New Year with regional favorite Pat McGee playing his beloved originals along with special covers for the big night. Tickets are $59 in advance, $70 at the door for this black tie optional event

REHAU ROTARY RESOLUTION RACE Sunday, Jan. 1, 9 a.m.; Ida Lee Recreation Center, 60 Ida Lee Drive, Leesburg. Details: resolutionrace.com This annual tradition features scenic 10K and 5K races and a 4K fun run/ walk. Proceeds go to local charities. Registration fee is $35 for the 5K/10K and $25 for the fun run through Dec. 30 Add $5 for race day registration. Cost for youth 7-18 is $20 for the 5K/10K and $15 for the fun run.

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Leegate << FROM 9 fees for commercial tenants setting up shop in Leegate; and $50,000 to be used for marketing the commercial space on the north side of the development. The latter $50,000 would be given to the town within 48 months after the issuance of the first occupancy permit. Ultimately, the vote to approve the rezoning for the application passed on a 3-2-1-1 vote. Hammler and Vice Mayor Kelly Burk were opposed, Councilman Tom Dunn was absent for the vote, and Councilwoman Suzanne Fox abstained. A vote to approve special exception applications for two structured parking facilities in the development along with a hotel of up to 140 rooms passed by a 5-11 vote, with Burk dissenting and Dunn absent. In her comments prior to the vote, Fox had noted both pros and cons of the proposed development. While she lauded the business incentives contributed and the overall concept, she said she had reservations about the proposed phasing and felt the development was out of place in its chosen site, noting the proximity to a nearby business park and the town’s water pollution control facility. After the vote, she explained why she ultimately decided to abstain. “I always take each application, I take a look at it and say does this applicant meet the standard of mitigating their impact on the town. This application did not, so I couldn’t vote for it,” Fox said. But she said she also didn’t want to risk

the town losing out on important funding for the Battlefield interchange and it was unclear based on town staff ’s answers what impact not having the right of way would have on that future funding. “I couldn’t risk the interchange [not being funded] and I couldn’t vote on an application that I don’t have full information for, so my only option was to abstain,” Fox said. Together with the Crescent Parke rezoning and developer Don Knutson’s South King Street residential development approved by the council in November, the council has greenlighted almost 900 new housing units in just the last six weeks. It’s a noteworthy phenomenon for a council that has often been reluctant to add to its surging population but, with the Crescent Parke and Leegate rezoning applications especially, those on the majority side have pointed to the substantial proffer packages put forward by the developer. Packages that, with the new proffer bill that passed in July, could be few and far between in the future. In total, according to the town’s most recent Development Activity Report, 2,210 residential units are currently in the pipeline in Leesburg. But while the number may give some pause, it pales in comparison to the commercial development that’s coming along. Almost 2.4 million square feet of non-residential development is either approved, in active zoning review, or under construction, including over 200,000 square feet of commercial space under construction. krodriguez@loudounnow.com

Jenkins park

Envision << FROM 4 And transportation concerns—from a new bridge across the Potomac River to Loudoun’s own struggling road infrastructure—remain in the spotlight. The comprehensive plan rewrite will also encompass the county’s transportation plans. “I think this county needs to focus

nstyer@loudounnow.com on how mass transit is going to develop to alleviate some of that, and alternate means of transport,” land planner and engineer Lou Canonico said. “I think this plan needs to address all the possibilities, all the permutations, and really look at the whole network and the integration of all the possible solutions to the transportation problem.” The stakeholder steering committee will meet again in February. rgreene@loudounnow.com

[ OBITUARIES ] erated the farm with the assistance of Roy Stowers and Samuel Allison. After retiring from active farming, he pursued his passion of restoring and driving antique automobiles, while at the same time remaining very active with the general upkeep of the farm. He was a member of St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Leesburg.

Thomas Carbery Cammack

passed away on Friday, December 16, 2016 at the Cammack farm in Leesburg, Virginia. He was 87 years old. Thomas C. Cammack was born to John Edmund Cammack and Martha Louise Newman Cammack on April 2, 1929 in Washington, D.C., the fourth of five brothers.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Thursday, December 22, 2016 at the Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia. The funeral service will begin at 11:00 AM on Friday, December 23 at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church located at 231 North King Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 with the Rev. Richard Guest officiating. Interment will follow in St. John’s Catholic Church Cemetery, Lees-

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Birthright of Leesburg, 823 South King Street, Suite 1, Leesburg, VA 20175, or to Saint Dominic’s Monastery, 2636 Monastery Road, Linden, VA 22642. Online condolences may be made to the family at loudounfuneralchapel.com.

Candice Marcia Merritt of Gainesville, Virginia passed away on Dec. 17, 2016 at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA. She is survived by her father, William Henry Merritt Jr.; mother, Marcia Lynette Merritt; sisters, Alexandria Shinae Merritt and Jasmine Nicole Merritt; brother, William Henry Merritt III; grandparents, William and Georgia Merritt and Mitchell Lee and Mary Owens and a host of other relatives and friends. Viewing will be held Friday Dec. 23, 2016 from 10:00am until time of Funeral Service 11:00am at Grace Covenant Church, 4600 Brookfield Corporate Dr. Chantilly, Virginia 20151. Interment will be private. Arrangements by: Lyles Funeral Service of Purcellville, VA

To Place an Obituary, Memoriam, or Death Notice

Contact: Lindsay Morgan (703) 770-9723

lmorgan@loudounnow.com

loudounnow.com

He served in the United State Army during the Korean war. Following his time in the armed services he operated a sheep farm with his brother, Robert, in Houghton, Maine for several years. After returning to Washington, D.C. he served as head coach of the tennis team at Catholic University. He married his childhood sweetheart Agnes Mercedes Green of Washington, D.C. on November 27, 1964, after which they moved to the Cammack farm in Leesburg, Virginia, and raised their four children. For several decades, he op-

He is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Agnes Green Cammack, his brother, Robert E. Cammack, his four children, Thomas J. Cammack, Martha L. Cammack, William D. Cammack and Mary C. Rice, his daughter-in-law, Florence C. Cammack, and son-in-law, James Rice, and his six grand-children William J. Cammack, Agnes M. Cammack, Maria T. Rice, John F. Rice, Matthew T. Rice, and Katherine R. Rice.

burg, VA.

As an option, the staff is recommending the project be split, allowing construction of the rectangular field and additional parking to move ahead with the $1.4 million that is available now. That would require the project to be re-bid as Phase IIA. Construction of the three additional ballfields would then be moved to a future Phase IIB project, potentially with the addition of field lights. During review of the park plans in 2009, county supervisors removed plans for the field lights because of concerns they would interfere with the poinsettia growing at the Elmore Garden Center greenhouses nearby. The flowers require periods of total darkness during the fall growing season to develop their bright red blooms. During public hearings on the original park plans, the Elmore family raised concerns that lights from the fields, about 500 feet away just across the Rt.7 Bypass, could disrupt that growing

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

<< FROM 5

cycle and harm their business. Supervisors at the time agreed not to risk damage. Addressing the board’s finance committee last week, Director of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Joe Kroboth III said that advances in lighting technology should allow the park to develop without interfering with the business. Adding lights to the fields would require the county to apply for a special exception permit and undergo a new round of public hearings, at a cost of at least $100,000, according to the staff report. Supervisor Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin) said it was important to get more youth sports fields built in western Loudoun and said repeated delays in the development of fields at the Lovettsville Community Park have caused a hardship. The finance committee made no recommendation on how to proceed with the Jenkins Park plans. The full board is expected to discuss the options at its Jan. 3 meeting.

loudounnow.com

Celebrate Christmas Eve with us! ¡Celebre el día de Navidad con nosotros!

ST. GABRIEL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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Belmont Ridge Middle School 19405 Upper Belmont Place Lansdowne, VA

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La Iglesia Episcopal San Gabriel @ San James 14 Cornwall St., NW; Leesburg

All are welcome! ¡Todos son bienvenidos!

Christmas Day 11am

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Employment Part-Time Legal Secretary/Assistant Growing three-attorney firm located in downtown Leesburg seeks part-time legal secretary/assistant with client-friendly, professional demeanor. The most qualified candidates will be organized, prompt and dependable, willing and able to acquire new software skills, and able to manage time with multiple assignments. Familiarity with the Microsoft office suite and some experience in a professional office setting are also preferred. Experience in a legal setting helpful, but not required. Candidates requiring a predictable, school-day-friendly schedule are encouraged to apply. Hours are 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Salary commensurate with qualifications. Please address a resume and cover letter to Bryan Turner, Office Manager, The Turner Law Firm, P.C. Electronic submissions preferred at bturner@turnerlawfirmpc.com. For best consideration, submit by December 30, 2016.

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

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

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[ OPINION ]

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A Good Start When Loudoun Water purchased the Goose Creek and Beaverdam Creek reservoirs from the City of Fairfax in 2014, the utility provider had no intent of getting into the parks business.

One of its first actions was to close the land to the public. Today, the authority is laying the groundwork for a nature and recreation area that could be a crown jewel in the region. That turnaround was rooted in a commitment to community service by the Loudoun Water leadership and was made possible by the partnership with NOVA Parks. In general, over the past five decades the reservoir properties were never a hive of activity. Some locals knew the land as a go-to spot for fishing, hiking and picnics, but those activities were never openly promoted and poor access helped to passively discourage visitors. More recently, school crew teams honed their skills on the water. But many Loudouners simply were unaware of their existence.

[ OPINION ]

What’s in the planning stages now represents a significant philosophical shift—a new park that would serve as a welcome center inviting students, families and outdoor enthusiasts to explore the special ecosystem in the heart of the county. Finding a comfortable balance between protecting the drinking

School Board Lacks Courage, Not Information

water resource and allowing public assess will be the key to the

BY JILL L. WEISS, LEESBURG

project. If achieved, there are even greater opportunities ahead.

On Dec. 13, the LCPS School Board once again refused to vote on motions to add sexual orientation and gender identity to its anti-discrimination and harassment policies. In November, when the board tabled the vote so it could seek legal counsel on the issue, the reason was plausible. However, in December, when members used this same justification to table the vote a second time, it was clear they were just using it as an excuse to further delay (and possibly avoid) the vote. Why do I say this? Because they had all the legal information they needed to vote at the December meeting, yet they once again refused to do it. There were two legal questions relevant to the proposed motions. The first was whether the School Board has the legal authority to add the classes of gender identity and sexual orientation to their anti-discrimination and harassment policies. Seeking legal advice on this issue would have been a legitimate reason to table the December vote if not for the fact that the board was provided the answer to this question back in November. In November, when Vice Chairman Brenda Sheridan made the motion to add these classes, she informed the board that she had consulted with members of the Virginia legislature and had confirmed that the board had the authority to add these groups. Board Member Joy Maloney had also researched the issue and informed the board that Virginia’s Attorney General, Mark Herring, had written an opinion letter on this specific topic. In the letter, he stated that “school boards have authority to amend their antidiscrimination policies to encompass sexual orientation and gender identity.” This explicit, written opinion of Virginia’s Attorney General should have quelled any legal concerns the School Board had about their authority to add these

Loudoun Water’s plans include the creation of other water storage sites in the quarries just north of the reservoirs. When complete in the decades ahead, Loudoun will have the region’s largest quantity of stored water in these new lakes, available to supplement the Potomac River flows in times of drought or emergency. If the utility, NOVA Parks and the community can demonstrate a sustained commitment to stewardship at the Beaverdam Creek Reservoir, a strong case could be made to expand passive recreational access to those new reservoirs as well. So far, that partnership is off to a very good start.

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

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classes yet they claimed they needed more legal advice and tabled the motion to the December meeting. At the December meeting, after having a month to obtain legal advice; having full knowledge of the Attorney General’s letter; and knowing, as board Member Tom Marshal stated that night, that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors added these same protected classes to their anti-discrimination policies in 2010 without any legal repercussions, the majority of the board still claimed to be unprepared to vote. They claimed they needed more legal advice and once again tabled the motions. There is no credible explanation for their actions at the December meeting. The second legal issue was whether the board could remove the names of all protected classes from their discrimination and harassment policies (as an alternative to adding the two proposed classes). When this was first proposed at the November meeting, none of the board members knew if it would be legally permissible to do this so they wisely tabled the motion to the December meeting so they could seek legal guidance. At the December meeting, I told the board that several federal laws have explicit notice provisions which require schools to include names of protected classes in their policies. I also gave them copies of a U.S. DOE document which clearly explains why removing the names of all protected classes would place LCPS in violation of federal law. Later that night, board member Joy Maloney reminded the other board members that their own attorney, Stephen DeVita, had told them the same thing. At that point, I expected the board to say this option would no longer be considered. That didn’t happen. The majority of board members still felt OPINION >> 37

<< FROM 3

<< FROM 3 “This would be like a living laboratory for Loudoun Water,” Woltz said. NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert is also excited about the project and the partnership with Loudoun Water that is making it happen. “You can go fast alone, but you can go farther together,“ he said, quoting the African proverb. Implementation of the plan is expected to cost between $7 million and $10 million, Gilbert said. Already, the parks authority has about two-thirds of that money earmarked for the project, but will be looking for other sources to close the gap. The plans could start moving through the county’s development review process next year, with construction eyed in late 2018 and an opening possible in 2019. “It’s three years and a lot of moving parts,” Gilbert said.

Before that work begins, Loudoun Water will finish its repairs to the reservoir’s dam. That work is just getting underway. The lake’s 1.3 million gallons of water has been drained in recent weeks, leaving a starkly barren landscape. Now visible on the lake bottom is the former Mt. Hope Road bridge that carried traffic over Beaverdam Creek before the reservoir was built in 1972. The reservoir may be refilled partially next year, but it will not return to full capacity until the dam work is completed in 2018. Loudoun Water staff members said it was too soon to tell whether water-related activities could resume before then. The concept plan presented this week was described as a Phase I project. In the future, work could be done to improve access on the northern section of the reservoir, at Mt. Hope Road on the east and Reservoir Road on the west. nstyer@loudounnow.com

[ OPINION ] << FROM 36

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they needed more legal advice on this proposal so they delayed the vote again. Equally, and perhaps even more stunning than their refusal to vote on the motions were statements made by some board members to justify the further delay of this vote. Earlier in the evening, more than 20 speakers shared heartbreaking stories about people who had been physically and verbally assaulted, harassed, discriminated against and even driven to attempt suicide because of the way they were treated at LCPS due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. The board was also informed by several speakers about the disproportionally high rate of suicide among people in the proposed protected classes. Despite hearing these speakers, while explaining why they were tabling these motions for a second time, Chairman Eric Hornberger repeatedly said there was “no rush” to vote on these issues. Board member Debbie Rose (whose biography on the LCPS School Board webpage states she is an attorney) stated that among other reasons for her not being prepared to vote was that “…it’s the holidays and there’s a lot going on” (implying that board members should

be excused from doing their due diligence on an issue as crucial as this for the six weeks prior to winter break?). To the brave individuals who stood up that night to share their stories in hopes of gaining protection from LCPS for their loved ones, the comments made by Mr. Hornberger and Ms. Rose were belittling and unconscionable. The LCPS School Board had all the legal information they needed to vote on these motions at the December meeting. What they lacked was the courage. The LCPS community deserves better. Although the next School Board meeting is Jan. 10, the Chairman stated that these motions will not be considered “action items” on the January agenda until he polls the board to ensure they have had sufficient time to get legal advice on these matters. Consequently, there is no guarantee that the board will even address these issues next month. I urge the School Board to step up and do its job; to stop hiding behind excuses; and to protect students and staff from any further discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This action is long overdue and this community cannot afford to wait any longer.

Beaverdam

While Letourneau and Buona said the program seems to be working effectively, the committee voted 5-0 to support Supervisor Tony Buffington’s (R-Blue Ridge) request to have the Treasurer’s Office and Sheriff ’s Office take “a deeper dive” into decal alternatives. A police officer, Buffington said he sees promise in the ability of license plate readers to flag tax scofflaws. According to the staff report, eight cities and 15 counties in Virginia issue decals; 15 cities and 48 counties charge a local vehicle registration fee ranging from $10 to $40.75.

stopped using decals in 2006, reported collections ranging from 65 percent to 94 percent over the ensuing years. Zurn said Loudoun collects 96 percent to 99 percent annually. Several supervisors suggested that employing new technology, such as license plate readers—could accomplish the same goals. Sheriff Chapman said he’d like to do more research on the options, but suggested that simply charging a registration fee and mailing violation letters to those with outstanding tax bills might work. Zurn disagreed. “I have no doubt

gram. The decal approach is particularly effective at identifying—or catching—newcomers who may not have transferred the official address of where their cars are “garaged”—the determining factor in which jurisdiction gets to assess the taxes. The sooner new residents get their cars registered in Loudoun, the more taxes the county will collect from them, he said. Committee Chairman Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) questioned whether the decal enforcement was effective, noting that he sees—and gets complaints about—lots of cars without window decals in his south Loudoun neighborhoods. That’s the point, Zurn said, noting that deputies and neighbors can quickly see which vehicles may be in violation.

Dec. 22 – 28, 2016

Decals

that, if we do away with decals, the delinquency rate would increase,” he told the panel. He said he viewed the suggestion of adding a local registration fee on every personal property tax bill as “abhorrent.” Zurn warned that another suggested alternative—raising the county’s $4.20 personal property tax rate to make up for the $7 million in lost decal fees—would disproportionally hit residents with more expensive vehicles. Board Vice Chairman Ralph M. Buona (R-Ashburn) is among the large contingent of county residents who dread scraping off the decals each year. “I hate the decal. I hate it,” he said. However, Buona urged his colleagues to tread carefully, calling the current system a very effective pro-

Mosby Association Honors Stewardship

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BY MARGARET MORTON The Mosby Heritage Area Association has honored Mary Thomason Morris and Al Van Huyck for their years of stewardship of the cultural district. Also, Richard Deardoff was named Educator of the Year during the annual awards ceremony held at the National Sporting Library in Middleburg. Morris and Van Huyck were presented with Heritage Hero awards. Van Huyck has lived in Loudoun since the 1960s, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge north of Round Hill. He is an advocate of smart growth policies and continues to have a key role in amending the Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan, with particular focus on the area of rural conservation. He is the chairman of the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition. The group is comprised of an informal association of 24 nonprofit, non-partisan organizations dedicated to the preservation and protection of the historic and environmental resources of Loudoun County. The total membership of these organizations is estimated at 4,000 Loudoun residents. Van Huyck said the genesis of the organization, which he founded with fellow preservationist Lori Kimball in 2007, stemmed from the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the county’s founding. “We put out a booklet as a contribution for all the [heritage and conservation] nonprofits and as part of my call-

File photo

Al Van Huyck

ing them to collect the data, everyone said we should get together more. From that came the idea of the coalition” he said. Kimball was chairwoman of the organization for two years, then Van Huyck took over. As to his MHAA award, Van Huyck said he felt honored to have received it, following similar citations by the Loudoun Preservation Society and the Friends of the Thomas Balch Library for his contributions to the county’s history. “I like to put it in the context of all who’ve gone before, all the great leaders of the past. We’re a continuum of people who care about the county,” he said during the awards ceremony Dec. 6, citing early leaders Vinton Pickens, Powell Harrison and John Lewis as being among those who recognized the importance of sound planning, and the county’s heritage and environment. Van Huyck is a retired international

planner, a former board member of the Virginia Citizens Planning Association and the Older Americans Humanities Corporation. He also served on the Loudoun County Planning Commission from 1996 to 2003, and was its chairman when the county’s Revised General Plan was prepared. He was active in preparing the county’s Mountain Overlay District and the River and Stream Corridor Overlay District. Van Huyck is a member of the Waterford Foundation, and the Friends of Oatlands. He is a founder and past president of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Mary Thomas Morris’ family dates its presence in Front Royal to more than 250 years. In 1987, she began working part time at the Handley Archives, the Warren Heritage Society and the Clarke County Historical Association. She established the original archives at the Warren Heritage Society on the donation of a large collection and helped build the archives there. In 1990, she left the society and focused on the Clarke County Historical Association, as its archivist. She is the author of “Connections & Partings: Marriages & Deaths from Clarke County Newspapers 18591884.” Morris has co-authored several other works on ancestry and genealogy in Clarke County, and has acquired a “go-to person” reputation for any questions about genealogy or family history in Clarke County. Deardoff has spent four decades teaching U.S. Government, History, and

American Civil War History at Fauquier High School and Kettle Run High School—from which he recently retired. He has a master’s degree in administration and political science, and is a member of the Civil War Trust, Longstreet Society, and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. He was cited as the Brandy Station Foundation’s Volunteer of the Year in 2007. Deardoff ’s students were required to participate in local community service projects, often focusing on history of education. His students started the “Save the Waterloo Bridge” Facebook page, which currently has more than 2,800 likes since it was created several years ago—to share its history and advocate for its preservation. He twice has been named Fauquier’s Teacher of the Year—in 2007 and 2008—the Civil War Trust Teacher of the Year in 2011, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans Teacher of the Year in 2011. Previous winners of the Heritage Hero Award include: Sen. John Warner, Karen Hughes White, Janet Whitehouse, Hope Porter, Linda Newton, Robert H. Smith, Su Webb, Lori Kimball, Bob Sinclair, Robert Lee, Walter Nicklin, John and Mary Fishback, Mitch Diamond, David Blake, Scott Kasprowicz, Gayle and Tom DeLashmutt, and Paul Ziluca. Nominees for the award may be submitted to the MHAA Board of Directors. For more information on the MHAA, go to mosbyheritagearea.org. mmorton@loudounnow.com

Santa visit << FROM 1 laugh. “That’d be a treat.” Santa tries to make it to Inova Loudoun Hospital each December to visit children who will likely not get to be home for Christmas, let alone able to stop by the mall to sit on his lap and rattle off their gift wish list. This is the first year he arrived at the hospital by helicopter. Three-year-old Miles Bergman’s chin hung open as the big guy made his way toward him. He was too stunned to speak. “He has been very excited about this,” his grandmother, Toni Keys of Sterling, offered. The visit brought a smile to Will Walters’ face. The 2-year-old had had a tough few days, undergoing surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. They had gotten so swollen, it was hard for him to breath. “He doesn’t like the IV in his arm— it’s hard for him to understand why it’s

Post-it notes << FROM 1 hearts feel better knowing there will be new life given to numerous families!” his mother wrote. Matthew Greason, president of the senior class at Stone Bridge High School, said students returned to school Monday morning still in shock but hopeful. “A lot of people were sad for such

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Pablo Conejeros receives a visit and a gift from Santa with Vice President of Medical Staff and Medical Director of Children’s ER Dr. Jill McCabe at Inova Loudoun Hospital on Dec. 15.

there,” said his mother, AnnieLaurie Walters, of Leesburg. His visit from Santa, plus a music therapist who played instruments with him, made the hospital stay better than Walters could have imagined. “If you’re going to be in the hospital at Christmas time, this is the best case scenario,” she

said. Will still has a few more days of recovery ahead of him, but he is expected to be home for Christmas. He is antsy to get back to see his older siblings, Walters said. “We will be happy to be home, and I hope he’s feeling as good as new and can enjoy a big meal.”

a tragic event, but they are more cognizant of some of the things others are going through,” he said. He mentioned the Post-it notes that scattered the school, with messages such as “You’re Loved” and “Keep Your Head Up.” Hundreds of people also attended a candlelight vigil for the student on the campus Friday night. “People are sad, but the response and the support for his family and others going through difficult things has been unreal,” Matthew said.

Loudoun County has seen a rise in teen suicides in the past year. It’s prompted a community-wide conversation about how to improve the safety net to help struggling teens before they make a fatal decision. Matthew, 17, encouraged students to consider joining PEER (Positive Experiences and Educational Relationships) or a similar club that focuses on teens helping teens. Every Loudoun County public high school has a PEER program. He said students

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Santa hops down from his helicopter to visit pediatric patients at Inova Loudoun Hospital on Dec. 15.

Santa is also planning visits to Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Medical Campus in Leesburg and the Ashburn HealthPlex. He will arrive via a fire engine, courtesy of Loudoun County Fire-Rescue. dnadler@loudounnow.com involved in the program talk to one another about what they’re facing, whether it’s stresses related to school, family or social aspects of their lives. “Sometimes students don’t want to talk to an adult counselor,” he said, “but they might be open to talking to someone their age who might better understand what they’re going through.” dnadler@loudounnow.com

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Sharon Thomas, of Leesburg, selects clothes and toys to be given to area children as part of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree project.

at Dulles Towne Center, Walmart and several businesses, including Orbital ATK in Sterling and REHAU in Leesburg. Toys for Tots also helped provide toys for the Angel Tree project to ensure each child had several gifts to open. Stefanik said Loudouners’ generosity is shown in a big way. Hundreds of people bought bikes for the kids, and others bought the latest and greatest toys. “They go all out,” she said. “They really do.” —Danielle Nadler

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A huge loading dock at the National Conference Center was transformed into Loudoun’s version of Santa’s workshop late last week. For the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree project, almost 200 volunteers spent three days in the loading dock sorting bicycles, clothes, dolls, games and other toys to ensure the good kids in the county get a few of their gift wishes granted. The first families were invited to pick up their children’s presents last Thursday. By Saturday, more than 1,500 area children had gifts under the tree or stuffed in stockings waiting to be opened. In the loading dock at NCC, Sharon Thomas-turned-Santa’s-volunteer-elf looked over each child’s wish lists and carefully selected toys, games or clothes for each girl or boy’s box. “I want to make sure they get what they really want,” she said. Liz Stefanik, development director at the Salvation Army of Loudoun County, said the entire operation, now in its 18th year, is an example of community members taking care of their neighbors. In October, 782 families registered at the Salvation Army social services office for their children’s gift wish list to be hung on one of several Angel Trees throughout the county. Each Angel Tree tag included the child’s age, gender, clothing size and a few wish list items. The tags were hung on Angel Trees

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