Secondary Road Plan Approved
Despite some dissent over the paving of a eight-tenths-mile section of Mount Gilead Road in Leesburg, supervisors voted Tuesday to pass the six-year secondary road plan as it stood — including Mount Gilead. Residents along the road had become deeply divided about paving the stretch and eastern Loudouners questioned why, when so many road improvements are needed on more heavily traveled roads. Under the road plan, Waxpool Road is slated to be widened to six lanes; Church Road will be widened and have improved drainage; new turn lanes will be added to the intersection of Potomac View Road and Route 7; Belmont Ridge Road will be widened to four lanes; Loudoun Parkway will be widened to four lanes; and Sycolin Road will be graded, drained and paved. The plan is updated every year.
Bike Path on Algonkian Parkway
To be Done by 2006
Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve the use of up to $580,000 from the gasoline tax to design and construct a bicycle and pedestrian trail along Algonkian Parkway from Whitewater Drive to Grandview Place/Timberland Place, completing the route of paths already built by developers. The path is expected to be completed by summer 2006.
Priviledged Communication Protected
Supervisors were angered when an e-mail from county attorney Jack Roberts ended up in the hands of a "Washington Post" reporter in December. The e-mail advised the supervisors not to accept a deal from a developer to establish Philip A. Bolen Memorial Park on a smaller site, allowing him to build homes on the current site for the park. Supervisor Stephen Snow (Dulles) called for an investigation into the leaked e-mail. In the meantime, supervisors adopted a new protocol for privileged information from the county attorney: it must be hand-delivered into supervisor mailboxes in a sealed envelope.
Zoning Public Input Sought
The Loudoun County Ad Hoc Zoning Ordinance Review Committee is seeking public input on the annual review. Residents who wish to comment may e-mail suggestions to Zoning Administrator Melinda Artman at martman@loudoun.gov, or attend a public input session Feb. 2, beginning at 4-6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. in the Government Center at 1 Harrison St. in Leesburg.
"I think we're going to hear from a lot of people," said Sara Howard-O'Brien, a land planner with Reed Smith and a member of the ad hoc board.
The zoning ordinance is available for viewing at www.loudoun.gov/b&d/zoning.
Representative Hours
Frank Sandler, a representative for U.S. Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), will have office hours Feb. 10, from 1-2:30 p.m., at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E., Leeburg, to discuss issues facing the area with constituents and to help anyone having problems with a federal agency. Call Sandler at 703-966-6036.
Housing Needs Hearing
Loudoun County residents and organizations are invited to provide comments on local housing and community development needs Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6:30 p.m., at the Department of Social Services, on the second floor of the Shenandoah Building, 102 Heritage Way, N.E. in Leesburg.
Comments received at the public hearing will be considered in preparing Loudoun County's annual action plan within the framework of the county's Consolidated Housing and Community Development Plan. The action plan, once approved by the Board of Supervisors, will be submitted to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in May 2005.
The plan is a HUD requirement for receiving funding under certain federal programs. The overall goal of the plan is to establish a unified vision for housing and community development needs and to strengthen partnerships among all levels of government and the private sector — both for-profit and nonprofit — to meet the needs of low and moderate-income persons by providing decent housing; establishing and maintaining a suitable living environment; and expanding economic opportunities.
Anyone who requires a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability in order to participate in the public hearing should contact the Housing Services Division of the Department of Social Services at 703-777-0389 (V/TTY).
Two Stabbed in Fight
Two area men are recovering from stab wounds stemming from a fight that occurred at a Sterling restaurant during the early morning hours Sunday, Jan. 30, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
The victims, a 22-year-old man from Sterling and a 25-year-old man from Herndon say they were on the dance floor at Pepe's Mexican Restaurant in the Sterling Park Plaza when a fight broke out and both of them were stabbed.
Deputies responded to the scene shortly before 1:30 a.m. and found a group of men inside a truck outside the restaurant. Inside the car was the Sterling victim who was suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to Loudoun Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A short time later Reston Hospital contacted the Sheriff's Office after a Herndon man they were treating told staff he had been stabbed in Loudoun County. He would later be taken to Fairfax Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Members of the restaurant security staff said after the fight broke out they used pepper spray to disperse the crowd involved and ushered the participants into the parking lot where they left in several different vehicles.
The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 703-777-0475. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
Dangerous Intersections
For the third year in a row the intersection of Route 28/Church Road and Waxpool Road ranked as the most dangerous intersection in Loudoun County, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
Every year the Sheriff's Office Traffic Research Analyst compiles the top 10 most dangerous intersections in the county based on the number of accidents.
The intersection of Route 28/Church Road and Waxpool Road saw 99 accidents in 2004, up from 93 the previous year. The annual study shows Route 28 and Old Ox Road returning to being one of the top three most dangerous intersections in the county after dropping to fifth in 2003. Dating back to 1998, the intersection had been consistently ranked as one of the top two accident locations.
According to the report several intersections along Route 7 saw an increase in the number of accidents. Ashburn Village Boulevard at Route 7 rose to 50 accidents, up from 40 in 2003. The intersection of Route 7 and Ashburn Road also saw a slight increase in accidents last year.
Local Police Assist at Inauguration
Thursday, Jan. 20, 25 members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's office Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU) and five members of Leesburg's Police Department's Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU), were deployed to assist the United States Park Police and other Law Enforcement agencies for the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.
All of the Loudoun officers were deputized for the day as "Special Policemen" under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior. This provided them with the necessary authority on National Park Service lands. The officers were also deputized as "Deputy U. S. Marshals," allowing them to have federal jurisdiction in areas within Washington, D.C., that are not National Park Service area.
The officers were utilized to assist other police personnel with perimeter security and crowd control in the vicinity of the U. S. Capitol and the National Mall.
Both the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and the Leesburg Police Department will be reimbursed for the cost of the hours worked by the officers from the appropriate federal agency.
Clark Retiring
John J. Clark is retiring as director of transportation services for Loudoun County, effective March 1.
Before being named the county's first director of transportation services in October 2001, Clark was with the Department of Public Works and Transportation in Montgomery County, Md., from 1975-2001, serving as
acting deputy director for transportation policy.
Clark has a master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College and a master's degree in transportation engineering from Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1962-1965.
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
LCPS curriculum and instruction committee, board conference room, 102 North St., N.W., Leesburg.
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 5 p.m.
LCPS personnel services committee, board conference room, 102 North St., N.W., Leesburg.
Monday, Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m.
LCPS health, safety & wellness committee, board conference room, 102 North St., N.W., Leesburg.
Tuesday, Feb. 8
* 8 a.m., LCPS Career and Technology Education Foundation Board of Trustees, Monroe Technology Center, 715 Children's Center Road, S.W., Leesburg.
* 3:30 p.m., LCPS finance, construction & site acquisition committee, board conference room, 102 North St., N.W., Leesburg.
* 4 p.m. & 6:30 p.m., Second Tuesday School Board meeting,
board meeting room, 102 North St., N.W., Leesburg.
Wednesday, Feb. 9
* 4 p.m., LCPS health advisory board, Douglass Support Facility, 407 E. Market St., Leesburg.
* 7:30 p.m., Loudoun Education Alliance of Parents (LEAP), Stone Bridge High School, 43100 Hay Road, Ashburn.
Thursday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m.
LCPS gifted advisory committee, Tolbert Elementary School, 691 Potomac Station Drive, N.E., Leesburg.