Loudoun Now for March 27, 2025

Recall Effort Launched in Purcellville

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

After a tumultuous three months following a change in Purcellville’s leadership, a group of town residents Tuesday night announced an effort to recall Mayor Christopher Bertaut, Vice Mayor Ben Nett and council members Susan Khalil and Carol Luke.

The announcement was made during the Town Council meeting by longtime resident Brian Morgan who said there are four main reasons he is leading the effort.

The first is alleged Freedom of Information Act violations amid concerns by residents that meetings between more than two council members are taking place, communicating via encrypted group chat apps, and are avoiding FOIA requests.

The second relates to the firing of former Town Manager Rick Bremseth and the subsequent hiring of former mayor Kwasi Fraser as interim manager during a Jan. 8 special meeting.

“It’s a quid pro quo. You’re offering a favor to your friend,” Morgan said.

The third issue cited in the recall are effort ethical concerns surrounding Nett, who also works as a police officer for the town. Last month, Nett was placed on administrative leave in the department and added by the

PURCELLVILLE RECALL

continues on page 38

Oak Hill State Park Hopes Stay Alive After Youngkin Adds to Budget

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

After initial efforts to establish the Loudoun County home of President James Monroe as a state park hit resistance in the state Senate, Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday announced he would include

support for the park through a budget amendment.

“In addition, after careful consideration and — I have to say, an enormous amount of arm twisting and a site visit with Del. Geary Higgins — our package of budget amendments includes language to authorize the consideration of establishing Oak

Hill, the historic home of Virginia governor and fifth president of the United States James Monroe, as a state park,” Youngkin stated in the announcement.

The General Assembly will take up the

OAK HILL continues on page 9

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Oak Hill, the historic home of President James Monroe, located near Aldie, is being considered by the General Assembly to have the more than 1,200 acres established as a state park.

First Responder Safety Features Hailed as Hallmark of New Lovettsville Fire-Rescue Station

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Firefighters serving in the county’s northern most station are getting an upgrade to their living, cooking, working out, relaxing, studying, and most importantly, safety facilities as work on the new Lovettsville Fire Station comes to a close.

The station opened for operations last week, but minor work is still being completed around the 20,000-square-foot building. The new facility features a gym, kitchen, dining room, offices, bunk rooms, lockers and several safety upgrades that will work to mitigate cancer risks faced by the first responders.

Among the improvements is the county’s first hot decontamination area where firefighters can prevent the transfer of carcinogens and other harmful substances.

“I can’t say it’s the first firehouse on the East Coast, but it’s the first firehouse that I know of that has a hot decon area,” Capt. Richard Cooper said.

The room connects directly with the bays where the trucks and ambulances are kept and provides showers and lockers with clean clothes for the firefighters so they can change without contaminating the rest of the station. The rooms are outfitted with special HVAC systems to keep the

air flowing and clean.

“This is just all part of we say cancer prevention, but it’s also preventing spreading germs or stuff if you run a nasty EMS call,” Cooper said.

Another feature of the new station allows the firefighters’ contaminated gear to be cleaned on site, rather than sent out, which can take seven to 10 days for a station to get them back.

“Now, we come back, put it in the

washer, change it out with our backup set of gear, and it’s fine. It’s just amazing, with the carcinogens that the gear carries and that we have with us all the time, that we never thought about before. Just to be able to have that ability to do that in the firehouse now and not have to use same washer and dryer for our clothes is a big deal,” Cooper said.

The new facility also includes a cascade compressor so the department can fill its

own SCBA, or air tanks. Until now, the firefighters have had to travel to Lucketts or Purcellville to fill the tanks, taking them at least 20 minutes away from their first due response area.

“We don’t have to leave the station for anything now, except to go to the grocery store,” Cooper said.

The bays also have ventilation systems designed to pull exhaust from the area, so the first responders are not continually breathing it in.

Cooper, who took a job with the fire and rescue system just after graduating high school nearly two decades ago, said the investment by the county into improving health and safety features in the stations is critical and means a lot to him and other system members.

“To see them invest that in our health and wellbeing is just incredible,” he said. Cooper has been tasked with overseeing much of the transition from the old station to the new one and has been working to add personal touches wherever he can. Those include a dining table specifically designed with the station’s logo, title and number, a personalized weight rack and the status board that is updated each shift.

Club Deportivo, Loudoun Soccer Partnership Makes Sport Accessible

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Club Deportivo, a nonprofit soccer club dedicated to making the sport more accessible and inclusive for children in Sterling, launched a partnership with Loudoun Soccer, a move Club President Jose Uruuizo said will help kids with talent go to programs for an affordable price.

Club Deportivo, which started in 2023, offers soccer clubs and programs for many U13 kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access. Uruuizo said transportation and finances were among the barriers. For some kids in Sterling Park who might not get exposure to sports and programs others do, Club Deportivo is filling a role that would traditionally be filled by after-school programs.

“There were few programs here and there, and they were very random,” Uruuizo said. The club focuses on five elementary schools in Sterling Park that “sometimes have been overlooked.”

“Out of the five schools, four of them

did not have a soccer program, a yearround school year program,” Uruuizo said.

“So now what we do, schools like Guil-

ford and Sully, we give them full winter and spring programs and we work with all grades, from first to fifth grade.”

Uruuizo also said that schools reward kids with good grades and attendance with enrollment in soccer programs, a way to incentivize good behavior.

Club Deportivo offers its soccer programs to Guilford Elementary, Sully Elementary, Rolling Ridge Elementary, and Sterling Elementary. Sterling serves as the main fields Uruuizo said because the closest for most kids, a short drive away and often within biking distance. Uruuizo also said parents working two jobs or long hours reap the time benefit.

He also said the club is working to increase accessibility in its prices.

“If you look at the household income in Sterling Park, it’s a little diverse, different from most areas in Loudoun County,” Uruuizo said. “So, we keep our prices really affordable, in some situations we offer full scholarships, you know like with the girls. We really want to change the approach to girls in the Latino community, so we want

William Timme/Loudoun Now

A Club Deportivo Assistant Coach plays with the U11 group during a March 17 practice.

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

A view of the bays in the new Lovettsville Fire and Rescue Station from the mezzanine.

Loudoun

NOVA Parks Raises Concerns Over Tree Clearing on W&OD Trail

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hampaloni@loudounnow.org

After Dominion Energy cleared four miles of trees along the W&OD Trail in Fairfax County, Loudoun supervisors last week directed the staff to find out more about the potential impacts on this side of the county line and to push for more restrained pruning.

In a letter from NOVA Parks Executive Director Paul Gilbert to Dominion Energy, Gilbert said the utility was planning to cut most of the trees along a 33mile stretch of the trail that aligns with transmission line rights-of-way including part of the trail that passes through to Leesburg.

“We know from the first four miles that have been cut from Vienna to Dunn Loring that Dominion is clearing all flora across the entirety of the Dominion rightof-way, not just the trees posing a threat to or potentially interfering with the power lines. This is a significant departure from past practices and long-standing [memorandum of understanding] where

Dominion has cut trees selectively based on their proximity and direct threat to transmission lines,” Gilbert wrote.

Gilbert asked Dominion to look at a

more selective tree trimming strategy that more closely aligns with how foliage along

W&OD TRAIL continues on page 6

Microgrids, Backup Generators Included in Phase 2 Data Center Regulations

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

County leaders last week endorsed a proposal by Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) to include research into microgrids and other onsite power generation uses in its second phase of Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments to data center regulations.

During its March 18 meeting, the board completed phase one of the project eliminating data centers as a by-right use in the county. Now, the county staff will proceed to phase two which includes more specific changes such as establishing policy guidance and use-specific zoning standards for data centers and utility substations to address concerns related to land use, compatibility, aesthetics, infrastructure and natural and environmental resources.

Turner proposed including four aspects relating to onsite power in that process.

“Due to the electrical distribution constraints, data centers are more urgently examining all forms of onsite primary power generation. For this reason, the County needs to establish definitions for the term ‘microgrid’ and other related concepts and establish standard requirements for onsite power sources for existing and new data centers. Oversight in this changing environment is both urgent and essential,” according to the report by Turner’s Chief of Staff Rachel Mai.

Those four points include researching and evaluating best practices, policies and regulations for microgrids, backup generation and other onsite power generation; researching the Code of Virginia enabling legislation regarding the type, location and performance of all onsite energy generation sources including baseload and emergency backup systems to determine local land use authority and permissions; developing appropriate land use policies

Sterling Area Data Center Approved

County leaders last week approved an application to build 723,779 square feet of data center uses along Loudoun County Parkway near Sterling.

The approval came the same night that the Board of Supervisors adopted Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments that eliminated future data centers as by-right uses in the county.

Supervisor Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling), in whose district the property is located, said he supported the application after the developer decreased the originally proposed square footage from 965,038 square feet and improving proffers by the applicant.

“The subject is actually near another data center that’s currently being built, and we know there is going to be other data centers from this applicant in the vicinity, but overall it’s in a good place type for data centers. There’s power that’s currently there now,” he said.

Supervisor Matthew F. Letourneau (R-Dulles) said the county would also benefit from the applicant constructing a segment of the future Lockridge Road, which he said is important.

and regulations to accommodate and mitigate the impacts of power systems like onsite generation; and providing recommendations regarding additional enabling authority needed from the state to better regulate onsite power generation uses.

The proposal by Turner comes after the publication of his white paper “Loudoun County Virginia: Data Center Capital of the World ‘A Strategy for a Changing Paradigm’” which outlines the state of the county’s data centers, energy demand and power infrastructure.

In it, Turner called for a shift in how the county approaches the data center industry and its demand for power.

“We need to develop onsite, carbon net zero power production through microgrids,” he said. “Microgrids, to me, is the only way forward. It’s a new data center paradigm.”

Phase two of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments are expected to take 14 months. n

The application was opposed by supervisors Laura A. TeKrony (D-Little River) and Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) and Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn). TeKrony said she could not support increasing the size of the development from the 372,180 square feet that would otherwise be permitted on the property. The motion to approve passed 6-3.

Board of Supervisors

Amends Rules of Order

To streamline its meetings, the Board of Supervisors last week adopted amendments to its Rules of Order.

Under the revised rules, the second board business meeting of each month will no longer include a 5 p.m. public input session. This session of up to 16 minutes of public comment was established in 2014 to accommodate seniors who did not want to or were not able to drive after daylight hours. The 6 p.m. public comment period will remain.

The changes also reduced the amount of time available for each supervisor to provide comments from five to three minutes.

Lastly, the Rules of Order now clarify that the deadline for a supervisor to request remote participation is noon of the meeting day. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now A tree stump in Fairfax County along a segment of the W&OD Trail that NOVA Parks has raised concerns about efforts by Dominion Energy to clear foliage from interfering with transmission lines.

RefreshYourLook.. Indoors and Out

SPRING S AV I N G S

W&OD Trail

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the trail has been managed for decades. Gilbert also asked for Dominion to expand replanting efforts, consider increasing the tree height limit from 10 to 20 feet in areas that are further from Dominion’s infrastructure, provide the public with the specific areas that will be replanted, and to notify property owners near the clearing locations in advance.

NOVA Parks also recommended that the Loudoun Board of Supervisors support the position of selective tree trimming.

On March 17, Dominion Electric Transmission Forestry & Line Services Manager Amanda Keys wrote a letter to County Administrator Tim Hemstreet saying that the North American Reliability Corporation has changed its regulations and standards for vegetative maintenance and that Dominion is performing a comprehensive engineering review of vegetation along the trail.

“Failure to comply with these [more stringent] requirements could jeopardize the reliability of our customers’ electric service and result in substantial fines. It

has been 20 years since Dominion Energy has performed significant forestry maintenance along this transmission corridor. Since that time, the vegetation growth in the area has become a risk to the safety and reliability of the grid,” according to the letter.

Keys affirmed the company’s commitment to continue working with NOVA Parks to find a solution that supports the trail’s natural habitat and environment and to keeping Loudoun and the community informed of the project’s scope.

“Dominion Energy values its positive relationship with Loudoun County and NOVA Parks. We understand the importance of supporting a cherished community feature, such as the W&OD Trail, while also ensuring critical energy reliability and safety for all customers in the area and across the Commonwealth,” Keys wrote.

Dominion Transmission Communications Consultant Rob Richardson attended the board’s March 18 meeting virtually to address questions and concerns by supervisors.

“Is this discussion because of power lines?” County Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) asked. “Is this discussion because it’s just too much to scale back and

to trim the trees? Why are we doing this now? And why did we learn about this is in such a short amount of time?”

Richardson said the company is working on a transmission line project along the portion of the trail.

“The trees in that area had grown up and were causing some reliability concerns for us and so during that time we decided to look at the rest of the trail, about 36 miles or so, and we’ve identified what we think are reliability concerns along the trail,” he said.

Randall asked if those concerns could be addressed through trimming, rather than clearing.

“I wouldn’t say they have to be clear cut, but some of the trees are going to have to be removed,” Richardson said.

Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) said shade along the trail is important for pedestrians and cyclists.

“It is dangerous not to have shade on that black top trail,” she said.

Vice Chair Michael R. Turner (D-Ashburn) asked if the clearing was being done to make way for new transmission lines along the trail.

“Absolutely not, that’s 100% not what we’re planning to do,” Richardson said. Dominion’s goal is to keep trees from

falling on transmission lines providing power to the region, he added. The company holds the easements along the trail with NOVA Parks that allows them to maintain the vegetation as needed.

The utility is accessing how best to move forward.

“The pause is simply because we felt sort of a wave of opposition and concern and we are responsive to the community,” Richardson said. “So, the way that we can be responsive is we can say let’s take a pause, let’s take another look, let’s make sure that we’re doing the best job that we can, as Supervisor Briskman said, to make sure that we’re not removing trees that don’t need to be removed.”

Randall asked for better and earlier communication from Dominion as well as more collaboration with NOVA Parks.

“I would ask that in every way possible you instead do trimming back instead of cutting,” she said.

Supervisors approved a motion to support continuation of past vegetation management practices on a 7-0 vote with supervisors Caleb A. Kershner (R-Catoctin) and Koran T. Saines (D-Sterling) absent.

Fairfax County supervisors and the Arlington County Board also passed similar resolutions that night. n

Planning Commission Considers Revised Hiddenwood Proposal

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

A proposal by residents along Hiddenwood Lane near Arcola to convert their land zoned for residential uses to data centers came back before the Planning Commission on Monday night after changes to the application required a new round of review. Now, the proposal would see industrial and commercial on the site, rather than data centers.

The original application envisioned converting 20 residential lots along the gravel road to three data center buildings. The neighborhood property owners said they had found a buyer if the land was zoned for data centers.

The group formed to oppose data center applications near their neighborhood years ago, but when those were approved, the residents said the construction dramatically changed the character of their neighborhood. Now, their property lines are feet from where a data center building is approved to be built. Within a onemile radius of the neighborhood, four data centers and one substation have been built. An additional 23 data centers and two substations are planned and approved within that radius.

As a result, the residents decided to sell their homes and submit an application to the county to rezone their properties to allow data center buildings.

However, residents of the Briarfield Estates neighborhood, which backs up to Hiddenwood, said permitting data centers would only shift the poor quality of life from one neighborhood to another.

The Planning Commission approved the Hiddenwod data center application last May on a 4-3-1 vote with Chair

Michelle Frank (Broad Run) and commissioners Madhava Reddy Madireddy (Dulles) and Robin-Eve Jasper (Little River) opposed and Mark Miller (Catoctin) absent. That vote followed a three-hour discussion on the application.

However, after a four-hour public hearing before the Board of Supervisors, the Hiddenwood property owners deferred their application to give them more time to work with the supervisors.

The Planning Commission on March 25 held a public hearing on the revised application that proffers out data centers as a permitted use and instead looks to allow for a mix of industrial and commercial development.

While the original application envisioned three data center buildings totaling 756,024 square feet, the revised plan would allow 334,000 square feet of light and medium industrial uses and commercial uses. The revised application also includes changes to commitments made previously by the assemblage to mitigate some of the data centers’ impacts on Briarfield Estates.

County planning staff members do not support the application currently, saying it is inconsistent with what the county’s Comprehensive Plan envisions for that area.

“Impacts of potential light and medium industrial scale uses are not adequately mitigated given the site’s immediate proximity to residential uses,” according to a staff report.

Staff recommendations include additional commitments on building and site design techniques for greater consistency with what is envisioned for that area, additional screening and landscape buffering, and a revised traffic impact study. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

The entrance to Hiddenwood Lane shows homes to the left of the gravel driveway, while a data center building is set to be constructed directly along the right side of the road.

Experience the power of a transformed life

Become a CSLI Fellow

n The C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program offers a tuition-free year of intensive training that leads to significant life-change. n The program prepares each Fellow to live a powerful transformed life in their church, their community and in their workplace. n It involves Bible stud y, classic readings, lectures, group discussion, personal mentoring and accountability–all in the context of a small group of likeminded believers. n The program is designed to be achievable even for busy professionals with families. n Join the Fellows Program and learn to live as a fully devoted disciple of Jesus Christ and make an impact for Him in the world.

Please Consider Joining Us for the 2025-2026 Loudoun County Fellows Program. To apply or for more information, please visit: www.cslewisinstitute.org/loudoun-county

Tim Bradley

CSLI City Director, Loudoun County

Email: t.bradley@cslewisinstitute.org

Phone: (301) 325-8565

Scrape for the Grape Campaign Begins Saturday

An army of volunteers will spread across Loudoun starting Saturday as part of the second Scrape for the Grape campaign.

The effort is aimed at destroying the egg masses of the Spotted Lanternfly and helping to remove the invasive insect’s favorite food source: the tree of heaven plant.

Spotted Lanternflies are a threat to many crops including fruit trees and ornamental trees, and, most significantly, wine grapes. Loudoun County has more than 850 acres under vine producing 2,300 tons of grapes annually, the most in Virginia.

Sponsored by Visit Loudoun, in collaboration with the Loudoun Invasive Remove Alliance, Loudoun County, Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Loudoun Wineries & Winegrowers Association and Amazon Web Services, this year’s campaign features two days of action on Saturday, March 29 and Saturday, April 4.

“Last year was the 40th anniversary of the Loudoun wine industry and our vineyards are not only a source of economic vitality but also a cherished aspect of Loudoun’s identity,” Visit Loudoun President & CEO Beth Erickson said. “We’ve expanded our effort this year to two weekends and are excited to see the community support continue to grow.”

“The Spotted Lanternfly is a huge threat to the Loudoun wine growing community,” Zephaniah Farm

Vineyard owner and campaign participant Bill Hatch said. “My hope is the Scrape for the Grape initiative will continue to build awareness of the threat all invasive species have on farming and on the beautiful Loudoun natural environment.

During the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days, volunteers will be deployed to locations identified by Virginia Cooperative Extension to scrape the egg masses. Destroying the masses reduces the number of individual adults that will have the ability to reproduce and damage grapevines and fruit trees. Also Tree of Heaven plants will be tagged for removal at a later date.

“So few residents understand the negative economic, health, safety and environmental risks that invasives pose to Loudoun,” said Mike Littman, president of LIRA, which is an alliance of 63 Loudoun HOAs representing nearly 225,000 residents with the purpose of reversing the proliferation of invasive plants in the county. “Scrape for the Grape is a powerful awareness campaign that brings eastern and western Loudoun together to help our rural economy against this threat.”

As an appreciation for the citizen volunteers, a variety of Loudoun wineries will offer special discounts to anyone who brings in their campaign-issued bandana or scraping card. For more information and to register go to  loudouninvasives.com n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

Volunteers search for egg masses of spotted lanternflies at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg as part of last years, Scrape for the Grape campaign.

Oak Hill

continued from page 1

governor’s proposed amendment on April 2 as part of a one-day reconvened session. It will need support from both the House and the Senate.

Efforts have been underway for two years by The Conservation Fund and property owners Tom and Gayle DeLashmutt, whose family has owned the estate for 70 years. The Board of Supervisors in November approved granting $22 million to the Fund to purchase the property.

This year, a bill allowing the commonwealth to take ownership of the park, sponsored by Del. Alfonzo H. Lopez (D-3), of Arlington, cleared review by the House of Delegates without a single vote in opposition. The bill also was supported by the Senate’s Agricultural, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. However, the bill faced opposition within the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee with Chair L. Louise Lucas (D-18), of Portsmouth, and others raising concerns the project would be jumping ahead of other proposals to establish new state parks.

Sen. Russet Perry (D-31), who introduced a budget amendment authorizing the state’s acquisition of the property in January, said she was glad to see more support for the initiative.

“Despite the political headwinds our effort encountered during Session budget negotiations, I am still hopeful that we will get broad bipartisan support for its inclusion in the final Budget next week and will continue to work in the coming days with Oak Hill representatives, all members of the General Assembly, and conservation advocates to get this done,” she stated in an announcement.

Higgins (R-30), who has been supporting the effort since last summer, on March 11 invited Youngkin to tour the 1,240-acre property with the DeLashmutts, and The Conservation Fund Project Lead Heather Richards.

During a Monday afternoon press conference at Oak Hill following a tour of the house and garden, Higgins said he and the governor had discussed the financial details of the plan focusing on Youngkin’s concerns about the sustainability of park.

“We talked through all of the numbers and all of the issues and, quite frankly, the governor amazed me at his knowledge of this project, his knowledge of all the details of it,” Higgins said.

Richards said her team had not yet seen the exact language in the governor’s amendment, but that he has kept hopes for the park “alive.”

“I think that we’ll have to meet some additional hurdles, including making sure that all the funding we said was available is really available,” she said. “That’s really going to be the biggest thing out of a

$52 million project, we’ve already secured more than $46 million. So, we’re looking to fill the rest of that gap over the next few months and meet a couple of other steps that we’re going to have to make, and then go back to the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committee and the governor, and hopefully bring this across the finish line.”

Gayle DeLashmutt said she and her husband are hoping to see the home preserved, which is why they are working with Richards and Higgins to have it transformed into a state park.

“It would mean so much to Tom and I and to our whole family,” she said. “Everybody is on the same page. If this farm gets a happy ending, that it’s not developed, and people can just come and hike, camp, bring their horses … Our fingers are crossed that Oak Hill remains as beautiful as it has been for the last 200 years.”

The property was purchased by Monroe in 1794, and following the burning of Washington, DC, in 1814, he turned his focus to building a peaceful retreat.

Higgins said Monroe is often overlooked because during his tenure as president, the era of “good feelings” was prevalent, marking no major conflicts for the country following the War of 1812. However, Monroe served for decades in many different elected positions.

“He held more state and federal offices than any other president before,” Gayle said. “He was Minister to France. He was Minister of War. He was president, I could go on and on.”

One of his most well-known accomplishments is the Monroe Doctrine, delivered to Congress in 1823, which declared European non-interference in the Western Hemisphere and remains a cornerstone of American foreign policy today. That work was penned at Oak Hill and signed “from my Loudoun County seat.”

After two terms as president, Monroe retired to the property, where he farmed, wrote his biography and hosted guests.

The property passed out of the Monroe family’s hands in the late 19th century. Frank Littleton eventually purchased it and expanded both wings of the house and put porches on both ends. However, the property and all the belongings in the home, were put up for a tax auction, when it was purchased by the DeLashmutts in 1948.

Included among the curiosities inside the home are some original Monroe-owned furnishings, including two Italian marble mantles, gifted by the Marquis de Lafayette, dinosaur fossils found in the quarry on the property, and wooden floors taken from the White House after it burned down.

In addition to extensive gardens and open spaces, the property houses 10 additional structures including an old smokehouse and a tower once used to provide running water to the home. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

A fossil of a Eubrontes dinosaur, a type of raptor known to pass through Virginia, was discovered at quarry at Oak Hill, President James Monroe’s Loudoun home.

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Gayle DeLashmutt, right, shares stories about historic Oak Hill, while Del. Geary Higgins (R-30) enjoys the tour March 24.

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

A room at Oak Hill, the Loudoun home of President James Monroe, includes original features owned by Monroe, including an Italian marble mantle gifted by the Marquis de Lafayette.

Leesburg

Town Council Trims Budget, Eyes Data Center Revenue Growth

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

The Leesburg Town Council on Tuesday adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget, a day after making cuts to department hiring requests and program funding— and earmarking anticipated data center revenue to help fund stormwater management requirements in an effort to close a $647,000 gap.

Monday night’s mark-up session saw cuts proposed by Town Manager Kaj Dentler and Council Member Zach Cummings discussed in a series of straw poll votes. The council has been working to plug the $906,000 revenue hole resulting from its decision to waive the $25 vehicle license fee without increasing the town’s 17.74-cent real estate tax rate. The council decided on a few cuts during its March 10 work session, but still faced a $647,000 shortfall heading the final round of budget talks.

The council quickly endorsed a series of recommendations made by Dentler. Those included removing the $60,000 Town Hall window replacement project, closing the AV Symington Aquatic Center an hour earlier on weekdays and two hours earlier on weekends day to save $40,000, removing $25,000 worth of consultant funding from the sustainability program in community development, removing $17,000 from the Lean Sigma Six project to increase efficiency of town

processes, cutting $20,000 from town wide customer service training, removing $8,000 from marketing for the Flower and Gardening Festival, and cutting $4,692 from operations at the Veterans Park.

The council also cut an $89,432 request to hire a senior engineer for the Department of Community Development. At the previous meeting, it was proposed that the hiring be delayed by six months to save on costs, but Dentler suggested cutting the position until the council has a chance to look more deeply into the town’s process improvement efforts.

“I went ahead and took out the remaining six months, it appeared it was going down anyway,” Dentler said. “That will allow council, in the end of April, to have a discussion with [Director of Community Development Director David James] on the process improvements that you’re interested in. After that, whether you’re comfortable or not comfortable, you can decide what you want to do.”

A proposal by Cummings to remove funding to hire a new cyber security position, which would have cost the town $215,000 from salaries, training fees and other expenses, proved a more difficult decision. As was a proposal to cut the Police Department’s request to hire two new senior lieutenants to one to save $172,899, which spurred more discussion.

With members not supporting another suggestion by Dentler to reduce proposed the cost-of-living adjustment for town

employees from 2% to 1.5%, the council was left with the choices of cutting the cybersecurity position or raising the real estate tax rate. Or they could earmark anticipated growth in data center tax revenue for improvements to the stormwater management program and reallocate that funding to the other priorities.

They chose the latter.

Cummings said he would be unwilling to move forward with the cyber security request unless there was a change to the job description.

“It’s certainly an area of concern for all of us,” Cummings said. “As we’ve heard more and more folks, organizations and individuals being hacked.” He raised concerns that the proposed job description did not require certifications.

IT Department Director Scott Varner said requiring certifications rather than listing them as preferences would cut some “diamonds in the rough” out of the hiring pool.

“You’ll miss the guys that are actually out there have the experience doing it, running those security operations, but they didn’t chase the cert,” Varner said. “Of course, when they onboard, that’s part of their training plan.”

Council Member Nicholas Krukowski asked if the town picks up the fee for certification training. Varner said it would.

TOWN BUDGET continues on page 11

AROUND town

Yard Waste Collection

Resumes April 7

Patriot Disposal Services will collect yard waste from those living within town limits every Monday beginning April 7.

Up to 10 biodegradable paper bags, or 10 marked trash cans, will be picked up at each home each week.

Yard waste is limited to grass clippings, leaves, weeds and small twigs and must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day of collection. Yard waste must be inside biodegradable paper bags or in cans marked as yard waste. The town will provide residents with free “Yard Waste” stickers for marking purposes. Call 703-771-2790 for sticker requests.

For more information, go to leesburgva.gov/yardwaste.

Synergy Home Care Celebrates New Location

Dr. Felix P. Gbee celebrated the opening of SYNERGY HomeCare’s new location downtown with a ribbon cutting on March 18.

The veteran-owned business offers a range of non-medical in-home services for people of all ages and abilities. Some of their most popular services include senior care and companionship, specialized care for those who are living with physical or developmental disabilities or chronic health conditions, memory care and hospital-to-home care.

“We love Leesburg. We love to be a part of the community and as we continue to grow, we know we’re going to do great things,” Gbee stated.

SYNERGY HomeCare is located at 18 W. Market St. For more information, go to synergyhomecar.com/ va-leesburg-20176. n

Draft Zoning Ordinance Published for Public Comment

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

The Town of Leesburg’s draft zoning ordinance update is available online and features a built-in public comment system for each of the sections.

That comment system allows town staff members to read direct feedback of the proposed changes, throughout the Planning Commission’s upcoming work sessions this spring. Director of Community Development James David said

the public comment system will remain open until May 5.

The system required users to type their name and email address before submitting a comment.

The last comprehensive Zoning Ordinance update was adopted in 2003. The work to update the regulations launched 20 years later in June 2023. It’s expected to be completed later this year.

The Planning Commission has a series of work sessions lined up. Those sessions include discussion on Articles 1 and 2, general provisions and zoning

districts and dimensional standards, on April 3; Article 3, use regulations, on April 17; Article 4, Development Standards, on May 5; and Article 5, Review and Decision Making Bodies, on May 15.

After that, the proposed Zoning Ordinance and the commission’s recommendations will be handed over to the Town Council.

During Thursday night’s meeting, Commissioner Brian McAfee raised concern that the council would be overloaded with information if the two bodies didn’t exchange information as the

review process was moving along. David said that the council would be regularly updated.

The proposed ordinance and more information about the project is available at leesburgva.gov/departments/ community-development/current-department-projects/zoning-ordinance-rewrite. The public comment section can be found under “Draft Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Now Available for Public Review and Comment.” n

Planning Commission Endorses Greenway Manor Rezoning

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

The town’s Planning Commission is recommending approval of the Greenway Manor rezoning to permit construction of 141,125 square feet of development across seven buildings on the South King Street campus.

The development was originally approved in 2012 but has been subject to modifications including the reuse of existing historic buildings and new construction to accommodate uses including an indoor theater, offices, a school, a. place of worship, restaurants and shops. It also includes a minor special exception application to permit a private parochial school serving kindergarten through eighth grade. The campus is home to the Destiny School of the Arts.

A vote on the rezoning was delayed during the Feb 21. planning commission meeting after neighbors voiced concerns about the potential for spillover of parking into neighborhood streets; noise from the performing arts center, commercial inn, or weddings; and the possible environmental impacts on wetlands and wildlife.

The commission provided the applicant, Stanfield LLC, with 14 requests to work through before the next meeting, including information on a residential

Town Budget

continued from page 10

The council voted not to cut the position, with the stipulation that the job description be changed to require certifications.

However, without additional cuts, the council faced an impasse on how to avoid an increase to the real estate tax rate.

Council Member Kari Nacy suggested a delay in filling the cyber security position to save money.

Dentler said delaying the hiring process by five months could make it work. He also said that the town could hire earlier if it used savings from vacant staff positions, which he said he was comfortable doing.

To close the remaining gap, council members proposed shifting money from the $220,000 stormwater management program.

“Madam Mayor, I just want to make sure the council fully understands these are inspections for the stormwater management program that we have to do,” Dentler said. “We have no choice. There’s a cost. So either you’re going

to have to fund it, or I’m going to have to find the money to fund it. The work doesn’t go away. It is mandated for us to do these inspections.”

Cummings pointed to anticipated increases data center revenues starting next calendar year and proposed shifting $120,000 from the stormwater projects.

Director of Public Works and Capital Projects Renée LaFollette said it was possible to operate with the lower allocation for a portion of the year.

The council voted 4-3 to cut the $120,000 from stormwater management with the goal of restoring funding later during the budget year. Nacy, Mayor Kelly Burk, Cummings, and Krukowski voted to make the cut. Council Member Patrick Wilt, Vice Mayor Todd Cimino-Johnson, and Council Member Neil Steinberg voted against.

Steinberg voiced his opinion on the decision before it was made.

“Seems to me we had a pretty clear consensus amongst the council members that we would not form this budget with any revenues not yet realized,” Steinberg said. “Now all of the sudden that’s exactly what we’re doing, when we don’t have to. I think the town man-

parking program, a traffic impact analysis, exhibits showing the distances from homes in Greenway Farm neighborhood, a list of proposed noise abatement measures, how the project will prevent

ager’s suggestions did actually get us to where we need to be without affecting stormwater management funding. Given that consensus, I’m not sure why that’s exactly what we’re doing now.”

Vice Mayor Todd Cimino-Johnson disagreed with the decision as well.

“Last year we voted $1.6 million out of the unassigned fund balance to bring us up to speed on items like this,” he said. “I do not agree that we should take this out. I’d rather see us relieve the cybersecurity officer, than stormwater management, because of how painful that felt. … This is $120,000 we start off next year’s budget not having, that we’re going to have to find somewhere.”

Mayor Burk gave her final thoughts on the decision to put forth unrealized revenue, adding that she voted for the decision but didn’t like it.

“I just wanted to be very clear that we’re talking about revenues from the data center,” Mayor Burk said. “That we have a commitment that we will return that money to stormwater management. … We can’t continue to do that every year.”

The council voted 5-2 to adopt the proposed budget on Tuesday night with Wilt and Cimino-Johnson opposed. n

potential spillover parking into neighborhoods, control litter and more.

During the March 20 meeting, Senior Planning Project Manager Christopher Murphy said the applicant had addressed all outstanding issues raised by the staff by the time of the public hearing.

The applicant made changes to the pick-up/drop-off system at the childcare center, including new lane lengths allowing cars to come in from Greenway and exit the parking lot at two locations.

“Vehicles would be able to go all around the site, essentially,” Murphy said.

The traffic impact analysis also found that the number of daily trips would be reduced compared to the previously approved development on the property.

Murphy said the amended application decreases the percentage of commercial uses from 65% to 39%, which would reduce neighborhood parking concerns.

The commission recommended approval of the amended application on a 5-1-1 vote, with Commissioner Brian McAfee opposed and Commissioner Jennifer Canton abstaining.

The application next moves to the Town Council for a public hearing and final action. n

Work Begins at Black Walnut

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Construction on a warehouse-style addition to the rear of the former Black Walnut Brewery on South King Street is underway in downtown Leesburg.

The project, approved by the Board of Architectural Review in February 2024, will house six condos, according to project leader Kevin Ash, who is developing the Hotel Burg on the adjacent property. He called the Black Walnut project “phase two.”

Black Walnut Brewery owner Patrick Wilt, a member of the Town Council, closed the business last year. n

William Timme/ Loudoun Now

An addition to the Black Walnut, owned by Brewery Owner Patrick Wilt, is undergoing construction on South King Street.

William Timme/ Loudoun Now

The barn at Historic Greenway Manor is part of a rezoning application including a 141,125 square foot development.

Education Education, Business Leaders Celebrate Community Partnerships

BY AMBER LUCAS alucas@loudounnow.org

Loudoun County Public Schools on Friday honored individuals, businesses, and nonprofits that helped create positive experiences in Career and Technical Education for their students. It was the 25th year for the Loudoun School Business Partnership Awards Recognition Breakfast.

The event hosted by the Loudoun School Business Partnership Executive Council with the theme of “Together We Thrive.”

Superintendent Aaron Spence kicked off the program with a speech thanking all of the businesses that support the school system. He highlighted internships, mentorships, and the annual Job for a Day program during which more than 80 businesses served over 530 students in 2024.

“I have to tell you that I’m filled with immense pride as superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools to be able to sit in a room with over 750 people who are invested in our school division and who are champions for our students and for their futures,” Spence said.

He said that a community willing to invest and believe in its students makes them better and stronger.

“This is the story here, from this point forward,” Spence said. “This is it. It’s sim-

ple, and everybody in the room can remember this: We have a great community and we have great schools. And great schools make a great community, and a great community makes great schools, and that’s who we are here in Loudoun County.”

Awards presented during the breakfast include the Make a Difference Award,

Legacy Award and the J. Hamilton Lambert Exemplary Leadership in Education and Community Service Award.

The Make a Difference Award was given to Flags of Valor, AFCOM – Potomac Chapter, Jen Andos, Loudoun Economic

COMMUNITY PARTNERS continues on page 13

Women Urged to ‘Rise’ During Empowerment Event

BY AMBER LUCAS alucas@loudounnow.org

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-15) and County Supervisor Juli E. Briskman (D-Algonkian) were among the women who gathered at Rock Ridge High School on Saturday to share their experience with gender discrimination and highlight the importance of voting during the annual Rise To event founded by Women and Gender Studies Teacher Jessica Berg.

“The idea when I created the women and gender studies course [was that] it’s one thing to read about these women and people in the books, I wanted to put the women and people in front of my students. This is who in your own backyard and your community is fighting for us, fighting for our rights. Like someone said earlier, people aren’t born extraordi-

nary, they become extraordinary through these small things that they do to make big change,” Berg said.

The event featured keynote speaker Kathy Spillar, executive editor of Ms. Magazine and executive director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, two speaker panels and five spotlight speakers called “Changemakers and Table Shakers.”

Berg runs the event in conjunction with her women and gender studies course that she teaches at Rock Ridge. The program has its roots in a field trip she took with eight students to South Africa.

“I was lucky enough to chaperone a field trip to South Africa years ago, in 2018, and it was a girls leadership conference. I loved the vibe, and I was like I’m gonna bring that back to my school,” Berg said. “There was such awesome women on stage, it was great energy, I was like, I can

7 Students Advance to Science Fair

Seven students from among more than 300 entrants from the Loudoun County Public Schools Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held last Wednesday and Thursday at John Champe High School, are advancing to international competition.

Top projects in the 43rd annual competition include students working with small interfering RNA molecules, conducting cancer and cholesterol research, and tracking right whales.

Grand Award winners were:

• Naija Shah, John Champe High School, and Sanjay Lakshmanan, Independence High School, Limiting Esophageal Cancer Metastasis with KRT16 siRNA.

• Nithya Vinodh, John Champe High School, Determining Small Molecule Inhibitors of Calpain to Promote Cholesterol Efflux in Macrophage-Derived Foam Cells.

• Naitik Oza, Freedom High School, Development of a Novel Multi-Omics Enhanced QSAR (MEQSAR) Model for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) Inhibitor Discovery.

• Taha Rawjani, Independence High School, and Matthew Li, Independence High School, Implementation of a Real-Time Right Whale Detection Network and API Utilizing a Series of Buoy Floatation Devices with a Custom Spectrogram-Based CNN.

do that.”

The event runs on donations that Berg secures from community organizations, this year mostly from Virginia NOW and Network NOVA, and the Rock Ridge PTSO.

The panels were made of prominent women in the community, including Briskman, Hashmi, and Spillar. The first panel’s topic was regarding feminism and its evolution through the years, and the second was on gender and policies surrounding it.

Briskman spoke about how policies that provide equity between men and women often weren’t equitable at all. This included bathroom size, especially factoring in women having children with them,

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT continues on page 13

• Yash Sreepathi, Broad Run High School, Utilizing Grad-CAM Thresholding Techniques to Improve AI Interpretability in Prostate Cancer Risk Stratification from MRI.

They qualify to advance to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair that will be held in Columbus, OH, in May.

The program’s top award, the Willowcroft Science Scholarship, went to Shah. Willowcroft Farm Vineyards has sponsored the $7,000 scholarship since 1991. The award also comes with a $7,000 cash prize for the winning student’s teacher. This year that went to Academies of Loudoun Science Teacher Melissa Willis.

A full list of category winners can be viewed at tinyurl.com/LCRSEF2025. n

Amber Lucas/Loudoun Now

Maria Saab, representing Amazon Web Services, presents the Loudoun Non-profit Partnership Profile to Inova Healthy Plate on March 21.

Community Partners

continued from page 12

Development and the Loudoun Education Foundation. They were given this award for their sponsorship of the Together in Remembrance event that took place at 37 elementary schools last May. The event highlighted the importance of veterans on Memorial Day and featured an activity where first graders had the opportunity to make a wooden flag, provided by veteran-owned Flags of Valor.

ManTech was given the Legacy Award for contributions to CTE programs through its DFEND Internship. The internship gives students real-world work experience in the cybersecurity field. They also support LCPS with a partnership with Purdue University in the Online Global program that allows former interns to get a bachelor’s degree online while working full time, with ManTech footing the bill.

The J Hamilton Lambert Award was given to Lewis Parker, the pioneering Loudoun winemaker who regularly supports the division’s Regional Science and Engineering Fair and annually provides The Willowcroft Science Scholarship and the Willowcroft Dual World Language Scholarship. He also funded the Dual Language Immersion Summer Science Fiesta to help students retain language skills over the break.

“It’s hard to believe now that when I went to Loudoun County in 1979 there were three high schools. Can you imagine, three high schools? And the ability to come, not only to grow to where it is today, but to manage that growth is certainly attributable to people like you,” Parker

Women Empowerment

continued from page 12

transportation routes, and more. Women aren’t used as models for the standards, she said. She said that women need to be included in these decisions.

Hashmi told stories about her grandmother and her fight with inequality in education, and how that inspired her in her work. She also spoke about her time in the Virginia Senate, when there was only a handful of women elected. Even during the Democratic caucus the input of women was dismissed as “issues they shouldn’t be focusing on,” Hashmi said. She also said that they have since been able to make women the majority in the party.

The panel speakers also raised concerns over the Trump administration’s

said to the audience.

Other honorees included Virginia School Board Association Honor Roll winners Apple Federal Credit Union, Ridgetop Coffee and Tea, and Oak Spring Garden Foundation, presented by School Board Chair Melinda Mansfield. Profiled partnerships that hosted various CTE events were Microsoft, Inova Healthy Plate, Huntington Learning, Luck Stone and Elena Lam as staff champion.

“On behalf of the Loudoun County School Board, I extend my deepest appreciation to our VSBA Business Honor Roll recipients and to every single organization in this room that partners with our schools, your contributions make a tangible difference, enriching educational experiences, expanding opportunities and preparing our students for success. As we continue to strengthen these partnerships, I look forward to learning more about the incredible work happening across our schools and our community. Thank you for your ongoing support,” Mansfield said.

Career and Technical Education has been a big focus for the school division, Spence said. Along with this annual event, the division hosted the first Workforce Summit in October.

Spence thanked all of the departments and people that made the event happen, and specifically pointed out Director of Family and Community Engagement Renée Dawson in “putting her heart and soul” into the school system.

“I hope you leave today feeling Just a bit more inspired and thinking more also about how we can continue to create and build stronger partnerships, and the many, many different ways that those work to support our students,” Spence said. n

policies concerning education and minority groups.

“Knowledge is power, and that’s why they’re coming for education. They don’t want anyone who doesn’t have historically manifested power to have it and they’ve taken a really wide blowtorch to it. They are now going for scientific research,” Associate Professor for George Mason University Bonnie Stabile said.

Stabile also said that references to accomplishments by women and people of color are disappearing from government records, and programs like pancreatic cancer research are being halted.

Presentations during the Changemakers and Table Shakers talks included topics of women’s health and when to see a doctor, the role of Title IX really does, and stories from women encouraging each other to vote in all elections. n

Gvino Enoteca Celebrates Move to Biggers Space in Downtown Leesburg

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Giacomo Galimberti celebrated the grand opening of the new, larger location for his Leesburg wine store, Gvino Enoteca, with a March 21 ribbon cutting ceremony.

Galimberti, former wine director at Cafe Milano in Georgetown, started Gvino Enoteca in 2021 in downtown Leesburg at 203 Harrison St. More than doubling his space in the Market Station retail complex at 108 South St. will allow Galimberti to expand on his business and run vocational wine classes at the shop.

Gvino Enoteca plans to continue its First Friday wine tasting events and its wine club. The standard wine club provides subscribers three bottles every month for $52.99, but he recently added an “elite wine club” that features more collectible items at the rate of one premium bottle a month for $90 and two for $170. The club offers lists of food pairings created from Galimberti’s international journey.

Originally from Lake Como, Italy, Galimberti’s grandfather was a winemaker hobbyist. Galimberti had lived in London and Dubai before landing in DC. He said he was always connected with wine, even before moving to the nation’s capital. His time at Cafe Milano in Georgetown helped to build relationships in the United States.

In 2019, Cafe Milano was crowned by the Italian embassy for having the best Italian wine in Washington DC. Galimberti said he focuses on quality European and Italian wines, which he now puts at the forefront of Gvino Enoteca.

Enoteca offers wines from Loudoun wineries, as well as overseas delights, including Riascoli 1141, from the second oldest winery in the world. Galimberti said that “wine travels time” while explaining his philosophy and the experience he wants to give customers.

“What I love to do is tell backstories,” he said. “Why is the name like this? What families from what century? You know wine, it’s something that travels in time, and people have been making it

You’ve Got Maids Issues Sweeping Change Grant

After a round of community voting, You’ve Got Maids of Northern Virginia this week presented the Northern Virginia Creative Reuse Center with the inaugural Sweeping Change Fund community challenge grant, a $1,500 donation to support its mission to promote sustainability and creativity through reuse.

The Sweeping Change Fund was launched earlier this year as a quarterly community giving program designed to spotlight and support nonprofits serving Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

“This challenge proves that nonprofits with a passionate following can make a big impact,” said Natasha Magrath, president and CEO of You’ve Got Maids of Northern Virginia. “We were blown away by the level of engagement and the stories behind each nomination.

“NOVA Creative Reuse Center stands out for its creative approach to sustainability and the strong local support behind it. We’re so honored to be part of their journey.”

for so many years.” Galimberti said as he reflected on the way people were living when the wines were bottled to connect to those backstories.

Galimberti also thanked his family for supporting him and the business. He also cited support from the Leesburg business community, particularly Daniela William’s Cucinamore in-home dining business, for which Gvino Enoteca does wine pairings.

Gvino Enoteca also serves food. Its menu includes Italian and Mediterranean options such as focaccia recipes, pinsa romana dishes, and panini.

Galimberti said he’s always been connected with wine in one way or another.

“It’s a very fascinating industry,” he said.

Mayor Kelly Burk gave remarks during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

“It’s always special when we have a business that’s so successful that it grows,” she said. “But usually they end up leaving us, but you stayed. That really means a lot to us.”

For more information go to gvinowine.com. n

“NOVA Creative Reuse Center is thrilled to receive this donation, which will help us expand our efforts to make art accessible while keeping usable materials out of landfills,” Executive Director Leah Cooper stated. “This support allows us to empower creativity, sustainability, and community connections in meaningful ways. We are so grateful to You’ve Got Maids of Northern Virginia and the attention they have given to us and all of the wonderful nominees.

The nomination window for the next round is open through April 30. Learn more at sqr.co/SweepingChange.

Ashburn Floors Franchisee Sees Record Sales

Tim Buser, owner of the Ashburn branch of Footprints Floors, was recognized in February for achieving the highest revenue within a month for the franchise.

Footprints Floors does floor refinishing, hardwood instillations, tile installations, laminate flooring, and more.

Learn more at footprintsfloors.com/ashburn. n

Giacomo Galimberti inspecting wines in Gvino Enoteca's new location.

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Public Safety Supreme Court Overturns Double Murder Case

The Virginia Supreme Court last week overturned the conviction and life-inprison sentences of Brian Kuang-Ming Welsh.

Welsh is accused of murder in the 2018 shooting deaths of Mala Manwani, 65, and her adult son, Rishi Manwani, 32, in their Aldie home.

He was convicted on the charges in 2022 following a Loudoun County Circuit Court jury trial.

Welsh’s attorney appealed. Although upheld by the state Court of Appeals court, the Supreme Court overturned the convictions in a March 20 ruling.

In the opinion by Justice Wesley G. Russell Jr., the court found that Judge James Fisher erred by refusing to allow the defense to present testimony from a firearms expert to challenge the findings of the prosecutors’ expert.

A key element in the case was investigators’ claims, as verified by the firearms expert, that shell casings found at the

murder scene could be linked to a .22-caliber pistol found at Welsh’s parents’ home, although that weapon likely was altered to have different barrel.

The appeals court acknowledged the error in not allowing the defense expert to testify but deemed it harmless in the scope of the trial. A Supreme Court majority disagreed, sending the case back to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to begin a new trial.

“The question before us is whether we have a ‘grave doubt’ that absent the trial court’s error, the jury would have reached the same judgment of conviction. Because a majority of this Court, considering the specific facts of this case, harbors such a ‘grave doubt,’ we cannot conclude that the trial court’s error was harmless,” according to the opinion. Three justices dissented, agreeing with the appeals court’s findings.

Welsh was sentence to two life sentences for first-degree murder plus six additional years on firearms violations. n

Outlet Mall Theft Suspects Get Hearings

BY WILLIAM TIMME wtimme@loudounnow.org

Three Suffolk women suspected in connection with organized retail theft from two stores in the Leesburg Premium Outlet mall were scheduled to appear in Loudoun County District Court on Monday. Two didn’t show up.

The night of Jan. 15, Leesburg Police officers were called to the Polo Ralph Lauren store at the outlet mall for a report that three people removed merchandise without paying. While investigating this incident, the department received a call from an employee at the Dick’s Sporting Goods, reporting that three individuals there were concealing items.

Natesha L. Cheeks, 29, Tanajah S. Harrell, 26, and Shakira V. Mizzelle, 23 were arrested there, and investigators found more than $8,000 worth of merchandise in their vehicle.

They were charged with two felony counts of larceny, two counts of felony possession of burglarious tools, conspiracy to commit larceny and larceny

with the intent to sell/distribute.

Cheeks and Mizzelle failed to appear in court Monday for their preliminary hearing. The judge issued an arrest warrant for both.

Harrell, who facing additional charges, was being held in custody.

A criminal complaint alleges that Harrell provided law enforcement with a false identity of her sister. According to that complaint, a search warrant conducted on Jan. 16 led officers to find a bag containing 37 rounds of ammunition and multiple traffic citations issued to Harrell’s sister. The complaint also alleges that the three admitted to driving in the same vehicle to Leesburg on Jan. 15.

Harrell was charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon as well as three counts of providing false identification to law enforcement, two felony counts of identity theft, and obtaining an ID in order to avoid arrest, and one count of identity theft resulting in financial losses under $1,000.

Her case was certified to the grand jury for review. n

Nonprofits

Schaufeld, Davis Share Life Lesson in Loudoun Laurels Forum

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

The Loudoun Laurels Foundation on Sunday explored the life lessons of two community leaders during a conversation with Karen Schaufeld and Betsy Davis at Rust Library in Leesburg.

Moderated by Loudoun Laurels Vice Chair Elaine Attridge, the program was part of the nonprofit’s speaker series that highlights the work of the 34 individuals recognized by the foundation since 2008 for their extraordinary community service.

During the March 23 program, Schaufeld, a 2018 Loudoun Laurels inductee, discussed the evolution of her career goals from flight attendant as a youth, to doctor until faced with challenge of college chemistry, and finally to a legal career. Today, she is an entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist—the founder of 100WomenStrong and president of Claude Moore Opportunities.

Davis, who was selected as a Loudoun Laurel in 2017, highlighted the lessons she learned while working in her family’s business, The Fun Shop, in Middleburg, and as long-time rescue squad volunteer—and how those experiences working with people help guide her service as mayor and a Town Council member.

The foundation will announce the selection of its next honoree in April,

GIVING back

Inova Offers Community Health Grants to Nonprofits

Inova Health System is accepting Community Health Opportunities applications from area nonprofits for programs aligned with its Community Health Needs Assessments and focused on behavioral health, health access or economic stability.

The average funded request is approximately $25,000, although some grants may be higher or lower. Eligibility requirements include being a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, located in and serving residents in one of the areas of Inova’s needs assessment areas, and having a focus

ahead of a Sept. 27 gala that serves as a fundraiser for its student scholarship program that has provided $1 million in support to 29 Loudoun County high school graduates. Learn more at loudounlaurels.org. n

area of behavioral health, health access or economic stability.

Applicants who received 2024 Inova Opportunities funding will not be considered. Organizations receiving grants must participate with the Unite Us/Unite Virginia platform.

Inova encourages applicants to consider partnering with other eligible community nonprofits to maximize their applications and ability to support the community they serve.

Inova is dedicated to supporting programs/projects that make a difference in the quality of life, health and welfare of the communities it serves. Inova seeks to harness the collective power of community partners and organizations to create positive community impact.

Applications will be accepted until

April 18 at noon. Learn more or access the online application from Inova’s website by searching for “community health application.”

7x24 Partners with Education Foundation for Food Packing

The Loudoun Education Foundation’s food security program, Fueled, celebrated “Pack Night V” with members from 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter.

With more than a dozen companies represented, volunteers packed 1,450 student meal bags that were delivered to 30 Loudoun County Public School sites.

“One of the strengths of the Loudoun Education Foundation is our partnerships. Our partners make many things possible–from hosting snack and hy-

giene drives, to raising money and volunteering,” Fueled Programs Coordinator Kirslyn Schell-Smith stated. “We are grateful to our partners for bringing us creative ideas for collaborations and spreading the word about our programs. 7x24 Exchange has been an instrumental part of several aspects that make our programs successful.”

7x24 Exchange supports those who design, build, operate and maintain mission critical enterprise information infrastructures, including data centers.

Throughout the past five years, members of the 7x24 Exchange DC Chapter have donated $115,000 to support students struggling with food insecurity in Loudoun County by donating to the Loudoun Education Foundation. n

Norman K. Styer/Loudoun Now

From left, Loudoun Laurels Vice Chair Elaine Attridge talks with Karen Schaufeld and Betsy Davis during a March 23 forum at Rust Library.

Coalition on Women and Girls Announces 2025 Hall of Fame Nominees

BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@loudounnow.org

In celebration of International Women’s History Month, the Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls has announced the nominees for the Second Biennial Loudoun Women’s Hall of Fame.

A ceremony honoring the women will take place May 13 at the River Creek Club.

The event celebrates the achievements of women and girls from various backgrounds and professions, including the armed services, business, education, healthcare and philanthropy. By showcasing their accomplishments, the Loudoun Women’s Hall of Fame aims to inspire future generations of female leaders and empower them to pursue their dreams and ambitions in Loudoun County and beyond.

«We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary women who have profoundly shaped Loudoun’s rich history! Their inspiring achieve-

D. Koranteng, Bodyfit20 Owner Nesrine Z. Lakis, Loudoun School of Ballet & Loudoun Ballet Performing Arts Company Artistic Director Maureen Miller, Loudoun County Public Schools Chief of Schools Rae H. Mitchell, Loudoun Hunger Relief CEO and President Jennifer Montgomery, Loudoun Education Foundation Executive Director Danielle Nadler, TMMG Promos President Katie Schneider, Northern Virginia Science Center Foundation CEO Adalene “Nene” Spivy, A Place To Be Co-Founder Kim Tapper, women’s health researcher and advocate Breana Turner, KG&P Strategies Chief People Officer Crystal Lilly-Wheeler and Legacy Farms Executive Director Laurie Young.

ments, unwavering dedication to mentorship and fierce advocacy are not just changing lives—they are creating a brighter future for women and girls everywhere,” LCWAG Chair Stacey Metcalfe stated in the announcement.

The nominees for the 2025 Loudoun Women’s Hall of Fame are: LAWS

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assualt Services CEO Samantha Clarke, 89 Ways to Give Foundation President Carmen Felder, Social Justice Advocate & Activist Heather Gottlieb, LAWS Director of Legal Services Rebecca Hoey, Silence No More Movement CEO Lisa Jones, Virginia Vitesse Owner Ashley

Inductees for the 2025 Loudoun Women’s Hall of Fame will be selected from the list of nominees. The chosen honorees will be formally inducted at the Hall of Fame Inductee and Award Luncheon.

Tickets for the Luncheon are available for purchase at tinyurl.com/2p2raft8. For more information go to lcwag.org. n

Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls

The Loudoun Coalition on Women and Girls held its inaugural Hall of Fame Inductee and Award Luncheon in May 2023.

Towns

Fraser Presents $35.9M FY 2026 Budget

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

Purcellville residents could see no increase in their utility rates this year under the fiscal year 2026 budget proposed by Interim Town Manager Kwasi Fraser. However, that will mean dipping further into the town’s savings amid high debt service payments.

Fraser presented the $35.9 million budget during a special Town Council meeting March 19. Of that, $26.4 million falls under the town’s five operating budgets and $9.5 million falls under capital projects.

The proposal holds the real property rate at 20.5 cents per $100 of assessed value and an additional 3 cents for the Fireman’s Field Special Tax District. The personal property rate is also proposed to hold steady at $1.05 and 55 cents for business property. The $25 vehicle is also proposed to be reinstituted after the council agreed to reduce it to zero dollars in 2025 to accept a one-time grant by the county.

user revenue to cover the costs of utility system operations.

Utility rates are proposed to hold steady and, per direction from the Town Council earlier this year, 50% of the meals tax revenue typically accounted for in the

PURCELLVILLE BUDGET

continues on page 20

Lovettsville Adopts 14.52-Cent Real Property Tax Rate

BY HANNA PAMPALONI hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

The Lovettsville Town Council last week adopted a real property tax rate of 14.52 cents per $100 of assessed value, a slight decrease from the current rate.

The $6.9 million draft fiscal year 2026 budget presented earlier this year by Town Manager Jason Cournoyer was built around a tax rate of 14.6 cents, one cent above the equalized rate which would see property owners on average paying the same amount as the prior year.

The budget was presented at a penny over the equalized tax rate to offset $53,000 that will not be collected after the council voted to reduce the vehicle fee to $0 in line with a decision by the county Board of Supervisors. A single penny of the real property rate brings in an estimated $55,765 in revenue for the town.

The council reduce the rate to 14.52

towns

LOVETTSVILLE

Capital Projects Advance

Several of the town’s capital projects are making headway, according to a report by Project Manager Charlie Mumaw last week.

Those include plans for a watermain replacement along Quarter Branch Road. The town’s consulting engineer J2 submitted completed construction plans this month and town staff members are coordinating next steps.

Designs for a second water tower in town are also advancing with 90% completed plans expected by the end of the month. Town staff will use the design to develop a cost estimate that will be used to seek grant funding for the project. Until project funding is identified, the start of this project remains unknown.

A replacement contract with Bell Foundry Christoph has been approved by the council for repairs to clock tower near the town square. A permit has been obtained from the Virginia Department of Transportation to close portions of the square during the repairs if needed.

by eliminating $4,500 allocated to street sweeping.

Under the 14.52 cent rate, the average residential tax bill for a single-family home would increase by $47.15 annually, while the average townhouse bill will increase by $37.83 annually.

During the March 20 meeting, the council opted to delay a vote on the full schedule of fees, a list that includes the Frye Court tax rate for a special tax district established in 2003 to finance the pump station that connects homes in the neighborhood to the town’s utility system. Cournoyer said he was waiting on a cost proposal for work at the pump and did not know yet how much it will be.

The rate is currently set at 23.3 cents per $100 of assessed value. Last December, residents expressed concern about the tax after a pump failure in September effectively depleted the $24,000 reserve fund available for repairs and improvements.

Cournoyer also told the council that nearly $2 million in funding that had been expected from the federal government for capital projects was no longer allocated to them after Congress passed a continuing resolution earlier this month.

During her tenure, former U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) secured funding for the town through a community project program.

While this change does not affect FY 2026, Cournoyer said the town had envisioned using the funding for an equalization tank at the wastewater treatment plant and construction of town’s second water tower.

“We’ve been assured that our congressman [Suhas Subramanyam] remains supportive of the projects and will include them for FY 2026, but I don’t know if this program will even exist in the next year,” he said. “… Right now that puts us in a position to research for additional funding sources.” n

Construction on streetscape improvements and one-way road conversion along South Loudoun and South Locust is expected to begin July 1 and last 16 to 20 months. Plats for easements and property acquisition are under review by the town staff.

PURCELLVILLE

Police Launch

Anti-Theft Giveaway

The Police Department is launching a program to help residents track their vehicles in case of auto theft. On April 8, the department will host an event at Town Hall from 4 to 6 p.m. where residents may pick up free Tile Mates. A Tile Mate is a Bluetooth tracker that helps locate items by finding them via an app on Android and iPhone devices. The battery powering the Tile

AROUND TOWNS continues on page 21

Town of Purcellville

A chart included in the proposed Purcellville budget shows the level of subsidies needed to offset the deficit in

Ashburn Woman Draws $5M Virginia Lottery Ticket

An Ashburn woman landed a $5 million scratch-off Lottery ticket during a recent visit to the 7-Eleven store on Pleasant Valley Road.

Jennifer Ivey had the choice of taking the full $5 million prize in annual payments over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $3,125,000 before taxes. She chose the cash option. The store re-

Purcellville Budget

continued from page 19

General Fund will be transferred to the utility funds. An additional $300,000 of town’s nutrient credit funds will also be transferred to the Wastewater Fund.

The operating budget includes $527,000 of enhancements, but no additional personnel to the town’s 91 full-time employee roster, a merit-based increase of up to 3% and no cost-of-living increase for town employees. Frazer said $2.3 million of additional funding requests made by department heads would not be funded under his plan.

The General Fund operating budget is $15.9 million, a $1.7 million increase over the current fiscal year. Because of the decision to transfer $1.8 million in meals tax revenue to subsidize the utility funds, the proposed General Fund has a $1.6 million operating deficit. Frazer proposes to use town reserve funds to cover that gap rather than seek a 7.5-cent increase in the real estate tax rate.

That leaves the General Fund reserve at $14.3 million, which is $4 million above the minimum established by the town’s fiscal policy.

“Our General Fund is our highest performing fund,” Fraser said. “So, historically strong financial performance, structural balance and robust reserve. That is all based on having fiscal discipline in year over year commitment to paying our bills.”

The town’s utility debt was restructured in 2013, 2017 and 2021 to take advantage of lower interest rates, however, beginning last year the debt payments due from the town began to increase, reaching $2.4 million for the Wastewater Fund and $800,000 for the Water Fund in FY 2026.

“The main driver of revenue for the utility funds, as we know, are fees for water and sewer,” Fraser said. “The goal is to recover the cost of providing service

ceives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the ticket.

“It feels amazing! It really does,” she told Lottery officials as she redeemed her ticket. “I just kind of stared at it because I couldn’t believe it.”

Ivey purchased a ticket from the 100X the Money series that offers prizes ranging from $30 to $5 million. Her’s is the

through user charges.” “Historically, operating revenues have been insufficient to cover full debt following every capital investment during the growth period of Purcellville, which occurred in the 2000s and early 2010. We look back and we can blame the past, but there were opportunities for us, especially in the wastewater treatment fund, to obtain a loan that would be 40 years out. But instead, we had bonds at 20 years, and now we are feeling some of the challenges of that,” he said.

The Water Fund is estimated at $3.8 million, a $176,000 increase over the current fiscal year. The fund’s revenues exceed expenditures because of a $616,000 transfer of meals tax revenue, resulting in a $21,000 surplus. That leaves the Water Fund reserve levels at $4.3 million, which is $489,000 above the fiscal policy level.

The Water Fund budget also includes a proposal to defund a vacant full-time position.

The Wastewater Fund is expected to operate at $5.9 million, a $360,000 increase over last year. With the meals tax transfer of $1.1 million and a $300,000

second of three top prizes claimed in this game. The chances of winning the $5 million prize are 1 in 2,652,000. The chances of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 2.82, according to the Lottery. Virginia Lottery profits support K-12 education. Last fiscal year, Loudoun County schools received more than $23.6 million in Lottery funds. n

grants, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority grants, Virginia Department of Transportation grants and new loans.

Fraser said some challenges facing the town include inflation rates, federal workforce reductions, market volatility and approaching retirements of town employees. The first objective is to build financial resiliency.

“We need to have a strategic approach to debt reduction,” he said. “I have a commitment to reducing our debt, disciplined reserve management and responsible taxation, positioning our town for long term growth and economic stability. We need to attract businesses into the Town of Purcellville. We need to make sure our taxes align with what will make businesses see our community as an attractive place to do business.”

transfer from the nutrient credit reserve funds, the Wastewater Fund is expected to operate with a $61,845 surplus. That leaves the reserve fund at $5.2 million, which is $825,000, or 14%, below the town’s fiscal policy level.

“This is going below our fiscal policy, but we do not see that as a major issue. It becomes a major issue when you’re at 75%,” Fraser said.

“We’ve talked to our financial advisors about this, and we may have to drop down below while we’re getting rates up to the level they need to be,” Director of Finance Liz Krens said. “We think 75% is a good level that we can go to once we have a plan forward and have a plan for structural balance.”

The Parks and Recreation Fund is expected to operate at $805,000, which is a $32,000 increase over this year. Revenues exceed expenditures by $30,000 leaving the reserve fund at $173,000.

The town’s Capital Improvement Plan totals $9.5 million, a $3.1 million increase over last year, spanning 13 projects. Those are planned to be funded thought county

The second objective is to ensure sustainable infrastructure investments. There is excess capacity in the town’s wastewater system but there are constraints on the town’s water system, which the town is looking to bolster by bringing new wells online, Fraser said.

“Once we have sustainable infrastructure thought that investment, we can then boldly go to Loudoun County and say we could connect water and sewer for their recreation center and aquatic center,” he said, of the new park facility planned on the western edge of town.

Objective three is to enhance workforce efficiency and retention and objective four is to drive innovation and visionary progress.

“Despite challenges, both internally and externally, we remain steadfast in our commitment to strong financial strategies and operational excellence. Through resilience, efficiency and strategic leadership, we will continue to build a stronger, more prosperous Purcellville,” Fraser said.

The Town Council will hold a series of work sessions providing members opportunities to ask questions and make changes to the budget. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now

Purcellville Interim Town Manager Kwasi Fraser presents the fiscal year 2026 budget to the Town Council during a March 19 meeting.

Virginia Lottery

Jennifer Ivey cashed in her winning Virginia Lottery ticket for $3.125 million in cash.

Around Towns

continued from page 19

Mate is estimated to last one year and is replaceable.

“While we are fortunate that Purcellville has an overall low crime rate, we are not immune from vehicle thefts, especially those crimes of opportunity if someone leaves their vehicle unlocked, or with the keys inside,” stated Interim Chief Sara Lombraña. “We ask that our residents remember to take the necessary crime prevention steps of always locking their vehicles and storing valuables out of sight. The distribution of the Tile Mates is one more tool officers can use to assist our citizens by potentially quickly locating and recovering a stolen vehicle.”

Distribution will occur on a first come, first served basis. Residents must provide a photo ID matching their vehicle registration showing proof of address in the town or local employees must show proof of address of their place of work.

The Tile Mates were purchased with funds from the Virginia State Police Help Eliminate Auto Theft program.

ROUND HILL

Council Looks to Fill Vacant Seat

The Round Hill Town Council is looking for a new member following the resignation of Dan Brzezynski announced Wednesday night.

Brzezynski is moving to a home north of town. He was appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2023 and won a special

election to complete the term later that year.

The council intends to advertise for volunteers to fill the seat through April and vote to make an appointment in May. A special election would then be held, most likely in November, to select someone to serve the remainder of the term, expiring Dec. 31, 2027.

Council Formally Approves Meals Tax

The Round Hill Town Council last week finalized plans to hold the real estate tax rate level, impose a new meals tax, and increase water rates.

The town’s 6.6-cent property tax rate is the lowest among Loudoun towns. Fiscal year 2026 will mark the first time in nearly a decade that the council has not reduced the real estate tax rate to offset the impact of increasing property values. The rate was 18¢ in fiscal year 2018, and has been reduced in every year since then.

The council approved a 2% meals tax. Although a meals tax has been on the books since 2020, the town had not previously set a collection rate. With the annexation of the Hill High commercial complex on the west end of town last year, businesses that offer prepared food are expected to generate about $80,000 per year in meals tax revenue, more than enough to make up for the council’s vote to waive the $25 vehicle license fee next year at a cost of $16,000.

Town water use rates will increase 11%. There will be no increase in sewer rates. That provides for an overall 5.5% increase in utility bills next year for properties that receive both water and sewer service. n

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

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

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

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

LIVE MUSIC

ELDEN STREET

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 27

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

DAVID ANDREW SMITH

4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

BLUEGRASS JAM

5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 28

Notaviva Farm Brewery & Winery, 13274 Sagle Road, Hillsboro. notaviva.com

HILARY VELTRI

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

THE BRAHMAN NOODLES

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

NATHANIEL DAVIS

5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 28 Quattro Goombas Brewery, 22860 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. quattrogoombas.com

JASON TEACH

5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

PART OF IT ALL

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

LEVI STEPHENS

6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 28 Bear Chase Brewing Company, 33665 Bear Chase Lane, Bluemont. bearchasebrew.com

LADY D’ DORIS FIELDS & BESSIE’S BLUES

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 28

Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. $20. oldstoneschool.org

ZAC JONES

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 28

LIVE MUSIC continues on page 23

How it Happened Here: A Guide to Loudoun in the American Revolution

BY RICH GILLESPIE

There is a moment that becomes a focal point in the history of every nation’s creation story. For the United States, that point in time is at five in the morning of April 19, 1775—on the simple town common at Lexington, Massachusetts. There, Minutemen formed on orders of Massachusetts’ extralegal Provincial Congress stood facing troops of the Crown. Over 700 British “regulars” were marching through their rural town at dawn to seize “illegal” supplies gathered at nearby Concord, military supplies raised for defense of liberties against the threat of the Royal government’s oversteps.

The 70-some small-town farmers had drilled avidly several times a week as they had in every Massachusetts town in the previous months as tensions built. On this morning, they could do little but act as an “army of observation” and let the regulars pass on. They could share intelligence of what they saw to higher officers and the Provincial Congress moving forward. But the lead British grenadiers and light infantry did not pass by. They confronted these minutemen, ordered them to disarm and disperse, a virtually impossible order for the Minutemen to comply with. In their confusion, the British troops were led toward the defiant locals, muskets loaded, bayonets at the ready, eager for a confrontation. Then a shot, followed by volleys, then a bayonet charge by the regulars. Minutemen and gawking civilians ran for cover. The British relentlessly pursued. A Regular was nicked in the thumb, but eight Minutemen were mowed down, nine others wounded. When the out-ofcontrol British troops were finally called to order by Lt. Col. Francis Smith, the men were allowed to fire several further volleys in the air, followed by a round of loud shouted huzzahs. The troops then marched on to their mission at Concord, seven miles further from Boston. But the news of what they’d done raced ahead to Concord before them. By the end of the day, the “Lexington Alarm” was known in every Massachusetts town.

In 10 days, the “Bloody Butchery of the British Troops” had become legendary from New Hampshire to Georgia and out on the frontier. The news arrived in Leesburg via post rider from Alexandria on April 28. As Virginian Patrick Henry predicted during the Third Virginia Convention in Richmond on March 23, “the next gale that sweeps from the North will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms.” And so it had. The Revolution was on. Men began marching to Boston. And

the Loudoun “Independent Company” formed the previous November was called to arms to drill on the courthouse lawn.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution and the creation of the United States, the Virginia General Assembly has established the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) to guide the commemoration and examination of its ongoing story and impact. The Commission invited each county and city in the commonwealth to create a committee to further these aims at the local level. Loudoun County quickly responded. Our committee, formed in 2022 and officially

recognized by the Loudoun Board of Supervisors in May 2023, became one of Virginia’s first. The Loudoun VA250 committee is made up of representatives of historical and preservation organizations, museums, historic sites, libraries, Loudoun County Public Schools, Visit Loudoun, Loudoun Parks & Rec, interested incorporated towns, and many others working together. It is the committee’s hope to leave Loudoun’s citizens, students, and visitors with a greater understanding of Loudoun’s Revolutionary past and a deeper investment in

The cover of the newly released 250th anniversary guide to Loudoun County’s role in the American Revolution features the sculpture that is located on the same ground where the county’s milia held drills.

LOUDOUN GUIDE continues on page 24

BLUES

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 28

Hillsboro Old Stone School, 37098 Charles Town Pike, Hillsboro. $20. oldstoneschool.org

BEST BETS

KRISTY COX & GRASSTIME

7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg. $22. luckettsbluegrass.org

Enjoy this extremely talented singer from down under when she brings her fine band to the old schoolhouse stage.

GET OUT

LIVE MUSIC

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

CHRIS HANKS

7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 28

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

TOTALLY BOWIE

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 28

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $15. tallyhotheater.com

WESTCOTT & WAVE BAND

8 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 28 Monk’s BBQ, 251 N. 21st St., Purcellville. monksq.com

SUPERNOVA

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, March 28

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

CLARK PEKLO

1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

DESERT SHADE TRIO

1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

STEVE GEORGE

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Sunset Hills Vineyard, 38295 Fremont Overlook Lane, Purcellville. sunsethillsvineyards.com

ZACH JONES

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

ROB HOEY

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

MISSION ROAD

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Old Farm Winery at Hartland, 23583 Fleetwood Road, Aldie. oldfarmwineryhartland.com

SCOTT KURT

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29 Doukenie Winery, 14727 Mountain Road, Hillsboro. doukeniewinery.com

LENNY BURRIDGE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

MARION SHEAFFER

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29 Old 690 Brewing Company, 15670 Ashbury Church Road, Hillsboro. old690.com

SHANE GAMBLE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29 Creek’s Edge Winery, 41255 Annas Lane, Lovettsville. creeksedgewinery.com

DAVID THONG

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29 Firefly Cellars, 40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton. fireflycellars.com

ANDY HAWK & TRAIN WRECK ENDINGS

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

FREDDIE LONG

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

MARK CULLINANE

2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29

PAT MCGEE & FRIENDS W/MICHAEL CLEM

6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, March 30 Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $30. tallyhotheater.com

THE ROBERT MABE BAND

4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Lost Rhino Brewing Company, 21730 Red Rum Drive, Ashburn. lostrhino.com

JULIET LLOYD TRIO

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

TRAIL MIX BAND

6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Old Ox Brewery, 44652 Guilford Drive, Ashburn. oldoxbrewery.com

SO FETCH

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $20. tallyhotheater.com

BRUNO SOUND DUO

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

ADAM KNUDSEN

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

NOT THE FATHERS

7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Crooked Run Fermentation, 22455 Davis Drive, Sterling. crookedrunfermentation.com

KRISTY COX

7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Road, Leesburg. $22. luckettsbluegrass.org

THE BASTARDS OF TWANG

8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 29

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

CROOKED JACK

9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, March 29

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

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

JUSTIN SUEDE

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30

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

larkbrewingco.com

IAN VEST

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30

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

RYAN BENTON

2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30

Breaux Vineyards, 36888 Breaux Vineyards Lane, Hillsboro. breauxvineyards.com

MEISHA HERRON

4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 30

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

PAT MCGEE & FRIENDS W/MICHAEL CLEM

6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, March 30

Tally Ho Theater, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg. $30. tallyhotheater.com

ANNIE STOKES

7 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 28 Velocity Wings Lovettsville, Virginia, 20 Town Square, Lovettsville. velocitywings.net

JASON MASI

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29

One Loudoun Farmers Market, Atwater Drive, Ashburn. eatloco.org

ERIC SELBY

3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Loudoun Brewing Company, 310 E. Market St., Leesburg. loudounbrewing.com

JASON MASI

6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 2

continued from page 22 LIVE MUSIC continues on page 25

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

JOSH SOWDER

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 30

LADY D — DORIS FIELDS & BESSIE'S

Known as West Virginia’s First Lady of Soul, Doris Fields performs as part of the Music in the Gap winter encore series.

This special early evening show features a reunion with Michael Clem of Eddie From Ohio, the band that gave McGee his first break with the 1994 recording of From The Wood.

Loudoun Guide

continued from page 22

its future.

We are excited to announce that after two years of work, Loudoun’s committee has published its collectible guide for the anniversary—A Guide to Loudoun in the American Revolution—released on Feb. 27. This 40-page guide is a handbook for Loudoun’s citizens, students, visitors, and teachers to understand Loudoun and its experience 250 years ago. You will find background on Loudoun at the time, an exploration of attitudes regarding the revolution, how Loudoun sided when the Revolutionary War came, a chronology of events here, what Loudouners contributed to the war, a list of key participants, along with where to visit today, what to read, what to look for online, and how best to participate with your friends, co-workers, and family. The guide includes a map of Loudoun in 1775 as well as photographs and paintings. Best of all, the guide has no advertisements, didn’t cost Loudoun County citizens a penny, has been carefully vetted by a team of historians working with the committee— and is free! A gracious grant from the Van Huyck-Chockley Family Foundation, a component fund of the Community

Foundation for Loudoun and Fauquier Counties, has paid for the printing to make it freely available to Loudouners. The guide will be available in April— timed with the beginning of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

On the cover of this new guide is a sculpture located on the lawn of the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg, where the Loudoun Independent Company drilled 250 years ago. It depicts a Loudoun family during the Revolutionary War—a man with his musket going off to fight, a woman and child staying at home to run the farm to feed our army and the population. It is an idea launched during our last major commemoration of the Revolutionary Era fifty years ago—the 1976 “Bicentennial.” The statue was completed and dedicated far more recently, in 2015, but in 1976, when the effort began, we had just come through a contentious era. The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, youth rebellion, the Watergate scandal and more had left America divided and exhausted. The lengthy citizen-led campaign to leave a memorial to the American Revolution resulted in this statue of not just a heroic man, but of members of his family as well. In a time of contention, the goal was to unite us.

Of course, Loudoun County has

expanded significantly in fifty years. Our population demographics have evolved since in 1976. Our sensibilities are different, our questions about the past are even different.

... the 250th commemoration will allow us to renew and deepen our personal understanding of this crucial era in the founding of our country.

We wonder now about the British and wartime loyalist perspective. We yearn to know more about those not included on the 1976 statue, about Loudoun’s 1770s enslaved population for example, or about what had happened to the original Native American population that once was here, or about our diversity ethnically and religiously at that time. While historians in 1976 were beginning to seriously delve into many of these questions, we’ve made great strides in that half century both in what we know and what we wonder. We’ve approached this guide with these modern questions in mind and to leave Loudouners in 2076 some knowledge of who we are.

If most of us studied the American Revolution in school at least to some degree, the 250th commemoration will allow us all a chance to renew and deepen our personal understanding of this crucial era in the founding of our country.

The Loudoun VA250 Committee hopes that by providing a publication like this one along with programs and activities, residents and visitors alike will learn about the Revolution on a local level here in Loudoun County. It makes a difference knowing history right where you live.

As the new guide’s editor, I’m excited by its completion. We’ve been working on this for two years, with input from a number of members of the Loudoun VA250 committee representing the

Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area, the Thomas Balch Library of History and Geneaology, the Loudoun Museum, the Lovettsville Historical Society, the Black History Committee, NovaParks, Oatlands, the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, the Loudoun County Public Libraries and two local DAR chapters. It’s amazing what you can accomplish working together. A Guide To Loudoun in the American Revolution, we hope, will answer questions about Loudoun’s complicated Revolutionary past and shine a light on resources available to help you understand and appreciate it.

You’ll be able to find the new guide at town offices, Loudoun County Public Libraries, Loudoun County community centers, the Thomas Balch Library of History & Genealogy, The Loudoun Museum, The Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, Oatlands, Morven Park, Dodona Manor, Aldie Mill, Temple Hall Farm, Claude Moore Park, Franklin Park Arts Center, the Waterford Foundation, the Middleburg Museum, the Lovettsville Museum, and the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area. Social studies educators in our schools will also receive copies as well as each school’s library.

In addition to this publication the LoudounVA250 committee has developed and ongoing series of history talks and exhibits that put the spotlight on local people, places and events that played a role in the fight for independence. To learn more, go to visitloudoun. org/loudoun250 or follow our local VA250 efforts on Facebook at LoudounVA250. n

Richard Treat Gillespie is a is a retired history educator and public historian living in Taylorstown. He is historian emeritus at the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association after serving a decade as its director of Education, in charge of the heritage area’s school and public programming to promote interest in the historic landscape in Loudoun, Clarke, Fauquier, and western Prince William counties. Previously, he taught U.S. History for 30 years at Loudoun Valley High School, helping to partner his students with a variety of historic sites and historical organizations, emphasizing local history and preservation wherever possible.

It’s Spring Horse Trial Weekend at Morven Park

For those looking to get outside during a warm spring weekend, Morven Park offers two days of activities with its annual Spring Horse Trials.

The competition features more than 200 rider-and-horse teams competing in events, which includes dressage, show jumping, and cross-country. The event takes place Saturday and Sunday—both over Morven Park’s cross-country course, known as one of the best in the world—and show

GET OUT LIVE MUSIC

continued from page 23

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

MAGGIE MILES AND MOONY

7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, April 2

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

FIREHOUSE

7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, April 3

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

JOEY AND THE WAITRESS BAND

6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 3

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

HAPPENINGS

SOMETHING ROTTEN!

7 p.m. Thursday, March 27

7 p.m. Friday, March 28

2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29, Smart’s Mill Middle School, 850 N. King St., Leesburg. $5 to $15. ticketleap.com

MEET THE AUTHOR:

KATHLEEN (KATE) GOGGIN

4 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 28

Rust Library, 380 Old Waterford Road NW., Leesburg.

arenas.

The event is open free to spectators who will get an up-close look at jumping action.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. and will end at approximately 5 p.m. each day. Sturdy walking shoes are recommended.

Enter the competition center via Tutt Lane off Rt. 15 just north of Leesburg.

Learn more at movernpark.org. n

library.loudoun.gov/Rust

ART OF THE PIEDMONT

6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 28

Middleburg Community Center, 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg. $50. artofthepiedmont.org

DISNEY FROZEN JR.

7 p.m. Friday, March 28

2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29

3 p.m. Sunday, March 30

Blue Ridge Middle School, 551 E. A St., Purcellville. $10. brms.ptboard.com

TAILS, TRAILS, AND ALES CHARITY WALK

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Lark Brewing Co., 24205 James Monroe Highway, Aldie. $10 to $20. larkbrewingco.com

DELTA AUTHORS ON TOUR

2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Ida Lee Park Recreation Center, 60 Ida Lee Dr., Leesburg. $12. eventbrite.com

COUNTRY & CRAFT HOEDOWN

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 29

Solace Brewing Company, 42615 Trade W. Drive, Sterling. $10. solacebrewing.com

CRITTERS OF THE CATOCTIN CREEK

1 to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30

Chapman DeMary Trail, 355 N. Hatcher Ave., Purcellville. purcellvilleva.gov

THE GREAT INDIAN CHAAT FESTIVAL

11 a.m. to Dec. 31, 9 p.m. Monday, March 31 Dulles Town Center, 21100 Dulles Town Circle, Suite 190, Sterling. $12. anna-sudha.org

File Photo

Morven Park will host more than 200 riders this weekend during its annual Spring Horse Trials.

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE

Bids in the form of a proposed agreement are invited by the Town of Purcellville, Virginia, for the grant of a nonexclusive franchise permitting franchisee(s) to use the public rights-of-ways in the Town for the acquisition, erection, installation, maintenance of an electric current system to be used to provide electric current services, and further including the right to attach, operate, and maintain additional cables for broadband facilities and communication services, in the Town.

The terms and conditions for the franchise are attached to the ordinance and are on the Town’s website at: https://purcellvilleva.gov/33/Administration

The term of the franchise is 30 years.

All bids are to be submitted in writing in the format of the electric current services franchise agreement on the Town website above and additional documents required by the terms and specifications. The bid documents are to be sent to Diana Hays, Assistant Town Manager, dhays@purcellvilleva.gov by e-mail or by mail to 221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, Virginia, 20132, before 3:00 pm eastern standard time on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. At that time, bids shall be publicly opened and announced.

In addition, identification of the bidders shall be announced in open session of the Town Council of the Town of Purcellville in the Council Chambers, Town Hall, 221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, Virginia, 20132, on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. At the April 8 Town Council Meeting, the Mayor shall refer the bids received to the Town Manager and/or Town staff to evaluate, review, and consider in the manner prescribed by law, including the selection of, and negotiation of a franchise agreement with a responsive bidder. As soon thereafter as practicable, the Town Manager and/or Staff will recommend the successful bidder and present the negotiated franchise agreement for consideration and approval by Town Council.

The Town reserves the right, in the Town Manager’s sole discretion, to reject any and all bids; to terminate negotiations at any stage of the selection process; and to reissue the request for bids with or without modification. The descriptive notice of the proposed franchise ordinance is as follows:

The proposed ordinance will grant a nonexclusive franchise, under certain conditions, permitting the grantee to use the public rights-of-ways in the Town of Purcellville, for the acquisition, erection, installation, maintenance of an electric current system to be used to provide electric current services, and further including the right to attach, operate, and maintain additional cables for broadband facilities and communication services.

03/20 & 03/27/25

TOWN OF LEESBURG

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

AMENDING THE LEESBURG TOWN CODE

CHAPTER 24 (OFFENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS), ARTICLE V (OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC PEACE AND ORDER), DIVISION 1 (GENERALLY) SECTION 24-182 (NOISE ORDINANCE)

In accordance with Code of Virginia of 1950, as amended, Sections 15.2-1102 and 15.2-1427, the Leesburg Town Council will hold a public hearing on:

Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA

To consider proposed amendments to the Town’s noise ordinance. The proposed ordinance would prohibit amplified outdoor music at any commercial or business establishment or special event without an approved Amplified Outdoor Music Permit from the Town. The proposed ordinance will establish a decibel level that could not be exceeded by permit holders. The sound would be measured by Town staff using a decibel meter of the Town’s choosing, from the right of way adjacent to the subject property closest to the source of the sound. Violations of this standard will be subject to a phased enforcement system, including a fine for the first cited violation, an increased fine for the second cited violation, and revocation of the permit upon a third cited violation. Revocation of the permit would also result in a ban on another permit for a period of 12 months.

A copy of the proposed ordinance and associated plat are available from the Town Clerk, located in Town Hall 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia, during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by calling Eileen Boeing, Clerk of Council, at 703-771-2733.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning this matter will be heard. Persons requiring special accommodations should contact the Clerk of Council at 703-771-2733, three days in advance of the meeting. For TTY/TDD service, use the Virginia Relay Center by dialing 711. 3/20 & 3/27/25

TOWN

OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LVRZ 2023-0001, Hk&S SERVICES

REQUEST TO REZONE 12745 BERLIN TURNPIKE FROM THE R-1, RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT, TO THE R-C, RETIREMENT - COMMUNITY ZONING DISTRICT

The LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on the above referenced application at their meeting on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 6:30 p.m in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia.

The purpose of the hearing is to consider the application filed by Dr. Hassan El-Kalla representing HK&S Services LLC, of Aldie, Virginia, to rezone the subject property from the R-1, Residential Zoning District, to the R-C, Retirement Community Zoning District, in order to construct an 80-bed extended care facility. The application also proposes to modify Zoning Ordinance Section 42-237(e) (10), Use ratio, to increase the maximum land area for extended care facilities from 10 percent to 16.5 percent of the total R-C district. The subject property is a 4.38-acre parcel identified as 12745 Berlin Turnpike, and by Loudoun County Parcel Identification (PIN) Number: 370-19-5365-000.

All persons desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting. 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 hearing virtually by visiting https:// www.lovettsvilleva.gov/town-hall-videos/.

The rezoning application is available for review on the Town website at: www.lovettsvilleva.gov/ plan-ning You may also request a copy be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning Director, at (540) 822-5788 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, holidays excepted. 3/27, 4/3/25

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

PLAT-2025-0009

Cascades Marketplace Multi-family Residential

Mr. Avery Cooper, of Gordon, of Chantilly, VA is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately thirteen (12.762) acres into forty-four (44) lots, and associated easements. The property is located west of Whitfield Place (Route 1796) south of Palisade Parkway (Route 1795), and east of Cascades Parkway (Route 1794). The property is zoned TC (Town Center) under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 019-28-2708-000 in the Algonkian Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http://www. loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2025-0009. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Samantha Swift at Samantha.Swift@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by April 23, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO).

3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 & 4/17/25

LOUDOUN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

NOTICE OF ABANDONED BICYCLES

Notice is hereby given that the bicycles described below were found and delivered to the Office of the Sheriff of Loudoun County; if the owners of the listed bicycles are not identified within sixty (60) days following the final publication of this notice, the individuals who found said bicycles shall be entitled to them if he/she desires. All unclaimed bicycles will be handled according to Chapter 228.04 of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County.

Children’s bicycle, pink SO250003249 4/24/2025

Citation Dr/Secretariat Ct Ashburn, 571-367-8400

Children’s bicycle, blue SO250003249 4/24/2025 Citation Dr/Secretariat Ct Ashburn, 571-367-8400

3/27 & 4/3/25

Legal Notices

Loudoun County Public Schools Public Hearing on Proposed School Renaming

In reviewing whether some school names are consistent with the Loudoun County School Board’s adopted vision, mission, goals and values, the School Board is considering changing certain school names and is seeking public input.

The first two school names being reviewed are Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School and Mercer Middle School

The School Board has scheduled a public hearing on April 9, 2025 to receive comments on the proposed renaming of Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School and Mercer Middle School. The hearing will be held at the LCPS Administration Building (21000 Education Court, Ashburn) at 6:30 p.m. Details on how to sign up to speak at the April 9 public hearing will be provided at www.LCPS.org/citizenparticipation.

The School Board is anticipated to vote on the potential renaming of Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School and Mercer Middle School on April 22, 2025.

Visit www.LCPS.org/schoolnames to learn more about the review of school names.

Those who need translation/interpretation assistance or a reasonable accommodation for any disability in order to participate meaningfully in the School Board public hearing should contact the Superintendent’s Office at 571-252-1020 at least three (3) days prior to the meeting.

Beverly I. Tate, Director Loudoun County Public Schools

Division of Planning & GIS Services 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, Virginia 20148 Telephone: 571-252-1050

Email: LCPSPLAN@LCPS.ORG

TOWN

OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

3/27 & 4/3/25

PURSUANT TO SECTION 15.2-2507 OF THE CODE OF VIRGINIA, 1950, AS AMENDED, TO CONSIDER A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION

Pursuant to Section 15.2-2507 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on April 10, 2025 at 6:30 pm, or as soon thereafter as it may be heard, in the Town Council Chamber, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia to consider the following budget amendment:

A supplemental appropriation in Fiscal Year 2025 in the amount of $400,599.91 in funding associated with awarded grant funding and appropriation of Utilities Fund Net Position and General Fund Unassigned Fund Balance, which exceeds one percent of the total expenditures shown in the Fiscal Year 2025 adopted budget.

Anyone desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting. Written copies of statements are requested but not required. 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. https://www.lovettsvilleva.gov/town-hall-videos/

A copy of any additional information regarding the proposed appropriation is available for review at the Town Hall between the hours of 8:30am and 4:30pm weekdays or by special appointment, holidays excepted. Call 540-822-5788 for more information or visit www.lovettsvilleva.gov.

3/27 & 4/3/25

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SELL REAL PROPERTY FOR DELINQUENT TAXES

On or after thirty days from the publication of this Notice, proceedings will be commenced pursuant to Va. Code § 58.1-3965 et seq. to sell the following real estate located in Loudoun County, Virginia for payment of delinquent taxes:

OWNER DESCRIPTION DEED/INSTRUMENT NO.

A R Minchew

Kenneth E Minchew

Thomas R Minchew

Maria Alicia Yanes Julio Yanes Vega

Vacant land

1.3 acres more or less NO SITUS ADDRESS

Sterling, Virginia PIN 023-40-3878-000

Tax Map No. /81///////125/

Vacant land .07 acres more or less NO SITUS ADDRESS PIN 231-35-3103-000

Tax Map No. /48////////52F

Instrument No. 197209220083991 558-237

Residue of Parcel 1 197209220083991

DB 3597/561-Fairfax Co

Instrument No. 200601180005181

The owner of the property listed may redeem it at any time before the date of the sale by paying all accumulated taxes, penalties, reasonable attorney’s fees, interest and costs thereon, including the pro rata cost of publication hereunder. Partial payment of delinquent taxes, penalties, reasonable attorney’s fees, interest or costs shall not be sufficient to redeem the property, and shall not operate to suspend, invalidate or make moot any action for judicial sale.

Henry C. Eickelberg, Treasurer, County of Loudoun, Virginia 1 Harrison Street, S.E., First Floor P.O. Box 347 Leesburg, Virginia 20178 (703) 771-5656

3/27 & 4/3/25

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

EXCHANGE OF REAL PROPERTY, VACATION OF RIGHT-OF-WAY

Pursuant to Sections 15.2-1800 and 15.2-2006 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, notice is hereby given that the LOVETTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL will hold a public hearing on April 10, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia.

The purpose of the public hearing will be to receive public comment on the exchange of real property, and the potential vacation of right-of-way associated therewith, between the Town of Lovettsville and Donald E. Walker, Sr. The subject properties are identified by Loudoun County Parcel Identification Nos. 369-109-081-000 and 369-108-814-000 and are identified and described in Instrument Nos. 20110104-0000657, 20140623-0033409, and 20140801-0042472 recorded among the Land Records in the Loudoun County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office.

Any person wishing to comment on the aforementioned exchange or vacation may appear and be heard. Written comments regarding this item can be submitted at the Town’s Offices or to clerk@lovettsvilleva.gov by 3:00pm on the day of the meeting during which the hearing will be held. Members of the public may access and participate in this hearing virtually by visiting https://www.lovettsvilleva.gov/town-hall-videos/.

3/27 & 4/3/25

ONLINE. ALWAYS. LOUDOUNOW.COM

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SELL REAL PROPERTY FOR DELINQUENT TAXES

On or after thirty days from the publication of this Notice, judicial proceedings will be commenced pursuant to Va. Code § 58.1-3975, et seq. to sell the following real estate located in Loudoun County, Virginia for payment of delinquent taxes:

OWNER DESCRIPTION DEED/INSTRUMENT NO.

41873 Bald Hill Road LLC Vacant land .65 acres, more or less NO SITUS ADDRESS

Catoctin District

PIN 221-29-9150-000

Tax Map No. /19////////55/

Eric & Julie Allstrom Single family dwelling .24 acres, more or less

724 Valley View Avenue SW

Leesburg, Virginia 20175

PIN 232-36-0876-000

Tax Map No. /48//52/////4/

American Technical Service LLC & Cool Factory Inc

Commercial condo 0 acres more or less

45681 Oakbrook Ct #101

Sterling, Virginia 20166

PIN 031-27-7704-003

Tax Map No. /80//15CM/101/

Jonathan D Barton

Single family dwelling

.05 acres more or less

43035 Demerritt Street

Chantilly, Virginia 20152

PIN 128-25-3021-000

Tax Map No. 106B2/5/////8/

Virginia Smith Carlin

David Janiga

Residential Condo 0 acres more or less

20991 Timber Ridge Ter #10

Ashburn, Virginia 20147

PIN 117-29-0489-001

Tax Map No. /79/E14P6-101A

Residential Condo

0 acres more or less

312 E Furman Drive

Sterling, Virginia 20164

PIN 022-27-4797-183

Tax Map No. /81/FCMPB/183/

Instrument No. 202003230019756 1101-1271 BLA, 783-295, 115--538 WB

Instrument No.

202104230047973

Instrument No. 201811290068865

South Riding Sec 3C LOT 8 Deed Book 1627-2115

Westmaren Condo PH.6 UNIT 20991-101

Deed Book 1272-1103

Pembrooke of Loudoun #183 Deed Book 811-699

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

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

Case No.: CJ24-127

Loudoun County Circuit Court

18 E. Market St., Leesburg, VA 20178

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

Jose Alexander Aguilera

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

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

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

Zhonggang Li Single family dwelling .17 acres more or less

24710 Marshy Hope Street

Aldie, Virginia 20105

PIN 247-10-3376-000

Tax Map No. 100//30///132/

John P Ludwig Single family dwelling 2.12 acres more or less 37038 Pinehill Lane

Hillsboro, Virginia 20132

PIN 473-15-4423-000

Tax Map No. //1////////41/

Salvador Mendoza Turcios

Maria Y Fuentes Rivas

Residential condo 0 acres more or less 982 Holburn Ct

Sterling, Virginia 20164-4805

PIN 032-18-2966-197

Tax Map No. /81/FCM-9/982/

Ronald J & Amy White Single family dwelling .57 acres more or less 20167 Redrose Dr Sterling, Virginia 20165

PIN 027-35-5927-000

Tax Map No. /63B1/2////28/

Basil L & Marlene E Wilson Single family dwelling .18 acres more or less 20652 Longpier Way

Sterling, Virginia 20165

PIN 006-20-9036-000

Tax Map No. /82/E/5///244/

Instrument No. 201701170003364

Between the Hills Deed Book 607-159

Instrument No. 201611020074660

Newberry Condo PH.9 BLK.A UNIT 12 200510180117337

Instrument No. 200305010050210

Deed Book 1342-1330

The owner of any property listed may redeem it at any time before the date of the sale by paying all accumulated taxes, penalties, reasonable attorney’s fees, interest and costs thereon, including the pro rata cost of publication hereunder. Partial payment of delinquent taxes, penalties, reasonable attorney fees, interest or costs shall not be sufficient to redeem the property, and shall not operate to suspend, invalidate or make moot any action for non-judicial sale.

Henry C. Eickelberg, Treasurer, County of Loudoun, Virginia 1 Harrison Street, S.E., First Floor P.O. Box 347 Leesburg, Virginia 20178 (703) 771-5656

3/27 & 4/3, & 4/10//25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ047581

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Haseena Ali

Loudoun County Department of Family Services v. Mahmood Ali, Putative Father

The object of this suit is to hold a dispositional hearing in child in need of services matter pursuant to Virginia Code §§ 16.1-228 and 16.1241 for Haseena Ali

It is ORDERED that the defendant(s) Mahmood Ali, Putative Father appear at the above-named Court and protect his or her interests on or before April 29, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

3/27, 4/3, 4/10 & 4/17/25

LOUDOUN COUNTY WILL BE ACCEPTING SEALED COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR:

CONSTRUCTION OF THE UTILITY DUCT BANK AND CONDUITS ON STERLING BOULEVARD - REISSUE, IFB No. 677867 until prior to 4:00 p.m., local “Atomic Time”, April 24, 2025.

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

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

3/27/25

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF WILLINGNESS TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING

Lawson Road Pedestrian Crossing of Tuscarora Creek Town of Leesburg

Lawson Road near Tuscarora Creek

VDOT Project # 9999-253-365

Proposed Project: The Town of Leesburg was awarded funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation to construct a new stream crossing to provide bicycle and pedestrian access to the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail from residential communities. Bank erosion approximately 200 feet upstream of the crossing will also be stabilized to reduce further bank loss. More information can be found on the project webpage at www.leesburgva.gov/Lawson-Ped-Crossing.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy and 23 CFR 771, a Programmatic Categorical Exclusion (PCE) document was prepared for the project under agreement with the Federal Highway Administration. In compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 and 36 CFR Part 800, information concerning the potential effects of the project on properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places is included with the PCE.

Plan Review: Individuals can review maps, drawings, and other project information in person by appointment at the Town of Leesburg Department of Public Works and Capital Projects at 552 Fort Evans Road NE, Leesburg, VA through April 4th, 2025 or request a link to download the plans by contacting Christine Roe at 703-737-6067 or CRoe@LeesburgVA.gov.

Requesting a Public Hearing: By this notice, the Town is indicating its willingness to hold a public hearing for this project if individual concerns cannot be addressed. You may request a public hearing by sending a written request prior to April 4th, 2025. Mail written request to:

Renée LaFollette, Director Department of Public Works and Capital Projects

Town of Leesburg

25 West Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176

Further Notice: If a request for a public hearing is received, and the concerns addressed in the request cannot be adequately resolved, a public hearing will be scheduled at a time and place to be advertised in a future notice.

Questions or Special Assistance: Questions regarding this project should be directed to Christine Roe (see above). If special assistance is needed, please contact Kate Trask, Assistant Town Manager and ADA/504 Coordinator: 703-737-7144. For the Hearing Impaired (VA Residents Only) Dial 711.

The Town of Leesburg ensures nondiscrimination and equal employment in all programs and activities in accordance with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. If you need more information or special assistance for persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency, contact Kate Trask.

3/20 & 3/27/2025

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

PLAT-2025-0008

Cascades Marketplace Towns

Mr. Avery Cooper, of Gordon, of Chantilly, VA is requesting preliminary/record plat of subdivision approval to subdivide approximately thirteen (12.762) acres into forty-two (42) lots, and associated easements. The property is located west of Whitfield Place (Route 1796) south of Palisade Parkway (Route 1795), and east of Cascades Parkway (Route 1794). The property is zoned TC (Town Center) under the provisions of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance. The property is more particularly described as 019-28-2708-000 in the Algonkian Election District.

Additional information regarding this application may be found on the LandMARC System http:// www.loudoun.gov/LandMARC and searching for PLAT-2025-0008. Please forward any comments or questions to the project manager, Suzanna Brady at Suzanna.Brady@loudoun.gov or you may mail them to The Department of Building and Development 1 Harrison Street, SE, 2nd Floor, Leesburg, Virginia by April 23, 2025. The Department of Building and Development will take action on the above application(s) in accordance with the requirements for preliminary subdivisions outlined in Section 1243.08 of the Land Subdivision and Development Ordinance (LSDO). 3/20, 3/27, 4/3, 4/10 & 4/17/25

TOWN OF LOVETTSVILLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

LVZA 2025-0001, AMEND ZONING ORDINANCE (RESIDENTIAL OPEN SPACE REQUIREMENTS)

ARTICLE 42-VI, RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS; ARTICLE 42-IX, OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION SPACE;

Pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-2204, the LOVETTSVILLE PLANNING COMMISSION will hold a public hearing at its meeting on Wednesday April 2, 2025, at 7:00 pm, in the Town Council Chambers, 6 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Lovettsville, Virginia, to consider an amendment to Chapter 42, Articles VI and IX of the Zoning Ordinance.

The proposed amendment includes requiring open space for residential subdivisions proposing 5 lots or more, removing a requirement that 50% of the open space be useable for ballfields and other active recreation, and adding a development option in the R-1 zoning district to permit development on smaller lots with the provision of open space.

Anyone desiring to speak will be given an opportunity to do so at this meeting. Written copies of statements are requested but not required. 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 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 of the proposed amendment be sent to you via email by contacting John Merrithew, Planning Director at (540) 822-5788.

3/20 & 3/27/25

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

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

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

Legal Notices

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA

Effective July 1, 2025

The Purcellville Town Council will hold a public h earing in the Council Chambers at 221 S. Nursery Avenue, Purcellville, V irginia on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM for the purpose of receiving comments on the ordinance setting rates for: (1) Community Development Fees, (2) Performance Bonds and As-Built Site Inspections, (3) Permits, (4) Geographic Information System (GIS) services, and (5) Community Garden fee rental. Rates and fees are effective July 1, 2025.

At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views will be heard. Town Hall is open to to the public from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Fri day. Citizens wishing to provide comments on this item can email their comments to info@purcellvilleva.gov by 4:00 PM on April 4, 2025.

2) Performance Bonds and As-Built Site Inspections: fee changes for Site Plan & removal of Performance Bonds and As-Built Site Inspections (Va. Code § 15.2-2241, 15.2-2246)

1) Community Development Fee: Changes for Construction Plans and Other Plats (Va. Code § 15.2-2241) 3/20 & 3/27/25

Submissions (applies to all site plans)

Fees: New fees for Geographic Information System (GIS) service.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA

Estimated Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Pursuant to Virginia Code Section 15.2-2506, the Town of Purcellville, Virginia hereby gives notice of a public hearing to rece ive comments on the Town Manager's proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026 ("FY26"). The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM in the Town Council Chambers of the Purcellville Town Hall, located at 221 South Nursery Avenue. At this hearing, all persons desiring to express their views concerning the budget will be heard. Town Hall is open to the public from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday.

The budget contains a plan for all contemplated expenditures and all estimated revenues and borrowings. The budget is prepared and published for informative and fiscal planning purposes only.

REVENUES

The following is a brief synopsis of the budget proposed for FY26, relative to the Town's appropriations in FY25: 3/20 & 3/27/25

Town Manager

March 20 & 27, 2025

EXPENDITURES

Ace Fuel Services LLC, trading as Ace Fuel Services LLC, 10178 Winchester Rd., Front Royal, VA 22630. The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Convenience Grocery Store, Wine, Beer, Consumed Off Premises application.

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

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

3/27 & 4/3/25

ORDER OF PUBLICATION COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Probate No.: 21685 Circuit Court of Loudoun County Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Estate of Marilyn C. Galvin

It appearing that the Personal Representative has petitioned this Court to enter a Rule to Show Cause against Distribution; that the debts and demands against the estate has been filed herein, that six months have elapsed since the qualification, and that the Final Account has been filed with the Commissioner of Accounts, on Motion of the said Personal Representative;

It is ORDERED that the creditors of, and all others interest in, the Estate do show cause, if any they can, on the 25th day of April 2025 at 9:00 a.m. before this Court in its Courtroom, against the payment and delivery of the Estate of Marilyn C. Galvin, deceased, to the payees without refunding bonds.

13/27 & 4/3/25

Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

PLAT-2024-0366

Evans Pond Road Subdivision

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

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

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

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

PLAT-2025-0012 Rivana

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

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

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

PUBLIC NOTICE

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

PLAT-2025-0002

Goose Creek West Residential

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

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

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

A message to Loudoun County older and disabled residents from

Robert S. Wertz, Jr. Commissioner of the Revenue

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

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

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office 46000 Center Oak Plaza

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

Internet: loudoun.gov/taxrelief

Email: taxrelief@loudoun.gov

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

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

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

List your business in our service directory and reach thousands of potential customers! Call for details 703-770-9723

ATTENTION NONPROFIT CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS IN LOUDOUN COUNTY

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

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

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

Leesburg Office 1 Harrison Street SE First Floor

Sterling Office Loudoun Tech Center 46000 Center Oak Plaza

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

Phone: (703)737-8557 Email: trcor@loudoun.gov

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

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

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA VA. CODE § 8.01-316

Case No.: JJ048585-04-00

ORDER OF PUBLICATION

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

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

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

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

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

Loudoun Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court

Commonwealth of Virginia, in re Carlton Platt

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

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

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

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

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, April 9, 2025, in order to consider:

2025-2026 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN

The Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development invites residents to provide comments on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Annual Action Plan. The public comment period is open through April 9, 2025.

The FY 2026 Annual Action Plan must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by May 15, 2025.

HUD has designated Loudoun County as qualified for Urban County participation in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and entitled to receive CDBG funding and as a Participating Jurisdiction to receive HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funds directly from HUD. HUD regulations require the adoption of the above referenced Plan, which outlines the County’s housing and community development needs, priorities and objectives, and proposed use of the federal funds for the ensuing program year.

Components of the FY 2026 Annual Action Plan include, without limitation, descriptions of:

 Federal and other resources expected to be available.

 Leveraging resources and how match obligations will be met.

 The activities to be undertaken.

 The geographic distribution of investment; and  Planned homeless and other special needs activities.

DEFERRED Legal Notices

Copies of Plan are available for review March 7, 2025, through April 9, 2025, at the following locations: Loudoun County Government Center, Information Desk, 1st Floor, 1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, Virginia; Loudoun County Department of Housing and Community Development, 106 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia; Information Desks at all branches of the Loudoun County Public Library System. To find a branch, visit https://library.loudoun.gov/ from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Plan will also be available online at www.loudoun.gov/cdbg March 7, 2025, through April 9, 2025. Written comments on the Plan may be submitted to the attention of the Johnette Powell, Housing Programs Manager at the Department of Housing and Community Development, 106 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, Virginia through April 9, 2025.

AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 1020 OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF LOUDOUN COUNTY Naming of Streets

Pursuant to Virginia Code §§15.2-1427 and 15.2-2019, the Board of Supervisors gives notice of its intention to propose for passage amendments to Section 1020.05, General Naming Standards, and Section 1020.07, Street Naming and Renaming Process, of the Codified Ordinances of Loudoun County in order to establish a new naming standard that prohibits the use of names of Confederate leaders, associated with the Confederate cause, or of individuals or movements that promoted or implemented racial segregation laws in Virginia as street names, as well as processes by which existing and reserved street names found to be in violation of this new standard will be renamed and/or deleted from the Master Street Directory, following notification of the Board of Supervisors. The amendments would have an effective date of August 2025.

A complete copy of the above-referenced proposed amendments is on file and available for public inspection in the Office of the County Administrator, County Government Center, 5th Floor, 1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg, Virginia, between 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or call 703-777-0200. Documents also may be viewed and downloaded electronically 72 hours in advance of the public hearing at: www.loudoun.gov/bosdocuments (for Public Hearing documents, follow the link for “Board of Supervisors Business Meetings, Public Hearings and Special Meetings”)

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 703-7770246 (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-ups will be taken after 8:30 a.m. on March 28, 2025, and no later than 12:00 p.m. on April 9, 2025. 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

3/20 & 3/27/25

Loco Service Providers

VEHICLE AUCTION

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

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

VEHICLE AUCTION

ADESA WASHINGTON DC 705-996-1100

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

Graphic Design

of Leesburg Employment Opportunities Please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs for more information and to apply online. Resumes may be submitted as supplemental only. EOE/ADA.

To review Ida Lee (Parks & Recreation) flexible part-time positions, please visit www.leesburgva.gov/jobs. Most positions will be filled at or near the minimum of the range. Dependent on qualifications. All Town vacancies may be viewed on Comcast Cable Channel 67 and Verizon FiOS Channel 35.

Published by Loudoun Community Media

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

703-770-9723

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

BILL CLIFFORD Chief Development Of cer bclifford@loudounnow.org

EDITORIAL

AMBER LUCAS Reporter alucas@loudounnow.org

HANNA PAMPALONI Reporter hpampaloni@loudounnow.org

WILLIAM TIMME Reporter wtimme@loudounnow.org

ADVERTISING

SUSAN STYER Advertising Manager sstyer@loudounnow.org

TONYA HARDING Account Executive tharding@loudounnow.org

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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.

A New Approach

Opinion

More so than any previous power line debate in Loudoun County—and there have been plenty—the current community battle over proposed routes for Dominion Energy’s Golden to Mars project highlights the need for a new approach.

This project differs from most previous high-capacity lines in that it is not cutting through farm pastures, following highway corridors, or towering over industrial parks. The proposed routes mostly would snake through neighborhoods and, as we’ve been hearing a lot about, cross school campuses.

It is important to note that this is not the typical suburban power line. We’re now funneling 500 and 750 kV lines into the data center clusters. That has shifted the focus of the debate from objections to unsightly intrusions into backyard viewsheds to increasing concern about long-term health impacts of placing bigger lines closer to schools and homes. Even as industry data and scientific studies continue to find no significant risks, a speaker at Tuesday’s School Board meeting called the routing decision “an Erin Brockovich moment,” referring to historic environmental health disaster in Hinkley, CA. The perception of health dangers is not going away.

Disappointed

Editor:

I was disappointed to read that our county supervisors voted to double down on the discriminatory DEI hiring policies. These policies have several negative consequences. In the name of supporting preferred groups, they obviously discriminate against other groups. Because they prioritize characteristics like race, and pass over a candidate's merit, the resulting performance is less than it could be.

I lived in Washington, DC, for 50 years under these policies. I was passed over for several jobs despite being qualified. That's a rarely discussed consequence of this program.

— James Sivard, Leesburg

Dividing Us

Editor:

Just when the whole nation is divided by color, our proud Loudoun County community is divided by a different set of colors. Here it's not the skin color, but the five colored routes proposed by Dominion Power for its ultra-high powered overhead transmission lines connecting the Mars and Golden substations.

I have been living in Loudoun Valley II for the past 13 years. When this beautiful community was being built by Toll Brothers, they promised all the green

There is near unanimity among residents and community leaders that underground lines must be part of the equation when planning new transmission corridors in high density residential areas.

At the same time, industry representatives are equally adamant that burying such high-voltage lines is not feasible, adding requirements for far higher costs and for more land to accommodate the transition stations linking the underground and overhead lines.

When Dominion Energy files its routing proposals with the State Corporation Commission as early as this week, an underground option is not expected to be among them.

With this effort to retrofit a high-capacity line through a developed residential area, we may have point where the SCC should require that an underground option be placed on the table for comparison. That may necessitate the work of an independent consultant or study by the SCC’s own staff. And it may require the locality pushing for its consideration to help fund that research.

There is no other way to move beyond the circular debate in which one side claims that only underground lines should be permitted and another that claims it isn’t possible.

LETTERS to the Editor

areas within the community would never be altered and many of us paid premiums to have woods behind our backyards. I even remember people forming a queue at 4 a.m. to make a deposit for a lot on the day they opened limited sales.

I remember the first couple of years after we moved in, we used to drive very carefully on Loudoun County Parkway because so many animals (deer, foxes, etc.) were crossing the road. We used to see a lot of turtles and rabbits in our yards. After that, these animals slowly faded away; either they migrated or died in accidents.

Now, we humans became just like those animals from 10 years ago. Karma didn’t take much time to pay us back. We, too, are being forced to get out of this area or die.

The interesting thing is that Dominion has already bought half the community without even spending a penny. Based on which line they finalize, those not impacted by the final route will support Dominion’s atrocity.

Those who proposed these two routes through school property must be insane. I do not understand how it was decided that these two lines that are passing through the schools compared with the other three that are not touching any school property are the "least impacted" lines. Even after so much material has been published over the years on the adverse effects that these

power lines can have on kids’ physical and mental health.

I completely understand the concerns of some respected citizens that they miss their view with these overhead powerlines behind their backyard when they sip their healthy green tea on the weekend, or they may have to take some extra steps to walk around the powerline poles on their walks, or that their pets need to find a new spot to pee because of the electric poles took over their spot. But do you really want to sacrifice our kids' health by letting a couple of these lines pass through our schools? It's thousands of kids and hundreds of staff members forever.

There is another set of respected citizens who worry about their property values going down. I worry, too. I know house value is an issue, but shouldn't our kids' health be on the priority list?

— Gautham Kasireddy, Ashburn

Selective Critique

Editor:

My blood is boiling after reading the accusations in Suzanne DeSaix's recent letter, where she presented a selective critique of our current president, his appointees, and his record. I must express my strong disagreement.

Loudoun Now is mailed weekly to homes in Leesburg,

READERS’ poll

Do you approve of the Board of Supervisors efforts to regulate data centers?

your views at

As a conservative Republican, I recognize the need for extensive reforms to combat government fraud and abuse. This encompasses everything from budgetary issues to presidential cabinet nominations. However, Ms. DeSaix’s opinions seem to rely heavily on conjecture rather than factual analysis.

As a retired military service member who has dedicated decades defending this nation in various war zones, I found her arguments flawed and lacking in experiential foundation. While I appreciate differing viewpoints, it is crucial that those opinions are grounded in truth; otherwise, they perpetuate bias and misinformation.

Let me clarify my stance: I disagree with her assertion that the highly decorated individuals in our president's cabinet lack qualifications or experience. In fact, they embody the opposite. Furthermore, I must address the inaccuracies and misrepresentations in her arguments. It is astounding that she would base judgments regarding national security qualifications on opinions lacking in evidence.

Every cabinet member has undergone a rigorous vetting process approved not just by House of Representatives but by the Senate as well. Her commentary seems to overlook the substantial accomplishments achieved under this administration, particularly the strides made in economic growth and job creation in less than 60

—

LETTERS to

the Editor continued from page 37

days in office. For those of us who elected President Trump, the objective has always been meaningful change.

It is essential to recognize that the previous administration was plagued by issues of waste, fraud, and abuse, all of which are now being addressed. One cannot ignore the reality that significant problems festered while the previous president disengaged both physically and mentally.

Regarding the topic of tariffs, her assertions about the influence on food prices fail to account for the complexities of negotiation and long-term economic strategies. Record inflation in food prices primarily stems from transportation costs, not tariffs. We import only a limited number of food items globally, so the impact of tariffs on domestic food prices is minimal.

In conclusion, while expressing dissent is a fundamental right in America, it must be conducted with accuracy and a basis in reality. To promote informed discourse, we must confront misinformation and hold ourselves accountable to the truth.

— Bill Sutherland, Purcellville

Seize the Moment

Editor:

Leesburg is on the brink of an unprecedented financial opportunity, thanks to the projected revenue influx from data centers in the newly annexed

Compass Creek Campus. With estimates ranging from $1–2 million in fiscal year 2025 to as much as $16 million annually by 2030, our town must make prudent decisions about how to allocate these funds for maximum benefit to our residents.

There will undoubtedly be many competing ideas on how to utilize this windfall. However, two priorities should rise above the rest: improving Leesburg’s residential roads and providing tax rebates for homeowners. These initiatives will offer both immediate and long-term benefits, ensuring that the rewards of economic growth are shared with those who make Leesburg the vibrant community it is today.

Anyone who has driven through Leesburg’s neighborhoods knows that many of our roads are overdue for maintenance. Potholes, cracks, and uneven surfaces have become all too common. With an influx of data centers, increased wear and tear on infrastructure is inevitable. The revenue windfall presents a perfect opportunity to fund a comprehensive residential road milling and paving program, addressing longstanding concerns and enhancing the quality of life for all residents. Investing in our roads now means fewer expensive repairs in the future, better property values, and a safer community.

While businesses are fueling this

economic boom, the hardworking residents of Leesburg should also see direct benefits. Allocating a portion of the data center revenue to tax rebates would provide meaningful financial relief to homeowners, many of whom have faced rising costs in recent years. A targeted rebate program could ensure that the funds are distributed equitably, giving back to those who have invested in our town and making Leesburg an even more attractive place to live.

Critics may argue that windfalls should be saved or directed toward other priorities, and while responsible financial planning is essential, investing in core infrastructure and tax relief is a sound, balanced approach. These funds are not a one-time surplus but a projected, sustained revenue stream. Strategic reinvestment in roads and targeted tax relief will ensure that Leesburg’s economic growth translates into tangible improvements in residents’ daily lives.

The Leesburg Town Council has a golden opportunity to make decisions that will leave a lasting impact. By prioritizing residential road improvements and tax rebates, we can strengthen our community, support homeowners, and ensure that this economic windfall benefits all who call Leesburg home. Let’s seize this moment and invest wisely in our town’s future.

— Bruce Gemmill, Leesburg

Fire-Rescue Station

continued from page 3

Fire and rescue services in Lovettsville date back to 1966 when “The Lovettsville 12,” residents of the town and surrounding area, met in the basement of the bank building and decided to establish a first responder service and the Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station 12 was born.

The original ambulance, a 1955 Ford van loaned by local Dr. George Hocker, was kept behind the Game Club. The following spring, the Loudoun Rescue Squad donated a 1958 4x4 vehicle formerly used for Civil Defense. The Lovettsville volunteers rented a barn outside of town and in 1968 purchased the adjoining half-acre barn site to have enough land to comply with county regulations to construct a metal building. The company’s first tanker was a GMC truck with a 1,250-gallon tank. It was replaced in 1978 with a Chevrolet truck with more than double the capacity.

Purcellville Recall

continued from page 1

Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office to a list of law enforcement officers deemed unworthy to be called as a witness in court.

Morgan said the fourth reason for the recall effort is incompetence by the council members.

“There’s just numerous examples at every meeting,” Morgan said. “It’s all written out for them and sometimes they don’t even know what is in front of them because they get confused and they have to ask Nett or the mayor, ‘what are we doing here?’”

Morgan said he believes the residents will have a good case to take to Clerk of the Circuit Court Gary Clemens. The group is working to collect signatures from 1,500 town voters. After that, the list would be vetted by Clemens’ office and then be presented to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for determination on whether to move forward.

“My expectation is they will refer it to a special prosecutor in another district,” Morgan said.

The Virginia statute governing allows the Circuit Court to remove an elected representative targeted in a recall petition “for neglect of a clear, ministerial duty of the office, misuse of the office, or incompetence in the performance of the duties of the office when that neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties has a material adverse effect upon the conduct of the office.” Convictions for drug or hate crimes also may lead to removal from office.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, re-

A new building was constructed in 1974 and served as the home of the fire and rescue company until last week. That station was not built with bunkrooms in mind, since volunteers would often leave work or home to respond when needed.

Trailers were installed later to provide sleeping quarters and eventually some firefighters needed to use the bingo hall as a

call supporters brought signs and met with residents in lobby at the Town Hall to collect signatures, with several attendees signing and others driving to the building to sign the petition.

“People are fired up about this” Morgan said. “As a matter of fact, we’ve already had the first the first person who signed was watching online. … There’s a lot of energy here.”

While targeting all members of the council’s four-member majority, Nett’s role has been at the center of controversy.

Nett’s placement on commonwealth’s attorney’s list of unreliable witnesses was related to multiple uses of sick leave for Town Council events. In a letter from Commonwealth’s Attorney Bob Anderson to Purcellville Police Chief Sara Lombraña, Anderson said Nett used his sick leave to attend a Virginia Municipal League annual event on Jan. 30—a time when he requested to be contacted via email, rather than a phone call due to “lack of voice,” according to the letter.

“Officer Nett was seen at the hotel bar in Richmond on the night of Jan. 29, 2025, drinking and talking on the phone. Officer Nett attended the conference in Richmond on January 30, 2024. On January 30, 2025, Officer Nett was heard by attendees speaking in a normal voice and in fact raising his voice,” according to the letter.

The letter said that Nett also notified his supervisor that he would be taking sick leave until further notice on Feb. 8 and did not report for scheduled shifts. However, he did attend a Town Council meeting Feb. 13 “thus contradicting his explanation of being sick with ‘lack of voice,’” Anderson wrote.

bunk room.

“It was literally like a 200-yard sprint to get to the apparatus at night, because the sleeping quarters were not in the main building, they were in the trailer,” Cooper said. “One of the biggest upgrades was having our sleeping quarters inside the firehouse.”

The new station also includes several

Finally, the letter states that Nett was on duty as a police officer Jan. 10 when he marked out for directed patrol. “Evidence supports that Officer Nett was not on proactive patrol but rather was engaged during that time in his duties as a Town Council member” according to the letter.

Anderson notified Lombraña Feb. 24 that “it is clear to me that Officer Nett’s significant issues with truthfulness and integrity have left me no choice but to place him on my office’s Brady/Giglio list. Therefore, his involvement at any level in any case could severely jeopardize the viability of any prosecution and further, he cannot be utilized by this office as a witness in any case.”

Morgan said he’s concerned about the escalating frustration among residents who have called on Nett to resign.

“I don’t want things get out of hand. Things are getting louder because people are frustrated, they’re not listening to us. Our voices are not being heard and so this is what we have left. We can do this as a process under the law and so that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Residents continued to express that frustration during Tuesday night’s meeting, including recently retired Purcellville Police Sgt. Paul Kakol.

“Council Member Nett, I love you like I brother, man. I would absolutely have felt confident with you at my back going into a building. That’s true, but what’s happening here right now, this is not OK,” he said.

He urged the council to remember that their constituents are also their neighbors.

“How do we fix this?” he asked. “… pump the brakes. You all can stop this,” Kakol said.

quality-of-life improvements including a dining table large enough to fit everyone on the shift, a dedicated gym, offices, black-out shades for the bunkrooms, large locker rooms and a large kitchen.

“We couldn’t have I call them family dinners where everybody eats together,” Chief Michael Baker said. “It wasn’t big enough for everybody to eat together and so all the volunteers and the crew members can all eat together now.”

The Lovettsville Fire and Rescue Station is home to seven career firefighters per shift and 70 volunteers in total who provide 24/7 service to Loudoun, in addition to assisting Brunswick, MD, first responders when needed.

Upgrading to the new station will also allow the company to be one of the first in Loudoun to staff an engine with four people, providing advanced life support 100% of the time. Prior to moving to the new station, a paramedic was on shift 50 to 70% of the time, Cooper and Baker said.

The company is celebrating the station’s opening Saturday, March 29 with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. n

Planning Commission Chair Ron Rise Sr. defended Nett saying he served the town as a police officer and was chosen by his fellow officers as the department’s 2024 officer of the year.

“He’s a man of honor and integrity and yet, despite all he’s done, some members of the council and others have tried to smear his name, damage his character, and threaten his ability to provide for his family. … He represents the best of our nation, our state and our town. It’s time to stop the insanity and do what’s right and stand by Mr. Carl Benjamin Nett,” Rise said.

Nett said he would not resign and would continue to fulfill his campaign promises.

“I will remain with the Purcellville Police Department, not because Kwasi Fraser says so, but because the law says so,” he said. “I will remain there until I decide otherwise, or until such time as this council decides to indeed follow the recommendations of town staff, Assistant Town Manager [Diana] Hays and Director of Human Resources [Ladonna] Snellbaker, to eliminate the Purcellville Police Department in its entirety. Those who have conspired to defame my character and I believe, overturn the results of our most recent elections, whatever their rank or station or political office, will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, civil as well as criminal,” Nett said.

Hays and Snellbaker told Loudoun Now that Nett was referencing a private conversation between themselves and Fraser.

Morgan said he is planning a rally April 9 at Elysium Axe Bar and would be setting up tables around the town prior to that to get signatures. n

Hanna Pampaloni/Loudoun Now Capt. Richard Cooper fills out the status board at the new Lovettsville Fire and Rescue Station March 25.

An old photo shows the original Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue ambulance - a 1955 Ford van loaned by local Dr. George Hocker.

A Loudoun Moment

Club Deportivo

continued from page 3

to provide them with something free.”

The club’s partnership with Loudoun Soccer generates new opportunities for taking its programs to the next level.

Uruuizo said Deportivo mainly runs its programs through volunteer coaches. Getting those coaches licenses is integral to Loudoun Soccer’s coaching education partnership. Most of Deportivo’s coaches

played soccer at amateur or high competitive levels, but licenses will allow them to provide better services for the kids, Uruuizo said.

Uruuizo also said giving kids a higher degree of training will help them with the graduation process, a part of Deportivo’s program.

“We participate in a rec league. It’s called the NCSL rec league,” Uruuizo said. “And if we see a player who is just above everybody else by talent, we know that player could do well in the travel environment. However, financials are always an issue, because

travel soccer can be very expensive.”

He said the club can now reach out to Loudoun Soccer about upcoming talent and ask if the player meets travel criteria. After analyzing whether travel is a good fit, Loudoun Soccer and Deportivo will push to get that player to the next level.

Currently, the club has a few hundred players, but Uruuizo said there is more to be done. As someone who grew up in Sterling Park, he hopes to give back to the community.

Building more sponsorships will help with that.

“It’s hard for a small nonprofit to get sponsors that will help us a long way to be able to rebuild all the programs,” Uruuizo said. “We would like to build a few futsal courts in Sterling Park for these kids to play for free, so they can play seven days a week all year round,” he said. “We’re open to talk to anybody. We want to help. We want to do the right thing.”

Interested residents or sponsors can reach out to info@deportivosterling.com to contact the club. n

Douglas Graham/Loudoun Now

Lucy settles into a front row seat with a good stick during a March 24 press briefing on efforts to convert Oak Hill into a state park. The 1,200-acre property near Aldie includes a mansion that for 22 years was the home of Founding Father James Monroe, the fifth U.S. president. From left, Del. Geary M. Higgins, owner Gayle DeLashmutt, and Heather Richards, vice president of the Conservation Fund speak to reporters about the project.