In this Issue

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Save the Date! Attainable Housing Town Hall on September 24th at 6pm

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Route 7 Brewing Grand Opening Celebration

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ARPA Childcare Needs Assessment Update

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September is Hunger Action Month!

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Riverbend Stream Restoration Community Open House Event

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Claude Moore Fall Fest & 16th Annual Photo Expo

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2024 Loudoun Innovation Challenge

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EV Charging Stations Coming to Cascades Library

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Upcoming Public Meetings

Join us for a productive and informative Town Hall on Attainable Housing on Tuesday, September 24th at 6pm at Cascades Senior Center (21060 Whitfield Pl, Sterling, VA 20165).

This town hall will feature a discussion on the state of housing in Loudoun County, including current county programs, and exploring the opportunities and challenges of building attainable housing. I am hosting this event featuring an expert panel:

• Brian Reagan, Assistant Director of the County Dept. of Housing & Community Development
• Benjamin Miller, Co-Founder & Partner of Wellington Development Partners
• Jill Norcross, Executive Director of Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA)

The event is free and open to the public; no pre-registration required. You can stay up to date by clicking interested on the Facebook event page here.

Please join me in celebrating the grand opening of Route 7 Brewing in Riverside Commons Plaza! I am ecstatic to see the first brewery open its doors in the Algonkian District AND owned and operated by a local Loudoun County resident. Thank you to these wonderful owners for investing in Loudoun County.

If you have a chance, stop by to enjoy their beautiful atmosphere and support their business through good food and beer!

The Board of Supervisors reviewed the results of the Childcare Needs Assessment, a program I advanced with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Drawing on surveys from Loudoun County families and childcare providers, the study confirmed the impacts of high childcare costs on families. Affordability is the top concern from families seeking childcare. For providers, they cited high levels of staff turnover, limited resources for increasing pay, and the costs for staff to get trained up to state requirements.

I put forward a motion with my colleagues' support to allocate an additional $1 million in ARPA funds for childcare programs. The funding will expand the Child Care Fee Reduction Program for county families and will provide incentives for childcare providers for staff retention uses. I also directed staff to prepare a resource request for the upcoming FY 2026 budget cycle to permanently fund these childcare initiatives. It is my hope that the BOS will add these programs to the base budget in the future.

You can review the Childcare Needs Assessment and staff recommendations here.

At this week's Business Meeting, my office co-sponsored a Board Member Initiative with Chair Randall's office to proclaim September 2024 as Hunger Action Month in Loudoun County.

Hunger Action Month, established in 2008, is the annual nationwide month of action to spread awareness and inspire everyone to join the movement to end hunger. According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report, an estimated 29,220 are food insecure in Loudoun; that’s 6.9% of the population struggling with hunger with about 1.9% being children under 18. Recognizing Hunger Action Month shows that Loudoun County remains committed to addressing food insecurity and hunger in partnership with community hunger relief organizations. 

Thank you to Loudoun Hunger Relief, Tree of Life, Dulles South Soup Kitchen, Fueled by Loudoun Education Foundation, and AnnaSudha Community Kitchen for coming to the Board room for the presentation and thank you to all the organizations in the charitable food network who works to make sure those in need in Loudoun have enough to eat.

This past weekend, the Department of General Services Stormwater Team was on-site at the River Bend Stream Restoration project to educate the public about the project and give attendees a tour to see the exciting progress!

It was such a beautiful day as families (and dogs!) stopped by to splash in the river and get an idea of what's to come for the site. I'm honored to have been able to attend to answer questions from constituents and talk about the importance of the project in Algonkian. This extraordinary, grant-funded, water quality project continues to make strides toward completion; it's currently about 60% complete!

You can find more information about the project here.

Spend a beautiful fall day outdoors at the annual Claude Moore Park Fall Fest and Photo Expo!

All ages can shop and enjoy handmade crafts from local artisans and view the amazing work of entrants to the Friends of Claude Moore Park’s 16th Annual Photo Expo. Other attractions include pumpkin painting, music, and a petting zoo. The Claude Moore Park Fall Fest will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Admission to the event is free and food will be available for purchase.

Parking for the event is available from the Loudoun Park Lane entrance at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum, located at 21668 Heritage Farm Lane. The Old Vestals Gap entrance will be closed to traffic on September 21 until 3:00 p.m.

This event will be hosted rain or shine. In the case of severe weather, a cancelation notice will be posted on the Loudoun PRCS website or PRCS Facebook page.

The Loudoun Innovation Challenge presented by the Department of Economic Development and Loudoun Economic Development Authority returns for 2024, offering an opportunity for local entrepreneurs and innovators to showcase their ideas and compete for a piece of $70,000 in prize money.

Four Challenge Categories will be featured this year:

• Life Sciences

• Cyber and Defense

• Highly Specialized Manufacturing

• Clean Technology

Each category winner receives $15,000, and the People’s Choice Award, determined by public vote, offers an additional $10,000. Beyond the prize money, winners also gain access to a six-week Growth Program led by Startups Ignite and a full year of personalized mentorship, offering invaluable guidance as they scale their businesses.

Applications are now open and close at Midnight on October 9, 2024. Winners will be announced at a prestigious gala event on December 5, 2024, at Belmont Country Club. The gala will bring together Loudoun entrepreneurs and business investors for an evening of celebration and networking.

A new approach this year, with video pitch submissions replacing the live event format, aims to streamline the submission process, giving entrepreneurs more flexibility and allowing for a broader range of participants. The previous Agri-Tech category has been integrated into all categories this year, giving Loudoun agriculture entrepreneurs more diverse opportunities for showcasing their ideas.

For more information and to apply for the 2024 Loudoun Innovation Challenge, visit LoudounInnovationChallenge.com.

Recharge with a book while you charge your vehicle! Four new electric charging (EV) stations are being installed at Cascades Library for public use. The parking spots will be near the main entrance.

Please note that due to the construction, the drive-through book return is closed to cars through the week of Sept. 16. The return is operational, however, and customers may walk up to return library materials.

Meetings of the Board of Supervisors are held at the Government Center

(1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175)

• Business Meeting
• Tuesday, October 1st at 4pm
• Joint Board/School Board Meeting
• Monday, October 7th at 4pm
• Finance/Gov. Operations & Economic Development Committee
• Tuesday, October 8th at 6pm

Agendas for upcoming public meetings are available on the county website a few days prior to each meeting. Your engagement and input are valued as we discuss matters important to the future of Loudoun County.