Loudoun Now for March 13, 2025

Supervisors Back DEI Efforts, Review Staffing Requests

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

As county supervisors near the end of the fiscal year 2026 budget season, they continue to hear from department heads justifying their requests for additional personnel and resources included in the document.

A focus of the department level review is briefing on plans for new staff hires. The proposed budget includes requests for 244.27 additional full-time equivalent positions, which, if approved will bring the county total to 5,302.87.

Over the past week supervisors heard from office directors in human services departments, community development and general government.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion garnered the most controversy during Monday night’s meeting when a motion by Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) to remove the funding request for two equity specialists did not receive majority support.

Department Director Carl Rush said he is requesting the positions to meet the growing demand for professional learning, development and

BUDGETS

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Push For Underground Power Line Continues Loudoun Valley Estates Residents Raise Concerns

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

A move to bury high voltage transmission lines underground is again gaining grassroots traction as Dominion Energy advances plans to build out a power loop around eastern and southern Loudoun to

improve grid reliability within the county.

The first stage of the loop, known as the Aspen to Golden line, was approved by the State Corporation Commission in February. That project will build 230 kilovolt and 500 kV double circuit lines from a substation south of Leesburg, along Rt. 7 and then south to the intersection of Rt. 28 and

the W&OD Trail.

A proposal by the Loudoun County government and the Lansdowne Conservancy presented to Dominion and the SCC last year would have buried three miles of the line along Rt. 7 and shifted the

POWER LINES continues on page 19

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D-32) meets with residents of Loudoun Valley Estates to talk about transmission lines proposed to be built near the neighborhood and the local schools by Dominion Energy to provide grid reliability within Loudoun.

Amid Uncertainties, Experts See Continued Strength in Loudoun Real Estate Market

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

Concerns over inflation, tariffs, federal worker layoffs, and still high mortgage rates aren’t expected to cool Loudoun County’s hot real estate market.

That was the view of industry experts speaking during the Dulles Area Association of Realtors’ 19th annual Economic Summit on Wednesday morning.

While the region faces many uncertainties—including from the impacts of plans for large-scale federal government downsizing being pushed by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency—the future of the local housing market likely isn’t one of them, according to Lisa Sturtevant, the chief economist at Bright MLS.

“We keep getting asked the question: are the changes within the federal workforce having an impact on the housing market? And the short answer is it’s really too early to tell,” she said. “We’re not seeing anything definitive. And frankly, from a logical standpoint, we wouldn’t expect to see anything showing up in the data yet.”

Buddy Rizer, Loudoun’s executive director of Economic Development, said the county’s workforce is amply diversified and less reliant on the federal government than other jurisdictions in the region.

He said Loudoun has about 17,000 federal government employees and 900 federal contractors, while Fairfax County has 80,000 federal workers and more

Beyond Data Centers: Rizer Sees Economic Development Gains Along Metro Corridor

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

Buddy Rizer is known internationally as the architect of the world’s largest data center hub, but with that industry reaching buildout in Loudoun he is focused on tapping into the full potential of Metro’s Silver Line.

than 3,800 federal contractors. Sturtevant said in places like Charles and Stafford counties, as much as 25% of the population is linked to federal jobs.

“We have become less dependent on federal government contracting and more dependent on technology and professional services,” Rizer said, noting that the biggest federal departments operating in the county, including Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration, are unlikely to be hard hit by staff reductions.

“We don’t have zero exposure; we do have limited exposure. But we want to make sure that we’re being proactive, as

REAL ESTATE continues on page 34

Speaking to members of the Dulles Area Association of Realtors during their annual Economic Summit on March 5, Loudoun’s executive director of economic development provided an overview of the unparallelled impact data centers have had in the county and previewed the next wave of development.

“I think it’s safe to say we have a booming economy. We have probably the strongest local economy anywhere in the country right now. But we also have the same challenges,” he said.

Some of those challenges are born from economic success—job growth has outpaced the supply of workers, driving the unemployment rate down toward 2%.

“When we’re out trying to attract new businesses to Loudoun County, we can be very happy about this number. But potential employers are not happy about that number. So, we have to try to be careful a little bit with that,” he said.

Rizer recalled that when he joined

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The Big Leagues: Ric Martin Celebrates 700th Platelet Donation

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

“You’re like a relief pitcher,” Inova hospital’s single highest active platelet donor Ric Martin said during his 700th platelet donation last week at Inova Blood Services in Sterling. “You don’t know what your record is, but I’m gonna keep on pitching anyway.”

Martin began his donation journey with the Red Cross before eventually linking up with Inova. He gave his first platelet donation in 1982. He called it “joining the big leagues.”

“Why do I keep doing it? I’ll keep doing it until it doesn’t need to be done,” he said.

Senior Director of Inova Blood Donor Services Nicholas Lilly said Inova allows donors to donate platelets once every two weeks. He said Inova asks for an hour of someone’s time for procedures, while whole blood donations generally take around 15 minutes. He also said that the time commitment for Martin’s procedure could go up to 70 minutes, meaning the 700th marker comes with around 49,000 minutes of Martin’s donated time.

Martin said there were all kinds of reasons for him to give blood. He considers the practice an “internal exercise” that

RIC MARTIN continues on page 35

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Lisa Sturtevant, the chief economist at Bright MLS, addresses members of the Dulles Area Association of Realtors during its 2025 Economic Summit.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Loudoun’s Executive Director of Economic Development Buddy Rizer addresses members of the Dulles Area Association of Realtors during their March 5 Economic Summit.

William Timme/Loudoun Now

Ric Martin holding bags of donated plasma, marking his 700th donation to Inova Blood Services.

Loudoun

Two New Locations Identified for Early Voting

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Voters in eastern Loudoun will likely have two more early voting locations to choose from this fall after an initiative by Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) to expand voting access gained board support Tuesday night.

Briskman initially brought forward a proposal last October to consider adding locations around the county with the goal of providing a satellite early voting office in each election district.

Currently, the county provides early voting at the Elections Office in Leesburg, the Carver Senior Center in Purcellville, the Dulles South Recreation and Community center in South Riding and the Claude Moore Recreation and Community Center in Sterling.

Real Property Asset Management and Planning Director Jacqueline Marsh said while conducting a review of potential voting sites her team considered a facility’s current use, proximity to transit networks, population density, convenience, ADA compliance and ability to meet minimum criteria established by the Office of

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Supervisors Finalize Capital Projects Recommendations

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Board of Supervisors’ finance committee last week finalized its recommendations to the full board on the Six-Year Capital Improvement Program, making a few final adjustments before approving it.

The initial CIP presented by County Administrator Tim Hemstreet in February totals $3.8 billion, which adds an additional $238 million to last year’s construction plans. During the six-year period $1.5 billion is set aside for transportation projects, $1.3 billion for county government projects and $1 billion for school projects.

At the request of Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River), the commit-

tee on March 5 voted to move $250,000 from the capital project management account to the projects fund to pay for a study of potential improvements along Fleetwood Road.

Supervisors also recommended that $1.2 million of cash proffer funds within the Linear Parks and Trails Program be used to build a pedestrian crossing over Beaverdam Run connecting Heron Overlook Park with a trail by Loudoun Water and to add a bridge on the W&OD Trail to the CIP’s future projects list.

The committee also voted to remove corridor improvements along Russell Branch Parkway from the future projects list. Instead, the work will be included in the next ranking and prioritization studies for the sidewalks and

Supervisors Approve New Student Welcome Center

The Board of Supervisors last week approved a second student welcome center planned by Loudoun County Public Schools to be located in Sterling.

The 5,612-square-foot building is across from the Sterling Community Center and is owned by Loudoun County, which purchased it last May for $3.6 million and signed a 12-month lease with the school system a month later.

The center is part of a plan established in 2015 to operate two student welcome centers: one serving western and central Loudoun and a second serving eastern Loudoun. The centers are used as registration destinations for students learning English and for students transferring from international schools.

School division Director of English Learner Programs Charisse Rosario said the current welcome center in Leesburg was opened to take over the responsibility for conducting screening assessments to determine if a student needed English learner services, assessments previously conducted by teachers. Since 2015, the Leesburg-based welcome center’s services have expanded, she said.

Tax Exempt Applications Open for Nonprofits

Applications for charitable nonprofits to be designated as exempt from real and personal property taxes during 2026 will be available until April 1.

trails program and the intersection improvement program.

None of those changes affect fiscal year 2026, Committee Chair Juli E. Briskman (D-Alongkian) said.

“It will go into further discussion as to whether we actually fund these projects and the board will get to vote on it again when we add projects to our future years, which will happen next year and then we will get to deliberate on actually adding these and funding them,” she said.

The proposal to build a new bridge on the W&OD Trail stems from a request by Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) to study the grade-

CAPITAL PROJECTS continues on page 6

Most charitable nonprofit organizations are not automatically exempt from local property taxes in Virginia, even those that may be exempt from federal income taxes. The filing of an application with the Commissioner of the Revenue is the necessary first step in obtaining a local real estate and/or personal property tax exemption.

Any tax exemption, if granted, would become effective Jan. 1, 2026.  Nonprofit organizations that have already been provided an exemption from Loudoun County property taxes need not file an application.  Organizations that are unsure of their taxable status may contact the Division of Tax Exemptions and Deferrals of the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue at 703-7378557. More information, including a link to the application for property tax exemption, is available at  loudoun.gov/TaxRelief. n

Loudoun Now

Approximate existing and proposed early voting satellite locations in Loudoun County.

Budgets

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consultative services within county departments. Currently, the department has two equity specialists.

Kershner asked Rush how many employees at “full build-out” of the department would be needed to meet the goals of the board.

“I think that’s a question that can’t be answered,” Rush said. “I think that we can actually look at each presentation that’s come forward as the organization grows, there are resource requests that are put forward as the organization grows. I don’t think that it’s any different for my office. So, I can’t really look down into the future and tell you how many staff that will be.”

The two new specialists are needed to meet the existing demands of the office, he added.

Kershner said a 2023 study by Resume Builder showed that 48% of hiring managers said they prioritized diversity over merit in some cases “which resulted in helping to fuel the perceptions of bias.” Another study in 2021 by the American Enterprise Institute found no consistent correlation between [diversity, equity and inclusion] programs and improved financial outcomes, he said.

“My biggest concern though is kind of along one of those studies, we’re getting away from really a merit-based process and I think that’s really what we should be focusing on primarily,” he said.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large), Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) and Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) disagreed.

Randall said diversity and merit can co-exist, and that implying otherwise is “ridiculous” and “insulting.”

“There’s also no evidence that we don’t hire on merit in this county,” she said.

Randall said Loudoun is one of the most efficient and effective county governments in the area.

“You do not see any of the stuff that’s happening in Loudoun County, Virginia that is happening anywhere else. We are a merit-based county and if we do things that are diverse and merit, it just makes us stronger,” she said.

Briskman said she was proud that the county was not preemptively eliminating DEIA programs in the face of the Trump administration’s push to strike it.

“I’m disappointed that a lot of our corporations and organizations and contractors are obeying in advance,” she said. “… We are moving forward, bravely in my opinion, moving forward, as well as our

school system despite what is going on at the national level.”

Turner cited an article from Forbes Magazine that said despite the backlash, 87% of American companies have decided to keep their DEIA programs and 22% are going to expand them.

“I think we will weather this ridiculous storm,” he said.

Kershner’s motion failed 2-6 with only Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) joining in supporting it and Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) absent.

During public hearings on the budget last month, members of LAWS Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services raised concerns related to proposals in the budget to establish a Domestic and Sexual Violence Services unit with county government.

The department is asking for 33.47 new full-time equivalent positions this year and is looking to implement a coordinated community response – a governance model designed to effectively address domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking and stalking.

LAWS CEO Samantha Clark urged the board to take a “measured, collaborative, fiscally responsible and strategic approach” when creating the unit, considering LAWS’ experience and current relationships with partners around the county to provide those services.

During the March 6 meeting, County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) asked Family Services Director Ina Fernández to address some of those concerns.

Fernandez said the county’s work with LAWS and other nonprofits would remain critical.

“The coordinated community response, which is really the crux of what we’re asking for this year, is really that governing structure … to allow for greater understanding of that need, to allow for leaders in our community to make decisions to lead the community, county and nonprofits, in a way that we are all working toward the same goal together,” Fernández said.

There are a lot of “silos” of information around the county and creating a CCR will help bridge that gap, she said. New positions will help augment already existing positions within county staff.

“I’ll give you an example of who sits on CCRs in our comparator counties,” Fernández said. “County executives, judges, it’s people who can make decisions and move the county forward.”

“We can’t do this alone. Nonprofits can’t do this alone,” she said.

Building and Development Director Betsy Smith told supervisors she is hoping for 10 new positions this year – four permit

technicians, a building permits manager, a training coordinator, a FOIA and records manager, an administrative manager and two project management technicians.

Several of the requested positions were identified in a recent independent analysis conducted on the county’s legislative and administrative application processes by Alvarez & Marsal.

Planning and Zoning Director Daniel Galindo is requesting 10 full-time positions – four planners, a training manager, a planning technician, an archeology technical assistant, a planning division manager, an HR generalist and a GIS planner. These positions were also identified as a result of the assessment last year, he said.

County Attorney Leo Rogers is asking for an additional attorney to join his office based on the recommendations of the independent report.

“A new attorney will assist all the new positions that you just approved for the community development agencies and in addition it’s the hope that that attorney will be able to expedite the legislative review process,” he said.

Commissioner of the Revenue Bob Wertz is requesting six full-time positions for his office – a commercial supervising appraiser, a tax compliance officer, a business tax assessor, an administrative manager, an IT analyst and a tax exemption and deferrals specialist.

Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer’s office is hoping for two new positions this year – a customer service specialist and digital marketing specialist.

The Office of Human Resources is expected to grow by a single position – an HR information system specialist. That position will manage office operations such as the budget, financial and procurement support, and provide general support across the department.

The Office of Emergency Management, Safety and Security is looking to grow by six full-time positions, all safety and security specialists.

The Office of Finance and Procurement is requesting three positions – a senior assistant purchasing agent, an internal auditor and a financial analyst.

General Registrar Judy Brown is requesting two full-time positions for the Office of Elections and Voter Registration – an early voting coordinator and an operations assistant.

With the board’s support to open two new early voting satellite locations ahead of the November state elections, Brown said an early voting coordinator is needed.

General Services Director Ernie Brown is asking for funding for 14 new full-time positions – an assistant director, a learning

and DEI coordinator, a policy and planning administrator, a senior building specialist, four systems maintenance technicians, a facilities warehouse coordinator, a facilities inventory clerk, two project coordinators, a flood mitigation program manager and a senior stormwater engineer.

Health Department Director David Goodfriend is requesting seven full time employees – two public health nurses, a nursing services program manager, a customer service supervisor, a nursing site manager, an environmental health supervisor and an administrative assistant.

Housing and Community Development Interim Director George Govan is requesting three new full-time positions for that department. Those are a housing support specialist, a housing inspector and a housing counselor.

Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services Director Margaret Graham is asking for 15 FTEs this year –a crisis receiving and stabilization center administrator, 10 support coordinators, a team support coordinator, an accounting technician, a reimbursement team coordinator and an opioid program coordinator.

Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Interim Director Vincent Jones is asking for six positions for that department – a deputy director, an HR program manager, an accountant, a transportation program manager and assistant manager and a transportation planner.

An organizational analysis is being conducted of the department now, Jones said.

Treasurer Henry Eickelberg is requesting two new full-time employees – an operations specialist and a lead collector.

Public Affairs and Communications Officer Glen Barbour said his office is requesting a communications manager to provide support to the Department of Planning and Zoning and other high-volume departments.

The Office of Real Property Asset Management and Planning is requesting two positions, both land acquisition managers to provide the department with capacity to complete land acquisition activities related to capital projects, board member initiatives, unsolicited offers, easements and license requests, leases and support the Space Planning Committee and county and schools Land Matrix Committee.

Each of the requested positions are included in County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s proposed budget. So far, supervisors have made no motions to adjust or remove any of the funding from that plan. They are scheduled to meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. for their next budget work session. n

Tax Exemption Income Caps Set to Increase

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Elderly and disabled residents applying to benefit from the county’s tax exemption program will likely soon be able to qualify at higher income levels after the Board of Supervisors last week authorized staff to draft changes to the criteria.

The proposal was introduced by Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) last year, and in September supervisors heard from Commissioner of Revenue Bob Wertz on the impacts of the change.

Residents who are 65 years old or permanently disabled as of Dec. 31 the previous year may be exempt from both real property and personal property taxes. For residential property exemptions, the lot must also be three acres or less and be the sole dwelling of the owner, except for those who live in a nursing home or hospital.

Currently, elderly or disabled residents with an income below $70,000 a year and a net worth of $560,000 or less may receive a 50% real property exemption. Those with an annual income of $77,000 or less and a net worth of $440,000 may receive a 100% real property exemption.

Those limits were last updated in 2021 based on the Consumer Price Index for the Washington, DC, region. Typically, that is done manually every four years, Turner said.

Turner’s proposal would also have the income limits adjusted automatically with the CPI each year.

That would bring the income cap up to $87,000 with a maximum net worth of $498,960 for 100% relief. The cap for 50% exemption would increase to $79,367 of annual income and a maximum net worth of $635,040. Those amounts would go into effect beginning in 2026.

Turner said he brought the change forward after being asked by constituents why criteria for both the income limit and net worth were not automatically updated for inflation.

“We’ve already established that we want a certain population to be eligible for relief based on their net worth and also on their household qualifying income,” he said. “It seems to me ponderous and an excess of time and energy for the county staff and for the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office and for the board to have to manually make an adjustment every four years. It seems perfectly logical to me to set the baseline

for this program based on total net worth and qualifying income to just tie to the CPI and automatically adjust each year.”

Turner said because the county’s elderly and disabled population and their income and net worth changes each year, it is impossible to predict in advance how much revenue the county will forego if the board approves the change.

Supervisors Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) raised concerns with the automatic adjustments.

“It’s perfectly logical, what Supervisor Turner said. But for the rest of the population, CPI is not necessarily your salary. Your net worth doesn’t go up by CPI every year,” Letourneau said.

Instead, he said he would rather continue to review the numbers annually.

Kershner said he agreed the limits needed to be adjusted now but asked if Turner would accept consider having the board review it each year. Turner said he would not.

Turner’s motion passed 5-1-3 with Letourneau opposed and County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) and Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) absent. n

Capital Projects

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separated crossing at Smith Switch Road to improve safety.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Supervisors Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin), who does not sit on the committee, also received support for their shift funding for a turn lane project along Evergreen Mills Road at the entrance of Revolution Sportsplex to be allocated to the Berlin Turnpike and East Gate Drive traffic signal project in Purcellville.

In FY 2025 $231,000 was allocated for the turn lane project, $193,000 in FY 2026 and $694,000 in FY 2027. Proffer funding from the Village at Clear Springs development will be used for the sportsplex turn lane project instead.

“It will be a big boon for the amount of traffic that comes through there on [Rt.] 287 at East Gate Drive. It really does need significant improvement,” Kershner said.

The CIP was advanced by the Board of Supervisors during its March 10 meeting and will be voted on with the final fiscal year 2026 budget. n

a program of

Voting Locations

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Elections.

“Staff initiated research by first analyzing all current county owned or leased facilities, secondary options were Loudoun County Public Schools’ properties, and the last option were to identify potential lease opportunities,” she said.

The top recommendation in the Algonkian District was to lease space in the University Commerce Center on George Washington Boulevard in Ashburn.

“There is availability of 1,500 square feet, first floor rental space and there is ample parking and ADA compliant restrooms,” Marsh said.

In the Ashburn District, the staff recommendation is to use the nearly completed Ashburn Recreation and Community Center on Hawk Drive.

“This location is preferable due to its existing connections to the county’s fiber network which supports operational efficiency,” Marsh said.

In the Broad Run District, Marsh said there is first-floor space available for lease at Loudoun Station on Central Station Drive in Ashburn.

There are two options in the Little River District. The first would require a lease with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for a site on Belmont Ridge Road. The second would require a lease at the Brambleton Town Center.

Alternatively, the county could lease a space at the Dulles Town Center mall to serve residents in Algonkian, Sterling and Broad Run.

If the board wants the spaces to be available for November’s election, supervisors would need to identify the locations soon, General Registrar Judy Brown said.

After weighing the merits of the sites, Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) proposed endorsing two – the future Ashburn recreation center and the University Commerce Center site.

Saines said although Briskman was not present during the March 4 discussion, he had received her approval for support of the two sites.

That was supported by Brown who said her office has not used a leased location for early voting before and

she did not think anyone in Virginia had either.

“So, we would kind of hope that the board would possibly consider maybe not entering into a lot of leases but to give us a chance to enter maybe into one to see how it’s going to function,” she said.

There are a lot of factors to consider including impacts on surrounding businesses by candidate campaigns and party tents, she said.

“Operationally, our opinion right now is that Ashburn rec center is kind of a no brainer,” Deputy Director of Elections Richard Keech said. “We already spoke with [Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services] Steve Torpy and he already kind of planned on it.”

Saine’s motion to identify the two locations as potential voting sites and schedule a public hearing passed 6-0 with with Briskman, County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) and Syliva R. Glass (D-Broad Run) absent.

Supervisor Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) said the proposed site in her district is closer to the other eastern Loudoun locations and asked if the staff had considered some closer to Aldie or Middleburg.

“That area is very difficult to find rental space in or space that is appropriate that meets the requirements for this type of space where there’s enough square footage as well,” Senior Deputy County Administrator Erin McLellan said. “So, staff did a thorough review of all the lease space available in the county and there really was nothing that met the criteria well enough.”

Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) said he also would like to see a second early voting location in his district because of how large it is geographically.

An amendment to add research into a second Catoctin District location and a more western Little River District location was not accepted by Saines, but Kershner did earn support from the board for a separate motion to pursue that on a 6-0 vote with Briskman, Randall and Glass absent. n

AROUND town Leesburg Council Wrestles with Budget Gap After Cutting Vehicle License Fees

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

The Leesburg Town Council on Monday passed to the town manager the task of filling the $660,000 funding gap that resulted from its decision to waive the $25 vehicle license fee for residents next year.

The work session, held in the lower level banquet hall of the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center while renovations are made to the council chambers, included a question and answer session on Town Manager Kaj Dentler’s proposed $158.1 million FY26 budget. Discussions included an initial overview of the General Fund, an information memorandum from the Department of Community Development, and then a mark-up session where council members used straw poll votes to make changes to the proposed budget.

After the council made a little over

$250,000 in cuts, Management and Budget Officer Tamara Keesecker said $660,000 would be needed to close the gap for a balanced budget-- assuming the Council wanted to make up the $906,000 in revenue from their decision on the vehicle license fee without raising the current tax rate of 17.74 cents per $100 of assessed value.

Council Member Neil Steinberg raised what ended up being the crux of the mark-up session after Dentler encouraged the council to make adjustments during the session rather than waiting.

“I have yet to hear anything that begins to address the $906,000 hole in the budget,” Steinberg said.

The council then began to discuss what proposed General Fund enhancements–focusing on the hiring of new staff – could be cut.

The five requested staff enhancements

are $215,000 to hire a cyber security officer for the IT Department; $345,798 of local tax funding and $172,800 from the unassigned fund balance to staff two senior police lieutenants; $160,039 to staff a Police Department IT manager; $184,599 to hire a community development senior engineer; and $121,701 to hire a transportation engineer for Public Works and Capital Projects.

Staff members explained the reasoning behind each of the hiring proposals.

Director of Community Development

James David presented a chart showing that workload indicators have gotten higher each fiscal year from 2017 to 2024.

The number of major and minor land development reviews undertaken by the Engineering Division has increased each

BUDGET GAP continues on page 9

Virginia Village Redevelopment Begins with Demolition

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Demolition began last week on portions of the Virginia Village shopping center where a new mixed-use development is planned.

The 18.5-acre property was rezoned in 2022 to permit the construction of 643 planned residential units, office, retail, and restaurant space, parking facilities, and park space. It is one of the first projects approved under the town’s Crescent Design District standards that guide redevelopment of land south and east of the downtown historic district.

The first phase of the project will include residential development including townhouses by Knutson Companies and Keane Enterprises building apartment buildings with ground floor retail. Those apartments will have five stories.

“I think it’s providing great housing in proximity to downtown Leesburg,” developer Brian Cullen said. “The last apartment building built inside the bypass was built in 1989.”

Demolition of the vacant retail build-

ings will be followed by around nine months of infrastructure construction including stormwater management along Catoctin Circle.

“We have a good deal of work ahead of getting any buildings off the ground,” he added.

Ida Lee Easter Egg Hunt

Planned April 12

Leesburg’s Parks and Recreation Department will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 12 from 12 to 3 p.m. at Ida Lee Park.

Children ages one to eight are invited to participate, and will receive a bag for collecting eggs as personal baskets are not allowed. Participants will receive a treat bag and can take photos with the Easter Bunny. Additionally, participants will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize at the conclusion of the event.

Pre-registration is required, and may be made online at valeesburgweb.myvscloud.com. The fee is $10 per child and entrances will be staggered according to time slots. No day of registrations will be allowed.

Parking will be available in the front fields located off North King Street. For more information, go to idalee.org.

Morven Park Road

Project Updates

The installation of a storm sewer pipe along the Morven Park Road project is expected to be completed by early May.

Town staff members are developing traffic calming measures for the area to ensure safety and efficiency during the installation process.

A preconstruction meeting may be held in July 2025.

Town Offers Free Soil Amendment

Leesburg’s Utilities Department is offering its organic soil product known as Tuscarora Landscapers Choice to residents for free.

The material is produced at the town’s biosolids processing facility as part of the Water Pollution Control Division’s wastewater treatment program and is intended to enhance soil quality and promote healthy plant growth.

The first phase of construction is expected to take two years.

Cullen said that businesses operating in the still occupied eastern section of the retail center, including the Strive Compounding Pharmacy and Deli South, will continue to operate. n

The town will stock the pellet shed outside of the water plant facility, located at 1385 Russell Branch Parkway, each Friday.

For more information, go to leesburgva.gov/tlc. n

William Timme/ Loudoun Now

Demolition began last week along the Virginia Village retail strip.

Budget Gap

continued from page 8

year, despite the staffing levels remaining mostly the same with the exception of an added staff member in fiscal year 2019.

David also said that because the town is 93% built out, each project has become more complex with infill and redevelopment. On top of that, HB 2660 which passed the Virginia legislature and awaits action from Gov. Glen Youngkin, would reduce the time local planning commissions have to act on site plans from 60 days to 40 days.

“We do more with less all the time, and we'll continue to do that...”

— Scott Varner (IT Director)

“The big aha is that the state is now compressing our review times,” David said.

Under those new deadlines, David said that the staff estimates being late on reviews 75% of the time. He added that current forecasts show the staff is late 20% of the time.

Director of Capital Projects and Public Works Renée LaFollette said workload concerns also influenced the proposal to hire a transportation engineer. She said the town’s lone transportation engineer processed over 150 right-of-way permits this fiscal year and has conducted over 64 plan reviews for Community Development, including traffic impact analyses on top of a myriad other responsibilities.

“It would be a lower grade engineer that would be able to handle the more routine aspects,” LaFollette said.

During mark-ups, Council Member Kary Naci raised the idea of cutting the costs of these two engineering positions by delaying hiring until Jan. 1. That motion passed via straw poll vote, saving $95,167 on the senior engineer for community development and $63,810 on the transportation engineer.

Police Chief Thea Pirnat said 65% of the town’s patrol officers have less than 3 years of experience, which she

said creates a liability concern. She also said her current senior lieutenants are working in the field up to 12 hour days on weekends, and that extra staff would help lighten the administrative workload on officers.

Director of Information Technology Scott Varner said that failing to hire a cyber security officer for the IT department could also present a liability issue. He said that warding off cyber attacks up to this point was attributable to the work of a lean staff doing everything it can.

“We’re government employees, it’s what we do,” Varner said. “We do more with less all the time, and we’ll continue to do that, but it is a necessary decision.”

He said the town was in a “risk posture” at the moment, with thousands of cyber attack attempts on a daily basis.

“They’ve only got to get lucky one time; we’ve got to get lucky every single time,” Varner said. “If something does happen, we have to prove due diligence in court at some point.”

Dentler added that the town’s IT Commission has been asking for that cyber security position for a long time, but it’s been pushed off in the past because of costs.

The Council didn’t make cuts to either of the senior police lieutenant positions, the cybersecurity officer or the Police Department’s request for an IT manager.

After further deliberation, the council decided to remove the $100,000 placeholder for the tax relief program, since the vehicle license fee was reduced to $0.

Then the Council reached an impasse, unsure of what cuts to make.

Council Member Zach Cummings said he wanted to hear from the town manager what cuts could make for a balanced budget.

Over the objections of Mayor Kelly Burk and Steinberg, the  council majority supported that approach. Dentler said he would have the cuts prepared in a packet for the third and final budget work session.

No members of the public spoke at a public hearing on the proposed FY26 budget that occurred the Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Ida Lee. The final budget work session will be held on March 24.

The proposed budget is scheduled for a final public hearing and adoption on March 25. n

Keep Leesburg Beautiful Volunteers Can Expect Deals, Prizes

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Keep Leesburg Beautiful, an anti-litter initiative that officially kicks off April 5, is offering deals with local businesses for volunteers who participate in the annual townwide cleanup.

Deals for volunteers include a free visit to the Catty Corner Cafe, 20% off at MOVE Leesburg, 15% off food and drinks at Shake and Bops Botanical Cafe, 20% off at Birch Tree Books and Plants, 50% off at Puccio’s New York Deli, and 15% off and a free candle at The Global Local. Volunteers will receive a participation card to redeem the rewards.

Also, any group of up to 10 members will be entered into the “Golden Grabber” competition. Mayor Kelly Burk will present the group that picks up the most trash with a golden trash grabber.

“The idea behind any sort of Keep Leesburg Beautiful event, or Keep America Beautiful event, is to get the community involved in keeping the common areas of the town clean,” Sustainability Manager Deb Moran said. “That’s the idea. To get everyone together and take pride in their community and work together with each

other, and kind of build community while cleaning it up.”

Moran said the town aligns the kick-off event every year with the first weekend in

April, which is Earth Awareness Month. Participation is encouraged all month long.

A kick-off event will be held at Raflo Park beginning at 11 a.m. April 5. Moran

said Burk will start the event with a few remarks, and that the town would provide trash grabbers for volunteers.

To bolster the clean-up event, Moran said the town has launched a new website with a map of the different areas for suggested clean up. Those area zones list criteria, including information on whether the area would be a good place to bring children during clean-up.

Last year’s event saw 46 volunteers participate. Despite being a few weeks away, Moran said 38 people have already registered. She added that the town is hoping to beat last year’s number by a lot.

“Trash begets trash,” she said, noting that the dirtier an area is, the less pride residents will share in it.

“We really love our community, and our community is best taken care of when we’re doing it all together,” she said. “A slogan that I live by is ‘see a problem, solve a problem.’ This is an opportunity for all of us to get out and do something and solve a problem in our community. There’s no barriers to entry here. Everyone’s welcome to take part in making our space a little greener.”

Details on volunteering, including suggested litter collection locations, can be found at leesburgva.gov/KLB. n

Town of Leesburg

Volunteers from last year’s Keep Leesburg Beautiful Event pick up trash.

Family Liaisons Honored for Contributions

BY AMBER LUCAS alucas@loudounnow.org

Family liaisons were honored by the School Board on Tuesday night for their roles in improving the lives of the students and families in the most need.

“The goal is for our students to have their basic needs met at home, so that they may come to school ready to learn and thrive academically. Additionally, our family liaisons help parents and families engage with their school and be meaningful participants in their child’s education by helping them navigate school and division, technology, opportunities and resources,” Outreach Services Supervisor Sarah Boies stated.

Dominion Trail Elementary School Family Liaison Jane Kennedy said that the liaisons have two missions: build family engagement and support students and families. The role started in Loudoun in the 1990s, and Kennedy said that she has seen the need grow from year to year.

As of December 2024, there were 4,168 families and 5,210 students served by family liaisons.

Each school has a family liaison, either full-time or part-time position based on the school’s Title 1 status. Schools with 50% or more of the population enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program are classified as Title 1 schools, and national guidelines state that any schools with 75% or more must be served. Schools with 40% or more are considered Title 1 eligible for assistance and receives a full-time family liaison like the Title 1 schools.

Kennedy called family liaisons “wonderful” and “a huge resource” for Title 1 schools like Dominion Trail. She said that

SCHOOL notebook

LEF Opens Applications for Innovation Grants

Loudoun Education Foundation’s Innovation in Education Grant applications are open.

The foundation provides the grant in collaboration with the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation and Amazon Web Services, among others. The grants provide educators with funds for projects in their schools.

Previous recipients include Leesburg Elementary for their school store and Round Hill Elementary for STEM robotics kits.

Any school-based staff member may can apply by the April 4 deadline at: loudouneducationfoundation.org.

New Building Maintenance Policy Approved

day-to-day activities include working with the Parent Teacher Association, running assistance programs, and facilitating relationships between parents and their child’s teacher, especially if there is a language barrier.

Dominion Trail Principal Jeffrey Joseph said that the school values Kennedy especially, and that she embodies the seal in the front of the school that reads “families come together.”

Board Member Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg) noted that in all the schools she had visited were proud and protective of their family liaison. This shows how much they are valued, she said.

A few of the programs offered at the

school include the food pantry, which served 18 families and 53 children on Monday; the pack leader program, named for the husky mascot, where parents can come volunteer in their child’s classroom and other places in the school; a program that sends meals home with children on the weekends; and a new free soccer program that will serve 35 children this spring.

Kennedy said that she has been seeing an uptick in the level of need at the school in recent years.

“We’re about at the 50% mark for children who qualify for free or reduced meals,

FAMILY LIAISONS continues on page 13

The School Board on Tuesday approved a new policy that will require the superintendent to develop maintenance procedures for buildings on school campuses.

According to a briefing by Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis in December, the reason this has never been put in policy before was time constraints. He also said that things required in state law, such as opening and closing dividers in auditoriums, are being addressed in the new regulation to keep the policy short. This policy was recommended by the Virginia School Board Association. Changes made during the process include adding language to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. n

All Ages Read Together Class Explores Health Careers

BY AMBER LUCAS alucas@loudounnow.org

Students in an All Ages Read Together preschool class in Sterling last week got to explore healthcare careers through a story read by Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Director of Giving Stephanie Nerantzis and a visit from retired Loudoun Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief Tami Bredow.

AART is a private, free preschool nonprofit program that runs on donations from charitable sources. It serves families who cannot afford preschool, but do not

qualify for the Head Start program, which is run through the public school system.

The AART classes are offered in Loudoun and Fairfax counties in what AART board member Lara Major calls “friendly spaces,” with this class being held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Sterling. It helps keep costs down, according to Major.

Every class has a teacher and a teacher assistant.

“We have a primary teacher in every class working on pre-kindergarten readiness skills, so that when they get to kindergarten, we know they’re used to sitting

in a circle, and used to raising their hands when they want to talk. They get a chance to interact and have social skills developed here in the classroom. A lot of our children come to us not even knowing how to hold a pencil. By the end of the year, they have a lot of those skills under their belt, and they start kindergarten ready,” Major said.

The healthcare career exploration started with a reading of “Hospitals, Healthcare, Helicopters and More” by Dr. Elizabeth Rice Martin. It was read in English by Nerantzis and in Spanish by another Claude Moore staff member, Clarisa Meza Negrete. The Claude Moore Foundation

also donated a copy of the book to each student in the class.

The book talked about doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, emergency staff and more. It also talked about what kind of schooling healthcare staff go through to earn their degrees and certifications. The career exploration is sponsored by Claude Moore Opportunities, a sister program to the foundation, that develops career exploration programs for children.

“One of the coolest things about All

READING CLASS continues on page 13

Amber Lucas/Loudoun Now

From left, Dominion Trail Principal Jeffrey Joseph, Family Liaison Jane Kennedy and Assistant Principal Janet Lewis pose together after a March 11 School Board presentation highlighting the family liaison program.

BY AMBER LUCAS alucas@loudounnow.org

New Lab-based Academy Cleared for August Opening

The School Board on Feb. 25 approved the final operational agreement for the Accelerated College and Employability Skills Academy. ACCESS is planned to open to students in August.

ACCESS is a lab-school program for at-risk high school students in Virginia. It provides an opportunity to learn job skills and prepare for the college transition. The program is a collaboration of Loudoun County Public Schools, George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College. It was approved by the Virginia Board of Education last April.

The academy will be open to all eligible students in Virginia, with participants selected by a lottery. The program will have capacity for 120 students, with 30 students each from grades nine to 12. It will be housed at Potomac Falls High School in Sterling and the new Fuse at Mason Square building on GMU’s Arlington Campus, set to fully open in August.

According to an announcement by the school division, key features of the

program are solving real-world industry challenges, providing hands-on experience, earning college credit and certifications, and preparing for high demand IT jobs after graduation.

Students accepted into ACCESS will be enrolled at Potomac Falls High School. Eight modular classrooms are being planned to accommodate the growing enrollment at the school. Graduates will receive a standard diploma and earn dual-enrollment credits or career certifications.

“ACCESS Academy is a bold step forward in preparing our students for future careers,” Superintendent Aaron Spence stated. “By blending academic rigor with real-world experience, we’re creating unique dynamic pathways that empower students to thrive in the rapidly evolving IT landscape. Our continued partnership with George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College expands opportunities for LCPS students, providing them with unparalleled access to learn from and collaborate with two of the region’s most respected higher education institutions.”

Outreach for the program started in

February. Interest forms will be circulated this month and enrollment will proceed in April and May. All qualified applicants will be added to the admissions lottery.

School Board Member Deana Griffiths (Ashburn) opposed approving the program. She said that the lottery system isn’t fair, as the program is specifically for atrisk students. She also said that providing transportation to academy students was not feasible, especially since some will be transported to the GMU campus, and the county’s buses are already stretched thin. She also cited complaints she has received about the change in transportation for the Academies of Loudoun and the bus hubs.

“We’re looking at a student here, a student there, maybe not filling buses, not having full buses to go to George Mason. It’s not a good business decision,” she said. “And the lottery system, as I see it, is not fair. So basically, I’m going to vote no on this today.”

The motion to approve the operational agreement passed 7-1-1, with Griffiths opposed and Kari LaBell (Catoctin) absent.

For more information about ACCESS, go to lcps.org/accessacademy. n

Loudoun County Public Schools

The new Fuse at Mason Square building on GMU’s Arlington Campus, set to fully open in August. ACCESS Academy classes will also be housed at the building

Reading Class

continued from page 11

Ages Read Together is that every child gets a book so they can start their home library,” said Margaret Brown with MLB strategies.

After the story, Bredow surprised the children with an ambulance outside for them to explore. She had the kids pretend they had gotten an emergency call, then put on their coats and rush to the ambulance.

Bredow had them pretend they were working in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, with Major as a patient. She showed them how the stretcher was pulled out and put onto the ambulance, with Major in it, and ran the lights and sirens, to the children’s delight. They even got to perform first aid in the form of applying BandAids on Major’s leg.

She also took them around the outside of the ambulance, told them how crews called into the hospital to tell them they were coming, and went over who works in the ambulance.

“If children are exposed to careers early in their life, then they have a much better chance of thinking for all of their school

Family Liaisons

continued from page 11

but there are other schools in Loudoun closer to the 95% of their kids who qualify for free meals, and there’s a lot of need even though Loudoun County is a super wealthy county,” she said. “There are still children and families who are our neighbors, who are our children’s classmates, who need that help, and I want to give back to my community so I can try to make it a richer, happier place for everybody.”

When she started in 2022, the number of meal bags sent home with children over the weekend was fewer than 90. Now, that number is over 140. Kennedy has also seen more demand in other support programs, and for referrals she gives to families for community assistance. Families receiving referrals may have trouble paying bills or be on the verge of eviction.

Also on liaisons’ plates is applying for grants and securing donations to keep programs running. Kennedy identified funding as one of the larger challenges and she is grateful to the community partners that make that happen, including the Backpack Buddies Foundation of Loudoun, which provided Dominion Trail with $12,000 to start the food pantry, and Loudoun Education Foundation, which runs 17 food pantries in schools.

“A lot of family liaisons want to have some general funds that they can use to

Amber Lucas/Loudoun Now Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Director of Giving Stephanie Nerantzis and Claude Moore staff member Clarisa Meza Negrete read “Hospitals, Healthcare, Helicopters and More” by Dr. Eblizabeth Rice Martin to an All Ages Read Together preschool class in Sterling on March 6.

years that, ‘hey, maybe I want to be that when I grow up.’ So they’ve written this book, ‘Hospitals, Healthcare, Helicopters and More,’ Major said. “It was written by an obstetrician down in the Norfolk area who has really been very instrumental in helping us get this out around the state.” n

buy, say, a dozen pairs of shoes in different sizes so that when a child comes to me and says, I don’t have shoes for PE because my family can’t afford to get new ones, or a teacher notices kid wearing busted shoes, I’m able to reach into my closet because I take their shoes,” Kennedy said. “So that’s, that’s one big challenge, just the resources, and you just have to stay on top of it.”

While the liaisons are vulnerable to compassion fatigue, there are moments that make it worth it, Kennedy said.

She cited an interaction on Monday when her husband was volunteering as a pack leader for their eldest child. After the food pantry closed, she found her child and husband talking to friends of her child, and both had just been at the food pantry. They were talking about soccer.

“I came back to my desk, and I sat down, and I had sent out information like a registration sheet, sign up to your kids for a free soccer league here at Dominion Trail that we’re going to be running in conjunction with Loudoun Soccer. And I quickly went through the responses the sign ups that I had already gotten—and yes, both of those kids, their parents would sign them up for our free soccer league. What a joy,” Kennedy said.

“My call to action, my plea to your leaders is those of us who can please use our voices and our resources to help build out the social safety net so that these families can thrive here in Loudoun and enjoy these advantages that we have here,” Kennedy said. n

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Business After 14 Years Old Ox Brewing Announces Last Call

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

A hub of Loudoun’s close-knit brewing community for more than a decade, Old Ox Brewery will close next month.

The announcement was made Monday by members of the Burns family who opened the brewery in a Guilford Drive industrial park along the W&OD Trail in 2011. In addition to its popular beers—including 2023’s Bye Dan beer, which celebrated the end of Dan Synder’s ownership of the Washington Commanders—the family is known for their community collaborations and support of area charities. Last year, Old Ox was awarded Visit Loudoun’s Steve Hines Partner of the Year award for those efforts.

According to the announcement, founders Graham and Mary Ann Burns are ready for retirement and their children, Chris and Kristin, want to pursue interest outside of the industry.

The family worked successfully to find a buyer for the operation, only to learn that the landlord had found a new tenant to take over the space when the lease expires at the end of April, according to the announcement.

“It has been an incredible journey these past 11 years. We’ve treasured every moment. Well, with a few rare exceptions,” they wrote. “Together, we’ve made won-

Save BIG. Live Larger

derful friendships, supported our community, created some pretty darned cool experiences, and consumed an impressive quantity of delicious beer.

“Everything must end, though and this is our time.”

The last day of operations will be Saturday, April 5.

The family said there may be a chance for Old Ox to reopen in new space, but that is uncertain.

“Whatever happens, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the 11 years of love we’ve felt from all of you. We’ve had some amazing times and we’ve created memories that we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives. We appreciate you,” the family wrote.

In addition to the Ashburn brewery, the Burns operated a second location in Middleburg from 2019 until July 2022. In the spring of 2022, the family explored a retirement plan that involved a merger with Silver Branch Brewing Company, but that deal did not go through. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn is set to close in April.

Bowman Named JK Moving Driver of the Year

JK Moving Services named Al Bowman as the company’s Long-Distance Driver of the Year. The award, which comes with a $5,000 bonus, is based on his commitment to outstanding customer service while embracing the company’s core values, according to the announcement.

“Our business relies on excellent long-distance drivers. That’s why we recognize the very best every year. This year, we are excited to honor Al Bowman. His focus on providing the best possible service to all our clients, work ethic and can-do attitude make him outstanding at his job,” stated JK Moving President David Cox.

Bowman hauled nearly 698,000 pounds last year while maintaining a stellar safety record and logging more five-star reviews than most other JK drivers. He joined the company in 2017 and is based out of Gaston, SC.

Brian Eckert, of Milwaukee, placed second and is a repeat winner. Third place was Carlos Medina, of Herndon.

The awards were announced during JK’s annual Long-Distance Driver Conference, a two-day event that gives the drivers the chance to gather and share experiences with their peers as well as learn about updates from the corporate team.

To recruit and retain top drivers the company offers an annual guaranteed income for experienced Over-theRoad Class-A CDL Drivers of at least $100,000. The company also has extensive training and ongoing career development, a formal wellness program, a safe harbor 401(k) and company-paid profit-sharing program, tuition reimbursement, and paid time off. In addition, it provides an Employee Assistance Program; comprehensive medical, dental vision, and ancillary benefit coverage; bonus incentives; and employee volunteer opportunities—including with the JK Community Farm.

Learn more at jkmoving.com. n

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JK Moving Services named Al Bowman as the company’s Long-Distance Driver of the Year.

Nonprofits Give Choose Campaign Opens for Early Donations

The Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties kicked off its 2025 Give Choose campaign Tuesday with an early giving period.

Held Tuesday, March 25, Give Choose is an annual day of online giving hosted by the Community Foundation that invites residents to donate to local nonprofit organizations serving Loudoun and northern Fauquier counties at givechoose.org.   Last year, Give Choose raised $896,024

for local nonprofits. Since its inception in 2014, Give Choose has raised over $5.1 million for charitable organizations.

“The goal of Give Choose is for our community to come together and raise as much as possible in one day for our local nonprofits,” said Nicole Acosta, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. “Supporting the causes you care about through charitable giving is an act

of love for your community. Give Choose day is all about caring for our neighbors, our environment, our history, and everything that makes Loudoun and northern Fauquier counties an amazing place.”

More than 170 local charities serving Loudoun and Northern Fauquier are registered on givechoose.org, where visitors can choose from animal welfare, environment, health, human services, education, youth, and arts and culture nonprofits

during Give Choose. Donations of $10 or more can be made through the Give Choose site.

Donations may be made up to two weeks in advance, during an early giving period beginning March 11. Local businesses also participate in Give Choose through sponsorships, which provide a prize pool to be awarded to participating nonprofits throughout March 25. n

African American Community Alliance Awards Impact Grants

The African American Community Alliance awarded 16 Community Synergy Impact grants during a ceremony held at the Douglass Community Center in Leesburg.

The community nonprofit dedicated to enhancing equitable outcomes in the greater Loudoun County community, supporting charitable organizations in improving scientific and healthcare education, promoting academic achievement, and expanding access to grant funding, educational and workforce training, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Grants were awarded in five impact categories: Educational, Literacy, and Health Enrichment; Increasing Awareness of Significant Historical Accomplishments; Perpetual Scholarships with Mentoring & Alumni Components; Underserved and/ or Under-Represented Children/Youth Programs; and Workforce Development, Job Opportunities, Pathways to Economic Advancement.

The 2025 Community Synergy Impact Grant recipients were:

Epsilon Zeta Boulé Foundation, Inc. – $10,000 for sustaining the Future Kings STEM Academy, Winter Clothing Distribution Program, and Elderly & Youth Programs

Endeavor To Dream Foundation – $10,000 for mission-based drone aviation technology lessons two 6-week youth programs and leadership development camps

Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International – $10,000 for Health and History Programs, Re-entry Program, Unity Outreach initiatives

JGH Educational and Charitable Foundation – $10,000 for STEM student and youth programs

Loudoun Douglass Alumni Association – $5,000 for a history essay con-

test, community scholarships, and legacy documentation enhancement

Loudoun Freedom Center –

$10,000 for the production of a historic educational game for high school students and e-commerce website enhancements

MLK Diversity-Engagement Foundation – $10,000 for the College Tour & Experience 100 student program, Elder/Youth events, Literacy /Tutoring/ Preschool Tuition

NAACP Loudoun Branch – $10,000 for Propel and Level Up STEM programs and small business entrepreneur pitch contest

National Pan-Hellenic Council, Loudoun County – $8,000 sponsorship for multicultural academic achievement event and needs-based scholarships

Northern Virginia Data Cen-

ter Academy – $10,000 for workforce development, IT-hiring tech/job fair, instructor hires, and IT certification training scholarships

Pearls of Loudoun Endowment of Psi Rho Omega – $10,000 for underserved students, thousands of nutritional weekend meals, daily snacks, “FFSS” clothing

Operation Uplift Foundation –

$10,000 for Life Lessons Program with the Young Kings, STEAM/Robotics Programs, Toys For Tots and Backpacks -Back to School initiatives

The Liberty Street Foundation – $10,000 for supporting hundreds of families with nutritional meals, gift cards, school supplies, and awarding scholarships

The LINKS, Inc. Loudoun County Chapter – $8,000 for providing Nation-

al Career Readiness Certificates for AVID/ CAMPUS students; Colgate Bright Smiles

Bright Futures dental health initiative

Virginia Gamma Sigma – $5,000 for scholarships supporting future teachers

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Phi Upsilon Zeta Chapter – $10,000 for elementary school summer reading programs and high school Global Ambassador Club trip support

“We are honored to support these outstanding organizations who are committed to working together with greater synergy and their work to uplift our community through education, mentorship, and workforce development,” stated AACA board President Rory Q. Miott. “Through these grants, we aim to foster lasting, collaborative meaningful change in Loudoun.”

Learn more at aacalliance.org. n

The African American Community Alliance awarded 16 Community Synergy Impact grants during a ceremony held at the Douglass Community Center in Leesburg.

Loudoun Youth Recruits for New Executive Director

With the upcoming retirement of Steve Wolfson, Loudoun Youth Inc. is recruiting for its next executive director.

Marking its 20th year, the nonprofit is dedicated to empowering and supporting the youth of Loudoun County by providing leadership, development, and enrichment opportunities.

The executive director will serve as the chief executive officer for Loudoun Youth Inc., responsible for providing visionary leadership, managing operations, and ensuring the organization fulfills its mission and strategic goals. The ED will work closely with the board of directors, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners to advance the organization’s mission, help secure funding, create, and maintain programs and initiatives that benefit the youth of Loudoun County.

The organization is looking for a dynamic leader, skilled in nonprofit management, fundraising, and community engagement. Qualifications

include a minimum of five years of senior leadership experience in nonprofit management, ideally in youth development, education, or a related field; strong understanding of nonprofit financials, budgeting, and fundraising strategies; excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse stakeholders, including donors, staff, volunteers, and the broader community; a proven history of strategic thinking, problem-solving, and managing multiple priorities in a challenging environment; collaborative leadership style with the ability to foster teamwork and consensus-building; and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work history required with advanced degree in nonprofit management, business, or a related field is a plus.

Interested candidates should send a résumé and cover letter detailing their qualifications for Loudoun Youth Inc. to Wolfson swolfson@loudounyouth.org. n

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Public Safety Hearing Set for Alexandria Man Charged in Fatal Sterling Stabbing

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounow.org

A preliminary hearing has been set for an Alexandria man charged in a fatal stabbing that occurred March 1 in Sterling.

Lathius Noel Martin, 40, is charged with aggravated malicious wounding and is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

According to the arrest warrant, video footage shows Martin and Wesley

Richard Scott engaged in a physical altercation outside of a Sugarland Run-area residence. The footage later shows Scott returning to the residence with blood running down his chest.

Officers responded around 10:30 p.m. to find Scott suffering from stab wounds. He was transported to an area hospital where he died the next day.

Martin was arrested at a traffic stop where he was found with blood on his hands, clothing and shoes, according to

Measles Exposure Reported at Dulles Airport

The Virginia Department of Health is investigating a confirmed case of measles with a passenger passing through Dulles Airport last Wednesday.

Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed, including contacting potentially exposed passengers on specific flights.

According to the agency, potential exposure at the airport would have been in Terminal A, on transportation to the main terminal, and in the baggage claim area between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. March 5.

Those who may have been exposed to the highly contagious illness are urged to be aware of Measles symptoms that usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes, and a cough. These symptoms usually

start seven to 14 days after being exposed. The second stage starts three to five days after symptoms start, when a rash begins to appear on the face and spread to the rest of the body. People with measles are contagious from four days before the rash appears through four days after the rash appeared, according to the Health Department.

People who have not received a measles containing vaccine - either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles-only vaccine - may be at risk of developing measles.

Virginia residents with additional questions about their potential exposure may call VDH at 804-363-2704 or email epi_response@vdh.virginia.gov. For more information about measles visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/. n

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

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

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

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

the arrest warrant. He indicated he had cut his finger and assumed that was what the blood was from, according to the report. Martin also said he had been engaged in a verbal altercation with Scott.

A witness said he was with the Martin and Scott at the home and saw the altercation, according to the report.

Martin is scheduled to appear before a Loudoun General District Court judge April 16 at 1 p.m. for a preliminary hearing. n

Man Charged in Attempted Child Abduction

The Sheriff ’s Office has arrested a suspect following the report of an attempted child abduction in Ashburn on Sunday. According to the report, at approximately 7:28 p.m. March 9, deputies responded to Central Station Drive after receiving reports that a 3-year-old child had been forcibly taken by a man at a local restaurant. The child’s mother intervened immediately, recovering her child before the suspect could leave the scene. There were no injuries to the child.

After an on-scene investigation, investigators identified the suspect as Shane Paul Bergeron, 34, of Jefferson, GA. He was later taken into custody at a nearby hotel.

Bergeron has been charged with abduction by force and was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

This is an active investigation and anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff ’s Office at 703-777-1021. n

Search Underway for Loudoun Woman

A 20-year-old Loudoun County woman was reported missing Thursday while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

According to reports, Sudiksha Konanki, a pre-med University of Pittsburgh student, was last seen just after 4:15 a.m. March 6 walking on the beach at the RIU República Resort in Punta Cana. Konanki and six others were on the beach in the early morning hours Wednesday. At some point the others in the group headed back to the hotel. Konanki stayed on the beach with another vacationer, a 24-year-old man from Iowa, who has told investigators he became sick and left her there alone.

Defensa Civil, a Dominican Republic search and rescue force, is conducting the search, with no results reported through Tuesday afternoon. U.S. authorities are also on the scene to assist with the investigation.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office, Konanki is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States. The agency announced Sunday it is working with the U.S. Department of State, FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the University of Pittsburgh police in support of the ongoing investigation. On Monday, the Sheriff ’s Office announced it has filed for a Yellow Notice—worldwide police alert for a missing person—to be issued by INTERPOL.

Konanki is a resident of South Riding who attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. n

Konanki

Power Lines

continued from page 1

additional cost to high wattage users like data centers. However, the SCC did not approve that proposal, instead agreeing with Dominion that the cost would be too high and finding that the hybrid proposal lacked environmental analysis.

That decision is being appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court by Loudoun County and the Lansdowne Conservancy.

“[This is] to continue to fight for our community and the thousands of residents and businesses who passionately opposed massive overhead powerlines and supported the undergrounding of the Aspen to Golden line along Route 7,” Conservancy General Counsel Bryan Turner stated. “The SCC failed to adequately take into account the tremendous outpouring of public support to underground the lines as is required by the Virginia Code, essentially ignoring the voices of the residents impacted by aboveground power lines and the overwhelming support they received from our larger Loudoun community.”

Dominion’s next Loudoun project is another transmission line across new rights-of-way heading southwest from the Golden substation where the first line ends. The proposed routes follow Pacific Boulevard south through the commercial and future data center uses within Dulles 28 Centre before crossing Waxpool Road. They diverge once they intersect the Dulles Greenway.

During an open house in January, Dominion representatives said they were looking at five potential routes, but that all but four would require easements from Loudoun County and the public school system. All follow major roadways and segments of a Broad Run floodplain west of Rt. 28 and Dulles Airport.

Later that month the Board of Supervisors endorsed a route, which parallels an existing 230 kV transmission line adjoining the eastern boundary of Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School and Rock Ridge High School before proceeding west parallel to an access road on LCPS property until it intersects a sewer easement within the Broad Run Stream Valley Park. Route 4 then proceeds southwest. It goes around Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School and Rock Ridge High School.

The board endorsed Route 3 as its second choice. That route also crosses the northern portion of Rosa Lee Carter and Rock Ridge before moving south near homes along the Loudoun Valley Estates neighborhood. It then moves southwest to the western edge of the Dulles Trade

Center.

In endorsing those routes, supervisors also agreed to advocate for undergrounding options.

Residents along the proposed routes are organizing efforts to have a portion of the line, regardless of which route is submitted, built underground. Their concerns mirror those cited by homeowners along the Aspen to Golden line, specifically the health of their families and property values of their houses.

Sen. Kannan Srinivasan (D-32), in whose district the line is proposed, is also pushing for undergrounding. He introduced legislation this year that would have allowed the line to be considered for a pilot project and have it buried. However, that failed to earn support during the session.

Community leaders in the impacted neighborhoods say they recognize that the line is needed and the benefits that the data center industry provides to the community. However, the safety of their families is their top concern.

“This is, unfortunately proposed to cut through the community. We cannot compromise. We have one chance to do this right,” Srinivasan said.

Srinivasan and Del. JJ Singh (D-26) hosted a meeting in March with over 150 attendees to formulate a community strategy.

“I understand the Dominion is literally fulfilling. Dominion didn’t create this, they’re just fulfilling an order, but let’s make sure that we fill an order with the community safety as number one, number two, number three priorities,” Srinivasan said.

Dominion representatives said during a January open house that undergrounding was not deemed to be feasible for this line, but Raj Paradkar said the community does not have enough detail on why.

“Right now, we are very engaged, energized and mobilized,” Paradkar said. “None of the routes [Dominion is] proposing are underground. They are all above ground and we want them to consider the options which they took off the table, which they showed before, and they took them off the table without providing enough detail.”

Srinivasan said it’s only the second half of the line that the community is concerned about. He said residents recognize that cost is a hurdle but that it is secondary.

“That’s not the battle here,” Lauren Lillestolen said. “The battle is keeping people safe.”

Lillestolen and Sravan Duggaraju said many of their neighbors moved to Loudoun for the amenities the county provides.

“We came out here for the environmen-

tal aspects that you don’t have closer to the city, the cost of living isn’t that much cheaper here,” Lillestolen said said. “… I love Rosa Lee. I was so pleasantly surprised when we put my kindergartner in there. But if these lines are going around there, and I don’t necessarily feel like, granted there’s no proven problems, but I’m uncertain now, and now my children are being used as a science experiment, I’m uncomfortable.”

“Eighty percent of the people who are here, I know they came for the school system, a better school system. They want to get a good education. Safety is the priority,”

Duggaraju said.

The School Board on Tuesday was scheduled for it first discussion on the routes. Almost 40 parents, students, and residents came to oppose the lines.

Concerns from the protesters included health effects from not only attending school but living near the lines and safety for people walking and using the trails during construction. They also urged the school board to support an undergrounding option, but if that was not possible to choose route four, or route three to avoid the other options with the most substantial effects. n

75th wedding anniversary to

Mable Louise and Fearl (F.M.) Parker

75 years together!

We love you – Your children, 7 grandchildren and 7 greatgrandchildren

Happy

Towns

Round Hill Celebrates Water Tank Construction with County Support

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Community leaders gathered at the construction site for Round Hill’s new 500,000-gallon water storage tank Friday afternoon to celebrate a project that has been planned for a decade.

The groundbreaking ceremony happened just hours after the concrete base was poured for the $3.7 million tank. Work is proceeding quickly, with the steel sphere expected to be largely assembled by early summer.

Members of the Round Hill Town Council and town staff were joined by Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) for the event. Mayor Scott Ramsey said Kershner’s support was critical to the project.

Construction is moving forward with the help of the county government that provided two grants—$3.7 million from the county’s capital projects budget and $1.5 million from its allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds. The work is part of an overall $5.6 million project that includes plans to conduct rehabilitative maintenance on the town’s other elevated water tower along Evening Star Drive— another critical project.

“It’s getting very, very old. We need to rehab it. And to do that, we need to take it out of service. It’s the single biggest single point of failure in our system,” Ramsey said. “Once this tank is online, we’ll just sleep a lot better at night.”

“That’s why the Town of Round Hill

is so grateful that Loudoun County really agreed to step in and help make this project a reality,” Ramsey said. “I want to especially thank Supervisor Kershner. He

ROUND HILL WATER continues on page 21

Input Sought on Sweet Run State Park Master Plan

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation is seeking public input on the plans that will shape activities at Sweet Run State Park north of Hillsboro staring with a public meeting tonight.

The park staff opened the public outreach during a community meeting at the Between the Hills Community Center on Tuesday night. A second meeting will be held virtually on March 26.

The meetings are part of the first round of engagement to provide information about the park planning process and to gather input from current and potential park users. The master planning process is required by state law.

Sweet Run—Virginia’s 42nd, and northernmost, state park—covers nearly 900 acres in the Neersville area, stretching west from Harpers Ferry Road to the top of the Blue Ridge. It features 11 miles of

hiking trails, including a link to the Appalachian Trail; nine miles of equestrian trails; a fishing pond; a picnic pavilion; a nature play area for children; and historical sites that provide insight into early settlement and industry in the region. The park opened to the public last fall.

In addition to the public meetings, the

AROUND towns

PURCELLVILLE

Plans Begin for Purcellville Music & Arts Festival

Organizers of the annual Purcellville Music and Arts Festival are seeking artists, nonprofits, and sponsors to be part of this year’s event on Saturday, April 26.

The program celebrates Purcellville’s community, culture, and talent with a full day of activities at Dillon’s Woods and in the Historic Bush Tabernacle.

An Art Show will be held inside the Bush Tabernacle Skating Rink. All artists, professional or hobbyists, are encouraged to enter up to two pieces of their work so that the exhibit will reflect the area’s diverse and rich cultural presence. There is no entry fee. The deadline to submit artwork is April 4. Submit artwork at  PurcellvilleMusicAndArtsFestival.com/Artists.

The festival also includes a section dedicated to allow local nonprofits to reach out to people in the area. There is no fee to participate. The deadline to apply is April 4. Sign up at  PurcellvilleMusicAndArtsFestival. com/Vendors.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more details, go to: PurcellvilleMusicAndArtsFestival. com/Sponsors.

ROUND HILL

Utility Crews Respond to Water Line Breaks

After wrestling with the impacts of drought much of last year, the town’s utility staff in recent weeks has been dealing with water leaks.

A Feb. 27 water line break on Clover Terrace resulted in the loss of an estimated 300,000 gallons of water after a bolt on an underground value failed. Crews, including emergency help from the Town of Purcellville, worked for seven hours to stop the flow and make repairs. More work will need to be done as the water washed out the subsurface of the street, which will to be reconstructed.

department has created an online survey that opened March 11. Residents are invited to share their thoughts on what they value about Sweet Run State Park today, and what they would like to see in the future.

Learn more and take the survey at tinyurl.com/sweetrunplan. n

On Saturday, the utility staff was alerted to another break at the Stoneleigh Golf Club Pro Shop, where a pressure reducing valve failed. They were able to stop the leak within two hours of finding it.

Last month, the Town of Middleburg also experienced a major line break with a cap failed and 300,000 gallons of water was lost. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now Supervisor Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) speaks during the March 7, groundbreaking ceremony for the Town of Round Hill’s southern water tank.

Loudoun Now File Photo

A meadow at Sweet Run State Park.

Another Retirement Hits Purcellville Police, Camp Promoted

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Purcellville Police Department this week was hit with the fourth departure of an officer this year, as longtime Operations Lt. Scott Moskowitz retired after over 30 years in law enforcement.

Moskowitz’s departure follows former Chief Barry Dufek, Sgt. Paul Kakol and a third officer who resigned and took a position with a neighboring jurisdiction.

The string of notices comes at the same time as controversy within the town over Purcellville Police Officer Ben Nett who was elected to the Town Council last November and took office Jan. 1. Nett, who serves as vice mayor, is currently on administrative leave and underwent an internal investigation by the Prince William Police Department.

Dufek announced his retirement Jan. 16, just one week after the newly elected Town Council fired then-Town Manager Rick Bremseth during a special meeting. He was promoted to the chief position last July. He had worked for the department for 12 years and prior to that, had 13 years of experience in law enforcement.

Round Hill Water

continued from page 20

personally fought hard and advocated for this project, but he quickly was able to find support from both Chair Randall as well as the rest of supervisors.”

A key hurdle was persuading county leaders, who have been providing towns grants for things like road and sidewalk improvements, that utility system upgrades should be considered, as well. In Round Hill, the vast majority of the town’s more than 1,800 utility customers live outside the town’s boundaries.

Kershner said he began understanding the importance of the project while knocking on doors during his campaign and hearing concerns about the high rate increases that would be needed to finance the tank’s construction. The county’s grant helped keep those rates lower even as the costs of materials for the project were quickly increasing.

“I stand firm in my belief that leadership should always reflect the highest standards of integrity and transparency. Unfortunately, in my experience as your Chief these principles aren’t shared by all,” he said.

On Tuesday, the department announced that Sgt. David Camp had been promoted to the position of administrative lieutenant. Camp joined the department in 2018 and prior to that served for 10 years with an agency in North Carolina. He has received two Valor Awards, one in 2019 and one in 2023. He is a certified training officer and has overseen fleet management.

As the administrative lieutenant, Camp will oversee property & evidence, training, records management, and accreditation, as well as assist with patrol operations as needed.

“Lieutenant Camp is known for his willingness to always lend a hand, for both his fellow officers and community members. Lieutenant Camp epitomizes the Department’s community policing philosophy, often found engaging with Purcellville residents and visitors of all ages. His dependability, flexibility, and positive attitude is well known, and we are fortunate to have him as part of the Purcellville team,” according to the announcement.

While approved for 21 positions, the loss of Moskowitz drops the number of department’s officers to 12, including Interim Chief Sara Lombraña and Nett. n

“This is this is so important to the types of things we’re trying to do out here in western Loudoun, and that is to really improve the quality of life of people who live out here,” he said.

“My fellow members on the Board of Supervisors, as the mayor mentioned, they were tremendous. They understood this. They saw it as a public health issue, as a quality-of-life issue, and something that we could definitely improve,” Kershner said.

“Obviously, the county is well resourced because of many of the great economic projects that we have, including our tremendous data center folks in the east, and our budget this year is obviously very flush, and it’s one of the things that we can obviously do to help Western Loudoun. One of the things I work hard to do, is to help our villages and our towns throughout the west.”

Project Manager Rob Lohr said the second storage tank probably should have been part of the overall utility system design when county leaders approved development around the town in the

Purcellville Police Department Again Earns Accreditation Award

The Purcellville Police Department received its fifth accreditation award from the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission.

The VLEPSC met in Martinsville March 6 and unanimously confirmed the reaccreditation for the department.

The department held its reaccreditation onsite assessment Jan. 13-16, with a team of three assessors reviewing the agency’s policies and procedures to ensure proper proofs of compliance for 192 standards encompassing the past four years. The VLEPSC standards cover all aspects of law enforcement, including the areas of administration, operations/patrol, property and evidence, criminal investigations, personnel, budget, and training. The onsite assessment also included an inspection of the agency facility, static display of patrol vehicles, bicycle unit, and weapons, property and evidence audit, ride-along component, and interviews with department personnel.

It was first accredited in 2009, achieving its first reaccreditation in 2013, then again in 2017, and most recently in 2021. Agencies must maintain its accreditation status by adhering to the comprehensive standards, completing an annual verification report of compliance, and passing an onsite assessment every four years. Accreditation is an ongoing process that requires the department to align with the best professional practices and procedures in law enforcement.

“VLEPSC accreditation symbolizes the Purcellville Police Department’s

early 1990s.

The town started planning the tank 10 years ago.

“We originally started looking at this project being $2.5 to $2.6 million, and by the time we went out to bid, we were worried it was going to be between $4 and $5 million. Steel prices, construction prices were going through the roof,” Lohr said.

When complete, Lohr said the town’s two tanks will work in tandem to provide between 900,000 and 1 million gallons of storage, while also improving fire flow capacity beyond the minimum standards for nearby sections of the service area.

While the tank project is a critical undertaking for the town, Ramsey said users are unlikely to see any change. He credited council members and town staff for their work.

“When the project is all done the users of the system are not even supposed to notice it. It’s supposed to just be another day to them. The water system will still work. It will still be reliable. And they’ll just continue to be able to take this whole system for

commitment to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, excellence, and integrity in all aspects of public safety,” Interim Chief Sara Lombraña stated in the announcement. “Accreditation is not only important to our community to ensure professional police service, it also strengthens our agency’s accountability both internally and externally. I am very proud of all the hard work put forth by our members to achieve this coveted status, and we are committed to ensuring on-going compliance with the professional standards set forth by VLEPSC.” n

granted,” Ramsey said. “But for really 99% of our residents to sort of just take it for granted and ignore it, it really takes 1% of really dedicated people to work behind the scenes, people who just don’t care about the headlines and just want to have the self-knowledge of a job well done.”

Ramsey gave special credit to Lohr, who joined the town as a part-time project manager after leaving his post as Purcellville’s longtime town manager.

“We would not be here today without Rob Lohr and everything that he has done for this project and for the town. We were blessed the day that he joined our team. Other people’s folly is our reward,” Rasmey said. “He’s been a constant whirlwind here. Every snag gets removed. Every misunderstanding gets moved over. Every contingency has already been anticipated. He’s just been the driving agent, just making everything just click, click, click, click, click.

“It’s really been fantastic. He’s kept this project in motion when we stalled so many times before. He’s just the epitome of thankless public service.” n

Purcellville Police Department

Purcellville Interim Police Chief Sara Lombraña and Policy & Accreditation Manager Emily Johnson hold the department’s fifth Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission accreditation certification.

Camp

LIVE MUSIC

MOSTLY IRISH

4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 13

Lansdowne Woods Clubhouse, 19375 Magnolia Grove Square, Lansdowne. lwva.org

RICHARD WALTON

4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 13

Marie de la Fleur, 19375 Magnolia Grove Square, Leesburg. fleurdecuisine.com

TEJAS SINGH

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 13

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

JOEY AND THE WAITRESS BAND

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 13

Rebellion Bourbon Bar & Kitchen, 1 N. King St., Leesburg. eatatrebellion.com

ANGELINA REMONDINO

4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 14

Three Creeks Winery, 18548 Harmony Church Road, Hamilton. 3creekswinery.com

HUME & FRYE

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

MATT DAVIS

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

LAURA CASHMAN

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

TIMMIE METZ

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

BEN FISHER

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

GARY SMALLWOOD

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 14

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 23

Top Teen Bands Compete in Final Battle Friday

BY NORMAN K. STYER nystyer@loudounnow.org

After three preliminary rounds of competition, the top nine youth bands and top three soloists will perform Friday on the Tally Ho Theater stage for the final round of Loudoun Youth’s Battle of the Bands.

The show opens just after 6 p.m. March 14, with the

winners to be announced at 11:30 p.m. after each act has performed a 15-minute set in front of a crowd of fellow teens and parents.

A panel of 10 judges will rank the competition, with spectators invited to choose the Fan Favorite through online voting after the final performance.

The top winners will earn cash prizes ranging from $500 to $150 as well as opportu-

nities for songwriting mentorship sessions with Todd Wright at his Half King studio and studio time at Blue Room Productions. The top winner also will be invited to perform a full set during the Purcellville Music Festival.

The lineup includes three performers from last year’s finals. Eternal Moon, the top finisher during a preliminary round in December, won last year’s prize for best original

song, earning a songwriting session with Wright. World View is making its second finals appearance as is soloist Penelope Lyla.

Other band finalists are Antigravity, Blind Path, Orion Stars, Red the Trouble, Suncrest, Panorama and Purple Voyagers along with soloists Nick DeMolay and Gianna Russo.

Learn more at loudounyouth.org. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Eternal Moon returns to the Loudoun Youth Battle of the Bands finale Friday night after winning the prize for best original song during last year’s competition.

BEST BETS

Saturday, March 15, 7 p.m.

Lucketts Community Center luckettsbluegrass.org

Tuesday, March 18, 7 p.m. (doors) Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

A driving force in roots music for nearly three decades and a key player in the

a

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 22

LENNY BURRIDGE

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 14 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

THE SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 14

Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. $15. oldstoneschool.org

BRETT BABOORIAN

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 14

Solace Brewing Company, 42615 Trade West Drive, Sterling. solacebrewing.com

LOUDOUN YOUTH

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 14 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $10. loudounyouth.org

JOE HEILMAN

6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 14 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

TORREY B

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 14

Social House Kitchen & Tap, 25370 Eastern Marketplace Plaza, South Riding. socialhouseva.com

TEJAS SINGH

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 14

Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza, Ashburn. socialhouseva.com

TIM HAWKINS

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 14 Cornerstone Chapel, 650 Battlefield Parkway SE., Leesburg. cornerstonechapel.net

NEXT LEVEL SLACKERS

8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday, March 14 Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

PATCHWORK DOROTHY

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, March 14 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

DENNIS WAYLAND

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

JILL FULTON

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

LUKE ANDREWS

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Fabbioli Cellars, 15669 Limestone School Road, Leesburg. fabbiolicellars.com

MARIO BEAUCHAMP

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchase.com

JULIET LLOYD

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillsvineyard.com

SHANE GAMBLE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15

8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford. 8chains.com

MATT MILLER

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15

50 West Vineyards, 39060 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. 50westvineyards.com

MARK CULLINANE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

BRAD DOGETT

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

HALL VOTE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

THE BRAHMAN NOODLES

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Two Twisted Posts Winery, 12944 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro. twotwistedposts.com

CALLER N’ DOC

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

REBEL ROSE

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 15 SideBar, 24 S. King St., Leesburg. sidebarlbg.com

ERIC SELBY WITH JAY SUMMEROUR

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Good Spirit Farm Winery, 35113 Snickersville Turnpike, Round Hill. goodspiritfarmva.com

GARY SMALLWOOD

3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

THE FLASHBACKS

5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com

DAVE GOODRUM

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com

CUMBERLAND ROAD

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

THE BEATOLDS BAND

6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Old Ox Brewery, 44652 Guilford Drive, Ashburn. oldoxbrewery.com

NATHANIEL DAVIS

6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive, Sterling. crookedrunfermenation.com

ASHLEIGH CHEVALIER

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza, Ashburn. socialhouseva.com

INSERT TITLE POLICY AND AMMONITE

7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Leesburg Listening Room Concert, 11B S. King St., Leesburg. $15. leesburgmovement.com

DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD

7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg. $25. luckettsbluegrass.org

ZANE LAMPREY

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Solace Brewing Company, 42615 Trade West Drive, Sterling. $25

solacebrewing.com

THE HONEY BADGERS

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Shoeless Sounds House Concert, Ashburn. facebook.com/ShoelessSounds

HERR METAL

7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg. $15 to $35. tallyhotheater.com

BONNY MAD BOYS

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 15

DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD

Founded by Ron Thomason, the band is dedicated to ole-timey, bluegrass and gospel traditions and is as much known for his humorous social commentary as for his musicianship. $25.

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

progressive jamgrass movement, the band kicks off

new chapter with "Nowhere Next," featuring original songs inspired by lived experiences, people, and places that have shaped them. $40.

LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 23

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

SCORPION ROSE

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, March 15 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

SCOTT KURT

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. larkbrewingco.com

SUMMER & ERIC

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Leesburg. vanishbeer.com

ROB HOEY

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Fabbioli Cellars, 15669 Limestone School Road, Leesburg. fabbiolicellars.com

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

8 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 18

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $40. tallyhotheater.com

JASON MASI

6 TO 10 P.M. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19

The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com

JUSTIN SUEDE

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

RICHARD WALTON

6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 20

Belmont Country Club, 19661 Belmont Manor Lane, Ashburn. notlaw.com

HAPPENINGS

CAREER AND TRADE EXPO

6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 13

Loudoun Valley High School, 340 N. Maple Ave., Purcellville. sites.google.com/lcps.org/whscounseling

WRITING WORKSHOP: THE ART OF SIMPLICITY

7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 13

ASHLEIGH CHEVALIER

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16

Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road NW., Leesburg. library.loudoun.gov/Rust

MINDFUL EATING: (RE)DISCOVERING PEACE WITH FOOD

LOUDOUN JAZZ JAM

1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16

The Dell: Food & Brew Hall, 1602 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. atthedell.com

CHRIS HANKS

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

MELANIE PEARL

2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 16

Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

LUKE JOHNSON

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

FREDDIE LONG

4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 16

Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com

TEJAS SINGH & JUSTIN SUEDE

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 17

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

HUME & FRYE

12 to 4 p.m. Monday, March 17

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

ELDEN STREET

12 to 3 p.m. Monday, March 17

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

SOMETHING’S BREWING

4 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 17

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com

YOKO SAYS NO

7 to 11 p.m. Monday, March 17

9:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 14

Embark Center, 103 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. $125. wigglesworthwellness.com

LOUDOUN RETIRED

EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

10 a.m. to noon Friday, March 14, Loudoun County Public Schools, 21000 Education Court, Ashburn. loudounea.org

PROM WISHES - FREE PROM DRESSES FOR TEENS

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg. sites.google.com/site/jwcloudoun

NATIONAL DAY OF IMPACT HEALTH EXPO

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15 Sterling Community Center, 120 Enterprise St., Sterling. facebook.com/LoudounLinks

WONDERFUL WINTER WALK

2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Reservoir Park, 22211 Water Vista Drive, Ashburn. novaparks.org

LOUDOUN SYMPHONY: SOUNDSCAPES

4 to 5:15 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Trinity Episcopal Church, 9108 John S. Mosby Highway, Upperville. $15. loudounsymphony.org

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PAINT & SIP

4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 15

Chrysalis Vineyards, 39025 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. $20. chrysalisvineyards.com

THE DC IMPROV COMEDY NIGHT

Early Show, 7 p.m. Sunday, March 16

Late Show, 9:30 p.m. Sunday, March 16

Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg. $20 to $32.

HAPPENINGS continues on page 25

Obituaries

Robert Lee Potterfield, III

Robert Lee Potterfield III of Winchester, Virginia, passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at Winchester Hospital, Winchester, Virginia. Born April 14, 1948, he was the son of the late Robert Lee Potterfield Jr and the late June Elizabeth Tavenner. Bob was raised in Leesburg, Virginia, and attended Loudoun County High School. He began his career in funeral service with Murphy Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA. In 1972 Bob graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. Bob and his brother-in-law, William “Bill” McDonough, opened Loudoun Funeral Chapel in Leesburg, May 1, 1978. Bob later served for twenty years as Director of Operations for Service Corporation International. He also worked as a Director at Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, VA and as a Director at Joseph Gawler’s Funeral home in Washington, D C. The final years of his career were at Pumphrey Funeral Home in Rockville, Maryland. Working in funeral service for over forty years, Bob was a licensed director in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Bob was an avid car enthusiast and enjoyed the many car shows he attended.

Bob is survived by two sons, Andrew Cushing (Kelly Kerr) Potterfield and Christopher Ayres Potterfield. He was preceded in death by his oldest son Robert Lee Potterfield IV on April 19, 2023. He is also survived by his former wife Mary Gulick Beach, his daughter-in-law Tammy Popish Potterfield, his sister Shirley Potterfield McDonough, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Services will be held Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 3:00 pm at Loudoun Funeral Chapel, 158 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175. Interment will take place privately at Union Cemetery in Leesburg, Va. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Bob’s honor to Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675 or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Please share condolences with the family: www.LoudounFuneralChapel.com

GET OUT

continued from page 24

MID-ATLANTIC GRAIN FESTIVAL

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 16 Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery, 38506 John Wolford Road, Waterford. wheatlandspring.com

IRISH DANCERS

4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 17, Solace Brewing, 42615 Trade W. Drive, Sterling. solacebrewing.com

ST. PATRICK’S DAY CHARITY DINNER

5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 17

The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, 42461 Lovettsville Road, Lovettsville. $85. patowmackfarm.com

BETWEEN THE HILLS COMMUNITY MEETING

7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 19

Between the Hills Community Center, 11762 Harpers Ferry Road, Purcellville. facebook.com/betweenthehills

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS will hold a public hearing in the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS’ MEETING ROOM, on the first floor of the Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

LEGI-2024-0062

AVENTON MOOREFIELD STATION: ZMOD-2024-0017 Sign Development Plan

Aventon Moorefield Station Owner, LLC has submitted an application for a Sign Development Plan for a property approximately 3.81-acres in size and is located at the southeast intersection of Claude Moore Drive (Route 2394) and Charitable Street (Route 3805) in the Broad Run Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is zoned Transit Related Center (TRC) and more particularly described as 43601 Charitable St, Ashburn, Virginia; PIN# 120-20-8278-000, and Tax Map #’s /93//21///E-8/ Pursuant to Section 10.11.03 of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (the Zoning Ordinance), the applicant seeks approval for a Sign Development Plan to modify the sign regulations of Tables 8.04-1, 8.05-1, 8.05-2, and Section 8.08.B.1.b of the Zoning Ordinance as follows: to increase the individual sign area of ground signs from 60 to 76 square feet (SF), to increase the number of wall signs allowed from 4 to 17, to increase the maximum cumulative sign area of window signs from 10 SF to 89 SF, to increase the maximum individual sign area of window signs from 1.5 SF to vary between 4 and 35 SF, and to allow an illuminated wall sign at its highest point to be 65 feet from the ground.

Copies of the applications and related documents listed above may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, First Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-777-0246 (option 5), to request hard copies or electronic copies. County staff reports will be made available Friday, March 21, 2025. Documents may also be reviewed electronically at loudoun.gov/landmarc. Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views regarding these matters. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign up in advance. If you wish to sign up in advance of the hearing, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 no later than 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing. Speakers may also sign up at the hearing. Written comments may be sent to the Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals, P.O. Box 7000, Leesburg, Virginia 20177, or by e-mail to stephanie.capps@loudoun.gov. Members of the public may also submit comments electronically at loudoun.gov/landapplications. If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance in order to participate in the public hearing, please contact the Department of Planning & Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5) or, TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested.

Nan M. Joseph Forbes, Chair Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals

3/13 & 3/20/25

LOUDOUN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE NOTICE OF IMPOUNDMENT OF ABANDONED VEHICLE

This notice is to inform the owner and any person having a security interest in their right to reclaim the motor vehicle herein described within 15 days after the date of storage charges resulting from placing the vehicle in custody, and the failure of the owner or persons having security interests to exercise their right to reclaim the vehicle within the time provided shall be deemed a waiver by the owner, and all persons having security interests of all right, title and interest in the vehicle, and consent to the sale of the abandoned motor vehicle at a public auction.

This notice shall also advise the owner of record of his or her right to contest the determination by the Sheriff that the motor vehicle was “abandoned,” as provided in Chapter 630.08 of the Loudoun County Ordinance, by requesting a hearing before the County Administrator in writing. Such written request for a hearing must be made within 15 days of the notice.

YEAR MAKE MODEL VIN STORAGE PHONE

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE

EAST G STREET SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS

UPC 122041

The Town of Purcellville is in the process of designing a sidewalk and associated improvements along East G Street from South 12th Street to 350 feet east of South 11th Street. The Town will be holding a Design Public Hearing to gain additional input on design elements from the community at the following date and time:

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

*Alternate Date April 8, 2025

6:00 p.m.

Town Hall Council Chambers

221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, VA 20132

Project Description: Improvements will include installing an American with Disabilities (ADA) compliant sidewalk, curb and gutter, and storm sewer to address pedestrian safety and connectivity while simultaneously improving drainage. The Town of Purcellville was allocated $2,733,414 in project funding from the Transportation Alternatives Program (Safe Routes to School category) administered by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

At the Public Hearing, project plans, information about property impacts, right of way policies, the tentative construction schedule, and environmental documents may be reviewed. This information will also be available 30 days prior to the public hearing at Purcellville Town Hall, 221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, VA 20132. Community input is requested on the design details. If you are unable to attend the public hearing, comments can be sent to Jessica Keller, Project Manager via phone 540-751-2330 or email at jkeller@purcellvilleva.gov. All comments must be submitted to Jessica Keller by April 4, 2025. *In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances and the March 25, 2025 Public Hearing is cancelled, the Public Hearing will be held on April 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM in the Town Hall Council Chambers. If the Public Hearing is held on April 8, 2025, comments must be submitted by April 18, 2025.

Consistent with the Memorandum of Agreement pursuant to Code of Virginia § 10.1-1188-B., VDOT has determined the project will not have significant impacts to the environment and meets the criteria for a Programmatic Categorical Exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800, information concerning the potential effects of the proposed project on properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places is also available.

The Town of Purcellville ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All Town government offices can be contacted by dialing 540-338-7421. If you require an accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance, please contact Kimberly Bandy, Town Clerk, at kbandy@purcellvilleva.gov.

2/20 & 3/13/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that CarePath, LLC, 12001 Sunrise Valley Dr, Suite 400, Reston VA 20191, has filed an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing passenger transportation as a common carrier over irregular routes, providing service in the geographic area composed of the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, and in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford, Virginia, and Statewide throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia for the transportation of Medicaid recipients as a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation carrier as defined in section 46.2-2000 et seq of the code of Virginia.

Any person who desires to protest the application and be a party to the matter must submit a signed and dated written request setting forth (1) a precise statement of the party’s interest and how the party could be aggrieved if the application was granted; (2) a full and clear statement of the facts that the person is prepared to provide by competent evidence; (3) a statement of the specific relief sought; (4) the name of the applicant and case number assigned to the application; and (5) a certification that a copy of the protest was sent to the applicant. The case number assigned to this application is MC2500097ST.

Written protests must be mailed to DMV Motor Carrier Services, Attn: Operating Authority, P. O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269-0001 and must be postmarked on or before March 27, 2025.

Any protest filed with competent evidence will be carefully considered by DMV. However, DMV will have full discretion as to whether a hearing is warranted based on the merits of the protest filed.

3/13/25

ABC LICENSE

Virginia Beer Distribution Company, trading as VBDC, 43271 Spinks Ferry Rd., Leesburg, VA 201676. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wholesale Beer (300,000 Cases or Less Annually) license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Jason Romano, Chair

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

3/6 & 3/13/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE §§ 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104 Case No.: CL24-2755

Loudoun County Circuit Court 18 East Market St, Leesburg, VA 20176 Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Loudoun County Tanya Diaz v.

Dylan Terry

The object of this suit is to change last name of Mia Terry to Mia Diaz

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Dylan Terry appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 23, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

3/13, 3/20, 3/27 & 4/3/25

ATTENTION NONPROFIT CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS IN LOUDOUN COUNTY

Nonprofit charitable organizations seeking exemption from Loudoun County real and/or personal property taxes for the 2026 tax year must file an application with the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue. Completed applications must be postmarked by the April 1, 2025, deadline. If granted, any exemption would become effective January 1, 2026. Most charitable nonprofit organizations are not automatically exempt from local property taxes in the Commonwealth of Virginia, even those that may be exempt from federal income taxes. Filing an application with the Commissioner of the Revenue is the necessary first step to obtaining a local real estate and/or personal property tax exemption.

Applications are available online. For information or assistance, please contact my office on weekdays from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue Loudoun County

Leesburg Office

1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office

Loudoun Tech Center 46000 Center Oak Plaza

Mailing Address:

PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

Phone: (703)737-8557

Email: trcor@loudoun.gov

If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance to participate, please contact Tax Exemptions & Deferrals, trcor@louodun.gov, (703) 737-8557 / TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested.

3/6, 3/13, 3/20 & 3/27/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2025-0012 Rivana

Mr. Joelle Kellam, of DWC Holdings LLC, of Chicago, IL is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately sixty-nine (68.61) acres, into sixteen (16) lots with accompanying right-of-way, civic space, and associated easements. The property is located north and east of Dulles Greenway (Route 267), west of Rock Hill Road (Route 605) in Fairfax County, and south of Innovation Avenue (Route 209). The property is zoned TC (Town Center), under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as MCPI #035-259545-000, 035-26-5792-000, 035-17-3948-000, and MCPI #035-16-7624-000 in the Sterling Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http://www. loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2025-0012. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Vaughn Bynoe at Vaughn.Bynoe@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by March 27, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20 & 3/27/25

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2025-0016

Goose Creek Village West - Phase III

Mr. John Paltineanu, of Goose Creek Commercial LLC, of Ashburn, VA is requesting preliminary plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately thirty-four (34.1) acres into one hundred and one (101) lots, one (1) open space parcel, and associated easements. The property is located north of Sycolin Road (Route 625), north of Dulles Greenway (Route 267), and west of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659). The property is zoned R-16 (Townhouse/Multifamily Residential), under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 153-17-2472000 in the Ashburn Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http://www.loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2025-0016. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Samantha Lockwood at Samantha.Lockwood@Loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by March 20, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO). 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13 & 3/20/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2024-0338

Kincora Village Center

Mr. Joshua Reynolds, of Gateway Engineering, of Ashburn, VA is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately two-hundred and eleven (211.89) acres into seven (7) lots, and associated easements. The property is located south of Leesburg Pike (Route 7), west of Sully Road (Route 28), north of Gloucester Parkway (Route 2150), and east of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607). The property is zoned PD-MUB (Planned Development - Mixed Use Business), under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 040-29-7132-000, 040-18-9517-000, 041-19-4573-000 in the Broad Run District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http:// www.loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2024-0338. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Samantha Swift at Samantha.Swift@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by March 13, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/6 & 3/13/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2025-0002 Goose Creek West Residential

Mr. John Paltineanu, Goose Creek Commercial LLC, of Ashburn, Virginia is requesting preliminary record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately thirty-four (34.01) acres into five (5) lots and associated easements. The property is located north of Sycolin Road (Route 625), north of Dulles Greenway (Route 267) and west of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659). The property is zoned R-16 (Townhouse/Multifamily Residential) under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 153-17-2472-000 in the Ashburn Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http://www. loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2025-0002. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Suzanna Brady at Suzanna.Brady@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by March 27, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

2/20, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, 3/20 & 3/27/25

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

SETTING TAX RATES ON REAL PROPERTY AND CERTAIN PERSONAL PROPERTY FOR TAX YEAR 2025 AND AMENDING LEESBURG TOWN CODE, APPENDIX B – FEE SCHEDULE (SECTION 20-22)

In accordance with the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended §§ 15.2-1427, 58.1-2606, 58.1-3000, 58.1-3007, 58.1-3200 et seq., and 58.1-3500, et seq., the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA.

at which time the public shall have the right to present oral and written testimony on the following proposed amendments to the Leesburg Town Code:

• The Town Manager proposes up to a one cent increase to tax rates for real property for tax year 2025 ($0.1874 per $100 of assessed value)

• Appendix B – Fee Schedule, Sec. 20-22(a):

o Real estate; manufactured or mobile homes = $0.1874 per $100 of assessed value

o Real estate; tangible personal property for public service corporations (excluding aircraft and motor vehicles) = $0.1874 per $100 of assessed value

The Town Manager’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget is based on an unchanged real property tax rate of $0.1774 per $100 assessed value.

Copies of the proposed ordinance are available for public examination prior to the public hearing in the office of the Clerk of Council at Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA, during normal business hours. For more information about the ordinance, please contact Owen A. Snyder, Assistant Town Manager/Chief Financial Officer at 703-771-2717.

Persons requiring reasonable accommodations are requested to contact Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the public hearing. For TTY/TTD services, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

3/6 & 3/13/25

A message to Loudoun County older and disabled residents from Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue

ABC LICENSE

First Watch Restaurants, Inc., trading as First Watch #1120, 46300 Potomac Run Plaza, Suite 150, Sterling, VA 20164. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Retail On and Off Premises Wine & Beer; Mixed Beverage Restaurant license.

Jay Wolszczak, Secretary/Chief Legal Officer

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

3/6 & 3/13/25

Residents 65 and older OR totally and permanently disabled who are required to complete a 2025 Renewal Application or Renewal Certification, must submit their renewal to my office by the April 1, 2025, filing deadline.

Please visit our website or contact my office for information or filing assistance.

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office

46000 Center Oak Plaza

Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, M - F Phone: (703) 737-8557

Internet: loudoun.gov/taxrelief Email: taxrelief@loudoun.gov

Mailing Address: PO Box 8000, MSC 32 Leesburg, VA 20177-9804

If you require a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability or need language assistance to participate, please contact Tax Exemptions & Deferrals, trcor@louodun.gov, (703) 737-8557 / TTY-711. Three business days advance notice is requested.

3/6, 3/13, 3/20 & 2/37/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

The LOUDOUN COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT has accepted application for preliminary plat of subdivision for the following project.

PLAT-2024-0366

Evans Pond Road Subdivision

Dr. Marianne Evans Mount, of Marianne Evans Mount, Trustee of Leesburg, VA is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately One Hundred and Ten (109.67) acres into twenty-one (21) lots and associated easements. The property is located east of the intersection of Evans Pond Road (Route 658) and Farewell Dance Drive (Route 2947), west of Spinks Ferry Road (Route 657), and south of Lost Corner Road (Route 662) The property is zoned AR-1 (Agricultural Rural-1), under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as MCPI # 103-38-9924-000 in the Catoctin Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http://www. loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2024-0366. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Samantha Swift at Samantha.swift@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by April 10, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27 & 4/3/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.: CL24-6236

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Akouvi Akofa Nutekpor v. Naseem Arif

The object of this suit is to Divorce

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Naseem Arif appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 18, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.

2/27, 3/6, 3/13, & 3/20/25

ABC LICENSE

Ameya Family Entertainment Center DTC LLC, trading as 810 Entertainment, 21000 Dulles Town CIR FL 1, Sterling, VA 201662416. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Restaurant, Wine, Beer, Mixed Beverages, Consumed On and Off Premises application.

Mutyala Potnuru, Managing Member/ Director.

Note: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices.

Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.

13/13 & 3/20/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE §§ 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104 Case No.: CJ24-127

Loudoun County Circuit Court 18 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA 20178

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Jacqueline L. Garcia Merdano v. Jose Alexander Aguilera

The object of this suit is to appeal a custody order entered by the Juvenille District Court of Loudoun County

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Jose Alexander Aguilera appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

3/13, 3/20, 3/27 & 4/3/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ048585-04-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Carlton Platt

Loudoun County Department of Family Services v. Sabrina Whitney, mother

The object of this suit is to hold a second permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Carlton Platt.

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Sabrina Whitney, mother, appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 22, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

3/13, 3/20, 3/27, & 4/3/25

NOTICE BY PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

VA. CODE §§ 25.1-210 and 25.1-211

Case No.: 24-3461

Circuit Court of Loudoun County Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia v.

Unknown Owners who may include: heirs, at law, devisees or successors in title of Thomas R. Keith and heirs, at law, devisees or successors in title of Ann Keith Drake fka Ann Gordon Keith heirs, at law, devisees or successors in title of Hannah Morris Keith and heirs, at law, devisees or successors in title of Margaret Randolph Keith and 5,638 square feet or 0.1294 acre, more or less, of fee simple right of way over an existing private road known as Lenah Farm Lane, near Little River Turnpike (Route 50) located in Little River Election District, Loudoun County, Virginia

Pursuant to an Order entered on the 25th day of February, 2025, this notice is hereby given: In this proceeding the Petitioner seeks to acquire by condemnation an interest in fee simple right of way from, over certain pieces or parcels of land situated in Loudoun County, Virginia, for the uses and purposes of the Petitioner for constructing a hybrid roundabout and for all other purposes incidental thereto, identified as the Route 50 and Trailhead Drive Roundabout Project CRCP-2019-0010 all of which are described more particularly in the Petition for Condemnation and by the exhibits attached thereto on file in the Office of the Clerk of this Court, to which reference is hereby made for a full and accurate description thereof; and for the appointment of commissioners or the empanelment of a jury, or in lieu thereof for a bench trial, to ascertain just compensation to the owners of any estate or interest in the property to be taken or affected as a result of the taking and use thereof by the petitioner. For such purposes, the Petitioner will apply to this Court sitting at 18 East Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20178 Virginia, on the 26th day of March 2025, at 10:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as Petitioner may be heard, for a bench trial, to ascertain just compensation as aforesaid. And it appearing by affidavit filed according to law that the following owners are not residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia, or that their names and addresses are not known and that diligence has been used by or on behalf of the petitions to ascertain such names and addresses without effect: Said Unknown Owners are identified and named and by classes of owners in the Petition as follows: UNKNOWN OWNERS, who may include HEIRS AT LAW, DEVISEES AND SUCCESSORS IN TITLE OF THOMAS R. KEITH, ANN KEITH DRAKE (fka ANN GORDON KEITH), HANNAH MORRIS KEITH, and MARGARET RANDOLPH KEITH.

Now Therefore, it is therefore ORDERED that all of the aforesaid Unknown Owners, including all those identified and named, including by classes of owners, within this Notice by Publication and within the Petition for Condemnation do appear within ten (10) days after due publication of this Notice by Publication in the Clerk’s Office of the Loudoun County Circuit Court and do what is necessary to protect their respective interests. AND IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that if any of the above named Unknown Owners or any of the Unknown Owners identified and named in the Petition for Condemnation desires to assert any objection or defense to the taking or damaging of his property or to the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the case and to proceed with either the empanelment of a jury, appointment of commissioners, or bench trial, he or she shall file his answer and grounds of defense designating the property in which he or she claims to be interested, the grounds of any objection or defense to the taking or damaging of his property or to the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the case and to proceed with either the empanelment of a jury or appointment of commissioners or bench trial for the determination of just compensation.

Should any such Unknown Owner fail to file an answer and grounds of defense as hereinabove provided, such failure shall not preclude such Unknown Owner from appearing on the date set for the appointment of commissioners, empanelment of a jury, or bench trial nor from presenting evidence as to valuation and damage nor from sharing in the award of just compensation according to his or her interest therein or otherwise protecting his or her rights but such failure shall preclude any such Unknown Owner from any other defense by way of plea in bar or otherwise.

3/6 & 3/13/25

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING

The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. to consider the following:

LEGI-2023-0097, QUANTUM PARK: ZCPA-2023-0008 and ZMOD-2023-0063

(Zoning Concept Plan Amendment and Zoning Modification)

Quantum Park LLC has submitted applications for a zoning concept plan amendment and a zoning modification for approximately 28.81 acres of land located north of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607) and south and west of Waxpool Road (Route 625) in the Broad Run Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly described as:

061-15-9847-000 N/A

088-19-0951-000 N/A

089-40-8144-000 N/A

/79/Y/1LC//CE/

/79/Y/1LC//CW/

/79/Y/1LC///A/

For ZCPA-2023-0008, the applicant seeks to amend the Concept Development Plan (CDP) and Proffer Statement (Proffers) associated with ZMAP-1998-0003, WorldCom/Northern Virginia Campus and ZCPA-2017-0009, Quantum Park. For ZMOD-2023-0063, the applicant seeks to increase the maximum building height from 60 feet to 100 feet without additional setback requirements. The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0070, HIDDENWOOD ASSEMBLAGE: ZMAP-2023-0004 (Zoning Map Amendment)

Edward Y. Papazian and Judith C. Papazian; Thomas Devine Harmon and Pornpit Mrigalakshana, Trustees of the Harmon Living Trust; Frank W. Hardesty and Angela Cannady Hardesty; Venugopal Ravva and Vara Laxmi Ravva; Lisa Sweeney Bell and Scott Bell; John A. Ward and Nancy L. Ward; Keith E. Calhoun and Kristin E. Calhoun; Jay Baltzer and Stephanie McGrady; Gary G. Hosaflook and Joyce E. Hosaflook; Brent Bumgardner; Paul C. Farmer and Holly A. Farmer; Abdus S. Azad; Sharmeen Khan and Asim Khan; Kashif Iqbal and Ayesha Iqbal; Michael E. Duncan; and Patricia Catherine Cave and Jonathan Earley of \, have submitted an application for a zoning map amendment for approximately 28.92 acres of land located east of Racefield Lane (Route 877), south of Cameron Parish Drive (Route 3444) and north of Stone Springs Boulevard (Route 659) in the Dulles Election District (the “Subject Property”). The Subject Property is more particularly described as:

203-37-7428-000 N/A

203-37-8437-000 N/A

203-37-9642-000 42112 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1////20/

100/B/1////19/

100/B/1////18/

203-38-0747-000 42120 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA 100/B/1////17/

203-38-1952-000 N/A

100/B/1////16/

203-38-3156-000 42140 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA 100/B/1////15/

203-38-4261-000 N/A

100/B/1////14/

203-38-5465-000 42160 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA 100/B/1////13/

203-38-6670-000 42172 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA 100/B/1////12/

203-38-7775-000 42186 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA 100/B/1////11/

203-38-8980-000 42206 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

203-39-0184-000 N/A

203-39-1290-000 42224 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

203-39-2395-000 42234 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1////10/

100/B/1/////9/

100/B/1/////8/

100/B/1/////7/

203-39-3598-000 42240 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1/////6/ 203-49-4606-000 42258 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

203-49-5711-000 42268 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1/////5/

100/B/1/////4/ 203-49-6816-000 42274 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

203-49-8021-000 42292 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1/////3/

100/B/1/////2/ 203-49-9224-000 42298 HIDDENWOOD LN., ALDIE, VIRGINIA

100/B/1/////1/

For ZMAP-2023-0004, the applicants seek to rezone the Subject Property from the CR-1 (Countryside Residential – 1) Legacy Zoning District to the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) Zoning District. The application is being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

Copies of the proposed plans, ordinances, or amendments for each item listed above may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Office of County Administrator, Information Desk, First Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday or call 703-777-0246 (option 5), to request hard copies or electronic copies. Additional project files related to land use applications and land use ordinances may be reviewed electronically at loudoun.gov/landmarc. Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www.loudoun.gov/pc. For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703777-0246 (option 5).

Planning Commission work sessions and public hearings are held in the Board Room of the Government Center. Public hearings and work sessions are televised on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40 and are also are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings.

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views during the public hearing. Public comment will be received only for those items listed for public hearing. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the hearing. If you wish to sign up in advance, please call the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5) prior to 12:00 PM on the day of the public hearing; however, speakers may also sign-up at the public hearing. Written comments concerning any item before the Commission are welcomed at any time and may be sent to the Loudoun County Planning Commission, P.O. Box 7000 Leesburg, VA 20177-7000, or by e-mail to loudounpc@loudoun. gov. If written comments are presented at the hearing, please provide ten (10) copies for distribution to the Commission and for the Clerk’s records. Members of the public may also submit comments on land use items electronically at loudoun.gov/landapplications. Any individual representing and/or proposing to be the sole speaker on behalf of a citizen’s organization or civic association is encouraged to contact the Department of Planning and Zoning prior to the date of the public hearing to request additional time to speak on behalf of such organization.

Regularly scheduled Planning Commission public hearings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month. In the event the public hearing cannot be conducted on that date due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the hearing, the public hearing will be continued to the next day (Wednesday). In the event the public hearing may not be held on that Wednesday due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the hearing, the public hearing may be continued to the first Thursday of the next month.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory, or mental disability to participate in this meeting, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5). Three business days advance notice is requested.

BY ORDER OF: CLIFFORD KEIRCE, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

3/6 & 3/13/25

Loco Service Providers

VEHICLE AUCTION

MD Repo Vehicles For Public Sale at ADESA Washington, DC. All Makes and Models Running Weekly Details can be found at www.adesawashingtondc.com

Terms: State and local orders will be strictly enforced at the sale, including social distancing and limits on the number of people permitted to gather in certain areas. All attendees must comply with such procedures or will be required to leave the premises. We strongly recommend that all attendees wear face coverings for the protection of themselves and our staff. Bidder agrees to register and pay a refundable $500 cash deposit plus a non-refundable $20 entry fee before the Sale starts. The balance of the purchase is due in full by 5:00pm on sale day. vehicles are AS-IS and are subject to a buy fee based on the sale price of the vehicle. Only cash or certified funds will be accepted. No vehicle will be released until Payment is made in full. Children under the age of 18 are not permitted.

VEHICLE AUCTION

ADESA WASHINGTON DC 705-996-1100

20+Chase repossessions will be offered to the public sale monthly on Wednesdays. Auction doors open at 8:00 a.m. Sale starts at 9:50 a.m. ET. Registered persons may preview/inspect vehicles on the day of the sale before bidding. Bids accepted only when a vehicle is presented for sale. The auctioneer will conclude the sale when bidding stops. All results will be final by 5:00 p.m. Terms: Cash or Certified Check.

Published by Loudoun Community Media

15 N. King St., Suite 101 Leesburg, VA, 20176

703-770-9723

NORMAN K. STYER Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.org

BILL CLIFFORD Chief Development Of cer bclifford@loudounnow.org

EDITORIAL

AMBER LUCAS Reporter alucas@loudounnow.org

HANNA PAMPALONI Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

WILLIAM TIMME Reporter wtimme@loudounnow.org

ADVERTISING

SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.org

TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.org

VICKY MASHAW Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.org

western Loudoun and Ashburn, and distributed for pickup throughout the county. Online, Loudoun Now provides daily community news coverage to an audience of more than 100,000 unique monthly visitors.

Opinion

The Consequences

When the Leesburg Town Council joined the bandwagon of Loudoun localities in waiving the $25 licensing fee for vehicles it dug a far deeper budget hole than any of its neighbors.

Unlike the county government, which is so awash in tax revenue that virtually every departmental budget request has been greenlighted, Leesburg continues to operate with a lean staff facing increasing challenges to keep pace with their core missions.

Even with an influx of new revenue from the recent municipal boundary expansion, Town Manager Kaj Dentler’s proposed budget offers few new bells or whistles. Requested staffing increases largely are limited to core functions of public safety, cyber security and meeting statutory requirements. More than $4.3 million in additional funding requests, including additional 21 staff positions, recommended by department managers didn’t make Dentler’s funding list.

Another item the staff did not recommend was waiving the vehicle fee because of the difficulty associated finding

Underground Lines

Editor:

PJM recently approved a 261-mile, 765kV line through Jefferson County, WV, and Frederick, Clarke, and Loudoun counties in Virginia. It is to be built using guyed-wire V-frame structures, in a brand new 200-foot easement, then crosses the Potomac River and terminates at a new substation in Maryland.

In August 2024, at the request of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, PJM approved moving the MARL 500kV transmission line across this same area. This area already has a Dominion 500kV line, in a 200-foot easement and a 138kV line in a 150-foot easement. The 150-foot easement would need to be expanded to accommodate the 500kV MARL transmission line if it is approved by the Virginia SCC.

It is apparent that far western Loudoun is rapidly becoming Loudoun County’s “presumptive” transmission corridor. The sole purpose being to service the expanding data centers in eastern Loudoun. This 15-mile area through Neersville and Lovettsville in far western Loudoun, is not just the site of our homes. This stretch, from Harpers Ferry along the viewshed of the Potomac River out

$906,000 in budget cuts to offset the forgone revenue. Warned of those consequences, a council majority nevertheless enthusiastically pushed forward with a tax relief-style initiative they expect to be popular with voters.

Just weeks earlier, many of those same council members hoped to become popular with voters by investing more into town services, including such basic actions as repaving neighborhood streets.

And this week when it came time for the council to provide direction on what programs should be trimmed to fund their free vehicle fees, they could provide none.

Instead, they asked the town manager for recommendations. His recommendation was not to forego the revenue in the first place.

For cash-flush county supervisors and for the other towns where the fee generates relatively little revenue, the waiver had few consequences. In Leesburg, it requires tough choices. In the end, it may be the town’s residents and businesses who bear the brunt of this bid for political points.

LETTERS to the Editor

past Point of Rocks, has some of the most beautiful scenery in the region. It is viewable from three states, multiple parks and recreation areas. The already visible scar across Short Hill Mountain will double and thousands of trees destroyed not only in the view shed, but also within the watershed of the Potomac River.

Needless to say, far western Loudoun is not zoned for industry, nor were any of the private property owners across this region consulted about hosting a massive electrical infrastructure zone. This “zone” would be almost four times as wide as a football field is wide. This will take 365 acres in Loudoun alone. On top of the destruction of private property and local environment it would cut 140 feet to 180 feet into the skyline and will be the prominent feature of the entire area. The human toll that these two lines will have on families living within the projected easement area across three states is incalculable.

Neither of these two lines should be built overhead, across private property anywhere through Loudoun. Underground HVDC, within the existing easements is the obvious solution. For example, the Champlain Hudson Power Express is a 339-mile 400kV HVDC line from Canada to Long Island, New

York entirely underground and under water. The mid-west SSO Green Line is also HVDC. This is a 350-mile, 525kV transmission line, entirely underground within existing easements. Best yet, both of these HVDC transmission lines were privately financed and cost ratepayers absolutely nothing.

Every candidate running for office must support underground HVDC. Data centers must bear the entire cost of underground lines as they are the sole beneficiaries of the electricity. If the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors grandfathers the lots zoned for office buildings and allows additional data centers, the energy demand will increase as will the need for more transmission lines, more destruction and higher electricity costs.

— Alfred and Irene Ghiorzi, Lovettsville Don't

Risk It

Editor:

Under the administration portion of the proposed Loudoun County budget, I am not in agreement with the hiring of two additional equity specialists to expand the Office of Equity. Nowhere since the

on page 33

Loudoun Now is mailed weekly to homes in Leesburg,

READERS’ poll

inception of the Equity Office has there been proof of any evidence that this office is even needed. It is a solution looking for a problem.

The president of the United States has signed an executive order doing away with DEIA programs throughout the federal government. DEIA should be based on merit and skills not simply checking a box for race and gender.

The Board of Supervisors has doubled down on the Equity Office because it does not like any of President Trump’s executive orders even though 77 million citizens of the U.S. voted for him to do just that.

This latest budget initiative by the Board of Supervisors would bring the Equity Office at a cost to the county taxpayers of $641,316 a year. It would also jeopardize the 2024 allotted amount of $114,078,000 based on my FOIA request from the federal government to Loudoun County government. Don’t risk taxpayers’ money on the Equity Office.

— Donna Widawski, Ashburn

Essential Resource

Editor:

As the parent of three children aged 8, 15, and 18, I know firsthand the need for after-school programs.

These programs are essential for many

CHIPshots

— By Chip Beck, beckchip@aol.com

LETTERS to the Editor

of our low-income families, who face high housing costs and limited wages that only cover basic needs that limit affordable extracurricular activities that will help the academic development of our children. These programs are an opportunity for our children to grow and learn in a positive and accessible environment, strengthening their skills in sports and learning support programs.

These programs benefit five elementary schools in the Sterling area, offering students essential athletic and educational resources, and many parents organized to support free after-school resources for the first time.

As parents and leaders in our community, we will advocate for the Board of Supervisors to approve the 2025 school budget, ensuring the positive impact it will have on our children's future. We will also continue to support the implementation of after-school programs as an essential resource for all children in Loudoun County.

— Doris Serrano, Leesburg

Truth-Telling

Editor:

Our county is in a state of chaos because the president lies unremittingly about the 2020 election, lies about Jan. 6

continued from page 33

and is trying to rewrite that history, and has lied about who started the war in Ukraine, and has lied that Zelensky is a dictator.

While I do not want Loudoun County Public Schools to become political, I think it is important that the school district issue a statement that helps shore up the foundation of honesty especially for our K-12 school-aged children. Teachers and staff must be protected when they state the truth about the 2020 election, the president's illegal behavior and convictions in a court of law, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the convictions of the rioters in a court of law.

It is critical for students to feel that there is a foundation of truth-telling and honesty in society, which the president has been dismantling for years and continues today. I don't want LCPS contributing to the normalization of serial dishonesty, lawlessness, attacks on the Constitution and rule of law, all of which we have blessed as the keys to success by electing the current president.

I hope the School Board is brave and courageous in this thing.

—

Chris Stevenson, Purcellville

Data Centers Everywhere

Editor:

Donald Trump has said he wants peace in Ukraine and that he wants the killing to stop. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Putin’s Russia has increased missile and drone attacks since Trump has pulled back Ukraine support. These attacks are not directed at military targets; they are attacking Ukrainian civilians – killing and injuring women, children, and old people.

Trump’s response? When asked by a reporter on Friday whether Putin is taking advantage of the U.S. pause on sharing intelligence, Trump replied, “I think he’s doing what anybody else would.”

No condemnation; not even a word about the suffering of the Ukrainian people – just “…he’s doing what anybody else would.” It’s disgusting. One can only conclude that Trump believes these murderous attacks are necessary for Russia. At the very least, he has no intention of trying to convince Putin to stop. Peacemaker – No!

We, the people elected him, and we, the people should be ashamed. We the people should be telling our representatives that Trump is wrong.

— Oscar McNeil, Waterford

Real Estate

continued from page 3

we’ve always done,” Rizer said.

He said the county has launched the Loudoun Resilience Initiative to provide support to displaced workers and has been meeting with businesses tied to the federal government to learn their concerns.

But, he said, there is a great demand for workers with some 17,000 vacant jobs in the region and businesses looking for talent.

“These aren’t the workers that are going to need help with their résumés or those kinds of things. These are going to be higher level people, by and large, and people with experience. We want to make sure that we’re having the kinds of job services that really help them,” he said.

That also may spur new entrepreneurship.

“Often when you see these major layoffs private sector or in the public sector, what you get is people going out and creating businesses using their experience to build value in the community,” Rizer said. “Through our Launch Loudoun program, we’re working very hard to support that, even to the point where we’re looking at grant funding, and we’re looking at a lot of

Economic Gains

continued from page 3

the county’s Department of Economic Development in 2007, Loudoun’s commercial taxbase was inconsequential.

“When I got here, this economy was not in good shape. We were 81% dependent on residential real estate, and then the rest was federal government contractors,” Rizer said. “We didn’t have a very good commercial base at that point. We didn’t have any real thing that was driving our economy outside of residential. So, when the housing bubble burst, we lost about a third of our tax revenue. That meant we were laying people off. That meant that we didn’t have raises for the first four years that I was here. We were cutting back on services. We didn’t have full day kindergarten at that point.”

Two decades later, revenues from commercial properties are generating record budget surpluses—$250 million this year—and are credited with driving down tax rates by nearly 50 cents. Data Centers are the biggest part of that shift, responsible for nearly 40% of all local tax revenue.

“There is only one real growth industry in the world right now and it is this,”

different things that might be able to help creation of more businesses. That’s good for the economy, and that’s good for all of us.”

Those actions aren’t likely to change the trends that define Loudoun’s real estate market—low inventory and rising values.

“By any measure, home sales activity in 2024 was pretty low,” Sturtevant said. “I’ll be honest with you, I started 2024 very optimistic. I thought mortgage rates were going to come down. I knew there was a lot of pent up demand in the market. I thought that we might see with rates coming down, we might see more buyers in the market.

“But as we know now, rates remain elevated. Inflation remains high. The Federal Reserve didn’t cut interest rates until September, and then when they did, what happened to rates shot back up again, because the economy was on a fire and job growth numbers were really high,” she said.

Home prices climbed 7.2% last year.

“In Loudoun County, the median sold price for a single family detached home was almost a million dollars in 2024 and that is up more than 50% in five years,” she said. “If you bought in the last five years, or even before that, you are sitting in a very, very good situation.”

Brandi Snowden, director of member and consumer survey research for the National Association of Realtors, said

Rizer said of data centers. “We’re fortunate we have that.”

Rizer is supportive of the Board of Supervisors’ focus on limiting the location of future data centers and achieving better balance of commercial uses. He notes that the industry already has expanded beyond the footprint he advocated for in a 2008 strategic plan aimed at attracting data center investments.

“I am a fan of data centers and what they were as an economic development tool, but I’ve always been in favor of managing the growth,” Rizer said. “I think that I would say that about retail. I would say that about anything. … It is important that we manage our inventory just like any other business.”

“Going forward, after March 18, there will be no more data centers that aren’t approved by the Board of Supervisors, which I think is a very, very good thing for the future,” he said, referring to the board’s plans to eliminate the allowance for by-right data center applications.

As Loudoun is reaching its capacity on data centers, Rizer sees growth opportunities in other markets, especially along the Silver Line.

“You know, people ask me all the time, when is Metro going to take off?” he said. “I will tell you the reason I still come to

those market conditions have changed homebuyer demographics and increased challenges for first-time buyers.

According to NAR data, the average age of first-time homebuyers now is 38. That is up from 29 years old in 1981. And, she said, first-time owners comprise a record low portion of homebuyers, only 24%.

“We’ve noticed over the last two years that buyers have needed to be wealthier to get into home ownership. We’ve seen household and median household income actually increasing over the last three reports,” Snowden said. The median household income for all buyers climbed to $108,800 and $97,000 for first-time buyers. It is likely that first-time buyers have to wait longer to reach that income threshold, she said.

Another trend is an increase in multi-generational homebuyers, typically a combination of parents and children. Last year, 17% of home sales were to multi-generational buyers, up from 14% in 2012, she said.

“Some of the top reasons included cost savings. We see that they might be taking care of aging parents. We see that children over the age of 18 might be moving back into the home. And then in some circumstances, we see that children might have never left home,” she said. For some, it provides a path homeownership boosted

work every single day is because I believe in our opportunity at Metro.”

And the site with the most promise is the Rivana at the Innovation Station mixed-use development at the Rt. 28/Dulles Toll Road interchange on the county’s eastern border. It is planned for 3.5 million square feet of office space and 3,700 multifamily housing units along with stores, restaurants and hotels.

“I believe that this will be the year that we will have a shovel on the ground for Rivana,” Rizer said. “We have two big commercial office leases for Rivana that we’re a finalist for. We will launch the first two residential assets at Rivana this year, and we will start work on the Retail Village.”

Waterside, another large-scale mixeduse project planned for 2,595 residential units and 3.4 million square feet of commercial space just north of Rivana, also is moving closer construction, Rizer said.

“I am working on a deal that would kind of kick off at least the southern part of Waterside,” he said.

More fully implementing a postCOVID return to the office for workers will be important both to the region’s economy and to Loudoun’s growth opportunities, he said.

He noted the area’s big office hubs in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax have

by combining extra incomes.

Even with higher interest rates, repeat homebuyers are in a strong position.

“Mortgage rates are our big constraint for first-time buyers who are relying on savings to get into the market, but repeat buyers have a ton of equity in their home right now,” Sturtevant said. “We’ve had an increase in equity that was unprecedented.”

A bigger challenge is finding homes to purchase.

“We hit a record low in December here in Loudoun County,” she said. “Going back 30 years, there were never fewer listings coming onto the market in December than there were this past December,” she said.

With less than a month of inventory on the market, Sturtevant said sellers continue to hold the power.

“I think buyers are going to find that they have a little bit more room to negotiate. We’re seeing more sellers offering concessions like cost repairs. We’re seeing a little bit more closing cost assistance. We’re seeing more home inspections I’m sure you guys are seeing these things, too,” she said. “So buyers do have more room for negotiation, but the sellers are still in the driver’s seat to driver’s seat here in Loudoun County.” n

been hard-hit by plummeting property values of that space.

“I know it’s tough for people to go back to the office. Listen, if I didn’t have to go to the office, I wouldn’t go in the office. But the reality is if we don’t have success in these office markets, we’re going to see failures. We’re going to see a lot of foreclosures. We’re seeing trophy office buildings that are trading for pennies on the dollar right now. So that’s a challenge.”

While a challenge to our eastern neighbors, it should be a growth market for Loudoun.

“We don’t have a ton of office. We think there’s an opportunity for office here,” Rizer said.

In addition to Rivana and Waterside, he sees ripening interest in other projects along Metro line, including Silver District West, The Gramercy District and Loudoun Station.

“We do think that this is an opportunity that is once in a generation. We think that this represents our single best opportunity for future growth, because we need to continue to grow our economy,” Rizer said. “We think that there’s real opportunity there with offices starting to come back. It’s a different kind of office—a new office paradigm.” n

A Loudoun Moment

Ric Martin

continued from page 3

“keeps everything flowing.” Martin has consistently shown up on Wednesdays, his favorite day for donating, every two weeks.

Inova also offers another donation type called double reds, which donors have to wait 112 days in between donations, but Martin said that was too much time on the bench.

“You have a 16-week vacation between donations,” Martin said. “In 16 weeks you can do nine platelet donations.”

Lilly said having people like Martin come in so regularly was “truthfully life-

saving.” He added that everyday there are thousands of patients in Inova hospitals in need. That blood is needed for both emergency situations, and for patients with cancers such as Leukemia, who rely on those platelet donations for their clotting factors, Lilly said.

It takes roughly two and a half to three days for the body to regenerate donated platelets. Martin said that he’s happy to help during emergencies if doctors call on him after he’s had two or three days to regenerate.

Despite the time and energy commitment to donate as often as Martin does, he said there’s another reason he keeps coming back.

“Let’s put it this way, if the people here

were a pain in the rear end, then it would be hard, but they are fabulous,” Martin said.

Inova is the leading blood supplier in the region, and works with over 20 partners in the region, including Loudoun County. Lilly said Inova’s whole blood procedures allow them to provide products for pre-hospital transmissions, and that having those products ready helps give the general population a better chance at sustaining life.

For interested donors, Lilly offered assurances that blood donations are federally regulated, and that Inova’s highly trained medical professionals are experts at taking care of donors.

Lilly also recommended that donors eat a balanced diet in the mornings, with a good calcium and iron intake. He listed

green leafy vegetables, eggs, and poultry as good options. Martin attested that he had eaten at IHOP on the morning of his 700th platelet donation.

Martin also displays a Grand Canyon tattoo on his forearm with the flowing Colorado River depicted just upstream of his veins.

“Would you be willing to take a pinch, a mosquito bite, or bee sting to help save you?” Martin asked. “A fireman can take at least 20 units of platelets just to stabilize as far as burns. So, me right now, I’m doing two units. Ten of me, just to stabilize this person. There’s a lot of need for us.”

Those interested in donating can start the process at inovabloodsaves.org/donor/ schedules/zip. For more information, go to inovablood.org. n

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

An arborist makes a cut to the main trunk of a towering silver maple that was being removed from a home near Bluemont.