Sparks fly in historic Philomont over surprise plans for new firehouse

As fires continue to rage on the West Coast, a blaze has ignited in Western Loudoun County over the proposed construction of a new Philomont Fire Station on the village’s beloved old Horse Show Grounds.

Not surprisingly, this fire’s been lit by a failure to communicate.

First brush fire

Early in September 2020, residents of Philomont, located seven miles south of Purcellville, received a “Winter 2020” newsletter from their Philomont Volunteer Fire Department with an unexpected announcement: “Loudoun County Fire and Rescue is currently in preparation for an information briefing to the greater Philomont community. The purpose of this briefing is to inform the community of their early planning for a new Fire Station to serve the Philmont
Community and the surrounding area. They will delve into their estimated design and construction timeline as well as possible locations, if applicable.”

This headline also raised eyebrows: “Philomont Horse Show Retiring.”

To express their concerns, several community leaders attended the Sept. 15 meeting of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, where they were astonished to learn that the Supervisors were also in the dark.

However, nothing prepared local early voters for this item on their ballots:

Lloyd McCliggott, who served as chairman of the board of the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department for many years, tells the backstory from the villagers’ point of view: “Unbeknownst to the community, Loudoun County Fire and Rescue has been planning to build a new 18,500 square-foot firehouse at the site of the Philomont Horse Show Grounds in the village. The County’s FY 2021 adopted budget has allocated $21.6M towards the replacement of the current firehouse and is part of the $29.5M question on the current ballot.

“All this has been accomplished without one citizen meeting or, for that matter, any other outreach to the residents of Philomont,” McCliggott added.

Madeline Skinner, chair of the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance and the Philomont Village Foundation, voiced the community’s “overwhelming desire to retain the existing firehouse as it currently exists.”

According to Skinner, “Our firehouse has been the subject of County-funded studies related to building condition, air quality, septic, and well inspections. All studies and inspections found the building and its infrastructure to be in good shape and free of hazardous conditions. It is efficient and part of what makes Philomont a charming village.” She also noted that the Philomont firehouse is fewer than nine miles and 15 minutes (at posted speed limits) from four other western Loudoun firehouses—Aldie, Middleburg, Purcellville, and Round Hill.

“What’s more,” Skinner said, “locating a firehouse on the Horse Show Grounds on Snickersville Turnpike, and with historic homes in very close proximity, would be dangerous. The community would prefer to keep their green space and have a park for all to enjoy.”

The view from the firehouse 

Of course, the management and staff at the Philomont firehouse see things differently.

Administrator Chris Young explains, “Since the Philomont firehouse was built more than 60 years ago—with $17,000 raised by local volunteers—its needs have grown but volunteering has not kept pace.” With fewer volunteers, the fire department has had to fill its personnel needs with 24/7 Loudoun County Fire Department career staff.

Doug Frost, Philomont fire department’s board chair, wrote in the current newsletter, “The fire department board of directors and [fire] company executives anticipated these changes back in 2015 and formally requested that Loudoun County plan for the eventual takeover of the fire and rescue needs of our community. The County subsequently added a budget placeholder in the Loudoun County Capital Improvement Plan to fund the construction of a new County-owned fire and rescue facility, somewhere in Philomont.

“Our [existing] facility cannot be reconfigured to meet the latest County standards,” Frost added. “Thus, in about five or six years, we will see the construction of a new LCFR facility to meet the anticipated future needs of our ever-growing community. We are offering the County a building site on the old seven-acre horse show grounds at no cost. We are also tentatively reserving a couple of acres for future use by the community.”

Real cost and the Comprehensive Plan 

In the long run, the real cost of the proposed firehouse in the historic village will be incalculable, say Western Loudoun residents.

The zoning committee chair of the Loudoun County Preservation & Conservation Coalition, Maura Walsh-Copeland, raises this key question for the Loudoun County Supervisors and other officials: “How does the size, scale, and type of community involvement for this new firehouse meet the policies of the Comprehensive Plan as approved by the Board of Supervisors, with the full support of the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance?” (The Alliance brings together the unincorporated villages of Aldie, Bluemont, Lincoln, Lucketts, Paeonian Springs, Philomont, St. Louis, Taylorstown, Unison, and Waterford on issues of mutual concern.)

Walsh-Copeland points to relevant policies approved by Loudoun’s Supervisors: “Development and uses in Rural Historic Villages must be compatible with the historic development pattern, community character, visual identity, intensity, and scale of the individual villages.” The policies also stipulate that the County will “work with Rural Historic Villages to develop community plans that will support their community goals and address issues related to land use and zoning; economic development; natural, environmental, and historic resources; community facilities and services.”

These Rural Historic Villages policies, Philomont residents agree, apply to the Horse Show Grounds. In its early years, the spring horse show had been held at a nearby farm, but when the owners sold and moved on, the show needed a home for the newly organized fire department’s benefits. So, the community came to the rescue, raising some $6,000 for the PVFD to purchase the seven privately held acres in the village. This is the same land the PVFD intends to give to the County for the proposed fire station.

New vs. renovated fire stations

In its efforts to bring Western Loudoun’s firehouses up to current standards, the Loudoun County Fire Department has worked with local departments in Hamilton, Purcellville, Round Hill, and Aldie to construct new stations that are located outside historic areas.

Meanwhile, similar needs of two other stations—Middleburg in 2014 and Leesburg-Plaza Street this year—have been met with modest expansions and successful renovations on their existing sites. Both certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, these stations have acquired new kitchens, dining areas, restrooms, locker rooms, and training/exercise spaces, as well as additional office spaces and bunkrooms.

As the Blue Ridge Leader goes to press, officials of the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue Department and the Philomont Volunteer Fire Department are preparing to present their plans at the first community meeting to date. Residents have been advised that they may not give their own presentation but only ask questions. It is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Woodgrove High School and by virtual participation.

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Middleburg’s fire station award-winning renovation

In November 2014, Middleburg’s fire station won Firehouse Magazine’s Renovation Gold award for transforming “a severely undersized and outdated facility compromised with a structurally failing roof and regular water damage in the apparatus bays” and cramped residential wing into “a compact 16,000-square-foot design with a new two-story wing, providing space for 14 semi-private bunkrooms. With the bunkrooms on the second floor,” Firehouse explained, “the main level is dedicated to operational spaces and a shared training/community room. The apparatus bays were retained and expanded with new bay support spaces and a training mezzanine.

“The exterior character of the building,” noted Firehouse, “benefits from a simple, yet carefully considered palette of residential materials intended to blend into the neighborhood, while subtly announcing its presence as a civic building.”

The station was built on the watch of Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue Department Chief W. Keith Brower, Jr., now retired and replaced by Keith Johnson. Paul R. Erickson of Reston-based LeMay Erickson Willcox Architects, working with Bowman Consulting Group, designed the facility. Ehlert Bryan managed structural engineering.

Total Cost (in 2014 dollars): $4,306,000.