Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting and Public Hearing, Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia
Length: 3h 54m (video)
Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/8143
Meeting page (Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/8143

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 2026-10-10. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:05:08] - Good afternoon. Whoa, am I on? There we go. Good evening, actually. Supervisors, good evening, staff, and good evening, Loudon. I'd like to call to order the March 17, 2026 Loudon County Board of Supervisors business meeting. This room has a hearing loop.

[00:05:24] If you need hearing assistance, please switch your hearing aid to the telecom mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to my left to request one. Would everybody please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

[00:05:39] 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, for liberty and justice for all. Okay, just a few things.

[00:05:58] Mr. Letourne will be here. He, as I say all the time, is coming from D.C., and so sometimes the traffic gets heavy. Supervisor Glass has a family medical issue and so she will not be here tonight and would likely not be on the dais at all for the next month.

[00:06:17] We are talking with her all the time but she won't be on the dais. She may be virtual in a couple of weeks but she won't be virtual tonight for the next couple of months. And I also want to say happy birthday. It is the 29th anniversary of the birth of Julie Brixman.

[00:06:35] So happy birthday. You know, I do want to say something about Ms. Brixman. One, I have for years called Julie lightning in a bottle, and that is for a reason.

[00:06:51] She believes fiercely in what she believes in. And she and I recently said, we very often might have the same beliefs. We may go about them in different ways. But Julie is always forthright, always willing to stand up for her beliefs.

[00:07:11] I admire her about, I admire that about her very much. And I will say, if you have driven to her district and looked at the Cascades Shopping Center, Julie Bixman put the Cascade Stopping Center on her back, and she breathed life back into that thing, and she brought it back.

[00:07:28] She's also working really hard on the issue with George Washington and the new discussion. She walks through streams that are dirty and does stream cleanup literally herself, like walks through and picks up things out of the streams herself.

[00:07:45] She is fiercely, fiercely a fierce advocate for her community, and she has done so much just to get the Algonquian community, which she loves, back. When I asked Julie to run in 2019, it was because she had been so involved in her communities, because she had been a Boy Scout troop leader.

[00:08:07] She had done the Algonquian running club. She's done all this, the PTO, PTA. So, she has always been involved in her community, and I've always appreciated that about her. So, we have something in the back for you, Jules, but happy birthday. I do not, well, okay, there may be a deletion to the agenda.

[00:08:31] I am finding out. One of the items on our agenda, the applicant is asking for a referral. It is my practice to do one automatic referral if the applicant asks for it. The applicant is telling me they have not asked for a deferral before, and so this would be the automatic deferral if they asked for it.

[00:08:51] Some of my colleagues' memory is they have asked for a deferral before, so I'm trying to get that information correct. And so if they have asked for a deferral before, I won't, and if they haven't, I will. I'm trying to gather that information right now, so just put that aside for later on.

[00:09:09] The only words of inspiration that I have tonight, because it's my turn to do that, is that it is Women's History Month. You will see the women on the dais wearing white. You will see a lot of women who are here wearing white. And I want to say that, you know, whenever we have a month that acknowledges and celebrates a group of people, there's always a question of, well, why are we doing this?

[00:09:29] Why should we do this? And I think a lot of it is, it should be called maybe women's awareness. I did some studying, and I found out a couple of things. I do want to share. Women make up 51% of the population, yet only earn about 85% of what men make who have comparable jobs, comparable education, and comparable experience. That number drops for black women to 70% and for Hispanic women to 65%. Of the Fortune 500 and S&P, there are only 8 to 10% of CEOs are women. 11.6% of women who live in poverty

[00:10:09] in the U.S. period compared to 9.5% of men. Families that are headed by single women face a 21% poverty level. Families that are headed by single men face an 11% poverty level. And elderly women are much more likely to face poverty than elderly men.

[00:10:29] Women are outpacing men in college degrees, but even with that, we still don't have the same pay. And I always say all the time that I think the, you know, the world has always been kind of ran by men. I think that when people ask me what would be different if it were women, I said to somebody the other day, the reason I think there would have been less wars and would be less wars, because I really do think that women care about other women's children.

[00:10:58] And so we are much less likely to drop a bomb on other women's children. And I listened to people talk, and I said, when men talk about war, you'll hear them say things like, we lost 30 troops. When women talk about it, you hear women say, we lost 30 people.

[00:11:17] And I think those types of things are the differences. So I am advocating for women to just take over the world and just, at this point, just do it all. That is what I'm advocating for right now. We just take it over.

[00:11:34] Teresa, you good with that? We just take it over. That's kind of where I am tonight. So those are my words of wisdom. And one more thing. I think there's nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing more powerful than a sisterhood.

[00:11:52] The sisterhood is no joke, and I love that about us, too. All right, supervisors, I'm going to read the proposed agenda. The proposed consent agenda is as follows. Today is Give Tuesday, and so we have a proclamation for Give Tuesday for approval and presentation.

[00:12:10] Today is Women's History Month, and we have a proclamation for that. I will say that Mr. Sweeney Vossen was asked to join us, Senator Sweeney Vossen was asked to join us to accept the Women's History Month proclamation from the governor, well, I'm sorry, from the lieutenant governor.

[00:12:30] He at the last minute told us he was not able to join us and so we will miss him for that. But all of the women would join me down front for Women's History Month, all of my colleagues, female colleagues. Item 1A, 2025, Loudoun Health Commission Annual Report and By-law Revisions.

[00:12:47] Item 1B, Award Authority Increase Client Server Storage and Peripherals. Item 1C, Contract Renewal Public Safety Two-Way Radio and Related Equipment. Item 1D, Contract Award in FY 2026, CIP Amendment, Architecture and Engineering Services for the Linear Parks and Trails Signature Project and Sterling Neighborhood Park Project.

[00:13:12] Item 1E, Contract Award in FY 2026, CIP Amendment and Architecture and Engineering Services for Fire and Rescue Training Academy and 751 Miller Drive Renovations. Item 1F, Construction and General Government Office Building, Phase 1, yay.

[00:13:34] Item 1G, Contract Award Security Guard Services. Item 1H, Banshee Reeks Nature Preserves Visitor Center Structure Renovation Supplemental Funding Request. Item 1I, Western Loud and Rec Center Complex Design Endorsement.

[00:13:52] I, huh? Item. Oh, sorry. Never mind. I'm so sorry. What's the rule, everybody? If you're going to help me, what? Help you. Be helpful. If you're going to help me, be helpful. Item 1J, fire and rescue prefabricated training tower funding request. Hmm. Just curious about that one.

[00:14:15] Item 1K, update on American Rescue Plan, Act spending, and 2026, reclassification recommendations. Well, I'll talk about that at the end of the discussion. Item 11, human services, nonprofit grant program, I'm sorry, 1L, grant program, FY2028 recommendations.

[00:14:38] Item 2A, Board of Building Code appeals and bylaws amendments. Item 3A, appointment and confirmations. Item 4, administrative items report of March 17, 2026. Item 5, adoption of tax year 2026 resolution for personal property tax relief.

[00:14:59] Item 6, request for termination of real estate open space agreement, Garvin. Item 7, request for termination of open space real estate agreement, Young. Item 8, proposed traffic calming measures in the Moorfield Station West community.

[00:15:14] Item 10, Legit 2023-00, I'm sorry, Legit 2023-0114, Franklin Park, West ZMAP 2023-0016, and Special Exception 2023-0049. Item 12, Legit 2024-0018, and West Belmont ZMAP 2024-0003.

[00:15:39] It's the same motion, correct, Mr. Turner? That's correct. Same motion, okay? all right that's the consent agenda it is a long one i will make a motion to adopt the consent agenda yes we remove number nine from the consent agenda i didn't hear you read it and maybe i missed it i didn't read it oh you didn't i did not read it we have yeah if if we have even one speaker on an on an item i do not put it on the same agenda because i want the speakers to be be allowed to speak and I do believe we have a speaker on that item all right so there you go but that was a good use of a point of order that's why a point of order should

[00:16:19] so that's it you were being helpful motion made second by Ms. Bricksman thank you Ms. Bricksman my only discussions on the Cassin agenda are as follows first of all Mr. Henry I'd like to I'd like to just give me a little bit of information about the prefabricated training tower fund them requests is that that tower that they always set on fire no the the uh that's the burn building what they're constructing is a tower that would be attached to the burn building but also would allow them to do their evolutions or exercises on a stairwell that's outside as well

[00:16:58] and other things that-- So it's a-- because-- It's a new-- It's a new facility. Okay, okay. But it's near the-- right near the Byrne building? It is, it's adjacent to it. All right. And I think I have one more.

[00:17:13] Oh, I would-- I am meeting with-- I'm going to the meeting with the Human Services Nonprofit Grant Program on the 20th. I do not believe that there will be any concerns about the nonprofit grant program and how it is being funded and how we may use fund balance.

[00:17:38] However, after that meeting, if I have any thoughts on it, I will come back, talk to staff and if I needed to bring this back because it is on the consent agenda, so I need to bring it back the next meeting, I will. But I don't assume that that will happen, but I'll let everybody know post the meeting.

[00:17:55] The meeting will be on the 20th, if one other person would like to join me, you're more than welcome to. And then of course, we have the ARPA money, the reclassification recommendations, if you have not read that, colleagues, please go read that because it's really important to some of the questions we have received.

[00:18:15] Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just wanted to highlight two things. The number one, I, the Western Latin Recreation Center complex design endorsement. for the edification of the hundreds of people watching and the audience this is a new part of our implementation of new projects in the county where design endorsement comes through the finance committee before staff gets too far along and awarding contracts and those sorts of things so if you want to get a look at what what is proposed in a new project for the county these design

[00:18:49] endorsements will give you a very good idea of what we're planning and then to follow up on the the ARPA redesignation of some funds of ARPA, American Rescue Plan Act, we received, correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Hemistry, 80 million in ARPA funds, and we were able to spend all of it or allocate all of it and spend it, we believe, by the end of this year, December 31st is when we can last spend those funds.

[00:19:20] That's why staff came to us to reallocate some of them around so that we could basically spend almost down to the last dollar we've been able to spend all of the 80 million except about $24,000 which in the grand scheme of things I think is pretty good and I was really happy with the item because we're transferring another 200,000 to the child care fee reduction program which will continue after December 31st, 2026 as long as we pass the budget as planned

[00:19:51] But in the first week of April, as long as we pass the budget as planned, we will continue to fund the 121 families that are being served right now with the fee reduction program. I'm really proud of that and hoping that we can find a way to expand that program in the future.

[00:20:06] Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Brixman. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Supervisor Brixman stole a little bit of my thunder on the Western London Recreation Complex Design Endorsement, but that's fine. Maybe I can add a little lightning to the thunder that was there. That was good.

[00:20:23] I'm on fire. Oh, no. As Supervisor Brissman mentioned, this is a really important step in the process. This Western Mountain Rec Center has been coming along.

[00:20:40] I know we've been, I think, probably two to three years I've been actively involved in the process. And really, so many families are traveling long distances to gain the services that this complex will actually help provide to them. They won't have to travel 7 and from the west and Round Hill and all the way from Lovitz Hill and those sorts of places.

[00:21:00] This will actually service much of them. So super important project. Thanks to the Finance Chair and the Finance Committee for moving this along, for my colleagues for supporting it. We're really looking forward to it and just another step in the process. Thank you. Mr. Turner.

[00:21:24] Thank you, Madam Chair. just a note on item number 12 that we approved on consent that draft read that motion that we made defers the application to April 21st that's the current plan we've encountered some unforeseen complications around one of the roads and the new complex is to it the county owned maintained by VDOT and HOA maintained we're working through those as fast as we can the all the interested parties um if the those discussions have not fully resolved by april 21st we will defer to a may meeting i've already checked we can do that without triggering that as long as

[00:22:02] we have a date specific without tripping triggering another public process and notification process so that's the current plan to shoot for april 21st we may end up slipping it again until may thank you thank you oh my okay all right i made the motion supervisor rixman second the motion All in favor say aye.

[00:22:26] Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 702 with Ms. Glass and Mr. Letourneau being off the dais. All right, my comments for today, my organizational comments are things that I've done.

[00:22:43] I did attend the Commission on Local Public Health. That was the commission that was put together or brought together by Governor John Kasich. He's the former governor of Ohio along with Governor Steve Beshear who's the former governor of Kentucky.

[00:23:05] This commission was pulled together sometime after about a year ago to try to address the fact that there is a lot less trust in public health right now.

[00:23:23] The commission is made up of mostly doctors. The former Surgeon General for President Obama is on the commission, former head of the American Medical Association is on the agenda. They did want two local elected officials on the commission.

[00:23:41] One of them is the mayor of Cincinnati, and they asked the National Association of Counties who another should be, because they wanted one mayor and they wanted one county official, one city, one county. NACO gave them my name because of the discussion of whether or not local public health offerings should include offerings of mental health or substance abuse which is of course was my career before I became chair of the county. And so we are meeting on these, we are meeting. We have been meeting now for almost a year. Some of the things we talked about

[00:24:17] was was how much public health has already done in this country we talked about the fact that public health was was the entity from the federal and state levels they were over water clean water and sewer clean air the campaign for people to really understand the harm of cigarettes was a public health campaign the campaign to have people wear seat belts was a public health campaign and And so as we post-COVID tried to bring some trust back to public health, you know, we talked about the importance of using facts and data.

[00:24:52] One of the things that we talked about at some length was to make sure that the correct information, factual-based information about vaccinations is available to the public, whether people, what they choose to do with it, but to have factual information available is important.

[00:25:14] There was a suggestion to talk about the ongoing issues with nicotine. I actually, that came from Governor Beshear, who was just a lovely, wonderful man. I then made a suggestion that we don't talk about just nicotine or just cigarettes, We're talking about substances in their entirety, including alcohol, including vaping, including any substances right now that could be harmful, especially to youth, that was accepted.

[00:25:53] And so part of the discussion we are going to be having is about substances as well. So we identify like five things to focus on as we try just in general with a nationwide campaign to start to move people hopefully back to, we like to establish, reestablish trust in public health, but also reestablish trust in facts and move people back to kind of being, having a fact-based discussion about health.

[00:26:28] and one that's not really about your political opinion. I mean, because, you know, something like going swimming in Rock Creek Park is not a good idea. Just factually it's not. And so that's what we're doing right now. So it was a really interesting meeting. The next meeting will be held in Washington, D.C.

[00:26:47] And then we will have a formal rollout, a kind of formal national rollout of this effort in July. It will be in two places. One will be at the National Association of Counties in New Orleans, and the other rollout would be, I forgot the city, but it's the National Association of City, Counties, and Towns Health Officials.

[00:27:11] So they'll do a rollout in two different places for two different groups of people. With the one at NACO in New Orleans, they're also going to invite people from the National League of Cities. And Mr. Hempstreet, what's the name of the organization for county administrators?

[00:27:30] The National Association of... The National Association of County Administrators. Okay, National Association of County... We'll all be invited to that rollout, and obviously any and all health officials. And so it's really interesting, and I will keep everybody updated on that. We also had a discussion, my other big discussion was at COG, and it was about data centers.

[00:27:49] It was really kind of interesting, because Supervisor Lecroni and I were there, And they started out the discussion in COGS saying, this is a new topic for all of us to count and talk about data centers. And Mr. Cronia and I were like, not new to us, it's not.

[00:28:05] Because the first time we saw this, or the first time it was in a county document, it was 2003. And so it was an interesting conversation. I am continually surprised at the misinformation that's put out about data centers and the people who have, you know, decided that data centers are all good or all bad.

[00:28:26] And so, you know, what Mr. Crony and I think tried to do was have a more nuanced discussion about data centers and really an important discussion about data centers' locations and how, you know, Loudoun County, from 2003, people did not know that they actually were not office buildings and so when they made them by right office buildings, that was a mistake that they didn't know to do or not do and that what we said, Ms. Craniff, tell me if I get this wrong, what we said is that Loudon, we kind of offer ourselves up for

[00:29:02] anyone to talk to us about our successes and our mistakes that have happened in the county In the past 20 years, so before anybody on this board was on the data, but the sighting of data centers being the biggest mistake that probably happened 20 years ago was that they were cited everywhere.

[00:29:24] Somebody at COG did mention the white paper put out by Vice Chair Turner. I was like, yes, I know about the white paper put out by Vice Chair Turner. Somebody asked that I know that the white paper put out by Vice Chair Turner was mentioned in the presidential campaign in Ireland, I told him I did, I told him Mr. Turner's head is plenty big, let's not make his head any bigger, we're talking about his white paper on international levels anymore.

[00:29:53] But so we had all those discussions and I thought that they were great discussions and as a result I do believe that there will be more counties not only from our area but from around the country who are going to be asking Loudoun County about our data center experience overall and so that was where that was so those were all real good good things that happened and so we've been we've been really busy for the past uh two weeks the good news is today that i have my voice for cause is one of my favorite foundations it is the community foundation

[00:30:29] the community foundation is a non-profit organization with the goal of growing community giving through grant making leadership and partnership the community foundation was created by local volunteers who understood the power of pooled investments to build an everlasting community savings account.

[00:30:47] They joined with some 30 community foundations in Virginia and 850 across America to advance meaningful philanthropy in their geographical footprint serving Loudoun and Northern Fauquier counties. The community foundation, I often call the community foundation a clearinghouse, a non-profit clearinghouse because they're the ones that give money. And when I set up my nonprofit in Loudoun, which is the Commission of Women and Girls, we set it up through the Community Foundation and now the Commission of Women and Girls stands on its own and we're so proud of the work they are doing. My friend, the President of the Community Foundation,

[00:31:27] President and CEO Nicole Lacoste is with us today and you're going to introduce us with you and then we have a couple of questions. Thank you so much for having me. I'm joined by my colleague, Joanne Trimmer. She's our director of grants and nonprofit programs and our lead on Give Choose. So she's been very busy preparing everything you're about to hear about. Yeah, that's exciting. That's so exciting. Okay, so first question, what is Give Choose and why is it important for all of us to support local nonprofits, especially at this time? Yeah, so Give Choose is a 24-hour day of giving here in

[00:32:03] Loudoun County hosted by the Community Foundation. Local nonprofits serving Loudoun are encouraged to sign up on our website at givechoose.org and we encourage the community to give collectively on that one day in time every year. This year the event is on March 24th, so next Tuesday, and it runs from midnight to midnight. This year we have 176 nonprofits registered. Each year we have about 2,200 donors in our community that participate. Last year we raised $928,000. Our goal this year

[00:32:37] is to finally hopefully meet that million dollar milestone and we would love to see 4,000 donors participate. That's not even one percent of our total Loudon population. We'd love at least one percent of Loudoners to join in. I would say if you've ever if you've ever been with the community Foundation because you have a nonprofit on Give Tuesday. It is so fun because there is like matching donations and there's competitions and it's like it's really, it's not like everyone's just sitting there making phone calls. It's really a fun day to be part of Give Choose and I don't know, usually

[00:33:13] we're on the dais on Give Tuesday and so if we're not this time, I hope we can actually make some of the Give Choose events because it is a blast. I'm going to say which nonprofits would you say meets the most needs the most support at this time even though for me it's always the women commission women and girls but who do you all think need the most support this time well that's a tricky one for me to answer but I have an answer okay so overall I would say that our human service nonprofits have consistently told us especially in the last two years that needs continue to rise

[00:33:48] across the board I think you've heard that too but I would also say that our nonprofits that are extremely important to our community in the arts history and environment actually have far fewer opportunities for funding so all around give choose is an excellent opportunity to find a cause you're passionate about all of them are worthy and important to our community and you can find something for anyone on that site wonderful and what's the easiest way to donate to give choose The easiest way is visit givechoose.org.

[00:34:22] It's a website. Each nonprofit has a profile. You can actually see a goal that they've set, that they have a specific need they're fundraising for. Many of them have challenges. A donor might have challenged them to raise a certain amount of money, and you can help them reach that goal. We have a prize pool of $50,000 from local businesses that we have fundraised for that we'll award throughout the day for fun games that we're offering throughout the day.

[00:34:47] And it really is just an opportunity for everyone to join in something bigger than themselves. I have a feeling, Nicole, that you don't sleep for 24 hours during Give Choose. Neither one of you? There's no sleeping? We sleep between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., and then we are up the rest of the night until the night.

[00:35:07] Because every hour there's a prize being awarded, and we have to enter that in. Every hour. Well, I don't believe you sleep to 6 a.m. I don't believe that. Because when I get on at 6 a.m., you've already posted something. So I think you all do such good work.

[00:35:23] And the fact that you are doing this not for a nonprofit, for all the nonprofits. And so you see all the need county-wide. It's pretty amazing. And I say all the time, there's just two times in the boardroom during a meeting that I allow applause. And this is one of them. So thank you for what you guys are doing.

[00:35:41] Mr. Hemstreet, do you have any comments this evening? Thank you, Madam Chair. I've got four comments for this afternoon or this evening. The first is that the Loudoun County Public Library is asking residents if you could borrow any item from the library just as you would a book or DVD, what would it be?

[00:35:59] LCPL is expanding its Library of Things collection and is asking the community to help shape what is included by sharing their interests, whether it be tools or garden supplies or something else. You can take a brief survey as well as attend a community input session. Details are online at library.loudoun.gov.

[00:36:17] Second, the Commission of the Revenue is accepting applications from local charitable nonprofit organizations that are seeking an exemption from real estate and or personal property taxes. Most charitable nonprofit organizations are not automatically exempt from local property taxes in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

[00:36:33] The filing of an application with the Commission of the Revenue is the necessary first step in obtaining an exemption. The deadline to apply is April 1st. More information is online at laden.gov slash tax relief. Third, just in time for spring cleaning, one of Loudoun County's most popular services makes its seasonal return this month.

[00:36:50] The first household hazardous waste collection event of 2026 will be held Saturday, March 28th, at the Leesburg Park and Ride. The service is free for Loudoun County residents who are encouraged to bring their household hazardous waste items for safe disposal. The complete schedule, as well as information about acceptable materials, can be found at loudoun.gov slash HHW.

[00:37:12] and then finally the 2026 arbor day photo contest is underway this year's theme is trees that give photos of trees that provide for their environment are encouraged whether it's a tree that offers shade on a hot afternoon or fruit for animals to eat photos will be accepted through april 8th the winners will be honored at the county's arbor day celebration april 25th at the middleburg agricultural research and extension center details are online at loudon.gov slash trees those are my comments this evening, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Hemstreet. Subvisors, there are no information items tonight, but Mr. Hemstreet, why are there no information items tonight? Why, because we just

[00:37:47] finished the leg session. Why are there no information items tonight? That's not the reason. Well, no, I mean, we don't. We really don't. I mean, we haven't had a readout. Is it because we're just waiting to see what the governor signs? Yeah, traditionally we would wait until Well, we can have that discussion about the General Assembly, which is probably good to give us a little time to have that discussion about the General Assembly.

[00:38:19] So we have no information items tonight. So I do have a rule that you can defer one time. And the applicant on this item has not deferred for a board meeting.

[00:38:36] They've deferred for public hearings, twice in fact, but not for a board meeting. I know some of you will not be happy with this decision, but I do feel I am being consistent when I say it's a board meeting. And so I'm sorry if you're upset with me, but they have not deferred for a board meeting before.

[00:39:04] And so I'm going to allow them one deferral from a board meeting, and I will defer it until for, what's the second meeting in April? Yeah, I would defer this to April 21st.

[00:39:21] They have deferred from public hearings, but they haven't deferred for a board meeting. So I do not believe I'm going outside of my normal decision making, because this is what I always say when it comes to a board meeting. This would be my message to the applicant.

[00:39:38] No matter what, on April 21st, I don't care if there's five people on the dais, we're going to hear this item. But I don't think I'm being unreasonable. If I say one deferral for a board meeting, even if there's been two for public hearings, it's still a board meeting.

[00:39:56] And so I'm going to allow the deferral tonight. Madam Chair, for a clarification, what do we defer? We're deferring the – what do you mean, what do we defer? I said to the – You didn't say that. didn't say the item sorry it's the um the concord item uh uh to uh to april 21st hold on i'll get you the exact item 11 concord industrial park the concord industrial park item yeah your face you can ask a point of clarification mr sanes can we possibly update our rules to put this

[00:40:36] rule in there because i don't think we have this sure we can but it won't be tonight that's fine Sure we can. Absolutely. Yeah. It's a good idea. It's also a call of the parliamentarian, of which I am. So it's a good idea and we can do that, but it's still a call of the parliamentarian, guys.

[00:40:54] And I don't not feel like I'm being inconsistent. I don't feel like I am inconsistent. I don't feel like I'm being inconsistent. So I know at any one time anyone can have a different, but with respect, the reason there is a parliamentarian, because sometimes there's got to be a decision made.

[00:41:12] And with respect to all my colleagues, that's the decision I've made tonight. Okay, supervisors, we are going to go with appointments and nominations. if you have any appointments or nominations please put your light on now thank you i actually did have one justin where'd justin go or jason i actually did have one i don't have it in front of me though uh miss brixman thank you madam chair i nominate casey clark as the outdoor recreation

[00:41:46] representative on the rural economic development council mr crony thank you chair randall i nominate kelly johnson to the agricultural district advisory committee as an at-large representative and I did have one and I don't have it with me but I will make it later on before the meeting is over so thank you I took the board member initiative the unison off the off the agenda because I want to better understand them the motion I'm not I don't I don't believe I probably a vote against the motion but I want to better understand the motion it is a BMI it is

[00:42:23] item number 13, so I'll give everybody a moment to go to item number 13, and then I'll go to Mr. Crony. Hold on, I'll get to the BMI myself. All right, Mr. Crony, would you like to -- yeah, make the motion and then we can have a discussion within the motion. I just have a couple of questions. We can have discussion within the -- like I said, I don't think I'm going to vote against it, but I do have a couple of questions that I might want to ask

[00:43:02] staff even though it's a BMI okay okay okay so I move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to review the applicable land use plans and ordinances to develop historic district guidelines for the planned rural historic village of unison unison and upon completion of the review return to a future Board of Supervisors business meeting with a plan summary of estimated costs and recommended funding source to develop historic district guidelines for the planned Village of Unison.

[00:43:35] You want to second that, Mr. Kirshen, you want to second that? Mr. Kirshen seconded it. Okay. You want to open it? Because he's at the Western Leavening County also. Yes, he does. That's why. Would you like to open it? Yeah, this came from Jennifer Dawn. She's the president of the Unison Preservation Society and members of the Village of Unison community representing 41 parcels and approximately 1,200 acres.

[00:44:03] They would like a zoning map amendment to establish a unison historic overlay district. And so staff would take a look at this and return to a future meeting with a plan, estimated costs and a funding source, and the reason for this is to protect Unison's historic rural character dating back to its founding in the 18th century, and it ensures new development

[00:44:36] is compatible in scale, design, and materials with the existing historic resources. Of course, it allows for community engagement in shaping the village's future, and it reinforces Loudoun County policies supporting rural preservation and historic conservation.

[00:44:57] Thank you, and gosh knows that overall I am complete supportive of taking care of our rural historic villages and things like that. I guess my question to staff would be, so the way this motion reads is, upon completion of the review, return to a future board business meeting with a plan, summary of estimated costs, and recommended funding source to develop historic guidelines for the planned village of unison.

[00:45:26] So basically, the way I read this is, you're going to have a review, you're going to come back with the review, and then we're going to do it. My question is, is it more appropriate to say you're going to review it, come back with the review so we can discuss that, and then decide what happens next?

[00:45:47] And for this motion, for this item, it's fine, but in future items, I don't know if I always want to see, review it, fund it, or know where the funding will come from, and then do it, versus just review it, and then we get the review.

[00:46:06] And so I'm more trying to understand the process you all would like to see in general. I want unison to be done. I'm just a bit concerned that we're doing everything, reviewing it.

[00:46:22] We get a plan. We get a summary of estimated costs. We get a recommendation for a source to develop historic guidelines. We're doing all of it. Is that how you want us to do this? It's atypical in most communities for there to be a publicly submitted historic overlay district application.

[00:46:43] Quite commonly they are done like the kind of projects that we would put on the DPZ work plan where the board, a town council, whoever, would direct kind of all that work in conjunction. Since we received the application from the community, it would create a historic overlay district, but there would be nothing in place to actually regulate that overlay district.

[00:47:03] if we did not do this next step of creating the guidelines. In the future, when it's not an overlay district or historic, how would you like us to -- would you like, you know, if it's a -- if you're looking at an intersection, you want to review the intersection, come back and talk to us, and then we find the funding source, and how would you like this?

[00:47:22] Again, I don't -- well, I guess what I'm trying to do a little bit is not to make a -- I don't want to have this be a precedent for other things besides a historic district overlay. that's what i'm trying to do differently so i don't i don't think the review portion of that is going to be lengthy complicated um the biggest issue from my perspective was that not knowing what the board would do we can assume as you mentioned that you might support the unison and historic overlay district but we would not want to put money towards something that would implement that without knowing the board general direction so at a basic level this would tell us us to come back with a project plan like we would for you're 10 seconds i got this part i got this

[00:48:02] i got i got this i'm saying for other things because what i don't want is this to be the precedent that we've set for everything else that is you see the difference something that you are we doing this different than we would do something else we are but because of the nature of the application itself i don't think it would this would be precedent setting for the other kinds of projects that at least dpz is normally doing okay that's what i wanted to that was what i was trying to get it right there thank you all right mr crony i'm i'm oh miss miss brixman oh and mr

[00:48:33] turner i just had a question for staff um on this item what does this do that the c pam and and z map are not doing like would would we not be doing this with the existing c pam and z map do you mean the western london project no it says there's a community initiated z map County staff is advancing a Z-MAP to establish a unison historic overlay district, coordinating the development of the historic district guidelines.

[00:49:06] And then there's also a mention in the item from February 12, 2025, the board directed staff to proceed with a comprehensive plan amendment to add three new rural historic villages, Stewardson, Unison, and Willisville, to the general plan. I would say all of that's context.

[00:49:22] It's not directly related to what this motion would be directing us to do. So because we received a community-initiated application for a historic overlay district, if it were to come into being, there would need to be the regulations in place to actually do something with that overlay district afterwards.

[00:49:38] Okay. So this is, I guess my question is, this is doing something different than what would be done with the ZMAP and CPAM? Yes. Okay, thank you. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Something you said triggered a question in my mind.

[00:49:53] So when this is finished, will it slide into the DPZ work plan? if so will it slide in as a TBD or will it replace something else? So we would bring back a project plan that lays out timing and funding and everything that's mentioned in the motion. Because of the timing associated with the Z map we would probably push it up to try to do something sooner than later. I don't can't give you an exact estimate on that right now but ideally this would be any guidelines would be adopted in conjunction with the board decision on the Z map itself okay i just want to go on record if this if this delays any existing projects in the dpz queue

[00:50:33] i'm against it we're backed up enough this is a great project i fully support it but i am not going to let this slide in above something else that's already in the dpz work plan thanks all right mr crane would you like to have a closing yeah just to say that um it's pretty impactful that the community is requesting this um as a historic overlay district to protect their village, their historic village, so I look forward to seeing the plan that staff's

[00:51:07] going to come back with. This would be the historic planners, right, that would do this in your department? They would definitely be involved, yes. Yeah, so you have different staff with different expertise that would work on this. Okay, so I'd appreciate the board's support to bring this back as in with a plan and estimated costs and timeline thank you all right mr crony made the motion mr kirsten second the motion all people say aye aye any opposed that motion

[00:51:43] will pass 702 with mr letourneau and miss glass being off the day supervisors we're going to go to um board comments and um board comments and um disclosures so i will do that now so i've already made him angry so i'll just keep on going and comments and sayings first tonight for comments and disclosures thank you madam chair i'm i'm already over it i'm already over it oh yeah i hit your glasses sorry

[00:52:22] all right on friday march 6th my staff and i spoke with chris hall and sam ashby of kimberly horn and george shield of pavilion about a future application for a collision center in the sterling district um pardon me no no no not that part just as your board comments in general thank you um and nope that is all i have make sure yes that's all i have for now thank you okay

[00:53:04] Thank you, Madam Chair. One disclosure, I spoke by phone with Molly Novotny of Carada on the Concord Industrial Park issue earlier today, and I have no board comments.

[00:53:25] Thank you. Sue Brother Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. On March 9th, my staff attended a pre-application for a Bonnie Court residential application. And today, I had a phone call with Curata about the Concord application.

[00:53:40] I was reminded today on St. Patrick's Day that ancestors on my mother's side emigrated to the U.S., likely because they were Jesuits seeking religious freedom. My great-grandmother, Ellen Nellie Gannon Morgan, came in 1870 with her Irish parents, Ellen Kilkenny Gannon and Bernard Gannon of County Lightroom.

[00:53:59] My middle name is Ellen, by the way. Additional maternal ancestors came from England in 1635 and in 1636, the Newells and the Applegates. The Newells, Abraham and Francis, came on a ship called the Francis, and she birthed her sixth child, Jacob, on the journey to America.

[00:54:18] The Applegates came to Weymouth, Mass., with three boys and one girl. Elizabeth Applegate, legend has it, was the first woman in America persecuted for illegal speech and was sentenced to wear a wooden cleft on her tongue, so I come by my fire-in-a-bottle reputation, honestly.

[00:54:36] My kids, Jordan and Jacob, received Ancestry kits, Ancestry.com kits for a holiday gift this year, and we were able to confirm what we long thought was true and that their ancestors on their father's side and the immediate family are 100% Ashkenazi and Eastern European Jewish, who also were seeking freedom from persecution and generally better life when they came to this country.

[00:55:02] I say all this to highlight that none of us have more of a right to be in this country than anybody else. Each of these groups, to a certain degree, had to fight their way through persecution, discrimination for their human, economic, and religious rights. And those who were brought here against their will have had to fight even harder, and some might argue they are still fighting today.

[00:55:24] For any one of us to claim some God-given right to take ownership over this nation, the culture, or dictate who can and cannot have the opportunity on this land, which itself was stolen, and to tell any other group that they should not have the same opportunities as our ancestors had is wholly un-American, and it's just not paying it forward, which is what we should do.

[00:55:46] Hardworking immigrant families are good for our nation, good for our economy, and they should be appreciated and even revered for their tenacity and fortitude in coming to this country. The same tenacity that many of us like to claim that our ancestors had when they came here on a boat and with a dollar in their pocket.

[00:56:03] We should be paying it forward, not demonizing those who tried to do the same as my ancestors and many other ancestors who came to this country. From the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 2,509 total gun deaths and 67 mass shootings this year.

[00:56:20] The deaths include 36 children under the age of 12, 155 children ages 12 to 17. And I start Sorenson this weekend. I almost made it. Welcome to the Sorenson family. Sorenson's wonderful. Welcome to the Sorenson family.

[00:56:36] I'm actually on the Sorenson board, so it's pretty cool. Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Randolph. So for my disclosures on March 9th, I met with Roger and Zita Rudy regarding the Cherez Farm application.

[00:56:51] My staff spoke with Mike Romeo about the Fleetwood Road Child Care Center application on March 6th and March 10th. My staff met with Molly Novotny, Lauren Hribeck, Samantha Mazzo, and Danielle Scheline about the Concord Industrial Park application on March 10th.

[00:57:12] So I know tonight there are a lot of speakers that are here for the Golden to Mars transmission lines, and I want to just put a shout out to the legislation that passed by Senator Sri Avasin and Delegate Singh that marks an important step forward for undergrounding electric transmission lines.

[00:57:35] These bills help address the impacts of expanding energy infrastructure driven by data centers by making it more feasible to underground lines in sensitive areas near residential and near our schools in particular. Importantly, they open the door for the cost of undergrounding to be borne in part by the data center industry, driving the demand for the infrastructure rather than placing the burden solely on residents.

[00:58:03] This is especially relevant to the Golden and Tomorrows transmission line where there is a growing potential to place segments underground near homes and schools, reducing visual impacts and improving the quality of life while still supporting energy needs.

[00:58:19] I want to put, secondly, the scrape for the grape on your calendars. that is coming up this weekend. So Scrape for the Grape is an annual volunteer-driven event designed to combat the invasive spotted lanternfly in Loudoun County and protect vineyards, fruit trees, and other crops from its destructive impact.

[00:58:41] This year, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is joining the campaign as an official partner. The campaign will showcase multiple venues. Residents of all ages are invited to participate in the family-friendly events.

[00:59:01] And they start this Saturday, March 21st from 10:00 to 1:00, April 4th and April 12th at 16 wineries and vineyards, Ida Lee Park and two HOAs. I am actually participating on Saturday, March 21st with Matt Rogers.

[00:59:22] We are going to Fabioli's and we are gonna scrape for the grape, we're gonna have a blast. And I'm actually a team lead, so wish me luck. I'm gonna be leading everybody on that. So I hope that everybody will volunteer and come out. It's a great community event and we are doing good work to protect our vineyards and our agriculture in Western Loudoun, and also just to protect all of the county from the destructive, spotted lanternfly.

[00:59:54] Thank you. I didn't know my time was up. Your time? It is up. But I do need a point of clarification, Mr. Crony. I do need a point of clarification and a point of public information.

[01:00:13] And we'll talk about this a little bit later, although all of us are very, very, very gratified by what Mr. Senator Sweeney-Boson and Delegate Singh has passed. I do not want anybody, and we're going to talk about this a little bit more, to believe that this board has any control over whether or not power lines will be buried, because I wish we did, but we don't.

[01:00:38] And so I know that I heard your comments, but I don't want that to be out there. We will do all that we can, but in the end, it doesn't fall into our control, and so I just want to make that clear, and Mr. Sainz will have some more to say about that a little bit later, okay? Okay. Hey, Mr. Kirshner, how's it going?

[01:00:57] Am I up? You were up. I don't really have a lot to report. I will just say thank you to everybody for the hard work and the budget. It's nice to be done that process as a whole. I'm very pleased with where we ended up. I'll support the full budget this year because of that.

[01:01:13] I think I've had to -- I've personally voted against a few of them, supported last year and this year because I think we're -- we've moved in the right direction. We funded our needs and then obviously returned some to the taxpayers. So thank you to this board and our -- the hard work of our staff and the number of late nights that we were here doing that.

[01:01:31] That's always probably, for me, the most difficult time being on this board is the night after night I'm doing the budget process. And then, happy St. Patrick's Day. I wore green.

[01:01:46] I don't know about anybody else. A few of us did. Yeah. Julie did. All of us were. Just green on the whole day. Yeah. Okay. Just making sure. I didn't have to pinch anybody up here. I was pinching my boys this morning as I was leaving, and they were, "What are you doing, dad?" I said, "It's St. Patrick's Day.

[01:02:02] You need to go get green on." Thank you, Madam Chair. That's all I have to record. No mandatory disclosures. Mr. Sands needs a pinching. We'll reserve that for a little later. Did you hear him? I have blue on. It's the St. Patrick's color. It is not. It is. Blue is part of the tradition.

[01:02:25] Mr. Turner, Vice Chair Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. On March 5th, 2026, I met with Todd Pearson from B.F. Saul about Ashbrook Tech Center application. March 17th, 2026, I spoke with Conan Gillis from Carada about the West Belmont application.

[01:02:42] On March 9th, 10th, and 12th, my staff spoke with Ben Wales from Carada about the West Belmont application. My family has Scottish ties to Castle Toured in Scotland. And the fact that the name Turner just meant lathe worker in Middle Eastern time, or Middle, the Middle Ages, indicates that probably I have ties to every country on planet Earth because everybody had a lathe worker.

[01:03:11] I have no direct Irish ties. I did spend a lovely evening in a bar in Dublin one time, and I was on the cover of the Irish Times a few months ago because I made a comment about a data center outside of Dublin, and it became very controversial.

[01:03:28] Those are the extent of my ties to Ireland, but I'm happy to drink a green beer sometime later on tonight. I wasn't sure whether I would say this or not, but I will go ahead and say it. I was at U.S. Central Command for three years.

[01:03:45] I was on the first airplane that landed in Desert Shield. I didn't leave until the end of Desert Storm. I briefed every day of Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the command general staff. I came back from Desert Storm and went to F-111s and flew the no-fly zone over northern Iraq and particularly over Erbil.

[01:04:03] And then my last assignment was four years in the Middle East Africa branch and the joint staff. And the one thing that everybody I worked with for all of those eight years knew was do not frivolously and cavalierly get engaged with U.S. ground troops in the Middle East.

[01:04:22] Don't do it. And we are now deploying 2,500 Marines to the Middle East. I cannot think of a more criminally negligent act than to do what we are doing right now in the Middle East. It is a disaster, and you have only seen the very, very opening salvos of this protracted war that we are getting ourselves into.

[01:04:43] It is really, really dangerous. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Mr. Sainz just showed me that blue is actually a color, so there we go. He was right. There we go. I have no Irish ancestry, as far as I know. Let me just say that. Madam Chair, point of order. Did I read all my disclosures?

[01:04:59] I apologize. Yeah, you read your disclosures. My disclosure is I met with Todd Pearson from BF Saul, I met with Don, talked to Don Sleeman about the Concord application, I talked to Molly Novotny from Carotid about the Concord application. Subvisors, I actually want to let you all know that I owe this board an apology. Last week, the chief electeds talked to one another all the time and last week some of the discussion we were having was whether or not to sign a letter about opting in or opting out of the discussion

[01:05:37] on casinos. So I was -- one of my chief elected colleagues sent me a text and what I actually said was, gosh, I support what you all are saying and I thought I was a little clearer to say I need to take this to my board.

[01:05:58] I guess I was not clear enough in saying that, and so my name was added to the letter about the casinos that Mr. McKay signed, that Aliyah Gaskin signed, that all the chief electors in Northern Virginia signed, and basically it was a letter that said we do not want to lose local control over whether or not we're going to have casinos.

[01:06:21] And so although I stand by that position, I don't sign letters that don't come to the the board first because I, when I sign a letter, I'm signing a letter on behalf of the body. And so it is, I'm going to make sure all of you get the letter so you can see it, so you can see what I'm talking about, but whether or not I agree with what the letter said, I was not clear enough that I wasn't going to sign that until it came to you all.

[01:06:49] And not only is my signature on it, and they took my digital signature. Not only is my digital signature on it, it's the first signature on the letter. So I owe you an apology for that, and I will make sure you all see a copy of the letter.

[01:07:07] I am, I will say, very frustrated with the General Assembly session overall. Now, I will say that we have, you know, some of our legislators did an amazing job in just talking to us through the session, Especially John McAuliffe, Atusa Reaser, and Connie Swinivacin talked to us all the time through the session.

[01:07:27] But we did, the Faith in Housing Bill was passed. I have a lot of questions about the Faith in Housing Bill. What it says is, you know, if you have a nonprofit or a church on a certain acres, that a developer can build housing without ever coming to the board for approval for that housing.

[01:07:48] So it is a bill that effectively takes away our land use and zoning control. I've been worried about this for a long time, and it's happened. So we'll see if it gets signed or not. We'll talk more about all these things next week in two weeks when Mr. Freeman does the update.

[01:08:07] So that is all right now. We do not have either public comments, nor do we have proclamations until 5:30. And so we can't do anything right now.

[01:08:23] We're running ahead of schedule. So what we're going to do right now is take a break. When we come back, we will do proclamations. We have two proclamations. One is for Give Choose and one is for Women's History Month. And then after that, we will do all of the public comments.

[01:08:42] And then if we have any items left, and I think we will have one item left after public comments, which is item nine, which is what Mr. Kirsten was talking about, we'll do that one item, and then we'll be finished. Did you have something that you want to? Madam Chair, you reminded me of another disclosure I should have made if I might have a point of personal privilege.

[01:08:59] I also had a call yesterday with Mr. Slayman regarding the Concord application. Wonderful. Okay, no problem. Anybody else? Everybody good? So let's take a break, come back, do proclamations, and then we'll do the two. We'll do gift shoes first, and then we'll do Women's History Month, and then we will do all the comments, and then we'll do one item, and then we'll be finished tonight.

[01:09:25] All right, so let's take a break.

[01:09:27] I told you the casino.

[01:41:32] Okay, we are back, everyone. So we're going to do our two resolutions first, and then we are going to, Mr. Sains has a statement, and then we're going to go right into public comments.

[01:41:49] And so let's do Women's History Month first with all the staff and all of my colleagues that are wearing beautiful white outfits. Please join me down front.

[01:42:19] Okay, let's do this one more time. Chirando just said, well, all the staff, please come down front.

[01:42:39] Chirando said, well, all the staff, please come down front. Yes, thank you. How hard was that? There we go.

[01:42:58] Yeah, on both sides, please. Gee, you look so happy. Wonderful. Thank you. All right. I'm going to read the proclamation and then make a couple comments.

[01:43:17] and anybody else who can't. I will say that Pastor Michelle Thomas, who is Bishop Michelle Thomas, who's the first female bishop in Loudoun County, was supposed to make it this evening, and her car broke down in Tyson's. And so she just called us and told us she could not make it.

[01:43:33] So that is unfortunate. All right. Proclamation. Since Loudoun County's founding in 1757, women of every race, class, and creed have made historic contributions to our community in various aspects, including their service in the armed forces, health care, science, technology, business, education, arts, agriculture, and politics.

[01:43:58] And whereas Abigail Spamberger, a former member of the United States House of Representatives, United States Postal Service Inspector, and Central Intelligence Agency Officer, became the first woman to be an elected governor in the 419 year history of the commonwealth of virginia look at all the hands yay and whereas gonzala f hashmi an educator and former state senator became the first muslim woman and south asian american elected to a statewide office in

[01:44:32] virginia and the nation as lieutenant governor of virginia and whereas on november 21st 2025 Bishop Michelle C. Thomas, president of the NAACP, Loudon Branch, and the first African-American woman to establish a church in the county, became the first woman to be ordained and consecrated as a bishop in the county, making a historic milestone for women in ministry and leadership.

[01:44:59] And whereas Loudoun County government relies on the dedicated work of many talented women to provide essential services and programs to have a positive impact on the lives of county residents every day. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim March 2026 as Women's History Month in Loudoun and recognize the vital role women have played in Loudoun's history.

[01:45:37] So let me start off by saying that I talk a lot about our county staff, and Mr. Hemstreet does get so much credit. He is a phenomenal county administrator. But I will say the women across this county who serve every single day are absolutely phenomenal people, and many of them are department directors to the hardest departments like Margaret Graham and MD, SHDS, and of course, the amazing, amazing Monica.

[01:46:11] I think, well, you know how, what I think, I think you are phenomenal in every way. So thank you. I'm going to give you the mic just a second to represent the county staff. Teresa actually was the person who worked the hardest and longest on the SEIU contract.

[01:46:30] And when we had our meeting that started at 10 in the morning and ended at 1 in the morning, literally, you were there for every moment of that meeting. Let me say that it is phenomenal working with all my colleagues on the board of supervisors.

[01:46:50] Thank you all for what you do. But I want to especially talk about the woman who was standing to my immediate right. Don't you dare cry. Don't you dare cry. Jenny, and all of you all who work as clerks, I don't think anyone knows how much work you all do.

[01:47:11] When FOIAs come in, when issues with constituents come in, when all those things come in, they come to your staff and you all first. You get the people, the few people who are happy with us and all the people who are not happy with us who are yelling and screaming. You do all that every day.

[01:47:27] All of your staff, all of you all do that. and we do not take it for granted and we do we notice it and I want to say that the women on our staff do it with a special grace and strength and class and you are also just the kindest funniest person to spend time with and I I have told you before how I feel about you I have told you all the stuff that you should know but I've also told you um I've also when when times have gotten hard I have told you about that, too, and you have been there for me a thousand percent, and you are just so such an important part of the sisterhood that I have been so appreciative of.

[01:48:05] So, yeah, I was going to make you come down here today whether you wanted to or not. Monica, would you like to say anything about all the staff here? Thank you, Chair Randall, and to members of the board and to all of our friends here tonight.

[01:48:21] I don't know how I could really sum up all the work that the women of Loudoun County do. We also do that work with many of the women leaders who are in the room tonight, and so we thank you all. It is not always easy to serve your community with grace and style and with wisdom and with passion and expertise, but our team does that every day.

[01:48:46] And as Margaret Graham would say, we support the people who support the people, as do many of you in this room. We certainly have a leader who does not like to be put on the spot, but he really excels in supporting us. Being a woman executive is not always easy, but Mr. Hemstreet makes it very easy at Loudoun County.

[01:49:07] And we also know that he has the wonderful support of the board to always enable him to do that. So we thank you all. Thank you. Anybody else want to say anything? Yes? No? No? All right, we're going to take the most fabulous picture we've ever taken before. I want the gentleman in the picture, yes.

[01:49:26] It won't be as fabulous. You guys will make it fabulous. Yeah, that's why.

[01:49:46] No, that's yours.

[01:50:24] Ms. Bricksman, where'd you go? Come back. They have to come through there in just a second. So everybody here, which is, I think, half the room, if you're here for give shoes, would you come down? And then Glenn will fix us later. It is half, I wasn't kidding.

[01:50:44] Okay, we have to figure out, Julie and ladies, we have to figure out how to pass these out to everybody at some point. Okay. yeah maybe maybe try to try to start passing out while I'm reading how's that

[01:50:57] sound maybe start passing about why we're reading do what oh okay you guys

[01:52:00] There we go.

[01:52:26] Everyone glob together. Everyone glob together. Hello. How are you? There you go. I know it's so cool.

[01:52:42] I know it's wonderful.

[01:52:51] You don't got to get down yet. Get down for the picture. It's not picture time yet. Get down for the picture. Don't do that yet. No one else. Okay. We can have more people on this side, though. We have more room on this side.

[01:53:09] Yeah. There we go. Hi, Tina. Okay. Wow.

[01:53:25] Hey. How's it going? Okay. I know. It's fantastic, isn't it? Okay. Okay. colleagues, Julie and Kristen, where'd she go? Come out here, please. Come out here, please.

[01:53:46] Okay, we're going to turn to you all, because if we did anything else, we couldn't all see each other. So I will read the proclamation first, and then we will say some words, and then how we're going to get a picture, I have no idea. But Glenn's going to figure that out before we finish the proclamation. Okay, ready? This is the Loudoun County Proclamation for Give Tuesday. Whereas Loudoun County's non-profit organizations work in partnership with local government, businesses, faith communities, and volunteers to provide resident services, ensure equitable access to

[01:54:26] opportunity for all residents, and address community needs through collaboration, innovation, and a shared purpose, and whereas tens of thousands of Loudoun residents benefit from programs provided by local nonprofits, including human services, education, animal welfare, environmental preservation, and celebration of arts, history, and culture.

[01:54:50] And whereas, oh, hey, and whereas Loudoun County's nonprofits are an integral part of county's economy contributing jobs income resident services and tourism opportunities for those who live work learn and play in loudon county and whereas thousands of residents volunteer to contribute their time talent and passion each year through non-profit organizations fostering spirit and services and service across the county and whereas loudon county residents demonstrate their their generosity, and commitment to our community

[01:55:28] by supporting more than 150 local nonprofits. Clearly, they're all here today. Through GiveChoose, a 24-hour day of giving hosted by the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Virginia, Faulcare Counties.

[01:55:46] Now, therefore, be it resolved, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors does hereby proclaim March 24th, 2026 as Give, Choose Day in Loudoun County and encourages Loudoun residents to be active supporters contributing to the Give, Choose cause.

[01:56:04] Yay! Well, first of all, the first thing I'm going to do is have all my colleagues come down and stand with me on this side.

[01:56:19] So everybody up there, come down here, please. On this side, come down here, please. Because what I'm going to say is really from all of us, and we should all be down here. So I say this all the time, no government at any level, not federal, not state, not local, can do everything.

[01:56:38] And no government should even try to do everything, because we don't really even have the expertise in everything. Our nonprofit and faith-based communities are a force multiplier every single day. There are times when we will not answer a phone call that you all will answer, no matter what that might be.

[01:56:57] And so not only do we not take it for granted, but we really, really, really know and appreciate who our non-profits are and what you do. I know I can name you all and your non-profits.

[01:57:13] I've been to almost all or most of your non-profits to visit them, or one of us have been to your non-profits to visit them. I buy from your non-profits. I had Legacy Farm jam two nights ago. two nights ago. We buy from you. We support you as you support us. And what I know for a fact is we just could not do this without you, period, the end. The other thing I would say before I hand it to my colleagues is because Loudoun County is a wealthy county overall, there is this notion that people are not in need. And it's just not true. And because there's this notion people are

[01:57:49] not in need, sometimes the giving is lower and the per capita giving is lower in Loudoun County because there's this notion, but you all know that that's not true, and you all actually push every day to make sure that you're, truthfully, all of our constituents are taken care of in every single way, whether that's feeding them, whether that's a backpack buddy, whether that's praying with them sometime, whatever that might look like, there's somebody in this room standing right here representing a nonprofit who does that for them.

[01:58:21] We know that, we appreciate that, and we need you. We would not function if you all were not part of the Loudoun County ecosystem and family. We literally could not function without you. Colleagues, anyone want to say anything?

[01:58:39] Do you want to say anything? You want to say one thing? I just want to thank Chair Randall and the board and staff for, I know this is a lot tonight, but it really means so much to every organization in this room to have you see us and to honor us in this way every year.

[01:59:01] So thank you for allowing this noisy group of people to come in and to celebrate this day with you. So thank you. You know, I forgot to say one thing, and I do want to say this because we've talked about this. When people come forward to ask for help, they are often really embarrassed to do it.

[01:59:20] And they often do it when they should have maybe done it a month earlier. By the time they get to you, they're probably past the need that they're asking for. One thing I have noticed about our nonprofits, there's never judgment, there's never embarrassment, there's never any of that.

[01:59:37] So if somebody comes to a food pantry to get food, they just get food. There's none of that, well, why did you run out of food? What are your finances doing? There's none of that. There's just respecting people at that moment and taking care of them. I think that's the most remarkable thing about our nonprofit community is the way the respect and dignity that everyone walks out of your nonprofits feeling because otherwise they wouldn't come back and we'd have people in much much more danger if they don't feel respected so that is such a huge thing and you all do that every single day and you do it excellently so thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

[02:00:14] clap for yourselves did anyone not get a proclamation care you want a proclamation did anyone drop their sunglasses you have more proclamation did anyone else not get did anyone's non-profit not get a proclamation and anyone else's non-profit not get a proclamation okay glenn how we doing this man

[02:00:48] all of us go back up there all everybody are you all stay there and we go back up there

[02:00:59] we just are waiting for mr sainz who disappeared on us we have a quick statement to make before we

[02:04:57] start public comments and then we will come back but while we're waiting I just I can read all the public comments stuff how's that sound okay we will now begin the public input session of our business meeting before we get started I'd like to take a moment to write to remind the public about how the board of supervisors conduct public conducts public input at business meeting I'm going to respectfully ask for everyone to adhere to the guidelines and I'm not worried

[02:05:34] about that. I know you will. The public input session does not last any more than 90 minutes, so at 90 minutes, I will stop it. You may sign up to speak for tonight's meeting. If you come to the podium, please, well, if you have not signed up yet, please see the clerk to sign up. You will have two minutes for your speech. You may speak only once tonight, and you can use your allotted time to speak on behalf of yourself or speak on behalf of an organization. If I think you're speaking on behalf of an organization and you haven't

[02:06:08] said it, I will ask you that just to make sure I know who you're speaking for. I will call anyone first who was signed up to speak on things that are actually on tonight's agenda, which I actually only see one or two people who've done that, and then I'll call everybody else. If you're in the lobby, I'm going to try to call your names like two or three names in advance, so that you know that you're coming next and you can rush in here.

[02:06:35] When your name is called, please come to the podium closest to you, it doesn't matter which podium. Say your name for the record and if you'd like to say what district you live in or where you live, you may say that as well. You again have two minutes to speak. I will say that when you're talking, if you can direct your comments to me or to the board not not turn your body around and direct your comments to the audience we would appreciate that and when you're finished um yield the floor to the next speaker so those are that's it all kind of comments and stuff so i appreciate it mr sayings you have something you want to say before we start

[02:07:14] public comment sure thank you madam chair um thank you for the rare opportunity to speak before the public uh comment period which we normally don't do but i think it's appropriate for this this occasion. I appreciate all the residents who came out and who have emailed us also in the last few days regarding the Golden to Mars Transmission Project. As has been mentioned before, and I'm sort of aware some of you know this already, but the board has no authority to approve or deny the project. That holds with the State Corporation Commission, which you guys did a great job of

[02:07:50] coming out at Rock Ridge a few times and down in Richmond and speaking your truth. Their decision, As you know, it's currently pending on what they're going to determine. If it's one route, if it's another route, or if it's hopefully undergrounding or a hybrid model.

[02:08:10] As many of you know, also, Senator Srinivasan and Delegate Singh was able to pass their undergrounding transmission bill that actually started with us, I think, two years ago in our legislative program. And that bill has been edited, I would say, from its original language to the language that we see now. So we're reviewing that because that's a new development.

[02:08:39] All of us up here on this dais continue to support undergrounding transmission routes as we have from day one. Now their bill, Senior Vasan and Delegate Singh's bill, is in front of the governor. Uh, she has 30 days, uh, to sign the bill, veto the bill, which means kill it or make amendments and edits and send it back to the general assembly for, for more discussion. So we'll wait patiently to see what happens during the 30 days. And also we're, you know, we're continuing to have our conversations, um, with the sec, their staff, um, and our lawyers

[02:09:15] are working with them. And of course there are your lawyers that are representing you from the different HOAs that are being represented here today and again via email. So just want to stress again that the board has no power over the SEC, but we will continue to ask questions, give information, give input when they're allowing us to do so. And again, as we've debated since I think it was last year, at some point we made the declaration, the endorsement that we want to see undergrounding, hybrid, and we'll see where the SEC falls in the coming days or at least in the

[02:09:53] next month period. So thank you, Madam Chair, for the time. You're welcome. All right, everybody ready? My first speaker will be Emily Johnson, followed by Martha Polke, followed by Sam Wong. Emily Johnson, are you here? Emily Johnson going once, going twice. Martha Polke, are you here? Martha poking? Yes. Okay, ready when you are. Good evening. Last week, big machines arrived just north of Leesburg to mow down 10 acres of forest so that bulldozers can begin massive earth moving

[02:10:32] in our limestone overlay district. Each previous disturbance in this area is resulting in new sinkholes and drinking water contamination. Loudoun has begun the billion-dollar destruction forever of its national scenic byway and the rural economy along it, all for the sake of outer state commuter and housing development. DTCI staff tell us we need this project to improve safety, but the quintupling of the highway width will make it look like Route 7, curtail local access, and invite speed in crashes. Then staff tell us it's to reduce congestion, but the Kimley Horn 2019 modeling map shows that after a decade of construction, all we get is a bottleneck that

[02:11:10] starts just south of Luckett's and extends to the Potomac. Then staff say, echoing the developer slogan that the goal is to get Virginians home sooner. Take a look at that bottleneck map in county files again. Tonight, staff are coming before you to asking for another $300,000 to count cars on roads parallel to Route 15, saying that during construction, more commuters will be speeding down the back roads that we walk right and farm on. But just last month, staff told some Luckett citizens that preliminary modeling shows that after construction, only one of those roads will have any appreciable reduction in cut-through traffic, and that requests you tonight a mixed

[02:11:48] study of cut-through traffic on roads to and through Taylorstown and Waterford, which will only increase as commuters shift their routes to access a four-lane highway designed for speed. Those paying close attention know that this destruction is not necessary to address the real safety and congestion issues on this road. It needs shoulders and fixes to the backups that signals create. It needs a serious demand management strategy. But the record shows that this project was designed and promoted by the development industry to commence the build-out of Western Loudoun and replace its tourism and agricultural economy with one-time profits for themselves. It's not too late to think about what you're doing to Loudoun. Thank you for your time.

[02:12:28] Thank you, Ms. Polke. Ms. Johnson, hi. Did I go by you too quickly before? I apologize. You can come on up. You don't want to speak. You're good. You're not. You are. Exactly. Okay. Wonderful.

[02:12:51] Wonderful. Sam Wong, Avis Renshaw, and Nancy Delisio would be the next speaker. Mr. Wong, are you here? Sam Wong. Sam Wong. Okay. Avis Renshaw and Nancy Delisio and Bridget Smith.

[02:13:17] Good evening, Ms. Renshaw. Good evening, board. My name is Avis Renshaw. I'm current president and a Farm Bureau and owner of Lost Corner Farm in Luckett's. As far as 15 goes, just start by putting in some roundabouts, please. They're cheap, they're effective, and they're more quickly built than whatever DTCI is doing right now.

[02:13:36] The damage to the dirt roads and the dangerous driving conditions caused by Maryland drivers hellbent on a 20-second advantage, at least on Limestone School Road, is shocking. Right now, many of us east of 15 need to cross two to three lanes of traffic on a left turn without a light to get to Leesburg. Roundabouts will really help that.

[02:13:56] The ever-growing Loudoun citizen price tag for this road is going to burden my grandchildren. You can say no. You can just start with roundabouts. And like the growing scarcity of water, that's an unconscionable legacy. Regarding rural uses, please stay focused on the equity and consistency for all rural uses throughout western Loudoun. This is where RADC ZOR ad hoc spent considerable time and effort in 2022 getting it right to advise you.

[02:14:24] Staff has obviously spent considerable time and thought as well. Please use those valuable efforts and our suggestions. All rural economy uses holding events and outside activities should be held to the same minimum 60-foot standard setback, should have consistent hours of operation with a 10 p.m. limit on Sundays, should have event and parking standards that scale by size.

[02:14:48] The guidelines will provide known parameters for adjacent property owners, no surprises. All the decisions that you make here regarding Western Loudoun have a long-lasting effect on neighbors. When you focus on consistency across rural uses, you promote predictable, fair regulations.

[02:15:08] Otherwise, you are picking winners and losers, and I know this board wants equity and parity amongst constituents. Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms. Winshaw. Nancy Delisio, followed by Bridget Smith. Good evening, ma'am.

[02:15:25] Good evening. My name is Nancy Delisio, and I'm one of the owners of 868 Estate Vineyards. We are located just outside of Hillsborough on 120 acres, with 20 acres under vine, producing about 4,000 cases of estate-grown wine each year. Our wines have earned numerous awards locally and nationally, including the 2020 Governor's Cup for the best wine in the state of Virginia, and multiple other medals at the Governor's Cup.

[02:15:50] Like many Loudoun wineries, widespread distribution is not yet a realistic option for us. So more than 95% of our wine is sold directly at our tasting room and through our events. Events are an essential part of our agricultural business.

[02:16:08] At 868, we host smaller gatherings, art shows, and book signings, craft events for between 20 and 50 people, along with a concert series typically drawing two to three hundred attendees for each. Additionally, each year we host three larger music festivals which have together raised almost two hundred thousand dollars for Loudoun-based community non-profits.

[02:16:31] These festivals also support dozens of local musicians, food vendors, small businesses, and part-time workers who depend on them. Our property is well suited for these events with 120 acres, frontage on a main road, ample parking and significant open space. We work closely with the fire and health departments and in nearly a decade of hosting these events we haven't had a single noise complaint. The current regulations work when followed. Additional restrictions are simply attempting to regulate a problem that does not exist and while imposing additional cost and

[02:17:07] burdens on agricultural businesses that cannot afford them. These events are not incidental, they are essential and without them our wineries simply would not be viable. As such, I support the Land Use Committee's January 29th directive to grant farm wineries the ability to hold an unlimited number of events consistent with ABC regulations. I ask that you vote in favor of the proposal. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bridget Smith followed by Mundia Roy. Good evening.

[02:17:40] Good evening, Chair Randall and the board. My name is Bridget Smith, and I'm honored to serve as president of the Loudoun Wineries and Wine Growers Association, an organization representing the heart of one of Virginia's most celebrated agricultural industries. I'm here today to speak regarding the Transportation and Land Use Committee's recommendations and to share why they matter deeply to the 40-year legacy of winemaking in this county. Why are events critical to the Loudoun wine industry? Private parties and events are not a side business for Loudoun's craft beverage producers. They're essential to how we sell wine. Between 80 and 85 percent of craft beverage businesses in Western Loudoun have private event space for weddings and corporate

[02:18:18] gatherings, and 65 to 80 percent host ticketed events, concerts, festivals, dinners, all directly linked and tied to product sales. That is why we are deeply grateful for TLUC's support of private parties and events as an accessory use, with no limitations, provided they are consistent with Virginia's alcohol laws. This aligns with what is usual and customary across Commonwealth and gives our businesses the flexibility to thrive. We also support TLUX recommendation to retain current parking ratios and allow unimproved field parking. Our industry is seasonal by nature. That

[02:18:53] flexibility is not a luxury. It's a lifeline. Why does this matter to you? Board members, this industry isn't just an economic asset. It is woven into the fabric of this community. Nearly 50% of all Loudoun winery wine club members are Loudoun residents. They're constituents. And more than 85% of employees working in our craft beverage industry live right here in Loudoun County.

[02:19:15] The decisions you make shape whether Loudoun residents can continue to build their livelihoods, enjoy the local wine country, and take pride in what Loudoun has cultivated over four decades. We are grateful for the ongoing support of this board. When staff recommendations come before you in May or June, I ask that you vote in a way that ensures Loudoun's celebrated wine industry 40 years strong, will be here for 40 years more. On behalf of LWWA and the wine growers, winemakers, and families across this county, thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[02:19:46] Mandira Roy followed by Bhavna Shandok. Good evening. Good evening, Chair and members of the Board of Supervisors. I am a resident of Loudoun Valley 2 and would like to speak today on the the Golden to Mars transmission line project. First, I want to sincerely thank you for your leadership, especially for advancing the underground alternative and demonstrating that it is feasible.

[02:20:16] That effort gives our community real hope. Our strong preference remains partial undergrounding to reduce the impact on our neighborhoods. I understand there are cost challenges, but with the passing of HB 1487 and SB 837, there is now a real opportunity to work with SEC and Dominion on a pilot. I urge you to move this forward. At the same time, I am deeply concerned by recent legal filings by some entities to place overhead power lines

[02:20:48] along Loudoun County Parkway. No matter what these routes are called, Route 1, 1F, 5, 5A, or any other variation. The outcome is the same. Transmission lines placed directly through the heart of our county. And this is not just a roadway. Along this corridor are 17 communities, including senior housing and over 1,100 homes, a child care center, a walking trail used by thousands, an emergency care facility, and many local businesses, all in extreme close proximity.

[02:21:23] These are not distant impacts. These are our front yards, playgrounds, and daily lives. It's also important to note that these are among the most expensive overhead options. I respectfully ask you to continue opposing these routes and push for partial undergrounding.

[02:21:43] Thank you so much for your time, your consideration, and for standing with our communities. Thank you. Are you Ms. Rory? Yes. Okay, wonderful. Thank you so much. If I mispronounce your names, I sincerely apologize.

[02:22:07] Come up and pronounce them correctly for me. I apologize in advance. You did great. Good evening. I'm a resident of Loudoun County. I speak today not only for myself, but for thousands of families, children, and seniors whose lives will be directly impacted by Dominion Energy's proposed golden to Mars transmission lines.

[02:22:28] Two years ago, I survived two brain aneurysms and they were ruptured. Doctors told my family I had less than 10% chance of surviving, I went through multiple surgeries, months of rehabilitation and emotional financial strain that comes with a major health crisis.

[02:22:44] I'm still not completely recovered in the process. Can we afford to introduce another potential health burden into the communities where we live, raise our children, and care for our seniors? I understand that this infrastructure is needed.

[02:23:00] We are not opposing the project, but asking that it be built responsibly. High voltage transmission lines do not belong running overhead through dense residential corridors like Loudoun County Parkway.

[02:23:16] The overhead lines along this corridor would place massive transmission towers directly next to homes, schools, day cures, medical facilities, and senior communities, many less than 100 feet from the proposed towers, impacting thousands of residents and daily commuters.

[02:23:33] Along this corridor are Stonehill Middle School, Moorfield Station Elementary, Bramrose Day Care, Inova Emergency Center, senior communities. These are some of the most vulnerable members of our community, children, patients, and seniors. Moreover, Loudoun County is home to one of the largest communities, the concentrations of data centers in the world, carrying a significant share of global internet traffic.

[02:23:58] Overhead transmission lines that power this critical infrastructure create visible and exposed targets. In today's world of drones and emerging security threats, above ground infrastructure is more vulnerable to attacks. request us to prioritize underground or hybrid solutions wherever the line approaches residential communities and most importantly do not place them you have a sentence to finish yes I would just request please do not please choose health safety and responsible planning planning to Loudoun County thank you so

[02:24:31] much. Thank you so much, thank you. Sherisha Bumiredi, followed by Lee Shin. Good evening. Thank you. Hello members of the Board of Supervisors, thank you for your time and for your continued engagement with the community on the Golden to Mars project. Over the past year and a half, many of us have been actively involved in discussions around the routing decisions. I I truly appreciate the board's efforts to listen to residents and consider community concerns.

[02:25:10] I strongly believe that partial undergrounding remains the best solution as it minimizes long-term impact on residents and future developments. Even a limited segment could make a meaningful difference for the broader community. At the same time, I would like to respectfully highlight a broader concern.

[02:25:29] As discussions continue around different routes it is important that we evaluate all overhead options consistently and fairly. I was disappointed when the school board stated that its first choice included the Loudoun County Parkway routes, Route 1 and Route 1F.

[02:25:45] I was hopeful, I was hopeful that everybody is supporting partial underground. But calling out a densely populated residential area like 1 and 1F is very, very, very difficult. disappointed. Route 1F has been acknowledged to create significant impacts on residents and the community, even more than like so many other alternatives. Yet the school board along with some other groups supported placing the lines along routes 1, 1F, and 5A. Routes 1 and 5A and

[02:26:20] any Loudoun County Parkway passes through areas with 17 established neighborhoods, dense tree canopy and green spaces, wildlife habitats and ponds, heavily used commuter trails, including those used daily by students walking to school.

[02:26:36] The Loudoun County Parkway in particular is not just a roadway, sorry, it's not just a highway. It's a critical lifeline for thousands of residents, connecting communities, schools, and shared public spaces. My request today is simple. Let's approach this with a unified perspective.

[02:26:52] Let's go for partial undergrounding. Thank you so much. - Thank you, ma'am, thank you. Lee Hsien, followed by Stafan Wahasvik. Good evening, sir. Good evening. Board of members, my name is Lee Hsien, Northern Valley State.

[02:27:11] I'm here on behalf of thousands of residents opposing domaining energy scored into Mars 500-kilowater transmission line project. For those unfamiliar, this is 8.3 miles of high-voltage transmission through residential neighborhoods.

[02:27:35] The towers are 185 feet tall, taller than 18-story buildings. The Dominion wants to place them within 50 feet from our homes.

[02:27:51] We have four asks tonight, and they are clear. First, accept the S easement. That easement matters because it removes viability barriers for hybrid roads and keeps lines away from our neighborhoods.

[02:28:11] Second, do not endorse any overhead road. An endorsement tells the state corporation committee our community is fine with it. We are not, definitely not.

[02:28:29] Third, formally support HB 1487 and SB 827, the underground pilot program. This legislation exists because of Golden to Mars.

[02:28:46] It passed both chambers by citizen. Your support is a statutory requirement. Fourth, continue advocating for on-the-ground construction. The SEC ruling comes March to April 2026.

[02:29:08] We need you all in our corner. This is about protecting our neighborhood, our children's health, our property values. Sir? Thank you very much. Thank you. If you have your comments via email, can you send those to us, please?

[02:29:28] Yes, I would. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. I lost the sentence. There is an on-the-ground option. No, no, no. I'm sorry. Thank you. Staffan Wahazvik?

[02:29:44] Yes. Okay, and then we'll give you one second. Mujri Gogineya. Can you say your name correctly for me, sir? - I'm sorry. - Me? - Yes. - Staffan Vazvik. - Oh, okay.

[02:29:59] Thank you, when you are. - Thank you. Good evening board members. My name is Staffan Vazvik. I live at Latin Valley Estates. Lived there for 20 plus years. We have provided you with a deck.

[02:30:16] Hopefully you have received it. And some of us will walk through and talk to parts of that. And I will start with what's at stake. so i want to put a face to this project and over 13 000 homes sits within half a mile of this route every single one would see these towers schools playground parks all will be in the shadow zone the community's response has been extraordinary six hundred households registered for telephonic

[02:30:51] comments with sec that's not a handful that's a movement almost 2 000 registered residents attended public hearing in person thousand written testimonies filed with the state corporation commission and let me be direct on the financial impact the impact is 2.8 billion dollars of assessed property value within half a mile of the route that's not speculation that's our communities homes our neighbors retirements and children's uh inheritance our school board

[02:31:29] took a formal position against this route. Why? Because it affects our kids. So now the board, you passed the resolution in January 2025. You heard the data then, even though it was mostly based on Dominion's information. We hear it again now. The difference is now we have a full SEC record. You now have the county engineering proving underground is feasible. The case has has evolved, but underground has just gotten stronger. Let us all stand behind the underground

[02:32:07] solution, or partial underground, and thank you very much. Thank you very much, sir. And we did receive the deck. Madhuri Goginana, I think, and then Steve Ballack. Good evening. Good evening, Board of Supervisors, I have been in Loudoun County around 20 years.

[02:32:35] I live in LV2, and I am here regarding the Golden to Mars project. My absolute preference is an underground or hybrid route. Even a short underground segment significantly reduces community impact. FOIA documents reveal the underground option was never seriously pursued.

[02:32:52] The process was steered towards an overhead outcome simply because it's cheaper for Dominion. Please don't let Dominion profit motive determine what our neighborhood looks like for generations. I urge you to support an underground pilot program, and data center beneficiaries should share that cost.

[02:33:12] When Chinko Hills in California proved it works, why can't we do? Come to our communities and see where these lines would go while there is still time to stop them. The need for these lines is driven entirely by new industrial load, not residential demand.

[02:33:30] With this unprecedented concentration of data centers crowding our neighborhoods, we are terrified for our family's health. We face chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields, relentless noise from cooling systems, and the degradation of our air and water quality.

[02:33:47] Our peace of mind is being sacrificed for corporate infrastructure. I would lay down in front of the bulldozers rather than see this development going in a wrong direction and location. If this is the path forward, ask the data centers to buy out our entire community so we can relocate safely somewhere else.

[02:34:06] Allowing high voltage lines to run overhead through residential communities is political suicide and Loudoun County voters are already done with it. We need responsible planning. Grow at a pace that protects residents, not utility demands. Do not leave a permanent memorial to this board in the form of industrial scale towers looming all over our homes.

[02:34:27] Please reject all overhead droughts on the Loudoun County Parkway and fight for the underground and hybrid solution. Make a decision that will last longer and you'll be proud after 20 years. Thank you. - Thank you, thank you, thank you. Steve Ballack followed by Madison Taggart.

[02:34:46] - Good evening, sir. - Good evening. I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates. I've been there for 19 years. I refer you to slides 8 through 10 in your slide decks. Let's be blunt. This isn't a reliability project.

[02:35:05] This is data center infrastructure. PGM, the regional grid operator, officially named this, quote, Data Center Alley Local Solution, end quote. Their own words, on the record, PGM's filing states, and I quote, ignore the brownfield baseline, the scope is new greenfield transmission lines, end quote.

[02:35:30] That's not meeting existing demand, that's enabling speculative growth. The SEC staff confirmed these lines, quote, would not be needed but for, end quote, multiple data center projects on the route.

[02:35:48] Meanwhile, long-term residents haven't experienced reliability issues in over 20 years. no brownouts no grid emergencies dominion positioned substations to serve data center development zones they made infrastructure decisions based on real estate speculation not grid need then amazon bought gw's ashburn campus for 427 million dollars another data center and suddenly this line became critical even supervisor briskman said publicly voting for

[02:36:27] data centers is almost political suicide. She understood the community sentiment then and that sentiment has not changed. Data center revenue is attractive but not at the cost of destroying residential neighborhoods. 185 foot towers are not the price of that growth. Underground construction is and it is feasible. I invite you to come stand in our neighborhood look at the data center campuses on one side and our homes on the other.

[02:36:59] See who bears the cost. Thank you. Mr. Ballack, it was really helpful. If you come up and say where in the stack the slides you're speaking from, if you're speaking from anywhere in the stack, that's really, really helpful. So when we go through the slides and match them up with your comments, we can see where the slides were in the stacks.

[02:37:17] That was really very helpful. Thank you. Madison Taggart, followed by Min Pack. Good evening. Hi. Good evening. So my name is Madison Taggart. I live in Loudoun Valley Estates for my entire life.

[02:37:35] So I'll be speaking on slides 11 through 16, looking at the manufactured crisis created by Dominion Energy. As Dominion's own records show, this timeline has been manufactured. Jacob Rosenberg, Dominion's project lead, testified under oath that Golden to Mars was, quote, the most complex segment of their entire portfolio.

[02:37:58] he explained how that complexity quote informed the order of operations translate that dominion knew this segment was hard and they filed it last on purpose then those quotes are listed on slides 11 12 for i believe the sec staff post hearing brief confirms dominion quote effectively ensured that its overhead routes are the only viable options end quote despite knowing about this project for much longer than they disclosed. They constrained their own timeline. They filed the most complex segment when they had the least time. They then pointed at the calendar and said,

[02:38:38] quote, we have no choice, no time for underground. But they controlled the clock. They waited 15 months to file. That's not a reliability emergency. That's a strategy. If they'd filed on day one, there would have been time for underground feasibility studies, pilot permitting, and timeline planning. Instead, they created artificial urgency by filing last, then pointed to that urgency as a reason to skip underground. That's not engineering. That's a manufactured crisis.

[02:39:08] The SEC staff saw through it. The county engineers saw through it. Now you have the full evidentiary records. And if you look at sites 15 to 60, it has more evidence of the manufactured timeline. I urge you to come see the route for yourself, walk them end-to-end, and then see how close these towers would be to homes, and ask yourself why there wasn't time to do this project right.

[02:39:33] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you very much. Min Pak, followed by Amika Desai. Good evening. Good evening, Board of Supervisors. My name is Min Pak. I'm speaking to you tonight on a personal level.

[02:39:54] and addressing how our communities or how this going to tomorrow's project is impacting communities across Loudoun County. My wife and I have lived in Ashburn for 21 years. This is where we chose to raise our family because it felt safe.

[02:40:11] It felt like home. Now that feeling of peace, comfort, and safety have been taken away and filled with anxiety, insecurity, and a whole lot of stress. Communities across Loudoun County are hurting.

[02:40:27] We are angry. We are scared. We are sad. The proposed 185 feet, 500 kV high voltage transmission line will be placed 145 feet from my home directly in my backyard.

[02:40:49] My children's bedroom faces the backyard. At a minimum, my kids will be exposed to 2,920 hours a year of high voltage radiation near these lines.

[02:41:04] How is this acceptable? We need your leadership and support. In January, you accepted seven out of the eight open space easements. We ask you now to accept the eighth. Doing so removes the final barrier and helps protect all communities along the proposed routes. Send a clear message to the SEC. Loudoun County supports infrastructure that protects neighborhoods. High voltage transmission

[02:41:40] lines run through residential neighborhoods. That run through residential neighborhoods are not acceptable when viable alternatives exist. Support the underground pilot. HB 1487 and SB 827 bills have already passed. Thank you, sir. Your time is up. Thank you. If you run out of time, you can absolutely send your comments in if you'd like to. Thank you. Anamaka Desai followed by Kara Chen.

[02:42:14] good evening good evening my name is anamika desai when i was born and i was pursuing my career i had freedom to pick my field of my interest whether engineering or medicine i picked engineering my parents were happy about it so here i'm to talk about the freedom of having the equal power that county has the public school has as well as the residents of ashburn sterling and the areas where we are having these power lines without having proper planning.

[02:42:48] I'm talking about the slides 18 through 20, and I'm talking about Freedom of Information Act that reveals the truth about the VDOT planning, the planning of Dominion, and how power played, and we kept on changing different routes.

[02:43:11] county rejected some routes? Okay, let's open up a few more routes. Oh, LCPS rejected a few routes? Oh, let's open a few routes where only few residents are only impacted. So that should not be the strategy. The strategy should be Dominion should do the study of underground that is a feasible option and look into all the engineering aspect of it. I have worked for 30 years in different industry, from telecommunications to startup company, and right now I'm working for Loudoun County Public Schools.

[02:43:46] We don't work, we just had a storm situation. We have planning in place. We don't work, we throw routes, and then, oh, let's do this, let's do that. So what I'm urging here is, as Loudoun County has power, Loudoun County Public Schools has power we all residents have equal power to not throw those overhead power lines on our resident homes i request you all to come see my home and i'll explain you why thank you thank you thank you

[02:44:19] kara chin followed by sonita aluga bell aluga belly good evening i'm with the loudon valley estates community and i will be covering slides 21 through 23 on dominion's business practices using escalation and deception. This isn't one incident. This is a pattern. Dominion's escalation playbook is simple. Start with the bad routes, routes three and four. The community rejects them, but instead of genuinely exploring underground options, Dominion eliminates underground options, then points to worse overhead routes to make the originals look more palatable.

[02:44:58] When residents say overhead is unacceptable, Dominion threatens with the disastrous Route 5 down Loudoun County Parkway. And then when they follow up, it's Route 3A in the residential backyards. Finally, they give the ultimatum, give in or else, with Route 1F. What Dominion said and what they did are different. Dominion's business development team promised, quote, community engagement, but simultaneously they were pre-qualifying data center sites based on political climate. Their key account representatives became, quote, half real estate agents in their own words.

[02:45:32] Speed to market was a priority, not community health, not grid reliability. Dominion wasn't waiting for demand. They were steering it. But that speed was never extended to underground alternatives. No time for underground, they said. Yet they had time to threaten with worse routes, manage data center deals, and orchestrate a strategy designed to make overhead lines inevitable.

[02:45:53] Communities were told your input matters, while infrastructure decisions were already locked in. This board has the power to reject this conduct by refusing to endorse overhead power lines and supporting the underground pilot program. I hope you'll stand with us and protect the homes and lives we've built here in Loudoun County.

[02:46:12] Dominion and the data centers can lobby and pay off whoever based on their business practices. However, companies don't vote, residents do. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry. Sunita Algubele, followed by Chiquita Lore.

[02:46:32] Good evening, will you say your name for me, please? - Yes, hi, good evening. My name is Sunita Algubele. I live in Loudoun Valley Estates. Thank you so much, board and all the audience here for giving me an opportunity.

[02:46:47] And I'm here not just representing myself and my family, but everyone in the Loudoun County and in Loudoun Valley Estates. So, I will be speaking on slides 31 to 35. Like all my other neighbors said, I'm here for the same reason, but I want to just start off saying that I came here to build my family.

[02:47:12] We raised kids here, and we have so many families doing the same. Now, I want to say that there is a tremendous momentum building. Senator Srinivasan and Delegate Singh wrote directly to SEC, SP-827 and HP-1487 passed both chambers on a big bipartisan basis.

[02:47:36] Both bills create an underground transmission pilot program written specifically for Golden to Mars. Here's the critical part. The statute requires Board of Supervisors to support for the pilot program.

[02:47:53] formal endorsement is prerequisite. This board has genuine power here. Please help us out. And we have a real world president, Shino Hills, California. Who doesn't know about it, right?

[02:48:10] So, Shino Hills faced the exact same fight. 500 kV overhead through residential neighborhoods. Some arguments, some timelines, same not visible claims.

[02:48:26] A California Public Utilities Commission member visited Shino Hills to see the towers. She said, oh, my God, what have we done? That visit changed everything. The towers came down. I'm sorry, your time, I'm sorry.

[02:48:42] Yeah, so just I want to end this with one statement. I have elderly people living with me. Your time is up, ma'am. - Yeah, I'm gonna stop you. - Just don't make this a curse for us to live in Loudoun Man, thank you. - Did I miss slides 24 through 30 yet?

[02:49:03] Is anyone speaking on those yet, or did I miss that? 'Cause I got everything else. All right, if you're speaking on slides 24 through 30, I have a gap in my slides up here. So let me know when you come up, okay? Chiquita Laray, followed by Jeffrey Walsh.

[02:49:23] Chiquita Leray, last name L-A-U-R-Y, no, going once, going twice. All right, Jeffrey Walsh, you're going to be followed by Rajiv Nalori.

[02:49:39] Good evening, sir. Good evening. So I was asked to speak on slides 26 through 30 of your deck. All right, there you go. I have a few other comments of my own, aside from that, that I'd like to add. Going from this sheet, it seems that Director of Economic Development, Buddy Reiser, said that he would lay down in front of bulldozers, prevent data centers in the wrong places.

[02:50:10] He also said that there's a right place and a wrong place for some development, and I commend his comments to protect our community. Other portions of this sheet talk about patterns of behavior that we see from Dominion and their interactions with the members of the data center industry.

[02:50:37] We said they're not cooperating with us, not really wanting our input, but doing what they want to do and just finding ways to do it that seem sneaky at times. But I think it's important to ask you for some things.

[02:50:54] Mr. Sainz said that you don't approve these routes, and I acknowledge that. But there are some things that you can do. You did some important things for us.

[02:51:11] I'm running out of time, I'm sorry. What I want you to do is to approve or to participate in the pilot program, including committing the funding. We would like to hear you say that you would do that.

[02:51:28] That's probably the most important thing. I'm just about out of time. The other thing I wanted to ask is the easements. Reconsider on the easements, all eight are very important for protecting our environment and our community.

[02:51:45] - Thank you, and if you want to send any of your comments or give them to the clerk, we can do that as well. All right, yes, sure, absolutely. Rajiv Nalori, followed by Myra Nahal Singh. Good evening.

[02:52:02] - Good evening, board members. This is Rajiv Naluri, and I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates II, and I'm here to present over 1,100 families standing in the shadows of Dominion's Golden to Mars Project. Okay, we are not just dots on the map, but we are massive communities of citizens whose lives will be permanently altered if these high-voltage lanes are forced to densely populated Loudoun County Parkway corridor.

[02:52:30] And I want to thank the board for your continued support, requesting the SEC to choose undergrounding or partial undergrounding for this project. But in case, if that doesn't go through, here are my concerns regarding getting the power lines on the Loudoun County Parkway.

[02:52:49] So Loudoun County Parkway is not just a remote utility easement. It's a high-density residential artery. Dominion's proposed routes of 11F, 2, 5, and 5A is going to place massive industrial infrastructure, which is going to stand anywhere from 20 to 150 for many of the residences along the Loudoun County Parkway.

[02:53:11] And this is the place where we always sleep, play, live. And then I want to bring up environmental issues on the other roads are important. But at the same time, the human density must take precedence and the health and the safety of these thousands of residents and then the proximity to the childcare centers and economical stability of these thousand plus homes is going to be a big impact.

[02:53:40] So placing these high-voltage lines in the heart of Ashburn, most populated areas, is a failure of urban planning. And if you wouldn't approve an industrial plant in the middle of a neighborhood, how can you approve a high-voltage power line in the middle of the community?

[02:53:58] So I want to request the board to support undergrounding and reject any routes along the Loudoun County Parkway. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Manara Nal Singh, followed by Philip Emmanuel.

[02:54:17] Good evening. Manara Nal Singh: Hi. My name is Manara Nal Singh. I'm from LB2, and I'm going to cover the slides 36 through 42, the path forward and close. There is another way. Growth-driven infrastructure should be managed strategically, not treated as an emergency.

[02:54:34] You passed a resolution in January 2025. It was strong, but it was based on incomplete information. information. Now you have the full SCC record. Now you have county engineering proving feasibility. Now you have bipartisan legislation written specifically for this. Thank you for accepting the seven easements, accept the eighth. That easement constraints Dominion's routing options.

[02:55:00] Do not say we'll accept all routes on all three routes. That's not a compromise. That's It's a concession that tells the SEC, overhead is tolerable. Formally support HB 1487 and SB 827.

[02:55:18] Bipartisan legislation exists. Your support is the missing piece. Continue advocating for underground. The SEC ruling comes this month or next month. This board voice matters. Your own words from Jan 2025 prove you understand the stakes.

[02:55:37] Your own analysis proves you understand the impact. Your continued support is the only consistent position. Don't leave a permanent memorial to this board in the form of 185-foot steel towers that will stand for generations.

[02:55:53] The tide is shifting. Legislation is passing. Our communities are watching. Thank you for listening. Thank you for leadership. Come see our neighborhood before it changes forever. The window to act is now, and so is the window to visit. Thank you.

[02:56:10] Thank you, sir. Emanuel. You will be followed by Kadanad Kotha. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Philip Emanuel and somehow my slide got left out of the deck, but I'll provide this momentarily. Okay.

[02:56:33] Again, my name is Philip Emanuel. I'm a resident of Loudon Valley Estates and I appreciate the opportunity to address you this evening and I'm here to comment upon the Golden Tomorrow's transmission line project in the context of this issue i would like to bring to your attention the recent ratepayer protection pledge which was been which has signatories including amazon google meta microsoft and oracle and several others this pledge facilitated by the white house demonstrates that not only are the data demonstrates that not only the federal

[02:57:11] government, but more importantly, the data center owners realized the financial impact upon the residents and are willing to do something about it. Bottom line up front, less than two hours of operating revenue of the signatories would pay for the underground cost. By signing this pledge, participating companies agreed to pay for all new power delivery and transmission infrastructure upgrades necessary to serve the data centers. Let me repeat that by signing the pledge,

[02:57:47] participating companies agree to pay for all new power delivery and transmission infrastructure upgrades necessary to serve these data centers. I realize that the data centers have been approved for construction. However, the solution for providing power to these facilities is now no longer constrained by the potential costs being borne by residents, the county, or even Dominion Power. To that end, I ask that you accept all eight of the offered easements and demonstrate your commitment to the undergrounding solutions. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you.

[02:58:27] Thank you, sir. Just give me one. Staffan Wozvic, if you have, are you still here? Hi, how are you,

[02:59:00] sir. If you have the supporting data, when you set the 2.8 billion of assessed property value, if you have that supporting data, can you make sure you send that to us as well? Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Keternaud Kotha, followed by, I think it's Sheetan Doma. Good evening, board. Good evening. I just want to make it straight

[02:59:34] and clear. My fellow residents have spoken majority of the stuff, but I would like to re-emphasize one point. Please, please don't give away our leverage. The main theme is strategic messaging to the SEC. When a board member said the county would accept any three routes, that statement went to SEC. It signaled overhead through neighborhoods is acceptable.

[03:00:02] That undermines everything. The community is to fight the board's own resolution. The message we need, Loudoun County supports solutions that meet infrastructure needs and project neighborhoods. We will not accept the overhead as inevitable. Accept easements, support the pilot, but don't tell the SEC overhead is fine.

[03:00:24] This is the moment of maximum influence. Every signal matters. Please don't signal acceptance of overhead. Maintain the boat's leverage. You can come and visit us to our places, and any three rocks is acceptable.

[03:00:41] Please do not do that. We think you will change your mind. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Thank you. For everyone who said come and visit us, I don't have an address, so I'm just going to go to...

[03:01:02] Okay, I was going to say Mr. Wazwick, because I'm going to come to your house, okay? So, before, so, Mr. Matt, are you out here? Matt, yeah, my glasses would help. Could you get his address, please?

[03:01:18] Thank you, because it's all the same, I think, area. Thank you. Let's see. Chetan Doma, followed by Leska Manara Chandamari. Gosh, I really apologize. Followed by Victor Block. Hello? Yes, we can hear you. Hello, my name is Chetan Doma, and I am a seventh grader who goes to Stonehill Middle School. I've come to speak about routes

[03:01:56] 3, 3A, and 3B. I go to the schools that are impacted by these lines and I think that is just simply unacceptable. Putting power lines over schools should be immediately denied. Many students attend both Rosalie Carter Elementary School and Rockridge High School and they'll be in the direct area of effect. Dominion claims that these routes affect the least amount of people. This however is July. Students attend these schools every day, five days a week, and many people walk through the Broadland Stream Valley for peace of mind, and we would like to preserve that

[03:02:31] nature. Power lines being placed there should not be considered. In conclusion, I hope you consider my request and deny Dominion's proposal to place power lines nearest community schools and students, and I hope you can consider partial undergrounding. Thank you, and have a great rest your day thank you very much thank you my next speaker is laksha minara followed by victor block good evening good evening good evening chairs and supervisors i'm here to

[03:03:08] ask you to accept all the eight easements proposed and take a principal stand to block route 3a along with other routes in golden to mars sec case as long as there is a viable overhead route there is no underground. I ask you to take this decision so that we can predict one of the last remaining stream corridors in our county Broad Run. Much of 3A runs along the last perennial tributary of the stream which is a living system which supports water quality, wildlife habitat, connects to the larger Chesapeake Bay. Corridors like this are increasingly rare in Rowden County. Once fragmented

[03:03:44] by major transmission infrastructure, they do not recover in any meaningful way. Route 3A would Route 3 approval would mean introducing clearing, grading, access roads, long-term maintenance disturbances. These are not temporary impacts, and these are permanent changes to a sensitive broadened stream.

[03:04:03] I want to emphasize this. The impact of Route 3 is not just environmental. There is also a direct safety concern. In several segments, transmission poles would be placed on steep slopes in close proximity to LV2 homes and LV2 HOA-owned walking trail.

[03:04:19] This creates an ongoing risk of erosion, structural instability, potential hazards like landslide. Placing this heavy transmission infrastructure in such sensitive terrain could introduce unnecessary and undue risk, which should not be accepted.

[03:04:35] I respectfully urge the board to formally recognize Broadrun as a conservation easement and take a stand on underground routes only. This is about legacy, much of Loudoun County's already industrial corridor infrastructure, but how the entire community became industrial and lost the only remaining perennial stream would be a longstanding question.

[03:04:56] Thank you. Victor Block, followed by Vijayna Rajay Khanna. Good evening. Hey, good evening, board members. As several of you know, my name is Victor Block, and I'm the president of Loudoun Valley States HOA. A lot has happened since I got involved with this over a year ago. The community has come together in a way I don't think has ever happened or a lot has ever seen before. Thousands of families, people who have never attended a public meeting, never written a public comment, never spoken in public, showed up. Most of us had never thought about power lines before, at least when

[03:05:35] it comes to our neighborhood. You know why? Because where we live, they're all buried. We have been an active partner with the county. We did the research. We filed the FOIA requests. We read the engineering studies. We showed up at the SCC and we put forth a very strong case with you. We are genuinely grateful for what the county and particularly your staff has done to this point.

[03:06:00] You threw us a rope in this effort, but we're not asking you to carry us. We've carried ourselves as far. What we're asking is that you don't let go of that rope. We need you to hold firm. We need you not to waiver because any signal that route 3 or any overhead through residential neighborhood route is acceptable doesn't just undermine over a year of work by the county and by this community it gives dominion exactly what they've spent years trying to manipulate the situation to achieve the way dominion has conducted themselves throughout this process is wrong and this

[03:06:37] county cannot signal that that's acceptable not for this project not for the next one When the county saw what Amazon and GW did with the campus deal, the broken promises, the silence, the disregard for the community, you expressed outrage. Rightfully so. Dominion has done the same thing, frankly, worse.

[03:06:57] They took it right out of Dominion's playbook, but they're just beginners by comparison. Chair Randall, Buddy Reiser said that both of you would lay down in front of a bulldozer to protect the GW campus. I'm not asking you to do that today, but I'm asking you to stay firm, accept as atheisman, and stick with this community.

[03:07:18] We can't do this without you. Thank you, sir. Mr. Rogers. By the way, it's $2.8 billion is from the county appraiser in the case. Thank you. Yes. You do? You have his? Okay, cool. All right.

[03:07:33] Thank you, Mr. Block. Vinjaya Rabi Khanna, followed by Meg Burke. Say your name for me, please. I apologize. I'm so sorry.

[03:07:48] I know it's hard for you. It is hard for me. You're right. This is Vijaya Rabi Khanti. Vijaya Rabi Khanti. Okay. Vijaya. Vijaya. Rabi Khanti. Rabi Khanti. Yes. Okay, thank you. We're ready when you are.

[03:08:05] Thank you. So as I said, this is Vijaya Rabi Khanti. I've been living on Loudoun Valley community for many number of years now. So I know everyone spoke so many things, and you were repeatedly hearing our voices.

[03:08:21] But one thing I want to emphasize here, you want to really see the difference, what it brings to the community before and after. Please, I urge, go to North Star Boulevard near Ashburn, and look at how the route is.

[03:08:38] how big the transmission power lines and poles are. And the new ones that are going to be, that are planned right now on Loudoun County Parkway or else routes are much bigger, much, much bigger than those. And there is option to even increase a number of poles as the need comes.

[03:08:58] So if you really see the difference, you will be able to understand the difference between the community currently and what it is going to turn out tomorrow. So before you visit any of our residences in Ashburn or Loudoun County Parkway, please visit North Star Boulevard and you will be able to really analyze and see the difference it will bring.

[03:09:20] And the next point I want to raise is, as many, many people spoke here, about the health hazards and environmental pollution, it is going to bring to so many communities, thousands and thousands of people, elderly and children, doesn't matter whether they stay in school or residence, people are affected, people are exposed, it doesn't matter which route, it is a matter to be considered for all of us here.

[03:09:50] Another thing I want to point out is, I know, you all have the power, that's the reason everyone is taking time to come here, you have the power, please, I urge to encourage the pilot program for underground and please reject all routes on Loudoun County Parkway. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Meg Burke followed by Raj Katapali followed by Tia Ehrman. Meg Burke, she on the line? Meg Burke going once

[03:10:27] going twice. Okay, Raj Katapali followed by Tia Ehrman followed by Gary Higgins. Good evening sir. Good evening. Good evening members of the board. My name is Raj I live in Laudan Valley, I have two estates.

[03:10:48] Today I'm here to talk about the Golden Namask project. Last month, board accepted seven of the eight open easements, and by not accepting that one easement, it opened up Route 3A, and that created problems for my home and my neighborhood.

[03:11:07] By not protecting the Broadland Corridor, you have made Route 3A a reality. For me, it isn't just a line on a map, it's a massive transmission line that will stand less than 100 feet from my home where I live with my children. I'm asking the board tonight to finish what you have started and apply your authority consistently. Please use your land use power to block all overhead routes, include those along the broad run. When you protect one corridor but leave another open, you aren't solving the problem. You are choosing which residents win and which residents lose. By blocking the broad run route, which is Route 3A, you send a clear

[03:11:46] unified message to the SEC that the only acceptable path forward is underground. To permit any route that you have the power to block is quite simply giving up on the underground solution and leaving residents like me to bear the consequences. There are thousands of school children and staff nearby schools who play, walk, and live in the shadow of these proposed lines. I urge you to treat all the Loudoun residents equally. Do not stop halfway and leave our community vulnerable. Block the

[03:12:19] broadened route by accepting the 8th easement and put the full weight of the county's pressure and dominion to go underground and do the right thing. Thank you for your time. Thank you, sir. Tia Ehrman followed by Gary Higgins followed by Lauren Lilliestolen. Good evening. Good evening, Chair Randall and members of the board. My name is Tia Ehrman speaking on behalf of the PEC and as a 20-year resident of western Loudoun. I know firsthand how several of the votes taken during the TLUC meeting on January 29th will deeply impact those of us who live on gravel roads.

[03:12:58] About a year ago now, PEC was contacted by a group of concerned residents living on Rickard Road in Lovettsville. A large bank but an event facility was seeking board approval to host a max of 199 guests at a max of 100 events per year on a 50-acre parcel nestled along this narrow gravel road filled with hairpin turns. I know Rickard Road very well. I personally help push people out of ditches along this road as the width grading hills and sharp turns often catch unsuspecting drivers off guard. Staff received over 100 comments from neighbors on this application and the public hearing had nearly 40 speakers. Every resident who spoke spoke of their fears

[03:13:34] for their safety and loss of quality of life as this intensive event facility asked to open in their residential community. The applicant agreed to lessen their hours of operation to a max of 7:30 PM outside and 10 PM overall. Decrease the number of events permitted by right and the size of the events, add enhanced buffers and additional turn lanes. As often happens when an application does not get enough support from the board to pass, this event center never returned to go to final vote.

[03:14:02] However, after the votes TLUC took on January 29th, the owners of this parcel may well be celebrating. if the unvetted motion for unlimited private parties with unlimited number of guests passes the full board this spring this applicant could scrap their plans for a banquet and event venue save themselves all of those concessions and open a buy right brewery conducting zero agriculture and open uh this hosting unlimited events on the same residential community on the same road deemed too unsafe the first time around i hope this board will keep all of us residents

[03:14:38] in mind when you cast your votes this may and june thank you thank you ms ermin gary higgins followed by lauren lilly stolen followed by kumar kusun gunty good evening mr higgins madam chair members of the board happy saint patrick's day i am here to speak on behalf of the residents in Loudoun Valley Estates in their opposition to the Mars to Golden overhead lines.

[03:15:08] They are asking them to be underground, undergrounded, and I'm asking you to do whatever you can to mitigate the impact on their neighborhood and their homes, which is a huge impact. But I'm here also to talk about a bigger problem we have in Virginia, and we're going to have here in Loudoun County, and that's what we don't have a coherent energy policy. As a result, we've been relying too much on renewables which has caused us to be the largest state importing power in the nation at 40 percent all these wires that are being strung all over the place are being strung to bring power to virginia because we don't generate our own power this dickerson power plant

[03:15:48] across the river up here you can see very easily that power plant produces 853 megawatts of power what's that mean well we're shutting down 11 000 megawatts of power in virginia and that dickerson power plant will take 4200 acres of solar panels to replace it 4200 so we need to be producing our own power in virginia as winston churchill once said this is not the end this is not the beginning of the end this is the end of the beginning and if the state of virginia does not adopt a coherent energy policy you're going to be dealing with this

[03:16:25] problem over and over and over again because i know of at least three or four more projects that are coming right behind this golden to mars project and we still don't have the power to make it happen thank you thank you mr higgins um lauren lily stolen followed by i'm sorry did i say your name right wrong followed by kumar kusan gunty good evening i apologize for interrupting you i I was just going to save you the time.

[03:16:56] My last name is Lilla Stolen. I'm sorry, Lilla Stolen. No problem. Okay. Good evening, members of the board. Our community has been confronted with the Golden to Mars transmission project because of the unconstrained growth of data centers and the lack of foresight for how to power them.

[03:17:13] Short-sighted decisions got us here. Does this board really want to continue in the same vein? By choosing only to block transmission routes along Loudoun County Parkway when you have the capability and authority to block routes through the Broad Run Stream Valley as well, the board is demonstrating that they've given up on undergrounding, while also showing undue favoritism to residents who live along the highway at the expense of those that live near or use the Broad Run Stream Valley. The land along the Broad Run Stream is valuable and important to all residents in the vicinity because it supports the environmental health of our entire community.

[03:17:48] Before Golden to Mars was proposed, the county adopted a comprehensive plan with an entire chapter dedicated to policies and strategies to preserve areas such as the Broad Run Stream Valley. The county developed a 40-mile trail loop that includes this natural corridor, and the county placed a portion of this land under a conservation easement.

[03:18:07] All these actions show that this green space matters and is worth protecting. Now, because this project makes it inconvenient, decision-makers want to disregard these well-thought-out plans for rash action. The routes proposed in the Stream Valley also impact two public schools that serve a collective 2,700 students and staff.

[03:18:29] Our children and families walk, play, and gather here. The school board voted in favor of school safety, and you should too. To disregard your responsibility to nearby residents, school families, and the greater environment is to do us all a disservice in the long run.

[03:18:46] As a collective entity, let us not be short-sighted again. Please restrict all overhead rights-of-way offered to Dominion. To give more is to play into their hand. Thank you. Thank you. Excuse me. Kumar Kusan Gunty, followed by Cindy Kohler.

[03:19:05] Good evening members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. I am resident of Loudoun Valley State 2. Please use your authority to block all overhead proposed power lines, not just the one along the Loudoun County Parkway.

[03:19:25] If you only block some routes, it reduces the chances of getting an underground option. Allowing any route that you can block is like giving up on the underground solution. Please treat all Loudoun County residents fairly.

[03:19:42] Don't favor one area over another. Also, support existing residents who already live here rather than prioritizing future development like Moorfield Station. There are strong reasons to protect all routes, including those along Broad Run.

[03:19:59] This allows Loughton County comprehensive plan which calls for protecting Broad Run area. This decision affects real people, around 2,400 students, their families, and nearly 300 staff members.

[03:20:15] It impacts their daily lives, including school activities and community events. Also, Parcel 8 open space was meant to be protected forever. It is a valuable natural land for all residents in eastern Loudoun.

[03:20:32] For all these reasons, please block all routes and protect the entire community. Thank you. Thank you. Loudoun and speakers, we have about 15 minutes left for speaking time for us to get to our 90 minutes.

[03:20:49] Okay, so the next speaker is Cindy Kohler, followed by Michael Canfield. Cindy Kohler, are you here? Good evening, Kara Randall and Board of Supervisors. Good evening.

[03:21:05] I'm in the conductant district. Thank you for the opportunity to comment today regarding residents' concerns on safety, speed, large truck usage, and erosion of Wilts Door Road caused by increased commuter traffic.

[03:21:21] While it's positive a new parallel route study is being proposed, there are concerns about the timing and funding. Traffic continues to increase on Wilts Door and other nearby rural roads, and waiting for a study that can take 12 months to determine potential impacts can further delay improvements currently needed.

[03:21:42] Since July of last year, other Wilts Door residents and myself have contacted various state and county agencies to keep us informed, expedite prioritizing immediate safety improvements, mitigate traffic volume, and improve the erosion of the road with limited results.

[03:21:59] Eight months later, I'm asking, can the Board of Supervisors assist us to elevate the following? Prioritize VDOT to focus again on signage or engineering controls to limit 18-wheelers, yes, 18-wheelers from driving down Wilkes-Dore Road, and mitigate increased traffic.

[03:22:20] Wilstor Road has narrowed to a single lane in parts due to the erosion and potholes and VDOT's occasional grading inadequate, affecting school buses and overall traffic safety. We request prioritizing this issue by implementing proper road repairs, leveraging signed Bill 74, which I think Gary Higgins was a part of, in 2024 to improve unpaved secondary roads.

[03:22:48] Lastly, ensure that the Department of Transportation Capital Infrastructure 2025 Traffic Study results are released and reviewed and available to the public prior to doing other studies. We appreciate your support and leadership to help us preserve Wilkes-Dor's rural road character and keep us safe and usable for Luckett's residents.

[03:23:12] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Kohler. Michael Canfield, followed by Brian Turner. good evening sir good evening and good evening board members my name is mike canfield i live in louden valley states and have lived in louden county for over 20 years like many residents i came to louden as my family began to grow my wife and i envision our kids riding our bikes riding their bikes up and down the streets playing in the community pool walking out on the trails enjoying nature and just letting their imaginations run wild and this was at a time when the term screen time wasn't even on our radar. As our children grew we invested ourselves in the community

[03:23:51] as well. My wife Carrie spent several summers volunteering for the local swim team. I volunteered for almost 20 years as a youth basketball coach and soccer coach. 10 years ago I changed my career and became a teacher here in Loudoun County. We've tried to give back as much to Loudoun.

[03:24:09] We have tried to give as much back to Loudoun as our family has as Loudoun has given to our family and tonight we are asking the board to support us if you don't live in our community you might be tempted to think what's the big deal with this project there are power lines all over the place and it's just a fact of life however dominion themselves have told us that this project is quote unprecedented in their own terms they have never run high voltage lines like these before through such a densely established community this means that for most of their routes towers will impose themselves over and next to houses in a way that has never been done anywhere in Virginia.

[03:24:47] If it happens, it will destroy the fabric and the identity of our community. I'm sure you view your own homes as your sanctuary, a place where you can go to get away from the stresses of life. Things like this board meeting, I'm sure. If dominions above ground lines are allowed to rip through our neighborhood, that sanctuary is lost to us and to future homeowners. The tree-shaded walking trails will be obliterated the opportunity to go and take a walk just to clear your head will be muted at best our ask is simple please accept all eight easements you accepted seven

[03:25:24] go and take the eight please do what you can put your power behind and protect our community thank you mr camp our kids have played basketball against each other i recognize you oh my We'll have to decide which one. I hope we treated you well. Brian Turner, followed by Steve Gantz.

[03:25:44] Good evening. Good evening, Chair Randall, members of the Board of Supervisors. I'm Brian Turner, and I represent Lowndon Valley Estates and the HOA Roundtable. I want to begin the way I did last time when I spoke to this board by thanking you for your support of the Underground Initiative for the Marsigle and Transmission Line.

[03:26:03] Our community would not have made the progress we have without your leadership, and we are truly grateful for that. However, our work is not finished. The Mars to Golden Lines would not be necessary but for the exponential growth and energy demand by data centers. And Dominion continued suggestion that a worse route remains a possibility simply does not hold weight. They refer to Route 1F as fail-safe, but the reality is Route 1F is fiction, something confirmed through FOIA requests made to VDOT. While the county, the community, and several of our legislators

[03:26:39] have worked tirelessly to mitigate the impacts of this industry, the data centers themselves have largely ignored, often opposed meaningful collaboration. I provided the board and the press with communications and excerpts from the SEC proceedings showing that the county, the community, and Senator Sharana Vasan reached out to Amazon regarding a transition station at its site, and to the data center coalition more broadly to engage constructively.

[03:27:07] Each request was met with no meaningful response. Our community is prepared to do its part. We will support the county by entering into the necessary easements. But if the data center industry wants to have a voice in receiving its power delivered to their data centers in a more timely fashion, then they need to come to the table and work with the county and the community.

[03:27:29] then, we respectfully ask this board to move forward with securing all eight easements and ensure that Lowndes County, not outside interest, retains control over whether lines go underground or do not go in at all. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Next up is Steve Gans, followed by Adam Hiller, followed by Brandon Davidson. Thank you. My name is Steve Gans. I live in Leesburg, and I'm here on behalf of the hundreds of members of the Loco Disc Golf Club and Nova Disc Golf Association in support of the proposed disc golf course at the West Park property.

[03:28:05] Members of the disc golf community have met directly with Supervisor Umstadt and with residents from the surrounding neighborhoods of West Park to better understand their concerns over the past few months. In Supervisor Umstadt's January newsletter, discs were described as projectiles.

[03:28:24] In reality, discs are thrown. They're not propelled by any artificial devices. Residents also raised concern about buffers between the course and nearby homes. On the site in question, as you know, is a former golf course, a sport that requires roughly three times the space of a disc golf course.

[03:28:48] Golf balls travel hundreds of yards while discs travel hundreds of feet. The latest county designs include generous buffers with holes designed specifically to throw away from nearby homes. Regarding the proposed parking lots, in practice, disc golf tends to see modest traffic spread throughout the day with players typically arriving in small groups of two to four people.

[03:29:15] The surrounding streets already provide ample parking to accommodate that level of use, and we definitely would understand eliminating some of that parking. There were some concerns about amplified noise and monitoring disc golfers, but like hiking, jogging, or walking your dog, disc golf is a quiet activity played by small groups walking through the park.

[03:29:39] It doesn't require supervision any more than those passive recreational uses. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the county staff to demonstrate disc golf for the residents of West Park next Tuesday at 5.30 p.m., and we hope to see some of you out there to learn more.

[03:29:55] Thank you so much for your time. Thank you, sir. Adam Hiller, followed by Brandon Davidson, followed by Vani Putaneni. Good evening, board. My name is Adam Hiller. I'm a resident of Leesburg, and I'm a disc golfer.

[03:30:15] I'm not speaking on behalf of Loco Disc Golf Club, by the way. I'm asking you to include the disc golf into the final design of West Park. This is a more than $20 million public investment, and it's important that the park offers a variety of ways for people across the county to enjoy it.

[03:30:36] Disc golf is a low-cost, relatively quiet, and accessible form of recreation that people of all ages can participate in. It would bring consistent, healthy use to the park while still fitting within passive recreational goals.

[03:30:53] Importantly, the design has already evolved to reflect community input, and the current course layout is more responsive to concerns from nearby residents. This property was previously a golf course, so disc golf would be a lower-impact way to continue using recreational uses within the land.

[03:31:12] And it can be thoughtfully worked into the space to coexist with the other users, as I've talked with Kristen Amstead about previously. So I won't use up all my time, but thank you, board, for considering that. Thank you. Next up is Vani Potaneni, followed by Britton Rogan, followed by Lori Warwick.

[03:31:37] Vani Potaneni? yes uh thank you everyone good evening everyone thank you for giving me this opportunity i have been the resident of loudon valley estates for the last 17 years and i'm here to oppose my uh proposition from the dominion energies proposed 500 kv golden to mass transmission lines that go overhead routes within our beautiful community after proposed route the one of the one that that goes on the loudon county parkway in particular would place more than 1100 homes

[03:32:14] Stonehill Middle School, Moorfield Station Elementary School, and the Inova emergency facility within just 100 to 500 feet of high voltage lines. I respectfully urge the board to require Dominion to seriously consider partial or full underground options for the proposed 500 kV transmission lines.

[03:32:33] These include impact not only the health and safety of thousands of children, families, and elderly residents, but also the financial well-being of homeowners whose lifetime savings are invested in these homes. Property values would be severely affected if the high-voltage lines run just a few hundred feet from homes.

[03:32:51] Please, please put the health, safety, and financial security of our communities as the top priority and protect our neighborhoods and schools from this unnecessary risk. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. I inadvertently skipped Brandon Davidson, so we'll go with Brandon Davidson, followed by Britton Rogan, followed by Lori Warwick.

[03:33:12] Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, and Supervisor Umstadt. My name is Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Davidson, United States Marine Corps. I live here in Leesburg. I'm here because Loudoun County has taken unlawful tax enforcement actions against my family in direct violation of federal law, specifically the Service Members Civil Relief Act and the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act as amended by Congress in 2018.

[03:33:42] Congress could not have been clearer. In 2018, it amended Title 50 U.S. Code Section 4001A3 to state, for any taxable year of the marriage, the spouse of a service member may elect to use the same residence for purposes of taxation as the service member, regardless of the date on which the marriage occurred.

[03:34:02] There is no physical presence requirement. Congress removed it deliberately. My spouse elected Nevada as her tax residence beginning 2021. I've maintained Nevada as my legal domicile throughout my every tour in Virginia. My presence here has always been solely in compliance with military orders, as defined in the federal statute. Despite this, the county has issued improper personal property tax assistance against my spouse for multiple years, garnished $3,736.98 from my account and $542.50 from hers,

[03:34:39] ignored my military orders, my LES, and the federal protections Congress enacted to prevent exactly this kind of overreach. Physical presence does not override federal law. Driver's licenses, voter registration, and home ownership do not override federal law.

[03:34:56] Case law, going back to Boone v. Leitner in 1949, makes clear that the SCRA must be liberally construed to protect service members who drop their own affairs to take up the burdens of the nation. I have formally disputed these actions with the Commissioner and the Treasurer.

[03:35:16] The county tonight continues to assert authority it does not have. Tonight, I'm asking for immediate action, exoneration of all improper assessments from 2021 to present, full refunds of the garnished amounts, correction of county records to further prevent unlawful taxation.

[03:35:36] Federal law is not optional. Loudoun County must comply with the SCRA and the MSRA. Sir, thank you. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. This is for every military family, ma'am. I understand what you're saying. So thank you. I'm sorry. I didn't go from here.

[03:35:53] We literally have... Three minutes left, so we can get to, let's say, two more speakers. Let's go with Britton Rogan, followed by Lori Warwick. Hi, I'm from the Little River District, and I wanted to talk to you guys this evening about the Transportation and Land Use Committee in reference to specifically farm breweries.

[03:36:21] I've got two notes I wanted to review. One is a statement that really my understanding is that first it should be a farm and then it should be a brewery. And I know you're going to be discussing this more tomorrow than you are this evening, but I think that's a pretty important distinction, farm first, brewery second, and maybe using that as guidelines moving forward.

[03:36:42] Secondly, I wanted to, if it hadn't yet been addressed, revisit the Diamond Hill project. I don't know if anyone remembered that. It was a proposal that came through, gosh, probably three or four years ago now to a piece of land that was going to require a lot of special exemptions.

[03:37:02] Everyone on the board vehemently opposed this project. And I think it would be a great precedent to use moving forward as you review the farm breweries within the Transportation and Land Use Committee meeting tomorrow, the Diamond Hill Project.

[03:37:21] really, I think everyone kind of agreed on what they were wanting to do and how it was not appropriate for the area. And I think it would be interesting to compare that everyone agreed upon to what's kind of happening now. That's it. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And our final speaker will be Lori Warwick. Good evening. Thank you, Chair Randall and the entire board for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Lori Warwick and my husband and I, along with our two

[03:37:56] sons, have been proud residents of Loudoun Valley Estates for more than 22 years. We were among the early buyers and like so many families, we chose LVE because of its tranquility, the natural buffer of trees, the quiet trails, and the sense of peace that wrapped around our neighborhood. Today, that peace is under threat. Dominion's proposal to run massive transmission towers directly through our community would permanently scar the landscape that drew so many of us here. These structures aren't just tall. They are overwhelming, industrial, and completely incompatible, frankly unacceptable, for a residential neighborhood that has existed for decades.

[03:38:36] You, the board, have stood with us from the beginning. You've listened, you've conducted research, you've asked hard questions, and you've pushed for solutions that protect people, not just power lines. We are deeply grateful for that. Tonight, I'm asking you to continue that leadership with three asks. Please support the Underground Pilot Program, please continue advocating for the hybrid route, and please work with us on executing all easements. These options protect our homes, our safety, our property values, and the character of a community that has been part of Loudon's fabric for more than two decades. We are not asking for special treatment. We're

[03:39:13] asking for fairness, for thoughtful planning, and for the preservation of the place we've invested our lives in. Thank you for standing with us, and thank you for continuing to fight for a solution that respects the families who call LVE home. Thank you. Thank you very much, and thank you, Mr. Vaischer-Turna, for taking the capital for me for a second. So that is literally exactly 90 minutes of public comment, so I appreciate that. So we will be taking no more public comment on the issues in the agenda. However, supervisors, we do have to do our

[03:39:49] once a year public hearing for the notice of the real property tax increase. And so what I have to do is not adjourn, but recess this meeting, read us into the public hearing for the personal property tax increase, call for any speakers on that, and after those speakers if there are any adjourn that meeting on the recess the meeting we're in now and do the final item and then adjourn that meeting you know I'm sure

[03:40:23] you don't want to do the final item now it's just you're gonna go straight to a motion that was my plan I mean it was on consent but that was once I know we had one speaker that took it off and said either way it's fine it either way Anyway, I don't think we have any speakers here for the personal property tax increase.

[03:40:44] I think we had -- well, we may have one still. We may have one still, but we can get back to it. It doesn't matter if the tax rate is -- well, it does matter if the tax rate is.

[03:41:00] That's not true. It does matter if the tax rate is, sorry. is required if personal property taxes could increase, even if real property taxes, even if car tax goes down, and that will, it still is required for if personal property taxes could increase. That's how that works. Okay? Okay, so let's go and do your issue because then that would just, if we do that, if we do that, I still got to recess the meeting because I still have to come back to adjourn this out of the first meeting.

[03:41:37] So either way, I've got to do it. Yeah, yes, I do. So just go on and do your meeting right now. I mean, go do your item right now. Do your meeting item right now. This is item number nine in tonight's business meeting. Madam Chair, I move the Board of Supervisors direct staff to conduct the Route 15 parallel roadways north of Leesburg study as outlined in the March 17, 2026 Board of Supervisors business action item.

[03:41:59] I further move the Board of Supervisors authorize the amendment of the fiscal year 2026, capital improvement program by directing staff to establish capital projects and execute a budget adjustment, which moves $300,000 from the project management consulting services account into the capital projects fund to the newly established capital project for the Route 15 parallel roadways north of Leesburg study. Second. Motion is made. Second by Supervisor Amstead. Discussion on that motion, Mr. Kirchner. Just briefly, Madam Chair, this is something that staff brought forward, and I think that staff has been getting a lot of calls on this, as has my office that we've shared with them as well. My staff, as well as professional staff here at the county, have gone back and

[03:42:38] forth on a lot of these issues that have arisen. My office is often inundated with a lot of the complaints on these various roads. And this is going to cover, if you look at the slide, Will Store Road, Taylorstown Road, Bald Hill Road, New Valley Church Road, Stumptown Road, Montessori Road, St. Clair Lane, Luckett's Road, Chapel Lane, Falcon Air Place, Spinks, Ferro, Limestone, School Road. Many of these are rural in nature. Many of them are gravel roads in nature. And of course, one of the things we're trying to fix on Route 15, as many know, and that's because water always takes the shortest route, is all the offshoots that are occurring

[03:43:14] during high traffic periods off from 15. And these are just an example of some of the roads. I'm really grateful for staff bringing this forward and suggesting we need to come up with solutions obviously during some of the building of Route 15 as well as now a lot of these improvements could go in place and make that corridor a far far better traveled corridor than it is currently and then also when the improvements are taking place so I appreciate my fellow supervisors support it's really really critical for this what we're doing here in this corridor thank you madam chair thank you mr. Kirshner anyone else like to speak on

[03:43:51] this issue. So this is item number nine. Yes, Ms. Toproni. So I'm happy to support, but I do have a question for staff. I don't know if they could come down. Yeah, thank you. Let me go back and read the motion again. Okay. Thank you. So my office got an email asking if it would be possible to look not just at the roads in the Luckett area, but roads that also suffer from excessive excessive speeding from cut-through traffic headed to Route 15, specifically in Taylorstown

[03:44:30] and Waterford. So I don't know if that's feasible or if this has to be just, you know, to look at a more comprehensive picture, if it just has to be the ones that you identified on the parallel routes. Good evening. Heather Dietz with the Department of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure. The current fee proposal that's before the board includes the roads that are outlined and identified as Mr. Kirshner just detailed. I think it is possible that we could speak with the consultant about including it if there's a, you know, other areas that make sense

[03:45:05] as long as they're within that current fee. Okay, great. Thank you. That was, that was my only question. Thank you. No closing comments, Madam Chair. So, and this might be a question for whom ever. So if I'm reading this motion correctly, the, the, I further moved part of the motion, And the $300,000 will move from the Project Management Consulting Service account to the Capital Projects Fund for the purpose of the study.

[03:45:35] Is that correct? Is that correct? So that's moving for the purpose of that $300,000 is for the study? Correct. Okay, that's fine. All right. I'm fine with that. Because all we're doing is study.

[03:45:51] So that's fine. And I assume, if I can interject, obviously, hopefully that leads to a number of improvements and or traffic calming measures that could potentially occur after we get those results back. I mean, that's the whole purpose of this. What would be the ETA in that study, maybe?

[03:46:07] Right now, it's scope for one year. We will try to improve that. It includes a public outreach meeting. We would return to the board with any recommended remedies that would need additional funding. Okay, that sounds good. All right. Thank you so much. Motion is made by Supervisor Kirshner, seconded by Supervisor Umstel.

[03:46:24] Please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 9 to 0. So before I adjourn this and then go to the public comment, public hearing, I do want to say that there were quite a few people who had signed up to speak and we just didn't get to you because we do 90 minutes of speaking.

[03:46:49] First of all, you can always, always speak at any meeting for 90 minutes, like today's meeting, so feel free to do that. You can always send us, the board, or any one of us, an email. Usually phone calls just don't, it's just hard.

[03:47:04] It's hard to catch people on phone calls, so the best way probably is come to speak or an email. I do want to say, though, that this was a very helpful public hearing, very helpful public input. I will be -- Mr. Sains has offered to take me out to the neighborhood.

[03:47:25] I will take him up on the offer. I will try -- the reason I tried to identify who I would go -- whose house I would go to is because I was caught one time roaming around someone's backyard and forgot to tell them, and it was not good for me or for them, and they were fully within their rights to have have done anything at that moment. So I usually try to identify who you are and tell you what time I'm coming so that neither one of us are scared when I show up at your house and

[03:48:02] run around your yard. So I will be calling, talking to Mr. Saines and probably visiting and probably visiting one or two or somebody. Well, I might want to visit more than one. I might want to visit more than one of your houses just so you know that, all right?

[03:48:25] So that's why I was asking because I will be making those phone calls. And I think, supervisors, I think for this meeting before I open up the public session, does anyone have anything else? I believe I can adjourn and then we open the public hearing.

[03:48:43] Are we good? All right, supervisors, then I adjourn our business meeting. And now I am going to, oh, y'all don't want to stay for this next part of time, I see. I'm going to give everybody a second to clear out because they don't want to stay a lot.

[03:49:53] All right, thank you, Mr. Crony.

[03:50:49] I'm going to call on the March 17, 2026 Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Public Hearing. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, please switch your hearing aid to the telecom mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. A reminder to the public who want to speak that you have two minutes.

[03:51:08] Please address your comments to the board. When your name is called, come to the podium closest to you. I'll call your name. When your time is expired, please yield the podium to the next speaker. I have one person who was signed up to speak.

[03:51:24] If he was trying to sign up to speak for this, and that person is Mr. Gary Higgins. And I will ask before, did you still want to do that? Yes? And I will ask before Mr. Higgins comes, is there anybody else who wants to speak on this item? Put your hand down.

[03:51:41] Is there anybody on the phone? So that means I have an hour and a half? No, not. You can speak to an empty room. That's what's going to happen. Is there anybody on the phone who'd like to speak? Do we have anybody online? Mr. Higgins, hello, sir, and you have two minutes.

[03:51:59] Madam Chair, members of the board, happy St. Patrick's Day again. It is an honor to be before you twice in the same night. I don't think I have ever done this before. I would like to speak out against the property tax rate and the increase of the property tax.

[03:52:19] I know the rate itself may go down, but the rate is only part of the equation. The other part is the assessment. And if you're not dealing with the equalized rate, you're not dealing with property taxes properly. I can speak to the fact that my property taxes where I live have gone up over 50% since I left this board, and that was in 2020.

[03:52:49] So they're up over 50%. If you don't believe me, go check it out. And so the equalized rate is the one you want to be talking about. And I would hope that you won't increase the income tax or the property taxes this year because, and I don't mean the rate, I mean the equalized rate because it is affecting people, particularly out my way.

[03:53:12] And to that issue, we have a school system that is willing to walk away close to $100 million on a Title IX suit. On another issue, because of mis-accounting, they lost or had to pay back another $30 million.

[03:53:33] And they just lost a lawsuit last week or the week before on a Title IX issue that the settlement has not been disclosed yet or may not be disclosable. and so right there we're talking about someone in the neighborhood of 150 million dollars that we wouldn't have to spend if we had responsible people at the school board so i'm out of time good to see you twice we'll see you next time thank you thank you mr higgins um anybody else and no one on the phone okay seeing none and hearing none i'm going to adjourn the public

[03:54:09] hearing and we have already adjourned the board meeting so we're done

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