Loudoun Now for June 6, 2024

n LOUDOUN

4 | n EDUCATION

12 | n PUBLIC SAFETY

20 | n PUBLIC NOTICES

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Community-Supported News. Free to all.

VOL. 9, NO. 30

East, West Join Forces in Power Line Battle

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpamaploni@loudounnow.org

Loudoun County has been grappling with impact of the growing demand for power for some time, but it has largely been limited to eastern Loudoun where the Lansdowne Conservancy has been leading the charge in mitigating the impacts of needed power infrastructure on local communities.

Last December, the concerns expanded to western Loudoun as a proposal to build a 500-kilovolt line between Harpers Ferry and the Leesburg area were approved by PJM Interconnection, the regional power coordinator. Since then, the Piedmont Environmental Council and Loudoun Transmission Line Alliance have held community meetings in Purcellville, Hillsboro, Waterford and Lovettsville to raise awareness and garner community action on the lines.

On Tuesday, June 11, the Lansdowne Conservancy will join with PEC and LTLA to hold a POWERLINES continues on page 40

JUNE 6, 2024

Forgotten Population: Aged Out Foster Kids

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

For most kids, turning 18 is exciting.

Life is full hope and promises; there is graduation and choices to make—to live at home or move out and start a career or go to school. But for many kids in foster care, turning 18 doesn’t usually come with that same hope or choices, instead it means aging out of the system and potentially ending up homeless.

According to the 2024 Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Annual Point in Time count of Persons Experiencing Homelessness conducted in January, 830 youth between the ages of 18-24, known as transition age youth, are experiencing homelessness across the region. In Loudoun County, according to the same report, there were 67—a 235% change from 2020 to 2024.

One defining characteristic of 18–24-year-olds that sets them apart from other single adults experiencing homelessness is they are more likely to have a history with foster care. Many of them, according to the report, consider their foster care experience the beginning of their homelessness.

The connection between foster care and homelessness is not exclusive to this area.

According to Project Belong—a nonprofit that connects the faith-based community to support children in foster care—36% of young adults who age out of foster care experience homelessness; 87% of boys who age out will spend time in jail mostly for survival crimes, and 71% of girls who age out will find themselves pregnant within the first year—often attributable to trafficking or trying to sur-

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Upside Down Moments Founder Becky Saunders and Project Belong Loudoun Director Jaoni Wood stand near donated items for a home that will be rented to four aged out foster youth to help them get on their feet and learn life skills.

vive on the streets.

Project Belong Loudoun Director Jaoni Wood is familiar with the often “forgotten population” of aged-out foster youth. Her organization works to provide them with a support system through mentors that teach them life skills they missed while they were being shuffled around during their formative years.

Margaret Hoffer is one of the staff members who helps connect aged-out youth with mentors through Project Belong.

She said young men, in particular,

struggle the most when they age out because there isn’t much help for them. She said the older someone is when they enter foster care, the harder it is to find host families. Those older kids often end up in residential homes and then on the street when they age out.

“No 18-year-old in any county, let alone Loudoun County, should be sleeping in their car or a tent or at a McDonalds,” Hoffer said.

FOSTER KIDS continues on page 41

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Fare-free Bus Service Coming in January

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.com

Hopping on one of Loudoun County’s local fixed-route buses will be even easier next year after The Board of Supervisors voted to discontinue fare collections starting Jan. 1.

The fare waiver will not apply to the county’s fleet of commuter buses that carry residents to job sites in Washington, DC. Those prices will be increasing by $1 in each of the next two years, to $11 in 2025 and $12 in 2026. While increasing the prices, the board formally abandoned the policy of requiring the commuter service to be cost-neutral. At the planned $11 per trip rate, the county will be subsidizing each ride by nearly $13, according to the staff report.

The actions were taken during the board’s five-hour Transit Summit on May 29 when the county staff presented a menu of options to reduce costs and boost ridership.

Among the proposals was to consolidate the county’s park and ride lots from six to two. However, supervisors voted only to close the little-used Brambleton lot, leaving to future debates the fate of the western Loudoun lot near Hamilton and two in the Rt. 50 corridor.

The broad-ranging summit built on discussions that have been ongoing in board committees over the past several months as county leaders work to adjust to post-COVID commuting patterns, get more seats filled on the fixed-route buses, and advance goals of reducing carbon emissions and better serving low-income, elderly and disabled residents.

Several supervisors acknowledged the local fixed-route bus system is clunky, pointing out it would take them more than an hour to ride from Sterling to Leesburg, pressing for the construction of more bus shelters including more with trash cans, and suggesting a more phone-interactive information platform for the 32-route system.

Supervisors were told county’s 10 longest established bus route average about 6.5 passengers per hour. Twenty relatively new routes intended to carry residents to Metro stations average about two riders per hour. For Transit and Commuter BUS SERVICE continues on page 40

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

From left: Mitchell Baki, his uncle Kerem and father Tolga, all part of the Hillsborough Vineyards and Brewery family stand with Williams Gap representative Jacob Robinson and Bozzo Family Vineyards Owner Steve Bozzo as they pose for a photo holding glasses of the 40th Anniversary Loudoun Red.

Loudoun Wineries Join to Create 40th Anniversary Red

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The celebration of Loudoun’s wine industry’s 40th anniversary has sparked a special collaboration with 12 vineyards contributing wines to be blended in a first-of-its-kind offering.

Led by Hillsborough Vineyards and Brewery Owner Kerem Baki, the wine is made up of 2022 and 2023 vintages, with 25% cabernet franc, 16.7% of cabernet sauvignon, 16.7% merlot, 16.7% tannat, 8.3% of petit Verdot, 8.3% Norton and 8.3% chamboursin grapes.

It will be called the 40th Anniversary Loudoun Red. Baki said, since the goal is to celebrate that milestone, the wine isn’t designed to be one that ages on a shelf to reach its peak flavor.

“We weren’t trying to develop a wine that is big, bold, and that can age for 20 years. We’re trying to create something that’s going to be approachable and ready to drink soon,” he said.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun now

Hillsborough Vineyards and Brewery Owner Kerem Baki pours a sampling of a Loudoun 40th anniversary wine, collaborating on by 12 local wineries.

The Cabernet Franc 2023 wines were contributed by Fabbioli Cellars and Breaux Vineyards, 2022 Cabernet Franc from Carriage House Wineworks, 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bozzo Family Vineyards and 868 Estate Vine-

yards, 2022 Merlot from Bluemont and 8 Chains North Winery, 2023 Tannat from Hillsborough Vineyards, 2022 Tannat from Williams Gap Vineyard, 2022 Petit Verdot from Two Twisted Posts Winery, 2023 Norton from Chrysalis Vineyards and 2022 Chamboursin from Zephaniah Farm Vineyard.

Baki said there will only be 300 cases, or 25 cases per winery, produced, with each participating winery contributing a single barrel of wine. But, with wine produced this fall, the group also plans to produce a white wine—one that will be ready by next spring.

On Tuesday, Baki and Steve Bozzo met to finalize some of the design elements for the packaging, settling on a “champagne green” bottle with a label depicting a view from one of the county’s vineyards overlooking the county’s prime farmland as the sun sets behind the Blue Ridge mountains.

The wine is expected to be released in October for Virginia Wine month. n

PAGE 4

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

Loudoun

Commissioners Consider New Data Center, Substation

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The county Planning Commission on May 28 delayed a vote on whether to approve a rezoning application by JK Land Holdings to allow a data center and substation on an 81-acre parcel west of Sycolin Road.

Planning staff members said they had some outstanding concerns with the application, including lack of detail on the use of open space, buildings proposed to be too tall, lack of detail on site design, environmental impacts, the proffers related to transportation, and lack of details on proposed improvements to Sycolin Road.

The parcel is zoned as Transitional Residential 10 and Joint Land Management Area, which do not permit a data center or substation. However, that same parcel falls within the comprehensive plan’s Transition Light Industrial place type, which allows data centers as a core use.

The 2019 General Plan envisions a maximum building height in that place type of three stories, equivalent to 36 feet.

The proposal by JK Land Holdings includes buildings of up to 60 feet tall.

The concept plan also includes over 12 acres of tree conservation area, an entrance from Sycolin Road, green building design measures, solar tree or solar/wind light poles and screening for storage facilities. The parcel also contains archeological sites that will be placed in an open space easement.

County Project Manager Bryce Johnson said the company is also proposing to build turn lanes on Sycolin Road to access the site, add a traffic light if needed and a shared use path. He said he would like to

County of Loudoun

A concept plan shows the location of a proposed data center and utility substation by JK Land Holdings west of Sycolin Road.

see more detail on those improvement before approving them.

“Staff and applicant have agreed to continue working out the details of the transportation commitments,” he said.

Much of the commission’s discussion focused on the building height and transportation improvements.

Commissioner Dale Polen Myers

(At-Large) asked if there were other buildings in the area that were 60 feet tall, or if this would be the only one.

“There’s others that are permitted 60 feet along Sycolin, but not directly adjacent to this one per se,” Johnson said.

The prior Planning Commission approved 45-foot-tall buildings across the street, he said.

Commissioner Clifford Keirce (Sterling) said he did not like that the general plan used stories instead of specific feet requirements for building heights because it is not specific.

“Depending on the type of use, a story NEW DATA CENTER continues on page 5

Mars Substation Receives Planning Commission Approval

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Mars utility substation, planned for just north of Dulles International Airport and crucial to a 500 and 230 kV transmission line project planned

by Dominion Energy, received a recommendation from the county Planning Commission during a meeting May 28.

Dominion is requesting a commission permit to allow the substation on the roughly 17-acre parcel, a use not permitted by-right in the Planned Development-General Industry Zoning District.

“The application is compatible with existing and planned development in the area,” Project Manager Darby Metcalf told the commission. “The location,

character and extent of the commission permit application is in accord with the 2019 General Plan.”

McGuire Woods Senior Land Use Planner Sheri Akin said the substation is necessary to meet grid load need recognized by PJM Interconnection by summer 2025.

“It is a critical component in Dominion Energy’s Northern Virginia Reliabil-

ity Plan that will provide reinforcement and necessary infrastructure to meet future load growth for the area,” she said.

The commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval for the project with Chair Michelle Frank (Broad Run) and commissioners Madhava Reddy Madireddy (Dulles) and Robin-Eve Jasper (Little River) absent. n

JUNE 6, 2024

New data center continued from page 4 can mean different things,” he said.

Walsh Colucci consulting representative Sasha Brower told the commission that there are several industrially zoned sites surrounding the property that have buildings at 60 feet.

“We believe that the proposed building height of 60 feet is compatible with the surrounding uses,” she said.

The majority of commissioners agreed they were not concerned about the building height, while Keirce said he was not yet convinced.

“I look at parcels and I look at their visibility and where they’re located differently,” he said. “When I’m driving down Sycolin Road and I look to the east, those other ones are buried pretty far, deep. Even at 60 feet you don’t even see them much because of the topography of the land.

Driving down that same stretch of road when I’m looking to the left if I’m heading toward Leesburg, the view is significant.”

Commissioner Mark Miller (Catoctin) asked what a finalized Sycolin Road would look like when all of the envisioned improvements across a variety of projects

LOUDOUNNOW.COM are completed.

“It’s an urban four lane median divided roadway with a 10-foot shared use path on both sides of the road,” Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Senior Planner Bradley Polk said.

Keirce asked for an update on the status of reaching that goal, including a list of improvements have been agreed to by developers as proffers on other projects.

“It’s getting busier and busier and busier,” he said. “We’ve got the school on it, which a couple times a day leads to a mess because the turn lane is not long enough and it blocks the through lanes.”

Polk said the estimated completion of all the planned improvements along Sycolin Road is 2030.

Myers asked if the application would have any bearing on the NextEra Energy’s proposed 500 kV transmission line would cut through parts of western Loudoun and said the commission had received “a flood of emails” about it that day.

Brower said it would not.

“I think it’s important to have clarification on the record as we’re having discussion on the application tonight,” Myers said.

The commission will continue its review of the project in July. n

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JUNE 6, 2024

Marshall, Sacrifice of Loudoun Servicemembers Remembered on 80-Year Anniversary of D-Day

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

A week after the country honored U.S. service members killed in action, Loudouners held a memorial for local residents involved in the operation to gain a second front in Europe during World War II, remembered as D-Day. The ceremony, remembering the June 6 attack 80 years later, was held at Dodona Manner, the home of five-star Gen. George C. Marshall, who served as the U.S. Army Chief of Staff during World War II. Historian Rachel Thompson, who quite literally wrote the book on Marshall, shared about his significant contribution toward the planning and execution of the D-Day attack, known then as Operation Overlord. “[It] marked the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Nazi regime,” Thompson said.

“And that end will take almost another year until May 7, 1945, but this was its most dramatic beginning.”

“No one worked harder to see this invasion take place,” she said of Marshall.

Thompson said Marshall was critical in persuading Britain Prime Minister Winston Churchill to agree to the operation.

Churchill opposed the plan amid concerns that the cost of life to accomplish it

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Members of the Naval Submarine League take part in a ceremony remembering Gen. George C. Marshall and the county’s service members who were part of D-Day during World War II.

would be too great.

“Churchill had grim memories of the evacuation of Dunkirk,” Thompson said.

“And when this idea came up, he would often say, ‘I see dead soldiers floating in the channel.’”

Instead, he favored a plan where the German forces would get worn down by indirect peripheral attacks around the

edges of the continent where they were less concentrated, Thompson said. Marshall thought that approach would prolong the war.

After making headway with Churchill, Marshall wrote a note authorizing the appointment of then Gen. Dwight Eisenhower to command Operation Overlord.

“It was Marshall personally who gave

Eisenhower his orders,” Thompson said.

“And here’s what he told him, ‘you are to enter the continent of Europe and in conjunction with other allied nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany and the destruction of their armed forces.’”

The D-Day operation involved the Allied land, air and sea forces, and is known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. They attacked on five different beaches given the code names of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, according to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. Seven thousand ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel and nearly 130,000 troops landed June 6. During the landing, 10,300 of them died.

During Sunday’s event, Robert C. Holcomb a docent at the George C. Marshall International Center, shared the names and stories of some of Loudoun’s own who died during the war. Sixty-seven of the county’s residents were killed in action.

Corporal William Brown had participated in the invasion of Sicily in 1943 and been wounded in action during that attack. After recovering from those injuries, he joined the Fourth Infantry Division D-DAY continues on page 7

Juneteenth Flag Ceremony Held at Historic Douglass School

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Members of the community gathered at the amphitheater at the Historic Douglass High School in Leesburg on Monday to raise a Juneteenth flag in honor of the upcoming holiday.

June 19 will mark 159 years since 2,000 Union troops landed in Galveston Bay, TX to announce that the more than 250,000 enslaved people in the state were free by executive order.

In addition to raising the flag, the ceremony included readings of portions of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and General Order #3, which was posted on the door of the “colored church,” now known as Reedy Chapel, in Galveston Bay. The ceremony’s keynote address was given by Ric Murphy, the president general of the Society of the First African Amer-

ican Families of English America. He stressed the importance of remembering where the Black community’s ancestors had come from and what they endured.

“We now need to remember that the ancestors are restless,” Murphy said. “We can no longer allow people to take books off the shelves because we’re learning about our people. They’re taking those books off the shelves because they’re beginning to realize that we realize all our documentation are in those books.”

Murphy told the audience that it was important to remember that their ancestors endured slavery, the Civil War, reconstruction, and Jim Crow laws.

“Through their perseverance, we got through those laws,” he said, adding that now it falls on the current generations to not only preserve their rights but educate the next generation about the importance of freedom.

“We’re free today in 2024, but our

young people don’t know it. The ancestors are restless. And we can no longer allow them and our neighbors and our friends not to go out and vote because that was taken away from us and there’s a reason why was taken away from us then and they don’t want us to vote now,” Murphy said.

He encouraged attendees to rally their friends and neighbors in the upcoming elections and make sure they vote.

“As I reflect upon my ancestors, please reflect upon yours,” he said. “And that’s what Juneteenth is about. And as we kick off Juneteenth this month, all across the country, make sure you go to your friends and your family, your children, your grandbabies, and tell them the story of Juneteenth.”

Supervisor Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) presented certificates of appreciation that were signed by President of the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation Steve Williams and President

of Juneteenth, Loudoun John Jones to U.S. Army honoree Albert Smith and U.S. Marine Corps honoree Neutie Fudge.

Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk was given a certificate in recognition of her work in getting funding to support a delegation of children visiting from Louisiana last year.

“Because we wanted to show them the complete history of America, their local government pulled the funding on them,” Williams said.

He said they were planning to take the kids to Harpers Ferry and the Historic Douglass High School. Even though they already had support from Burk for the Juneteenth celebrations, Williams said she wrote a $1,000 check to help them with transportation.

“It made me proud to be a resident of Loudoun County to see that type of effort come up because these young children needed to know the history,” Williams said. n

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

D-Day continued from page 6 just in time to take part of the attack on Normandy.

During the fighting, he was struck twice and seriously wounded.

“Although he bled profusely, he refused to leave his tank and continued to pour devastating fire into enemy positions, destroying two enemy anti-tank guns.

He continued to fight until the tank was struck a third time, mortally wounding him,” Holcomb said.

Lt. J. G. John F. Kincaid graduated from Leesburg High School before studying medicine at Duke University. During the D-Day invasion, Kincaid was shuttling back and forth from the beach to a landing ship tank, tending to the wounded soldiers.

“I can’t imagine the hell of crossing the Omaha beach once,” Holcomb said.

“And here was a medical doctor who not only went ashore but did so repeatedly throughout the day to recover wounded men and move them offshore.”

Kincaid survived the attack that day and returned to the United States where he was married. After his honeymoon leave was over, he was reassigned to a U.S.

Navy destroyer in the South Pacific where he was killed by a kamikaze Japanese plane attack. Kincaid was 28 years old.

Archeological technician Yvonne French also shared stories of a prisoner of war camp near Leesburg that housed roughly 150 German prisoners. Prisoners worked in Loudoun’s orchards during their time in the county.

The event also featured a surprise appearance by Naval Commander Owen Brown and members of the Naval Submarine League. The league donated a replica a submarine that was named after Marshall to the center.

The submarine was one of over 40 fleet ballistic submarines known as the 41 for Freedom and named after 42 named after well-known Americans.

“The USS George C. Marshall … She was launched on 21st of May, 1965. And her sponsor, in other words, the person that gets to hit the champagne bottle on the bow, was none other than Katherine Marshall, the general’s wife. She was commissioned on 29 of April 1966 and after 26 years of service was decommissioned in September of 1992.”

“I can’t take a more fitting tribute to somebody who ended the war and also helped rebuild Europe,” League Capital Area President John Newton said. n

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Leesburg

Burk, Council Members Tout Achievements in State of the Town Address

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk delivered the State of the Town address May 29 as she and her fellow council members touted the town’s accomplishment’s and identified focus areas for the coming year.

“Leesburg is in a strong financial and governance position,” Burk said. “Our triple-A rating is secure and that is a very, very good thing for Leesburg. We are managing the present by looking to the future I want to thank you all for being here tonight.”

Burk highlighted recent recognitions that the town received, including being named the 10th safest place to live in Virginia by Ramsey Solutions, the most beautiful town in the state by travel.com, the eighth best place to live with a family in the country by Forbes and one of the top 10 most charming towns in the country by Southern Living.

She also praised the recently approved agreement between the county and the town to annex 402 acres near Compass Creek.

“This annexation enables Leesburg to bring Walmart, At Home, various restaurants and businesses and Microsoft campus of data centers into the town which increases our town’s revenue and further diversifies our tax base. It takes the load off of our residents, also,” she said.

Burk said the town has become a leading locality in data center design standards, prioritizing centers that look more like office buildings and with landscaping, buffering and facades.

“I just had a meeting with a mayor from a little town in Mississippi who came to my office to talk to me in town about our guidelines,” she said. “His small town in Mississippi is being overwhelmed by data centers and requests for them and he heard about our standards and he wanted to emulate them and find out what they were. He was very impressed and very excited.”

Vice Mayor Neil Steinberg, who spoke on the town’s Economic Development Department, also touted the council’s work on data center regulations.

“Our department presented and council approved new cutting-edge data center

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Leesburg Police Lt. John Mocello speaks to attendees at a May 30 town hall meeting about fentanyl at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center.

Leesburg Hosts Town Hall on Fentanyl Crisis

BY ALI ELLIOTT

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk Delivers the State of the Town address in the council chambers May 29.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Leesburg Vice Mayor Neil Steinberg talks about the state of the town’s economic development during State of the Town May 29.

standards that regulate placement, orientation, building design and landscaping among other components,” he said. “Additionally, council moved to alter zoning text so that any data center approval will now require a special exception process. Combined, these steps strengthen the town’s position when determining the nature and specifics of this type of

infrastructure.”

He said businesses in town were growing, with a total of 39 ribbon cuttings last year and several milestone anniversaries for longstanding businesses in the town.

“The department has been very successful in fostering new business and retaining existing business. As of the first quarter of 2024 commercial vacancy rates town wide are at a low of 3.7% and 3.4% in the downtown area,” Steinberg said.

Council members Todd Cimono-Johsnon, Kari Nacy and Zach Cummings each reported on specific department areas in the town saying the state of Leesburg is in good shape.

Burk said while progress has been made on improving pedestrian safety, it continues to be an important goal for the council to focus on this year.

“Last year we had 21 pedestrians hit by cars. Fourteen of them were directly hit and nine of those were in crosswalks. This is a dismal number and we’ll be looking to reduce those numbers,” she said.

ACHIEVEMENTS continues on page 10

School Board member Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg) teamed up with Mayor Kelly Burk and Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) on May 30 for a town hall meeting to address the ongoing fentanyl and opioid crisis.

The forum included a panel of experts in the field, including Loudoun County Public Schools’ Student Mental Health Services Director Jennifer Evans, Williams Center for Wellness and Recovery Founder and CEO Rob Williams, Loudoun Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Medical Director Dr. Ramia Gupta, and Lt. John Mocello of the Leesburg Police Department.

Leesburg residents were invited to attend the forum to hear presentations about the effects of fentanyl, how it is distributed, and how to recognize an overdose. They were encouraged to ask questions and interact with nonprofit organizations including The Chris Atwood Foundation, a Northern Virginia-based nonprofit focused on providing recovery services to those struggling with substance abuse. Representatives offered free Naloxone or Narcan administration training, as well as information on recovery.

“My goal is awareness. I think the more people that are aware of FENTANYL CRISIS continues on page 10

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JUNE 6, 2024

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AROUND town Town Publishes Water Quality Report Want to know exactly what is in the water flowing from your kitchen faucet or where that water comes from?

You can find it in the town’s most recent Water Quality Report published by the Leesburg Utilities Department for 2023.

“The dedication of our Water Supply Division employees to providing our customers with safe, clean, and reliable drinking water, is unmatched,” stated Mayor Kelly Burk. “They take their roles in providing this essential service seriously, and that shows not just in our consistent high marks in meeting water quality standards, but in the recognition we receive.”

Since 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has required drinking water providers to publish annual water quality reports. Leesburg’s report provides customers with information about the sources, treat-

ment, and testing of their drinking water as well as an overview of federal drinking water regulations.

The report may be reviewed at leesburgva.gov/waterqualityreport.

Contract Awarded for Morven Park Road Project The Town Council last week awarded a $2.7 million construction contract to the Ardent Company to improve a half-mile section of Morven Park Road.

The town received eight bids for the project, ranging from Ardent’s low bid to a high of $3.9 million by M & F Concrete.

The project includes building a sidewalk on the west side of the street between Old Waterford Road and West Market Street. The east side of the street would have new curbs to control drainage.

JUNE 6, 2024

Fentanyl crisis continued from page 8

the power of fentanyl and opioid abuse, the more likely that it will spread, and maybe we have a hope of saving lives,” Shernoff said.

The panelists answered questions from attendees after giving introductions including their role in the fight against opioid abuse. They addressed the signs of an overdose, the history of opioid abuse, prevention strategies and destigmatizing mental health.

Achievements continued from page 8

She said continuing to work through the impact of airport noise, affordable housing and finding funding for the Rt. 15 overpass will also be priorities for the council.

“In the future, there will be a strong emphasis on infill development, developing new businesses, homes, jobs, shops and services in existing areas of the town,”

“Users are from every facet of life, every race, every ethnicity, every economic background, and we see that with our distributors as well,” Mocello said.

Loudoun has hosted several fentanyl open houses and awareness events within the past few years. Some have been held at high schools for students and parents, while others have been organized by community leaders. n Ali Elliott is a senior at Woodgrove High School who is working with the Loudoun Now newsroom as part of her capstone project. she said.

Burk said she knows residents can choose to live and work anywhere in the world and committed to maintaining Leesburg’s high quality of living.

“This council is solution oriented. Ensuring Leesburg strong fiscal health requires well-crafted and practiced physical fiscal policies, sound fiscal management and long-range planning our taxes continue to be structured to yield sufficient revenues to fund the high level of services our taxpayers expect,” she said. n

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JUNE 6, 2024

PAGE 11

Leesburg Council Approves Amended Annexation Settlement

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

The Town of Leesburg moved yet another step closer to annexing the 402-acre Compass Creek development, with the Town Council last week formally approving a settlement agreement that lays out the terms of the expansion.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to follow suit later this month.

The actions are among the final steps in the years-long debate over the town’s desire to incorporate the property, which includes a 323-acre Microsoft data center campus. After talks focusing on a voluntary boundary line adjustment broke down, the town filed an adverse annexation suit with the state Commission on Local Government.

The town and county avoided a legal battle following a round of mediation in January and arrived at a settlement. In addition to the land annexation and significant additional tax revenue anticipated from the commercial uses and data center, the town is set to receive $2 million annually from the county government in the form of an economic development grant.

That money, subject to a 3% annual escalator, will be used to offset the 40% utility rate surcharge paid by the town’s out-oftown customers. The town also agreed to

create a separate, lower tax rate for data center computer equipment that would be locked in for five years.

Following an on-site visit and local hearing in March, the commission signed off on the settlement. Tuesday’s council action was required to incorporate one change sought by the commission to a condition that would limit the town’s ability to seek city status, should the current prohibition be lifted in the future.

The settlement agreement was approved on a 5-1-1 vote, with council

member Todd Cimino-Johnson opposed and Patrick Wilt absent.

Cimino-Johnson said he opposed the settlement because the legal battle required the town to spend “millions of dollars in outside legal fees and lost staff time” while the result was little different that county plans have long envisioned.

“They negotiated decades ago that this area would always come into the town and yet they fought it,” he said following the meeting. “They could have at least reimbursed us for the outside attorneys’ fees

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Town Attorney Chris Serpa said once the Board of Supervisors approves the changes, the annexation case will be filed in Circuit Court. Then the Supreme Court of Virginia will appoint a three-judge panel to meet in Loudoun to take final action.

The town is working to complete the boundary change before Jan. 1, 2025, to begin real estate and property tax collections on the property next year. n

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PAGE 12

JUNE 6, 2024

SCHOOL notebook

Education

Contributed Kathryn Cossa

The Cheese Curls after winning second place at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, IA.

Leesburg Odyssey Team Places Second in World Finals

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

LEA President Sandy Sullivan and Vice President Cory Brunet at the Legislative Audit and Policy Committee meeting May 30. The committee found consensus on one of several items LEA wanted addressed in the draft collective bargaining resolution.

School Board Advances Toward Collective Bargaining Resolution

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

After eight hours of talks in a joint committee over the past two months, the School Board is a step closer to having a collective bargaining resolution in place after a panel May 30 came to a consensus on new proposed language around one of seven concerns raise by Loudoun Education Association.

The items include removing a 24-month expiration date on employee authorization cards, several concerns regarding expanding the scope of bargaining including changing the definition of working conditions, granting union access to teachers at school, better defining

confidential employees, and changes to the Evergreen Clause/Impasse language.

An eighth item—requiring at least 50% participation from LEA members to hold an election for an exclusive bargaining representative—was removed by the previous School Board in December shortly after LEA sent its letter.

Legislative Audit and Policy Committee members came to a consensus Thursday on language around expanding the number of items that can be negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement. The draft resolution stated only four topics could be negotiated during the first bargaining resolution, with subsequent bargaining rounds only allowing for two additional topics per round. LEA

representatives argued it was too restrictive and suggested changing the language to allow for an unlimited number in successive rounds. The joint committee on collective bargaining discussed the issue at length but reached no consensus.

Under collective bargaining, a group of employees votes on an exclusive bargaining representative to negotiate terms on their behalf. Once terms are agreed to, it becomes a contract for a set number of years. As that agreement nears its expiration, the representative and division would meet again to draft new terms, which can include more topics.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING continues on page 18

The Cheese Curls, a team of seven Belmont Ridge seventh graders, took second place at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames, IA, last week.

Under the direction of coach Doug Cossa, the team consisting of David Griggs, Kendrick Wang, Jack Tabor, Yusef Khan, Layla Badreldin, Aadhya Janga, and Katelyn Cossa placed second for their solution to a problem in Division Two. Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem solving competition, with an emphasis on teamwork, budgeting, time management and public speaking. There are two parts to the competition: the longterm problem, which teams work on throughout the season, and the spontaneous problem. Spontaneous problems are unknown beforehand and are given to teams during the competition to solve on the spot.

Teams choose one long-term problem to solve from a set of five options. The Cheese Curls chose a problem that involved creating a play from beginning to end, building the props, writing the script, and rehearsing performances. This year, their performance also included original music, composed by Wang, and original song lyrics, composed by all group members.

Over 800 teams from around the world competed this year.

SCHOOL NOTEBOOK continues on page 14

JUNE 6, 2024

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

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PAGE 14

SCHOOL notebook continued from page 12

Ryan Bartel Foundation Awards 2 Scholarships

The next nomination window for the award opens Jan. 15, 2025. For more information, go to ryanbartelfoundation. org/heartofhumanity.

St. Paul VI Names Science Hall After Claude Moore James Bowles from Rock Ridge High

School and Riley Edoria from Woodgrove High School were chosen by a panel of judges to be awarded the Ryan Bartel Foundation Heart of Humanity Award scholarships in the amount of $2,500.

The students were nominated without their knowledge by a peer who is either a recipient or witness to acts of compassion, courage and support of a fellow peer by the winner.

“We developed this unique award in memory of the values our son Ryan stood for,” Suzie Bartel, founder and chair of the foundation said. “We know that young people turn to their peers first when they’re struggling, so we want to encourage and reward those who help them because one kind act can save someone’s life.”

Each year nominations are short listed by the Foundation and then shared with a group of community members who vote on the final two winners. This year, 24 judges participated.

St. Paul VI Catholic High School on May 30 named its science hallway after philanthropist Claude Moore.

Administrators expressed gratitude for the donation from the foundation supporting the school. “The foundation believes that a rigorous science education provides a “leg up” because it is the groundwork needed to pursue careers in high-demand STEM fields such as healthcare. The foundation is excited about this gift because it truly fulfills Dr. Moore’s philanthropic vision to enhance educational opportunities in the Commonwealth and beyond,” according to the announcement of the gift.

Moore established the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation in 1987. A longtime resident of Loudoun County, Moore dedicated his entire estate to education, with his emphasis on young adults and science.

For more information about PVI, go to paulvi.net. n

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Board Aide Policy Updates Raise Questions

BY ALEXIS GUSITN agustin@loudounnow.org

Members of a School Board committee are raising concerns about proposed updates to a policy regarding the code of conduct and expectations of School Board aides.

Board aides are appointed by and solely serve their School Board member, falling exclusively under that board member’s direct supervision, according to the current policy. The policy states they are not subject to the division’s “personnel system, policies, regulations, processes or procedures (including but not limited to, policies, regulations, processes or procedures addressing employment compensation, discipline, termination, development, awards and grievances.)” They are also not considered employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and are not covered by those provisions, according to the policy. No proposed changes were made to this part of the policy.

Proposed changes to the eight-page policy include an expansion of job duties

and a new section restricting their access to confidential information.

According to the proposed updates, aides would not be permitted to officially represent a School Board member in meetings or events, but may, upon the request of their board member, attend and take notes at any open or public meeting of the School Board or other group.

Aides may request information directly from administrators on behalf of their board member if the information is readily available. Other requests for detailed explanations would be required to go through the superintendent’s chief of staff and any requests requiring significant research must have the support from other board members to move forward.

Aides would be allowed to attend meetings between their board member and administrators in a support position if given permission by their board member; aides will not be given information protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or any other POLICY UPDATES continues on page 16

JUNE 6, 2024

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PAGE 15

PAGE 16

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

Board Votes to Spend $16M of Fund Balance, Return $9.8M to County

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN

agustin@loudounnow.org

The School Board learned May 28 it had another $5 million dollars to spend in its year end fund balance and voted to spend just over $16 million for various one-time projects, including $2.9 million for fences around playgrounds and to send $9.8 million back to the county.

Chief Financial Officer Sharon Willoughby said that the division received an additional $2 million from the state Caboose Bill that was recently passed and found an additional $3 million from the continuation of spending revisions in several departments, bringing the total to about $25.6 million.

Willoughby also presented a revised list of staff recommended ways to spend the money with a new total of $13.6 million. It included removing $1 million for textbooks because a further review determined it was not an eligible use of the money because it required a digital subscription that would start July 1. Staff also recommended the installation of solar panels at four schools—Potowmack, Lowes Island and Waxpool Elementary Schools and The North Star School— for $4.9 million. Willoughby said staff recommended the addition of the solar panels after the improved projected fund

Policy updates continued from page 14 confidential information and can’t attend meetings where confidential information is discussed; aides are supposed to show respect for and work with School Board members and division employees despite differences of opinion.

A paragraph was added that states “School Board Aides should refrain from conduct that actively disparages, criticizes, or defames the School Board, School Board members, LCPS, its employees, either publicly, privately, or that interferes with the implementation of a decision made by the School Board.”

Under the proposed additions, aides would not have access to have confidential information, including legal advice, attorney work products, other privileged communications or anything marked confidential. Aides can’t disclose confidential information they inadvertently become aware of. Doing so or threatening to do so could result in court action and being fired, according to the draft policy.

balance. The solar panels will bring in a recouped cost of $230,000 a year in utility savings.

Willoughby then recommended the board vote to return $12.4 million to the county. She recommended in April that the board return $10 million or about 1% of the then $20.6 million fund balance to the county to provide consistency to both entities and to help the relationship between the two boards.

Chair Melinda Mansfield (Dulles) proposed an amendment to add about $3 million to put fences around playgrounds at elementary schools.

“This would increase the use of K-5 playgrounds because kindergarteners could actually use them and help our self-contained classes and adaptive P.E. [classes],” she said.

Mansfield said at the April 25 meeting that she wanted to use some of the money for fencing around courtyards used by special education students.

Mansfield said initially it was to improve the courtyards for the special education students using them but evolved to fencing around playgrounds so more students could enjoy the playgrounds.

“It was a small step with a huge benefit for all elementary students,” Mansfield said via text after the meeting.

Her motion passed 8-1 with Deana

Griffiths (Ashburn) abstaining.

Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg) proposed removing $450,000 that was set aside for a procurement disparity study that would have looked at if a disparity existed between the number of minority owned, women owned and small and local veteran businesses qualified to work with the division and the number of those business actually being used by the division.

She proposed its removal because she felt it was important to return close to $10 million to the county.

“I do think it’s important to honor that,” she said.

She also said in discussions about the study with Superintendent Aaron Spence that he said the division could do the study another time.

That motion passed 7-1-1 with Linda Deans (Broad Run) against and Griffiths abstaining.

The base motion with the amendment passed 9-0 bringing the revised total of fund balance spending to $16,597,143 and $9.8 million being returned to the county.

The projects that will be paid for out of the fund balance include: $1.5 million for school based device replacement for students, staff and work stations, $3.4 million for a comprehensive, adapted curriculum for early childhood special education students called TeachTown, $580,000 for a

compensation study for employees, $1 million for exterior fine arts storage for all high schools, $305,901 for higher security staff badges, $269,000 to replace Dominion Trail Elementary Schools’ HVAC control system, $275,000 to replace failed stadium sound systems at John Champe, Freedom, Loudoun Valley, Potomac Falls and Broad Run High Schools, $200,000 for transportation consultants to study the bus routing system and provide recommendations on adjusting school bell schedules, $795,000 for three additional Bridges Intervention kits per school and $4.9 million for the installation of solar panels on four schools.

The fund balance, which represents 1.2% of the FY 2024 budget, is comprised of undesignated, unspent funds that are projected to be available at the end of the fiscal year. Historically, the division, with School Board approval, has used the money for one-time purchases that support the educational needs. The initial fund balance of $20.6 million was based off a third quarter financial report and was reported to the School Board in April along with several suggested ways to spend the money. Several board members had ideas of their own and were given until May 28 to make proposals and get them vetted in order to meet the June 30 spending deadline. n

Updates to the policy also state board members could face disciplinary actions on behalf of their aides. That could include private or public warnings, public censure, removal from being chair or from committees.

Other proposed updates include that there be no expiration for the NDA agreement all aides are required to sign and that aides may work when the division administration building is closed for emergencies.

During the committee’s discussion, Anne Donohue (At-Large) noted the current policy didn’t contain a clear definition of “political activity,” despite two paragraphs that prohibited aides from engaging in it while on the clock with the division.

“Other policies in LCPS defines political activity specifically as advocating for or against a specific political candidate or political party, a person running in an election, or a matter that is before or subject to an election for a referendum or other matter. So, I’m curious would that extend to matters that may come before the board that are of public focus?” Dono-

hue said. “For example, if the board has a vote on Policy 8040 coming up, is it acceptable for board aides to be commenting on board time for or against that policy? My presumption is right now if we go with the traditional definition of political activity that it would not encompass such circumstances.”

Division counsel Wesley Allen said he understood the language to mean “campaigning.”

“School Board members are entitled to have political views and opinions and are elected on those and to quash that I think would be particularly problematic for either board members or their board aides,” he said.

Committee member Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg) expressed concerns over the proposed addition of a paragraph stating aides should refrain from criticizing the board, its members, or the division.

“I do think some of these lines are fuzzy and that we need to kind of hash this out and I think Mrs. Donohue brought up point I was also going to talk about which is this idea of can you still be you in the public and have your views and partic-

ipate in a local government process as a board aide, or are we actually asking them not do to that?” she said.

“Do we believe being a board aide means you forsake your ability to participate in local government and to use your first amend right to participate if they personally disagree even with you or with other board members. I think it’s a grey area.”

Shernoff also asked for clarification on why the policy had such an extensive addition around confidential information when aides are required to sign NDAs. Allen said after reviewing the NDA and the proposed policy there were discrepancies, and the staff was trying to reconcile the two, which required the addition of more specific language to the policy.

Shernoff said it was important to have the policy and the division’s current NDA aligned, but also wanted to make sure the division was trusting aides and board members to have oversight of their aide.

The policy updates will be voted on at the next LA&P Committee meeting in June. n

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LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 18

Obituaries

Kathleen O’Connell Elder Kathleen O’Connell Elder died on May 21, 2024, at her home in Waterford, Virginia from metastatic breast cancer in the liver. Kathleen was loved, visited, and cared for by friends and family. Her three sons were able to spend her last days by her side reading to her, talking to her, holding her hand, and sitting with her.

Kathleen approached death with uncommon grace.

Kathleen was born to Cornelius and Nancy O’Connell on September 9, 1973.

Growing up in Midland, Michigan, Kathleen developed a lifelong love for nature and the outdoors. Numerous family camping trips as a young girl and a deep family connection to YMCA Camp Hayo-Went-Ha only strengthened her love of the outdoors. Kathleen went on to help establish the now thriving Camp Arbutus Hayo-Went-Ha for girls, where she led other strong, young women on adventures throughout Northern Michigan. As a mother, she would later ensure that her boys would have similar opportunities by attending Camp Hayo-Went-Ha. She graduated from Midland High School in 1991 and followed her heart West to the mountains of Montana, where she studied Forestry at the University of Montana, graduating in 1998. Upon graduation, Kathleen moved to Washington D.C., where she served on the staff of U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the U. S. House Committee on Agriculture, where she advised Members of Congress on forest policy.

Kathleen married Fitzhugh Elder IV in 1999 and they had three sons together. She was the loving, nurturing, and devoted mother to Fitzhugh V, William,

and Keegan. In 2012 Kathleen moved to Waterford, Virginia to raise her family, as well as chickens, bees, and even a few steers with her son, Keegan. During this time Kathleen developed a passion for books, bread baking, writing, painting, gardening, hiking, and generally exploring life. She was curious about everything and found fulfillment in expanding her mind, becoming a Master Gardener and encouraging others to follow their passions. She gave her time to the Waterford Foundation and the Old Dominion Land Conservancy. She was also an inspirational writer and she honed an ability to record musings on life that were intensely personal yet expressed the universality of our human nature. Kathleen showed nothing but love, courage, and grace, right on through her final days. Even on tough days, she still believed and professed that the world is bursting with love.

Kathleen is survived by her three sons: Fitzhugh V, William, and Keegan, and their father, Fitz. She is also survived by her mother, Nancy O’Connell; her siblings, Lisa (David) Pugh, John O’Connell, Joe (Stephanie Schanher) O’Connell, and Michael (Carolyn) O’Connell; her in-laws, Fitzhugh (Chris) Elder III, sister-in-law Logan (Jonathan) Downey, sister-in-law Lock (Burke) Saunders; 16 nieces and nephews, and three grand nieces. In addition, she leaves behind a large extended family and numerous friends whom she considered family. She was predeceased by her father, Cornelius O’Connell, and sister, Julie O’Connell.

Funeral services will be held on June 8th at 11:00 a.m. at St. James’ Episcopal Church in Leesburg, VA with a reception to follow at the Historic Waterford Old School. Memorial donations may be made to YMCA Camp Arbutus HayoWent-Ha. (An avid reader, Kathleen believed that books have the power to change lives. The family asks those attending her celebration of life to bring a book to exchange at the reception)

To place an obituary, contact Susan Styer at 703-770-9723 or email sstyer@loudounnow.com

Collective bargaining continued from page 12 “My only is concern is I just want to make sure we do this well. I think that is really important,” Lauren Shernoff (Leesburg) said at the meeting. “For me I would like to keep the four then I’m open to opening it up to more the next year, but I’m not comfortable with unlimited [in the second round] because I think it can get sideways and that is what I’m trying to avoid.”

Committee members Anne Donohue (At-Large), who chaired the joint committee, April Chandler (Algonkian) and Shernoff agreed to an additional six topics being added—for a total of 10 bargaining topics during a second round of negotiations then to have unlimited topics in the third round and rounds going forward.

The committee also discussed two other issues from LEA’s list—the definition of confidential employees and allowing union access during the workday—but did not reach consensus on either.

The committee discussed confidential employees and what classifies them as such. LEA’s concern with the current draft resolution definition is that it excludes a lot of employees from being part of a bargaining unit. The division has argued it doesn’t want employees who have access to confidential information to potentially disclose that information to union representatives. The committee decided Thursday to move on to the next topic after it couldn’t come to a consensus.

The final topic debated during the 75-minute discussion centered around building access for union members during the workday to conduct group and individual meetings. The current draft resolution requires a written request to use a room in a school at least three days before the meeting, that meetings may not be held during the employees work time, and the union would pay any costs associated with the use of the space.

LEA wanted to remove that language instead replacing it with allowances for one-on-one visits by the union rep during an employee’s break or when they aren’t on duty, and to hold meetings during breaks or mealtimes, and pushed for spaces to meet with employees confidentially.

They also wanted to make sure if an employee had an emergency and needed to meet with their union rep confidentially, it could happen during school hours.

JUNE 6, 2024

The division has argued safety concerns having a union rep who is not an employee coming to schools during the day and being allowed to have access to any room.

Administrators acknowledged that many LEA members are employees but wanted safety protocols in place if the union rep chosen by employees was someone other than LEA. The committee is scheduled to meet June 7 to continue to work through LEA’s list.

Loudoun Now spoke with all three committee members after the meeting and was told they all want to move forward and hope to have a final document to the full board in June.

LEA has been working to get collective bargaining in the division for over two years.

“When we first started, we were the first district that had been approached about collective bargaining. Now other districts are operating under new union contracts. I feel frustrated that we are not there, and I don’t want it to drag out more than it already has,” Donohue said.

“The issues around collective bargaining are complex, and we’ve seen neighboring divisions and local negotiations take time. I am pleased we were able to use the time yesterday to collaborate and gain a better understanding of perspectives not only from my colleagues on the LA&P Committee but also from invested parties in the division and community. I am very hopeful and feel we are closer to compromise than we have been as of yet in this process,” Chandler said in an email.

LEA President Sandy Sullivan at the end of the meeting said she was hopeful.

“I think all three of these board members are clear that they want to move forward. They know how long we’ve worked on this and this has been a heavy lift for them and they haven’t been lifting for two years, eight and half months,” she said.

During public comment section of the meeting, she asked for the removal of nonunion member representation from the draft resolution saying no one is forced to join a union and therefore unions should not be forced to represent someone who isn’t a member.

Sullivan said she hopes they can finish up the final issues in the next meeting then have a vote by the full board by the end of June. She said that timeline would allow LEA to prepare for the election of the exclusive union representative this fall. n

JUNE 6, 2024

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JUNE 6, 2024

Public Safety

Friends, Community Mourn Loss of Woodgrove Student

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

About 25 students showed up Monday evening at Franklin Park for an impromptu memorial service for 16-year-old Leiliana Schwartz, who died from injuries she sustained in a car crash Saturday.

Leili, as her friends called her, was a junior at Woodgrove High School and a light to many, according to one student.

“She was a great friend. She loved everybody. She loved to go fishing, loved vacations, amusement parks. She loved her girlfriend and definitely [loved] her mom. Her mom was her life. She cared about everyone even if they didn’t like her.

She tried to put a smile on people’s faces,” friend Kyle Storey said.

Storey said her loss will be felt in the community because she always put others before herself.

On Monday morning, Storey helped erect a memorial on East Loudoun Street in Round Hill where the crash happened.

He said he tried to go to school, but found it hard to be there and ended up back at the memorial for the rest of the day.

While he was there, students and community members stopped by throughout the day with flowers, balloons and notes.

He also organized an opportunity for students to meet at the intersection after school to come and pay their respects, but after traffic picked up, they moved it to Franklin Park for safety reasons.

“I’ve never lost a family friend or family member as close as this. We used to hang out quite a bit, the past two summers back and forth hanging out every single day and it’s just, it’s a respectful thing to do and someone had to step up and do it,” he said.

He said teachers and administrators at Woodgrove have been helping students with the grief. He said the mood at school was sad.

“The teachers treated me really well today. They got me right with some food and all that they supported me and were there for me. Every teacher I passed in the hall knew I was a really close friend with her and they got me some food, drinks

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Students hug near a makeshift memorial in Round Hill Monday for fellow student Leiliana Schwartz who died from injuries from a car accident Saturday.

and water. They did laps with me, anything they could do with me just to help me and support me through this hard time,” he said.

According to the preliminary report, Schwartz was getting off the westbound exit in Round Hill and turning left onto East Loudoun Street when she pulled into the path of another car headed westbound. The crash is still under investigation. Schwartz was transported to the hospital where she died. The driver of

the other car was uninjured. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with medical bills and funeral costs. As of June 4, over $39,000 had been raised of the $50,000 goal.

A benefit fundraiser has been set up June 9 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Spanky’s Shenanigans in Leesburg. There will be music and entertainment, a silent auction and community support for those affected with all proceeds going to the family. n

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

A makeshift memorial created by friends and family of 16-year-old Leiliana Schwartz who died after injuries sustained in a car accident in Round Hill Saturday.

Lake Sentenced to 17 Years for Killing Father Two years after he strangled his father at his Leesburg home, Schuyler Lake on May 28 was sentenced to serve 17 years in prison.

Lake pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case.

Ac c ord i n g to evidence in the case, Leesburg Police offiLake cers were called to a South King Street home the morning of April 22, 2022, where Dean Lake, a wellknown county brewer, was found dead with obvious signs of trauma.

Investigators found Schuyler’s identification card, cellular phone, and blood-stained shoes inside. The phone contained photographs of the victim’s body taken after the murder.

Schuyler was arrested later that day. For much of the past two years he has been undergoing treatment in a state mental health hospital.

According to evidence provided during last week’s sentencing hearing, Schuyler has a history of psychotic episodes, which began as a college student in 2019 and resulted in three involuntary hospitalizations—the final one just six weeks before the fatal altercation with his father. In that case, he was discharged after one week of a recommended 30-day stay for treatment of schizoaffective disorder and likely stopped taking his medication after that. Schuyler’s attorneys also highlighted multiple instances of physical abuse by his father and a multigenerational family history of mental illness.

Judge James P. Fisher sentenced Schuyler Lake to 40 years in prison, with 22 years and 11 months suspended. The active sentence was at the mid-point of the range designated by the state’s sentencing guidelines. Schuyler also was required to comply with his mental health treatment and complete five years of supervised probation upon release. n

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

2 Arrested in Edwards Ferry Road Shooting

BY NORMAN K. STYER AND HANNA PAMPALONI nstyer@loudounnow.org hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Leesburg Police have arrested two men in connection with a May 30 shooting that injured three teens.

According to the report, officers were called to an Edwards Ferry Road apartment complex just after 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Three young adult males were found suffering from gunshot wounds and transported to area hospitals for treatment of injuries described as not life-threatening.

Following an investigation, officers charged Sylvanus Massaquoi, 19, of Sterling, with aggravated malicious wounding. He was transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, where he was held without bond.

Late Friday, the department announced the arrest of a second suspect. Following a tip from a community member, officers arrested Zeon Garner, 21, of Herndon, in

an Edwards Ferry Road apartment.

Garner was charged with reckless handling of a firearm. He also was held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

According to the arrest warrant, under questioning Garner admitted to discharging a firearm in a public place resulting in serious bodily injury to nearby victims.

According to Loudoun County records, Massaquoi was on supervised probation at the time of the shooting, after pleading guilty in January to drug possession at Park View High School. On April 4, Circuit Court Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. sentenced him to time served, but also imposed a five-year prison sentence that was suspended pending good behavior.

Leesburg Police investigators are continuing their work on the shooting case.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any relevant information is asked to contact the Criminal Investigations Section at 703-771-6417 or PoliceInvestigations@ LeesburgVA.gov. n

PAGE 21

Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Sterling Car Chase A Rochester, NY, man has been sentenced to seven years and three months in prison after leading sheriff ’s deputies on a high-speed chase last July.

Justin Connor appeared before Loudoun County Circuit Court Judge Matthew P. Snow on May 23 for sentencing on charges of felony eluding, felony driving while intoxicated resulting in the maiming of another, driving without a license, providing false identity to law enforcement, reckless endangerment, inadequate animal care, and cruelty to animals.

According to the report, at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023, deputies responded to a report of an unconscious man in a pickup truck parked at a gas pump in Sterling.

Upon arrival, they observed Connor and a female passenger, unconscious in a black pickup truck. They had a dog in the backseat. Deputies knocked on the vehicle’s window until the occupants awoke, and when asked to lower the windows of the vehicle, Con-

nor instead fled in the truck, nearly striking the deputies. Despite being pursued by several cruisers, Connor refused to stop and raced down Sterling Boulevard at, eventually crossing into oncoming traffic, striking several vehicles, and overturning his own, severely injuring the female passenger, and ejecting the dog.

After a trial, a jury found Connor guilty of seven charges on Feb. 14.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jordan Ferbrache and Patrick Stewart argued that Connor’s actions showed a disregard for the lives of others, and that Connor did not express any remorse for his actions.

“We are grateful to the Loudoun County Sheriff ’s Office for their professionalism in bringing this dangerous encounter with Connor to a swift and just end,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson stated in the announcement. n

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JUNE 6, 2024

97-Year-Old Rekindles Her Lifelong Love of Horses

BY SAM DOUGLAS AND ALI ELLIOTT

Giving Back

Ninety-seven year old Betty Miller, a resident of Waltonwood Senoir Living Community in Ashburn got the chance to relive a little bit of her childhood with three generations of her family May 31 at Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Center near Lovettsville.

Miller was cheered on by her family, a surprise to her, and center staff as she rode a white pony named Teddy, rode in a carriage and interacted with the horses.

Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Center and its Silver Spurs initiative partnered with Waltonwood to give seniors enriching experiences through its Adventure by Waltonwood program. The program has previously provided helicopter rides and floral designing to seniors at the center.

Miller, a memory care resident at the facility was initially only going to ride in a horse drawn carriage, however she surprised the staff with a willingness to do Ali Elliott/Loudoun Now more. She successfully mounted and rode Ninety-seven year old Betty Miller was given the chance to relive a bit of her childhood at Loudoun a pony around the stable’s practice arena, Therapeutic Riding Center as part of its Silver Spurs Initiative May 31. impressing the crowd of supporters cheerWaltonwood for more than six years. The eight on loan and six owned. The horses ing her on.

In its 50th year, LTR has partnered with 25-acre riding center is home to 14 horses, are between the ages of 11 and 29 and for

most are on their second or third careers.

“Something that I have felt really strongly about is seeing the benefits of putting people and horses together [which can] benefit them in all four spaces that we live in—emotional, social, physical, and our intellectual life. Horses kind of bring all those things together,” LTR Program Director Kathy Blaine said.

LTR hosts groups from Waltonwood for its Silver Spurs initiative, which is meant for senior citizens who are usually in assisted living or memory care.

“It gives them an opportunity to get out in the community, build relationships, get some exercise and fresh air, and spend time in the presence of horses on the farm,” Blaine said.

The event concluded with Miller exchanging gifts with LTR. Miller gave Blaine a sparkly cowboy hat, three apples for the horses, and a $200 donation for the riding center. n Sam Douglas and Ali Elliott are seniors at Woodgrove High School who are working with the Loudoun Now newsroom as part of their capstone projects.

Inova Loudoun Holds 18th Annual NICU Reunion

BY ALI ELLIOTT

Children from babies to teens and their families were reunited June 1 with nurses and other medical staff from Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the 18th Annual NICU reunion at Franklin Park.

NICU graduates received special name tags upon arrival, and families adorned different identification tags.

Nurses and other healthcare professionals were recognized by their scrubs or Inova T-shirts. Scrapbooks of the graduates covered an entire table, depicting their time in the NICU, as well as their journey after graduation. One former NICU baby was even volunteering at this year’s event.

Families could participate in many activities, including face painting provided by March of Dimes, a national nonprofit that fights for mother, baby and family health post birth; a musical “petting zoo” provided by Bach to Rock; and treats provided by Crumbl Cookie.

A special appearance by Disney princesses Anna and Elsa was also included

in the experience. The event, which was also sponsored by the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Program, had previously been held at Inova Lansdowne, but was moved to Franklin Park three years ago for a more enjoyable environment.

Loudoun is home to a renovated NICU, which cares for babies as young as 28 weeks. The upgraded neonatal center in Lansdowne opened in 2020, almost triple the size of the old facility.

The NICU has 24 beds and was upgraded to a Level III NICU, the highest level in Loudoun. The highest level of care is given by certified neonatologists, lactation consultants, physical and respiratory therapists, neonatal nurse practitioners, and more.

The event is planned to continue next spring or summer with a new round of NICU graduates in attendance. n Ali Elliott is a senior at Woodgrove High School. She is working with the Loudoun Now newsroom as part of her capstone project.

Ali Elliott/Loudoun Now

Children and their families were reunited with nurses and other medical staff from Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit during the 18th Annual NICU reunion at Franklin Park June 1.

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

PAGE 23

Loudoun Holds Third Annual Pride Fest

BY HAILEY YENTZ

Equality Loudoun hosted the county’s third annual Loudoun Pride Festival on Sunday at Claude Moore Park in Sterling.

The event began with an overview of what is the largest pride festival in Loudoun. A staff member of the event announced scholarship winners who are high school seniors going to college this fall. Rowan Koon and Sara Hersehenburger received $4,000 scholarships.

Koon thanked everyone for the decision process.

“It is really nice to have people who see me for who I am,” she said.

“We will always be here to support you, while others won’t,” Hershenburger said.

Four awards were given to recognize individuals who are best at helping members of the LQBTQ community. They were chosen by residents. Following the scholarships and awards, award-winning poet Christopher Thomas, gave the keynote speech.

The event featured three stages with the main stage hosting The Lauren Reedy Experience, Palmyra, Uncle Drew and the Scoundrels. The Jack Daniels stage had

Hailey Yentz/Loudoun Now

Community member gathered at Claude Moore Park in Sterling on Sunday to celebrate Pride month at the county’s largest Pride festival.

The third annual Loudoun Pride Festival held June 2 featured a variety of entertainment including The Lauren Reedy Experience, Bach 2 Rock and Felix Pickles.

as more than 40 nonprofits. Many vendors were set up in tents.

Event goers had the chance to enjoy a variety of activities including face painting, axe throwing and yard games.

Proceeds from the $5 entrance fee will support the work of a a 501(c)3 charitable organization focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy and equality. n

Laurie Blue, Starryville, and Felix pickles. The family stage featured Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, Bach 2 Rock, Samskara

Hailey Yentz is a rising senior at East Carolina University and is interning at Loudoun Now.

Hailey Yentz/Loudoun Now

James Bowles

Rock Ridge High School

Yoga, and Steve the Magician.

There were more than 150 local and regional businesses at the festival as well

Riley Edoria

Woodgrove High School

Congratulations 2024 Heart of Humanity Award Winners

We proudly celebrate their demonstration of humanity, helping to make the world a better place.

We are pleased to award two $2,500 Heart of Humanity Scholarships to these two high school seniors for their support of peers going through a difficult time with their mental health. Thank you for showing compassion, generosity of spirit and acceptance of others.

The next nomination window opens Jan 15th, 2025.

Building resilient teens to prevent youth suicide

To learn more about the Heart of Humanity Scholarship Award visit ryanbartelfoundation.org/hohclosed

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 24

JUNE 6, 2024

Towns

AROUND towns

Middleburg Celebrates New Town Hall as Reflection of Community

BY NORMAN K. STYER nystyer@loudounnow.org

Middleburg’s community spirit was on full display Friday as town leaders and residents gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Town Hall and enjoy a cookout with neighbors.

The Town Hall ribbon-cutting ceremony was the centerpiece of the inaugural Middleburg Day celebration that is planned to become an annual event.

The new Town Hall replaced the small building that has housed the town’s government since 1964.

Town Manager Danny Davis said, at that time, the town had seven employees.

Today, there are 18 town staff members.

Discussions about the need for a new municipal office had been ongoing for some 15 years, when the town broke ground on the new building in January 2022. At that point, the town expected about a year-long construction period, but work was slowed by a series of supply chain and contractor challenges.

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Middleburg residents gathered Friday to celebrate the formal ribbon-cutting of the new Town Hall.

During the process, Town Clerk Rhonda North took on the extra duties of coordinating the project, earning accolades from Davis and Mayor Bridge Littleton.

“There’s no way this project could have come together like it did without her persistence for organization and her clear communication,” Davis said.

“We are really proud that this Town Hall has brought together our administration and our Police Department, which have been separated for so many years.

And for the public, it provides 47 public parking spaces for you seven days a week.

Come use it on the weekends—like today when you can’t find parking,” he said. The Town Hall also offers public restrooms and spaces for events, including the weekly farmer’s market.

“I will say one of my joys has been to watch one of our local residents come out to the town green, sit on the bench and read a book for about an hour at sunset,” Davis said. “When we create community space that is available and accessible to all, we have done well.”

The Town Hall project was supported by a $2 million federal grant secured

by U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA10th) and $500,000 from the county government.

TOWN HALL continues on page 26

Purcellville Adopts New Planning Commission Bylaws

BY SAM DOUGLAS

The Purcellville Council last week approved updated bylaws for the town’s Planning Commission.

The amendments were recommended by the commission and sent to the council for final approval. Changes included when the chair and vice chair are to be nominated, requiring Town Council authorization for the creation of new offices, and clarification of the Planning Commission’s ability to have closed sessions.

Much of the discussion was centered around the change to have staggered fouryear terms for the commissioners. These terms would start in March of the year they were appointed, and end in February four years later. The purpose of the change is to more closely align the start of commissioner terms with the start of council member terms. Bertaut, the council liaison to the commission, argued that the terms of the existing commissioners

should be extended as well to reflect the change.

Bertaut’s motion to extend the terms of Commissioners Troy Brown, Brian Green, and Ron Rise from Sept. 30, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027, and Chair Nan Forbes, Vice Chair Ed Neham, and Commissioner Nedim Ogelman from Aug. 31, 2024, to Feb. 28, 2025, failed 2-5, with only Carol Luke joining Bertaut in support.

“I think a few of us had mentioned looking at any term changes holistically rather than as a one-off change… any term changes I think we would need to postpone and look at more in depth,” Caleb Stought said.

“We discussed with the attorney, he said legally we don’t need to [extend current terms], we could start with the next appointments. … I am not OK with extending current term limits of current committee members,” Vice Mayor Erin Rayner said.

Additionally, the Town Council voted

to delay discussing the agenda development process for the commission after a motion proposed by Rayner to remove it from the agenda passed unanimously. She said Forbes and Ogelman had requested it be taken off the agenda for now.

Bertaut said he also had concerns about it.

“I think the agenda development process needs a lot of work. It has been touted so far as an improvement in the efficiency of our town’s government,” he said. “How are we measuring this efficiency? What is the budgeted allocation and staff time for each of the citizens, committees, commissions, and boards?”

The packet of bylaws changes was approved on a 5-2 vote Luke and Bertaut opposed. n Sam Douglas is a senior at Woodgrove High School who is working with the Loudoun Now newsroom as part of his capstone project.

HAMILTON Rescue Squad Hosts Open House Sunday The town’s volunteer rescue squad is hosting an open house at the safety center this Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

Residents are invited to meet the volunteers, explore the ambulance, see equipment demonstrations, take part in activities, get free ice cream and go home with a goodie bag.

The safety center is located at 39071 E. Colonial Highway.

LOVETTSVILLE American Legion Accepts Applications for Hero Banners The American Legion Post 1836 is accepting applications for the Hometown Heroes Banners designed to honor community members who have served the nation.

The honored veteran does not need to be a resident of the town to qualify. Currently, the town has a limited number of poles with the hardware needed to display the banners. The fee to honor a veteran and purchase a banner is $125.

That cost covers the banner with a small portion going to the Legion post.

Applications are available at the Town Hall.

Chamberlin To Address Historical Society The town’s Historical Society is hosting author Taylor Chamberlin who will speak about his new book “My Old Carpetbagger” this Sunday at 2 p.m.

The book uses Chamberlin’s great-grandparents to reveal new aspects about local and national history.

The event will be held at St. James United Church of Christ on East Broad Way.

JUNE 6, 2024

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Over 60 people attended the Purcellville Economic Development Advisory Committees’s second annual community open house May 22.

60 Attend Purcellville Economic Development Committee Open House

BY HANNA PAMPALONI

hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

As Purcellville Mayor Stanley J. Milan and Vice Mayor Erin Rayner hope to lead the town into a new era of economic prosperity, the two are making an effort to revitalize the face of the town with a focus on 21st Street – an area long vacant while progress on the controversial Vineyard Square development remains halted.

As part of that revitalization process, the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee has been reaching out to businesses and residents to hear opinions on which direction the town should take.

The committee hosted an open house at the American Legion on 21st Street May 22 offering community members a chance to submit comments on topics such as the town’s processes on business fees and taxes, permitting and regulations, infrastructure and traffic, land annexation, downtown redevelopment and new development incentives.

Rayner, who serves as the committee’s council liaison, said over 60 people attended the event and said they were glad to meet other business owners and connect with town staff members who work in the planning department.

“I’m really happy with how it turned out,” she said.

Some feedback provided by residents included asking for more by-right accessory dwelling units, a request for a small hotel to accommodate weekend tourists and Patrick Henry College graduations, preserving and maintaining historic structures, adding more sidewalks through town, investing in upgrading the towns’ streets and starting a façade grant program.

One comment asked the town to grow responsibly, echoing concerns by the own-

ers of Nichols Hardware store expressed during a business owners’ meeting hosted by the committee last month that too much growth and too many changes will have a negative impact on some local businesses.

Some residents expressed concern about vehicle speeds on Main Street suggesting speed bumps, a traffic light at the intersection of Main Street and 32nd Street, a roundabout at Nursery, South 20th and Main Street where a tear drop traffic pattern currently exists and syncing the lights on Rt. 287 to mitigate traffic congestion.

EDAC Chair Grant Wetmore said the next step is for the committee to review and digest the feedback received at its next meeting Tuesday, June 4.

“We got a lot of feedback,” he said. “We’ll go through it at the next EDAC meeting and present it to the town and make suggestions to the Town Council and see if we can work on some of these projects.”

The challenge, he said, is to maintain Purcellville’s small-town charm while also making it a sustainable place to own a business.

“You get a variety of viewpoints. I grew up in Hamilton so I’ve seen all these changes. You see a lot of people that want to keep the small town feel but you also have to service the residents. There’s been a lot of residential growth,” he said. “… How can we support the economic side of things with the town? You want to take in all the considerations because all of the businesses are important.”

Wetmore said the committee will continue to host community meetings, likely at the other end of town to reach a different set of businesses.

All of the feedback received from the May 22 meeting has been compiled in a document by town staff and can be viewed on the town’s website. n

PAGE 25

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 26

JUNE 6, 2024

Cannons Kick Off Season The Purcellville Cannons kicked off the baseball season Friday night at Fireman’s Field facing off against the Winchester Royals and starting the season out strong with a 5-4 win after coming up from behind in the fourth inning. The team lost to the New Market Rebels on Saturday 4-7 but beat the Front Royal Cardinals Sunday 13-2. The team’s next home game is scheduled for Friday, June 7 at 7 p.m.

— Hanna Pampaloni

Town Hall continued from page 24

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Tami Davis, Wexton’s senior outreach director, read a statement from the congresswoman.

“I visited the old Town Hall over three years ago in the midst of COVID when this project was in its early stages. I sat down with the mayor and looked at the blueprints for this new space—the big ideas and big hopes for what this place could be for the community and for all of those who come to enjoy the wonders that Middleburg has to offer,” Wexton stated. “It was an energetic conversation, evidence of the fact that this was a project into which had already been invested many, many hours of thoughts and planning.”

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Wexton secured the funding boost through a community project budget earmark.

County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (DAt Large) said the county’s contribution reflected the county board’s ongoing commitment to supporting the needs of Loudoun’s towns.

“We never, never take for granted how

precious our towns are. And when they come and say, ‘hey, can you help us,’ I say, every single person in Loudoun County, every single man, woman, girl, and boy in Loudoun County is my constituent and I never forget that and we were more than happy to be able to do this,” Randall said.

Littleton said the new Town Hall is more than a government center; it is a reflection of the Middleburg community.

He said he struggled to find a definition that adequately described the town’s spirit, finally settling on: “A close knit group of people bound together by shared values, mutual support, and a profound sense of belonging and place. It is characterized by strong interpersonal connections, where neighbors know each other, lend a helping hand and celebrates life’s moments together. This deep connection fosters a spirit of unity, trust and collective responsibility, making the community not just a place to live, but a true home where everybody feels cared for and integral to the community’s fabric, and shared success is a community.”

“That is what makes this place special, and it was this feeling that we sought to capture in our new Town Hall,” Littleton said. n

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

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LIVE MUSIC MIKE KUSTER 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com JUSTIN SUEDE 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 6 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankypub.com HOLLY MONTGOMERY 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, June 6 Plaza Azteca Mexican Restaurant 1608 Village Market Blvd., Leesburg. plazaazteca.com/leesburg DAVID GOODRUM 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com GREG KNELLER 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com JASON MASI 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com HERB & HANSON 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7 Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. dirtfarmbrewing.com SUMMER & ERIC DUO 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 7 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com MORRIS & MORRIS 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com TAYLOR CARSON DUO 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 7 MacDowell Brew Kitchen, 202 Harrison St., Leesburg. macbeach.com

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 28

File Photo

Families get an up-close experience with horses and riders during Morven Park’s summer Saturday night polo series.

Polo in the Park is Back for 7th Season

BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.org

One of the best parties in Loudoun is back, as Morven Park kicks off its seventh season of Polo in the Park on Saturday.

The family-friendly arena polo event offers two matches a night, food trucks, Hershey’s Ice Cream, and ample picnic space.

Walsh Family wine will be on hand this year offering adult beverage selections.

Arena polo is a fast-paced version of polo played in a 300-foot by 150-foot enclosed arena as opposed to a 10-acre field. A game consists of four 7.5-minute chukkas, or periods, using a ball that is similar to a soccer ball. The ball can be bounced off the uneven dirt of the pitch and off the arena walls.

“It’s like watching hockey on a horse,” Morven Park Executive Director and CEO

Stacy Metcalf said.

Metcalf said when people usually think of polo, they think they have to dress fancy, but that is not the case with arena polo.

People come as they are and tailgate or picnic on the grass and can bring whatever they want. She said parents and kids alike get a kick out of watching the tractor smooth out the dirt on the pitch— Morven Park’s version of a Zamboni.

“We call it the best party in Loudoun and when I look out kids are running around, they are coming down to the arena to look at the horses and watch the match and they are having so much fun.

There are no cell phones out, it reminds me of the olden days when I was young going out to play.”

Morven Park partners with Destination Polo, which brings the horses and riders to Loudoun from all over the world,

including a few from Chile and Argentina who specifically come for the summer season in Virginia. Metcalf said they have a mix of local professionals who make their base in Virginia for the summer then head to Florida for the winter.

Metcalf said there is also a core group of amateurs who live in Virginia and play at Morven Park exclusively during the spring, summer and fall.

Within that mix are local students.

“There are kids that are part of the interscholastic program that plays almost year round locally competing against other schools and interscholastic clubs in the area,” she said.

Metcalf said it’s inspiring to watch the kids play.

Polo in the Park runs Saturday nights through July 27. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Parking passes may be purchased online at morvenpark.org. n

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BEST BETS

LIVE MUSIC

JUNE 6, 2024

continued from page 27 MYSTERY MACHINE DUO 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 7 Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza, Ashburn. socialhouseashburn.com FIRST SUNDAY 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 7 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com SCOTT KURT BAND 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com TOMMY GANN 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com MATT HUSSION 1 p.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday, June 8 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com MELANIE PEARL 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro.

868estatevineyards.com CHRIS COMPTON 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Otium Cellars, 18050 Tranquility Road, Purcellville. otiumcellars.com MICHELLE LOCKEY 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Fleetwood Farm Winery, 23075 Evergreen Mills Road, Leesburg. fleetwoodfarmwinery.com GARY SMALLWOOD 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 50 West Vineyards, 39060 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg.

50westvineyards.com CHRIS BONE 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillsvineyard.com GRAYSON MOON 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com BRIAN FRANKE 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 8 Chains North Winery, 38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford.

8chainsnorth.com PETTY THIEVES 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

THE BRITISH INVASION Saturday, June 8, 6 p.m.

Tarara Winery tararaconcertseries.com Enjoy the music of The Animals, the Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and more as the hits from the ’60s rock invasion are performed on the Shadow Lake stage.

ANDY HAWK AND TRAIN WRECK ENDINGS 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com LIBERTY STREET 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. barnsathamiltonstation.com JUNKYARD JONES 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Lost Rhino Brewing Co, 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn. lostrhino.com MOXIE 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com JOE MARTIN 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Chrysalis Vineyards, 39025 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. chrysaliswine.com JASON MASI 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com MIKE CLEMENT 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Bozzo Family Vineyards, 35226 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. bozwine.com EMMA WHITE 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com JESS PAULIN 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Notaviva Farm Brewery & Winery, 13274 Sagle Road, Hillsboro. notoviva.com HILARY VELTRI 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com

VINES & VIBES MINI MUSIC FESTIVAL Sunday, June 9, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Willowcroft Farm Winery willowcroftwine.com Performances by Chuckie D., The Lost Corner Vagabonds, and Laura Cashman, set against the picturesque backdrop of Loudoun’s first farm winery.

GARY JAY & THE FIRE 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com HARD SWIMMIN’ FISH 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com THE FLASHBACKS 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com ROWDY ACE BAND 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com JULIET LLOYD TRIO 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com STEVE BOYD & FRIENDS 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 8 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro.

868estatevineyards.com THE BRITISH INVASION 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Tarara Winery, 13648 Tarara Lane, Leesburg. $25. tararaconcerts.com HUME-FRYE 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive, Sterling. crookedrun.square.site LITA FORD 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $49. tallyhotheater.com CHRIS HANKS 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Social House Kitchen & Tap, 42841 Creek View Plaza, Ashburn. socialhouseashburn.com

SIX SHADES OF GREY 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com BRITTON JAMES 8:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 8 The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungalowlakehouse.com JASON MASI 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com MINI MUSIC FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, 38906 Mount Gilead Road, Leesburg. willowcroftwine.com THE SHADE TREE COLLECTIVE 12 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Dirt Farm Brewing, 18701 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont. dirtfarmbrewing.com NEW DOMINION BAND 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, 42245 Black Hops Lane, Lucketts. vanishbeer.com SCOTT KURT 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Ln, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com DOMENIC CICALA & FRIENDS 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Lost Barrel Brewing, 36138 Little River Turnpike, Middleburg. lostbarrel.com JASON TEACH 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Bleu Frog Vineyards, 16413 James Monroe Highway, Leesburg. bleufrogvineyards.com KEN WENZEL 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards, 16804 Hamilton Station Road, Hamilton. thebarnsathamiltonstation.com

JAKE SHIMABUKURO Wednesday, June 12, 7 p.m.

Tally Ho Theater tallyhotheater.com Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro kicks off his East Coast summer tour June 12 with a return visit to the Tally Ho Theater. The tour follows the release of his latest album “Grateful,” which features 22 collaborations with a host of Hawaii’s best-known artists.

THE BREWED BAND 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Harvest Gap Brewery, 15485 Purcellville Road, Hillsboro. harvestgap.com RED SAMMY 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Harpers Ferry Brewing, 37412 Adventure Center Lane, Loudoun Heights. harpersferrybrewing.com JOHN “JP” JONES 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Flying Ace Farm, 40950 Flying Ace Lane, Lovettsville. flyingacefarm.com BRIAN HARRIS 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com JIM STEELE 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 9 868 Estate Vineyards, 14001 Harpers Ferry Road, Hillsboro.

868estatevineyards.com THE COLD NORTH 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Spanky’s Shenanigans, 538 E. Market St., Leesburg. spankyspub.com DAVE G 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 9 The Bungalow Lakehouse, 46116 Lake Center Plaza, Sterling. bungaglowlakehouse.com JAKE SHIMABUKURO 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $45. tallyhotheater.com JASON MASI 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 The Lost Fox, 20374 Exchange St., Ashburn. lostfoxhideaway.com SELA CAMPBELL 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com \

HAPPENINGS HELLO HIVE! 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, June 6 Heritage Farm Museum, 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. heritagefarmmuseum.org HISTORY OR HOGWASH: YOU BE THE JUDGE 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 6 Selma Mansion, 16119 Garriland Drive, Leesburg. $40. loudounmuseum.org AMERICAN LEGION POST 34 GOLF FUNDRAISER 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 7 Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club, 41601 Raspberry Drive, Leesburg. $175. birdease.com/Post34tourney2024 FIRST FRIDAY 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7 Downtown Leesburg leesburgfirstfriday.com BOOK SIGNING: GREGORY LALIRE 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7 Books and Other Found Things, 13 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. booksandotherfoundthings.com COMEDY NIGHT BY THE DC IMPROV 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 7 Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg. $22 to $32.

BIRDING BANSHEE 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 8 Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Road, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org CRAM THE CRUISER 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Giant Food, 1000 E. Main St., Purcellville. purcellvilleva.gov MILKWEED SALE 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Northwest Federal Credit Union, 525 Trimble Plaza SE., Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org

HAPPENINGS continues on page 31

JUNE 6, 2024

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Contributed

Chip Beck, shown at work at his Hillsboro-area Goose Island Art Studio, is among 48 artists joining this year’s Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour.

Loudoun’s Top Artists Open Studios for Annual Tour Forty-eight area artists are participating in this year’s Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour. The three-day event opens Friday for its 17th year.

The free, self-guided driving tour through Loudoun’s countryside provides an opportunity to see artists where they work, view live art demonstrations, and experience one-on-one interactions with professional and emerging artists.

The tour includes stops at 29 studios and two art centers where the works of participating artists will be on display. A map of the tour and information about each artist is included in a 32-page tour guide available for download at the event website, wlast.org.

Included on this year’s tour is the Hillsboro-area Goose Island Art Barn and Studio of Chip Beck. The retired U.S. Navy commander, CIA operative and State Department foreign affairs officer has contributed weekly Chip Shot editorial cartoons to Loudoun Now for the past year. Along with other art works, his watercolor editorial cartoons will be available for purchase, with proceeds from the cartoons to be donated to the nonprofit

newspaper and eInk printers. Learn more at gooseislandpublishing.com.

The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 7-9, although the hours of individual stops may vary.

The event is organized by the all-volunteer Loudoun Arts Council, a nonprofit that was created in 1986 to support visual, literary and performing arts in the county.

Learn more at loudounarts.org. n

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JUNE 6, 2024

Communities Unite to Celebrate the AT The Appalachian Trail Festival will take place Saturday, June 8 at the Old Stone School in Hillsboro.

It is the fifth year for the event, which celebrates the opportunities afforded by the nation’s longest and oldest marked footpath. The 2,190-mile trail follows the county’s western boundary atop the Blue Ridge.

Round Hill, Bluemont and Hillsboro are certified AT communities dedicated to supporting and promoting the trail.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Old Stone School grounds will feature vendors, an art show, children’s activities, trail talks from hiking experts, and live music performances from the Short Hill Mountain Boys, Justin Trawick & The Common Ground, Frank Solivan and Jillian Lea, and Shannon Bielski and Moonlight rive. Some 2,000 people attended last year’s event.

A special Eat, Drink & Be Literary! on Friday, June 7, featuring North Carolina Trail Artist Mike Wurman, along with the opening of the Art of The Trail art show will kick off this year’s Loudoun Appalachian Trail Festival. Doors at the Old Stone School open at 6 p.m. for the 7 o’clock Eat,

Drink & Be Literary! event, ticket information can be found at www.OldStoneSchool.org. The art show, also opening at 6 p.m., is free.

Wurman, who resides in Asheville, N.C., said a hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2014 was life changing. “Filled with selfdoubt as an artist and as an individual, I had lost my passion to create until a 2014 hike across the summit of a bald mountain called Max Patch stirred something within my spirit,” he said. Wurman said he was also being called to make the 2,200-mile pilgrimage from Georgia to Maine. “My hope, and prayer, was that somewhere along the way I’d connect with the one

person who had eluded me throughout my life—my true self.

Carrying sketchbooks in an oversized backpack, he’s hiked from Georgia to Maine, documenting his journey through stories and sketches. His three-book series, A Sketch And A Prayer chronicle his dayto-day life, from the people he met and the nature he encountered to the physical and mental challenges he experienced through all 13 states that encompass the Appalachian Trail. A fourth entry in the series is underway. His books will be on sale at Friday’s event.

The Art of The Trail Art Show will feature artwork by Wurman and other talented Trail artists including Melina Irby, Morris Jensen, Janet Hensley and Monica Aguilar. Their art will be available for purchase during the festival on Saturday.

On Saturday, Loudoun’s three officially designated Appalachian Trail Communities present the daylong celebration of the 2,198-mile Trail, featuring four bands, dozens of vendors, “Trail Talks,” kid’s activities, food, locally crafted beers and wines, and more. The Festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on the grounds of Hillsboro’s Old

Stone School with some 40 vendors and non-profit organizations set up until 5 p.m. and performances on The Gap Stage until 8:30 p.m.

Performers on Saturday are Short Hill Mountain Boys at 11:30 a.m., Justin Trawick & The Common Good at 1:30 p.m., Frank Soilvan & Jillian Lea at 3:30 p.m. and Shannon Bielski & Moonlight Drive at 5:30 p.m. More information about the festival, including the lineup of Trail Talk speakers, the Appalachian Trail Art Show and Silent Auction, can be found at LoudounAT.org Key sponsors of the Loudoun Appalachian Trail Festival include Visit Loudoun, Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, Burnett & Williams Personal Injury Lawyers, Old Dominion Land Conservancy, Double D’s Dirt, Friends of The Blue Ridge Mountains, Hillsboro Preservation Foundation, Loudoun Now, Meadow’s Farms, Northern Virginia Orthodontics and Warm Peet.

Tickets for the talk are available at oldstoneschool.org.

Learn more about the festival at loudounat.org. n

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JUNE 6, 2024

GET OUT LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 28 JUNIOR ARBORIST ACADEMY FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Morven Park, 17339 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. loudounwildlife.org APPALACHIAN TRAIL FESTIVAL 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. loudounat.org LAND BEER FEST 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery, 38506 John Wolford Road, Waterford. wheatlandspring.com HSLC ADOPTION EVENT 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Pet Supplies Plus Sterling, 21800 Towncenter Plaza, Sterling. humaneloudoun.org CARS AND CIGARS 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Ion International Training Center, 19201 Compass Creek Parkway,

Leesburg. ionarena.com POLO IN THE PARK 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Morven Park International Equestrian Center, 41580 Sunday Morning Lane, Leesburg. $40 to $250. morvenpark.org LEGACY FARMS SUMMER FAIR 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg. $30. novaparks.org MICRO WRESTLING FEDERATION 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 8 Ion International Training Center, 19201 Compass Creek Parkway, Leesburg. $25 ionarena.com PANCAKE BREAKFAST 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, June 9 AVFRD Station 6, 20688 Ashburn Road, Ashburn. ashburnfirerescue.org HILLSBORO FARMERS MARKET 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 9 Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. oldstoneschool.org LOUDOUN 1725 GRAVEL GRINDER 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, June 9 22407 Foxhound Lane,

Middleburg. $80 to $100. ex2adventures.com HVRS OPEN HOUSE 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 9 39071 E. Colonial Highway, 39071 E. Colonial Highway, Hamilton. joinhvrs.org BOOK TALK: MY OLD CARPETBAGGER 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9 St. James United Church-Christ, 10 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville. lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org WHO DOESN’T LOVE FIREFLIES 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 11 Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Road, Ashburn. loudounwildlife.org FIND YOUR BALANCE BRAIN HEALTH FORUM 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 60 Ida Lee Drive NW., Leesburg. local.aarp.org SCIENCE ON TAP: A LEGACY OF INNOVATION 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 Old Ox Brewery, 44652 Guilford Drive, Ashburn. oldoxbrewery.com FROM DAIRY FARMS TO DATA FARMS 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13 Loudoun Museum, 16 Loudoun St. SW., Leesburg. Free. heritagefarmmuseum.org

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JUNE 6, 2024

Legal Notices NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING The LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION will conduct a public hearing during its work session on Thursday, June 13 ,2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ Meeting Room on the first floor of the County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia. The items proposed for public hearing during this work session are as follows:

LEGI-2023-0038, GOOSE CREEK VILLAGE WEST: ZMAP-2022-0013, SPEX-2022-0034, ZMOD-2022-0046, ZMOD-2022-0047, ZMOD-2022-0048, ZMOD-2022-0049, ZMOD-2023-0030, ZMOD-20230044, ZMOD-2023-0045, & ZMOD-2023-0047 (Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, and Zoning Modifications)

Goose Creek Commercial LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 20 acres of land located west of Belmont Ridge Road (Route 659) on the north side of Sycolin Road (Route 625) and east side of the Dulles Greenway (Route 267) in the Ashburn Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as PIN 153-17-2472-000, Tax Map # /78/U/1////AL/. For ZMAP-2022-0013, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property to the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/Multifamily Affordable Dwelling Unit) Zoning District in order to permit 221 residential dwelling units, including 103 single-family attached dwelling units, 46 multifamily stacked dwelling units, and 72 multifamily attached dwelling units. For SPEX2022-0034, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum lot width for single-family attached units, and reduce the minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks for single-family attached, multifamily stacked, and multifamily attached dwelling units. For ZMOD-2022-0046, ZMOD-2022-0047, ZMOD-20220048, ZMOD-2022-0049, ZMOD-2023-0030, ZMOD-2023-0044, ZMOD-2023-0045, & ZMOD-20230047, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: allow dwelling units to front onto open space instead of a street, increase the maximum number of single-family attached dwelling units from eight to ten dwelling units per building, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 50 feet for single-family attached buildings, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 55 feet for multifamily stacked buildings, increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 60 feet for multifamily attached buildings, reduce the minimum building setback from Sycolin Road from 75 feet to 15 feet, provide a Type 1 Road Corridor Buffer instead of a Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer along Sycolin Road, eliminate the street tree requirement along the garage side of private streets, eliminate the required Type 1 Buffer requirement along the garage side of private streets, reduce the minimum building setback from 150 to 75 feet and minimum parking setback from 100 to 35 feet from the Dulles Greenway, eliminate the required Type B Buffer adjacent to a portion of the larger property to remain in the PD-OP (Planned Development – Office Park) Zoning District, and reduce the minimum lot width for single-family attached end units from 22 feet to 19 feet.

The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0083, TRAILSIDE PARK: CMPT-2023-0009 & SPEX-2023-0020 (Commission Permit and Special Exception)

Milestone Tower Limited Partnership IV has submitted applications for a commission permit and special exception on a 20.22-acre property located south of Gloucester Parkway (Route 2150) and west of Claiborne Parkway (Route 901) in the Ashburn Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as 20375 Claiborne Parkway, Ashburn, Virginia, PIN 115-171969-000, Tax Map # /79/J11////PK/. The Subject Property is zoned PD-H4 (Planned Development – Housing 4) under the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (Zoning Ordinance). For CMPT-2023-0009, the applicant seeks a commission permit per the Zoning Ordinance, as amended, to allow a 150-foot telecommunications monopole and associated equipment compound on the Subject Property. For SPEX2023-0020, the applicant seeks a special exception to allow a 150-foot telecommunications monopole and associated equipment compound in the PD-H4 Zoning District.

LEGI-2023-0030, ARCOLA TOWN CENTER RESIDENTIAL: ZCPA-2022-0001, ZMOD-2022-0013, ZMOD-2022-0014 & SPMI-2023-0016 (Zoning Concept Plan Amendment, Zoning Modifications, and Minor Special Exception)

Arcola Residential Development, LLC, submitted applications for a zoning concept plan amendment, zoning ordinance modifications, and a minor special exception for approximately 38.20 acres of land located south of Arcola Mills Drive (Route 621), north of Little River Turnpike (Route 50), and east on Stone Springs Road (Route 659) in the Dulles Election District (the Subject Property) and more particularly described as a portion of PIN 162-26-6525-000, Tax Map # 101///////G1A/. For ZCPA-20220001, the applicant seeks to amend the Concept Development Plan and Proffer Statement associated with ZMAP-2012-0004, Arcola Center, and other subsequent approvals, to permit the development of up to 70,000 square feet of commercial uses and up to 524 residential units at a density of 15.58 dwelling units per acre. For ZMOD-2022-0013 and ZMOD-2022-0014, the applicant seeks to increase the maximum percentage of residential uses to 89.77 percent of gross floor area and to reduce the minimum requirement for ground floor pedestrian-oriented business to 2,500 square feet in the PD-TC (Planned Development – Town Center) Zoning District, and to allow residential lots that do not have frontage on a Class I, Class II, Class III road, or private access easement to front on open space when private street access is provided at the rear of the lot. For SPMI-2023-0014, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum building setback from Arcola Boulevard from 75-feet to 35-feet. The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

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

Additionally, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically the week before the hearing at www. loudoun.gov/pc. For further information, contact the Department of Planning and Zoning at 703-777-0246 (option 5).

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

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

Regularly scheduled Planning Commission work sessions are held on the second Thursday of each month.

In the event the work session cannot be conducted on that date due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the work session, the work session may be continued to the third Tuesday of the month. In the event the work session may not be held on the third Tuesday due to weather or other conditions that make it hazardous for members to attend the work session, the work session may be continued to the Thursday following the third Tuesday.

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

BY ORDER OF:

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

The object of this suit is to dissolve parties’ marriage via divorce.

Case No.:

It is ORDERED that the Abdulhamid Fatih Ozen appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before August 23, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

24-0188

Loudoun County Circuit Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Buket Demirci v.

Abdulhamid Fatih Ozen

6/6, 6/13, 6/20 & 6/27/24

MICHELLE FRANK, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION

5/30 & 6/6/24

FIND LOCAL EVENTS

GETOUTLOUDOUN.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

Legal Notices

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

PAGE 33

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

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JUNE 6, 2024

Legal Notices Pursuant to Code of Virginia §§15.2-2111, -2119, and -2143,The Round Hill Town Council will hold a June 12, 2024 public hearing beginning at 7:30 pm, at the Round Hill Town Office, 23 Main Street, Round Hill, Virginia, to consider and adopt the following proposed utility rates, fees and charges. Copies of the proposed rates/fees and charges and related documents are available for inspection and copying on the Town’s website (www.roundhillva.org) or at the Town Office.

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

LVZA 2023-0005, AMEND ZONING ORDINANCE (COMMERCIAL USES AND STANDARDS REVIEW) ARTICLE 42-I, IN GENERAL; ARTICLE 42-II, ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT; ARTICLE 42-V, ESTABLISHMENT OF DISTRICTS, ZONING MAP; ARTICLE 42-VI, RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS; ARTICLE 42-VII, COMMERCIAL AND LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ZONING DISTRICTS; and ARTICLE 42-VIII, GENERAL REGULATIONS. Pursuant to Sections 15.2-2204, 15.2-2253, and 15.2-2286 of the Code of Virginia, 1950 as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing at its meeting on Thursday June 13, 2024, at 6:30 pm, in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, to consider an amendment to Chapter 42, Articles I, II, V, VI, VII and VIII of the Zoning Ordinance. Written comments regarding this item can be submitted to clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov by 3:00PM on the day of the meeting. Members of the public may access and participate in this meeting electronically.

The purpose of the meeting is to consider amendments to the Zoning Ordinance that include but are not limited to adding, deleting or modifying permitted and conditional uses in residential and commercial zoning districts, modifying the review criteria for conditional use permit applications, removing the Town Center Fringe designation from the T-C, Town-Center zoning district, modifying lot and building standards in the C-1, Community Commercial zoning district, modifying the buffer requirements of the CI-1, Commercial and Limited Industrial/Flex zoning district, adding modification provisions in commercial districts and establishing new standards for temporary retail sales and electric vehicle charging stations.

All people desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting. Written copies of statements are requested but not required.

The proposed amendment is available for review at the Town Office, 6 East Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia 20180, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, holidays excepted, and on the Town website at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov/government/planning-commission/. You may also request a copy be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning/Zoning Administrator at (540) 822-5788. In the event the meeting is postponed, the public hearing will be convened at the next regularly scheduled meeting at the same time and place.

5/30/24, 6/6/24

Case No.:

JJ044061

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Allison Rodriguez Loudoun County Department of Family Services v.

Liliana Rodriguez, Mother and Unknown Father

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:

JJ044933

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Nariah Swales Loudoun County Department of Family Services v.

Whitney Settles aka Whitney Swales

The object of this suit is to hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-278.2 and 16.1-281 for Allison Rodriguez.

The object of this suit is to hold a Permanency planning hearing and review of Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282.1 and 16.1-281 for Nariah Swales.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Liliana Rodriguez, Mother and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before June 12, 2024 11:00 AM.

It is ORDERED that the defendant Whitney Settles aka Whitney Swales appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before June 14, 2024 at 9:00 AM.

6/6/24

6/6/24

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

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

YR.

MAKE

MODEL

VIN

STORAGE

PHONE#

2001 1998 2020

TOYT FORD PORS

SOLARA EXPLORER MACAN

2T1CF28P71C505288 1FMZU34E7WUA27891 WP1AA2A58LLB06253

AL’S TOWING ROADRUNNER AL’S TOWING

703-435-8888 703-450-7555 703-435-8888 6/6 & 6/13/24

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

PAGE 35

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, June 12, 2024, in order to consider:

AN ORDINANCE TO APPROVE VOLUNTARY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT REGARDING ANNEXATION AND RLEATED ISSUES WITH THE TOWN OF LEESBURG Pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 15.2-1427 and 15.2-3400, the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County, Virginia hereby gives notice of its intent to approve, by ordinance, the proposed Voluntary Settlement Agreement between the Town of Leesburg, Virginia (the Town) and the County of Loudoun, Virginia (the County). The Virginia Commission on Local Government issued its report, dated April 30, 2024, and titled “Report on the Town of Leesburg-Loudoun County Voluntary Settlement Agreement” (the CLG Report).

The CLG Report recommended approval of the Agreement with a technical amendment to Section 7 clarifying that the limitation on the Town’s ability to seek city status will begin to run upon the lifting of the moratorium, regardless of the manner in which it is lifted. The proposed Voluntary Settlement Agreement intended to be adopted is modified to include a technical amendment to Section 7 discussed above and a clerical change.

The Voluntary Settlement Agreement (the Agreement) provides for the annexation of approximately 402.8315 acres of unincorporated territory into the Town commonly referred to as Compass Creek. The properties subject annexation into the Town are more fully described as: PIN

TAX MAP #

PARCEL ADDRESS

PROPERTY OWNER

234-29-4515-000

/60/D/4///A-5/

19460 Compass Creek Pkwy, Leesburg, Virginia

Realty Income Properties 18 LLC

234-29-0522-000

/60/D/4///A-6/

19450 Compass Creek Pkwy, Leesburg., Virginia

CC Outparcel LC

Portion of Dulles Greenway (Rt. 267)

Toll Road Investors Partnership II LP

234-37-8457-000 235-29-7431-000

/60/D/3///A-1/

19540 Compass Creek Pkwy, Leesburg, Virginia

Microsoft Corp.

234-38-2603-000

/60/D/6//A-2A1 (County Portion)

19275 Compass Creek Pkwy, Leesburg, Virginia

SI NVA06A LLC

234-19-2469-000

/60/D/3///V-P/

N/A

Leesburg Commercial LC

234-39-2601-000

/60//16////53/

19360 Compass Creek Pkwy, Leesburg, Virginia

Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust

Compass Creek Parkway Dedicated Right of Way

Loudoun County

The Agreement provides for the Town to obtain consent from the property owners who will be annexed into the Town.

The Agreement addresses certain other matters related to the annexation of Compass Creek. With respect to utilities, the Agreement provides that the Town will provide water and sewer service to Compass Creek.

The Agreement provides that the owner of real property identified as County PIN: 235-29-7431-000, currently owned by the Microsoft Corporation, will retain the option to use Loudoun Water for future phases of development. The Agreement establishes the Economic Development Incentive Program (the EDIP), under which the Town will not charge the out-of-town water and sewer rate surcharge for County residents who receive service from the Town, or each year that the County makes an annual EDIP payment to the Town. The Agreement will also limit the Town’s ability to seek city status for a period of 25 years after the lifting of the moratorium on granting city charters in Virginia Code § 15.2-3201, or any successor statute.

The Agreement will also limit the filing of any future annexation by the Town for a period of at least 25 years. The Agreement also includes other miscellaneous and administrative provisions including those related to approval processes, enforcement, amendment, dispute resolution, and notices.

A copy of the full text of the Voluntary Settlement Agreement, as modified, is on file with the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Loudoun County, located at 18 East Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176, and is open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Copies of the Voluntary Settlement Agreement, the CLG Report, and full text of the proposed ordinance may be examined in Office of the County Administrator 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 by calling or by calling the Office of the County Administrator at 703-777-0200 to request hard copies or electronic copies.

LEGI-2023-0101, ATLANTIC BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL REZONING: ZMAP-2023-0013, SPEX-2023-0041, ZMOD-2023-0069, ZMOD2023-0070 & ZMOD-2024-0001 (Zoning Map Amendment, Special Exception, and Zoning Ordinance Modifications) AtlanticBlvdDominionStation LLC has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment, special exception, and zoning modifications for approximately 3.12 acres of land located east of Sully Road (Route 28) on the northwest side of Atlantic Boulevard (Route 1902) and east of the W&OD Trail in the Sterling Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as PIN 04310-9468-000, Tax Map Number /80//////VDOT6. For ZMAP-2023-0013, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property to the R-24 ADU (Multifamily Residential 24 Affordable Dwelling Unit) Legacy zoning district in order to permit 80 residential multi-family attached dwelling units. For SPEX-2023-0041, the applicant seeks to reduce the minimum rear yard setback required for multifamily attached dwelling units from 25 to 15 feet. For ZMOD-2023-0069, ZMOD-2023-0070 & ZMOD-2024-0001, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 55 feet for multifamily attached buildings, reduce the minimum parking space requirement for affordable dwelling units and affordable housing units to 1.3 parking spaces per unit, and eliminate the Type 2 Road Corridor Buffer required along the northern portion of the Subject Property’s Atlantic Boulevard frontage. The applications are being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023

LEGI-2023-0073, MARS SUBSTATION: CMPT-2023-0005, SPEX-2023-0017, & SPMI-2023-0011 (Commission Permit, Special Exception, and Minor Special Exception) Dominion Energy Virginia (Dominion Energy) has submitted applications for a commission permit, special exception, and a minor special exception for approximately 153.72 acres of land located east of Carters School Road (Route 857) north of Washington Dulles International Airport and southeast of Old Ox Road (Route 606) (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as: PINs: 093-38-2322-000 and 093-18-5459-000, Tax Map #s 102/////////4/ and 102/////////5A. For CMPT-20230005, the applicant seeks a commission permit for a Utility Substation, Transmission per the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, as amended. For SPEX-2023-0017 the applicant seeks to construct a Utility Substation, Transmission, use within the PD-GI (Planned Development – General Industry) zoning district. For SPMI-2023-0011, the applicant seeks to eliminate the minimum and maximum evergreen tree planting landscape buffer requirements along the north, south, and east property boundaries. SPEX2023-0017 and SPMI-2023-0011 are being processed under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0012, FLEETWOOD NORTH: ZMAP-2020-0008, ZMOD-2023-0009, ZMOD-2023-0010, ZMOD-2023-0048, ZMOD-2023-0049, and ZMOD-2023-0050 (Zoning Map Amendment and Zoning Ordinance Modifications) Toll Mid-Atlantic LP Company, Inc has submitted applications for a zoning map amendment and zoning ordinance modifications for approximately 70.92 acres of land located south of Sleeping Woods Court (Route 616), east of Fleetwood Road (Route 616), and west of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621) in the Little River Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as: PIN

PROPERTY ADDRESS

TAX MAP #

243-10-7274-000

N/A

/91////////33/

244-40-6257-000

23547 Evergreen Mills Rd., Aldie, VA

/91////////29/

244-30-4062-000

N/a

/91////////30/

201-45-1579-000

23541 Evergreen Mills Rd., Aldie, VA

/91////////26A

243-10-7419-000

23160 Sleeping Woods Ct., Aldie, VA

/91////////28/

244-40-0641-000

23184 Sleeping Woods Ct., Aldie, VA

/91///1/////1/

For ZMAP-2020-0008, the applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the TR3-UBF (Transitional Residential – 3 Upper Broad Run Upper Foley) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the (R-4) Single Family Residential – 4 zoning district utilizing Affordable Dwelling Unit regulations in order to develop 244 single family detached residential units at a proposed maximum density of 3.44 dwelling units per acre. For ZMOD-2023-0009, ZMOD-2023-0010, ZMOD-2023-0048, ZMOD-2023-0049, and ZMOD-2023-0050, the applicant seeks zoning ordinance modifications for various regulations affecting the Subject Property including but not limited to: permit single family detached units to front on a private road rather than a public road; to reduce the front yard for single family detached

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JUNE 6, 2024

Legal Notices units from 25 feet to 20 feet; to reduce the side yard for single family detached units from nine feet to five feet; to reduce the rear yard for single family detached units from 25 feet to 20 feet; to permit a 50 percent reduction of the parking requirement for public assembly (community/recreation center) use; reduce the required lot width for single family detached, suburban, from 50 feet to 36 feet minimum; increase maximum lot coverage for single-family detached units from 35 percent to 46 percent maximum; and to permit single family detached units to front on a private road rather than a public road. The application is being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0025, DEFENDER DRIVE: ZMAP-2021-0023 (Zoning Map Amendment) NFD Acquisition LLC has submitted an application for a zoning map amendment for approximately 13.8 acres of land located south of Little River Turnpike (Route 50), east of South Riding Boulevard (Route 2201) and north of Mountain View Drive (Route 834), in the Dulles Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as: PIN

PROPERTY ADDRESS

TAX MAP #

128-48-4437-000

N/A

106/N/1////D3/

128-48-8353-000

43394 Valley Vista Ln., Chantilly, VA

101////////79/

128-48-9540-000

N/A

101////////79D

128-48-9920-000

43405 Valley Vista Ln., Chantilly, VA

101////////79A

The applicant seeks to rezone the Subject Property from the PDH-4 (Planned Development – Housing 4) zoning district and the CR-1 (Countryside Residential – 1) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the R-16 ADU (Townhouse/Multifamily Residential Affordable Dwelling Unit) zoning district under the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in order to develop a maximum of 161 single-family attached dwelling units with a maximum density of approximately 11.7 dwelling units per acre. The application is being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

LEGI-2023-0058, BAYS DULLES INDUSTRIAL PARK: ZRTD-2022-0008 (Zoning Map Amendment) Superior Investments LLC has submitted an application for a zoning map amendment (ZRTD) for approximately 1.5 acres of land south of Moran Road (Route 635) between Powers Court (Route 875) and Pacific Boulevard (Route 1036), in the Sterling Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as PIN 044-18-1028-000, Tax Map # /94///5/////2/. For ZRTD-2022-0008, the applicant seeks to rezone approximately 1.5 acres from the PD-IP (Planned Development – Industrial Park) zoning district under the 1972 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance to the IP (Industrial Park) zoning district under the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance, in order to permit the development of all principal and accessory uses permitted in the IP zoning district at a maximum Floor Area Ratio of 0.6.

LEGI-2023-0044, 3 Dog Farm: SPEX-2022-0039 (Special Exception) Gina Schaefer has submitted an application for a special exception for approximately 23.02 acres of land located north of Shannondale Road (Route 714), and west of Edgegrove Road (Route 716), in the Catoctin Election District (the Subject Property). The Subject Property is more particularly described as: 15268 Shannondale Road, PIN 550-46-7353-000, Tax Map # /24///2/////1/. For SPEX-2022-0039, the applicant seeks to permit a dog kennel use in the AR-1 (Agricultural Rural – 1) zoning district. The proposed use is listed as a Special Exception use under Table 2-102 in Section 2-102 of the Revised 1993 Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance (Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance). The application is being processed under the land use and development regulations of the Revised 1993 Zoning Ordinance in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Grandfathering Resolution dated December 13, 2023.

ZOAM-2020-0002 PRIME AGRICULTURAL SOILS AND CLUSTER SUBDIVISIONS (Zoning Ordinance Amendment) Pursuant to Virginia Code §15.2-2204, 15.2-2285, and 15.2-2286, and a Resolution of Intent to Amend adopted by the Board of Supervisors on June 21, 2022, the Board of Supervisors hereby give notice of proposed amendments to the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance in order to amend the regulations governing the Cluster Subdivision Option in the AR – 1 (Agricultural Rural – 1) and AR – 2 (Agricultural Rural – 2) zoning districts. The proposed amendments will establish new and clarify, revise, and/or delete existing regulations and definitions in regard to the preservation of prime farmland soils, rural cluster development design, and uses for the Cluster Subdivision Option. A complete copy of the text of the proposed amendments may be examined at the Loudoun County Government Center, as described below.

Copies of the proposed plans, ordinances, and amendments for each land use application listed above 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 703-777-0246 (option 5) to request hard copies or electronic copies. Additional project files related to land use applications for public hearings may be reviewed electronically at loudoun.gov/landmarc. In addition, documents may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: loudoun.gov/bosdocuments.

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

Members of the public desiring to do so may appear and present their views regarding those matters listed for public hearing. Members of the public who wish to provide public input, whether electronically or in person, are encouraged to sign-up in advance; however, speakers may sign-up during the public hearing.

If you wish to sign-up in advance, call the Office of the County Administrator at (703) 777-0200. For this public hearing, advanced sign-up will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on May 31, 2024, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on June 12, 2024. Members of the public 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. Members of the public may also submit comments on land use items electronically at loudoun.gov/landapplications.

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/TTY-711. 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:

PHYLLIS J. RANDALL, CHAIR LOUDOUN COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 5/30 & 6/6/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:

JJ045449-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Mackenzie Berenize Membreno Membreno Loudoun County Department of Family Services v.

Cristino Membreno, putative father

The object of this suit is to hold an adjudicatory hearing pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-252 for Mackenzie Berenize Membreno Membreno; and hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-278.2 and 16.1-281 for Mackenzie Berenize Membreno Membreno It is ORDERED that the defendant, Cristino Membreno, putative father, appear at the abovenamed Court and protect his or her interests on or before June 12, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. (Adjudicatory); and July 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Dispositional).

6/6, 6/13, 6/20 & 6/27/24

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:

JJ048910-01-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Andrea Isabel Benitez Loudoun County Department of Family Services v.

Wasnat Mojamet, putative father and Unknown Father

The object of this suit is to hold an adjudicatory hearing pursuant to Virginia Code § 16.1-252 for Andrea Isabel Benitez; and hold a dispositional hearing for review of initial Foster Care Plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-278.2 and 16.1281 for Andrea Isabel Benitez.

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Wasnat Mojamet, putative father, and Unknown Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before May 20, 2024 at 10:00am (Adjudicatory); and June 24, 2024 at 10:00am (Dispositional).

5/16, 5/23, 5/30 & 6/6/24

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

Legal Notices ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316 Case No.:

JJ048585-02-00

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Carlton Platt Loudoun County Department of Family Services v.

Sabrina Whitney, Mother

PAGE 37

Loudoun County Public Schools Capital Budgets Community Meetings on Future School Facility Projects The object of this suit is to hold a foster care review hearing and review of foster care plan pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-282 and 16.1281 for Carlton Platt.

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Sabrina Whitney, mother appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before June 25, 2024 at 2:00pm 5/30, 6/6, 6/13 & 6/20/24

Loudoun County Public Schools Department of Support Services is hosting three community meetings to share information on funded, planned and proposed school capital projects.

Date & Time

River Bend Middle School 46240 Algonkian Parkway, Sterling

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 6:00 p.m.

Loudoun County High School 415 Dry Mill Road SW, Leesburg

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 6:00 p.m.

John Champe High School 41535 Sacred Mountain Street, Aldie

More information about the capital budgets is posted on the Loudoun County Public Schools website at www.lcps.org/Page/81470.

Those who need translation/interpretation assistance or a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability in order to participate meaningfully in the community meetings should contact the Support Services office at least three (3) days prior to the specific meeting.

Kevin L. Lewis, Chief Operations Officer Loudoun County Public Schools Department of Support Services 21000 Education Court Ashburn, Virginia 20148 Telephone: 571-252-1385 Email: LCPSPLAN@LCPS.ORG

EARLY VOTING Early Voting – All registered voters are eligible to vote early in-person, no excuse required.

5/23/2024, 5/30/2024 and 6/6/2024

Important Dates for Leesburg Early Voting – Office of Elections – Leesburg – 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite 150, Leesburg 20175 •

Early voting hours – Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

•

Early voting ends Saturday, June 15, 2024.

Misc.

Please note: The Office of Elections (Leesburg) will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2024, in observance of Memorial Day. •

Extended hours –

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

o

Tuesday, June 11– office remains open until 7:00 p.m.

o

Thursday, June 13 – office remains open until 7:00 p.m.

o

Saturday, June 8 and Saturday, June 15 – the office will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Important Dates & Deadlines: Early voting starts – Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the three satellite early voting locations listed below.

Carver Senior Center – 200 E. Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville 20132 Claude Moore Recreation & Community Center – 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling 20164 Dulles South Recreation Center – 24950 Riding Center Drive, Chantilly 20152 o

Auditorium of

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 6:00 p.m.

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

Dates and Hours – §

Saturday, June 8, 2024 – 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

§

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 – 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

§

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

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Thursday, June 13, 2024 – 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

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Saturday, June 15, 2024 - - 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

VEHICLE AUCTION ADESA WASHINGTON DC 705-996-1100 44475 OLD OX ROAD, DULLES, VA 20166

Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 5:00 pm is the last day upon which one may vote an absentee ballot in person for the upcoming election.

To find more information regarding the upcoming election, visit our website at www.loudoun.gov/election. _______________________________________________________________________ Judith Brown, General Registrar / 750 Miller Drive, SE, Suite 150, Leesburg, Virginia 20175 Email: vote@loudoun.gov / Telephone: 703-777-0380 / Fax: 703-777-0622 _______________________________________________________________________ 6/6/24

20+Chase repossessions will be offered to the public sale (monthly) on Wednesdays (6/19/24, 7/17/24, 8/14/24, 9/11/24, 10/9/24, 11/6/24, 12/4/24). Auction doors open at 8:00 a.m. Sale starts at 9:50 a.m.

ET. Registered persons may preview/ inspect vehicles on the day of the sale before bidding. Bids accepted only when a vehicle is presented for sale. The auctioneer will conclude the sale when bidding stops. All results will be final by 5:00 p.m. Terms: Cash or Certified Check.

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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.

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Power lines continued from page 1 meeting at Heritage High School, with a goal of uniting residents in eastern and western Loudoun to speak out about mitigating the impact of grid improvements on the county.

The conservancy has focused its efforts on the possibility of undergrounding transmission lines to mitigate the visual impacts on the community—an effort supported by county supervisors.

The conservancy commissioned RLC Engineering to review Dominion Energy’s proposed 500- and 230-kV line project known as Aspen to Golden and provide alternate recommendations. RLC evaluated alternate construction methods for a portion of the proposed line to run along Rt. 7 including the possibility of undergrounding and found it was a feasible and “ideal” location to protect valuable community landmarks.

More than a decade ago, state and county leaders succeeded in an effort to bury another 230-kV Dominion power line, along the W&OD Trail between East Colonial Highway and Dry Mill Road west of Leesburg.

But Dominion disagrees with RLC’s assessment along Rt. 7 citing the need for a larger right-of-way if undergrounded, the need for large above ground transition stations, and a far greater expense.

“We consider all options when developing a new transmission line, including multiple alternative routes and under-

Bus service continued from page 3 Services Division Manager Scott Gross, that data is not surprising. He said it takes two or three years of consistent operation to build ridership.

The staff already has two projects working to improve the service. An optimization study is examining ways to improve efficiency and tweak underperforming routes. They also have launched a marketing campaign that is showing positive results.

The decision to stop collecting the $1 ridership fee in January was rooted in a 2021 proposal by Vice Chair Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) to offer free rides to students. That plan never took off, in part because Loudoun’s public schools do not issue uniform student ID cards.

In January, the staff floated the idea of waiving fees for all riders, not only to join an emerging trend but also to avoid a

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

grounding. The goal is always to find the best route with the least possible impact on neighbors, historic resources and environmentally sensitive areas,” Media Relations Manager Aaron Ruby told Loudoun Now in an email.

Undergrounding lines will also impact user rates, Ruby said.

“Our rates are among the lowest in the country, and we’d like to keep it that way.

We’re very cautious—as are state regulators—about doing anything that would add unnecessary costs onto our customers,” he stated.

The community meeting will feature a panel discussion led by Lansdowne Conservancy General Counsel Bryan Turner on the challenges and other potential impacts the Apsen to Golden line would have on the community. Also, Turner and County Attorney Leo Rogers will discuss the legal framework of undergrounding transmission lines.

The LTLA portion of the meeting will feature Zephaniah Farm Vineyard Owner Bill Hatch. who will discuss how the 500-kV line proposed by NextEra Energy could impact agritourism in Loudoun County.

Loudoun leads the commonwealth in visitor spending reaching over $4 billion in 2022, according to Visit Loudoun. A study commissioned by Visit Loudoun in 2021 listed vineyards as the number one visitor activity at 65% followed by shopping at 45%, dining at 42%, historic sites at 33%, breweries at 32% and scenic outdoor activities at 30%.

Winery owners, farmers and pri-

vate residents have expressed concerns about the impact that transmission lines through rural Loudoun would have on their businesses and property values.

Lucketts-area farmer John Adams will also talk about the impact that transmission lines would have on small farms, which are on the rise in Loudoun.

The most recent agricultural census released this year shows the number of farms ranging from 10 to 49 acres increased from 668 to 806, growing by nearly 20%, even though the overall acreage of farmland in the county decreased by 10%.

The last segment of the meeting will be led by PEC representatives who will tell residents how they can be involved in the public processes surround state and federal approval for transmission lines and county approval for data center applications.

Loudoun County is the largest and fastest growing data center hub in the world, with a single data center using as much power as 15,000 homes, according to PEC Director of Land Use Julie Bolthouse.

Supervisor Michael Turner (D-Ashburn), who has been watching the growth of data centers with concern, said the demand for them is only going to increase.

In April, he attended a multi-day data center conference and said he walked away with one major lesson—data centers are here to stay.

“Demand for data is not going to decrease; it’s going to increase. And demand for power is never going to decrease; it’s going to increase,” Turner said.

The average household now has 22

devices connected to the cloud, according to Deloitte’s Connectivity and Mobile Trends Survey, and with only two-thirds of the world having access to reliable internet so far, the demand for data is expected to continue to increase.

President of the Data Center Coalition Josh Levi said the industry is working to have as efficient centers as possible to limit their impact to the grid and limit operational costs since 60 to 80% of a center’s operational costs come from their power use.

“Data centers are highly efficient facilities that enable energy savings and efficiencies for homes, businesses, utilities, and other end users. Data centers are also leaders in accelerating clean energy development and deployment, with many having set, and on pace to achieve, voluntary clean energy targets that predate and outpace many state mandates and targets,” he stated.

The amount of computing by data centers increased by 550% between 2010 and 2018 while their energy consumption only increased 6%.

But demand is on the rise everywhere as homes convert from gas HVAC systems to electric, more residents and county services buy electric vehicles and artificial intelligence continues to become more mainstream.

The June 11 meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Heritage High School at 520 Evergreen Mills Road. For more information and to register, go to tinyurl.com/powerlinemeeting. n

costly upgrade to fare collection equipment. In waiving fares, the county would forgo $162,000 in revenue next year, but would save $388,500 in equipment upgrades.

Supervisor Micheal R. Turner (D-Ashburn) said the fares amount to a little more than “chump change” while hindering effort to get more people to use transit.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles), who has wrestled with transit fares as the chair of Metro’s finance committee, opposed the fee waiver. He urged the board to delay a decision pending a broader discussion among regional leaders on bus fare charges. He said studies have shown that the charges are not a significant barrier to ridership. County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large), who is serving on the regional study committee, abstained from the vote.

In dealing with the county’s commuter buses, the decision to maintain the fares—and increase them—was based on information that the average income of

riders was in the $150,000 range, as well as the intention for the buses to provide a premium service. The buses run between Loudoun and DC about 20 minutes faster than the Silver Line trains.

In fiscal year 2014, annual ridership on the commuter routes was 1.5 million.

Today, the commuter routes carry an average of 1,064 riders daily with a projected annual ridership of 203,000 next year.

Since 2019, the county has sought to recover the cost of the service from non-tax sources, including fares and advertising.

Since the service restarted following the COVID shutdown, revenues have covered only 45% of the costs as the shift to remote work undermined ridership. The service is expected to cost $5.3 million in fiscal year 2025, supported by $2.8 million in local tax funding. To maintain revenue neutrality, the one-way fare would need to be $23.74, according to the report.

Supervisors agreed to eliminate or consolidate 10 commuter routes with the lowest ridership. As part of service re-

ductions, the county also is faced with a requirement to sell off 15 of its buses as surplus. Supervisors agreed to do that, but only after the completion of a study evaluating the merits of creating a commuter service to bus workers into Loudoun County from surrounding areas.

Bucking the trends of low ridership is the county’s paratransit service, which provides on-demand, point-to-point service geared toward special needs residents. The service is expected to provide 18,000 rides this year, the highest since it was established in 1990. Supervisors voted to slightly expand the zone for the service as well as to discontinue collection of the $1 fare in January.

Supervisors supported plans for a pilot micro transit service as early as fiscal year 2026. That program that would operate like the paratransit system with small buses or vans deployed on an on-call basis to provide point-to-point delivery. n

JUNE 6, 2024

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 41

Foster kids continued from page 1 “A lot of them get stuck in a spiral coming out of foster care into homelessness.

You feel like you are unwanted and there is not a lot of hope. We are trying to give them that hope,” Wood said.

Wood said Virginia has the highest percentage of youth aging out of foster care, at 20% compared to the nationwide average of 16%.

Donna Fortier, CEO and founder of Mobile Hope, another Loudoun organization that helps homeless, precariously housed, and at risk youth, said her organization has seen an exponential increase in homelessness among 18 to 24 year olds in the past year—jumping from 60-70 cases to over 165.

“I don’t know why it’s happened all of a sudden. It is incredible, and that number does not include the phone calls we are getting. It is only the kids taking the step to come in to do an intake with us. It’s bad and there could be more,” she said.

She said they often work with aged-out foster care youth and are seeing more serious mental health cases with the youth they help.

“There are more mental health issues, more substance abuse issues, a lot of depression, anxiety and PTSD. We are seeing quite a bit of that. And the services to support them as far as housing and getting them the mental health help they need quickly is not keeping pace,” she said, adding greater funding is needed.

“A lot of it is so fixable, but we have to have the revenue and it can’t be a bureaucracy. When kids are in need, they need to be seen now, not in three months. They need help immediately. They are living on the street or in a tent and they can’t successfully move forward,” she said.

She said this age group of youth living on the streets often happens right under our noses.

“Kids are being as creative as they possibly can, yet we still see them living in tents, cars and couch surfing and putting themselves in dangerous situations to have a roof over their heads,” Fortier said.

According to Wood, there are at least 11 kids in Loudoun who are aging out of foster care this year, with about half of them going straight to homelessness. She said accurate Loudoun specific numbers on aged-out youth and homelessness aren’t easy to come by because each county in Virginia runs its own foster care programs and often don’t share their stats with the state.

The MWCOG annual report noted how difficult it is to get an accurate number

Alexis Gustin/Loudoun Now

Upside Down Moments Founder Becky Saunders (right) and Project Belong Loudoun Director Jaoni Wood sort through donated cleaning supplies.

for that age group, stating that because of countless challenges and the fact that their experiences with homelessness are episodic, “single point-in-time counts will always underestimate the true number.”

Wood and Hoffer have watched the alarming trends for years and looked for ways to help. They began talking with community members, some western Loudoun churches and other organizations last fall to find a solution.

Part of that solution came in the form of a home in western Loudoun that they could rent to four young men who aged out of foster care and are experiencing homelessness.

“This is a very nice home we’ve found and rented. They will have things that speak value and worth into them, from the way the house looks to the people involved in their lives who are really focused on giving them value and helping them feel cared for and seen,” Wood said.

Wood said they created a program to provide mentors and opportunities to learn life skills including budgeting, being a good tenant, cooking, working, and being a part of a community.

Other organizations collaborating with Project Belong include Upside Down Moments—founder Becky Saunders has organized a drive for furniture and household items to furnish the house—Vine and Fig Tree, which offers hard and soft skill training on how to live independently and Good Shepherd, which offers transitional housing and shelters, mentoring and life

skill training and has connected the youth with resources.

The plan is to nurture and teach the young men for a couple of years to get them comfortable living independently, then help them move on to a new place, opening a space for someone else at the home.

Wood said they plan to eventually grow the program and have up to seven or eight young adults living at the home and going through the program.

Another part of the plan is to help residents of the home become licensed drivers and to eventually help them get a car. Many aged-out youth are not able to get driver’s licenses while they are in foster care or living in a residential facility.

The house isn’t in walking distance to many jobs.

“One of biggest hurdles was to find a place that had a good set up to meet the needs and we found that place. Now we are piecing together the smaller hurdles,” Wood said.

Fortier said they, too, see a lot of kids who aren’t licensed drivers and need to drive to get to work. She said they are working with at least three kids to help them become licensed drivers. Fortier said Mobile Hope spends a lot of money on Uber to help get the youth they work with to and from jobs, school and appointments.

She acknowledged that while the county has public transportation, the hours don’t always align with shift workers and said it doesn’t always pick up or drop off in areas

where there is affordable housing.

Loudoun County launched a Foster Youth to Independence Initiative in March, which is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help aged-out foster youth find affordable housing.

According to Loudoun County Public Affairs and Communications Officer Glen Barbour, 17 youth have been referred to the program since its launch. The program pays part of the rent based on the person’s income for up to three years. After that time, the individual can continue to get help as needed and as funding is available. Participants work directly with the Loudoun County Department of Family Services. HUD only allows 25 vouchers issued in a fiscal year, according to the county, so all eligible applicants are placed on a waitlist in order of date and time they were referred.

The county also works with other organizations like Shelter House to help provide housing for youth aged 18-24.

Mobile Hope also helps with housing by way of apartments, but Fortier said more is needed in the county.

“We Just need more housing for these kids in transition. They need life skills, they weren’t taught how to answer phones, address thank you notes, budgeting, all of the life skills. The need is great, and it boils down to having that strong foundation of a stable home from which to grow,” Fortier said. n

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 42

JUNE 6, 2024

Opinion A Tragic Loss Published by Loudoun Community Media 15 N. King St., Suite 101 Leesburg, VA, 20176 703-770-9723 KURT ASCHERMANN Executive Director kaschermann@loudounnow.org NORMAN K. STYER Publisher and Editor nstyer@loudounnow.org EDITORIAL ALEXIS GUSTIN Reporter agustin@loudounnow.org HANNA PAMPALONI Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Each life lost in a vehicle crash is an immense tragedy, certainly for the loved ones involved and often for the broader community. Such is the case this week as we mourn the loss of a young driver who died while driving through an intersection in Round Hill.

While not prejudging the cause of the crash, which remains under investigation, town leaders are particularly remorseful.

For years they have pushed the Virginia Department of Transportation— without success—to lower the speed limits on the main roads entering the town, including the area where this crash occurred.

More recently Round Hill has been in a battle to install electronic speed limit signs that flash at drivers when they are rolling into town too fast.

Round Hill is the only town in Loudoun County

without one, while many unincorporated villages also have the devices. The county government has offered to pay for signs for use in Round Hill. However, VDOT has declined to permit them, with the latest official in charge opining they are not an effective safety measure.

There is no allegation that speeding was a contributing factor in Saturday’s crash, but from the town’s perspective a collision on roads with vehicles traveling 35 or 45 miles per hour can be expected to have different results than those on roads limited to speeds of 25.

Those years of warning that something bad would happen unless action was taken offer little solace. As one frustrated town leader said this week, “Instead of having a pole-mounted sign along the road, today we have a cross.” n

ADVERTISING SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.org TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.org VICKY MASHAW Account Executive vmashaw@loudounnow.org CRYSTAL MONNINGER Account Executive cmonninger@loudounnow.org

Loudoun Now is mailed weekly to homes in Leesburg, western Loudoun and Ashburn, and distributed for pickup throughout the county.

Online, Loudoun Now provides daily community news coverage to an audience of more than 100,000 unique monthly visitors.

LETTERS to the Editor Not Thought Out Editor: The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors just voted to approve the allocation of $2 million of unused funds for a “pilot economic mobility program” for low-income residents.

While one can certainly empathize with those who meet the criteria for this program (incomes of $32,550 for a one-person or $46,450 for a family of four) needing additional financial assistance, this pilot program has not been thought out.

1. The criteria for receiving this assistance have not been defined (for example no residency requirements were

specified).

2. What is the amount allocated per recipient during the pilot?

3. There are 10,000 households that could meet the dollar threshold of such a pilot. How will the participants be selected, and will it be sufficiently diverse to evaluate different situations?

4. How many households will be part of the pilot and how long will the pilot last?

There is no mention of how success or failure of this project will be determined. What are the evaluation criteria?

Who will do the evaluation? How do we keep this from becoming a partisan and politically driven exercise? The board

and the county staff should not be part of any evaluation process; this needs to be done independently and divorced from political pressure.

Several supervisors cited the results of other programs in other jurisdictions as models. Broad statements. But we, as citizens, need to see these studies before allocating taxpayer funds for this pilot.

While most of these issues can be addressed, the most concerning aspect is that once you create a “welfare” program it never sunsets. It will be the Loudoun citizens who will have to foot the bill for full implementation. The impacts could be significant with major tax increases.

— Marc Nod, Ashburn

Add your voice to the conversation.

Send us letters to the editor to editor@loudounnow.com

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

JUNE 6, 2024

READERS’ poll

PAGE 43

CHIPshots

Should county supervisors pursue a guaranteed income program?

— By Chip Beck

•• 79.5% No •• 10.8% Yes •• 9.7% Maybe/Need more information

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

What is the best way to improve public transit bus service in the county?

Share your views at loudounnow.com/polls

Commemorating Loudoun’s Revolutionary War History

BY TRACY GILLESPIE

On June 14, 1774, Loudoun County “Freeholders and other inhabitants” met in the county courthouse in Leesburg to “consider the most effectual method to preserve the rights and liberties of N. America, and relieve our brethren of Boston, suffering under the most oppressive and tyrannical Act of the British Parliament.” These men drafted a document—the Loudoun Resolves—declaring their loyalty to Britain and the king but opposing taxation without representation.

Thus began our county’s participation in what would lead to the Revolutionary War and, ultimately, America’s independence.

A microcosm of the revolutionary movement in America, Loudoun’s experiences will be remembered in unique programs and events around the county in the coming years during our country’s 250th anniversary.

As Loudoun County, among other communities across our country, began to commemorate the 250th anniversary—the semiquincentennial—of the Revolutionary War and America’s independence, the Loudoun VA250 Committee was formed in September 2022. Colleagues from local museums, historic sites, libraries, tourism, and related fields gathered for the first meeting. The Committee now number nearly three dozen individuals, including representatives from Loudoun Museum, Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, Lovettsville Historical Society, Middle-

In Our Backyard burg Museum, NOVA Parks, Dodona Manor, Oatlands, Morven Park, Balch Library, the Black History Committee of Balch, Loudoun County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Libraries, members of local DAR and SAR chapters, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Waterford Foundation, Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area, Visit Loudoun, Leesburg Economic Development, Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services, and others. Committee members serve on one or more subcommittees, including Education, Programs, Signage, Outreach, Ways & Means, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Our committee was formally recognized by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in May 2023.

Loudoun VA250 is one of approximately 130 local committees around the Commonwealth to join the statewide effort established by the Virginia General Assembly in 2020. With the tagline “Virginia’s History is America’s Story,” the Commonwealth was among the first states to create a 250 commission. Loudoun VA250 will participate in Virginia’s statewide efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Virginia’s contribution to American independence. We will plan and coordinate thought-provoking and revelatory programs and events within Loudoun to realize an inclusive, positive legacy

and long-term benefits for residents and visitors. We hope to help our citizens learn about our colonial and Revolutionary War history, while clarifying that America is still striving to achieve the Declaration of Independence’s promise of liberty and equality for all. Essentially, Loudoun VA250, with the other local 250 committees, hopes to educate our citizens: to help them understand where we’ve come from and where we’re going. That objective is the reason the Virginia 250 Commission chose “To Form a More Perfect Union” as its theme. The founders of our country knew there was more work required 250 years ago, and work remains to be done today. Consequently, our committee will offer programs beyond historical topics of just the 18th century. Programs offered or endorsed by the Loudoun VA250 Committee since its founding included several topics: John Champe, a Loudoun-born American soldier who became a spy in an attempt to capture Benedict Arnold; the Boston Tea Party and similar incidents around the colonies; James Monroe, a Continental Army soldier long before he became fifth president of the United States; Loudoun on the Eve of the Revolution—looking at the 18th century demographics and land cover of our county; and annual public readings of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

Be on the lookout for programs endorsed by your Loudoun VA250. The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum in Sterling will host the travelling exhibit,

the “American Revolution Experience,” which began May 31. We’ll mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Loudoun Resolves on June 15 at the county courthouse, and on July 4, you’ll find public readings of the Declaration of Independence at several venues around the county. In the years to come, we will be hosting the VA250 Mobile Museum experience, and in August 2025, General Lafayette, the French military officer who served heroically in the Continental Army, will make a return visit to Loudoun on the 200th anniversary of his initial visit.

Loudoun VA250 Committee members are planning many other programs and events in the coming months and years, as we continue to commemorate America’s birth and our continued quest for liberty and equality for all our citizens. For more information about Loudoun’s committee, please visit visitloudoun.org/loudoun250 and follow us on Facebook.com/LoudounVA250. To learn more about Virginia’s 250 Commission, visit va250.org. n Tracy Gillespie, History Educator with NOVA Parks, is the cofounder, and served as the first chairperson, of the Loudoun VA250 Committee. She continues to serve as a liaison between the committee and County staff, and as the committee contact with the VA250 Commission. In Our Backyard is sponsored by the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition.

For more information about the organization, go to loudouncoalition.org.

LOUDOUNNOW.COM

PAGE 44

JUNE 6, 2024

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