Design Charrette
<bt>Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, in conjunction with the architectural firm of Wisnewski Blair Associates of Alexandria, will host a design charrette, or workshop, for the Dulles South multi-purpose facility Thursday, Sept. 22, at Arcola Community Center. This workshop represents the primary opportunity for interaction between the community and the facility design team.
The public will have two opportunities to be involved in the process. Representatives will be available at the center between 1:30-5 p.m. to informally answer questions about the proposed facility and facility design. The actual design charrette is scheduled from 7:30-9 p.m. The workshop will include several presentations of design options for the facility consistent with planned programming and funding. Ideas and comments from the community are welcome. Further development of the facility design, to incorporate elements discussed during the workshop, will be presented later in the fall.
Arcola Community Center is located at 24244 Gum Spring Road. Call 703-777-0343 or send e-mail inquires to prcs@loudoun.gov.
<sh>Open House Meeting
<bt>There will be an open house Monday, Sept. 26, on proposed changes in land-use and design policies for the Upper Broad Run and Upper Foley Subareas of the county's
Transition Policy Area.
The open house will be held from 6-8 p.m., at Mercer Middle School, 41249 Greenstone Drive in Aldie. Residents are invited to attend at their convenience. Maps and materials will be available highlighting the proposed changes. Planning Department staff will also be available to answer questions.
The proposed changes are being considered by the Loudoun County Planning Commission as Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAM) 2005-2003.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the amendment at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3, in the Board Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E., Leesburg.
The Upper Broad Run Subarea lies generally south of Red Hill Road (Route 617), south and west of Evergreen Mills Road (Route 621), north and south of John Mosby Highway (Route 50), west of the Village of Arcola, north of Braddock Road (Route 620), north and south of Braddock Road (Route 705), and east of Peach Orchard Lane (Route 624) and Watson Road (Route 860). The Upper Foley Subarea lies generally south of Braddock Road (routes 705 and 620), east and west of Lightridge Farm Road (Route 705) and adjacent to
the Prince William County line on the south and west.
Changes to the Planned Land Use Map are also being proposed for portions of the properties known as Greenvest/Dulles South and Shockey family property. These properties are located generally north of John Mosby Highway (Route 50), west of the Village of Arcola, and north of Racefield Lane (Route 877).
The draft policies and the proposed land-use map changes being considered by the Planning Commission at its Oct. 3 public hearing are online at www.loudoun.gov/compplan/transition.htm.
<sh>Broad Run Farms Meeting
<bt>Residents of Broad Run Farms and other interested citizens are invited to attend a public information meeting Thursday, Sept. 29, about a recently conducted flood-risk study. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., at the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library, 21030 Whitfield Place in Sterling.
Representatives of Loudoun County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will explain the recent study conducted by the Corps to assess the flood risk and investigate emergency-access issues for the Broad Run Farms area. They will explain the purpose and results of the study and will also be available to take comments and answer questions from the public. Substantive comments will be considered for inclusion as an annex to the final report.
The Broad Run Farms area is served by one road, Youngs Cliff Road, which is low-lying and subject to periodic flooding from the Potomac River. When the road is flooded, about 60 homes are isolated from emergency services and some of the homes are subject to flood damage.
The study is available to review before the meeting, either online at www.loudoun.gov/genserv/stormwater or at the reference desk of the Eastern Loudoun Regional Library. Included in the executive summary is a Preferred Alternatives form, which residents are being asked to review and to send in their top three choices prior to the Sept. 29 meeting.
For more information about the meeting or the study, contact Tom Trask in the Loudoun County Department of General Services at 703-737-8441 or ttrask@loudoun.gov.
<sh>Office Hours
<bt>Chris West, regional representative for U.S. Sen. George Allan (R-Va.), will have office hours Sept. 29, from 2-4 p.m., at the Loudoun County Government Building, 1 Harrison St., S.E., Leesburg. Constitutes will be able to seek help with any problems with federal agencies. Constituents can call West, 703-244-7261.
<sh>Entrance Closed
<bt>The Nature Entrance at Claude Moore Park, marked Old Vestal's Gap Road, is scheduled to be closed through Sunday, Oct. 2, for the final phase of turning-lane construction.
All park services will still be available and will be temporarily
housed at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum on Heritage Farm Lane. Visitors may access the museum via the Sportsplex Entrance, marked Loudoun Park Lane.
The Visitor Center will be accessible by phone at 703-444-1275 or e-mail claudemoore@loudoun.gov.
<sh>Program Honored
<bt>The Sheriff's Office and one of its investigators were recognized for their efforts to help eliminate auto theft.
Sheriff Steve Simpson and Investigator Howard Craig received
certificates of appreciation for the institution of the bait-car program and for several apprehensions of auto thieves made last year. The recognition came from the Virginia State Police who run the Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) Awareness Program during a ceremony held at the Virginia Sheriff's Conference last week in Norfolk.
The bait-car program deploys vehicles in and around the county in order to catch and deter car thieves. The cars have a multitude of capabilities, including technology that will assist law enforcement in the successful and safe apprehension of suspects without the danger of pursuits and with the element of surprise.
When a thief drives off with a bait car that's been left parked
somewhere, investigators track its location, dispatch officers and use remote control to stop the vehicle in its tracks.
In the spring of 2004 the bait car was responsible for the arrest of three suspected auto thieves in two months. In one of those cases the Sheriff's Office seized a vehicle, which contained stolen property from prior larcenies from vehicles.
The Bait Car systems were paid for through asset forfeitures, which are money or property seized by the Vice/Narcotics Unit, and the program comes at no cost to the taxpayer.
<sh>Embezzler Sentenced
<bt>A Leesburg man was sentenced by a Loudoun Circuit Court Judge Friday, Sept. 9, to one year in jail and ordered to pay more than $56,000 in restitution after he embezzled money from a locally based business, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
According to the report, Sean Patrick Painter, 29, pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight felony charges that included three counts of credit card theft, three counts of fraud Ñ money by false pretense Ñ and two counts of embezzlement.
In September 2003, the Sheriff's Office received a report from the Long Fence Company that a former employee had embezzled more than $50,000. The investigation included the execution of a search warrant in November 2003 at the former home of Painter on Sparkleberry Terrace, N.E., in Leesburg. During the search of the home numerous pieces of evidence were seized.
Members of the Sheriff's Office Financial Crimes Section determined that Painter committed the offenses between September 2002 and September 2003.
At sentencing Judge Thomas Horne handed down two years on each of the eight felony counts to run consecutively, totaling 16 years in jail. All but 12 months of the sentence were suspended. Painter was also ordered to pay more than $56,000 in restitution.
Loudoun-based Long Fence Company honored all of the customer contracts Painter fraudulently benefited from, and ultimately took a large monetary loss. Supervisors and other employees from the Long Fence Company fully cooperated in the investigation.
<sh>Ashburn Home Fire
<bt>A fire, that resulted in $500,000 damage to an Ashburn home Saturday, Sept. 4, is under investigation by the Loudoun County Department of Fire-Rescue ServicesÕ Fire Marshals Office.
Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a call around 11:22 p.m., Saturday, for a structure fire at 43352 Vestals Place in Ashburn. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered heavy fire coming from the basement of the home. The fire was spreading rapidly to the first floor. Firefighters were able to bring the bulk of the fire under control in approximately 20 minutes.
The family of five, who was not at home when the fire broke out, has been displaced as a result of the extensive damage to the home. The Loudoun County After the Fire Program and the American Red Cross are providing assistance to the family. Two family dogs perished in the fire. There were no other injuries reported.