LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE
LoudounNow
[ Vol. 4, No. 13 ]
[ loudounnow.com ]
Middleburg battles cigarette butts
30
[ February 14, 2019 ]
Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now
A view of the Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship near Neersville and Harpers Ferry. A draft of the state budget deletes a line allowing the state to accept donated land there for a state park, throwing Loudoun’s longstanding plans for a state park into doubt near the finish line.
Loudoun’s Future State Park in Jeopardy BY RENSS GREENE As state lawmakers work on Virginia’s budget, a line in the document that would allow the state to accept donated land for a state park in Loudoun has been dropped from the Senate version of the budget bill. Governor Ralph Northam’s introduced budget bill this year included a line that would allow the state to accept land for a new state park planned in far northwestern Loudoun, near Neersville and Harpers Ferry.
Senate Finance Committee Co-Chairman Emmet W. Hanger Jr. (R-24), who has been an advocate for expanding the state’s park system in his legislative career, said while he did not suggest cutting it from his chamber’s budget bill, he didn’t fight it, either. He said the park could find its way back into the budget—particularly since the House of Delegates’ version of the budget retains the park. “I am convinced that the property that we’re speaking of up there close to Harper’s Ferry—we already have some land there—
cludes the area of the possible future park. “I will speculate that it only shows that on the senate side, everything—even accepting a gift—is in play when the wheeling and dealing and the trading starts,” said Del. Dave A. LaRock (R-33), whose district includes that area. “It’s not a pretty sight, it’s not what you want to hear.” Monday evening, the Board of Supervisors sent a letter to budget conferees urging them to support the state park. The letter,
would probably be a good addition to what we’re doing,” Hanger said. “So I’m going to look at adding that when we’re in conference, but we did pull it aside.” Loudoun’s representatives in the area are baffled as to how the line, which asks no money of the state for the land, came to be deleted from the Senate budget bill. “I know it’s been a major issue for me and Del. [Dave A.] LaRock (R-33) to get this passed, and so we were quite surprised when it fell out in negotiations,” said Sen. Richard H. Black (R-13), whose district in-
STATE PARK >> 27
Supervisors Welcome Proposed School Budget, Diversity Push BY RENSS GREENE County supervisors have welcomed news of what could be an unusually agreeable school budget debate this year, possibly setting up the school system to get everything it asked for this year.
Each year, the county administrator hands the school board guidance for its budget based on projections of county tax revenues. Typically, the School Board’s subsequent budget request is beyond what the county says it will have available, and board members and county supervisors spend weeks debat-
ing—or battling out—the difference. But this year, for the first time in years, the school system’s proposed budget is within that fiscal guidance. Which could mean that this year, the first time in years, the school system gets every dollar of its $1.284 billion request.
“I think that when they come in at the fiscal guidance, it makes a much harder case on why we would not support that level,” said Supervisor Ron A. Meyer Jr. (R-Broad Run) after a joint meeting with the School board Monday night. He SCHOOL BUDGET >> 27
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