Coraggio Consulting Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting, Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia Length: 6h 4m (video) Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7478 Agenda (Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=73&clip_id=7478 Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting. Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-19. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [00:00:02] Well, good evening, supervisors. [00:11:38] Good evening, staff, and good evening, Loudon. I'd like to call the order of December 5, 2023, Loudon County Board of Supervisors business meeting. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, switch your hearing aid to the telecom mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. [00:11:55] Please see the clerk to request one. This evening, Mr. Sains is supposed to do words of inspiration, He is not here. So I would leave this in the Pledge of Allegiance. And if he has something wise to say later when he arrives, he can do that. Thank you. Will you all join me in the Pledge, please? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [00:12:28] Supervisors, we have a bit of a long consent agenda, and I think we'll have some discussions from a couple of supervisors on the consent agenda. So the proposed success in the agenda is as follows. Item R1, resolution to recognize independence high school marching band as the 5A state champions. [00:12:48] That's for approval only. That's Mr. Buffington, and he and I will attend, we'll go to the school. They're having a pep rally to deliver that. Item R2, resolution to recognize, the recognition of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue, Explosive Detectives Canine Aurora, who is going to be retiring, that is for approval and presentation, and we will do that in just a second. [00:13:15] I will have Mr. Turner, would you join me down front for that presentation for Aurora? I bet you would. Item R3, resolution to honor SPC Addison and Alexander Cadag, and that's for approval only. [00:13:31] Item R4, resolution of appreciation for Treasurer Roger Zern. That's for approval and presentation. Mr. Zinn will be here about 5.30. We'll do it at that time. And item R5, resolution to recognize the Loudoun County High School marching band as national champions. That is my resolution. [00:13:48] I will be going to Loudoun County High School to present that. Any supervisor who'd like to accompany me, I will make sure everyone knows when I will be making that trip. Item 1A, confirmations. Item 2, administration's items report for December 5th, 2023. [00:14:06] Item three, request for termination of real estate open space agreement. Item four, proposed conveyance of 6.42 acres of county-owned real property and the Aldi assemblage to the Piedmont Environmental Council. We should all jazz hands that because it's been years and years in the making. [00:14:25] Item five, initiation of road abandonment for a portion of Beaver Down Bridge Road. Item 6A, contract award task order roadway and transportation design services for federal projects. Item 6B, contract award and capital improvement program, amendment architectural and engineering services for the Western Loudoun Recreation Complex. [00:14:50] Item 6C, contract award workway and civil design services for the Route 50 North Collector Road. Item 6D, contract renewal, job order, contract with general construction. Item 6E, waiver of affordable multifamily housing loan program requirement for an application submitted by SGC Development Partners in the 2023-2024 program year. [00:15:17] Item 6F, waiver of an affordable multifamily housing loan program requirement for an application submitted by Wellington Development Partners and Cornerstones Housing Corporation in the 2023-2024 program year. [00:15:34] Item 6G, reallocation of unspent community development block grant consolidated coronavirus funds. Item 6H, award authority increase in capital improvement program amendment design build delivery of North Star Boulevard from Route 50 to 0.18 miles south of Evergreen Mills Road, previously Shreveport Mill Drive, I'm sorry, Shreveport Drive. [00:16:03] Item 6I, Muddy Branch Flooding Study. Item 6J, Response to Board Member Initiative, Board Business Travel Policy. Item 6K, Procurement Disparity Study. Item 6L, Use of Project, I'm sorry, I used to project that FY 2023 general fund balance and FY 2024 mid-year appropriations. [00:16:28] Item 6M, 2023 capital intensity factors. Item 6N, Route 50 corridor improvement project proposed scope changes, adjustment to the program funding and capital improvement program amended. Item 6O, why is this highlighted? [00:16:49] I don't remember why this is highlighted. Fast-track commercial incentive program update. I'll come back to you. I don't remember why that's high. Okay, okay, okay. That's a good reason. And item 6P, FY 2025 budget development guidance. [00:17:06] Supervisors, just to be aware, item 6P is the revised motion that Mr. Kirshner emailed out this morning. I will read that revised motion just so everyone has it. It is not a change to a motion. It is, and I further move to the motion, and it is as follows. [00:17:23] I further move that the county administrative repair an additional expenditure option for the board's consideration at the homeowner equalized tax rate of 0.85. That is the consent agenda. I will make the motion. Is there a second on the motion for the consent agenda? [00:17:39] Motion is made and seconded by Ms. Brixman. Discussion on the consent agenda motion. I have a couple of things. If anyone else does, please put your light on for the consent agenda motion discussion. I would like to say that I'm very happy that the item four, the county-owned real property, the Aldi assemblies to the Piedmont Environmental Council, that is the one that we are finally building the very much needed fire station in Aldi, and it was so many people who worked so long on this item to make sure that that the assemblage was not destroyed but was was maintained [00:18:19] and over years and a lot of work from my office Mr. Buckington's office especially the Piedmont Environmental Council we were able to are going to be taking over that property and that assemblage so that is really really really really really really really very good news and we waited a long time for that to happen. I will have closing comments when we get to another item, but I might ask without objection, I'm going to ask Mr. Reiser to come to the table when I get to that space. In the meantime, is there any other discussion on the consent agenda? Ms. Glass. [00:18:53] Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to thank my colleagues who were supporting my fund balance request on the consent agenda. The improvements to crosswalks identified during the safe passages to school initiative will be a great step toward providing safer walking paths to school for our kids and the funding for updated Virginia Piedmont heritage area signs will provide clarity and consistency for those visiting our area. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. [00:19:21] Can I ask a question rather than comments? I'm happy to, I agree with the consent. It need to be. Who's the question going to be directed to? I want to ask Mr. Hemstreet. Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Mr. Hemstreet, can you give me a synopsis? We gave the school LCPS $13 million to cover the Yunkin administration's shortfall. Did we ever get it back? And I see in here that there is $16 million that we're earmarking out of end-of-year fund balance that we're also obligated to give them, we've voted to give them. Can you just clarify those numbers for me? [00:19:56] Chair Randall. Yes, you may. Yes. All right. So what the board decided to do was provide $13 million a year in fund balance, which is plus $3.3 million for collective bargaining for that total of the $16.3 million that is in the year-end fund balance. [00:20:16] So during the FY24 budget process, that was the source of funds to make up both the $13 million for the school division. Additional funding following the adoption of the skinny budget was not added by the General Assembly or by the governor. [00:20:34] So none of that money was returned. So there was a decision by the board earlier, I guess last month, so at the November 9th meeting to go ahead and appropriate additional state funding, but we did not receive any, not that additional state funding offset the 13 million that the board provided against that shortfall. [00:20:54] And then there was an additional 3.3 million for collective bargaining, and that is the 16 million. - Okay, thank you. I just wanted to clarify that the 13 million that Loudoun County spent on its school system was due to a shortfall that the Young administration, Education Administration imposed on us the BMI fast-track program I just want to comment on that briefly the the motion in there says a staff will evaluate any fast-track candidate that is not for compliance with the comprehensive plan I want to be really clear but I my perception in this BMI and all the [00:21:30] previous discussions is that the board's intent is if application does not comply with the comprehensive plan and it should not go on fast track that specifically applies the specific instances occurs most frequently is because our comprehensive plan our zoning ordinance do not align so if you note in the item it says normally an item that is a buy right application is eligible for fast track but we have applications that are buy right applications that clearly do not comport with the comprehensive plan so in those cases we would expect that that would not go on fast track because it's in And it's misaligned with the comprehensive plan. [00:22:05] I just wanted to clarify that. And then the very last one is the Loudoun Invasive Removal Coalition, $250,000 as part of the budget at the end of your fund balance discussion. I really, really appreciate that we've included that in there. I think it's a very good initiative. [00:22:21] I think it's got strong, strong bipartisan support from HOAs all over the county, not just in the east, but east and west. And I think it's a great initiative, so I'm very pleased to support that. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Bricksman? Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, I know that we're probably all tired of talking about our travel policy. [00:22:39] I do think it's a little bit of a shame in some ways that it's passing on consent, although I'm glad it is. But the public is not going to have as much of an opportunity to review the independent information that we received about our travel policy being in line, if not stricter, than our neighboring jurisdictions and the federal government. [00:22:58] But what we are doing tonight is formally adopting the travel policy that we were already following as elected officials, and that is in line with what Fairfax has always been doing, and it doesn't really change much in practice. [00:23:14] It just formally adopts the guidelines that we'd already been following. Lastly, I'd like to really thank my colleagues for supporting the, I think, 7.9 million now to keep the school projects on track. for heritage high school dominion high school and potomac falls high school my colleagues might recall that the lcps was taking those projects pretty much out of their six-year cip which would have delayed these projects that the schools have basically been waiting for including tennis court [00:23:48] lighting and press boxes at all three schools and weight rooms at heritage high school and dominion high school so tonight we are formally adopting our fund balance recommendations and that means that those projects will get back on track and a lot of constituents from algonkian district are going to be very very happy thank you madam chair thank you miss umstead thank you madam chair um i will be supporting um the consent agenda including the travel policy item it does not go [00:24:21] as far in regulating our travel as i wish it did however there are some good improvements to this policy one of which is um that any board member other than the chair who wants to travel um would need authorization from the board of supervisors before the trip thank you anybody else on the consent agenda so i'll do a close mr mr riser will you come to the table please so i can do a closing okay first of all mr riser this may not be my apology to make but i'm going to make it [00:25:00] anyway what you and your staff have gone through over the past four to five months has been deplorable it should never have happened um you are an incredible incredible um ded exec and i am so appreciative of you i know this has been hard for you i know you've been things have been said that are not true and that you've things things have happened that should not have happened and So it may not be my apology to make, but I'm making it anyway. [00:25:26] And I'm so sorry for the things that happened to you and your staff over the past many months. Thank you, ma'am. I also want to just get some things on the record that I've already put in the record once. But I want to say that somehow it's out there that I invited people to come on these trips, my colleagues. [00:25:44] That is just not true. I've never requested nor coerced nor invited nor recommended people to go on any trips. that they make those decisions on their own. That question was asked of me during my very first interview with Mr. Minnock, of which we, by the way, recorded that. [00:26:01] And I said that at that time, so I'm not sure why that was never reported, but that's just not true that that happened. It's also true that I do travel on a different source of money, and I put that in place myself when I became chair so that it was a different source of money. It's also true that I don't make my own arrangements on these trips. [00:26:19] When Mr. Reiser asked me to come on the trips, his office makes the arrangements. I often don't know what the arrangements are until I walk on the plane because I just don't make the arrangements. But the question I want to ask more than anything else, Mr. Reiser, is, and I'm not speaking for anybody else but the chair, because, again, that's not, I didn't make those requests. [00:26:38] But why do you believe, if you believe, why do you believe it's important for the county chair to go on these sister city trips with you? I ask you that because a lot of people have had opinions about this, and you are Buddy Reiser. So people having opinions about what should happen in the economic development, you know, department is sort of like me saying that I can compose music or tell Beethoven how to compose music because I've listened to music before. [00:27:05] Everyone has opinions, but you are a juggernaut. You are a, you are just a, you are huge in this industry, not just in Virginia, but really nationwide. And so if you come to me and make that request, I'm probably not going to say no, but everyone's talked about whether or not anyone should travel and i'm not talking about anybody else why do you believe if you believe why do you believe it's important for the county chair to go on these trips with you well i think lost in in the conversation was how effective these trips really are uh in in business development i mean earlier today i i heard our fourth win from our [00:27:42] trips this past year which is which is really significant but for me i think that the sister cities are only effective if they also involve an elected official to an elected official relationship. Having the chief elected official of our community opens a lot of doors that wouldn't otherwise be open to us from a business perspective and from a relationship perspective. [00:28:12] Just having the elected officials, and this goes as long as I've been here, which is going on 17 years now. Having that chief elected official involved allows us to put this at a different level, effectively. It gives a legitimacy beyond just economic development to relationships, which are really important in building an economic development program. These relationships give us a base from which to work because we don't have offices all over the world. And so I think it is very significant and and I and I appreciate the board's support of this [00:28:52] initiative thank you and I will be at your service in the future if you ask me to do something thank you all right supervisors discussion on the consent agenda I made the motion was seconded by Supervisor Brixman on field please say aye any opposed that motion will pass 7-0-2 with mr. Sames and mr. [00:29:15] um letourneau being off the dais mr saying should be here slowly uh shortly miss letourneau is here shortly slowly miss letourneau however is out of the area and will not be joining us tonight for additions and deletions supervisors just to put on the record i am deferring um closed session item number five until december 13th on december 13th we will come to the dais at 5 o'clock and read us into a special business meeting and then go into closed session for item number five and then come back out of closed session, read us out of closed session, and go [00:29:52] into the public hearing. So closed session item number five is deferred until December 15th. That was actually at the request of Mr. Letourneau who wanted to be here for that closed session and knew he would not be able to be here tonight, and so I was more than happy to make that adjustment. [00:30:12] Supervisors, before we do anything else, there are quite a few firefighters in the back of the room with a special dog. Where's my resolution? Who has the resolutions? Mr. Kirshner. Really, man. [00:30:34] I think, yeah, no, it's the one for Aurora. So we're going to do other things, but we're going to stop right now so that Aurora doesn't have to stay here because, really, it's all about Aurora right now. And we're going to do the resolution for Aurora. And thank you, sir. [00:30:51] And we will do the one for Mr. Zirn a little bit later, but there we go. You want to sign that real quick? Mr. Turner, would you join me down front, please? Because it's a doggy. [00:31:09] We're ready? [00:33:15] Okay. Oh, we're going to improvise. Okay. All right. I'm going to do this right here. [00:33:34] Yeah? Huh? Okay. Okay. It's actually probably easier if I hold her there, actually, to be honest. Okay, we're going to do a resolution for the explosive canine dog, Aurora. Before I read the resolution, Aurora's been around for how long now? And she's been in this room a lot. [00:33:51] And there's been one of the trading cards where it had Aurora on it, right? She's been in a comic book. That was Dolly. Okay. All right, she's just adorable. She's such a good doggie. All right, so we're going to read it now. [00:34:09] Whereas, fire is a serious public safety concern, both locally and nationally, and the County of Loudoun is committed to ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors. And whereas, explosive detective canine Aurora has served with the fire marshal's office for eight and a half years alongside her handler, Deputy Marshal Sundberg, Whereas during her service, Aurora has provided explosive protection sweeps for United States presidents, members of Congress, state and local elected officials, and countless residents and guests to the national capital region. [00:34:47] And whereas Aurora is one of the greatest pleasures, one of her greatest pleasures was being an ambassador for fire and rescue, greeting children of all ages at community events and teaching them about fire safety. [00:35:02] And whereas Canine Aurora has raised awareness about the importance of explosive detection, canines and their immeasurable value to the community have melted our hearts in the process. And now, therefore be it resolved, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby recognize Explosive Detection Canine Aurora for her devoted and steadfast service to the citizens of Loudoun County and for her assistance to federal, state, and local agencies. [00:35:35] has a badge that's it's every i guess people will entirely get retirement badges so aurora has a [00:35:50] retirement badge first of all the fire fire marshal's office you all do such such a great job and i tell you i know you all get grief sometimes because you know people are like i don't you know why can't i have 400 more people in my building than i should and stuff like that um and you all have to sometimes really just you know you you have to almost fight people to keep [00:36:28] them safe which is kind of crazy but you do so um let me just say first how much we appreciate our fire marshal's office and the work you all do with these dogs are just absolutely amazing so aurora will be going home with you right she's going to be your doggie at your home now right yes ma'am so we'll come to your her house to visit to your house to her to your house to visit all right um did you want to say something chief real quick okay i'm going to turn it over to chief kiger in just a minute but there's an important person missing today and that is uh captain bud [00:37:07] Herndon and his um his canine Aurora who's an uh accelerant canine and Aurora um Bali what did I say Aurora sorry Aurora's right here Bali and Captain Herndon most of you have seen the news since last night um Captain Herndon and Bali have been at the scene uh working on behalf of the ATF and Loudoun County Fire and Rescue uh since early early this morning so they are still there right now investigating the cause of that that explosion in the house in Arlington County so uh with that I'll turn it over to Chief Cogger. I don't have any prepared remarks at all. I'll hopefully make it through this without getting teary-eyed, which is kind of interesting. We're very fortunate. Thanks. [00:37:46] I appreciate that. Very fortunate to have partnerships with Aurora came from the CIA or was trained through the CIA. And our most recent partners with our newest dog, Luna, which is up here in the limelight also, is ATF Asset as well as BALI. [00:38:08] So these two here are explosive detection canines. Interestingly enough, when I came into the fire marshal's office, I always wondered, we're fortunate here because we have at least two explosive detection canines, whether two was too many until I actually watched them out working when we had 18 additional dogs assisting in Loudoun County. [00:38:30] then my perspective changed a little bit with it. Not that I was ever questioning it, but I saw them in work. So with that, Aurora is a familiar face for us, as well as all over the county. And I'm going to have her handler of eight and a half plus years speak, which is Chief Sundberg. [00:38:51] Thank you. Just real briefly, I know a couple people have already had some conversations on it. Chair Randall, board members, chiefs, thank you very much. the last eight years have been fantastic. Outside my wife, this is my best friend. [00:39:07] I can't imagine not having been met with her. Thank you very much for this opportunity. While it's bittersweet that we are retiring, Canine Luna and Investigator Barrett will do a fantastic job keeping their residents and guests of Loudoun County safe, just as Aurora did. So again, bottom of my heart, thank you very much. I will hold these memories in my heart as long as I live. Thank you. [00:39:28] you. Tell me, because we're going to need to know, tell me the training regimen for a dog to become an explosive canine dog. So, yes, ma'am. So, the dogs go through a six-week imprint cycle where they're presented with an odor, and then they're given a command, all of our dogs are food reward, so they have to work to eat. So, seven days a week, the handlers are committed to work the dogs to at least twice, if not three, four, five times a day. So, the dogs can stay proficient, but they also have to be fed. [00:40:00] So in that six-week period, they'll start out with black powder, which is the common first odor that they'll be introduced to, and then they'll bring more odors in once the dogs realize kind of how the system works and how they get paid to work. They view it as a game. [00:40:17] They don't understand in reality what they're doing or the danger that they're in. These leads that you see here are the longest leads that we're willing to work the dogs in. We don't put them in a situation that I'm not willing to go into myself. At the end of their training, they're imprinted on about 30,000 different combinations. [00:40:33] It's amazing. But, yeah, that's how that works. And then we team up as handlers for about 10 weeks for me to learn how to hold the leash and pick a pick. So I'm not going to say which end of the leash is smart here. But like I said, they do their job relatively quickly, and then we team up to learn search patterns and some other stuff. [00:40:50] So that's how that cycle works. One more question. So Aurora's only eight. She's 10. She's 10. Is that just a lifespan of an explosive canine dog? is about 10 years? So many organizations, as Chief Kiger had indicated, where we use federal partnerships, the dogs for us are free. They don't cost the county a revenue source to begin with, where other agencies that didn't develop those federal partnerships, the dogs on average run about $100,000. So agencies that spend $100,000 want to get their money's worth out of it, and they'll work the dogs until they, in essence, die. Here in Loudoun County, we get the dogs for [00:41:27] free. We maintain our relationships with the federal partners. So they're always willing to give us another dog when we go to replacement. So we work our dogs to eight. We feel it's eight years old. I'm sorry, eight service years. She was held over because the ATF was slow in replacing. So Aurora went a little bit long, but then it gives them some time to just be a dog. They have, this has been her food bowl for the eight years she and I were teamed together. So she doesn't get treats. The treats that supervisor Turner gave her a few minutes ago, very unusual for Luna, but Aurora really never got those in the eight years we were in service. [00:42:00] So she gets to get treats now. She gets to eat popcorn is her favorite thing. Found out. So, yes. Popcorn is her favorites. So, yes. But that's why we try to retire around eight years old, is just to give them an opportunity to be a dog. [00:42:17] She's wonderful. Thank you. Okay, we're going to take a picture, and we're going to have you stand in the middle. So we're going to take places. [00:42:36] Yes, thank you. Thank you. [00:44:50] Yeah, I just realized they gave me all the cards for Luna so I could share them. [00:45:08] was like oh we have lots of cars and I like them they're supposed to share these of everybody else okay all right so we did that resolution and we will come back and do the resolution for mr. Zurn when he comes in the room right now I'm going to do my chair's comments before voice for a cause all right I've had a really busy time since we were last on the dance I'm gonna talk about it a little bit one thing many of us did was go to the Virginia Association of County's annual meeting. Ms. Brixman and I are actually on the board and so we were down there a little bit longer for the meeting. So I will tell you what I did while I was [00:45:48] down there. I'm on the Health and Human Services subcommittee, and we had a speaker, Carl Eris, who's the Deputy Commissioner of Human Services for the Virginia Department of Social Services. He provided us an update in advance of the upcoming General Assembly session. We go down to NACO after the election and before the General Assembly session, I'm sorry, VACO, so that the members of VACO, especially the board, can make decisions about what we want to lobby for or advocate for and against at the General Assembly. [00:46:28] And so we do that by having a lot of information given to us, lots of discussions. We have subcommittee votes, committee votes, and then as a full body we vote. And so that is the purpose of VACO is to decide what we put before the General Assembly that will positively impact counties. [00:46:47] Some things are standing that we always advocate for, like not having unfunded mandates. That's a standard for VACO. And some things are year-to-year dependent on what's going on that year. So this year, in that subcommittee, we discussed Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is also called SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is also called TANF, and the Child Care Subsidy Program. [00:47:16] What we know right now, obviously, is that post-COVID, there is still quite the need out there in Virginia, just in general. And so we want to make sure that those programs are adequately funded. I also went to the Behavioral Health Strategies, Crisis and Care for Criminal Justice Diversion. [00:47:38] And what we talked about there were really solutions that were available to address behavioral health and substance abuse disorder and avoid unnecessary incarcerations. At the National Association of Counties, there's a program called the Stepping Up Initiative. [00:47:56] and the Stamping Up Initiative then partners with the state counties, the state organizations, to decrease the number of people who were sitting in incarcerated settings because of a mental illness or substance use issue. [00:48:12] We, of course, know that if you just look at the cost, it costs about $22,000 a year to incarcerate an individual. It costs less than half than that to treat an individual. but also all the other issues that come along with the benefits of giving somebody treatment and not incarcerating them. [00:48:31] And so that was a huge discussion, that how can communities meet the needs of individuals in crisis before they ever even get into the criminal justice system. And so, advisors, some of the things we discussed that day was the Market's Alert system, which I know is part of our, one of our initiatives is to support the Market's Alert system, and how that's working, how it's not working. [00:48:55] A lot of the suggestions that were made in the past from this board have been adopted for the Markers Alert system, and so I think it's not quite where it should be yet, but it's definitely getting better. And then lastly, there was almost endless discussion in every committee or subcommittee about the JLARC study on education in Virginia. [00:49:19] With the two cycles ago, There was a request to have a joint legislative action committee study on education in Virginia and the funding. And what many people suspected was true, which is that Virginia overall underfunds our public school system by about $1,900 a student. [00:49:40] Our public funding in Virginia is less than per student, less than West Virginia, less than Kentucky. It is woefully low. And then what happens is, of course, is then counties pick up that difference, which is, one, an unfunded mandate, but also it creates quite the disparity because some places in Virginia, Northern Virginia being one of them, we can often pick up the difference. [00:50:05] And then other places in Virginia, they can't pick up the difference. And so if you look at just test scores or graduation rates in Northern Virginia compared to some other counties, and I don't need to say the county names, But in other places, you see the huge disparity because for some counties, the only funding they receive is the funding they receive from the state. [00:50:26] And if each child is underfunded by $1,900, it really does impact what's happening. And so VACO and I really, Dean Lynch is here from VACO. He'll be talking in a little while. I really, really want to compliment Mr. Lynch, the VACO staff, and VACO for picking up this issue and recognizing that it is a problem not just for the funding disparities, but because, you know, there's a man in VACO named Billy Kyger. [00:50:57] Billy Kyger is the supervisor in Rockingham County, and his favorite saying all the time is, you don't have a surplus until you pay your bills. And what we know is that the bills at the state level have not been paid, and so it does fall on localities all the time. [00:51:14] So the standards of quality formula was a huge discussion, will continue to be a big discussion, and supervisors, now that we know the results of the JLARC study, this would be something that we also carry in our legislative program this year to support closing that funding gap. [00:51:34] So I think that's everything. I think that's all of the, well, I didn't, oh, no, one more thing. NVTA, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, post-election there will be new appointees to NVTA, one person from the House and one person from the Virginia State House, Virginia State Senate. [00:51:54] I am the chair of NVTA. I will make the request that the person is from Northern Virginia because, of course, North Virginia taxes ourselves for NVTA to exist we're also going to make a recommendation that says that takes away right now anyone can be appointed to NVTA doesn't have to be an elected official and there is a discussion about if that is still appropriate or not appropriate so that will happen and of course I've given you an update every week about the office space they they [00:52:28] will move into their new offices in NVTA on April 1st, but there would be new temporary offices on April 1st, and then they would move into their new permanent offices, I think on July 1st, although I may have that date wrong. So that's that NVTA update. Okay? Thank you. And then we will do our Voice for a Cause. My Voice for a Cause today is the Loudon Literacy Council. The Loudoun Literacy Council's mission is to teach English communication skills and provide literacy resources to empower low-income adults and children to become self-sufficient [00:53:07] and confident in their ability to achieve their personal and professional goals. We have our Executive Director, Rebecca Caldwell, who will introduce her program manager, and then we will have a couple of questions. Sorry. Thank you, Madam Chair. Next to me is our program manager, Amishi Bagat. And together we will tell you a little bit more about Latin Literacy. [00:53:32] So first tell me, what was the inspiration to start Latin Literacy? So it was actually started 43 years ago, although it didn't get rather large four years ago. But in 1980, there was an influx of refugees that did not know how to speak English. [00:53:48] So when coming to America, we needed that aspect of teaching them so that they could flourish and excel both professionally and personally. So that is how it got started, and tutoring classes began. Okay. You said 1980? [00:54:03] 1980. That was 40 years ago? Mm-hmm. What are some of the services you have been able to provide to citizens in Loudoun County? We have nine different programs, which include our English classes, which is our bread and butter. [00:54:20] But we also have eight others that we have GED prep, citizenship prep. We have school success and job sites where we go into the schools to teach the parents about English classes and also how to be able to navigate the school system that their children are in and they don't have to rely on their children to interpret. [00:54:42] Oh, that's so good. Job site is where we can go into the actual... Would you like to talk about it? Okay. Job site is where we go into the actual job site of different places that we have, such as hotels, construction companies, moving companies, cleaning companies, and we help teach them the vocabulary and language that they need to know for their jobs to excel. [00:55:04] We also have health and finance classes that teach the basics because they might have different systems where they come from. Different currency. And then we also have mental health workshops, which we started this past year. And so that's growing. [00:55:21] We had 23 sign up for that, which is great. But we're hoping to grow that one as well. Wow. Wow. This is not on the list, but I do have one question. So there are, I forgot how many languages spoken in Loudoun County, quite a few. [00:55:37] How do you deal with people who do not speak, you know, one of like maybe the five languages, the five federal languages that are on all the forms and things like that somebody who may speak a language it's just not you don't find very much in in in the county how do you help those people do you how do you find interpreters so luckily our board chair brigida toruno she has you know translations so we work very closely with them that allows us to if somebody calls and we don't know how to speak their language, we can then conference them in, and they will be able to interpret what [00:56:13] our potential client is trying to say and how we can help. That's wonderful. How can people take advantage of your services? Many ways. We mostly is by word of mouth, but we do have our website that we have registration three times a year for all of our classes. Our classes are ongoing. We really only take December off for the holidays. That's for everybody to kind of relax and get through the holidays. But 11 months out of the year, we have rotating classes, but online, word of mouth. We advertise in the libraries, community centers, all over. Do you have a [00:56:51] website? We do. What's that? LoudonLiteracy.org. Very good. And then lastly, are there any upcoming events you'd like the public to know about and how we can get involved? So our number one thing, like I said, we are growing. We're growing, but we have the same amount of employees, volunteers, donors. So just to give you an understanding of that, just back when I started with Loud and Literacy in 2021, we were serving 670 students, and now we are serving over 4,200. So within three [00:57:27] years, we've grown. So not only do we need volunteers, but we need donors that can support us in thriving and being able to grow and provide these services for all of our students because we don't turn down anyone. Are volunteers who are not bilingual or trilingual and speak other languages, is that helpful to have? It is, but it's not required. You don't have to have a teaching background. We have a very thorough training that we provide for all of our volunteers to go through. [00:57:56] Well, you know, I read somewhere how if people cannot read, how much less opportunities they just have in life overall, no matter what else is going on, if they can't read, if they can't understand the language, but if they can't read. [00:58:14] And so what you're actually doing is giving people hope for better jobs, better communication, better relationships, just a better kind of way of life in general. So thank you so much for what you're doing, especially what you're doing with our younger people and our kids in the schools, because you're right. [00:58:32] It is hard when you have the children who are translating for their parents. It gives a power shift that is never good to have in a family when a child has more power because they can speak a language and the parent can't. So you're doing such important work. Thank you so much. We appreciate you all. [00:58:48] Mr. Hemstreet, do you have any comments this evening? Thank you, Chair Randall. I have four comments for this evening. The first is that Loudoun County is asking for feedback from members of the public about the accessibility of county services for people with disabilities. The survey is part of an update to the County's Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. We encourage members of the community to participate in the online survey, especially people with disabilities, their family members and caregivers, as well as organizations and agencies that support people with disabilities. More information, including a link to the survey, is online at loudoun.gov [00:59:27] slash ADA study. Second, the Loudoun County Hypothermia Prevention Shelter is open now through the end of March. The shelter is available for single adults aged 18 and older in the community who are experiencing a housing crisis resulting in homelessness. The shelter provides a warm indoor sleeping environment and meals. It's open from 5 p.m. to 8 30 a.m. seven nights a week. [00:59:51] More information about the shelter is online at loudoun.gov slash homeless services. Third is part of the board's efforts to support a more robust composting program in the county. A food waste composting drop-off center has been established at the Loudoun County Landfill. The one-year pilot program is for residents who are interested in composting their household food scraps such as fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy products, pasta, eggshells, and coffee grounds. [01:00:16] Details on the program are online at loudoun.gov slash recycle. And then finally, as a follow-up to your last business meeting, I would like today to formally present the new director of the Department of Building and Development, Betsy Smith. As you know, prior to her appointment as director, she served as acting director of the department following the retirement of Alan Brewer in July. I hope you'll join me in welcoming Ms. Smith to her new position with the county, and Ms. Smith is standing. [01:00:46] Does you see me staring at you, Ms. Smith, like, come on, come on? Thank you, and welcome to that position. We work so closely with your department. [01:01:02] department. We look forward to it. Okay, supervisors, we are now, we have two information items tonight, and the first one I'm so excited about, I've talked about VACO already, but we have three Virginia Association of Counties awards presentations that Mr. Lynch, who's going to come to that podium right there, is going to do for us tonight. The three departments are DTCI, Library Services, and of course, the amazing DED department led by the amazing buddy riser so um uh mr mr lynch i'm gonna let you take it away and then you can give them if you want me to come down there for pictures i will but i'll let you take it sir sir thank you [01:01:41] madam chair members of the board good evening it's a pleasure to be here i'm dean lynch executive director of the virginia association of counties and it's my distinct pleasure to be here to present three like the chair like chair randall mentioned three achievement awards this is the first time i I think this year that we have done three Achievement Awards in any county in Virginia. [01:02:03] Woo-hoo! Congratulations. For the benefit, a little bit for the, as Chair Randall had mentioned, a little bit about VACO, for the benefit of your constituents who may not be familiar with the Virginia Association of Counties, we have existed, VACO has existed since 1934, to serve and support the efforts of county officials. [01:02:22] We support counties in many ways. First is through our advocacy efforts in the state legislature and in the federal level. We also serve counties through our educational programs, member services, and communication efforts. In 2003, we established our Achievement Award program to recognize counties that have adopted innovative approaches to providing public services. [01:02:43] And we've identified these programs and models that could be emulated. A little bit about the award program. This is VACO's 21st Annual Achievement Award program. This year, we received 135 entries. Only 20 counties had winning programs this year. [01:03:00] So as you can see, this is truly a competitive program as less than 25% of all of counties in the Commonwealth were selected as winners. Today, again, I am pleased to present three achievement awards to Loudoun County. [01:03:17] Loudoun County has won the award 30 times in the past years. Loudoun County ranks third of all time and all county wins. We had judges to do the awards to determine the guidelines, and a little bit about our guidelines. [01:03:36] What we look for in a winning program is, does the program offer an innovative solution to a problem? Does the program promote intergovernmental cooperation? And does the program provide a model that could be emulated by other local governments? And is the program an innovative approach to a local government service? [01:03:56] So, Madam Chair, if you will, let me read the three winning programs. Can I just ask you, who are the other, you said we rank third. Who ranks one and two? I knew that you were going to ask. Number one is Chesterfield County. Okay. Number two is Henrico County. [01:04:12] Okay. So we're number one in Northern Virginia, and we're coming for the other two counties. Gotcha. You sure are. Okay, all right. Very good. You're running up pretty fast. Okay, sounds good. So if I can, I would like to read a description of the three programs, and then after I read the programs, I'd love to take a photo, have a photo with you down front with the three winners and with the plaques. [01:04:37] All right, the first winner is the Loudoun County Public Library Fights Food and Security Program. Loudoun County, Virginia, often recognized as one of the nation's wealthiest counties, conceals within its affluence a stark reality. [01:04:54] 16,800 Loudoun residents grapple with food insecurity. Alarmingly, 55% are not eligible for the government's SNAP program. For Loudoun County Public Library, this is an issue of deep concern and demands attention. [01:05:12] In a dedicated effort to aid struggling residents within Loudoun County, the Public Library has devised a range of innovative food drives, programs, and special projects. Many of these initiatives have been conducted in collaboration with Loudoun Hunger, the largest food pantry in the county. [01:05:28] Others have been planned in partnership with individual library branch staff and various non-profit organizations or through the provision of food and resources directly to Loudoun County by the library staff. What sets these programs apart is their adaptability and potential for replication by any library system across the country. [01:05:50] By embracing the cause of food insecurity, sharing knowledge from local experts, mobilizing available community resources, and establishing food collection efforts, these programs can be easily implemented. Since the inception of the Public Library's initiatives in 2018, they have directly assisted nearly 6,700 patrons and gathered over 30,600 pounds of food, making a tangible impact on alleviating food insecurity in Loudoun County. [01:06:21] So congratulations to that program. [01:06:37] Madam Chair, the second program, the second winner, is the Loudon Innovative Challenge program. The importance of access to capital and achieving entrepreneurial success is well understood, and Loudon County Economic Development, in collaboration with Loudon Economic Development Authority, has recognized the significance of nurturing small businesses with innovative ideas to promote diversity and stimulate the local economy. [01:06:55] One of their initiatives, the Loudon Innovative Challenge, is an annual pitch competition that offers a total prize pool of $150,000 to empower entrepreneurs in advancing their businesses to the next level. To date, the Innovation Challenge program has directly injected nearly $500,000 into Loudon County's thriving small business community. [01:07:18] This investment has led to substantial economic development, with program finalists and winners experiencing significant business growth that has generated millions of dollars in economic impact for the region. So congratulations on that program. And finally, the third winner is the Sidewalk and Trails Program, Equity Lens. [01:07:44] The rapid growth in population and subsequent urban development in Loudoun County has led to the implementation of a significant portion of the planned walkways and bikeways network. To address the remaining gaps in this network, the county initiated the sidewalk and trail program as part of its capital improvement program. [01:08:03] This program allocates funding for the planning, design, and execution of three to five miles of sidewalks, shared youths paths, and regional trails annually for the next six years. To prioritize which missing bicycle and pedestrian links to tackle first, a project team collaborated with representatives from various county departments, advocacy groups, and partner agencies. [01:08:24] Together, they devised a data-driven method, primarily based on demand and safety, to assess all missing sidewalk and trail connections. The segment with the highest concept, the segment with the highest scores were selected for feasibility assessments, development of concept drawings, and preliminary cost estimates. [01:08:43] These identified sidewalk and trail projects are then proposed for inclusion in Loudoun County's Capital Improvement Program. To promote equity in their efforts, an innovative framework was created incorporating public health indicators and the average completion percentage of sidewalk and trail network. [01:09:02] This framework was applied to analyze both the county's sidewalk and trail network and the priority list of segments to the sidewalk and trail program. It established objective criteria and evaluated missing links against these criteria. And it also devised an outcome-based corrective action plan to adjust the program's segment priorities. [01:09:24] This, in turn, influences the future project priorities. This innovative framework and approach serve as a model for other programs and localities looking to incorporate equity analysis into their project planning processes. So congratulations on that program. [01:09:41] Madam Chair, I'd really, on behalf of VACO and the counties across the Commonwealth, congratulate Loudoun County on your three Achievement Awards and the success of your program. We are so proud of the county in general, but these departments especially. [01:10:00] I'm going to ask my colleague on the VACO board, Ms. Bricksman, to join me down front as we do pitches for these awards. Thank you. [01:11:00] Mr. Zern is in the building. [01:13:00] Mr. Zern is in the building. Mr. Zerner, you're expecting there are amazing people up here who want to join you. You're expecting other people to come, too, right? Where is he? Other people are coming as well, yes? Okay, you have other people you know are coming. [01:13:16] So we're just going to hold off to everyone you believe is going to be here, is going to be here. Okay? Okay, just let me know. Just give me the thumbs up and let me know when. Somebody give me some. Give it to Tony. Give Tony the thumbs up because my glasses are off, so I can't see anything anyway. [01:13:35] All right. We're going to go on then, and we're going to do the I-2, which is the Broadband Implementation Plan Update. I will have the staff come to the table for the Broadband Implementation Update, and after that we will do Mr. Zurn, and then we will do comments, public comments. [01:14:00] Good evening. [01:14:19] Good evening, Chair Randall. Good evening. This is Dave Frederick. I'm going to be presenting, or starting the presentation today. Wonderful. Good evening, Madam Chair and Supervisors. Thank you for the opportunity to provide our broadband update this evening. [01:14:35] Besides myself, staff are represented in the room by John Bayless, Director of Information Technology, and Christopher Mullen, Broadband Program Manager. Along with them at the table, we're pleased this evening to have Tom Ennis, Vice President for Mallpoints Broadband, and Garrett Braun, Marketing Communications Coordinator for Dominion Energy's Rural Broadband Program. [01:14:57] Tom and Garrett have joined us to provide the county an update on the VADDI, the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative Project, Progress in Loudoun County, and then answer any questions that you all have. Wonderful. Thank you. Great. Before we get to the guests, the staff would like to provide you a brief update on the status of the non-VADDI broadband initiatives included in the item. [01:15:19] We'll start with the American Rescue Plan Act funding the board allocated in mid-2021 to address unserved homes not included in the VATI project. Staff published a request for quote earlier this year, and after a review of three responses, have tentatively awarded the project to All Points Broadband. We're excited to share that their submission delivers a solution to the highest number of unserved homes and within the target budget. We're expecting a contract between Loudman in all points to be completed after the new year. Secondly, staff are closely following the progress [01:15:58] of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, also known as BEAD. This past summer, staff worked closely with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to complete a digital equity needs assessment as part of their statewide submission to the National Telecommunications and Information Administrative, NTIA. We would like to highlight some key differences between VATI, which you are familiar with, and the federal BEAD programs. In particular, BEAD invites, encourages, and requests direct engagement from broadband providers without [01:16:38] the requirement of partnership with local municipalities, although non-financial local support is considered highly recommended. Staff will continue to monitor the progress of the BEAD program to provide the board future updates. Finally, we would like to update on the SEGRA Lease to Start Fiber Initiative. The biggest accomplishment we'd like to share at this time is that the first Loudoun Heights locations, which were part of Phase 2, are now complete, with the final four locations in Fulmont and Blumont expected to complete during the next [01:17:15] quarter. Phase 1 is over 97% complete, with less than 10 sites remaining as well. With that, i'd like to thank you for your continued support of staff's broadband expansion efforts and we'd like i'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have after the vadi presentation yeah i'd like to introduce tom ennis voice or vice president of all points broadband to begin the vadi update wonderful good evening madam chair members of the board thank you for this opportunity [01:17:54] to provide an update today i also know next week we have another follow-up meeting with staff members of Supervisors Kirshner's office and Buffington's office as well. So we'll go ahead and get right into a quick reminder about what VATI is. [01:18:11] The purpose of VATI is a state-run grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The funding here is competitively sourced to bridge the gap between what private investment we'll put in for rural broadband and what the actual construction costs are. [01:18:32] In this case, this is a true public-private partnership between All Points, the county, Virginia, and Dominion Energy Virginia. Northern Virginia Electric Co-op also plays a key and critical role in this as we're going to be attaching to several thousand of their polls. [01:18:48] But as you'll see on the next slide, all of the financial commitment is between Loudoun County, DHCD, All Points, and Dominion. Here's a quick breakdown of where the funding comes from for this project. We were awarded a little under $18 million from the Department of Housing and Community Development. [01:19:08] Loudoun County allocated about $12.5 million of your American Rescue Plan Act to this project. All Points Broadband, we are committing at least $21 million in private investment. And Dominion Energy Virginia, as Garrett will describe through the Utility Middle Mile Project, is committing a little under $10 million. [01:19:31] And as you all know, over the last couple of years, there's been this thing called inflation and supply chain issues and a lot of demand for these services. So these are the dollars that we put up at the time of the grant application. If there are cost overruns, that is all borne by all points broadband. [01:19:49] So the dollar amounts from the state, the county, Dominion are all capped. if there are cost overruns, that is on All Points Broadband. So your exposure here is limited. And as we'll get into later in the program, none of the dollars from DHCD or Loudoun County are distributed to All Points Broadband until after we can deliver on certain milestones. [01:20:12] It is a reimbursement program until we deliver the broadband and the connectivity. There are no dollars sent to All Points Broadband. So it's a good check on our progress and a very strong motivator to get this done as soon as possible. Move to the next slide. [01:20:33] Continuing on here, the project is to bring broadband to a little over 8,600 locations in western Loudoun County that did not have broadband at the time of the application. We're going to deliver that through about 600 miles of new fiber optic construction, mostly from all points broadband, building what is called the last mile, and 176 miles that Dominion will construct, as Garrett will describe after my presentation. [01:21:02] To date, we have achieved the first of the three milestones for approval by the county and DHCD. We hit that back in the third quarter. This was to get the network design to a stage that has been field validated. It's the first of three milestones. [01:21:19] There are no more milestones until fiber construction is complete. So it is on us to get this done as soon as possible. Right now, the focus is on making electric utility poles ready for our attachment. The poles are generally owned by Dominion or Novec, not by All Points Broadband. [01:21:38] And before we can attach our fiber, they go through a series of engineering and construction before we can attach. And that is the focus of the project right now. I also included in here the project area in pink. [01:21:57] So this is obviously northwestern Loudoun County. If you are a location in this pink area and the location was identified in our grant process, then you are eligible for this program. We have to put all these maps out into the public, have existing providers come back and say, well, we provide service here or that address is a customer of mine already. [01:22:19] We shouldn't use public subsidy to provide broadband here. So we make all these publicly available maps for other providers to challenge them, and we've gone through that process, and these are the set project areas. And so the dollars that you saw before only go to locations approved in the grant in these areas. [01:22:42] There are a couple of overall dependencies before we can construct our section of the network. The three are making sure middle mile capacity is in place. So in between the home and the data centers in Ashburn, we build our last mile fiber, which is what you'll see running down the neighborhood roads, construction to an actual house. [01:23:03] And then from there to the global Internet, we need to connect to middle mile. Primarily, that would be through Dominion Energy Virginia. Number one on here is what Garrett will talk about. Number two is a utility pole make-ready process. So we've gone out into the field, and to date we've fielded about 15,000 poles. [01:23:25] We have 2,500 left to go. It is a massive amount of work to go out and take a picture of every single pole that we plan to attach to or that is reasonably close to where we're going to attach. And I have a few more slides in detail on this utility pole make ready process, but this is the focus of the project right now. [01:23:45] Once we get through make ready and we have permission from a pole owner to attach, we need to wait until there are a significant queue of miles in a row to release them to construction crews. As you all know, there's broadband construction going on not only across the state, but across the country. [01:24:04] As Dave alluded to, there's a federal program called Bede that is about to be coming out next year. So vendors who are, you know, national providers who can bring 15 or 20 crews into a county or a region at one time, they want a whole lot of miles together so they can bring the crews in and be the most cost effective. [01:24:23] What that means for us is that instead of building 8, 10, 20 miles a month and handing that off to a vendor, they want 100, 200 miles in a row that has been permitted and ready to go that they can hand off to their crews and bring 6, 8, 10, 12 crews to the county. [01:24:42] So that's the third thing that we need to build up to. So as you'll see later on in the presentation, just because we have permission to attach to a pole or just because we have VDOT's permission to go down the right-of-way, it doesn't mean we can send that package to a construction crew. They need a long sequence of miles in a row. [01:25:00] I also want to point out right now that electric utility providers, you know, in Loudoun County, Dominion, and NOVAC are going through an unprecedented amount of make-ready. And it's not just Loudoun County. It's not just all points broadband. It is across the state. It is a huge effort by electric pole owners and by third-party attachers. [01:25:21] There's not in Loudoun County, but another project that we're working on, the electric pole owner there completed 170 times the number of poles that they typically do in one year just to get our project done. I don't think we'll be at 170x in Loudoun, but it'll be 50 to 80 times what typically happens in these areas. [01:25:44] So we can move on to the next slide, Dan. So why is make ready required? There's two things that we look at in make ready. One is the clearance between our attachment on electric pole and the lowest electric element. [01:26:01] And then there's clearance between our attachment and the ground. And we don't do this math on how far all the poles sag and where the transmission is on a nice, you know, mild day in December. It is during a 10-year ice storm. So we do this math to assume that there's a certain amount of ice on the cable and they all sag at different rates. [01:26:22] And as long as, for example, our cable is 18 feet above a VDOT road in between the two poles, then we have enough clearance to attach and we can attach safely. Now, if the math shows that our new attachment would sag down to 14 feet, let's say, for example, then perhaps either pole on either side of that segment needs to be replaced and replaced with higher poles, and then we need to attach our equipment to that. [01:26:50] So the first thing that we look at is the clearance between our attachment and the existing electric infrastructure in the ground. The second is what's called pole loading analysis. This is when we do the math on lateral forces on a pole. Each electric utility provider has a slightly nuanced way that they manage this, and we engage outside engineering firms such as Timmons Group or Davie Resource Group to help us with that, specifically in Loudoun as well. [01:27:20] Let's go to the next slide. This is mainly for your reference here, but this is a timeline in general, a very consolidated timeline of what happens step-by-step for a poll. We go into the field, we collect information on it. [01:27:36] Our team or our third-party engineering does engineering analysis of that. We send it to the poll owner, Dominion or NOVAC, for their evaluation. There's some back and forth on the make ready construction segment, and then eventually the poll owner will give us a notice to proceed, and if there's another telecommunications provider there, it could be dependent on them moving their existing attachment as well before we can attach. [01:28:04] So a couple steps along the way to get to a notice to proceed, and then I believe on the next slide I can show you by section in Loudoun County where we are with all of these polls. So generally, the gray and the yellow and the green correspond to the colors from before. [01:28:23] So Loudoun is split into four different fiber service areas. You can think of them as the four quadrants of Western Loudoun, fiber service area, or FSA, one, two, three, and four. So the gray segment of each column is the number of poles that we have gone out and fielded and collected all kinds of information on, and we are currently doing our engineering analysis. [01:28:48] The yellow section means that it's gotten to the stage where not only have we submitted it to a poll owner, but they have initially accepted it, and they have begun their work for engineering and eventually make ready construction. And then the green section, that is NTP, this is notice to proceed. [01:29:07] This is in Loudoun 2. Dominion has provided about 260 NTPs already in Loudoun 2. So as these lines... Can I say that this slide is not as helpful, not knowing what the quadrants look. [01:29:23] I mean, if I had a map of Loudoun to show where the quadrants were, this would be more helpful. I don't know where, like, Loudoun 1, Loudoun, I don't know where in Loudoun that's at. Yes, ma'am. I can send you all a map of this. Loudoun 1 is the northwest section of western Loudoun. [01:29:43] Loudoun 2 is northeast section. And then three and four are the bottom two halves of Western Loudoun. The bottom two halves of Western Loudoun. So anything west of Route 15. Okay. So then like from St. Louis in the Meadowburg area to over there? [01:30:03] To 15. To 15. That's three and four. Yes, ma'am. Okay. Above seven, below seven would be the top half and the bottom half. Yeah, I'm not. [01:30:20] Okay. Send me a... Yeah, exactly. send us a picture, so that'd be helpful. - Will do. - Thank you. - Okay, what we keep track of here is how fast and accurately can we move the yellow lines up, and then right after that are the green lines following. [01:30:41] And we submit our requests to attach the poles generally in the sequence with which we want to construct them, but they don't always come back in the exact order because you just don't know what the status of a pole is until you do all the engineering. [01:30:56] If it all goes according to plan, you know, the lines will generally move up equally. But you can see right here, you know, we've been focusing on Loudoun 2 and Loudoun 3. And eventually, you know, we'll share this every single month. Keep the pressure on us, keep the pressure on everyone, and we'll continue to share this data. [01:31:20] We'll go to the next slide here. This is mainly for your reference. This is a screenshot of the database that we share with poll owners. The number in the center, 5,021, that means we've submitted attachment applications to 5,021 polls that have been accepted. [01:31:43] This is, I think, two weeks ago. Now we're up to 5,800. But we keep track of the time outstanding for all tickets and all submissions to poll owners. And this is how we manage the back and forth between the status of every single ticket down to the very specific poll. [01:32:00] There's a lot of data to comb through here, but we keep track on a county-wide basis how many poles we have in the queue that are accepted and how fast can we get that number on the far right, 222. How fast can we get that number up? Okay, the construction sequencing, just a little bit more detail here. [01:32:25] So we divide the county into four fiber service areas, and I will send you a map of those. The objective is to complete the entire project within the contract, period. And we don't do a, we can't provide service to a fiber service area until the whole thing is built. [01:32:44] And so we try to get these in bite-sized pieces, but also large enough so that a national contractor is interested to come here as opposed to somewhere in Pennsylvania. We do try to move up constructible routes earlier in the queue and try to get construction moved along as fast as possible. [01:33:05] But again, you know, with the national demand, they want a lot of miles in a row. And the customers are going to be seeing construction throughout their neighborhood well in advance of when service is available. Number one, they're going to be doing construction crews to make the poles ready. [01:33:23] And then number two, the crews will come in and do our last mile construction. We try to notify homeowners about 60 or 90 days in advance of when they can get service. You know, we want people to go to our website, to pre-register, to get notifications. [01:33:39] But even if they don't do that, they're still in the project, and they're going to see yard signs and door hangers and mailers well in advance. We want people to take advantage of this. But we do know, based on our experience, there is going to be a gap of time between when they see construction and when they get service at their home, because we've got to do construction across a quarter of Western Loudoun before their fiber is lit. [01:34:04] Here we get to the anticipated timeline. So we started to receive our notice of proceeds in the fourth quarter. Sometime in the Q1 or Q2 time period, depending on the rate that we receive notice of proceeds and all the necessary permits, we'll start our last mile of construction. [01:34:26] And then in the third quarter next year, we expect to have service available in fiber service areas that have been complete. And this is our plan for next year. Get the notice of proceeds, get this construction rolling, and get service to a fiber service area as soon as possible. [01:34:46] Also baked into this timeline is the construction of Middle Mile, which Garrett will handle in his presentation. Here we have a screenshot of our apbfiber.com website, so folks can go here. [01:35:03] They can check their address to determine whether or not they're included in the project. I strongly encourage people who go to the website to click all the way through, answer all the questions. We see a lot of folks get to step two or three, don't click submit, and then we don't have your information. [01:35:20] Again, you don't have to pre-register to be included in the project. If you're one of those locations in the grant, you're in it, whether you like it or not. You don't have to take the service, but it's going to be available to you. We strongly encourage people to pre-register. There's no commitment. There's no obligation. [01:35:36] But you can sign up here and get your 60- or 90-day notice. So in our package, we actually have, that's only half a slide that you all are showing and showing out. There you go. Okay. All right. Good. Sorry, maybe some of the animations were. [01:35:54] We'll make sure everybody can see it. So go here, complete the survey. If it happens that your address, when you click go, it says you're not part of the project or you have an error with your address, I strongly encourage you to either contact me directly, work through staff. [01:36:14] If you go through here and you don't get an answer that you think is correct and that you thought you were part of the project, we can handle that. we can find alternative ways to get you broadband but this is a this is the source of truth so if you're not here then you need to contact us 99% of all the addresses entered are going to be accurate then one quick reminder about the ongoing reporting so with three milestones models released from low level design which we have achieved at the next two miles constructed and [01:36:49] serviceable units passed again we do not receive any reimbursement for our cost until this is delivered to you the county has approved and the state has approved no stout or state or county funds are released to us until it's approved it's all done in arrears so we are very motivated to get this work done as quickly as possible as Dave mentioned you know we're fortunate to be a finalist in an RFP process for 185 or so locations if finally selected all those locations will be on the same timeline and have the same benefits as all of [01:37:27] these VADI locations as well. So with that I'd like to pass it on or answer any questions. We have no questions at the end. To Garrett Braun with Dominion's Rural Broadband Program. Wonderful. That just means we just keep going on our package. If you just keep scrolling Dominion's section comes up next. Good evening Madam Chair and members of the board. I'd like to start today's presentation with just a brief overview of dominion energy's role in the rural broadband program [01:38:03] and also a progress update for loudon county so just a reminder i guess of our middle mile strategy we provide the middle mile that is the longer lines of fiber reaching out into rural areas once we do install that middle mile partnering isp all points broadband can install last mile and reach unserved rural communities. [01:38:30] So you can see up there in the graphic, the Dominion Energy was already installing fiber in between our substations for our own internal operational purposes. It was really sort of a no-brainer for us to go ahead and extend that middle-mile fiber and into the rural unserved communities. [01:38:49] It's just another way that we're helping to provide a benefit in the communities that we serve. It's also important to note, too, that this fiber is really for Dominion Energy's internal operational use. We reserve a small percentage of the strands of fiber within that cable, and then the rest we'll provide to our ISP partners. [01:39:11] None of this will directly support data center operations. It's important to note that. So a quick overview here of what a rural broadband program project looks like. First of all, you have the project scoping, which is where Dominion Energy and our ISP partner will work together to find a route that's going to be suitable to both parties. [01:39:36] We've scoped the entirety of Loudoun County, and our routes are complete at this time. We'll go then next into the design phase, so the technical designs for attaching middle-mile fiber facilities to our existing infrastructure. [01:39:53] We're partnering with a professional services vendor, Team Fishel, who is out in the field taking notes and working those projects for us. From there, if there is any easement research we need to do or acquisition, we'll work with our vendors again in that regard to secure those easements. [01:40:13] Site prep, make-ready construction and fiber installation. This make-ready construction is different from the make-ready that Tom referenced in his slides. Our make-ready construction is simply making our own poles ready for the attachment of fiber optic cable. The fiber installation process is relatively simple. [01:40:30] You can see up there a tangent connection in the field. I believe they'll call it a hot dog. And you also will see up there the Dominion Energy yellow tag that just marks our fiber on our existing poles. We will also install that fiber about 6 inches below the existing neutral in the supply space of the pole. [01:40:49] So typically on a utility pole, you will see the joint use provider or the communications provider, Verizon, Comcast, all points, a little bit lower on the pole. And as we are the owner of the pole and the utility, we are able to install higher on the pole in the supply space. [01:41:04] After we complete the make ready and fiber installation, it's time for property restoration, working with customers if any property has been damaged, and then also the splicing process additionally. Basically, what that is, is the joining of fiber optic cables together to provide a multi-point terminal for all points broadband to connect to. [01:41:27] Loudoun County, at a glance, like I said, we have the entire project scoped, about 176 miles. We have 115 miles design approved and 20 miles planned for this year. Some of that is currently under construction in the area to the northwest. [01:41:48] That is along the, close to the West Virginia border and following Route 9, and I apologize I'll have to provide a map for this as well, but following Route 9 into Hillsboro and then out near Lovettsville as well on 287. And then the rest of that fiber construction will be completed in 2024. [01:42:07] We plan to release about 40 miles a quarter. It's an aggressive construction schedule, but we're confident in our abilities to meet the timelines. Just quickly here, because I know we want to use the best of our time here, but some of your residents in the districts you all are representing may have received some of these communications from Dominion Energy already. [01:42:37] The letter you see up there is an introductory letter to the Rural Broadband Program. What that provides is the ISP partner's name, as well as some brief information about the program and my direct contact in case anybody would like to call me or email me to answer questions. [01:42:56] Go ahead. Additionally, some residents in Loudoun County may be receiving these postcards as well. This is just an installation postcard letting the customers know that we are about two weeks out from construction and expect to see construction crews in their area. [01:43:13] And that will do it for me. Wonderful. Thank you. Thank you very much. And so, Supervisor, I'm going to go to questions. I think Mr. Kirshner and Mr. Buffington have been lifting very heavy on this effort, so I'm going to go to them first, and so I'll go to Mr. Buffington first. [01:43:31] Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for all the work that you've put into this so far and obviously all the work you're going to continue to do. For me personally, this is one of the biggest things that I'm most proud of over the last eight years, that we were able to get approved and funded and started. [01:43:47] Obviously, it's not going to finish while I'm in office, But what I hear most from the constituents is, when is mine going to be turned on? And I'm like, I'm not sure. We're working on it as hard as we can. So having you all here helps answer that question. In April of 2023, we were told by July of 2024, so like six, seven months from now, we would be substantially done with this whole project. [01:44:14] Substantially complete was the word. So it doesn't sound like we're going to be substantially complete by then. How far behind are we? When will we be substantially complete? Can anybody provide an update on that? Because it sounds like some of the, when you had that map up there with the whole diagram of how you track all of the poll, what do you call them? [01:44:38] The notice to proceeds. Notice to proceeds on each poll. Like, that seems way behind. There's a lot of gray area, not enough green area. So that tells me we're not on track for six, seven months from now being substantially complete. Where are we? And when will we be substantially complete? [01:44:55] In reality, based on the best information you can give me today. Sure. So a lot of that is dependent on the permitting, the make ready. A lot of the design work that we did, we accelerated. [01:45:12] We beat our target for that first milestone. What we're finding is that the actual, the fiber construction is a little bit easier than the make-ready process than we had originally assumed. [01:45:29] But the focus of the work right now, getting all of the pulls identified, all of the engineering work, all of the make-ready construction done. And then once we have those constructible queues of miles, we can release them to the vendors. Best gas, substantial completion. [01:45:48] So substantial completion, we're still targeting the third quarter of next year, but it really depends on the throughput of all the permitting and the design. Not to cut you off, I got 30 seconds. It seems like that's an impossible goal. Like, I understand you're doing your best and trying. [01:46:05] I'm just looking for some reality here as far as, like, time frame. And, of course, we're doing our best. We're going to keep pushing. But, like, what's the reality, do you think, Tom? That is the reality. And if it has to go beyond July, we'll work with the state agency to make sure everything is still on track. [01:46:24] And again, we have every motivation in the world to get this done as soon as possible. I understand. And thank you for that. And lastly, Dominion, could you opine on that, and county staff as well? Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. [01:46:39] That can speak to the make ready and the middle mile process for that question. The amount of VODE funding at a state level and then you add on the BED funding that's also coming in at a federal level has really resulted in a mountain of make ready and pull attachment requests for Dominion Energy that we haven't experienced probably throughout the entirety of our company. [01:47:01] I think we went from probably about 10,000 poles a year to probably about 100,000 this year. So it is a significant increase, and it has really prompted us to review our joint use and make ready process. [01:47:16] And so there's been some back and forth between our two companies regarding the prioritization and the submittal methods of these pole attachment requests. We've added some additional resources to our joint use team because it is outside of rural broadband. [01:47:32] It is a separate team within Dominion Energy. So we will probably be about a halfway done or three-quarters done with that middle-mile construction by July 2024. And I would say the make-ready process, we've already seen an improvement from month-to-month data. [01:47:53] From September to October, I believe we set a record in the amount of pole attachment requests that we've processed. So while it is a mountain of work and there certainly are roadblocks, we're still confident in our ability to hit our timelines. We're still confident in our ability to get this project done. [01:48:10] Okay. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you guys for everything. As they say, we've come a long way, Charlie Brown, or as Charles Schultz said, we've come a long way, Charlie Brown, since this first came online four years ago when we got this initiative started. [01:48:26] And I'm pretty excited about it getting completed next year. I do have a quick question about the BEAD program and how it's a little unclear to me how this is going to kind of interact with what we're doing now, how much funding we'll actually get from it. Maybe that's kind of up in the air. Can you briefly, in about 30 seconds, kind of give me an example or explain that a little bit? [01:48:44] Then I have a couple of other follow-up questions. I'll take that, Suarez Kirshner. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. So just briefly, the state has submitted to the federal agency what their plans are, how they're going to administer the projects. [01:49:04] So that hasn't been fully defined yet. There's still the VATI program that the state already offers. So once that gets vetted out, then we'll be able to have more information. But it is a separate program. It is still fiber-focused. It is still focused on unserved homes. [01:49:23] So it's maybe sort of a super fatty project just at the federal level that will be administered at the state level. So will we be able to utilize perhaps those funds if things get moving in this current project, or will it be projects outside that? [01:49:40] Because I know, go ahead, you're shaking your head no. It'll be for projects outside of this code. Existing any project and the RFQ that we just are about to sign contract with will not be eligible. So we do think we'll be able to utilize some of those funds here in Loudoun County? [01:49:59] Yeah, as anything else. All these projects are a moment in time, so as new homes are built, if they're unserved, then they would be held. Okay, excellent. And have we identified, I mean, I know when we first identified the 9,680 ohms or whatever the actual amount was, there were some, we anticipated some homes would be missed. [01:50:20] Have we, as we go through this process, have we identified more? Because I know that's really important to make sure those get funded, and we have a separate pot of money perhaps to do that, or perhaps we can use this BED program to do it. And also, if you can give me an update on the preregistrations And what we can do perhaps as an office to ensure that folks get signed up for this, because I've talked to a lot of folks who aren't even familiar, despite the fact that it's been in the media and a lot of our outlets and our newsletters, et cetera, for probably a couple of years now. [01:50:51] I'll take the first half of that. Sure. The 185 homes that are in the RFQ were ones that were missed or not included as part of the VATI project. And then as part of the BEAD project, the ISPs have been part of a challenge process to vet even further any additional homes that were missed or not considered served by VATI and then by our subsequent efforts. [01:51:20] So we do expect if we get some that come to light through that, they would be eligible for BEAD. Excellent. And then I'll hand off to Tom on the progress of the registration. So I think we're at about a third of the locations pre-registered, but I will get that number and follow up with you. [01:51:39] I know we sent a flyer out in September, October. We've got a good amount of response from that, and we can see, you know, a little tick up each time it's included in the supervisors' newsletters as well. Excellent. I'll get those numbers for you. Thank you much. Okay, wonderful. [01:51:56] I think that's it. Thank you so much, and keep us informed, and send us those pictures, please. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right, supervisors, I'm going to look over, look across at Mr. Zern, and there's a thumbs up. There is a thumbs up. So, Mr. Zern, we have a, wow, a really long resolution for Mr. Zern. [01:52:16] Mr. Keynes, will you join me down front, please? Thank you. [01:53:01] There it goes. I think it's worth it. Yeah. Are you leaving? [01:53:24] So, earlier this year, I celebrated Roger at the State of the County Address, and he deserved that. [01:54:31] And truthfully, Mr. Zern, you deserve all the accolades we can possibly give you. I do like messing with you just for kicks and giggles. But your service to this county has been just absolutely incredible for so many years. And so I have a resolution for you today. [01:54:48] And thank you, everybody, for being here. Resolution for Treasurer Roger Zern. Whereas H. Roger Zern, is that right? What's your first name? Whereas Harold Roger Zern. [01:55:05] Mr. Eichelberg told me to mess with you. He told me to. Okay. Whereas Roger Zern began his service to Loudoun County in 1990 when he won a special election to represent the Sterling District on the Board of Supervisors, he was subsequently re-elected in 91, and in 95 he was elected Treasurer of Loudoun County and has served seven terms over the last 28 years. [01:55:31] And whereas during his tenure on the Board of Supervisors, Mr. Zern utilized his visionary fiscal leadership establishing the Zern Initiative to analyze the cost of growth to the county and impacts on capital expenditures, which the county adopted in 1994 and was later incorporated into the 2001 General Plan. [01:55:53] The foundational principles of the ZERN initiative are still utilized today to foster fiscal responsibility, responsible growth and development within Loudoun County. And whereas Treasurer ZERN, with his exemplary leadership, astute fiscal acumen and financial stewardship, was responsible for Loudoun County obtaining and maintaining our triple AAA bond rating during his tenure, demonstrating the strong and stable financial foundation that has enabled Loudoun County to pursue crucial projects and investment for the betterment of our community. [01:56:33] And whereas Mr. Zern's many accomplishments, too numerous to list, have provided a lasting impact to the county, which have continued to the prosperity of the greater community, such as being the first and to date the only treasurer to assume the responsibility of billing and collecting taxes for the incorporated towns, I remember that, within accounting, which required an enabling legislation to the Code of Virginia, being the first treasurer to provide electric bill notifications and to offer online tax payment options for residents and business owners, [01:57:12] continually maintaining over a 99% collection rate for real and personal property taxes, all while personally overseeing and approving every investment of Loudoun funds, which he has carefully safeguarded while also ensuring a return on investment. [01:57:31] And whereas Mr. Zurn has dedicated more than 30 years of service to Loudoun County, more than 30 years of service, and has demonstrated unwavering dedication to the fiscal health of the county, Safeguard funds while ensuring robust internal controls and oversight while ensuring funds are handled with the utmost integrity and transparency, which will leave a remarkable legacy on Loudoun County. [01:58:17] Now, therefore, be it resolved that on December 5th, 2023, the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County extends its sincere appreciation to H. Roser Zern for his many years of service as treasurer and on the Board of Supervisors for his dedication, for his remarkable fiscal stewardship, and lasting contributions to Loudoun County. [01:58:27] Before I hand the microphone to Mr. Hempstree and then to Mr. Zurn, I'm also going to say one other thing that is not on the resolution. [01:58:59] Earlier this term, I approached Mr. Zurn, and we talked about diversifying the banks that worked with the county. And Mr. Zurn made every single effort to find minority-owned banks. But it was important to him and to all of us that the banks were qualified. [01:59:17] We couldn't find that, but he did find minority brokers, in fact, two minority brokers. And so for the first time this past term, we have minority brokers who are working with Loudoun County. And I'm sure at some point when a minority-owned bank qualifies. [01:59:34] But I think that's an important thing, that when I brought the initiative to him, he was like, let's do it, let's try. And then he tried for months to find a bank, and we found brokers. But that's quite the legacy, I think, Mr. Zern, and I think that should be said as well. [01:59:51] I'm going to hand this microphone to Mr. Hempstreet right now. Thank you, Chair Randall. Honorable Treasurer Zern, on behalf of the staff organization, thank you for all of your service. [02:00:08] And on a personal level, thank you for making it a wonderful experience as a county administrator to work with you. I have always enjoyed our frank back and forth discussions. [02:00:26] I mean, you've just been great to work with. I am not sure what I'm going to do around lunchtime in March as we lead up to what's going to happen with the budget, but we'll have to figure that out. But thank you. [02:00:42] You've been fantastic to work with. I have a couple of questions for you. Have you told Mr. Eichelberg about the quarterly meetings, the quarterly finance meetings? I warned him. Have you warned him? [02:01:00] Mr. Eichelberg, you ready for that? Is he ready for that? Because, you know, those are important. They're very serious. There's no joking in those meetings at all. We take them so seriously. So just so you know, and Roger sets that tone. [02:01:16] He does. He sets that tone. Secondly, is there anyone, they're not recorded. Secondly, is there anyone in the county to meet your fashion sense? Because I don't know that, I mean, really, sharpest dressed man in the county by far. [02:01:34] Anybody that can meet, Mr. Sains, is somebody going to take that banner? Mr. McGrath, Glenn, Mr. Turner, Mr. Rod, somebody has to pick that banner up. Roger, seriously, you are, I think when I wrote an article about you, what year was that? [02:01:54] Oh, my gosh, 2003, 2003. I met you the first time while working the polls for an election, a rainy day, and I worked the polls with you the whole day, and then I wrote an article about how interesting it was to work the polls with somebody in a different party and how much I learned, how much fun we had how much respect we had that day and um you know i i said in in the in the letter that um mr zern has kind of that that like 19 1950s 1960s well no no no but but but but you're [02:02:34] kind of but but you're kind of the the the class about you that kind of 1950 class that people had Jennifer Dora on, the kind of just gentleman-like behavior that kind of was from a long-ago era that you still maintain and have always maintained. [02:02:51] You are kind and funny. You're tough. You're smart. And I have never, ever heard one member of your staff complain about you, ever, which is really quite a statement after all these years. [02:03:07] And the fact that you have this many staff with you standing here today as we reach this resolution is quite an honor to who you are and what you've done. I will also tell one more quick story, and this is during the pandemic, when we really thought that people were not going to be able to pay their taxes because people were out of work. [02:03:27] And I was getting asked, and I called Roger, and I said, what do I say to people who are asking about whether or not they can pay their taxes, and what do I do? And Roger, you remember your response, your exact response was, tell them to call me, and if they call me, they will find a friendly ear. [02:03:43] And I said that to people, and it was so comforting to people to know that they could feed their families or do whatever they had to do, and he would make sure that the taxes were not going to be the thing that kept people from feeding their families. And so that's the person you've been, that's the person you are, and we're going to miss you so very, very much. [02:03:59] So I'm going to give you the microphone now, sir. Well, I don't want to hold up everybody's dinner and all, but I do really appreciate this. [02:04:14] It's 34 years of my efforts that all I wanted to do was do a good job. I wanted to see the county better than what I came in. And I think I've accomplished that. But I didn't do that by myself. [02:04:32] Matter of fact, not even close. People that are standing up here from my office, they are the ones who've made me look good. And this is just this crew. I've been in office for 28 years. I've had so many great people, a woman in particular that I do want to mention publicly, Kate Tidgewell. [02:04:53] She worked with me for a number of years, and now she's retired and enjoying herself. But there's been any number of people that have been through the office and worked with me, helped me to make this a better place. [02:05:09] And, you know, to have the opportunity to see and grow with Mrs. Randall. And I've got to say something. This is really important because this will be the last time I get a chance to get a microphone. But Mr. Hemstreet is one of the best county administrators in the state of Virginia. [02:05:31] We've been so fortunate. I've seen the inside of how he operates. So I know all the dirt. I know everything. And sometime I'll write a book and I spill some of it, but this isn't the time. But in all seriousness, Mr. Hemstreet has been just an amazing person to work with and to watch him operate. [02:05:54] And people don't realize how much he puts on his own shoulders to make sure that this county really ends up in the right place. During COVID, he was one of the leaders in the state in terms of fiscal prudence. I was proud to work with him during that time. We did our part. [02:06:10] The Board of Supervisors did their parts. Everybody came together to make it work, and that's what it's all about. And within our office, we stress teamwork. We stress customer service. But the number one thing that we stress is trust. [02:06:26] You have to be able to trust each other, and we have to be able to trust that what we're telling you is true. The one thing that I want everybody to remember when I leave is I never lied. I always told the truth, and I always tried to do the right thing. [02:06:42] I'm proud of that, and I've so appreciated the time that I've had serving this county. Thank you. [02:06:52] I did bring another, but just in case you needed that. [02:08:45] Nor did I. [02:09:33] Nor did I. Okay, so we have quite a few speakers. There is nobody right now who has requested an interpreter, but if people come up, if you do request an interpreter, if you want an interpreter, let me know. [02:09:49] We have listed 12 speakers, but two are not going to be here that I know of. And so we only will have 10 that I know of, okay? So we will start first with speaker number two, Ana. [02:10:07] I'm not sure if I say your last name right. Ogelia. And then you'll be followed by Maria Rojos, followed by Javier Casananda. And you all will be the first three speakers. Is Ana here? A-N-A? Okay, you're here? Very good. Wonderful. [02:10:27] That's what I figured, because there's no reason to. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, and that's what I figured, but they're on here now, so while I get to them. Good evening. Good evening to everyone. Like an interpreter? She's having an interpreter? I'm here as a backup. I'm going to take care of her own statement. Okay. Really when you are. [02:10:49] Good evening to everyone. I'm so happy to be here today, to these beautiful people, and very sweet. And my name is Anna Oyuela, and I come in here today with the majority of Virginia, and I come in here because I'm working very hard with my husband, and I live in the Maynard's apartment, and the reason I'm here is because I want to say we want to stop the bill of $90. We're working very hard to pay our rent, [02:11:24] to pay gas, to pay electricity, to pay water and pay trash. And then they want to put $90 bill plus that. And for us, it's very hard to work in morning and night to pay this. [02:11:41] And now they want to put $90 bills more. If we want it or not want it, we have to pay. If we not pay that, if we not accept that, they not want to renew our contract every year. And another thing, every year we renew, they put more money and more money. [02:12:00] We feel like we can fix it, and I come here to ask them for help. Because in the mayor's apartment, these people do whatever they want. They not good people. The money is there, do whatever they want. They not nice people. And I come here for help today. [02:12:17] Please help us, the supervisor, go there and see how this money is in the Maynard's apartment. And for the things I come here today, please make a note about this. And this is my word. Thank you very much for your time. [02:12:34] I really appreciate it with my whole heart. God bless you, everybody. Thank you. I need to ask one quick question, just so I can understand. And first of all, thank you for coming. What are they saying the $90 is for? It's for one bill, internet, and we don't need that. [02:12:52] Oh, the internet. An internet bill. It's an internet bill monthly? Monthly, yes. And it's new? It's new. That's starting November 1st. Do you all have internet right now? I don't need it. Yeah, they charge, but I now go to the office because I scared that I would go to the office. [02:13:11] I have to go to the office and ask them for the address and everything to pick up the box. but i don't need internet you're saying whether or not you want the internet they're going to charge you 90 for the internet yeah they want we paid the 90 we want it on one and we have to pay all right i understand thank you thank you for your time everyone god bless you again thank you [02:13:34] mario rojos are you in good evening buenas noches mi nombre es maria rojas soy leader Voluntaria o la Nueva Mayoría de Virginia. Y soy inquilina de los Minor Apartments. [02:14:02] Hello, my name is Maria Rojas. I am a volunteer leader with the new majority of Virginia and I am a tenant of the Manor Apartments. Como señora de la tercera edad, me siento muy preocupada por los altos costos de vida. Lo que ganamos no nos ajusta para pagar ni los gastos esenciales como las As an elderly woman, I feel worried due to the high cost of living. [02:14:31] What we earn does not allow us to pay even essential expenses such as medicine and food. [02:14:57] I demand our apartments, a mandatory internet service of $90 on top of the rent added to our contracts seems unfair to me. I do not have the ability to handle technology, and I do not need this service to pay just to pay. [02:15:32] I am a person who lives with cost overruns. [02:15:52] A few weeks ago, they announced the rental assistance program to prevent evictions, but I don't have a note from the court I can apply to the program even though I need that help. Paying the rent is my priority so as not to sleep on the street, stop buying food, medicine and other things that are needed. [02:16:10] Si este dinero es parte de los fondos ARPA para ayuda de emergencia cuando fue la pandemia, ¿cuál es la razón de no distribuir rápido? Ese dinero ya debe estar en manos de las comunidades más vulnerables, como la tercera edad, mamás con niños especiales, familias clases de trabajadoras. [02:16:36] If this money is part of the ARPA funds for emergency aid when the pandemic happened, what is the reason for no rapid distribution that money should already be in the hands of the most vulnerable communities, such as the elderly, mothers with special children, working-class families. [02:16:58] Pedimos a la junta que cambien los requisitos, que sean más flexibles, que sea un proceso rápido y dignificante para nosotros. Viene Navidad y queremos celebrar en familia, sin estas preocupaciones, hacer desalojados en pleno frío, igual que ustedes. [02:17:19] Gracias. We ask the board to change the requirements to be more flexible, to make it a quick and dignified process for us. Christmas is coming, and we want to celebrate with our families without worrying about being evicted in the cold just like you. [02:17:35] Thank you. Thank you. Gracias. Thank you. Okay. Javier, good evening. Buenas tardes, Javier. No pudo venir, verdad? Problemas de trabajo, pero yo le voy a leer el testimonio. [02:17:53] Javier was not able to come due to his work schedule, but I will read his statement. Okay. Buenas tardes, Junta de Supervisores. Mi nombre es Javier Castaneda. Soy padre soltero e inquilino de los apartamentos Minor Apartments. Good afternoon, Board of Supervisors. [02:18:10] My name is Javier Castaneda. I am a single father and a tenant of the Manor Apartments. Mediante los desafíos que pasamos como clase trabajadora cada mes para poder alcanzar para nuestra renta, Sabemos que sufrimos aumentos desmedidos y actualmente tenemos un cargo extra a nuestros contratos que entró en vigencia a partir del 1 de noviembre de un servicio de internet y cable con un valor injusto de 90 dólares obligatoriamente que nos pusieron en los contratos aparte de nuestra renta. [02:18:39] Through the challenges we go through as a working class every month to be able to pay our rent, we know that we suffer excessive increases and currently we have an extra charge to our contracts that came into effect as of November 1st for an internet and cable service with an unfair value of $90 that they are making us put in our contracts apart from our rent. [02:19:10] Many times, as tenants, we are not taken into account and we are not listened to by many authorities. They force us to have to pay extra fees without having the option of choosing our amenities that may be within our reach. [02:19:41] In order to renew my contract in the aforementioned apartments, I was forced, having no option, to accept said internet service. [02:19:59] Because I did not do so, I would have to be evicted and find another place to live. And we know that in these winter seasons, it's hard to find a decent new roof at low cost where you can go. Necesitamos que el condado comience a trabajar en una idea de viviendas sociales para la clase trabajadora, como parques de trailers que nos vendrían a dar estabilidad y control en nuestras vidas. [02:20:24] We need the county to start working on an idea of social housing for the working class, like mobile home parks, which would give us stability and control of our lives. As authorities, we ask that you take action on the increases and extra charges added above our income, where our family economy suffers and destabilizes the homes of each family. [02:20:59] Thank you. Gracias. Thank you as well. Thank you. Shane Crowe, you'll be followed by Katie Johnson, who I think is on the Webex, and you'll be followed by Alexander Nance. Good evening, everybody. [02:21:18] Good evening. I know the last time I spoke was on July 5th, so it's been a few months since I've been back here to discuss Ranked Choice Voting, although I know since this was an election year for everyone here on the board, that was probably a welcome absence so y'all could focus on y'all's campaigns. Most of y'all did run for re-election. I would like to say, first and foremost, congratulations to those who are re-elected. [02:21:38] My understanding is that Supervisor Buffington was the only one who didn't run for re-election, which I noticed that his nameplate is already starting to move its way out. I'm not sure if that's the real reason why. I see. Understandable. [02:21:55] But there was one election that occurred here in Loudoun County that I think emphasizes the point that I made at the first public comment that I was here, which is when more candidates run under the current election rules we use, our democracy becomes weaker. And, of course, I'm referring to the school board election in the Leesburg district. [02:22:13] Now, if we just turn the clock about a year ago in 2022, it was a three-way race. And as the results came out, it broke down like this, where Erika Ogidebi received 40.5% of the vote, Michael Rivera received 31.3% of the vote, and Ms. Lauren Chernoff received 27.9% of the vote. [02:22:33] But then, in this election cycle, in 2023, Mr. Rivera decided to run for the at-large seat, leaving the matchup between the incumbent, Erika Ogadebi, and their previous opponent, Lauren Chernoff. And quite interestingly enough, when the range of candidates was down from three to two, Lauren Chernoff ended up receiving most of the votes that previously went to Michael Rivera, whereas Erika Ogadebi only received a fraction. [02:23:01] And this doesn't help anybody because this means that there was a turnover that could have possibly been avoided if people were allowed and given the opportunity to give their rankings as such, which is why we here at Upvote are hoping in this upcoming General Assembly session to further advocate for an expansion of the local option that was given to us back in 2020 to include more offices, constitutional offices, school board offices, perhaps even for the presidential primaries. [02:23:29] And we, as part of Upvote, would hopefully appreciate if perhaps the board would include an expansion of Ranked Choice Voting in their legislative agenda in order to help encourage members of the General Assembly on both sides to make further progress. [02:23:45] Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Katie Johnson, you'll be followed by Alexander Nats, followed by Zeblion Tainter. If you're here, Ms. Johnson, are you here? Oh, she's on the WebEx. Is Ms. Johnson on the WebEx? [02:24:01] Katie has decided that she will not be speaking tonight. Okay, then we have Alexander Nance, followed by Zeblion, and we will be followed by Elizabeth Ellers. Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the Board of Supervisors. I'm speaking on behalf of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area, and I had planned to speak on an item, believe you all discussed earlier that's allocating several thousand dollars for the replacement of the old mosby heritage area signs i will very thankfully skip the long remarks i prepared and just say thank you to you all for your support and in particular thank you to supervisor glass for driving this motion forward i'd just like to recognize her and her office for showing the [02:24:39] utmost professionalism it's been an absolute pleasure working with you and your staff throughout this man we look forward to working together going forward i'd also plan to give some very brief remarks on the item of the Aldi assemblage. My understanding is that is also resolved, so I will very thankfully again skip the remarks on that and just say thank you to this board for everything you do for our organization in particular, for this community, and most importantly everything you do every day for the citizens of this county. So thank you for your time this evening and for your consideration of these issues. Thank you. Zebulon Tainter, followed by [02:25:11] Elizabeth Ellers, followed by Matlin Skinner. Good evening. Good evening, and I want to thank Piedmont Environmental Council for the meeting they held at the Old Stone School in Hillsborough about the power line, which is my subject. Our family-run farm is about to be divided by a mega power line mapped to go between our old house and barn, requiring up to 500 feet right away around towers, which would require our buildings to be destroyed, would run through the heart of our [02:25:47] farm and put us out of business. Our farm includes buildings of some historical value. The main house was built in 1765, our large barn in the early 1800s, miraculously spared, burning during the Civil War. If these power lines are built, both of these structures will be condemned and torn down. [02:26:10] We hope that they will not fall to an unnecessary power line after having been spared by Sheridan's cavalry. We're glad that Supervisor Kirshner sent an email voicing general opposition and specific opposition to the use of eminent domain. We're glad that you, Chair Randall, and some others of you have spoken saying something needs to be done about the data centers. But what we see is approval of data centers without adequate power and water supply. What we haven't heard is your calls of [02:26:46] opposition. What we don't see is your letters among those reported by PJM, which now run more than 50 pages. Not one have we identified that says, hey, let's build that power line. So what we would like to see is that being used as a place to make an objection. Supervisor Kirshner said the Board of Supervisors doesn't get to vote on the power line. It's a state decision. [02:27:18] but he and all of you could say how you would vote. You can pass a resolution opposing the line and send it to our state legislatures and governor. Like any citizens, you could speak up, and we look forward to having copies of your letters and statements. [02:27:35] And I must say this last concern about your speaking up is shared by, say, Rora Loudon, which I also speak. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Elizabeth Ellers, and you'll be followed by Madeline Skinner, followed by Mike Cain. [02:27:54] Good evening. Good evening. I'm here to talk about the Aldi Assemblage, which you have approved, but I did want to say that at a time when citizens have a generally low opinion of government, the Aldi Assemblage story shows how public participation and responsive public officials can make a real difference. [02:28:12] Thank you so much for hearing us over the last few years with the closing of this chapter of the Aldi Assemblage saga, I really think a happy ending is in sight. So thank you. Thank you. Madeline Skinner, good evening. [02:28:28] And you will be followed by Mike Kane. And good evening to all the supervisors. It's kind of nice that we can just sit up here and just say thank you, thank you, thank you for the Aldi Assemblage. As you know, I'm the chair of the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance, and I speak on behalf of all of our rural historic villages tonight. [02:28:45] We are so excited to support the sale of the Aldi Assemblage to the Piedmont Environmental Council We cannot think of a better outcome, while it has been quite the journey. PEC's 50-plus years of dedicated service to protect Loudoun's environmental and historic resources, especially the protection of Loudoun's rural gateway, has been appreciated by so many. [02:29:08] What a way to close out 2023 for the Rural Historic Villages. Thank you very much. Thank you. And good evening, Mr. Kane. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. And I just, again, you all have acted already on the Aldi assemblage, but I do want to express our appreciation and our delight that you all have acted in 2022. [02:29:34] And again, tonight, to proceed with the sale of the Aldi assemblage to PEC, we want to express our appreciation to both the board and to county staff that has worked with us over the past months to prepare this purchase agreement that you all looked at and reviewed and acted on tonight. [02:29:53] Our plan for the property reflects a continuation of our conservation and community planning work that spans over 25 years in and around Aldi. We look forward to, in the future, to working with the Aldi community. We see ourselves as a member of the Aldi community and recognizing the obligations and responsibilities that come along with that. [02:30:17] We look forward to the long-term stewardship, preservation, restoration of the property. Thank you all so much. It's been a long road, and so we look forward to moving forward. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Appreciate it very much. Okay, supervisors, if you have nominations to make, please put your light on. [02:30:38] And I want to say that at this point, if you are making nominations, you're making them for next term. And so you can make them tonight, but they will be voted on probably at the January meeting next term. I will also say to make these nominations with a lot of intention, I have actually spoken to some members of, say, like the Loudon Water, not just the Loudon Water Board, Loudon Water, who expressed, you know, their desires, thoughts, concerns, that type of thing. [02:31:11] And so I'm making a lot of phone calls to a lot of our different commissions, committees, that both are part of the county and are not part of the county as we make these nominations. So make them with lots and lots of attention and we will vote on them at the January meeting. [02:31:29] So if you have nominations, please put your lights on. Ms. Umstead. Yes, I have one nomination tonight and that would be Anthony Fasolo for reappointment to the Commission on Aging. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. [02:31:45] I nominate Evelyn Syme Lobos, S-A-I-M-L-O-B-O-S, to the Community Service Board to fill an at-large seat. Thank you, sir. Ms. Glass. Thank you, Madam Chair. [02:32:00] I nominate Cliff Kearse to serve on the Fiscal Impact Committee. I nominate Jim Bonfils to serve on the Loudoun Water Board. I nominate Michelle Frank to serve as the Broad Run District Commissioner on the Planning Commission. Okay, and again, those would be talked about next. [02:32:20] These nominations will not be confirmed until January. Okay. Ms. Brooksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have quite a few as we reached out to everyone that's been serving that I've nominated or that we've confirmed before. I nominate Jim Banks as the Algonquian District Representative on the Planning Commission. [02:32:41] I nominate Kathy Benner as the Algonquian District Representative on the Animal Advisory Committee. I nominate Elaine Barkov as the Algonquian District Representative on the Community Criminal Justice Board. I nominate Julia Delizio as the Algonquian District Representative on the Advisory Commission on Youth. [02:32:59] I nominate Jimmy O'Connor as the Algonquian District Representative on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Board. I nominate Vlad Ovchinnikov as the Algonquian District Representative on the Transit Advisory Board. I nominate Richard Payne as the Algonquian District Representative on the Commission on Aging. [02:33:19] I nominate Eric Scudder as the at-large representative on the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Board. And lastly, I nominate Ben Miller as an at-large real estate representative on the Affordable Dwelling Unit Advisory Board. Thank you. Thank you. And, Supervisors, we will have our next meeting in December, which is the last meeting of the year, to make nominations as well. [02:33:39] So know that. And then everything we do today will be confirmed or voted on because I don't think I do think that there will be there will have to be votes in January because we will have more position. Well, we'll have a new member, but we'll also have more positions, more nominations than positions that are open. [02:33:59] And so there will be some votes as well in in in January. So just expect that. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I nominate Charles Yeh to the Latin Water Board. Oh, I was going to make that one. I should throw something at you right now. Do you want to really make it? I do. You shouldn't have asked me. [02:34:18] No, you shouldn't have asked me. Keep going. And I nominate Jim Bonfields for the open large position in Nova Parks. So Jim Bonfields has been nominated twice for something tonight. Okay, okay, all right, all right. He's on the waterboard right now, right? [02:34:35] His position's not up yet, I don't think. Is he one of the ones that we thought was up? There are four positions that are opening up. Yeah, I know, but I don't think he's one of them. is he one of them he is one of them okay so this is a re-nomination okay all right I thought he was okay so yeah I'm just messing with you Mr. Kirsten of course if you want to no it's fine obviously obviously it's Mr. Yudd so we all want to second it and do a joint and I will do that because I will I will jointly nominate Mr. Yudd Mr. Charles Yudd for the Loudon Water Board and I will nominate Mr. Keith Moody to be reappointed to the Loudon Water Board and that is a request [02:35:12] from the Loudoun Water Board itself to make sure he gets reappointed. So thank you, and I think that's all. Supervisor, before we go on break and then go into four closed sessions back-to-back, let's go on and do our board comments right now because then when we come out of board, when we come out of board, I'm sorry, when we come out of closed session, we will, I do believe, be finished. [02:35:36] So, yeah, so let's go on and do board comments right now. We'll go to Ms. Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair. The board probably remembers in relation to the speakers tonight on the manners issue of the $90 additional charge. [02:35:54] The board probably remembers that at our last board meeting, we discussed that issue. Mr. Freeman and I had spoken prior to that. And as you all would have heard at the last meeting, he said he believes that issue can be folded into our legislative program as it stands under our position that rents should be more transparent. [02:36:25] I believe that what it is going to take, and I have shared this with the new Virginia majority, would be an amendment to the Virginia Landlord-Tenant Act. to prohibit additional charges that are not requested or used by the tenants. [02:36:49] But I do not believe the board has the authority to directly address that. And we have it now in our legislative packet, so I'm hoping that we can get some solution from our representatives in Richmond. [02:37:08] Thank you. Let's see, Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. As far as disclosures are concerned, my staff met with Michael Majestic from Wizard Retail and with Colleen Gillis from Cooley, sorry, my staff did, about Cascades Marketplace. [02:37:30] I met with Aaron Swishelm from Walsh-Kaluchi about the Lansdowne Boulevard rezoning application, and I met with Mike Romeo from Walsh-Kaluchi about the Dogwood Farm Station application on November 16th. I met with Matthew Penning from Milestone Towers about the two Milestone Towers application in the Catoctin district. As far as news is from Catoctin, I have a couple things to put on people's radar. The town of Lovettsville is holding its traditional holiday events on December 9th. They'll hold their menorah lighting ceremony at the squircle, [02:38:05] as they call it. On December 10th, they will have a light up Lovettsville Christmas light judging followed by the Light Up Lovitzville Awards on December 14th. And, of course, on January 1st, they will hold their annual berserkel, I guess, on the squircle, so they call it. [02:38:24] This is Catoctin. This is great Catoctin news. The berserkel on the squircle? Yes, that's correct. Okay. Berserkel on the squircle. Make sure you appear on January 1st. Always interesting things happening in Western Loud. The town of Percival is holding a whole collection of events on December 9th. [02:38:41] On that day, they're holding a holiday market and a Lego display, an ornamental workshop, pictures from Santa at the train station, and a holiday light tour. And Madam Chair, that's the news from Catoctin. But I will also mention a couple of the notes that were said. [02:39:00] I'm very excited about this coming year and the work that we're going to do on the villages to ensure that that aspect of Western Loudoun is preserved. So I really appreciate all those who have continued to work on them. And as far as the power lines, my office and myself are very attuned to that. [02:39:16] So we're going to continue to follow that as well as weigh in on that as best we can here as a board. I certainly my office is. And so I appreciate the folks who have brought that to our attention and whatnot. So thank you, Madam Chair. Back to you. [02:39:31] Thank you, sir. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't have any disclosures this evening. Wanted to also comment on the VACO meetings, the VACO annual conference we went to. [02:39:50] I sit on the Finance and Elections Committee down there, and I was able to make a change to the legislative agenda that recommends that the state reenter the ERIC system for elections. I also attended a forum or presentation on key issues and opportunities in election administration with the chair of the Board of Elections, O'Bannon, and the privacy officer from the Board of Elections. [02:40:19] And, you know, I asked some tough questions like, why did we come out of the ERIC system in the first place? And the best answer I could get was that apparently the administration believed that the ERIC system had somehow changed their mission to be advocacy. [02:40:38] And they did have part of their mission as advocacy to have local registrars reach out to folks who are eligible to vote to let them know that they can register to vote. And I guess that's considered advocacy by some folks. [02:40:54] I consider it expanding the access to the ballot box and letting people know they can vote. So it was a good meeting overall and pleased to represent Loudon on the board of directors. I'm so excited, jazz hands, that the overnight parking signs have been installed on Whitfield Place so that our folks that are patronizing the Cascades Library, the Senior Center, and the Sunday Farmers Market will be relieved of fighting with industrial trucks, work vans, and trailers for parking on that road. [02:41:27] Additionally, the Senior Center had asked us to see how we could clear that road of these large vehicles because they were having visibility issues trying to get out of the parking lot of the senior center. These signs have gone up 30 days early, at least 30 days earlier than anticipated. So I really want to thank DTCI for getting that done early. And I see driving the road that the sheriff's department is already enforcing. It's pretty much cleared, but they did put an extra sign up there with lights and everything that said that the restrictions and the rules on that road have changed. So I really appreciate all of that work. As of December 3rd, [02:42:05] there have been 630 mass shootings in the United States, an increase of over 30 since last month's last business meeting. There have been 39,939 total gun deaths with 17,565 being homicide murder unintended. 22,374 were suicide. These deaths have included 272 children under the age of 11 and 1,299 teens ages 12 to 17. We also have surpassed, you may have seen on the news today, we have surpassed our highest annual mass murder number for this year, and we are at 38 [02:42:44] mass murders in our country. A mass shooting is defined as a shooting where there are four or more victims either injured or killed. A mass murder is in line, this is the Gun Violence Archive, the mass murder definition is in line with the FBI, definition of four or more victims actually killed, not including the shooter. I am trying really hard and probably won't be able to go to the December 19th business meeting as I've told some of my colleagues my daughter's getting [02:43:19] bunion surgery which I understand is very very painful and she's getting it that morning so I think that we will be holed up in our house and I'll be playing nurse that day for and maybe the rest of that week so I want to take this opportunity to wish happy holidays to those who celebrate whether it's Kwanzaa Hanukkah Christmas or something else or if you don't celebrate at all I hope you take some time to hunker down with the darker nights and maybe put a fire for you and your family. [02:43:48] I wish peace and togetherness to everyone's families, whether it's family by birth, adoption, or those friends you have chosen as your family. I also wish for peace across the globe, as so many are struggling and even dying for their right to representation, democracy, and agency over their own bodies and lives. [02:44:06] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Briggsman. Ms. Glass. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a few disclosures. On November 13th and December 5th, my staff met with representatives for the Aligned Energy Data Center application. [02:44:25] On November 15th, my staff met with representatives for the Dogwood Farm application. November 20th, I met with representatives from the Aligned Energy Data Center application. On November 28th, my staff met with representatives for the Broadlands 104 application. [02:44:43] And I also went to the VACO conference this past November, and as part of the Education Committee, I believe Chair Randall did a wonderful explanation of what we also discussed there, and that was the JLARC report regarding the funding of the public schools for the Commonwealth. [02:45:12] And what I got of it was that they were asking us as representatives to talk to our representatives in the General Assembly so that we can make those changes for our students. [02:45:30] The JLARC report has short-term and long-term changes that could be made. So I'm hoping that we all go down there and have that discussion. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Thank you very much. [02:45:46] Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. On Wednesday, November 15th, my staff and I met with Michael Romeo from Washalucha to discuss the application for Dogwood Farm. That's all I have. Thank you. I think Mr. Buffington. Thank you, Madam Chair. [02:46:02] No required disclosures. The proposed Western Loudoun power lines are ridiculous and horrendous. I hope that never occurs. Thank you to the speakers and to everybody who's been doing the good work on fighting this good fight so far. [02:46:19] I wish you all the best, and at some point I will join you, although not as a member of the Board of Supervisors. One more thing regarding the Village, since Supervisor Kirchner brought it up, the Villages. One idea that I had at some point during my eight years, and I never was able to bring it forward, and I wish I had, was that I feel like the villages should have similar-looking signage, and you should have signage when you come into a village and signage when you exit a village through the main entrance and exit, [02:46:53] and some sort of similar-looking design, but individualized for each town. And so I hope that's something that somebody will bring forward during the next term and get that done, but I think that would be a really good thing for our villages because they are extremely important and many of them do not have sufficient or proper signage, in my opinion. [02:47:16] So I would love to see that happen on the next board. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to all those that came out and spoke. As I like to say, every time when we have a public comment is you could have chosen to be anywhere, but you chose to be with us to speak about the issues that are near and dear to your art, so we appreciate that. [02:47:35] The mandatory disclosures, November 29th, My staff and I met with the applicants for the Broadlands application from Van Meter. November 27th, met with the applicants for the Loudoun Valley Estates application. And November 10th, Lansdowne Boulevard, and also November 10th, Cascades Marketplace. [02:47:56] And that is all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Over the past weeks, my staff and I have talked to Ron Meyer quite a bit about his application. And I think that's the same person I have on my disclosure list. [02:48:15] I want to say, on January 6th of this year, we're going to have our ceremonial installation. And for the first time, it will be the Board of Supervisors and the school board. When Mr. Buffington, Mr. Myers, and I were running for office in 2015? [02:48:33] In 15, when we got elected, and Ms. Umstead, Mr. Saines, when we got elected, There had never been a time where Democrats and Republicans were sworn in together. They were always separate ceremonies, which I thought was ridiculous. And Mr. Buffington and I had spent probably more time than anybody else, except for Mr. Sains, during the election in 2015. [02:48:55] Because every time I went to the little, to the, now, the River District and the Blue Ridge District, I would see him and we would talk and everything. So when we got elected, I thought, it is so ridiculous that this swearing-in is Democrats and Republicans. And so in 2015, leading into the 2016 board, we had the swearing-in, the ceremony of swearing-in together for the first time and a gala afterwards. [02:49:19] And it was so, so fun. It's when I learned that Tony can dance, but maybe not line dance, so we're going to work on that this year. And then we did it again in 2019. And then for the first time this year, we're going to do it with the school board. [02:49:36] You know, this past two years in Loudoun County has been tough. I think that it's been in many ways unfair. A lot of the heat that's come down on our school board's head. I'm not saying that there wasn't things that needed to be worked on and worked through and there were issues because there were definitely issues. [02:49:53] There were definitely issues. I'm not saying that there wasn't. But so many of those issues were politicized and used not for the good of students, but for political issues. And so I think that one thing we'd like to do this year is try to see some unity come back to the county. [02:50:10] And one way to do that is have all of us in a ceremonial resolution together, the school board and board supervisors. And so Democrats, Republicans, board supervisors, and school board will be all together on January 6th during our ceremonial swearing in. And I want to just put that in the radar because I'm really excited about that. [02:50:28] I also want to say that, you know, Loudoun County is a remarkable and wonderful county. And we talk about our high median income all the time. High median income does not mean that there's not need in Loudoun County because there certainly is. And so I want to remind everybody to remember that this is a time of giving. [02:50:46] And our nonprofits do a lot of work during this time. And so if you find it in your heart to give to some of our nonprofits, it would be, and that could be in any way, that could be sweat equity, that could be taking food, that could be monetarily, that could be simply praying for them. [02:51:05] If you find it in your heart to do that, our nonprofits certainly could need it all the time, but most definitely need it, especially during this season. And there is just no better time to give back. And finally, I want to say that our next meeting on the 19th will be the last meeting of my friend, Supervisor Buffington. [02:51:28] I have a lot to say on that night, but I will start. I told somebody, Mr. Buffington, the very first phone call you ever made to me, and I can't tell that story on the dais because it was a very typical Mr. Buffington conversation. [02:51:45] So I can't say it on the day, although I'm going to tell everybody one by one because it's so amazing. So next week, I think everyone will be making tributes to you and talking about you a lot, and you deserve that. But I want to say right now that, Tony, you have been just what we always decided we would be. [02:52:03] We would be friends forever. You are funny. You are supportive. You are smart. You are an American hero. And when I say about you how I care, how much I feel for you, it's just, I'm not joking. I love you, and I love you as my friend, and I will love you as my friend forever. [02:52:19] And I will miss you on this day so much, Tony. You are, you have been just, you've just been a wonderful supervisor for the Blue Ridge District. We don't always agree. We don't always agree. I remember one time you called me and you said to meet you out at, in personville, the restaurant, because, at the pub, because you thought there's some things you wanted to say to me. [02:52:40] And then we did, and then we talked, and then we said some things, and then we got over it, and then we moved on, which is exactly the way it should be. And you are just so dear to me, as is your beautiful wife. I love all your children, but Elizabeth's my favorite, just so you know that. Elizabeth's my favorite. [02:52:58] And next week, I'm sure all the accolades would be for you, so I want to take some time and do it by myself this week and say how much I love you. All right. So thank you, everyone, and we're going to take a break before we read into closed session. We have four closed sessions, so let's take a 10-minute break before closed session. [03:00:55] Okay, we are back, maybe so. [03:06:05] Mr. Sainz, we read from the closed session, please. Yes, I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting and enter into closed session pursuant to Section 2.2-3711A3 of the Code of Virginia to consider acquisition disposition of parcel properties of a parcel properties for Algonquian Election District, closed session number two. [03:06:26] I move that the Board of Supervisors recessed this public meeting and entered into closed session pursuant to section 2.2-3711A3 of the Code of Virginia to consider acquisition disposition of parcels of property for the Sterling District, closed session number three. [03:06:42] I move that the Board of Supervisors recessed this public meeting and entered into closed session pursuant to section 2.2-3711A3 of the Code of Virginia to consider acquisition disposition of parcel of parcels of property for Dulles Election District. Closed session number four. I move that the Board of Supervisors recess this public meeting enter into closed session pursuant to section 2.2-3711A8A29 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel pertaining to the negotiation of collective bargaining agreement where public funds are being expanded and where negotiations in open session would adversely affect the bargaining position in the county. [03:07:16] And last but not least, closed session number five, I move the board to support recess as public meeting. No, no, no, no, just four. It's just four. What we're not going to do? Yeah, the fifth one we moved to the 13th. Oh, okay. You weren't here for that, actually. Okay, so just four, all right. Motion's been made and seconded by Supervisor Brickspin. Discussion on the motion. [03:07:32] My discussion on the motion is this. Mr. Kirshner is going to vote to go into closed session. He has to run to his car to get something, and we're not going to start closed session until he gets back in the room, so take your time. Anybody else? All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 801. [06:01:22] All right. All right, we are back, and Mr. Sands is going to read us out of closed session. All right, I move that the closed session be adjourned, that the Board of Supervisors reconvene its public meeting, that the minutes of the public meeting should reflect that no former action was taken in closed session, and further move that the resolution certifying the closed session be adopted and reflected in the minutes of the public meeting. [06:01:46] Motion to be in second by Supervisor Bricksman. Discussion on the motion? Okay, would everybody please affirm, Ms. Umstead? Affirm. Affirmed. And I affirm as well. Everybody in favor, please say aye. [06:02:02] Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 801. There is a motion out of closed session. Mr. Sainz. Thank you. I move that the Board of Supervisors authorize the county administrator to exact a purchase agreement approved as to form by the county attorney with PDG 101 Enterprise LLC for a total of 1.35 acres of real property identified as PEN 022-16-5897 at a purchase price of $3,625,000. [06:02:37] The purchase shall be subject to a satisfactory due diligence and feasibility analysis for the county's intended use of the property. And I further move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to execute a budget adjustment in the amount of $3,825,000 from the land acquisition project to a newly created land acquisition and due diligence account for 101 Enterprise Street Project. [06:03:02] And I further move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to begin discussions with Loudoun County Public Schools regarding a potential lease of the property for a student welcome center. Second. I'm going to take that second. Discussion on that motion. No, I'll just quickly say thank you just all the staff that has been involved in these negotiations with the property owner. [06:03:25] And I believe this purchase will do a lot of great service for the residents in the Sterling District and Sterling Park and our Loudoun and our partners in Loudoun County Public Schools. Thank you. Great. Anybody else? [06:03:41] Okay. All in favor, CCI. Any opposed? That motion will pass 801. Seeing no other business supervisors, before you walk away, If you just stop by just for a second so I can see what pictures you want to change out, I appreciate that. [06:03:58] All right, we are adjourned. Chair Randall. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coraggio Consulting · aguyonx.com