Loudoun Now for Jan. 27, 2022

n LOUDOUN

Pg. 4 | n LEESBURG

VOL. 7, NO. 10

Pg. 9 | n EDUCATION

Pg. 10 | n PUBLIC SAFETY

Pg. 12 | n PUBLIC NOTICES

We've got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com

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JANUARY 27, 2022

Maskless Monday: Some Students Isolated Amid Conflicting Mandates

BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Lenny Garcia, Jonathan Gonzalez and Maria García sit around the kitchen table in her home in Leesburg Mobile Home Park.

Maria said the cancelation of plans to sell the community gives her relief, but she is still uncertain about the park’s future.

Mobile Park Sale Canceled Residents, Town Leaders Prepare for What’s Next

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ

krodriguez@loudounnow.com

The controversial sale of the Leesburg Mobile Park has been called off, and attention now turns to when, not if, the next buyer will appear, and how residents and local leaders can avoid displacement.

Late last week New Virginia Majority, a statewide advocacy group for marginalized communities that has been advocating for residents of the mobile home

neighborhood, announced that prospective buyer Darius Saiedi had decided not to go forward with the purchase of the 75-unit property near downtown Leesburg.

The announcement said Saiedi’s reason for not proceeding with the purchase was “due to complexities with the county and [his] confidence in being able to work with them to successfully find a resolution to the relocation of the tenants.

Saiedi has not responded

to any calls or messages from Loudoun Now regarding his interest in the property.

Sofia Saiyed, an organizer with New Virginia Majority, said the group had been in contact with Saiedi since late last year, not long after news of the property’s impending sale, and Saiedi’s $11 million purchase offer, broke. Closing on the property was anticipated for Jan. 31, she MOBILE HOME PARK continues on page 34

Some students defied the Loudoun County Public Schools masking policy this week, pointing to the governor’s executive order that starting Monday attempted to make the measure optional, and found themselves separated from the rest of the student body and in some cases dismissed from classes.

School division spokesman Wayde Byard said that schools reported that about 100 students participated in “Maskless Monday.” Students not wearing masks were mostly directed to spend the school day in “care rooms,” where they were able to do schoolwork online.

The next day, dozens of parents delivered public comment during the School Board meeting, mostly in opposition to masking. For the first time, board members all sat behind plexiglass partitions, while most of the crowd of over 100 didn’t wear masks. Parents held anti-mask signs, which included photos of board members dining maskless.

“Masking is a psychological stressor … masks are particularly detrimental to young children, children with autism, and those struggling with anxiety,” said one mother during her public comment.

Another parent spoke in support of the masking policy and the School Board. A boy in the crowd with his family booed her.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the executive order on his first day in office, seeking to give parents the option to send their children to school maskless despite local mandates. The order teed up a court battle. Seven school boards—Alexandria, Arlington, Richmond, Falls Church, Fairfax, Hampton, and Prince William—joined to file a lawsuit challenging the executive order, arguing that it violates law enacted during last year’s General Assembly session to requiring schools to follow CDC guidance on COVID-19, which currently MASKLESS MONDAY continues on page 34

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PAGE 3

County Supervisors Adopt 5-cent Plastic Bag Tax

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

This summer, Loudouners will start paying to use plastic bags at the store.

Loudoun County supervisors on Jan. 18 narrowly approved a 5-cent tax on single-use plastic bags in checkout lines at grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores, to take effect on July 1.

The tax’s proponents argued the tax is an environmental measure. Opponents argued it may do little for the environment, but put a new burden on taxpayers—especially lower-income people—at a time when many are already strapped for money.

Retailers keep a portion of the tax. By state law, revenues from the plastic bag tax must be used for cleaning the environment, providing education programs designed to reduce environmental waste, mitigating pollution and litter, or providing reusable bags to recipients of Supple-

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Shoppers come out of a grocery store in Leesburg. In July they will pay a 5-cent tax for plastic bags.

mental Nutrition Assistance Program or Women, Infants, and Children benefits.

County staff members previously said

Loudoun’s government would likely use the money to fund community clean-up events and special recycling events.

One business owner, Avis Renshaw, who owns both a farm and Mom’s Apple Pie, said she would like to do away with single-use bags entirely. But she pointed out to supervisors that under the new tax, not only are plastic bags cheaper for a business to buy and use—and paper bags currently unavailable because of supply chain issues—but with a portion of the new tax staying with retailers, businesses will now be reimbursed for buying plastic bags. She urged supervisors to rethink the tax.

“For me, this is a new tax on folks at a very bad time, and I just can’t support it, especially when you’re looking at possibly having to raise our Loudoun County taxes, our real property taxes,” said Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge).

“This is putting a lot of complications on small businesses at a very bad time, BAG TAX continues on page 35

Bell Files Bill to Build Cell Towers Almost Anywhere

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Sen. John J. Bell (D-13) this year filed a bill in the General Assembly that would permit telecom companies to build cell towers up to 200 feet high virtually anywhere.

Senate Bill 255 as filed would amend existing law curbing local authority, adding automatic approval regardless of local zoning for any application to build a cell tower up to 200 feet so long as it either “provides additional wireless coverage or capacity for first responders” or is at least four miles away from other towers. That bill was trimmed back slightly during committee review to limit the exemption to towers up to 150 feet, the equivalent height of about a 10-story building. An existing exemption only covers towers only up to 50 feet.

The Senate Committee on Local Government passed the bill as amended 9-6, including a yes vote from Sen. Barbara Favola (D-31). The bill faces opposition from conservation organizations, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors, the Virginia Municipal League and the Virginia Association of Counties.

Bell had previously threatened to take state action if the Board of Supervisors denied a controversial proposal

by AT&T to build a cell tower on top of Short Hill Mountain, an application that drew uproar and resistance from residents in the area. Citing specific prohibitions against communications towers on ridgelines in the county comprehensive plan, supervisors denied AT&T’s application 8-1, with only Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) in favor.

The bill’s first responder language is particularly friendly to AT&T. One of the telecom giant’s arguments when it sought local approval to build a tower atop Short Hill Mountain was that the tower would also support FirstNet, a separate wireless network dedicated to first responders.

Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) said Bell is now carrying out his threat.

“Sen. Bell is upset that we denied that application, and this is 100% a direct response to that denial,” Buffington said.

“He even said at the time if we denied it, he would do this, and so he’s coming through on this threat to do this.”

“Senator Bell’s bill would give wire-

“Senator Bell’s bill would give wireless companies carte blanche to erect towers anywhere in the state if they provide data demonstrating need.”

— Peter Weeks, Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains less companies carte blanche to erect towers anywhere in the state if they provide data demonstrating need,” said Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains President Peter Weeks.

“There are already current limitation on localities on what we can and cannot consider when considering cell tower applications, and those are pretty limiting, to be honest with you,” Buffington said. “So I think that should stay how it is at the state level and leave the rest of

it up to the localities—because it’s not like we deny every cell tower application. We’ve approved them recently. We just take a hard look at them and make sure they’re in the right place, and make individual decisions on individual applications based on that. The only one I can think of that we’ve denied recently is—well, the Short Hill.”

Bell has not responded to requests for comment left with him and his chief of staff.

Supervisors Oppose Greenway Tolls Bill

Loudoun County supervisors have also voted to oppose bills filed by Del. David A. Reid (D-32) and Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko (D-33) relieving the Dulles Greenway of new regulation passed last year, instead allowing the state Commissioner of Highways to negotiate a new deal on tolls with the highway’s owners unilaterally.

The bill is similar to one Reid introduced last year. He later withdrew support for the bill and it was voted down amid opposition from the Board GENERAL ASSEMBLY continues on page 35

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 4

JANUARY 27, 2022

Loudoun

ON THE Agenda

Loudoun Office of Mapping and Geographic Information

Supervisors are now considering three proposed new local electoral district maps, submitted by the Coalition of Loudoun Towns, Avram Fechter, and Supervisors Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) working together.

Supervisors Narrow Redistricting Options to 3

BY RENSS GREENE rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors have narrowed the options for the new local electoral districts to three choices, and are now gathering input on those.

The three options are not yet set in stone—any of them could still be tweaked before supervisors pick one to send to a public hearing. They are expected to vote in March to send one to public hearing in May. Already there is a favorite among supervisors. In a round of voting to see which options could win support from a majority of supervisors at first only one map made the cut—a collaboration between Supervisors Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) and Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn). Supervisors were given the

option to vote for up to five options among 20 proposals—most voted for fewer, and of the eight supervisors present, six supervisors listed that one as an option.

When no others made the cut, Turner added a vote for a plan proposed by Avram “Avi” Fechter to push it over the threshold, and Vice Chairman Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) added a vote for a new map proposed by the Coalition of Loudoun Towns.

Letourneau thanked Turner for his collaboration.

“I think we had a really great process together to take kind of the concept of his plan and sort of apply some of those principles on my plan,” Letourneau said.

Letourneau’s original proposals sought to keep communities of interests and homeowners’ associations together, mostly avoiding splitting neighborhoods. The

resulting plan, after working with Turner, creates a large western district including everything north and west of Leesburg. It includes the Clarkes Gap, Firehouse, Philomont and St. Louis precincts, stretching to the county’s southern border near Atoka west of Middleburg.

The Town of Leesburg would have its own district, which would also include areas of River Creek to the east, as well as areas south of town to the Dulles Greenway and Sycolin Creek. Another district, south of Leesburg, would cover the rest of the county’s southern border, bringing together Middleburg, Aldie, areas south of Braddock Road, and part of Brambleton.

A district east of Leesburg would reach south along Belmont Ridge Road generally, including large communities like REDISTRICTING OPTIONS continues on page 8

County Board Approves Bles Park Work

BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

County supervisors last week unanimously approved a plan for Bles Park that had sparked ecological concerns from environmental groups, neighbors and the Planning Commission.

The 132-acre park follows the Broad Run almost to Rt. 7, widening at the mouth of the stream at the Potomac River and hosting four soccer fields along with the wetlands, trails and playground. The county now has plans

expand the park and its amenities with more playgrounds, skate spots, a canoe and kayak launch, dog park, tennis and pickleball courts, and additional parking. The park may also see a boardwalk through the wetlands in the future, although that is not yet funded.

The county’s plans for the park had sparked concern among environmental groups and some neighbors. Those concerns also got the proposal a no vote from the Planning Commission, which found it goes against the county’s 2019 comprehensive plan and would destroy

the habitats for rare and sensitive plant and animal species found in the park.

Following those concerns, the commission also took the unusual further step of recommending that the Board of Supervisors work to develop in-house expertise on wildlife biology, natural ecosystems, and native plant and animal communities, and to look into alternatives for the plans for parking and other facilities.

Following that vote, county staff BLES PARK continues on page 6

The Ashburn North Park and Ride across from Strayer University is being sold to make way for a mixed-income development.

Supervisors to Sell Park-and-Ride for Affordable Housing Loudoun County supervisors have directed county staff members to negotiate with Gaithersburg, MD-based developer The NRP Group on a deal to sell the Ashburn North Park and Ride on Russell Branch Parkway, “to be used for development of mixed-income multifamily rental housing and related amenities.”

Today the Ashburn North Park and Ride, across from Strayer University, hosts 190 free parking spaces and is a stop for the Metro Connection bus.

Supervisors voted 8-0-1, Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) absent, after coming out of a closed-door discussion Jan. 18.

Point-in-Time Homeless Count Wednesday The Loudoun County Continuum of Care, along with other jurisdictions in the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, is preparing to conduct the annual Point-in-Time Count of people experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness.

The count is scheduled for the night of Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the event of inclement weather, the count will be conducted ON THE AGENDA continues on page 7

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

PAGE 5

"SHE SAVED MY LIFE"

Loudoun county resident Dawn R. had been experiencing the painful side effects of Peripheral Neuropathy, “my feet and legs were extremely painful and my doctor told me there was nothing they could do. That I would have to take Gabapentin for the rest of my life.”

Then she met Ashburn's very own Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. Peripheral Neuropathy is the pain, discomfort and numbness caused by nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system.

Dawn explained that daily tasks like opening doors and using the bathroom were overwhelmingly painful.

“How can you live for the next 30 years when you don’t even want to get out of bed to do simple things?”

She was experiencing the burning, numbness, tingling and sharp pains that those suffering with neuropathy often describe. “The way that I would describe it, it’s equivalent to walking on glass.”

Dawn hadn’t worn socks in five years and was wearing shoes two sizes too big so that nothing would ‘touch’ her feet.

Unfortunately Dawn’s story is all too familiar for the over 3 million people in the U.S. suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy.

If you’re unfortunate enough to be facing the same disheartening prognosis you’re not sleeping at night because of the burning in your feet. You have difficulty walking, shopping or doing any activity for more than 30 minutes because of the pain.

You’re struggling with balance and living in fear that you might fall. Your doctor told you to ‘just live with the pain’ and you’re taking medications that aren’t working or have uncomfortable side effects.

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY? Call (703)263-2142 to schedule a consultation!

Fortunately, two months ago Dawn read an article about Rachal and the work she was doing to treat those suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy, without invasive surgeries or medications.

Rachal Lohr, founder of Firefly Acupuncture and Wellness, in Ashburn, is using the time tested science of Acupuncture and a technology originally developed by NASA that assists in increasing blood flow and expediting recovery and healing to treat this debilitating disease.

“Now when I go to bed at night I don’t have those shooting pains. I don’t have that burning sensation. I don’t have pain coming up my legs,” Dawn enthusiastically describes life after receiving Rachal Lohr's treatments.

“I can wear socks and shoes!”

Dawn and her sister now operate a successful dog walking business, sometimes covering up to 5 miles a day.

“It’s life altering.

As far as I’m concerned Rachal saved my life!”

Rachal has been helping the senior community for over 14 years using the most cutting edge and innovative integrative medicine. Specializing in chronic pain cases, specifically those that have been deemed ‘hopeless’ or ‘untreatable’, she consistently generates unparalleled results.

Visit www.FIREFLYAcuAndWellness.com to learn more and to take advantage of their New Patient Offer!

What was once a missing link in senior healthcare is now easily accessible to the residents of Northern Virginia.

If you’ve missed too many tee times because of pain or you’ve passed on walking through the town centers with friends because you’re afraid of falling, it’s time to call Rachal and the staff at Firefly.

It’s time you let your golden years BE GOLDEN!

Rachal Lohr, L.Ac. is once again accepting new patients. And for a limited time will be offering Free Consultations so call (703)263-2142 to schedule a consultation.

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PAGE 6

Bles Park continued from page 4 members revised their plans, slightly decreasing the impervious surface area and planned structures, adding one more acre of tree conservation area, removing a proposed maintenance facility and five pavilions and relocating planned multi-purpose courts closer to existing construction and parking.

Environmental concerns remained, however, with some people coming to the Board of Supervisors’ Jan. 18 meeting to

One Smile At A

speak in opposition to the project. One pointed out the irony that that same night, supervisors voted to approve new tax on single-use plastic bags, which proponents on the board described as an environmental measure.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Executive Director Michael Myers called the Bles Park decision “a big mistake.”

“Since Loudoun is undergoing so much growth, there is a possibility that our growth can have a tangible positive impact for wildlife. Our vision is for Loudoun to be a place where people and wildlife thrive together,” Myers said.

One Smile Time At A Time

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Supervisors have approved plans to build at Bles Park.

One Smile At A Time

“Bles Park is one of those places.”

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stream.

“To the board members that don’t go out to the parks, I submit that you also get to see nature, you just don’t think about it,” he said. “So, when the screensaver comes on your computer or on your TV, is it a picture of a pickleball court? Is it a picture of a dog park, or a soccer field?

No, it’s a picture of a river, a meadow, and why? Because we as humans find that to be relaxing and meaningful.”

Some members of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Board also came to speak in support of the project.

“One of the things we’ve learned in the last two years is the importance of having safe, healthy ways to recreate outdoors,” said Erik Scudder. “To me, the Bles Park program to refurbish the park really does a great job of that.”

But supervisors defended the project, approving it in a unanimous vote, pointing to remediation like a plan for two-toone tree replanting, removal of invasive species, and an agreement to find a new route for the boardwalk if a future review finds it would impact endangered species.

Endangered species have already been reported on the property, including the white trout lily nearby and the wood turtle on site.

“My constituents are tired of having to drive to other counties or across town to take their kids to practices, to access a dog park, and to find courts to play the very popular game of pickleball,” said district Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian).

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County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) said some of the work was needed to address safety concerns, with people parking along the street and walking across the street to access the park. And she wondered about making wild spaces handicap accessible.

“I do think one thing that we are not doing well in this county when it comes to our natural environment, we’re not doing a great job making it ADA-accessible,” Randall said. “The one reason and the only reason I like the boardwalk area is, if you have a different ability, it’s hard to really enjoy our nature preserves in this county. … I don’t know what the answer is to that, because you wouldn’t want to destroy the environment while making it accessible to people with different abilities.”

She invited groups like Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy to engage with the county Board of Supervisors and Disability Services Board to come up answers.

Supervisors approved the park 9-0 on Jan. 18. Afterward, the county government published a press release through official channels promoting the decision.

“The thorough scrutiny given to the plan by the Board, the Planning Commission and county staff assure that the natural setting of the non-developed sections of the park will be maintained and that the adopted enhancements reflect the best possible options for a park that was built nearly 30 years ago with both active and passive recreation opportunities in mind,” the press release read.

More information is at loudoun.gov/blesparkimprovements. n

JANUARY 27, 2022

ON THE Agenda continued from page 4

Wednesday, Feb. 2.

The Point-in-Time Count, which is conducted locally and nationally, is intended to provide a single-day snapshot of a community’s homeless population as well as households that may be on the brink of becoming homeless.

“The count helps us to better understand the needs of our most vulnerable community members and provide essential support services to assist those individuals,” stated Loudoun County Department of Family Services Director Ina Fernández.

During the count, Continuum of Care Street Outreach teams along with staff from local nonprofits will canvass the county to assist anyone who is unsheltered by providing resources and information on programs and services. Local law enforcement personnel and mental health clinicians will also help with outreach efforts.

More information about the Pointin-Time Count is online at loudoun.gov/ pointintime. With questions, contact Loudoun Continuum of Care Coordinator Jennifer Hope at 703-777-0353 or Jennifer.Hope@loudoun.gov. To get health and human services information and resources in Loudoun County, including housing and homeless assistance, contact the Loudoun County Information and Referral program at 703-777-0420.

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

gram that aims to raise awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood.

They have been linked to chronic health problems, mental illness and substance use problems in adulthood. Classes will be 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 and Feb. 15. For information and to register, go to loudoun.gov/childhoodadversitytraining.

Mental Health First Aid offers training that teaches people how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders, and

PAGE 7

teaches the skills to reach out to help and support someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. There is a general adult program and a program for adults who interact with youth. For information and to register, go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

The Question Persuade Refer program trains people to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to refer someone for professional help, with three simple steps to help save a life from sui-

County Offers Mental Health Training Loudoun County offers ongoing mental health education and substance abuse prevention programs. All programs are free, but registration is required and seats are limited.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences training is a one-hour educational pro-

next class will be Feb. 10 from noon to 1:30

p.m. For information and to register, go to loudoun.gov/suicidepreventiontraining.

For more information on the preven-

tion and intervention services offered by the Loudoun County Department of

Mental Health, Substance Abuse and De-

velopmental Services, go to loudoun.gov/ mhsadsprevention or send an email to prevention@loudoun.gov. n

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PAGE 8

Redistricting options continued from page 4 Lansdowne, Belmont Country Club, and parts of Ashburn Farm and Broadlands. An Ashburn district would reach from Moorefield Station, sharing parts of Broadlands and Ashburn Farm, most of Ashburn Village, north to One Loudoun and east to Kincora, all south of Rt. 7.

A Sterling district would include Dulles Town Center, reach south from Rt. 7 and wrap around Dulles Airport to include industrial areas and Loudoun Valley Estates.

A southeastern district would include the airport—which has no voting population—but densely populated areas including South Riding, Stone Ridge, and everything east of Gum Spring Road and south of Rt. 50.

All three plans now under consideration include an identical northeastern district including all of Loudoun north of Rt. 7, from Lexington 7 east.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall argued neighborhood HOAs are not communities of interest for redistricting purposes.

“An HOA can never be split, the HOA is still the HOA. In my opinion the HOA now gets to have two representatives instead of one,” Randall said.

The Coalition of Loudoun Towns plan—the organization’s second submis-

sion—creates two western districts, and has the support of western supervisors.

In a newsletter to constituents, Supervisor Tony R. Buffington (R-Blue Ridge) encouraged them to write into the board with support for that plan. That plan would create one western district wrapped around Leesburg to the south as well as picking up some southern parts of town, and another all the way to the county’s southeastern portion south of Rt. 50.

That would leave an Ashburn district to pick up most of Lansdowne, all of Belmont Country Club and Ashburn Farm, and most of Ashburn Village. The Sterling district would reach far into Ashburn on the south side of Rt. 7, bordering on Claiborne Parkway. That would include One Loudoun, most of Potomac Green and part of Ashburn Village along with Kincora and Sterling communities such as Sterling Park. Brambleton would be the largest community in a district also including Broadlands, Moorefield Station and Loudoun Valley Estates. And a district split by Dulles Airport would bring together areas north of the airport and areas south including South Riding and Stone Ridge.

Buffington said his main goals are to maintain two western Loudoun districts and to see Brambleton represented as an eastern district, which he said that map does.

JANUARY 27, 2022

“Unfortunately, under the Fechter and Letourneau Plans, Brambleton could end up with a representative living in western Loudoun who’s completely unfamiliar with the Brambleton community,” Buffington wrote. “And neither the Fechter or Letourneau plan does as good a job of providing two properly balanced western Loudoun Districts as the COLT Plan does.”

COLT argues the rural areas and Transition Policy Area which divides them from the suburbs share common interests, and that the current western districts need only incremental updates including to move

Brambleton into a more suburban district.

The Fechter plan resembles the Letourneau/Turner plan in the west, but with differences in the east.

Supervisors voted 8-0-1 on Jan. 18 to proceed with further public input and staff analysis on those three plans, Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) absent.

Supervisors are scheduled to take up those maps again on Feb. 15. County staff anticipate a public hearing on a single map May 11.

See and comment on the maps at loudounnow.com/redistrictingoptions. n

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Leesburg

Escalating Costs, Workload Tweak Town’s Capital Plan

BY KARA C. RODRIGUEZ krodriguez@loudounnow.com

An initial glimpse at Leesburg’s proposed six-year Capital Improvements Program provides evidence that even the commonwealth’s largest town cannot escape the current supply chain crisis, nor the rising costs of construction.

Renee LaFollette, director of the town’s Public Works & Capital Projects Department, provided a preview of the CIP to the Planning Commission Jan. 20.

She said her staff used this year to “hit the reset button” when it came to the town’s capital project program, given economic challenges and time constraints.

“Given everything happening in the community and looking at staffing resources we scrubbed the budget, scrubbed [construction] schedules,” to look at the capital plan, she said.

Not unlike residents juggling the rising costs of home improvement projects, the Town of Leesburg has had to take a hard look at its CIP and adjust accordingly, particularly when it comes to the escalating costs of construction.

“Construction cost indices are very high,” LaFollette emphasized.

LaFollette shared that the construction cost index for horizontal construction has risen as much as 9.2% over the last year, and is currently hovering around 7.4% higher. For vertical construction, the cost index has risen at times by almost 18% year-over-year and is currently

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Residents will have to wait longer for an expanded police department headquarters. The price of the project has also increased by almost $3 million.

around 15.4%.

For the current proposed six-year CIP beginning in fiscal year 2023, capital projects staff used those cost indices to budget accordingly. While capital projects typically have budgeted in a 3% escalation cost per year in the plan, LaFollette said staff plugged in an 8% escalation for the first year for horizontal construction projects and 15.4% for vertical construction, before going back down to 3% per year

for each following fiscal year. Engineering and design services are also up 5.4%, so those numbers are also adjusted.

The result, LaFollette said, is some “pretty significant” budget increases for projects.

Two expansion projects have seen significant increases—an additional $2.6 million for the Leesburg Police Department’s Plaza Street headquarters; and $2.4 million for the upgraded Town Shop. The

widening of Evergreen Mills Road saw the biggest cost increase, at just under $5 million, which LaFollette attributed largely to project design identifying the need to acquire more land. For road projects, the skyrocketing prices of asphalt and oil are also to blame for higher costs, she added.

The Evergreen Mills Road widening project was one of many that also saw its schedule adjusted. That project has been delayed four years; the police station expansion has been delayed two years; the Town Shop expansion two years; and improvements on King Street also two years, as just a few examples.

In a nod to lingering supply chain issues, LaFollette pointed to the roof replacement project for Ida Lee Park Recreation Center. Parts that were ordered in October will not arrive until August, further delaying a project that was already expected to be completed.

On scheduling, LaFollette said she and her staff also re-evaluated what they could handle from a workload perspective in adjusting timelines.

The Planning Commission will host a public hearing on the proposed CIP at its Feb. 3 meeting, where commissioners are also expected to offer their recommendations on changes to the Town Council.

Town Manager Kaj Dentler is expected to present his proposed fiscal year 2023 budget and the CIP to the council at its Feb. 8 meeting.

To view the draft CIP, go to loudounnow.com/leesburgCIP. n

Airport Input Session Scheduled for Thursday LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

Leesburg’s Airport and Economic Development commissions are co-hosting a public input session on development of Leesburg Executive Airport this Thursday.

The Airport Master Plan has identified land parcels for future aviation development, and the two commissions have formed a working group to

consider alternatives for those parcels.

This session seeks public input on how those parcels should be developed, best uses of the land, and what terms might encourage private investment in airport facilities.

The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27. Those who would like to participate can join in person at the airport’s third floor conference room, located in the Stanley Caulk-

ins Terminal at 1001 Sycolin Road SE. Alternatively, participants may join the meeting virtually through the Microsoft Teams link located at leesburgva.gov.

The link can be found on the calendar under Upcoming Public Meetings.

For more information about the event, contact Airport Director Scott Coffman at scoffman@leesburgva.gov or 703-7377125. n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

A plane takes off from Leesburg Executive Airport.

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 10

JANUARY 27, 2022

Education

Hillsboro Charter School Board Endures Shake-Up

BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

From discussions about disenfranchising the town mayor, to passing over a pack of seemingly qualified applicants for vacant board seats, members of the Hillsboro Charter Academy community are concerned that the board of directors is distancing the school from its original mission.

HCA opened its doors in 2016 as the county’s second public charter school after the school division closed Hillsboro Elementary School.

“When we created the school, the idea was to be on the vanguard, it was to be a laboratory for innovation,” said Rebecca Fuller, the school’s first president.

As a charter school for students in grades k-5, the school is a part of the school division, but operated under its own board and manages its own budget.

The school is run by a board of directors, on which, according to its charter, the town mayor has a seat.

Roger Vance has served as mayor since 2004, years before the charter school was founded.

Since the pandemic, the board has seen a great deal of turnover. Joe Luppino-Esposito served on the board for 10 months prior to being elected president

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

The Hillsboro Charter Academy board has had turnover and several resignations.

in August 2021.

Luppino-Esposito took over the helm after a months-long battle over former president Gwen Wilf’s term. Wilf reportedly sought to stay past the end of her two-year term. After being granted a one-time term extension by the board to remain through the summer, Wilf left the board in August.

Former board member Nicki Bazaco also received an extension, and left her post in August. Months later, Pooja Aggarwal resigned in November. Aggarwal declined to provide comment.

The board has had a fluctuating number

of seats since its inception, and currently there are five voting members, including Vance. Last fall, the board was presented with seven candidates—the most it has had in its history.

“We were overwhelmed with highly talented candidates who wanted to be on this board, and they wanted to bring a particular talent to the board, and be a key player and take on responsibilities,” Vance said of the candidates.

But the board tabled voting on new members. Luppino-Esposito said some board members felt a more deliberative selection process needed to be established. He said that some board members were put off by his own selection to the board, which they felt was too informal.

“We decided that we would put it on hold. And we said, ‘look, we need to make this process public. Do we want to do public interviews?’,” Luppino-Esposito said.

When the board met Jan. 24, there was a discussion whether to maintain the mayor’s voting status. Not vote was taken.

Vance said that the discussion was spurred by work with a charter school consultant.

“It was conveyed to me that it was a proposal that was put forward, nothing other than trying to conform to what seems to be more of a norm on charter school boards,” Vance said.

Vance said that during the discussion, board members were told about the school’s history with the town, and that the town’s support is integral to the functioning of the school.

“It’s someone from the Town Council having a seat, simply because of the history of the school its part of the fabric of our community. We fought for almost 20 years to keep that school open,” Vance said.

The conversation about mayoral voting power comes as the board is already short several members.

Before Aggarwal resigned, board member Charles Houston left the board over the summer following claims he made racist comments on social media.

Luppino-Esposito said that electronic records were protected under FOIA law, as Houston was considered identifiable personnel.

Vance said that he believes that board members’ political affiliations are not relevant to the charter’s operations.

“The founding group, you couldn’t find a more politically diverse group that brought this institution together. I don’t think that really has a place here. It does concern me that there was this reluctance to act on these great candidates,” he said.

He said the board may have a special meeting to discuss choosing more members within the next month. n

Federal Case Against School Board Equity Programs Dismissed

BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

A federal judge has granted the Loudoun school division’s motion to dismiss the class action suit against two of its equity programs.

In the suit, three families alleged that the Student Equity Ambassador program and the Bias Incident Reporting System violate their students’ rights to free speech, and discriminate on the basis of race and viewpoint.

Loudoun County Women’s GOP Club President Patti Menders, Parents Against Critical Theory founder Scott Mineo, and one other anonymous family sought a declaration from the court that the pro-

grams were discriminatory. They sought an injunction against the SEA program and the reporting system, but were denied that motion in November. Two other anonymous families dropped out of the case, citing privacy concerns spurned by the discovery process.

The suit, filed in United States District Court in Alexandria on June 2, argues that the programs discriminate against their white students and violate their First Amendment rights. They also charge that the reporting system “chills protected speech in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” according to the complaint.

While the SEA program is open to all students, early iterations of the program’s description describe it as a group for stu-

dents of color.

It is not clear whether the plaintiff’s children wished to participate in the programs and were denied. The families agreed with the judge that the School Board is permitted to “sponsor a non-public forum to afford students of color an opportunity to discuss how race has affected their lives and educational experiences,” Judge Anthony J. Trenga wrote.

The families charged that the program description, calling for students with a “passion for social justice,” imposed a “liberal” or “progressive” viewpoint. The judge ruled that requirement alone does not violate First Amendment rights of students, and that the plaintiffs did not prove that the SEA program was enacted with a discriminatory intent against white stu-

dents.

The plaintiffs also alleged that their children have viewpoints dissimilar to many students in Loudoun County, and would like to speak out against Critical Race Theory race, gender identity, and other controversial political issues.

But “that speech has prompted vitriolic, threatening, and persecutorial responses from others in Loudoun County, including within the LCPS community,” the filings read.

The existence of the Bias Incident Reporting System, they allege, chills their students’ speech. Trenga ruled that the Bias Incident Reporting system does not chill free speech any more than existing anti-bullying or anti-discrimination policies do. n

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Equity Groups Seek to Intervene in School Board Removal Cases

BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

The NAACP Loudoun County Chapter and the groups Equality Loudoun and Loudoun4All have filed a motion in Circuit Court to intervene in the removal cases against School Board members Brenda Sheridan (Sterling) and Atoosa Reaser (Algonkian).

The removal efforts are led by the group Fight for Schools, which is seeking the ouster of members for their involvement in a private Facebook group and, the group alleges, infusing the division with progressive ideologies.

Fight for Schools is awaiting a ruling on its motions to intervene in the removal cases on behalf of voters who signed petitions seeking the removals. The group’s lawyer, David Warrington, argued in court that it should be allowed to intervene in the case because of the group’s interest in the matter.

Fight for Schools organized the collection of signatures and the filing of the removal petitions.

At a Jan. 21 press conference outside of the county courthouse, Loudoun NAACP President Michelle Thomas said that the removal effort was an attempt to overturn election results.

She borrowed a phrase from Trump supporters, beginning a “Stop the Steal” chant among the 30 or so supporters gathered for the event.

“We’re here today to say that we’re united in the effort to secure elections in Loudoun County. What is happening in court will not continue,” Thomas said.

If their motions are granted, the groups will be permitted to participate in the evidentiary discovery process and would be permitted to file other motions in the case.

“Fight for Schools’s argument was, they have broad support and broad interest from the community. When you compare, the efforts of Fight for Schools, which was formed in 2021 and basically consists of disrupting School Board meetings and filing recall petitions, the work of the NAACP that started in 1940 and donated a bus system for African American students when there was none, has been the guardian for equality in education for 81 years. … There’s a tremendous record of involvement here. These people have an interest in the identity of the School Board and supporting the School Board, and the continuity of the School Board,” attorney Charlie King said.

King, alongside former Loudoun NAACP president Phillip Thompson, is representing the groups attempting to join

School System Chief of Staff Out After Investigation

BY HAYLEY MILON BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

Hayley Bour/ Loudoun Now

Pastor Michelle Thomas, former Loudoun NAACP president Phillip Thompson, and Charlie King announce the filing of a motion to intervene in School Board removal cases alongside supporters.

the cases. King represented former Leesburg District School Board member Beth Barts in her removal case, which was rendered moot when she resigned on Nov. 3, citing safety concerns. In that case, Judge Jeanette A. Irby granted Fight for Schools the motion to intervene in the case.

Irby heard arguments for motions for Fight for Schools to intervene and to disqualify Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj from prosecuting the cases against Sheridan and Reaser on Jan. 5.

In response to the announcement, Fight for Schools Executive Director Ian Prior released a statement tying Biberaj to the NAACP as a former leader in the local chapter.

“Hopefully, everyone will now see exactly what parents have been up against and why they’ve been so frustrated with the powers-that-be in Loudoun County; government officials and special interests taking over our schools at the expense of students and their parents,” Prior stated.

A frequent criticism made by Fight for Schools is that the School Board is indoctrinating students politically with liberal ideology. The group points to the Equity Collaborative’s report documenting institutional racism in the school division, and to teacher trainings on racial sensitivity. The group’s members charge that the school division, through its staff trainings, is teaching white children that they are inherently oppressors because of their race.

“They’re saying, ‘Our kids feel uncomfortable.’ Well, I’m a 60-year-old Black man, I haven’t been comfortable in this country since I was born. So let’s talk about uncomfortable,” Thompson said.

Irby is expected to deliver rulings on the motions argued on Jan. 5 within the next few weeks. A hearing to quash the petitions is scheduled for Feb. 23. n

PAGE 11

The Loudoun County Public Schools Chief of Staff and former Title IX Coordinator is out following an investigation into the district’s handling of a sexual assault scandal in two high schools.

In May, a Stone Bridge High School student sexually assaulted a schoolmate in a bathroom. The teen then was transferred to Broad Run High School, where he sexually assaulted a second student in October.

Mark Smith served as chief of staff beginning in January 2021, when Superintendent Scott Ziegler took over the division in an interim capacity.

The investigation was conducted by the Fairfax County-based law firm Blankingship & Keith, P.C. The division will not release the report, citing attorney-client privilege.

After the report was completed, the

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school division announced a series of actions, including unidentified personnel changes, naming Chief Human Resources Officer Lisa Boland as the new Title IX coordinator, and new mandatory Title IX trainings for staff.

A source with knowledge of the decision to end Smith’s employment said it was made the week of Jan. 9.

His staff bio was removed from the school division website on Jan. 14.

In October, Ziegler made a statement to media members that the division followed Title IX reporting processes following the assaults, but the shortcomings in the protocols led to the student being transferred to the new school, putting more students in harm’s way.

The scandal sparked national outrage. New Attorney General Jason Miyares announced on Jan. 15 that he opened an investigation into the handling of the assaults, and of the School Board. n

PAGE 12

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Public Safety

Sterling Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assaults, Unlicensed Dentistry

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The Sterling man charged with providing dental services from his York Road home and sexually assaulting female patients while they were anesthetized will be sentenced to at least 13 years in prison.

Juan Ramos Jacobe appeared in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Jan. 20 to enter a plea.

According to court filings, Jacobe attended dental school but did not finish and did not hold a license to Jacobe provide invasive services.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj said Jacobe provided dental services to the Hispanic community in the Sterling area.

His activities came to light on March 26, 2020, after the mother of a teenage girl learned that she had been molested while getting dental work done the previous day.

The family reported the assault to the Sheriff’s Office, which executed a search war-

rant at the home, finding a dentist chair, portable X-ray machine, a drill, and other dental tools. Jacobe was arrested and has been held in jail without bond since then.

Investigators learned that he had been providing the services since 2016 and issued an alert seeking to talk with more of Jacobe’s patients. Several women came forward to report they had been assaulted during their visits. The women described unusual practices, including that Jacobe administered pain-relieving shots in their buttocks and massaged them during the procedures before fondling the victims. At least one victim told investigators that in her sedated condition, she could not move as Jacobe was touching her. Some said that when they objected to his groping, Jacobe would offer not to charge for the dental services.

In December 2020, a grand jury indicted Jacobe on 10 felonies and five misdemeanors. The case was set for trial next month.

Last Thursday, Biberaj and Jacobe’s attorney, Karen Kirkpatrick, presented Judge Jennette A. Irby with a plea agreement.

In that deal, Jacobe entered Alford pleas—in which the defendant doesn’t admit guilt, but acknowledges there is suffi-

cient evidence for prosecutors to obtain a conviction—to charges of aggravated sexual battery and object sexual penetration of a victim under age 13. He also pleaded guilty to seven felony charges of performing invasive procedures without a license and five misdemeanor charges of sexual battery.

In response to questions by Irby, Biberaj said the victims had been informed of and supported the proposed plea agreement, in part because they would not be required to testify about their experiences in court.

Irby accepted the plea conditionally and scheduled an April 21 hearing to finalize the ruling. The judge was concerned that the proposed prison sentence of 13 years was one year below the mid-point of the range of the prison time called for in draft sentencing guidelines she was presented.

She told the attorneys she would wait until the final guidelines were submitted and to review the presentencing report before imposing the prison term. Jacobe will undergo a mental examination. Should the final guidelines recommend a higher range of prison time, Irby said she may increase the 13-year sentence. That review is set for April 21. n

PTSO Embezzlement Case Sent to Grand Jury

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The case against an Ashburn woman accused of embezzling more than $21,000 from the Rock Ridge High School PTSO advanced last week when a District Court judge found evidence sufficient to refer it to a grand jury.

Sophia E. Brown was treasurer of the volunteer parent-teacher-student group during a period in 2019 and 2020 when numerous cash withdrawals were made from the organization’s bank account.

During the Jan. 19 preliminary hearing, a former PTSO president and the treasurer who succeeded Brown testified about the organization’s spending practices and payment policies. The PTSO holds fundraisers to provide support to teachers and special programs, such as graduation night parties. Purchases, payments,

disbursements, and reimbursements are made by checks signed by two officers.

The organization had a debit card used primarily for online purchases.

After Brown stepped down from the treasurer’s post in 2020, her successor testified that Brown initially resisted providing her access to the bank account.

After the account was transferred, she found numerous ATM withdrawals for cash in amounts ranging from $100 to $600. There also were charges for unusual items, including two payments to a car rental company. Brown wrote a check to the PTSO for five transactions, including one of the car rentals, describing them as accidental charges, according to the testimony.

Brown’s attorney, Tabatha Blake, said there was little evidence to show that Brown was responsible for the questioned charges or that the charges were not au-

thorized. Other members of the organization may have access to the debit card number, she said.

Before the start of the preliminary hearing, county prosecutors dropped one of the three charges against Brown, for credit card fraud.

After the testimony, Judge Matthew P. Snow dismissed another charge, finding prosecutors had not provided evidence to substantiate an allegation of conducting unlawful financial transactions, which had been charged under a money laundering statute.

He did, however, find probable cause to send the charges of embezzlement to the grand jury for indictment. That review is set for Feb. 14, with the case then expected to move to Circuit Court for adjudication.

Brown was arrested Oct. 14 and was freed on a $5,000 bond. n

JANUARY 27, 2022

Murder Trial Delayed After Data Dump

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

The trial of the man charged with murder in the disappearance and presumed death of an Ashburn woman in 2011 will be delayed again.

Ronald Roldan was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in December 2020 and was scheduled for a 25-day jury trial starting Feb. 22. He is charged with killing his girlfriend Bethany Anne Decker, who was five months pregnant and in her final semester at George Mason University when she was reported missing in 2011.

Roldan was identified as a person of interest in the case but was not charged until 2020 when he was set for release from a North Carolina prison where he served a six-year sentence for the attempted murder of another girlfriend.

The trial was originally scheduled to begin last August, but was rescheduled for Feb. 14 and then for Feb. 22.

With attorneys in the case in Circuit Court on Jan. 20 for a scheduled hearing on pre-trial motions, Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. granted an emergency motion for another continuance.

The delay was sought by Roldan’s attorneys who reported receiving a new tranche of discovery material from prosecutors a week earlier. The information included 1.3 terabytes of data and some 60,000 files, many of which the attorneys’ IT staff had been unable to open. Among the identifiable files, they said, were more than 100 pages of newly revealed search warrant filings and witness interviews conducted in 2011 and 2014.

ROLDAN TRIAL continues on page 13

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 13

Farmwell Middle School Threat Case Sent to Grand Jury

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Following a Jan. 19 preliminary hearing in Loudoun County District Court, the case against the 18-yearold Fairfax County resident charged with making threats Lucas toward an Ashburn middle school in December was sent to a grand jury for review.

Shane D. Lucas is charged with making threats of bodily injury or death to persons on school property, a Class 6 felony. He was cited by investigators as the source of a Dec. 7 social media post that included a photo of a firearm and

threatening statements toward Farmwell Station Middle School.

During the preliminary hearing, school Principal Sherryl Loya, Sheriff’s Office Detective Sean McCormack and LCSO Digital Forensic Examiner Kristi Kennard testified about the events of the day.

Loya said she learned about the threat, which was posted on Twitter, from a school resource officer. The posting included a photo of an AR-15 rifle and statement warning students to not go to school that day. It was signed “school shooter.”

The principal put the school on lockdown, preventing anyone from entering or exiting, and worked with the school division’s public information office to put out an alert to the school community.

McCormack was assigned to inves-

tigate and quickly contacted Twitter and Verizon to identify the origin of the posting. After tracing it to a Fairfax address, a search warrant was obtained and executed with the Fairfax County Police Department later that day. Lucas was at the home.

At the home, a laptop, a tablet computer, two cell phones and a SIM card were among the items collected. Using a pass code provided by Lucas, Kennard opened his iPhone and found photos of the weapon that matched the one used in the tweet and web searches for images of the weapon. Also on the phone was access to the Twitter account used to post the threat.

Loya said Lucas was a student at Farmwell during his sixth, seventh and eighth grade years.

At the conclusion of the more than

SAFETY briefs Second Suspect Charged in Brambleton Homicide The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office on Friday charged a second man in connection with the Dec. 30 death of 57-yearold Najat Chemlali Goode.

Abdul Waheed, 54, of Leesburg, was arrested Jan. 21 and charged with being an accessory before the fact to first-degree murder and an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Investigators say he drove the suspect, Furqan Syed, 40, to and from the victim’s home on the night of the homicide.

Syed faces charges of first-degree murder, entering a residence with intent to commit murder, shooting in the commission of murder, and three counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Authorities said he fled the country on Jan. 3, and detectives are coordinating with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend him.

Deputies were initially called to the Connie Marie Terrace home in Brambleton shortly before 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30, after a family member found Goode unresponsive inside. She was transported to StoneSprings Hospital Center where she died from her injuries. The investigation has determined there was a connection between the suspects and the victim.

Waheed was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28 in Loudoun County District Court.

Anyone with any information regarding Syed, or this case, is asked to contact Detective T. Rodriguez at 703-777-1021.

You may also submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app.

Death of Leesburg Woman Investigated in Maryland The Fredrick County (MD) Sheriff’s Office is investigating the Jan. 10 death of a Leesburg woman as a homicide.

According to the report, deputies responded to a call of Delgado Morales a suspicious death in a wooded area near Stoney Creek Drive at 4:15 a.m. Jan. 10.

Detectives have identified the victim as 21-year-old Juana Pahola Delgado Morales, 21. The agency initially identified her as living in the Fairfax-Herndon area.

The agency is asking for anyone with information about this case, or anyone who came into contact with Delgado Morales during the time leading up to her death, to contact FCSO Detective McGuire at 301-600-3934 or Detective Stears at 301-600-6403 and reference case # 22-003169.

Those wishing to remain anonymous

may email FCSOtips@frederickcountymd.gov or call 301-600-4131.

Leesburg Teen Charged with Attempted Murder in Shooting A 17-year-old from Leesburg has been charged with five counts of attempted murder in connection with a recent shooting in Ashburn.

Loudoun sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of Boxwood Place shortly after 1 a.m. Jan. 15 after a resident reported hearing gunfire. According to the investigation, the incident involved two groups of teenagers and stemmed from an earlier altercation. Some of the people involved later confronted the victims in the area of Boxwood Place, and the Sheriff’s Office said the suspect shot at the victim’s vehicle as they drove away.

No injuries or property damage were reported.

Loudoun County Juvenile Court Services issued the petitions and the teenager was served Wednesday, Jan. 19. He was held at the Loudoun County Juvenile Detention Center.

This case remains an active investigation and the sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information contact Detective K. Mitchell at 703-777-1021. You may also submit a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app. n

two-hour hearing, which ended around 8 p.m., Judge Matthew P. Snow certified the charge to the February grand jury session. The case is expected to transfer to Circuit Court on Feb. 15 for adjudication.

The hearing was held a week after Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj joined with Lucas’ attorneys from the Public Defender’s Office in seeking to have him released on bond so his family could move him into a residential treatment program to address mental health concerns. Snow denied the bond request.

The attorneys then appealed that denial to Circuit Court and, on Jan. 13, Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. also denied bond.

It was the second time a bond request for Lucas was denied at the District Court and Circuit Court levels. n

Roldan trial continued from page 12 With only weeks to go before the trial, it would be impossible to review the potential evidence and prepare the case, they said.

Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Shaniqua Clark Nelson agreed.

She said it was not county prosecutors who were responsible for the last-minute data dump. She said the material had just been turned over to her from the Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 14 and copies immediately were made for the defense team. Prosecutors had not been sitting on the information, she told Fleming, but have done everything possible to turn over required information in a timely fashion.

While acknowledging the difficulty involved with rescheduling the roster of witnesses planned for the month-long trial, Fleming said the need for a continuance was clear. The parties were instructed to report back Feb. 24 with a status report and to work together on identifying new trial dates. n

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 14

JANUARY 27, 2022

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LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

Judy Hanley will leave her longtime role as the CEO of the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter, the board of directors has announced.

Hanley worked with LAWS, formerly Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice, for more than 14 years. She initially established LAWS’s Child Advocacy Center CAC in 2007, working as its first director. The Child Advocacy Center is a public/ private partnership among Loudoun County agencies and organizations dedicated to serving child victims of abuse and neglect.

“It has been an honor to work on behalf of victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse for 14 years. During my time here, I have enjoyed being a highly respected, accomplished, and visionary leader who is a fierce advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. I have enjoyed working alongside other staff members, volunteers, and community partners who are equally passionate about serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse,” Hanley stated. “I have felt such fulfillment for the role I played in saving lives and promoting safety, hope, and empowerment to adult and child victims. I will never forget the gratitude so many people expressed for the help they received through me personally as well as through my leadership of the organization.

Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to do such important work.”

In the announcement, the board credited Hanley for transforming the organization’s administrative capabilities, partnering with county agencies, extending and enhancing service offerings, and in general increasing LAWS’s organizational

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

Judy Hanley is stepping down from her position as executive director and CEO of the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter after 14 years with the nonprofit.

capacity. The board also cited her leadership in navigating the organization through the operational changes necessitated by COVID-19, and an accompanying significant increase in the demand for services.

“Dr. Hanley’s departure leaves a big pair of shoes to fill, as she has dedicated so much to the success of the organization, the needs of our clients and community, and the development of the LAWS team.

The board is so very appreciative of her service and remains committed to finding a strong replacement to carry on Judy’s tremendous work,” Board Chair Terry Allen stated.

The board has begun a national search its next CEO. In the meantime, Chief Operating Officer Samantha Clarke serve as Interim CEO as well as maintaining her current role. The board’s priority is to ensure stability and continue services and support for survivors during the transition, they wrote. 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

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Communities Come Together to Fight Hunger Among Local Students LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

The group Food for Neighbors organized 1,150 volunteers to collect and sort over 17,000 pounds of donated food and toiletries for students facing food insecurity. Volunteers came from Sterling, Ashburn, Falls Church, Fort Hunt, Springfield and Herndon.

The donations will go to vulnerable students in 25 Loudoun and Fairfax county schools. Participating from LCPS was Sterling Middle School, Seneca Ridge Middle School, River Bend Middle School, Park View High School, Potomac Falls High School, and Stone Bridge High School.

“With all of the energy and enthusiasm, I almost forgot about the cold weather. It must have been all of the warm hearts,” Karen Joseph, cofounder and executive director of Food For Neighbors, said of the event.

Joseph said that volunteers work hard to mobilize thousands of commu-

nity members to fight hunger in local schools.

“I love our communities. We’re seeing a continued increase in need, and our dedicated volunteers and donors are rising to the occasion,” she said. “This is allowing us to expand our services to even more schools.”

Food For Neighbors welcomes additional Northern Virginia middle and high schools, volunteers, and organizations to participate in the program.

School staff and PTA representatives interested in bringing the program to their schools may send an email to contact@foodforneighbors.org. Community members may make monetary contributions, sign up to donate food, and express interest in volunteering at foodforneighbors.org/get-involved.

Businesses and organizations interested in partnering with Food For Neighbors should contact Renee Maxwell, renee@foodforneighbors.org. n

Goose Creek Association Announces Multiyear ‘Creek Watch’ LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

The Goose Creek Association has launched a multiyear effort to get the scenic river back to good health.

The commonwealth designates Goose Creek a scenic river, with a watershed of more than 385 square miles in Loudoun and Fauquier. It provides drinking water for residents, areas for hiking and kayaking, and a habitat for wildlife. As it flows north into the Potomac River, it passes through heavily developed areas, and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality designates the river as “impaired” because of its degraded water quality and multiple instances of E. coli contamination.

The Goose Creek Association last August began a years-long project, “Goose Creek Watch,” to get the river back into sustainable good health and get it off the impaired list. The project brings together conservation organizations from the across the region.

Plans includes a stream monitoring program to test water quality; constructing of riparian buffers to filter water sediment and runoff; expanding riparian buffers to reduce erosion, tracking E. coli contam-

Loudoun Now File Photo

The water quality of Goose Creek is getting extra attention through a new community initiative.

ination sources; mitigating fertilizer runoff from farms; advocating against inappropriate development; public education programs; and canoe trips to remove litter from Goose Creek.

The program began with six new monitoring sites, including chemical monitoring

by Friends of the Shenandoah River using its lab at Shenandoah University, and offering an overall view of the water quality and a starting point for planning the work.

The project is funded by the Goose Creek Association using donations and grant money. n

PAGE 15

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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC OF AN APPLICATION BY VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY FOR APPROVAL AND CERTIFICATION OF ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION FACILITIES: DTC 230 KV LINE LOOP AND DTC SUBSTATION CASE NO. PUR-2021-00280 On December 2, 2021, Virginia Electric and Power Company (“Dominion” or “Company”) iled with the State Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an application (“Application”) for approval and certiication of electric transmission facilities in Loudoun County, Virginia. Dominion iled its Application pursuant to § 56-46.1 of the Code of Virginia (“Code”) and the Utility Facilities Act, Code § 56-265.1 et seq.

Through its Application, the Company proposes to construct the following, which is collectively referred to as the “Project”: •

a new 230-34.5 kilovolt (“kV”) substation in Loudoun County, Virginia (“DTC Substation”), and upgrade line protection at the Company’s existing BECO and Beaumeade Substations; and

•

a new approximately 1.3-mile overhead 230 kV double circuit transmission line loop on new 100-foot-wide right-of-way by cutting 230 kV Beaumeade-BECO Line #2143 at a junction located between Structures #2143/12-13 adjacent to the Company’s existing BECO Substation, resulting in (i) 230 kV Beaumeade-DTC Line #2143 and (ii) 230 kV BECO-DTC Line #2249 (“DTC Loop”).

From the junction, the DTC Loop will extend along the proposed route approximately 1.3 miles generally northeast to the proposed DTC Substation. While the proposed junction is located in existing right-of-way, the proposed DTC Loop will be constructed on new right of way supported by 15 double circuit, single-shaft galvanized steel poles, and two double circuit galvanized steel 2-pole structures, utilizing three-phase twin-bundled 768.2 ACSS/ TW type conductor with a summer transfer capability of 1,574 megavolt amperes (“MVA”).

According to the Application, Dominion proposes the Project to provide service requested by three retail electric customers (“Customers”), to maintain reliable service for the overall growth in the area, and to comply with mandatory North American Electric Reliability Corporation Reliability Standards. Dominion further states that the Project is necessary in order to assure that the Company can maintain and improve reliable electric service to customers in the load area surrounding the Company’s existing BECO Substation in Loudoun County, Virginia.

The Company states that the Customers have requested retail electric service from Dominion to support multiple data center development sites. Dominion further states that this load area where these data centers are being developed is currently served by BECO Substation, and if the summation of these data center projects’ unserved load (175 MVA) were connected to the existing BECO Substation, the existing distribution substation equipment would overload. Dominion indicates that connecting these Customers’ requested loads to BECO Substation alone would result in (i) substation transformer thermal overloads and (ii) violation of the Company’s transmission system reliability criteria set forth in the Facilities Interconnection Requirement document. The Company asserts that the proposed Project is therefore needed to meet the load requirements of the Customers’ existing and planned new development projects along with future load growth in the area, which will, in turn, facilitate economic growth in the Commonwealth.

The Company states that the desired in-service date for the Project is June 15, 2024. The Company represents that the estimated conceptual cost of the Project (in 2021 dollars) utilizing the proposed route is approximately $102.5 million, which includes approximately $36.7 million for transmission related work and approximately $65.8 million for substation-related work.

Description of Routes for the Proposed Project Proposed Route - Overhead Route 1C (Proposed Route 1C) The Proposed Route of the proposed DTC 230 kV Line Loop is approximately 1.30 miles in length. The Proposed Route originates between Structures #2143/12-13, which are located northwest of the Company’s existing BECO Substation. The line then heads northwest for about 0.19 mile adjacent to the right-of-way for a Loudoun County Water line and across Gloucester Parkway. From that point, the transmission line continues to the north for 0.57 mile, generally following the Loudoun County Water line. The transmission line then turns to the north and east for 0.20 mile before intersecting Russell Branch Parkway. After a 0.09-mile crossing of Russell Branch Parkway and Sully Road, the line next turns north and parallels the eastern side Sully Road for 0.10 mile. From that point, the line turns east and southeast for 0.08 mile crossing Century Boulevard. Finally, the route heads northeast for 0.07 mile and then enters the proposed DTC Substation property.

The DTC Loop along the Proposed Route will be constructed on new right-of-way supported by 15 double circuit, single-shaft galvanized steel poles, and two double circuit galvanized steel 2-pole structures with a minimum structure height of approximately 90 feet, a maximum structure height of approximately 120 feet, and an average proposed structure height of approximately 106 feet, based on preliminary conceptual design, not including foundation reveal and subject to change based on inal engineering design.

Overhead Alternative Route 1A (Route 1A) The Overhead Alternative Route 1A of the proposed DTC 230 kV Line Loop is approximately 1.31 miles in length. Overhead Alternative Route 1A originates between Structures #2143/12-13, which are located northwest of the Company’s existing BECO Substation. The line then heads northwest for about 0.19 mile adjacent to the right-of-way for a Loudoun County Water line and across Gloucester Parkway. From that point, the transmission line continues to the north for 0.57 mile, generally following the Loudoun County Water line. The transmission line then turns to the north and east for 0.19 mile before heading due north for 0.11 mile following the west side of Russell Branch Parkway. After a 0.09 mile crossing of Russell Branch Parkway and Sully Road, the line then continues east and southeast for 0.09 mile crossing Century Boulevard. Finally, the route heads northeast for 0.07 mile and then enters the proposed DTC Substation property.

The DTC Loop along the Overhead Alternative 1A Route will be constructed on new right-of-way supported by 13 double circuit, singleshaft galvanized steel poles, and two double circuit galvanized steel 2-pole structures with a minimum structure height of approximately 90 feet, a maximum structure height of approximately 120 feet, and an average proposed structure height of approximately 105 feet, based on preliminary conceptual design, not including foundation reveal and subject to change based on inal engineering design.

Overhead Alternative 1B (Route 1B) The Overhead Alternative Route 1B of the proposed DTC 230 kV Line Loop is approximately 1.31 miles in length. Overhead Alternative Route 1B originates between Structures #2143/12-13, which are located northwest of the Company’s existing BECO Substation. The line then heads northwest for about 0.19 mile adjacent to the right-of-way for a Loudoun County Water line and across Gloucester Parkway. From that point, the transmission line continues to the north for 0.57 mile, generally following the Loudoun County Water line. The transmission line then turns to the north and east for 0.19 mile before heading due north for 0.05 mile following the west side of Russell Branch Parkway. After a 0.10-mile crossing of Russell Branch Parkway and Sully Road, the line then turns north for 0.05 mile paralleling

JANUARY 27, 2022

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

the east side of Sully Road. The route then continues east and southeast for to the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing or subsequent Hearing 0.08 mile crossing Century Boulevard. Finally, the route heads northeast Examiner’s Ruling for further instructions concerning Conidential or Extraordinarily Sensitive Information. for 0.07 mile and then enters the proposed DTC Substation property.

The DTC Loop along Overhead Alternative Route 1B will be constructed on new right-of-way supported by 13 double circuit, singleshaft galvanized steel poles, and four double circuit galvanized steel 2-pole structures with a minimum structure height of approximately 90 feet, a maximum structure height of approximately 120 feet, and an average proposed structure height of approximately 106 feet, based on preliminary conceptual design, not including foundation reveal and subject to change based on inal engineering design.

All distances, heights, and directions are approximate. A sketch map of the proposal accompanies this notice. A more detailed map may be viewed on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Transmission-LineProjects. A more complete description of the Project also may be found in the Company’s Application.

The Commission entered an Order for Notice and Hearing in this proceeding that, among other things, scheduled public hearings on Dominion’s Application. On April 19, 2022, at 10 a.m., the Commission will hold a telephonic hearing, with no witness present in the Commission’s courtroom, for the purpose of receiving the testimony of public witnesses.

On or before April 15, 2022, any person desiring to offer testimony as a public witness shall provide to the Commission (a) your name, and (b) the telephone number that you wish the Commission to call during the hearing to receive your testimony. This information may be provided to the Commission in three ways: (i) by illing out a form on the Commission’s website at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting; (ii) by completing and emailing the PDF version of this form to SCCInfo@scc.virginia.gov; or (iii) by calling (804) 371-9141. This public witness hearing will be webcast at scc.virginia.gov/pages/Webcasting.

On April 20, 2022, at 10 a.m., either in the Commission’s second The Commission may consider a route not signiicantly different from the route described in this notice without additional notice to the public. loor courtroom located in the Tyler Building, 1300 East Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or by electronic means, the Commission The Commission has taken judicial notice of the ongoing public will convene a hearing to receive testimony and evidence related to the health issues related to the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. In Application from the Company, any respondents, and the Commission’s accordance therewith, all pleadings, briefs, or other documents required Staff. Further details on this hearing will be provided by subsequent to be served in this matter shall be submitted electronically to the extent Commission Order or Hearing Examiner’s Ruling. authorized by 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Commission’s Electronic copies of the Application and other supporting materials Rules of Practice and Procedure (“Rules of Practice”). Conidential and Extraordinarily Sensitive Information shall not be submitted electronically may be inspected at: www.dominionenergy.com/DTC. An electronic and should comply with 5 VAC 5-20-170, Confidential information, of the copy of the Company’s Application also may be obtained by submitting Rules of Practice. Any person seeking to hand deliver and physically ile a written request to counsel for the Company, Vishwa B. Link, Esquire, or submit any pleading or other document shall contact the Clerk’s Ofice McGuireWoods LLP, Gateway Plaza, 800 East Canal Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, or vlink@mcguirewoods.com.

Document Control Center at (804) 371-9838 to arrange the delivery.

On or before February 23, 2022, any person or entity wishing to Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-140, Filing and service, of the Rules of Practice, the Commission has directed that service on parties and the Commission’s participate as a respondent in this proceeding may do so by iling a notice Staff in this matter shall be accomplished by electronic means. Please refer of participation with the Clerk of the Commission at scc.virginia.gov/clk/ eiling. Those unable, as a practical matter, to ile a notice of participation electronically may ile such notice by U.S. mail to the Clerk of the State Corporation Commission, c/o Document Control Center, P.O. Box 2118, Richmond, Virginia 23218-2118. Such notice of participation shall include the email addresses of such parties or their counsel, if available. The respondent simultaneously shall serve a copy of the notice of participation on counsel to the Company. Pursuant to 5 VAC 5-20-80 B, Participation as a respondent, of the Rules of Practice, any notice of participation shall set forth: (i) a precise statement of the interest of the respondent; (ii) a statement of the speciic action sought to the extent then known; and (iii) the factual and legal basis for the action. Any organization, corporation, or government body participating as a respondent must be represented by counsel as required by 5 VAC 5-20-30, Counsel, of the Rules of Practice.

All ilings shall refer to Case No. PUR-2021-00280. For additional information about participation as a respondent, any person or entity should obtain a copy of the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing.

On or before April 13, 2022, any interested person may submit comments on the Application by following the instructions found on the Commission’s website: scc.virginia.gov/casecomments/Submit-PublicComments. Those unable, as a practical matter, to submit comments electronically may ile such comments with the Clerk of the Commission at the address listed above. All such comments shall refer to Case No. PUR-2021-00280.

Any documents iled in paper form with the Ofice of the Clerk of the Commission in this docket may use both sides of the paper. In all other respects, except as modiied by the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, all ilings shall comply fully with the requirements of 5 VAC 5-20-150, Copies and format, of the Rules of Practice.

The Company’s Application, the Commission’s Rules of Practice, the Commission’s Order for Notice and Hearing, and other documents iled in the case may be viewed at: scc.virginia.gov/pages/Case-Information.

VIRGINIA ELECTRIC AND POWER COMPANY

PAGE 17

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JANUARY 27, 2022

Business

Leesburg Station Auto Wash Sold to Flagship LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

The Magazzine family has sold its Leesburg Station Auto Wash to Flagship Carwash.

They founded the business 17 years ago on Catoctin Circle in Leesburg.

“We believe that Flagship provides not only the best value to our customers, but also growth opportunities for our employees,” the family stated in the announcement of the transaction.

Founded in 1983, Flagship Car Wash Center operates car washes in Washington DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. In Loudoun County, Flagship has operations in South Riding and Purcellville, and four new locations in Ashburn and Sterling.

The company plans to expand to more than 50 locations in the region by 2024.

While the Magazzine family said it accomplished its goals at the Leesburg busi-

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

A new sign is up at the Leesburg Station Auto Wash following its sale to the Flagship chain.

ness—to provide customers with quality car washes and detailing at a fair price, to

become a good community partner, and to create a positive environment for employ-

ees—it is not leaving the industry.

“The Station thanks its loyal customers, employees and supporters who have made the past 17 years some of the best for the Magazzine family,” they wrote.

“We look forward to seeing some of you at the new Station Auto Wash Express, now under construction in Prince William County.” That operation will be run by Ryan Magazzine, who managed all operations at Leesburg Station for the past 17 years, along with his wife Beata and will introduce a new Station Auto Wash Express Carwash Model.

“We are proud of these accomplishments and are confident that Flagship will deliver our former customers a comparable value,” the family wrote.

As part of the transaction, all Leesburg Station Auto Wash prepaid and gift cards will be honored for one year following the sale at the Leesburg location. n

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JANUARY 27, 2022

PAGE 19

St. John Properties’ Holbrook Joins County EDAC LOUDOUN NOW STAFF REPORT

Matt Holbrook, regional partner for St. John Properties, Inc., has been appointed to the Loudoun County Economic Development Advisory Commission, a public/private partnership created by Holbrook the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

Holbrook will serve on the Commission’s Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Ad-hoc Committee.

“The Loudoun County Economic Development Advisory Commission plays a critical role in identifying and executing emerging opportunities that help attract new companies to the county, stimulating job creation and improving the economic condition for a diverse range of audiences and stakeholders,” Holbrook stated. “I am tremendously grateful to play a role in this important mission that positively impacts so many businesses and individuals that have a stake in the continued success of Loudoun County.”

“The strength of this group is its diverse composition of professionals from industries that are true difference-makers in Loudoun, and Matt’s high-level commercial real estate experience adds an important element to this mix,” stated Loudoun County Department of Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer. “His valuable perspectives and instincts will complement the talent of the commission as we tackle new challenges and enact new programming.”

Created in 1995, EDAC is responsible for promoting economic development in the county.

Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest privately held commercial real estate firms, which has developed more than 22 million square feet of commercial office, flex/R&D, warehouse and retail space throughout eight states.

St. John Properties has developed more than one million square feet of space in Loudoun County, such as include Ashburn Technology Park, Leesburg Tech Park, and Arcola Center. The company recently started construction on three new flex/R&D buildings comprising more than 135,000 square feet of space at Ashburn Crossing, an 80-acre business community in Ashburn. n

Post your job listings at NowHiringLoudoun.com Town of Leesburg Employment Opportunities Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online.

Resumes may be submitted as supplemental only. EOE/ADA. Regular Full-Time Positions Position

Department

Salary Range

Closing Date Open until filled

Accounting Associate II

Finance

$44,905-$76,882 DOQ

Buyer II/Contracts Administrator

Finance

$67,175-$115,044 DOQ

2/2/2022

Director of Planning & Zoning

Planning & Zoning

$150,000-$180-000 DOQ

2/14/2022

Enterprise GIS Manager

Information Technology

$76,426-$130,688 DOQ

Open until filled

Events Coordinator

Parks & Recreation

$52,446-$89,790 DOQ

Open until filled

IT Systems Administrator

Information Technology

$70,374-$120,339 DOQ

Open until filled

Planner - Zoning Administration

Planning & Zoning

$61,857 - $105,896 DOQ

Open until filled Open until filled

Police Officer

Police

$62,000-$89,590 DOQ

Senior Management & Budget Analyst

Finance

$72,952-$124,893 DOQ

Open until filled

Stormwater & Environmental Manager

Public Works & Capital Projects

$82,999-$141,929 DOQ

Open until filled

Utility Plant Operator: Trainee, I, II, or Senior

Utilities

$50,000-$97,512

Open until filled

Utility Plant Technician or Senior Utility Plant Technician

Utilities

$50,000-$89,790 DOQ

Open until filled

Utility System Trainee or Technician

Utilities

$50,000-$76,882 DOQ

Open until filled

Wastewater Plant Operator: Trainee, I, II or Senior

Utilities

$50,000-$97,512 DOQ

Open until filled

Flexible Part-Time Position Position

Department Administrative Associate

Hourly Rate Thomas Balch Library

Closing Date

$20.51-$33.42 DOQ

Open until filled

To review Ida Lee (Parks & Recreation) flexible part-time positions, please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs.

Most positions will be filled at or near the minimum of the range. Dependent on qualifications.

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PAGE 20

JANUARY 27, 2022

AROUND towns

Towns

LOVETTSVILLE Council Initiates 2 Annexations

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Town Manager Danny Davis joins the Town Council and members of the town’s advisory boards during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday afternoon to celebrate the beginning of construction of the new Middleburg Town Hall.

Fulfilling the Mission: Middleburg Celebrates Town Hall Project

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Middleburg leaders celebrated an important milestone Monday afternoon with the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new town hall.

The $11 million project will replace the current office, which was built a half century ago when the town government had only four staff members. Under the construction schedule, the town’s 17 staff members will move into the new building by year’s end.

Mayor Bridge Littleton said town leaders identified the need for more space more than 15 years and that the project helps fulfill the town’s community service mission.

“In 2020, we updated the town’s mission statement, it reads: It is the mission of the Middleburg Town Council to provide its citizens, businesses, and visitors with superior public services in a fiscally prudent and socially responsible manner while sustaining Middleburg’s historic

character, natural beauty, and small-town charm,” Littleton told the crowd gathered for the groundbreaking celebration. “This Town Hall is a direct fulfillment of that mission—a generational project that will allow us to better serve those values, effectively, safely, and prudently.”

He said work on the project began in 2006, when Sheila Johnson and her Salamander Resort and Spa dedicated land behind the current town office for the project. The new building will allow the town’s administrative offices and Police Department to be located under the same roof for the first time in 30 years, provide more meeting spaces, and include room to better host events like voting and community forums. And new outdoor spaces, including one to be created with the razing of the current office, will give a new home to many community events, including the town’s Independence Day activities, the Police Department’s National Night Out, concerts and a farmers market.

“This new facility will accommodate safe and convenient voting, public input

and engagement—one of the core purposes of government. Gone will be the days where a public hearing or voting lines went out the door, around the parking lot and down the street,” Littleton said. “Although, I will miss the free hot dogs folks would grill on the front steps to make the wait a little less of a hassle. But rest assured, while we may be indoors now, we will still welcome the hot dogs.”

Littleton said the town’s strong fiscal health allowed the Town Council to advance the project without raising taxes or dipping into the town’s rainy day fund.

A $500,000 contribution from the county government also supported the construction. County Chair Phyllis Randall (D-At Large) and supervisors Tony Buffington (R-Blue Ridge), Caleb Kershner (R-Catoctin), Sylvia Glass (D-Broad Run), and Mike Turner (D-Ashburn) joined members of the Town Council, the town’s advisory commissions, Johnson and representatives of the contractor, Cooper Building Services, for the groundbreaking. n

The Town Council is moving ahead with plans to add nearly 30 acres to town through two annexations.

Last week, the council voted unanimously, with Councilman David Earl absent, to direct the staff to prepare boundary line adjustments to incorporate the West End Motors and One Family Brewing properties on the east side of Berlin Turnpike south of town.

The annexation of the 1.7-acre West End Motors property would allow the business to hook up to town utilities, however a rezoning and several special exception permits would be required to bring the operation into compliance with town ordinances.

On the 27-acre One Family Brewing property, the owners are planning a 300-seat restaurant as the principal use.

The action is just beginning of the process. The boundary line adjustment applications will require public hearings and approval by both the Town Council and the Board of Supervisors before being sent to the Circuit Court for approval by a judge.

PURCELLVILLE Council Seeks Cut of Bag Tax A week after the Board of Supervisors voted to impose a countywide tax on plastic shopping bags, the Purcellville Town Council was getting in line for a share of the revenue.

The 5 cents per bag fee is scheduled to take effect July 1.

The council was expected to vote Tuesday night on whether to authorize Mayor Kwasi Fraser to send a letter asking that the county allocate a share of the bag-tax revenue to support environmental projects in Purcellville.

The draft letter acknowledges AROUND TOWNS continues on page 21

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 21

Lovettsville Council Presented with Tax Rate Options

Obituaries

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Lovettsville Town Manager Jason Cournoyer has proposed a $5.5 million Fiscal Year 2023 budget that represents a 32.1% increase over the current budget.

The proposed General Fund budget totals $1.76 million, a $403,904 increase, up 29.8% over FY22.

With the town experiencing soaring property values, a key challenge for the Town Council will be deciding where to set the real estate tax rate.

Cournoyer said new assessments on the town’s residential properties resulted in 16.7% increase in value, the highest he has seen in 15 years working in local government in Loudoun. The increase is largest for single family detached homes at an average of 19%. Overall, the value of a home in Lovettsville increased by $61,363 over last year, to $428,890.

With the Town Council’s goal to keep homeowners’ tax bills level, the equalized tax rate would drop to 15.2 cents per $100 of assessed value, down from 17.8 cents.

However, Cournoyer warned that a budget based on that tax rate also would require a transfer from the town reserves to keep pace with the town’s pay-as-yougo contributions to the capital projects budget.

He also presented an alternative 17.27cent rate that would cover the CIP costs.

For the average single family detached home, the equalized rate would result in a tax bill of $733, while the alternative rate would generate a $833 bill.

The town expects to see the strongest

AROUND towns continued from page 20

that the General Assembly has not authorized towns to impose the tax or to allow counties to distribute revenues to the towns. However, as home to many of the stores serving western Loudoun, the letter makes a case for a commitment to help underwrite town programs.

“Since this proposed County tax would fall on grocery stores, convenience stories and drugstores within the Town of Purcellville serving both the Town and Western Loudoun County we believe it is essential the appropriation of collected tax correspond to the immediate interests of

Helen P. Mossburg

Town of Lovettsville

Real estate taxes generate less than half the revenue needed for Lovettsville Town Manager Jason Cournoyer’s proposed $1.76 million FY2023 General Fund budget.

growth in its consumer tax collections— including the meal tax and sales and use taxes—which have rebounded during the past two years when the council budgeted conservatively to brace against the impacts of the pandemic.

Cournoyer said that better-than-expected revenue makes it possible for the town to consider a transfer from reserves, but warned that was not a sustainable approach. Without growth in town, the existing real estate tax base will not keep pace with higher operational cost without increasing tax bills, he said.

The town’s 980 residential units make up 97% of its 1,011 taxable parcels, put-

ting the burden largely on homeowners.

He is proposing 3% increases in water and sewer rates, a measure that isn’t expected to generate much more revenue than was budgeted in FY2022. That’s because water usage has been tracking lower than expected and the rate increases are anticipated to close that shortfall.

The Town Council plans four budget work sessions, on Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 24, and March 10. A public hearing is scheduled for March 10, and an adoption vote is planned March 24.

The proposed budget may be reviewed at lovettsvilleva.gov/government/ town-budget. n

the served community,” the letter states.

It proposes some of the revenue be used to support town environmental cleanups, education programs designed to reduce environmental waste in town, mitigate pollution and litter in Purcellville, and provide reusable bags to low-income residents in town.

complete by the end of Fiscal Year 2024.

However, those projects are expected to double the workload for the town’s Engineering Department for the next four to six years, according to an update presented by Town Manager David A. Mekarski.

Council members suggested an outside consultant be contracted to evaluate staffing levels across all departments, with an eye to determining the additional ARPA workload that will be placed on the Engineering Department.

Mekarski said he is working with former Interim Town Manager John Anzivino to develop a comprehensive scope of work to for the effort. A proposal is expected to be ready for council review at its Feb. 3 meeting. n

Council Eyes Staffing Study Following a Town Council discussion on the merits of creating a new position to ensure money received through the American Rescue Plan Act is used by mandated deadlines, the town may pursue a broader staffing study.

The town is expected to allocate $8 million of the funds to water system improvements, which then would have to be

Helen P. Mossburg of Hamilton passed away on January 16, 2022, just five days before her 96th Birthday on January 21st. Her death was not Covid related. She is survived by her beloved daughters Pam (Permelia Ann) Mossburg of Leesburg and Nancy Howard Mossburg and son-in-law Charles Miehm of Hamilton. She is also survived by a sister Gladys Beavers and seven nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her loving husband Howard Mossburg, who passed away seven weeks prior to their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. Helen is also predeceased by her parents Arthur William and Eva Arnett Pearson; a brother, Welby Pearson and sister, Virginia Hough. Helen was born on a farm near Hamilton and lived the majority of her life in the Hamilton area. She attended Hamilton Grade School, Lincoln High School and graduated from Lovettsville High School.

Helen loved living in the “country”, especially when it was snowing. She frequently went sledding with her husband and daughters on the hills close to their home. Fittingly, she died on a snowy night. Helen lived in her current home, built in 1847, for 74 years, upon returning from her honeymoon in 1947. The property had been owned by her great grandfather and later by her husband’s family. To this day, she loved sitting on her front porch. She was living fairly independently until the end. Helen became a member of the Hamilton Baptist Church in 1948 and served as a Sunday School teacher of 6-year children for over 30 years, as well as other positions in the church. She was member of the Harmony Circle of the Harmony United Methodist Church in Hamilton for over 60 years. She was a charter member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Hamilton Volunteer Fire Company and a member for 35 years. She was retired from a predecessor bank of Bank of America in Leesburg. Helen had a “heart of gold” and was always willing to help family members and friends. She was a good cook and especially enjoyed making cookies and giving them to family and friends. Cookies were given to others as a way to say “thank you” for their help or “I’m happy you are my friend” or “thinking of you” during times of illness or sadness. She even made cookies this past Christmas. Due to COVID, services will be private and burial at Lakeview Cemetery in Hamilton. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Harmony United Methodist Church Memorial Fund.

PAGE 22

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

Loco Living

THINGS to do

Loudoun Authors Explore Equity and Understanding in New Children’s Books

BY JAN MERCKER

jmercker@loudounnow.com

Live Music: Dave Goodrum

Friday, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts Details: vanishbeer.com Goodrum brings acoustic music at its most fun--covering a range of genres from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and today.

Live Music: Hilary Veltri

Conversations around equity can become politically charged—in Loudoun and around the country. But acceptance, understanding and agency are concepts that can benefit everyone. That idea is at the heart of two new books by Loudoun authors: Tara Page Hewan’s “Dear Maxwell, A Conversation About Race,” and “Make New Friends” by mother and daughter Beverly Samuel and Alyssa Samuel.

Both new books are child-focused explorations of race, culture and diversity designed to serve as a starting point for conversations for families of all backgrounds.

Friday, Jan. 28, 5 p.m.

Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg Details: spankyspub.com Veltri’s repertoire of covers and originals spans generations and genres from Bob Dylan to Beyonce.

Live Music: Julia Kasdorf Duo

Agency and Affirmation in “Dear Maxwell” In the spring of 2020, just as Hewan was registering her young son for kindergarten in Loudoun County Public Schools, the murder of George Floyd inspired a national reckoning on race. It was a tense time in Loudoun and nationwide.

It was also a time of worry for Hewan, who responded by putting her thoughts on the page.

“Like many families across the world, I was apprehensive about what it would look like sending kids to school during a pandemic,” Hewan said. “As a Black parent, I also had worries about how he would experience school in Loudoun. … I knew that, like many schools across the country, Loudoun was grappling with discipline disproportionality, access, and opportunity. Kids that look like my son were experiencing gaps in their learning outcomes.”

Hewan channeled her concerns into a letter to her son Maxwell, inspired in part by noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book “Between the World and Me,” written as an open letter to his son.

“I knew the possibility of him being wounded by these systems was high. So, I sat down and wrote him a letter,” she said.

What initially started as an effort to get her thoughts down to prepare herself for conversations with her son turned into

LOCO LIVE

Friday, Jan. 28, 5:30 p.m.

Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg Details: lostbarrel.com Kasdorf’s exceptional voice, top-notch guitar skills and catalog of standards, pop hits, folk and rock ‘n’ roll set her apart on the local music scene.

Hayley Milon Bour/Loudoun Now

Mother and daughter Beverly Samuel and Alyssa Samuel teamed up on their new children’s title, “Make New Friends”

a children’s book that explains concepts of race and inequality. Hewan connected with first-time professional illustrator Daniela Aguero, a Park View High School graduate and longtime Loudouner.

The experience of collaborating virtually on the book was moving in itself, the author said.

“We would cry, hope and dream together, and that was a beautiful part of the book, too,” Hewan said.

Tears were also flowing when she shared the book with Maxwell and her older daughter, Imari, to whom the book is dedicated. The book, which opens with the line, “You are made wonderfully,” is a “love letter to Black and brown children,” Hewan says. But it’s not just for children and families of color.

“I wanted a book that affirms my son’s identity through the illustrations and through the language, a book that tells an honest truth but also builds his agency, so he has the spirit of liberation and not the spirit of inferiority,” she said. “I wrote it

for my son, but it’s definitely a children’s book for all kids of all races and their families to start and also to sustain this conversation about racism.”

Hewan grew up in neighboring Clarke County and remembers being the only Black student in her classes in middle and high school.

“I know that impacted my identity in ways that I wasn’t aware of and didn’t have the vocabulary to describe,” she said. “I didn’t see myself in what I wanted to be.”

Hewan chose a historically Black university, Hampton University in Hampton, for college and then launched her decades-long career as a teacher, first in Fairfax and then in Loudoun, working as a special education teacher and reading specialist. Hewan now runs a consulting firm focused on educational equity.

Hewan said she’s caught the writing bug and hopes her next project will be a LOCAL AUTHORS continues on page 24

Live Music: Tim Cintron

Friday, Jan. 28, 6 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville Details: flyingacefarm.com Winchester-based Tim Cintron plays a mix of genres for a fun Friday evening.

Live Music: Chris Mangione and Madeline Miller

Friday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.

Tarbender’s Lounge, 10 S. King St., Leesburg Details: tarbenderslounge.com It’s a jazzy evening at Leesburg’s downtown speakeasy with tunes from Chris Mangione and Madeline Miller.

Live Music: Hudson River Line Billy Joel Tribute

Friday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg Details: tallyhotheater.com Celebrate the best of one of the world’s greatest songwriters with this classic Billy Joel tribute. Tickets are $15.

Live Music: Chris Timbers Band

Friday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m.

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville Details: monksq.com It’s a groovy Friday night with alternative soul tunes from a local favorite.

THINGS TO DO continues on page 23

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

PAGE 23

BEST BETS

THINGS to do continued from page 22

Crooked Run Comedy Showcase

Friday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m.

Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive #120, Sterling Details: crookedrunbrewing.com Crooked Run’s comedy showcase is back with a long list of regional talent including Omar Sherief, Andrew Kolas, Jack Trimber and other favorites. Admission is free, but tips for the funny people are welcome.

Live Music: Freddie Long

Saturday, Jan. 29, 1 p.m.

Flying Ace Distillery and Brewery, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville Details: flyingacefarm.com Long is part introspective singer/songwriter, part bluesy classic rocker for a perfect brewery afternoon vibe.

BLUE WANTING RED Friday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. (doors) Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com

FEEHAN BROTHERS Saturday, Jan. 29, 1-4 p.m.

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery vanishbeer.com

MELISSA QUINN FOX TRIO Sunday, Jan. 30, 2-5 p.m.

Breaux Vineyards

breauxvineyards.com

Live Music: Joe Downer

Saturday, Jan. 29, 1 p.m.

50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg Details: facebook.com/50westvineyards Downer brings a skilled energy to the alternative and neo-folk music scene, taking inspiration from Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty, Muddy Waters and other greats.

Live Music: Feehan Brothers

Saturday, Jan. 29, 1 p.m.

Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts Details: vanishbeer.com Brothers Connor and Brendan Feehan are up-andcoming Nashville artists whose sound combines old-school country with their own distinct flair.

80s Dance Party with Berlin Calling

Saturday, Jan. 29, 7-10 p.m.

Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive #120, Sterling Details: crookedrunbrewing.com Crooked Run celebrates its fifth anniversary with 80s favorites from Berlin Calling.

EnRage Against the Machine Tribute

Saturday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg Details: tallyhotheater.com This Charlotte, NC-based RATM tribute brings the emotion and energy of the revolutionary 90s rockers.

Tickets are $15.

Live Music: Mercy Creek

Saturday, Jan. 29, 8 p.m.

Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville Details: monksq.com Mercy Creek returns to Monk’s with their signature earthy, edgy, aggressive folk-rock.

Live Music: Alex Barnett

Sunday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m.

50 West Vineyards, 39060 John Mosby Highway, Middleburg Details: facebook.com/50westvineyards Barnett makes classical guitar cool. Add in great wine for a perfect lazy Sunday.

Live Music: Eric Campbell Live Music: Pete Lapp

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.

Doukénie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro Details: doukeniewinery.com Lapp returns to Doukénie with his acoustic interpretations of classic and alternative rock songs from Bon Jovi to Mumford and Sons. Event is for patrons 21 and older.

Live Music: Rowdy Ace Duo

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.

Lost Rhino Brewing Company 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn Details: lostrhino.com Kick back with a fun mix of country and rock tunes from Rowdy Ace Duo.

Live Music: Dan McGuire

Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m.

8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford Details: 8chainsnorth.com Enjoy acoustic tunes spanning decades and genres from Frederick, MD-based Dan McGuire.

Sunday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m.

Maggie Malick Wine Caves, 12138 Harpers Ferry Road, Neersville Details: maggiemalickwinecaves.com Campbell serves up a variety of rock, folk and alt tunes for a fun Sunday afternoon.

Live Music: Melissa Quinn Fox Trio

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2 p.m.

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro Details: breauxvineyards.com Fox is taking the LoCo music scene by storm, blending the spirit of rock and Americana with the candor of country music for a sound all her own.

Live Music: Jessica Paulin

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2 p.m.

8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford Details: 8chainsnorth.com Enjoy covers from the 60s through today as Paulin covers favorites from Joplin to Gaga.

LOCO CULTURE Book Signing: Ann Marie Stewart

Saturday, Jan. 29, noon-2 p.m.

Birch Tree Books, 26 N King St., Leesburg Details: annmariestewart.com Loudoun author Ann Marie Stewart signs copies of her new book “Out of the Water,” a story of adoption and family secrets across generations.

Farmer Talk: Joel Salatin

Saturday, Jan. 29, 5-8 p.m.

Bluemont Vineyard, 18755 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont Details: peckofdirt.org

Bluemont’s Peck of Dirt speaker series features noted Shenandoah Valley farmer Joel Salatin who was featured in Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” and the documentary “Food Inc.” Tickets are $40 or $99 with a seated dinner.

Cabin Fever Film Fest

Saturday, Jan. 29, 7-9 p.m.

Franklin Park Arts Center, 36441 Blueridge View Lane, Purcellville Details: franklinparkartscenter.org Now in its fifth year, the festival celebrates films created by Loudouners, including feature length films, documentaries, short films, live-action, stopmotion, animation and music videos. Tickets are $5.

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 24

Local authors continued from page 22 mother and daughter collaboration with Imari, 21, sharing the story of Hewan’s grandmother and family matriarch who recently died.

“I want to be able to lift up a piece of her life and tell a story in a way that connects with children,” Hewan said.

For more information on “Dear Maxwell’’ and Hewan, go to liberationandjustice.com. The book can be ordered from the author’s page or at amazon.com.

Embracing Differences in ‘Make New Friends’ Loudoun-based mother and daughter authors Beverly Samuel and Alyssa Samuel have combined Beverly’s professional experience in the diversity, equity and inclusion field and Alyssa’s talent for writing in their new children’s book “Make New Friends.”

“I wanted to shed light on diversity, equity and inclusion and how—when people coexist in environments togeth-

er—they can learn to appreciate each other, embrace their differences, learn that they share core values and sometimes form friendships that can be lifelong,” Beverly said.

The new book follows main character Ava as she engages with a diverse group of classmates at a new school. It starts with a reference to the Golden Rule and follows Ava as she interacts with her new friends, including children of color, students from different cultures and religious beliefs and a classmate with a disability. Ava learns about and celebrates differences and also finds plenty of common ground, from favorite foods to fashion sense.

“Everyone is different. Don’t be shy and have no fear. Make new friends this school year,” is the book’s refrain crafted

by Alyssa, whose experiences as an LCPS student helped inspire the book.

“I had a really diverse friend group growing up,” said Alyssa, whose experiences at Loudoun County High School included attending quinceañeras and learning about vegetarianism from an Indian-American friend.

The book also draws on Beverly’s ex-

periences as a church volunteer and longtime senior extension agent at Loudoun’s Cooperative Extension, where she worked for 25 years before joining the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After serving on a federal DEI task force, Beverly retired in 2019, and the book has been percolating over the past two years.

Beverly’s experiences as a parent also made it into the book. She remembers when Alyssa’s older sister was the only African American student in her class at an eastern Loudoun elementary school in the ’90s. Classmates asked Beverly if she could replicate her daughter’s cute “afro puff” hairstyle, creating a chance for a mom of color to explain differences in hair texture.

“It was a teachable moment and fun to look back on,” Beverly said.

That teachable moment created a sweet touch in the book as blonde Ava falls in love with her friend Imani’s hairstyle.

Alyssa, now 30, is a University of Virginia graduate who works in government consulting, but she has always been a writer at heart. While the book was originally her mother’s brainchild, Alys-

JANUARY 27, 2022 sa brought her poetry skills to the table, creating memorable rhyme and repetition.

The book was a bonding experience for the mother and daughter team, and they’re already planning a follow-up or a series of books focusing on each of Ava’s friends.

For Beverly, who has years of DEI work with adults under her belt, children’s books were the perfect next step.

“There is such an innocence with children. They are not born prejudiced. They tend to embrace all people. … It tends to be in later years that things are learned that will separate people,” she said. “I believe that children are a key to our future to help with racial healing and people wanting to get to know each other.”

“Make New Friends” is available via amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and iuniverse.com. For more information, follow Beverly and Alyssa Samuel on Instagram at instagram.com/makenewfriendsbook or search “Make New Friends” on Facebook. n

Legal Notices TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF A NEW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Pursuant to Sections 15.2-2204, 15.2-2205, and 15.2-2223 et seq. of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on TUESDAY, February 8, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 regarding adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan, or “Town Plan”. The Town Plan will also incorporate other documents under separate cover including the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan and Crescent District Master Plan which were previously adopted, and a Streetscape Plan, and Transportation Improvement Plan which will guide potential streetscape and transportation improvements in the Town.

Review of the Town Plan began in January of 2021, and an initial public hearing was held by the Planning Commission on April 1, 2021, which was followed by eight months of review and refinement by the Planning Commission. A November 23, 2021 Draft of Legacy Leesburg that included changes proposed by the Planning Commission based on input from the public, Town Boards and Commissions, and staff, was certified by the Planning Commission and forwarded to the Town Council subsequent to a second public hearing of the Planning Commission held on December 2, 2021.

Figure 1 – Area Based Land Use Initiatives Chapter 4 provides a series of place based recommendations. The Town Plan will identify “Development Opportunity Areas” and provide a series of recommendations for implementing growth and change in particular areas of the Town. The recommendations also include a series of zconcept sketches that illustrate the spirit of how recommendations can be implemented to achieve the Town’s vision for the future. Chapter 5 of the Town Plan will provide an approach for implementing the vision, goals, and strategies described in preceding chapters.

Additional information about the proposed Town Plan and copies of the document are available for review through the project website at https://legacy.leesburgva.gov or at the Department of Planning and Zoning located on the 2nd floor of the Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176 during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling Richard Klusek, Senior Planner, at 703-771-2758 or by emailing rklusek@leesburgva.gov. This comprehensive update to the Town Plan is identified as case number TLTA-2021-0001, “New Town Plan”.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning this matter will be heard.

Persons requiring special accommodations at the Town Council meeting should contact the Clerk of the Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

The new Town Plan, referred to as “Legacy Leesburg”, is intended to guide and shape the Town’s future for the next 20 years and beyond. It is based on a series of five guiding principles that will help manage growth and change within the Town Limits and the Joint Land Management Area (JLMA), which is jointly planned by both Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg.

A summary of the public outreach effort and topics that emerged is included in Chapter 1 of the Plan document. The Plan document places particular emphasis on defining the character of Leesburg and growing over time in a manner that preserves and protects that character. Chapter 2 of the Plan document reviews background information including demographic and real estate trends that form the basis for many policy recommendations.

Chapter 3 provides the framework for achieving growth and change in the future. It includes a map and description of Four Land Use Initiatives to guide growth and change (Figure 1), a map and description of Character Areas for Preservation & Change (available in the Town Plan document), and a framework of goals and strategies organized around guiding principles that serve as the foundation for decision making moving forward. This framework represents in shift in the way of planning for the future of Leesburg. The current Town Plan was adopted in 2012 and is generally more prescriptive with respect to prescribing specific land uses and intensities while the proposed Legacy Leesburg Town Plan focuses on character defining elements and character designations.

01/27/22 & 02/03/22

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

PAGE 25

Legal Notices LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS/BIDS FOR:

COUNTY OF LOUDOUN SUPPLEMENTAL REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX DEADLINE H. Roger Zurn, Jr., Treasurer

SEALED

ELECTRONIC MONITORING, RFP No. 475785 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, February 22, 2022.

RENTAL OF PORTABLE TOILETS, IFB No. 481784 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, February 10, 2022.

Solicitation forms may be obtained 24 hours a day by visiting our web site at www.loudoun.gov/procurement. If you do not have access to the Internet, call (703) 777-0403, M - F, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHEN CALLING, PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCUREMENT. 1/27/22

February 7, 2022 The deadline for payment of the Supplemental Real Estate and Personal Property taxes are on February 7, 2022.

Please Note: Payments received or postmarked after February 7, 2022, will incur a 10 percent late payment penalty. Additional interest at the rate of 10 percent per annum will be assessed. In addition to the late payment penalty for Personal Property Taxes, if the taxes remain unpaid for 60 days after the original payment due date, the taxpayer shall incur an additional 15% penalty of the total amount due.

The due date will not be extended for bills where assessment questions have been filed with the Board of Equalization. Taxpayers who are having financial difficulties should contact our Collections Team at 703-771-5656 who stand ready to assist.

For Your Safety and Convenience, please consider making payments online, by phone or mail.

CONVENIENT PAYMENT OPTIONS AND LOCATIONS

TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Online:

SETTING TAX RATES ON PERSONAL PROPERTY (SECTION 20-22), VEHICLE LICENSE FEE (SECTION 32-84), MOTOR VEHICLE TAX REDUCTION (SECTION 20-25), AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX RELIEF (SECTION 20-30) FOR TAX YEAR 2022, AND AMENDING LEESBURG TOWN CODE SECTION 20-25 AND APPENDIX B – FEE SCHEDULE In accordance with the Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, §§ 15.2-1427, 46.2-752, 58.1-3000, 58.1-3007, 58.1-3503, 58.1-3506, 58.1-3506.1, 58.1-3515 and 58.1-3524, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on: Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA.

www.loudounportal.com/taxes Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover

Pay your taxes through your mobile device: Link2Loudoun app is available for free from the iPhone App Store and the Google Play Store. The app allows access to www.loudounportal.com/taxes to pay your taxes.

By Telephone:

24-hour line 1-800-269-5971 703-777-0280 during regular business hours.

Pay using electronic check, VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover

Please note: There is a convenience fee added to a Credit Card transaction.

There is no fee for electronic checks (e-check).

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 tax rates for personal property (per $100.00 of assessed value) for tax year 2022 to remain unchanged, as follows: ○ Aircraft = $0.001 ○ Motor vehicles = $1.00 ○ Motor vehicles of eligible elderly and disabled (Town Code Sec. 20-25) = $0.50 ○ Tangible personal property (excluding public service corporations) = $1.00 ○ Bank capital = $.80 per $100.00 of the net capital of banks located in the Town.

• The Town Manager proposes unchanged personal property tax relief for tax year 2022 under the provisions of the Virginia Personal Property Tax Relief Act and Leesburg Town Code sec. 20-30, as follows: a reduced personal property tax rate of 50%, which shall be applied solely to that portion of the value of each qualifying vehicle that is not in excess of $20,000.

• The Town Manager proposes that the vehicle license fee for tax year 2022 remain unchanged at $25.00 per vehicle.

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 Clark G. Case, Director of Finance and Administrative Services at 703-771-2720.

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.

By Mail:

County of Loudoun P.O. Box 1000 Leesburg, Virginia 20177-1000 TREASURER’S OFFICE LOCATIONS Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

1 Harrison Street, S.E. 1st Floor Leesburg, Virginia 20175

21641 Ridgetop Circle Suite 104 Sterling, Virginia 20166

*A 24 hour drop box is located outside the Sterling and Leesburg locations.

Please contact the Loudoun County Treasurer’s Office at 703-777-0280 or email us at taxes@loudoun.gov with questions or if you have not received your bill.

Stay up to date on tax information by subscribing to the Tax Notices category of Alert Loudoun at www.louduon.gov/alert. You can also text the word “TAXES” to 888777 to receive text messages about tax-related information, including upcoming deadlines. Additional message and data rates may apply.

For information regarding Real Property Tax Relief for the Elderly or Disabled Persons, please contact the Tax Relief Division of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at trcor@loudoun.gov, by phone at 703-737-8557 or visit www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief.

For information regarding Personal Property Tax Relief for the Elderly or for Disabled Persons, please contact the Tax Relief Division of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at trcor@loudoun.gov by phone 703-737-8557 or visit www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief.

1/27/22; 2/3/22

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1/27 & 2/3/22

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JANUARY 27, 2022

Legal Notices PUBLIC HEARING The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, February 9, 2022 in order to consider: CONVEYANCE OF LOUDOUN COUNTY PROPERTY

ZRTD-2021-0005 LOUDOUN COMMERCE CENTER

Conveyance of County Real Property

Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-1800 et seq., the Board of Supervisors shall consider a proposed conveyance to a non-profit organization designated by Capretti Land Inc. of up to six contiguous acres of land located within the property known as the Old Arcola School. The purpose of the proposed conveyance is for the development of multi-family affordable rental units, recreational facilities, recycling facilities and parking spaces, under the terms and conditions of the associated purchase and sales agreement between the County of Loudoun and Capretti Land Inc. The Old Arcola School is located on the east side of Stone Springs Boulevard (Route 659), north of John Mosby Highway (Route 50) and south of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 621), at 24244 Stone Springs Boulevard, Arcola, Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Election District. The Old Arcola School consists of approximately 11.13 acres and is more particularly described as PINs: 203-20-8192, 162-25-3177, 203-20-7070 and 203-20-9349.

A copy of the purchase and sales agreement depicting the approximate location of the six acres of land is on file and available for public inspection at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-777-0200. Documents may also be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).

ZRTD-2021-0003, SPEX-2021-0021, & ZMOD-2021-0084 PROLOGIS NOVA 1 (Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District, Special Exception & Zoning Ordinance Modification)

DCT Dulles Phase I LLC., of Denver, Colorado, has submitted applications for the following: 1) to rezone approximately 19.51 acres from the PD-GI (Planned Development – General Industrial) zoning district under the 1972 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the PD-GI zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in order to permit the development of all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-GI zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.40 (up to 0.60 by Special Exception); and 2) an application for a Special Exception to permit an increase in the maximum FAR from 0.40 to 0.60. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, and the proposed increase in maximum FAR is permitted by Special Exception under Section 4-606. The applicant also requests the following Zoning Ordinance modification: ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION

PROPOSED MODIFICATION

§4-605(B)(2), Lot Requirements, Yards, Adjacent Reduce the building setback from 100 feet to 35 to Agricultural and Residential Districts and Land feet and the Parking Setback from 50 feet to 25 feet Bays Allowing Residential Uses along the edge of the subject property that borders PIN: 067-37-9924 (Dulles Airport).

The subject property is located partially within the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, between the Ldn 60-65, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contours, within the Route 28 Taxing District and within the Route 28 Corridor Industrial Optional Overlay District. The subject property is approximately 19.51 acres in size and is located north of Old Ox Road (Route 606) and west of sully Road (Route 28) at 22675 Dulles Summit Court, Sterling, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District.

The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 045-25-2512. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Industrial/Mineral Extraction Place Type)), which designate this area for the development of large Manufacturing, Contractor with outdoor storage, and other productive uses at up to a 0.6 FAR with building heights up to four stories.

ZRTD-2021-0004 HORSESHOE DRIVE

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District) SIP/CREF Horseshoe Drive, LLC, of Bethesda, Maryland, has submitted an application to rezone 11.05 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance as may be amended from time to time, in order to permit the development of all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District and the Route 28 CB (Corridor Business) Overlay District. The subject property is approximately 11.05 acres in size and located north of Nokes Boulevard (Route 637) and south of Horseshoe Drive (Route 1791) at 45925 and 45935 Horseshoe Drive, Sterling, Virginia, in the Broad Run Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 030-30-0991. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Mixed Use)), which designate this area for Residential, Commercial, Entertainment, Cultural, and Recreational uses at densities at a recommended FAR of up to 1.0.

(Zoning Conversion in the Route 28 Taxing District) Clarke-Hook Corporation, of Chantilly, Virginia, has submitted an application to rezone three parcels totaling 14.31 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development-Industrial Park) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in effect on January 7, 2003, to the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance as may be amended from time to time, in order to permit the development of all principal and accessory uses permitted in the PD-IP zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance at a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.6 (up to 1.0 by Special Exception). The subject property is located within the Route 28 Taxing District and the Route 28 CB (Corridor Business) Overlay District. The subject property is approximately 14.31 acres in size and located at the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Nokes Boulevard (Route 1793) and Cascades Parkway (Route 637), north of Maries Road (Route 638) in the Sterling Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as follows: PIN

PROPERTY ADDRESS

030-20-3058

45965 Nokes Boulevard, Sterling, Virginia

030-20-7833

45969 Nokes Boulevard, Sterling, Virginia

030-20-8833

45975 Nokes Boulevard, Sterling, Virginia

The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Employment)), which support a broad array of Employment uses at a recommended FAR of up to 1.0.

CMPT-2021-0006 & SPEX-2021-0026 CWS BOLINGTON ROAD MONOPOLE (Commission Permit & Special Exception)

CWS X, LLC, of Arlington, Virginia, has submitted applications for the following: 1) Commission approval to permit a 160 foot tall Telecommunications Monopole with a four foot tall lighting rod inside a 50 by 100 square-foot (SF) fenced compound in the AR-1 (Agricultural Rural) zoning district; and 2) a Special Exception to permit a 160 foot tall Telecommunications Monopole with a four foot tall lighting rod inside a 50 by 100 SF fenced compound in the AR-1 zoning district. These applications are subject to the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The proposed use requires both a Commission Permit in accordance with Section 6-1101, and a Special Exception permit under Table 2-102 of Section 2-102 pursuant to Section 5-618(B)(2). The subject property is approximately 17.21 acres in size and is located east of Berlin Turnpike (Route 287) and west of Bolington Road (Route 691); at 13620 Berlin Turnpike, Lovettsville, Virginia; in the Catoctin Election District. The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 373-47-1269. The area is governed by the policies of the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Rural Policy Area (Rural North)), which designate this area for Agricultural, Agricultural Supportive, and limited Residential uses at a recommended density of up to one dwelling unit per 20 acres or one dwelling unit per five acres equivalent for optional Residential clustering in large-lot subdivisions.

ZMAP-2021-0015, ZMOD-2021-0008, & ZMOD-2021-0049 LEXINGTON 7, LAND BAY A (Zoning Map Amendment, Zoning Ordinance Modifications)

Van Metre Communities, L.L.C., of Fairfax, Virginia has submitted an application to rezone approximately 4.28 acres from the R-8 (Single-Family Residential) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the R-8 zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in order to develop up to 23 age-restricted single-family residential units at a proposed density of 5.37 units per acre, inclusive of modifications to the district standards (see below). The subject property is located within the R-8 (Single Family Residential) zoning district and the AI (Airport Impact) Overlay District, outside of but within one (1) mile of the Ldn 60 aircraft noise contours. The application is subject to the Revised 1993 Loudoun Zoning Ordinance. The applicant also requests the following Zoning Ordinance modification(s):

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PAGE 27

Legal Notices ZONING ORDINANCE SECTION

PROPOSED MODIFICATION

§1-205(J), Interpretation of Ordinance, Limitations and Methods for Measurements of Lots, Yards and Related Terms, Road Corridor Buffer and Setback and Other Setback Measurement from Streets.

Permit building and parking setbacks to be measured from the existing right-of-way limits for Riverside Parkway, rather than the future 120-foot right-of-way (ROW) that would be accommodated by the reservation area.

And §5-1403(A), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening, and Landscape Plans, Road Corridor Buffers and Setbacks, Road Corridor Buffers and Setbacks, General Provisions And §5-1403(B), Landscaping, Buffer Yards, Screening, and Landscape Plans, Road Corridor Buffers and Setbacks, Road Corridor Buffers and Setbacks Matrix, Table 5-1403(B). §1-205(A), Interpretation of Ordinance, Limitations and Methods for Measurements of Lots, Yards, and Related Terms, Lot Access Requirements.

Permit single-family dwelling units to be served by private streets.

And §3-511; R-8 Single Family Residential, Development Setback and Access from Major Roads. §3-506(A) and (B), R-8 Single Family Residential, Lot Requirements, Size, Width.

Reduce the minimum lot size from 6,000 SF to 4,017 SF and the minimum lot width from 50 ft. to 39 ft. for single-family detached dwellings.

§3-506(C)(1), R-8 Single Family Residential, Lot Requirements, Yards, Single Family Detached Dwellings and Manufactured Housing.

Reduce the minimum front yard from 25 ft. to 18 ft., the minimum side yard from 16 ft. to 8 ft. if only one side yard is provided, reduce the minimum distance between buildings from 16 ft. to 8 feet, and reduce the minimum rear yard from 25 ft. to 10 ft for single-family detached dwellings.

§3-506(C)(2), R-8 Single Family Residential, Lot Requirements, Yards, Single Family Attached Dwellings.

§3-508(A), R-8 Single Family Residential, Building Requirements, Lot Coverage.

Reduce the minimum front yard from 45 ft. to 37.5 ft. measured from the centerline of travelway which does not include parking and reduce the minimum rear yard from 25 ft. to 18 ft. for single-family attached dwellings.

(More detailed descriptions of each modification are available upon request.)

The subject property is approximately 4.28 acres in size and is located north of Route 7 on the north side of Riverside Parkway (Route 2401) and west of Smith Circle (Route 823) in the Algonkian Election District.

The subject property is more particularly described as PIN: 056-18-0246. The area is governed by the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan (Suburban Policy Area (Suburban Neighborhood Place Type)) which designates this area for predominately residential uses arranged on medium-to-large lots at a density of up to four (4) dwelling units per acre or up to six (6) dwelling units per acre of infill development.

Unless otherwise noted in the above notices, copies of the above-referenced amendments, applications, ordinances, and/or plans and related documents may be examined by request at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-7770246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies, or electronically at www.loudoun.gov/lola. This link also provides an additional opportunity for public input on active applications. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”). In addition, for detailed instructions on how to access documents using LOLA, to request that documents be emailed to you, to receive physical copies of documents, or to arrange a time to view the file at the Loudoun County Government Center, please email DPZ@loudoun.gov or call 703-777-0246 (option 5).

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic this public hearing may be conducted as an electronic meeting. Members of the public are encouraged to view the public hearing electronically; however, the Board Room will be open for any members of the public who wish to attend in person with appropriate physical distancing.

Board of Supervisors public hearings are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23 and Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/meetings. All members of the public who desire to speak will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters. Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing. Instructions for remote participation will be forwarded to all individuals who sign-up in advance and who would like to provide their comments remotely. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on January 28, 2022, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on February 9, 2022. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. Citizens may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. At least one business day of advance notice is requested; some accommodations may require more than one day of notice.

FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF:

Increase the maximum lot coverage from 50 percent to 60 percent.

PUBLIC HEARING The LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS will hold a public hearing in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room, County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, at 6:00 p.m. on WEDNESDAY, March 9, 2022, to consider: NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ADOPT THE PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY (PHA) ANNUAL PLAN FOR LOUDOUN COUNTY HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER PROGRAM Pursuant to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations at 24 CFR Part 903, the Board of Supervisors hereby gives notice that it intends to conduct a public hearing for the purpose of considering and adopting the Public Housing Agency (PHA) Annual Plan (FY23) for Loudoun County Housing Choice Voucher Program. The PHA Annual Plan provides information on current programs and the resident population served.

A copy of the full text of the above-referenced plan is available and may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun. gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”).

PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 1/20 & 1/27/22

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic this public hearing may be conducted as an electronic meeting. Members of the public are encouraged to view the public hearing electronically; however, the Board Room will be open for any members of the public who wish to attend in person with appropriate physical distancing. Board of Supervisors public hearings are available for live viewing on television on Comcast Government Channel 23, Verizon FiOS Channel 40, and are livestreamed at loudoun.gov/webcast.

All members of the public who desire to speak will be heard as to their views pertinent to these matters.

Citizens are encouraged to call in advance to sign up to speak at the public hearing. Instructions for remote participation will be forwarded to all individuals who sign-up in advance and who would like to provide their comments remotely. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on February 25, 2022, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on March 9, 2022. If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. Citizens will also have the option to sign-up during the public hearing. Citizens may also submit written comments by email sent to bos@ loudoun.gov. Any written comments received prior to the public hearing will be distributed to Board members and made part of the minutes for the public hearing.

Hearing assistance is available for meetings in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room. If you require any type of reasonable accommodation as a result of a physical, sensory or mental disability to participate in this meeting, please contact the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200. Three days’ notice is requested. FM Assistive Listening System is available at the meetings.

BY ORDER OF:

PHYLLIS RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

1/20 & 1/27/22

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JANUARY 27, 2022

Legal Notices ORDER OF PUBLICATION

County of Loudoun, Virginia Availability of COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) 2022-2023 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AND SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

CL21-2168, Loudoun County Circuit Court 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176

Case No.:

In re Name Change Cyrus Lee Zug The object of this suit is to petition fo rname change of minor.

The Loudoun County Office of Housing has prepared the CDBG Program FY 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by May 15, 2022.

It is ORDERED that Christopher Zug appear at the above-named Court and protect their interests on or before March 4, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.

HUD has designated Loudoun County as qualified for Urban County participation in the CDBG program and entitled to receive CDBG funding directly from HUD. HUD regulations require the adoption of the above referenced Plan, which outlines the County’s housing and community development needs, priorities and objectives, and proposed use of the federal funds for the ensuing CDBG program year.

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, & 2/3/2022

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 1-211.1; 8.01-316, -317, 20-104

CL21-2167, Loudoun County Circuit Court 18 East Market St., Leesburg, VA 20176

Case No.:

In re Name Change Victoria Noelle Zug The object of this suit is to petition fo rname change of minor.

It is ORDERED that Christopher Zug appear at the above-named Court and protect their interests on or before March 4, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, & 2/3/2022

Trust Local Expertise.

Shop Loco.

Components of the Annual Action Plan include, without limitation, descriptions of: • • • • •

Federal and other resources expected to be available; Leveraging of resources and how match obligations will be met; The activities to be undertaken; The geographic distribution of investment; and Planned homeless and other special needs activities.

In accordance with HUD requirements, 24 CFR §91.105 Citizen Participation Plan, a Substantial Amendment is required when there is a change in the purpose, scope, location, or beneficiaries of an activity with regard to a previous FY approved Annual Action Plan. The following projects and activities will be reprogrammed from the specific years’ programs and activities into to PY19 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan for the activity Habitat for Humanity in the amount of $ 323,926.22 and Public Services Activity Northern Virginia Dental Clinic in the amount of $16,080.84.

Reimbursements to the subrecipients of the activities indicated below have been made and the file is complete. Activities with unexpended funds are attributed to the completion or cancellation of the activity within the program year. Unexpended funds from completed or cancelled activities are then reprogramed into a new activity to be expended.

Program Program Year

Fiscal Year

IDIS Activity Number

12

2015

134

ARC of Loudoun Co.

$485,544.24

$334.29

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

15

2018

170

Town of Leesburg

$46,872.00

$9,721.00

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

16

2019

181

Good Shepherd Alliance

$30,000.00

$2,783.72

Activity completed Reprogram; unexpended funds

16

2019

180

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing

$200,000

$200,000

Activity cancelled reprogram funds

16

2019

187

Town of Leesburg

$74,596.91

$74,596.91

Activity cancelled Reprogram funds

16

2019

186

Latino Economic Dev. Corp.

$20,071.73

$1,288.14

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

17

2020

199

INMED/Healthy Families

$77,924.00

$4,465.31

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

17

2020

201

Good Shepherd Alliance

$47,404.37

$7,543.67

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

17

2020

206

INMED/Opp. Center

$211,770.00

$13,571.02

Activity completed Reprogram unexpended funds

17

2020

205

Cornerstones

$200,000.00

$25,703.00

Activity completed reprogram unexpended funds

Subrecipient

Original Award

Unexpended Funds to be Reprogrammed

Detail

Copies of the proposed Plan are available and may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday or call (703) 777-0200. The Plan is also available online at www.loudoun.gov/cdbg. Written comments on the Plan may be submitted to the attention of the CDBG Program Manager Eileen Barnhard at the Loudoun County Office of Housing, 106 Catoctin Circle, S.E., First Floor, Leesburg, Virginia 20177 through March 9, 2022.

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Legal Notices TOWN OF LEESBURG NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 2023-2028 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM

HILLSBORO TOWN HALL • 37098 HISTORIC CHARLES TOWN PIKE • HILLSBORO, VIRGINIA

Pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-2239, the Leesburg Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 3, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, to solicit public comment on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-2028 Capital Improvements Program (CIP).

The following table reflects potential Fiscal Year 2023 requested funding totaling $52,852,100. The final requested funding amount will be included in the Town Manager’s Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed Budget scheduled to be presented to Town Council during their regular meeting the evening of February 8, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. CATEGORY ADMINISTRATION

FY 2023 AMOUNT $1,637,100

GENERAL GOVERNMENT

$11,500,000

PARKS & RECREATION

$1,463,000

STREETS AND HIGHWAYS

$9,737,800

STORM DRAINAGE

AIRPORT

UTILITIES

$3,206,000

$191,000

$25,117,200

MAJOR PROJECTS § Management costs associated with administering the Capital Improvements Program § Capital Asset Replacement Program § Police Station Expansion § Town Hall Parking Garage Structural Repairs § Town Shop Expansion and Refurbishment § Town Hall Campus Improvements Phase I § Tuscarora Creek Trail Phase I § Battlefield Parkway/ Route 15 Bypass Interchange § Catoctin Circle Trail – Phase II § East Market Street & Battlefield Parkway Interchange § Edwards Ferry Road NE Sidewalk Improvements § Evergreen Mill Road Widening § Market St. / King Street Intersection and Alley Between 3 and 5 South King Street Improvements § Morven Park Road Sidwalk § Plaza Street Sidewalk § Royal Street Improvements – Church Street to Wirt Street § Rt. 15 Bypass / Edwards Ferry Rd. Interchange § Traffic Signal Fiber Connections § Lawson Road Pedestrian Crossing of Tuscarora Creek § Town Branch Stream Channel Improvements at Mosby Drive – Catoctin Circle to Morven Park Road § Airport North Apron Paving – Hangars C & D Rehabilitation § Airport Apron Paving § Airport North Hangars § Automated Water Meter Reading and Meter Technology System Upgrade § Sanitary Sewer Pump Station Upgrades § Town-wide Waterline Improvements and Repairs § Utility System Storage Facility § Water Pollution Control Facility Debris Screen System § Water Pollution Control Facility Dryer Drum Replacement § Water Supply and Wastewater SCADA Systems Replacement § Water Treatment Plan Electrical Upgrades § Water Treatment Plant Sludge Disposal Improvements

Copies of the proposed CIP Summary with a complete list of projects are available in the Department of Finance & Administrative Services, Leesburg Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. by calling 703-771-2763. Questions should be directed to Clark Case, Director of Finance and Administrative Services at 703-771-2720.

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) NUMBER 2022-HBT

BY THE TOWN OF HILLSBORO, VIRGINIA, FOR

Multi-Use Trail Construction Projects Stony Point Trail, Gaver Mill Trail and GapWay Trail Federal Project CN No.: TAP-5B01(184); TAP-5B01(185); TAP-236(002) VDOT Project: EN18-236-201, EN18-236-002 and EN17-236-116 UPC 113606; UPC 113635 and UPC 111405 The Town of Hillsboro, Virginia, will publicly open sealed bids beginning at 1 p.m., local time, on Thursday, February 24, 2022, at the Town offices located at 37098 Charles Town Pike, Second Floor, Hillsboro, VA, 20132, for the following projects: Stony Point Trail, Gaver Mill Trail, GapWay Trail.

The Town offices are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (Excluding Town Holidays), to receive delivery of sealed bids. Plans and Specifications may be viewed and downloaded at the Town website: www.HillsboroVa.gov/capitalbid and eVA at: https://mvendor.cgieva.comNendor/public/ADVSODetails.jsp?Details Page=ADVSODetails.jsp&DOC CD=IFB&DEPT CD=L524&BID INTRNL NO=6341&BID NO=6341&BID VERS NO=1 Bidders are responsible to check the Town website for updates. Plans and Specifications may also be examined at the following location: Hillsboro Town Hall 37098 Charles Town Pike Hillsboro, VA 20132 540-486-8001 A non-mandatory pre-bidders conference will be held on Thursday, February 3, 2022, beginning at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of Hillsboro Town Hall, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro, Virginia, 20132.

Town of Hillsboro COVID protocols, including masks and social distancing, will be in effect.

Each bidder must show evidence that it is licensed to do business in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Each bidder must be preapproved by VDOT. The Town of Hillsboro reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

MBE/WBE firms are encouraged to bid. Bidders must comply with the following: the President’s Executive Order #11246 prohibiting discrimination in employment regarding race, color, creed, sex, or national origin; the President’s Executive Orders #12138 and 11625 regarding utilization of MBE/WBE firms; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Davis Bacon Act; Section 436 of P. L. 113-76 American Iron and Steel; and confirm that they do not or will not maintain or provide for their employees any facilities that are segregated on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin.

Unless canceled or rejected, a responsive bid from the lowest responsible bidder shall be accepted as submitted, except that if the bid from the lowest responsible bidder exceeds available funds, the public body may negotiate with the apparent low bidder to obtain a contract price within available funds. However, the negotiation may be undertaken only under conditions and procedures described in writing and approved by the public body prior to issuance of the Invitation to Bid and summarized therein.

The bidder shall give notice in writing of his claim of right to withdraw his bid within two business days after the conclusion of the bid opening procedure and shall submit original work papers with such notice.

Hard copies of contract documents may be requested for purchase from the Town.

Invitation for Bids #2022-HBT

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning this matter will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of the Commission at 703-771-2434, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711.

1/20 & 1/27/22

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1/27, 2/3, 2/10/22

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JANUARY 27, 2022

Legal Notices ATTENTION LOUDOUN COUNTY VEHICLE OWNERS FILING DUE FEBRUARY 15

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Notification of 2022 Personal Property filing requirements has recently been mailed to all owners of record in order to establish accurate assessment information for the 2022 tax year. Automobile, truck, motorcycle, camper, trailer, boat, motorhome, aircraft, or mobile homeowners should report changes online at: www.loudoun.gov/efile A filing notification with instructions about online filing has been mailed to each household of record.

The notification will indicate whether a filing is required or is optional for any vehicle owned in Loudoun County based on the vehicle type, the date the vehicle was located in Loudoun, and whether a filing was previously made on the vehicle.

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Unless otherwise instructed, please report corrections, unusually high mileage, unrepaired body damage, serious mechanical defect, address changes or the sale, move or disposal of any vehicle by February 15, 2022, online at: www.loudoun.gov/efile Newly acquired vehicles or vehicles recently entering Loudoun County must be reported to my office within 60 days of purchase or move to Loudoun County or one of its incorporated towns to avoid a 10% late filing penalty. Owners of vehicles in the County are subject to taxes beginning on the date the vehicle came to Loudoun, even if the vehicle displays out of state license plates.

Owners of vehicles displaying out-of-state license plates not otherwise exempt from obtaining Virginia license plates will be charged an additional annual license fee of $100. A $250 penalty may also be imposed on owners of vehicles that are not registered with DMV within 60 days of the owner’s having established residency in Virginia.

Military service members residing in Loudoun County who have separated from military service and were receiving a tax exemption due to claiming a domicile outside of Virginia should contact the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office to report their change in status so their exemption can be removed.

Loudoun County now bills for and collects personal property taxes and vehicle license fees for vehicle owners in all of Loudoun’s incorporated towns, including Hamilton, Hillsboro, Leesburg, Lovettsville, Middleburg, Purcellville, and Round Hill. Owners of vehicles within an incorporated town will receive a consolidated tax bill that includes both County and town taxes.

We encourage you to connect with us virtually since most transactions with our office can be completed online. For more information or filing assistance, please visit www.loudoun.gov/cor or contact the Office of the Commissioner of the Revenue at cartax@loudoun.gov or 703-777-0260. Regular office hours are weekdays from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

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PAGE 32

JANUARY 27, 2022

Opinion The Next Round Over the past several months, the prospect of the Leesburg

Mobile Home Park being sold to a developer has spurred

considerable anxiety among residents and hand wringing among elected leaders.

With that deal now off the table, there will be a tendency to move

on to the next crisis of the day. We’ve seen that before—and so have the residents of that neighborhood. How long will it be before the next series of “where will they go” headlines begins?

It’s time to keep the conversation going.

Many of the alternatives floated during this period involved

moving the homes to new properties somewhere on the outskirts

of town—away from services, jobs and transit. Let’s work from a

new premise that affordable housing will be a priority in the town’s plans. That should be one of the benefits offered by Leesburg’s Crescent District development strategy.

LETTERS to the Editor

And the next round of talks might even start with the assumption

that these families shouldn’t have to move anywhere. It’s not that a mobile home park will forever be part of the downtown landscape, but homes affordable to those families should be.

Can’t be done? Middleburg residents didn’t believe that, and

their efforts have helped generations living in the Windy Hill neighborhood—and beyond.

So, for all the politicians and community activists who pressed to

block this development deal, the question now is: were they just in it for the fight or will they be part of the solution? n

Norman K. Styer, Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.com

Published by Amendment One Loudoun, LLC

EDITORIAL Renss Greene, Deputy Editor rgreene@loudounnow.com

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

Jan Mercker, Reporter jmercker@loudounnow.com

PO Box 207 Leesburg, VA 20178 703-770-9723

Kara C. Rodriguez, Reporter krodriguez@loudounnow.com Hayley Milon Bour, Reporter hbour@loudounnow.com ADVERTISING Susan Styer, Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.com

Loudoun Now is delivered by mail to more than 44,000 Loudoun homes and businesses, with a total weekly distribution of 47,000.

Tonya Harding, Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.com Vicky Mashaw, Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.com

Grateful Editor: In 1947, a group of Marines recognized a need in this country and found a way to fill it—Toys for Tots.

The program’s main purpose is to “bring the joy of Christmas to America’s less fortunate children.” Receiving the gift of a shiny, new toy (something many take for granted) can make a tremendous difference in a child’s life.

In a normal year, Toys for Tots toy collection boxes would be in place in lobbies of businesses throughout the county. Loudoun County fire stations would be main toy drop-off locations for the general public, and more than 300 volunteers would be in our warehouse sorting, counting, packing and distributing toys. Due to the pandemic, however, the Loudoun County Toys for Tots, coordinated by Loudoun County Marine Corps League Detachment 1205, conducted the 2021 program in a manner that would make it safe for all involved and still provide toys to children in need.

To fulfill our mission of providing toys to children, we partnered with five nonprofit organizations: Community Empowerment of Northern Virginia, Help for Others, LINK, Mobile Hope, and The Salvation Army. We channeled 25-30 nonprofit organizations that we normally provide toys to individually,

through the above nonprofits.

Each of the five organizations provided us with the number of children registered with them to receive toys, and thanks to the generous monetary donations from the community and businesses, we were able to purchase the toys that were needed and provide them directly to the nonprofit organizations for distribution to the families.

We are very grateful for events benefiting Toys for Tots, which were sponsored by the following local businesses and organizations: American Shine Detailing, Century 21 Redwood Realty, Lamborghini/McLaren/RollsRoyce Motorcars of Sterling, The Loudoun Kitchen and Bar, Loudoun Symphonic Winds, Noble Athletics and Radio Redline.

A special thank you goes out to AFCEA, Century 21 Redwood Realty, Falcons Landing, Loudoun County Fire Companies, Pegasystems, and Yahoo for helping us shop for toys.

In addition, we thank Interstate Moving & Storage for providing a place to store our warehouse equipment.

We are already planning for our next season. For more information, please visit loudounmarines.org after Oct. 1.

— Frank Holtz, Coordinator Loudoun County Toys for Tots LETTERS TO THE EDITOR continues on page 33

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

Readers’ Poll

With the new administration and General Assembly at work, how do you feel about the direction of the commonwealth?

LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: Is it time to take the masks off at school?

LETTERS to the editor continued from page 32

Make the Investment Editor: The thread that connects the undersigned is a desire to support opportunities for our neighbors to achieve their greatest potential.

We have been united by different efforts to strategically invest in services bolstering those opportunities within Loudoun County. Through these efforts, we have learned of the tremendous burden escalating housing prices have on families from different backgrounds and with varying levels of financial resources. Folks who hold down decently paying jobs are still having to make frequent and painful choices as they struggle to pay rent and still buy food, gas, clothing, prescription drugs, eyeglasses, dental care, etc.

From conversations with some of our county’s most dedicated and resourceful service providers, we know the housing crisis pushes people to seek help with a host of other basic needs.

Our groups’ donations help with pieces of this, and many more individuals make personal contributions, but a more sustainable path for financial stability needs to be created for the many Loudouners working hard every day to help support our larger community.

Without their labor, our businesses, schools, and hospitals will suffer; we need to move now to ensure our county remains a place where workers can build their lives.

Philanthropy is an important part of supporting neighbors struggling to make

PAGE 33

Share your views at loudounnow.com/ polls ends meet. But when finding a home requires such great sacrifices as skipping dental care or limiting grocery shopping, we need to ask how much the workers on which we all rely can endure before they decide Loudoun isn’t the place for them.

We believe the time is now to recognize public investment in attainable housing to help retain a functioning workforce is critical to the solution.

— Carol Barbe, Amy Bosserman Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties Joanna Dobson, Matt Durham, Alice Frazier, Judi Garlick, Leana Katz, Dorry Katz, Kristen Langhorne, Cate Magennis Wyatt, Lara Major, Lisa Maxwell, Mary McCall, Stacey Metcalfe, Stephanie Place, Pam Ray, Ellen Ruina, Bobbi Schaufeld, Karen Schaufeld, Cindy Schaufeld, Trish Skidmore, Tracy Stickley, Monica Tressler-Chandler, Kim Wagner, Teresa Wheeler, Jessica Wood

Not Backing Down Editor: Jessica Berg’s letter (Jan. 13) mischaracterizes the recall of School Board members Brenda Sheridan and Atoosa Reaser, perpetuates the big lie about Critical Race Theory, disparages the motives of parents, and asserts a morality superior to parents whose taxes pay her salary and fund the schools.

Ms. Berg claims a “small group of … ill-informed” parents is making her job “infinitely more frustrating.”

Wrong. Parents are fully informed about what’s happening in school. They’re outraged that some teachers are making their job as parents “infinitely more frustrating” by supplanting education with indoctrination.

She protests that teachers like her “are professionals and always have the best interest of our students at heart,” claiming special expertise because she “actually talk[s]” to students “every day.” Wrong again. Parents are the true professionals, their children’s first teachers, living with, talking with, and raising their kids 24/7/365, not just during a 50-minute English class.

Ms. Berg says Sheridan and Reaser are “dedicated public servants.” She is right that they are dedicated—to an agenda anathema to parents of all political persuasions. But she is wrong to label them “public servants.” Genuine public servants do not: Treat public schools as their private property.

Conspire behind internet anonymity to demean and attempt to silence parents who oppose their radical agenda.

Approve of books graphically depicting pedophilia and homosexuality, labeling parents who object “homophobic” and “transphobic”.

Cover up sexual assaults to ram through the anti-female 8040 policy, privileging a small minority suffering from gender dysphoria, dismissing the rights of biological females to privacy in bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers, free of biological males.

Front-load agents provocateur to speak at board meetings to incite parents opposing the 8040 policy (“the hate dripping from the followers of Jesus,” in the words of one such plant), then shutting down the meeting over its “lack of decorum.”

It is pure gaslighting for Ms. Berg to assert that CRT “does not exist” in Loudoun’s public schools. No matter what color lipstick you put on the CRT

pig – “culturally responsive training,” “social-emotional learning,” “cultural competence,” “implicit bias,” “ DEI training” – it is CRT by another name with the same beliefs and jargon, oriented toward racial division.

Fight For Schools has receipts exposing the lie. LCPS spent $422,000 on the Equity Collaborative, a firm specializing in CRT, to devise a “LCPS Comprehensive Equity Plan.” Thensuperintendent Eric Williams said in the firm’s initial report, “I am committed to dedicating the resources necessary to address issues of equity by further developing strategic actions [and] engaging outside expertise….” You would be correct if you guessed that the firm possessing the necessary “outside expertise” is the firm that wrote the report. Williams then departed, leaving behind mandatory training of teachers and staff to inculcate the precepts of CRT. To object is to jeopardize your career. Ask Tanner Cross.

How much money did LCPS leadership squander attempting to deny Cross’s First Amendment rights? How much did they waste in appealing their loss in local courts to Virginia’s Supreme Court, only to lose again? How much did they pay to investigate the cover-up of sexual assaults, then refuse to release the report? Does anyone believe that the superintendent would withhold the report if it exonerated him?

Regardless of the outcome of the recall efforts, parents are awake to “woke-ness.” They are not backing down. The old guard sowed the wind.

They are now reaping the whirlwind.

— Bill Drennan, South Riding

PAGE 34

Mobile home park continued from page 1 said. Saiyed said they have been unable to touch base with the current owners of the Leesburg Mobile Park throughout the process, although she acknowledged it is more than likely they will seek another buyer.

With that in mind, Saiyed and other stakeholders, including the mobile park’s residents, are already considering next steps.

“We are all of the same opinion—we assume the owners still want out. We are looking into various options for how to ensure the preservation of the park. In some places nonprofits are able to purchase mobile parks, land trusts have also purchased them, there’s also resident-owned cooperatives where residents can put in an offer and collectively own the park. It’s probably necessary to get funding from different sources. I recognize that’s an obstacle but I don’t think it’s an insurmountable obstacle. We’ve already been in those conversations,” she said.

Leesburg Mobile Park resident Cesar Chavez also is not ready to wave the victory flag and said he and his neighbors are already looking toward future solutions.

“A lot of us are happy that the sale did not go through because since the begin-

LOUDOUNNOW.COM ning we have been fighting to stay here in our homes in our current community as a family, but our neighbors and I are still questioning, what’s going to happen now,” he said. “This whole situation has helped us realize that something needs to be done in order for us to not see ourselves in a similar situation again in the future. We as a community cannot let something like this continue to happen to us and we hope that the Town of Leesburg and the county are aware that they can be of huge help to help save the homes and peace of mind of all the families here in the Leesburg Mobile Home Park. We as a community will continue to be united and continue to fight for what needs to be done in order for us to stay in our homes. We will continue to work together to get answers and find solutions to this problem that still has us all questioning our futures.”

Chavez and many of his neighbors had become regular fixtures at Town Council meetings since the sale of the property was announced. Many pleaded with the council to find a solution that would keep them in their homes, which they pointed out was the only affordable option for them in the area.

Mayor Kelly Burk said that, despite the sale not going forward, the council needs to remain involved in finding solutions.

Both she and Councilwoman Suzanne Fox acknowledged that updating the new Town

JANUARY 27, 2022

Plan, Legacy Leesburg, to include mobile home parks is not enough. Burk said she was looking forward to a meeting with mobile park residents planned Monday to continue to vet solutions for the residents, and mentioned several of the options Sayed was exploring, including involving the nonprofit community.

Fox said working with the private sector on solutions for the community was important, but has been vocal about exercising caution regarding a private sale.

“I think there is a role for council and other community leaders to play to identify and work with a potential buyer who is amenable to keeping the residents in place.

This is really a job for the private sector.

While the first instinct for a government body faced with a problem always seems to be to throw taxpayer dollars at the issue, I think the real leaders will consider all options, including leveraging relationships and working closely with the private sector,” she said.

Fox also alluded back to an earlier point she had made about the impact that the adoption of the Crescent Design District had years ago, and how not acknowledging the mobile home park at the time played a part in creating the opportunity for redevelopment of the property. In a sketch plan he had discussed in the fall with town staff, Saiedi had indicated he

Maskless Monday continued from page 1 includes indoor masking.

Loudoun’s School Board voted last week to support Superintendent Scott Ziegler continuing the mask requirement.

On Jan. 23 Ziegler sent an email to families saying that maskless students would be considered close contacts of individuals who test positive for COVID-19.

He said that maskless students would be required to quarantine for 10 days. One mother said that she felt the policy was punishment for not abiding by the mandate.

Megan Rafalski, a mother of a Banneker Elementary School student, said her son tried to enter the school building without his mask Monday morning, and he was sent to the library instead of to class. Rafalski and other parents asked the principal to allow their children to go to class without masks.

“He said, you either come in and put a mask on, or they need to go home,” Rafalski said on Monday. “It was extremely upsetting. … My son was perfectly healthy today, he needs to be in school, that is why he is in school.”

Hayley Bour/Loudoun Now

A crowded board room, filled with mostly maskless attendees, once again railed against School Board members for their decision to continue with the mask mandate in schools.

Later in the day, the principal called the Rafalski family with the notification that their son was being clinically dismissed. Rafalski picked her son up after noon. She said that school administrators did not return her calls, so she kept her son home on Tuesday.

At Smarts Mill Middle School, administrators took a similar approach, dividing unmasked students from the student body.

One mother of two, Gloria George, said her family decided that it was best for

them to not wear masks.

“We’re not against the people who want to wear the masks … but you cannot separate these kids,” George said. George said that during recess, the student body played outside without masks, but her son was still not permitted to join.

Elsewhere, those opposed to the mask mandate took more abrasive approaches. Outside of Woodgrove High School, students wearing masks were reportedly called “sheep” by parents. Dozens of

was eying a redevelopment of the property for 80 townhouses.

“Clearly, it was a major mistake to fail to consider the impact of the Crescent Design District to the future of the mobile park community, and now the collateral damage is evident. Instead of being proactive when we had a chance, we are now in the position of having to be reactive. Council should take this as an object lesson on the importance of considering the unintended consequences of the actions we take … and particularly actions as sweeping and significant as the Crescent Design District,” she said.

Vice Mayor Marty Martinez also said the council needs to take a “proactive approach” with the property moving forward, in anticipation of future interest in the property.

“I think what we need to do is really consider that property and weigh what we can do with it to protect the residents, all the way from rezoning to maybe buying it. It all depends. What we cannot do is sit on our hands and let this problem happen again,” he said.

Fox said the situation was an example why the town needs to “get serious and creative about affordable housing.”

“We need to re-think how it is administered. Our current system does not work,” she said. n Woodgrove students were forced to spend the school day in the auditorium if they did put on a mask.

Elicia Brand, one of the organizers of Maskless Monday at more than 30 Loudoun Schools, said that Ziegler’s Sunday email announcing the 10-day quarantine for maskless students was really a threat of suspension. The quarantine period for close contacts or people who test positive for the virus is now five days.

“What this is doing is creating to classes of students. The masked and the unmasked, and you’re pitting them against one another,” Brand said. “It’s not well thought out.”

When asked if the school division directed principals to segregate students not wearing masks, spokesman Wayde Byard did not answer the question, but referred to the School Board’s vote to support continued masking.

“We are following the same guidelines as always as outlined on the Mask and Mitigation section of our website.

The School Board affirmed its support for these guidelines last Tuesday,” Byard said in an email.

The CDC and Department of Health recommend that students and teachers wear masks in schools. n

JANUARY 27, 2022

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

General Assembly continued from page 3 of Supervisors and other members of Loudoun’s Richmond delegation. The bill was and is supported by the Dulles Greenway.

While Reid and Boysko have said the new bill would lead to distance-based tolling and a reduction in tolls, that is not required in the language of the bill.

The bill does add new passages from last year’s version further shielding information about the Greenway’s finances from public view, not only ordering the state and local officials permitted to be present at negotiations to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but also creating a new Freedom of Information Act exemption specifically for that information.

If the Commissioner of Highways were to negotiate a new deal, it would govern the Greenway under the Public Private Transportation Act, exempting the owners from paying real estate taxes. According to the most recent county annual financial report, the Greenway is the fifth-largest real estate taxpayer in the county.

“The county attorney at any time can go and negotiate with the Greenway for distance-based tolling, and he can bring VDOT with him. And, in fact, they’ve even had some of those conversations, as we know, over the years,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). “We don’t need to go seek legislation to go do that.”

“You can try to put lipstick on this pig, but conceptually this is a terrible idea.”

— Matthew F. Letourneau

(R-Dulles)

The Greenway legislation passed last year tightens the State Corporation Commission’s oversight on the owners’ annual applications to raise tolls. The new law has not yet been tested; if the highway’s owners apply for another toll increase this year, it will be the first time they do so under the new law. Letourneau said the new bill amounts to giving the Greenway a “lifeline” before that happens.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) asked supervisors to wait on voting to oppose the bill, saying she had spoken with Reid about amending it, but also that she had told him the most the board would do is stay silent on the bill, not support it. And she said Reid has carried a lot of legislation for the Loudoun board.

“If I can give him a couple days to work on it and don’t oppose it and go just quiet on him, I’d rather do that, but I was very clear we’re not going to ever support it,” Randall said.

Bag tax continued from page 3 and in particular at a time when we have unprecedented supply chain problems,” said Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles). “We went right to the stick here and never tried the carrot. There are a lot of things we could do to encourage recycling of plastic bags, and we haven’t done any of them.”

Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) pointed out that one alternative, paper bags, take more energy and cause more air and water pollution to produce per bag compared to plastic bags.

And she said the tax imposes new hardships on lower-income families.

“Working class families who don’t have a readily-available car cannot carry reusable bags in the car the way most of us can, for them to make use of reusable

“If I had my way, I’ll be voting to get rid of all plastic, but until the General Assembly gives us that authority, this is what we’ve got.”

— Vice Chairman Koran T. Saines

(D-Sterling)

bags, they would have to carry those bags to work with them on any day they plan to shop,” Umstattd said.

“All the arguments I’ve heard up here are, let’s keep it the way it is,” said Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn).

“You can try to put lipstick on this pig, but conceptually this is a terrible idea,” Letourneau said. Supervisors voted 6-2-1 to direct staff and lobbyists to oppose the bill in Richmond, with Randall and Supervisor Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) opposed and Supervisor Sylvia R. Glass (D-Broad Run) absent.

Board Opposes Local Gun Control Rollback

Supervisors also took a divided vote on state bills that would undo legislation from last year giving localities the authority to ban guns from local government facilities. The baord has already acted on that legislation, prohibiting guns in county government offices, community and recreation centers, and county parks.

There are exceptions, such as for law enforcement, concealed carry permit holders in parks, active-duty military carrying out their duties, and guns stored out of sight in a locked vehicle. Guns were already banned in county-operated preschools under state law.

The county has also invested in security screening stations at the county’s three main public-facing administration buildings, the Government Center and Shenandoah Building in Leesburg, and the Sterling Service Center on Ridgetop Circle.

County staff members generally recommend opposing bills that roll back local authority. Supervisor Caleb E. Kershner (R-Catoctin) asked to separate the board’s stance on that bill from the package of other stances. Supervisors voted to oppose the bills on local authority on guns “That ain’t gonna cut it, because we know keeping it the way it is is doing real damage to our environment.”

“This is the epitome of ‘think globally and act locally.’ We do not need to be losing our collective stuff because Loudoun County is joining I don’t know how many other counties in Virginia implementing a tax, a voluntary tax, that is required to go to environmental issues,” said County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large).

Vice Chairman Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling), who introduced the proposed new tax, called it a “voluntary tax” and said it would not hurt low-income families.

“If I had my way, I’ll be voting to get rid of all plastic, but until the General Assembly gives us that authority, this is what we’ve got,” Saines said.

Supervisors voted 5-4 in favor of the new tax, with Umstattd, Letourneau, Buffington and Supervisor Caleb E. Kershner

PAGE 35 7-1-1, with Kershner voting no and Glass absent.

Local Priorities Put Forward in Richmond

Loudoun County local government keeps track of bills as they travel through Richmond, measuring them against the county board’s adopted legislative. Some of those come straight out of Loudoun’s priority list.

House Bill 377, introduced by Del. Suhas Subramanyam (D-87), would allow localities to make appropriations to nonprofit faith-based organizations that provide community services in the locality for nonreligious purposes—in other words, to make county grants to faithbased nonprofits. As of Tuesday evening, that bill has been sent to a subcommittee of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.

Another, filed as Senate Bill 35 by Favola and House Bill 855 by Reid, allows a Planning Commission to extend deliberations past the existing 60-day limit to make a recommendation on a comprehensive plan amendment, if an applicant agrees to that extension. It also extends the time in which a government may consider an appeal of a Planning Commission decision from 60 to 100 days. The House bill has been referred to a subcommittee of the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns, and the Senate bill has already passed the Senate on a 26-14 vote, including yes votes from every Loudoun senator except Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-27). n

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

In July Loudoun shoppers will starting paying for plastic bags.

(R-Catoctin) opposed.

The county has set up a webpage with more information about the tax, loudoun.gov/plasticbagtax. n

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LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JANUARY 27, 2022

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