PARKS, RECREATION, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES (PRCS)

Join Loudoun County Parks, Recreation, and Community Services (PRCS) for a fantastic and free family-friendly event at the 3rd Annual LoCo Kids Fest. The LoCo Kids Fest will be held Monday, September 2, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Segra Field parking lot, 42095 Loudoun United Drive in Leesburg.

Come join in on a day of free fun, featuring interactive activities for kids of all ages, a touch-a-truck area featuring Loudoun County public safety vehicles, a DJ, delicious food trucks, a variety of Loudoun child-focused businesses, plus – moon bounces, foam bubbles and a petting zoo!

The LoCo Kids Fest will be hosted rain or shine. In the case of severe weather, a cancellation notice will be posted on the Loudoun County website at loudoun.gov/prcs and PRCS social media accounts. For more information on the LoCo Kids Fest, click here.

For more information on other events, classes, and opportunities being held by PRCS, check out the 2024 Fall Activity Guide here.

CASCADES LIBRARY

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the second exhibition in Loudoun County titled “Our Roots" will celebrate the contributions of the Hispanic and Latino community to the cultural richness of Loudoun County, and present images that identify each individual with their country of origin and/or connections to their family roots. This exhibition hopes to foster cultural understanding and appreciation while recognizing the creative talents of our local artists.

The exhibition features the works of 6 artists: Leonor Alvim Brazão, Maria Alejandra Brito, Rafael Franco Dolande, Lizzy Javier, Edgar João and Erika Klein, with a total of 23 pieces, including works of painting, photography, and mixed media.

The artworks will be on display in the Cascades Library gallery wall, located at 21030 Whitfield Place in Sterling, Virginia. The exhibition will be open during library hours, September 1 through October 27, 2024.

Click here to see the full Cascades Library event calendar.

CASCADES SENIOR CENTER

The Cascades Senior Center is looking for local artists and crafters to participate in their Arts & Crafts Fair happening on Saturday October 19th from 9am to 3pm. If you'd like to reserve a space and show off your work, email or call their event staff today!

The Loudoun County Senior Center provides an active gathering spot for the thriving, diverse community of adults 55 and older and offers a variety of classes, groups and programs that provide learning, growth and social opportunities. Find activities and read their latest newsletter here.

CASCADES FARMERS MARKET

The Cascades Farmers Market is back. Get your tote bags and coolers ready to pick from an abundance of farm fresh fruits and veggies, a variety of meat cuts from local farms, fresh breads, doggie biscuits and MORE!

Come to the market every Sunday at the Cascade Senior Center Parking Lot, open from 9 am to 12 pm. Volunteer opportunities are also available, including:

• promoting local sustainable and organic agriculture
• increasing economic opportunities for farmers and small food businesses
• offering experiential learning about and access to healthy local
• building a vibrant gathering place for residents and visitors

Check out their latest newsletter here. To learn more about volunteering at the market, email outreach@loudounfarmersmarkets.org!

September is Workforce Development Month and is celebrated annually by connecting people with employment opportunities in their communities. In recognition, the Loudoun Workforce Resource Center is offering several special virtual and in-person events during September 2024 that speak to a variety of community interests and needs. Check out the events at the website here and register today.

For virtual events, it is recommended that you have both camera and microphone capabilities on your device to enhance your event experience.

Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has conducted a safety inspection of the Thomas Avenue (Route 792) bridge over Sugarland Run and has made our office aware of their decision to close the bridge indefinitely on or about Friday, August 30th due to significant deterioration (pictures shown above). Additionally, VDOT has given us the following information:

• While the properties along or off of Thomas Avenue will continue to have access from either side (from Lakeland Drive on the west and from Algonkian Parkway on the east side of the bridge), traffic will not be able to cross the bridge in either direction.
• Through traffic will be detoured via Lakeland Drive (Route 821), Route 7 (Leesburg Pike) and Algonkian Parkway (Route 6220).
• The bridge will eventually be replaced, with VDOT sharing that construction is currently scheduled to begin in late 2027. Efforts will be made to speed up construction as much as possible.

Please check out VDOT's official notice of closure and alternate routes here. My office will continue to monitor any updates from VDOT about the project.

Walmart has just launched Testing and Treatment services for flu, strep, and COVID-19 at all 133 Walmart pharmacy locations across Virginia. This new program allows pharmacists to test customers for these common illnesses, then, if positive, prescribe treatment in one convenient location.

The service is currently cash-only, but preparations are underway to begin billing third-party insurance plans. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are also accepted. More information on pricing and locations can be found here.

Testing and Treatment is offered seven days a week at Walmart pharmacies, and walk-in appointments are welcome. Appointments can also be made in the Walmart app or online.

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, resulting in a significant demand for more pickleball courts throughout Loudoun County.

Several HOA communities have expressed an interest in enhancing their tennis courts to provide the option for pickleball. After thorough research from my staff and members of the Board, I'm excited to share that the county has prepared guidance allowing for HOAs to adapt proffered tennis courts for pickleball use without violating a proffer or needing to amend an approved application. A proffer is a voluntary commitment from a landowner or developer to mitigate or eliminate the impact of new development on neighboring properties and the county.

The Zoning Administrator provides the following guidance:

• An HOA may enhance a proffered tennis court to include additional uses, such as pickleball, provided the tennis court nets and striping remain in place.
• A multi-use court that retains the tennis court nets and striping is considered a tennis court for the purpose of fulfilling a proffer requirement to provide a tennis court.
• Any HOA wishing to include pickleball or multi-use courts while maintaining the tennis court may do so without additional county approval.
• A tennis court may be removed and replaced with another active recreation use, such as pickleball, provided the minimum number of proffered tennis courts are maintained and the area or court was not specifically designated for a tennis court use.

If your HOA would prefer a more formal, individual Proffer Determination confirming compliance with the proffer, an application can be submitted online through the county’s LandMARC system.

For additional information, please contact the Department of Planning and Zoning or call 703-777-0246.

This month, I participated in the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) County Officials Summit in Richmond. The summit hosted nearly 200 local, state, and federal leaders from across the commonwealth to discuss issues facing our communities. The first part of the day was filled with Q&A sessions with House Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Delegate Terry Kilgore, informative perspectives on local and state issues from Senator Lashrecse Aird and Delegate Carrie Coyner, and speeches from Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.

I proudly represented Loudoun County at the Finance & Elections Steering Committee, as well as at the Board of Directors meeting the following day. It was great to speak with and hear from other dedicated elected officials across Virginia as we continue to advocate and take action on the state's important topics.

I also took part in the VACo County Pulse podcast series this month on the topic of the Energy Landscape of Virginia. I sat down with VACo's Joe Lerch and talked about the tremendous growth of the data center industry in Loudoun, what steps the county is taking to account for the industry's impact, and recommendations for other counties as the industry continues to grow.

All 3 episodes are available to listen to now. You can find my interview on episode three.

The County encourages residents and businesses who wish to offer comment on Dominion Energy’s proposed transmission lines along Route 7 in Loudoun County to attend the State Corporation Commission (SCC) public hearing on Thursday, September 5, 2024, 6:00pm-10:00pm, at Belmont Ridge Middle School, 19045 Upper Belmont Place in Leesburg.

The SCC is considering a request by Dominion Energy to build the Aspen-Golden (Case #PUR-2024-00032) and Apollo-Twin Creeks electric transmission facilities (Case # PUR-2024-00044). The projects include a new 9.4-mile double circuit overhead transmission line (500 and 230 kilovolt) between the proposed Aspen and Golden substations and other associated infrastructure. The current application locates the proposed above-ground power lines from the area around Goose Creek and Belmont Ridge Road, along the south side of Route 7, and parallel to Loudoun County Parkway. Dominion has stated the projects are necessary to maintain electricity reliability for the region.

The SCC asks that any member of the public who wishes to provide comment at the September 5 hearing in Leesburg arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting and register with the commission’s bailiff. Each speaker will be allotted five minutes for their comments.

Members of the public also may submit written comments online at any time through September 10, 2024. Written comments can be submitted through the through the SCC’s online comment forms for the Aspen-Golden project and the Apollo-Twin Creeks project.

More information on the meeting and the projects can be found here.

Join us for a productive and informative Town Hall on Attainable Housing on September 24th at 6pm at the Cascades Senior Center.

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. This event will be hosted by myself and my office and feature 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 signing up on the Facebook event page here.

Do you live in the Richland Forest community? A petition is available through your Homeowner's Association for a Residential Permit Parking District (RPPD). Residential Permit Parking Districts can help to lessen traffic congestion and hazardous conditions in residential areas, as well as provide easier parking access to residences. If approved, the RPPD would limit street parking during certain hours only to residents and their guests. Residents would go through a process to obtain parking passes to allow for street parking, as well as visitor passes to issue to guests. An RPPD would NOT affect driveway parking.

The proposed Richland Forest RPPD, should it be approved by 75% of homeowners within the community, would take effect during weekdays from 8 am to 4:30 pm during months that school is in session. Petitions were mailed out to residences, so check your mailbox if you have not received it. My office has no formal position on the RPPD. I am sharing this information so that all households in the Richland Forest community can make their voices heard by returning the signed petition to Capitol Property Management by the August 31st deadline.

If you have any questions about RPPDs, detailed information about the process is available on the Loudoun County website.

My staff had the opportunity to visit Camp-Read-A-Lot at Meadowland Elementary School this month, where thirty students from rising 1st grade to rising 5th grade were participating in a summer camp-like reading literacy program. With the generosity of the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, each student was able to participate in the camp for free, take home twelve brand new books, and work on their reading literacy with LCPS teachers who are studying to get their Masters in Literacy at Shenandoah University. 

The program was created by Shenandoah University’s Claude Moore Center for Literacy. Read more about this transformational program here.

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

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

• Business Meeting
• Wednesday, September 4th at 4pm
• Finance, Gov. Operations & Economic Development Committee
• Tuesday, September 10th at 6pm
• Public Hearing
• Wednesday, September 11th 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.