PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Permit No. 50 Purcellville, VA 20132 Citizen Update FALL 2007 VOL. 2, NO. 1 TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE, VIRGINIA Town Aims to Shield Fireman’s Field From Development Purcellville to Buy Land for Community By Sandhya Somashekhar into a conservation easement, Washington Post Staff Writer protecting it from development. Reprinted with permission from the Washington Post “Wherever I go and talk about it, I bout two dozen members of the Ashburn get a lot of smiles and positive Farm Barracudas swim team took leave comments about it because A from the pool on a recent afternoon to do Fireman’s Field means a lot, not laps around the Purcellville Skating Rink. Kids in just to Purcellville but all of west- roller skates with bright orange wheels zoomed ern Loudoun,”said Robert W. around the old building, occasionally collapsing Lazaro Jr., Purcellville’s mayor. onto the buffed wooden floor, then grinning as if it were made of cotton candy. For 50 years, Fireman’s Field has belonged to the Purcellville On Tuesday night, the Purcellville Town Council Volunteer Fire Company, which Mayor Bob Lazaro and the Town Council join with the vowed to keep the property on which the rink has maintained the sports fields, Officers of Company 2 of the Purcellville Volunteer Fire sits open to the community and all of its giggling, the baseball stadium and the rink, Department to sign the documents transferring ownership tumbling children. which was built in 1904 as a reli- of Fireman’s Field to the Town. gious meeting hall for the town. For 50 years, Fireman’s Field has Fontaine said, the department had to pay It has been a central place for family activities for $240,000 for a new roof. belonged to the Purcellville years. On Friday nights, the rink is transformed Volunteer Fire Company, which into “The Vibe,”attracting hundreds of teens, who As the maintenance costs have risen, so, too, have come to dance, play Foosball or just hang out. the demands on the fire company. Purcellville’s has maintained the sports fields, Dozens of youth football and baseball games are population has exploded in the past decade with the baseball stadium and the rink, played on the fields, including the Babe Ruth the housing developments that have cropped up, which was built in 1904 as a World Series for 13-year-olds, which is planned but the all-volunteer department hasn’t been able for next month. to keep pace, Fontaine said. religious meeting hall for the town. The fire department decided to sell the 12.5-acre “We don’t have the manpower anymore to be property because it could no longer afford its able to take care of it the way it needs to be Council members voted to buy the rink and upkeep, said Mark Fontaine, vice president of the taken care of,”he said.“Because of the growth in Fireman’s Field, the sports park that surrounds it, fire company. Company members received small our area, the fires and the amount of calls have for $1.7 million.Although the land is zoned for salaries to maintain the grounds and the rink, and townhouses, officials say they will seek to put it the building needed constant work. One year, Continued on page 4 Town Police Department Receives Virginia Municipal League Achievement Award n August, the Town of Purcellville received a government judges.This awards competition is at a time when the historic icon of the Police 2007 Virginia Municipal League Achievement very competitive and considered the pinnacle of Officer as a ‘community helper’ is vanishing in I Award for local governments serving commu- government awards at the state level. our society.” nities with a population between 5,000 and 10,000.The Virginia Municipal League is a The Town’s population awards entry titled, The Town will receive this award at the annual statewide non-profit, non-partisan association of “Engagement of our Community Youth by our VML conference in October.A copy of the city, town and county governments established in Purcellville Police Department” received the top application submitted for the award can be 1905 to improve and assist local governments award under our population category. Based on viewed at www.purcellvilleva.gov. I through legislative advocacy, research, education correspondence from David Parsons from VML, and other services.The membership includes 39 the judges were impressed with the Town’s cities, 157 towns and 12 counties.The Virginia program and said,“Purcellville recognized the Mayor & Town Council Municipal League Achievement Awards competi- social effects that its growth and changing Robert W. Lazaro, Jr., Mayor tion is conducted annually to encourage and demographics were having on the community. Christopher J. Walker, III, Vice-Mayor recognize excellence and innovation in Virginia The Town broke with the more traditional Gregory W. Wagner Local Governments. It includes five categories community policy methods that focus on adults, Thomas A. Priscilla, Jr. based on population so that local governments instead choosing to target it priorities on youth Stephen Varmecky can compete with other local governments of programs. Purcellville deliberately set out to James O. Wiley comparable size. change its paradigm in a top-down strategy by Janet S. Clarke seeking out new leadership with a history of This year, the Town of Purcellville submitted four successful commitment to youth.The positive TOWN OF PURCELLVILLE award applications that were reviewed over a publicity that was generated further improved 130 East Main Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 two-month period by an independent panel of the image of law enforcement in the community www.purcellvilleva.gov FALL 2007 PURCELLVILLEVA.GOV PURCELLVILLE CITIZEN UPDATE Message based on land use policies and projected growth Transportation patterns.The project team had its kick off from meeting in August 2007 and the study is project- Mayor Improvements ed to be performed over a two-year period.The Town Council Transportation Committee will be Bob Lazaro Update seeking interest from residents and the business community to appoint two representatives to the Dear Neighbors: project team. The Town is moving forward with a number of traffic and transportation projects and improve- Welcome to the Fall season. The Town completed a bus shelter project at ments that are needed. Much has happened over the Summer months. Town Hall.The Town, in partnership with Virginia Regional Transit, will be expanding the The Council awarded contracts for traffic The Town advertised for construction bids and bus shelter program to add bus shelters at other improvement projects and for the placement of awarded contracts for the Main/Hatcher Traffic locations in town. Upcoming locations include new sidewalk.The Council voted to acquire a Signal project, Main/23rd Street Traffic Signal the Dominion Apartments, Cardinal Bank and true gem in Fireman’s Field to ensure that it will project and 20th Street Sidewalk project. Main Street Station.The survey plats and serve our families for many generations to come Construction activities have started for engineering site design are 70 percent complete and working with the County brought the first of Main/Hatcher and are scheduled to start shortly and will be shared with the respective property many family movie nights to the Field. Our Police for Main/23rd and 20th Street sidewalk.All owners to prepare easement documents to allow Department won a statewide award for a commu- projects are scheduled to be completed this fall. nity outreach program supported by the Council for the installation of the bus shelters to move forward. that focuses on youth. Design of improvements to 14th Street are 95 percent complete.The Town will advertise for In August, the Town completed the scheduled While we can be pleased with these and other construction bids in September and construc- street sweeping of town streets within the accomplishments, the Council continually looks tion will be completed over the fall of this year. to the future to protect and enhance the small scheduled time along with a successful communication campaign that featured a press town character and quality of life of our commu- The Town has awarded a contract to Kimley release, advertisement in the local papers and nity.The Council recently adopted its priority Horn and Associates to prepare a Town Wide electronic message boards that were strategically project list for the fiscal year with projects that Transportation Study and Plan that reviews the placed around town. touch on everything from implementing our current various modes of transportation for the I water resources plan to acquire additional Town and establishes future needs for the Town sources of drinking water to analyzing our ability to reduce long-term solid waste collection costs. Groundbreaking for Traffic Signal at Intersection of Hirst and Hatcher Purcellville is a great place to live and raise a family. I hope to see you at one of the many special events planned in Town this Fall. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of assistance. Sincerely, P.S.Thank you to all of our residents who have assisted our Town in conserving water during this drought period.Your efforts help us save on aver- age nearly 100,000 gallons of water a day. Robert W.Lazaro, Jr. Mayor Town of Purcellville 130 East Main Street Mayor Bob Lazaro, Vice mayor C.J.Walker, Council member Greg Wagner, Council Purcellville,VA 20132 member Jim Wiley, members of Town of Purcellville staff and engineers gather for a [email protected] groundbreaking ceremony for the traffic signal at the intersection of Hirst and (H) 540.338.0366 I Hatcher.The traffic signal is scheduled to be completed this fall.