Information Meeting on Proposed Middle School Near Newton-Lee

Loudoun County will be holding an Information Session on the proposed Middle School to be built next to Newton-Lee Elementary School.  It will be held this Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 06:30 PM at the LCPS Administration Building, Room 100A (21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA).

Click Here to See Slides

From the Loudoun County Public Schools Website:

[The meeting will be held] to review the proposed MS-6, Ashburn area middle school to be co-located with the Newton-Lee Elementary School. A Zoning Concept Plan Amendment application (ZCPA 2011-0006) has been filed to allow a middle school and recreational facilities on 42.30 acres of land located in the southern portion of the community of Belmont. The site is more particularly identified as MCPI 115-28-0837 and 115-17-9052, situated south of Gloucester Parkway, north of the W&OD Trail, east of single family attached homes in Belmont, the Chase at Belmont and a vacant R-1 zoned property. The site is west of Claiborne Parkway and is situated within the Broad Run Election District.

The purpose of the meetings is to share information with the surrounding community on the proposed sites. We understand that many families are traveling during the summer months. If you are unable to attend, please do not hesitate to contact our office for further information. In addition, there is a PowerPoint project summary for each site on the LCPS website (www.lcps.org) under the Quick Link for Planning and Legislative Services. The boundary process for these schools will take place approximately one year prior to opening.

New Children's Science Center Firefly Program

The Children’s Science Center is a interactive children’s museum being planned for Northern Virginia focused on math and science. Before we open our doors, though, we have spent the past few years working toward our goal to make science and math cool again through our “Museum without Walls” program. You may have seen us at one of the community events throughout Northern Virginia where we have provided engaging, science-focused activities for children ages 2-12.

The Children's Science Center is managing Operation Firefly, a summer program that invites children and families to become Citizen Scientists to help count fireflies throughout Northern Virginia. Firefly populations have been inconsistent in recent years and they may be fast disappearing from the earth due to environmental changes. The Children’s Science Center, in partnership with the Museum of Science, Boston, and researchers at Tufts University and Fitchburg State College, have teamed up to help observe and track firefly populations in our local area. Together, we hope to make an impact on vital research needed to learn how to protect fireflies and become good stewards of the environment.

The program will run now through July 31, 2011. Participants are asked to choose a day of the week to observe fireflies for 10 minutes in the evening, record their observations and upload the information to the Firefly Watch database. The Website also contains information and tips on observing fireflies.

Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy Presents "Batty About Bats!"

Batty About Bats!

Wednesday, July 20, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 pm.

Broadlands Community Center, 43008 Waxpool Rd, Broadlands

Join The Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy as they welcome Leslie Sturges of Bat World NOVA and learn about the fascinating world of nature’s only flying mammals and their important role in our ecosystem. Loudoun County is home to seven species of bats, some of which are common and some rare. After the lecture we will walk around the community center and eavesdrop on bats’ ultrasonic calls as they forage for bugs. This free, family program is co-sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and the Broadlands Wildlife Habitats Committee.

Questions? Contact Laura McGranaghan at lmcgranaghan@loudounwildlife.org

Ashburn Community Outreach Project Survey

(The following text is from a Loudoun County Press Release)

Loudoun County wants to hear about your perceptions of living and working in the Ashburn.  Following the success of previous outreach efforts, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has initiated the Ashburn Community Outreach Project. 

The purpose of the project is to conduct a dialogue with citizens of the Ashburn community in order to identify neighborhood and community-wide priorities and to develop recommended strategies to aid in future planning.   The project will include a process that is both comprehensive and inclusive and will conclude with a consensus report given to the Board of Supervisors in the first quarter of 2012. 

The project has launched a survey to gather citizen input.  Surveys will be collected through the end of August and the results will be released in the fall.  
 

Take the Survey

The surveys are part of a number of public participation activities planned to gather citizen input as part of the project, including interactive public workshops in the fall.   You can stay connected to the project by sending a message to ashburn.outreach@loudoun.gov with a request to be added to the Ashburn Network e-mail list.  

 

This is an important effort in the growth and development of Ashburn.  We encourage you to take part in this survey

-Belmont Board of Directors