<sh>Historic District Concerns
<bt>The village of Ashburn may be removed from the National Register of Historic Places nomination list. The county asked the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) to remove the nomination placed on the June 12 agenda of VDHR's State Review Board.
The county made the request after a key step was missed in a recent survey of historic structures in the unincorporated village of Ashburn, an effort managed for the county by the Winchester Regional Preservation Office of the VDHR.
Residents received a letter in early April indicating Ashburn had been nominated for the National Register status. The county determined VDHR missed a public information meeting before forwarding the nomination to the state board.
The Winchester Regional Preservation Office agreed to participate in the missed public information meeting, scheduled at 7 p.m. May 8 at Stone Bridge High School. The meeting will begin with an overview of the project, followed by a presentation on a survey of properties in Ashburn.
Inclusion on the National Register is an honorary designation, providing tax breaks for major rehabilitation work. The listing does not restrict property owners in any way, according to a county press release.
The state will not consider a nomination of Ashburn for historic recognition in June. The county has no plans to pursue a local regulatory historic district status for Ashburn.
<sh>Waterford Raises Funds
<bt>A group of Waterford residents raised $5.3 million to purchase lands surrounding the 1733 National Historic Landmark village of Waterford.
Residents began reinvesting in Waterford in the 1930s to protect the village from encroaching development and formed a foundation to help collect funds for the land purchases. Over the years, the Waterford Foundation purchased parcels that came up for sale. On April 20, Waterford residents commemorated their efforts to date and celebrated a $1 million federal grant the village received to further protect and preserve the National Historic Landmark.
Recent analysis shows that more than 1,000 acres of land within the Landmark designation are privately owned and have the potential for development.
<sh>Robbery Suspect Arrested
<bt>On April 16, sheriff's investigators extradited Adam Gabriel Rozas, 22, to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Rozas was charged with five felonies, including armed robbery and use of a firearm, in the Nov. 25, 2001 robbery that occurred in the parking lot of the Tri State Amoco. Rozas was being held in jail in Martinsburg, W. Va. on charges related to the Loudoun County robbery.
The Nov. 28 incident began when two male victims were sitting in their vehicles in the gas station's parking lot. The first victim told sheriff's deputies that he was approached by a white male who displayed a handgun and demanded money. The victim told the suspect he had none and the suspect went to a second vehicle. The second victim handed over an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency and credit cards to the suspect. The suspect then fled the scene in a black sport utility vehicle. Rozas is being held without bond in the Loudoun County Detention Center. Further arrests are expected in this case.
<sh>Sterling Meeting Canceled
<bt>The Sterling Suburban Area Community meeting scheduled for Saturday, April 27 at park View High School has been canceled. The meeting will not be held since a relatively low number of Sterling area residents called to register in advance of the meeting.