Who will really represent the interests of western Loudoun

Dear Editor:

Courtland Milloy, in a Washington Post column dated 2/16/22, describes Loudoun County as “beautiful equestrian country”. He must be talking about western Loudoun County as eastern Loudoun is now home to a multitude of town houses, clusters of retail stores, and data centers. Horses are few and far between. Now it seems that western Loudoun is also headed in that direction, if the Board of Supervisors continues on the path it seems to be going in.

The incumbent Loudoun County Board of Supervisors pays more attention to renaming roads and removing statues, then addressing more substantial needs of our community. Due to the inaction of the current LCBOS, the emerald ribbons initiative to develop horse, biking and hiking trails is dying a slow death.

When is the last time you saw a new park in Western Loudoun? Beautiful fields from Purcellville to Round Hill to Lovettsville are now filled with cookie cutter houses. A proposed new firehouse in Philomont is planned to be built on the site of the oldest horse show in Loudoun County. This new facility will cost Loudoun County taxpayers over $25 million to build.

Yesterday. I noticed the Loudoun County Planning Commission has scheduled a hearing on October 24, to give special approval to allow the building of the proposed new fire station on the only publicly owned parcel of land in the Philomont area.

Members of the Philomont community have collect 451 signatures on a petition calling for the renovation of the existing fire station and the preservation of the existing horse show grounds as a public park. Only 8 Loudoun County citizens have refused to sign this petition.

A member of the community has stepped forward with viable alternative plans to renovate the old station. This represents overwhelming community support not to build a new fire station, but Loudoun County government continues to ignore the wishes of the community and press forward with there plans to build this new fire station.

When will Loudoun County government listen? The $25 million targeted for this new station could be better used to fund sorely needed public recreational parks and facilities. The Western Loudoun community does not need nor want this new fire station. It is simply not necessary. It does need the kind of open spaces envisioned by the emerald ribbons’ initiative.

It appears we need change. A new LCBOS will be elected in November. Supervisor Kershner has shown repeated that he is controlled by developers and other special interests. That is why I am supporting John Ellis for the Catoctin District, and Laura Tekrony for the Little River District as candidates for the LCBOS. They will work hard to keep Loudoun County beautiful and will cut wasteful spending.

Lloyd McCliggott
Philomont