I Am Modern Magazine for Moms - Summer Issue!

The latest issue of I AM Modern Magazine for Moms is here, now printed in Virginia on environmentally-responsible, FSC-Certified paper. It is a wonderful and packed edition filled with very useful information, from Yoga Studio Reviews to the latest fashion finds.

I Am Modern Magazine for Moms is a Northern Virginia Women's and Mom's Lifestyle Magazine, part of the I Am Modern Social Media Network of print products, social meetups, website and forums, blogs, and other distributed content. This magazine can be found at many local, family-friendly retailers currently around Loudoun County, VA, or can be mailed via subscription.

Read more here...

Rt. 50 Healthcare Meeting and Brambleton Summer Concerts

Public Meeting on the future of Rt. 50 Health Care, Wednesday, May 14th, 7 pm

Pleasant Valley Methodist Church, 43987 John Mosby Hwy, Chantilly, VA 20152

Please join Inova Loudoun Hospital CEO Randy Kelley for an update on the status of Rt. 50 Health Care. Mr. Kelley will discuss and take questions on the future Inova Medical Center – Dulles South. Other topics will include the current Dulles South urgent care facility and other Inova plans for Loudoun. Light refreshments will be provided.

Brambleton Hosts Sizzlin' Summer Concert Series at Town Center
(Find more Loudoun and Northern Virginia Concert Information at Dulles South Online)

Dance music from the '70s and '80s, country rock, Latin sounds, and reggae, will drift through the community of Brambleton when the Summer Concert Series comes to the Town Center. Exciting live performances are scheduled several Thursday evenings a month, beginning on June 5.

Sponsored by the Brambleton Town Center Associates, the concerts are open to the public at no charge. Enjoy dinner out at one of the Town Center's vibrant new eateries, and then bring a chair or blanket to the Town Center plaza and join the fun from 7 to 9 p.m.

Kicking off the first performance, on June 5, is The Groove (www.groovetheband.com), featuring music from the '70s and '80s. Then on June 19, Rebelicious (www.rebeliciousmusic.com) takes center stage with its mix of classic rock and country.

On July 3, enjoy Trio Caliente (www.triocaliente.com) with its unique Latin, gypsy rumba, and jazz beat. On July 17, popular artist Doug Segree (www.dougsegree.com) and his band play their version of soft rock tunes.

Reggae band, Jah Works (www.jahworks.com) visits on Aug. 7. Gonzo's Nose (www.gonzosnose.com), playing music from the '80s and '90s, concludes the summer series on Aug. 21.

For additional information, visit Brambleton's website, www.brambleton.com, or call the Brambleton Visitor's Center at 703-542-2925.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming, here in Northern Virginia - I know it, I can feel the anxiety building....is a card good enough? Do I need to send flowers or a gift? Should I actually throw the kids in the car and drive for a visit?

Luckily, the Internet exists. Along with the Internet, comes email - a very lazy, disembodied vehicle with which family obligations regarding in-person communications can be addressed, in 30 seconds at zero cost (after technology capital investment and depreciation are factored in, of course).

Instead of a self-help book or snippets from Oprah/Rosie about what to do with your life, send an ebook, like the Mom-Force (for those Moms who want to get back into the workforce). Instead of organizing a visit with friends and family, introduce your Mom to an entire social network, magazine and online forum, like I Am Modern Magazine and Mom's Lifestyle Social Forum (complete with Spa Reviews!). For the very practical-minded, send along a complimentary Northern Virginia Handyman or Northern Virginia Landscaper - to fix those pipes or fight those weeds. Heck, send along a San Diego-style Hummer Limo, for a quick breakfast outing.

Lots of ideas and couch-control options out there - just make sure your laptop batteries are charged.

Dulles Rail Picks up where it left off

Today's WAPO reports the "stark reversal" of the FTA in planning to approve the proposed 23-mile extension of Metrorail into Loudoun County and Dulles Airport.

The issue seemed to utterly disappear from the news and commentary for the past few months, as a foregone conclusion of failure, while officials and politicians evidently continued to wrangle in private. It's absolutely good news for Loudoun, and a cornerstone of the county's ongoing efforts to lure more commercial taxpayers into the county, keep cars off the swollen roads, and encourage more "reverse commute" workers to head into Loudoun for work. We won't actually see this until successive phases of the project, however, as the first phase ends at Wiehle Ave. in Reston. But that's close enough, especially for those in Loudoun battling the Toll Road or Rt. 50 every morning to get deep into Fairfax or downtown to DC.

The discussions appear also to be only semi-politically driven, as leaders from both sides of various aisles were instrumental in their support - the Democrats led by Kaine and Republicans led by Warner and Wolf. It makes obvious sense to draw conclusions that the politicians are motivated by upcoming elections to cast their parties and their candidates in the best possible light over this very public and important issue - but their motivated support also simply makes good economic sense with our Northern Virginia communities suffering through hideous downturns in the housing market and associated industries, and facing all sorts of county and education cutbacks in light of reduced tax revenues.

Dulles Rail can't get here fast enough - hopefully there won't be any more delays, and hopefully there will be fewer "back-room" deals and discussion necessary to keep it moving over the requisite hurdles.

Take a Limo to your Next Loudoun Concert!

Running errands around Loudoun County or Northern Virginia, driving children to school, or simply out for a stroll, every once in a while you'll notice it. It's unmistakable and hard not to notice, or stare at - that long, glittering denizen of the rich and powerful known as the limousine or "limo". Sometimes it's a nondescript black Lincoln, or "stretch" town car, other times it's a super-modified Hummer or long, white beast with 3 rear axles and a built-in hot tub. Many "limos" aren't actually sleek, dark and low-riding cars; they're actually smaller, custom-equipped vans or buses. The car's not as important to consider and evaluate as the thought of who might be inside, and what they might be doing (or thinking of you!). Outside of Hollywood's Oscars night, however, you might be surprised at who's being treated to a fabulous and stress-free ride.

You know them! It's probably your neighbor, or some group of friends or business acquaintances you actually know inside that limo. And not dressed in bow-ties or gowns, either. Very likely a group of your neighbor's kids, heading off to this year's Prom. For you, the prospect of an exciting limo ride is probably reserved only for the most special and predictable of occasions, like a wedding, prom or anniversary. For many of those around you, limousine service is a very reasonable luxury, and in fact a quite rational and affordable decision for many types of outings. It may even be standard business or entertaining necessity, more inexpensive and reliable than regular taxi service.

For example, there are several global computer consulting companies with large campuses and educational facilities outside of cities such as Washington DC, Chicago and San Diego, some up to 90 minutes beyond the airport. Rather than support the constant stream of one and two-person, expensive cab rides, the companies contract with San Diego limousine providers for service to and from the airport. Most stretch limos can accommodate up to 10 passengers, and most passengers are your typical rank and file employees attending training. The companies save a lot of money, ensure reliable and consistent service for their employees, and add a touch of panache to the start and end of some long training sessions. Many businesses with employees located outside of town, away from the public transit system, routinely offer limo service for after-hours service - again, it's a reliable, professional, courteous, safe, clean and ultimately very comfortable and stress-free way to end a very late and tiring day.

Around your neighborhood, perhaps you've noticed limos appearing at times of year other than prom season. It very well may be a group of friends sharing a ride to a professional sports arena, where parking and traffic is otherwise a nightmare. A limousine service might be picking up several couples for transport to a local, Loudoun County concert or event, thereby avoiding the dangers associated with late evenings out in strange places, including sleepiness, "driving while drinking" and getting lost in less civilized areas of town. You might even see a bunch of 4th-graders happily piling into a private limo for a special birthday party, and to visit the Baltimore Aquarium or DC Zoo - much easier to organize and account for the children, ensure their privacy, and get on-call, front row drop-off and pickup service. Using a professional limo service can also provide peace-of-mind when transporting loved ones or children - there's a competent driver, a service organization and a team of people making sure the entire experience runs smoothly and safely. (It'll also make your Loudoun Auto Insurance agent happy!).

In short, it's really you who belongs in that limo - along with your friends, family and business associates. Sure, the high-rollers and entertainment elite ride only in limos or personally-chauffeured luxury cars - but you can and should also, especially if there's more than one. Get there quickly, safely, comfortably and at a very reasonable group price, and keep the paparazzi guessing at who's behind those darkened windows!

Dulles Urban Legends Part I

Here's the first of what we hope are more "Urban Legends" in this end of Loudoun County. You know, things everyone's "heard of", and tacitly accept, but don't really know the source. Printable, historical gossip.

We've heard (but obviously neither believe nor encourage it) that, at "high tide" on the Dulles Toll Road (i.e. between 8 and 9AM), it's actually possible to travel the entire length (from Rt. 28 to the main toll plaza) without ever coming to a complete stop. Legally, of course, and in preposterously-heavy traffic. How so?

The "Dulles Slalom", of course. We probably don't have all the details, and are simply recounting this as totally unverified conjecture - like in a dream, or, in this case, a message from the road gods. "Legally merge far left at the on-off ramp mid-point; merge far right 300 yards before the exit; ride the offload boost; rinse and repeat until the HOV lane opens" - we believe we heard the road gods say. In our dream, we may have actually seen or experienced this event happen - where various lanes stop completely, at seemingly strange intervals - but a single car or small pellaton seems to never get caught in the crush. They just sail right through, making the most of the tiny yet predictable advantages generated by the supposedly unpredictable highway rhythm.

Any other Dulles Urban Legends out there?

Time to start ruminating on Clinton, McCain and Obama

We've held off commenting on the Presidential race - but it's just getting too entertaining to sit out. The latest words of wisdom we recall actually ringing too true, from a certain Sirius "Howard 100" radio personality.

Howard rhetorically muses, "why won't men in general vote for Hillary"? (Note - he's a staunch supporter of Ms. Clinton). The answer - "because she reminds most men of their Mother".

Let that sink in....

It's actually, eerily, uncomfortably, probably more on the mark than most radio prognosticator predictions, or psychological insights. Let's count the ways, here's the first:

1 - she's sure to send Bill to the Lincoln bedroom for a "timeout".

Arcola PTA event May 10th to fund Arcola Elementary Playground

PANCAKE BREAKFAST AND MULTI-RAFFLE TO FUND ARCOLA PLAYGROUND

ALDIE, VIRGINA, April 11th, 2008 - The Arcola PTA is working hard to raise funds to build a playground at Arcola Elementary School, located within the Stone Ridge subdivision on Tall Cedars Parkway. Its goal is to raise $65,000 by December 31, 2008.

(No doubt PTAs across the county are going to be busier than ever, with next year's tightened school budgets!)

You can help by coming to the Arcola Elementary School cafeteria, a.k.a. 'The Dragon Diner', on Saturday, May 10th starting at 8:00 AM. A wonderful pancake and sausage breakfast will be served until 11:00 AM. Tickets are on sale now for $4, and Moms eat FREE (with family)!

They will also be holding a multi-raffle with 8 chances to win per ticket. Prizes include a Nintendo Wii System, $500 cash, three $150 cash prizes, and three $100 gift cards! Attendance is not mandatory to win. Only 500 tickets will be sold at $10 each, so purchase one today! Drawings will occur every 20 minutes at the breakfast. Winners will be notified by May 12th. Cash prize amounts may change based on ticket sales.

For more information about this fundraiser and to purchase tickets, please email Karen Goodwin at windoog@aol.com, or call Arcola Elementary at 703-957-4390.

Top 12 Internet Marketing Advertising Destinations for Fairfax County Businesses

KME Internet Marketing (Northern Virginia Internet Marketing Specialists) just released their list of "Top 12 Internet Marketing Advertising Destinations for Fairfax County Businesses". This list focuses in on community directories and newspapers that Fairfax businesses should leverage to maximize their online advertising dollars. This list follows up on the last few lists focused on Loudoun County Internet Marketing destination sites.

Shelly Scheyder Silent Auction - Huge Success, and Thanks

Here's a letter from the Shelly Scheyder Silent Auction Committee - this is a local benefit that this week pulled together the South Riding community to raise funds for medical expenses of one of its long-time Elementary school teachers...

"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

We are humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from neighbors, friends, co-workers and strangers, who came to the SilentAuction on Wed. March 26 for Shelly Scheyder. We are thankful that you joined us, bought the delicious treats donated by our wonderful friends and neighbors, waited patiently in line to pay for your winning bid, andhelped us clean up and put away tables and chairs.

Hundreds of people packed the cafeteria at Freedom High School. We were told that the parking lot was full. We raised over $36,000! While the dollar value is a tangible measure of a successful group effort, and for that we are truly grateful, what really gave us a lift was the emergence of a spirit of caring and unity. We are truly blessed to live in this community.

To our countless volunteers: YOU ROCK! Without your support, this fundraising event would have been difficult to pull together. You made it happen. We whole-heartedly enjoyed working with you.

To our donors: Your generous contribution has made this all possible. Your participation was critical to our success, and we'd like to thank you for being part of our community endeavor.

To our children volunteers and children donors: Thank you for your in-kind support. You inspire us all to make this place a better world.

To the Freedom High School Principal and Staff: Thanks a million for supporting us and allowing us to use the school cafeteria. You have encouraged and allowed us to show the young members of our community that gift-giving, volunteering, and donating is a joyful process.

Simply put: THANK YOU!

The Auction Committee

If you missed the event, and would like to donate, please send a check payable to Shelly Scheyder and mail to:

Shelly Scheyder
c/o Julie Ciardello
43520 Leyland Lane
South Riding, VA 20152

For Shelly updates, go to:
www.scheyderfamilyfund.com

Mommy Docs in DC

An interesting new, locally-generated site crossed our desk today via press release - seems to hit the right chords on many levels - a combo "Mom-Physician" site, run by two minivan-driving, kid-raising local mom-physicians. One of the more interesting points here is the statistic claiming "89% of Moms use the Internet at least 2x per day"...

"Potomac, Maryland, March 20, 2008 ­– Just in time for spring, www.MommyDocs.com relaunches with seasonal allergy solutions and overall wellness strategies for keeping kids healthy. As the first pediatric informational site by moms, for moms, doctors Jamie A. Freishtat, a board certified pediatrician and pediatric associate physician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and Rachel L. Schreiber, a board certified allergist/immunologist, internist and Medical Director of Family HealthCare Allergy & Asthma Specialists in Germantown, Maryland, now provide parents with children’s health information and expert advice.

MommyDocs.com offers interactive online features including podcasts on topics ranging from allergies and nutrition to sleep problems and separation anxiety. Parents can join upcoming Wednesday web chats on March 19 and April 2 from 8:30pm – 9:30pm Eastern Daylight Time, commiserate with the MommyDocs’ own child-rearing challenges on their blog, or submit a question to “Ask the MDs.”

“A parent’s job is 24/7, and whether you’re dealing with a toddler’s watery eyes or a preteen’s fever at midnight, MommyDocs.com provides good, basic information fast, without paging the doctor or waking up grandma,” says MommyDoc Schreiber. “Having two sons of my own and interacting with patients daily, I know that health concerns continue between doctor’s appointments, whether it’s wheezing and sneezing or figuring out how to untangle silly putty from hair! At MommyDocs.com, we provide practical information parents can put into practice right away.”

Freishtat and Schreiber conceived MommyDocs in the preschool carpool line, where they faced a daily barrage of parents’ questions about everything from eczema to ear infections. Recalling their “curbside consults” in medical school, they realized they could deliver their medical and mom expertise in a more streamlined way. Recognizing research studies that showed 88 percent of moms said they rely on the Web for parental guidance, advice, and ideas for raising their children [1] - and that 89 percent of moms are on the Internet at least twice a day [2] - they developed MommyDocs.com.

The MommyDocs appear regularly on Washington, DC’s CBS affiliate WUSA-TV/Channel 9 morning newscasts; are “Baby Health” experts on The Bump (www.thebump.com); and write a monthly column in Washington Parent Magazine. Besides sharing the goal of helping parents raise healthy kids, each MommyDoc has two sons, one chocolate lab, and a silver minivan."

First Blood in the Consolidation of Loudoun News Started Online

A small article in last week's Easterner caught our attention - the fact that the Loudoun Independent, a small local newspaper in Ashburn, is in bankruptcy and has been sold. This isn't a surprise at all, and, frankly, took a bit longer than expected.

The last couple of years saw a proliferation in local rags hitting our driveway and mailbox, all striving in parallel for more "hyperlocal" coverage, as well as expanded delivery across Loudoun. Some appeared to be generating the right mix of good, unique content and volume of sustaining, paid advertising. For example, Leesburg Today and the Easterner have sustained their thick advertising sections, while the Independent and Connection's share have seemed abnormally thin. Here's the consolidation chain of events (a brief history, from our perspective - no doubt leaving out many more detailed items we'll let you fill in) in local news that seems to have led to this first blood, starting with the Washington Post's online adventures -

1 - Early last year, the Post focuses its considerable clout and financial backing squarely on Loudoun County, significantly upgrading its online presence and printed content on the hyperlocal scene - opening LoudounExtra.com. This immediately drew off large and smaller advertisers, once solidly the domain of the established locals. This also slowed the rapid growth of other online-only, local news sources (like loudouncounty.com and some local blogs, subsequently wrapped into the Post's stable of blogs).

2 - The Independent, also a little over a year ago, launched its own slick new website to accompany its mailed papers (vs. driveway-delivered) - but the outcome was an utter misstep from the perspective of all reasonable online advertising and marketing standards - no user feedback or online subscription capabilities, all in "Flash" leading to slow performance and nonexistent search engine visibility, and little thought to inline advertising placement. Its traffic and online exposure slowed to a crawl.

3 - In apparent defense of its turf, the Loudoun Times embarked on a considerable overhaul of its own user-generated content, adding RSS feeds, user blogs and other features - resulting in a very much improved online presence...seemingly catching up to the more established Leesburg Today, and eclipsing all other local, online destination sources.

4 - The Easterner's online presence didn't change much over the period, except to include more automated, 3rd party advertising network feeds among a set of mismanaged ad spaces across the website, which (1) aren't necessary targeted or of added value to the local content, and (2) seem only to indicate a void in online advertising and marketing capabilities of the paper. This situation led to a window of opportunity to claim solid 2nd place in the online news turf (2nd to the Post, and thereby attracting many lower-cost, local advertisers) - the Times stepped up an made a solid grab at this from Leesburg Today (and in our opinion won with its capture of the local blogosphere stars, though they've not yet achieved the traffic or online participation statistics of Leesburg Today, with its extensive user commenting activity, polls and photo submissions).

5 - The Connection's online presence and content management/usability capabilities continues to be abysmal, though still easier to locate and use than the Loudoun Independent.

6 - From a Google Pagerank perspective (an indicator of online popularity and presence), the war for #2 is still awaiting a clear leader - as all the local rags, plus online-only destinations such as Dulles South Online and LoudounCounty.com, hover between 4 and 5 in their page rank metrics. Only Loudounextra.com achieved a "6" at one point last year, though has dropped back a little since.

7 - Beginning with last year's local election activities, the Independent made a decent push to overhaul its online presence (having taken a run at this the previous year, with a partnership with the now defunct Backfence.com), and broaden its advertising base - with the launch of a set of online videos of candidates (the only news site to do this), some minimal efforts to introduce feedback and RSS subscription options, increase its online presence through a few SEO-driven changes, and a limited expansion of advertising space options...outside of this, complete managed overhaul and conversion of the site from fully Flash-based to a more user and search engine-friendly html/text-based format never materialized as expected.

Nor did the Independent fully manage and leverage a number of proprietary digital content additives - these "inserts" and extra content produced as standalone PDF files could have been leveraged and distributed much more widely through many more online and offline channels. Note also it partnered with the Purcellville Gazette to extend advertising reach - but didn't take advantage of this cross-county partnership online in any way to share advertising, news or user-generated content.

8 - Search in Google today for "Loudoun News" or "Loudoun County News" - you'll find the Times and Leesburg Today having fully re-established themselves in the face of the Post, with the Observer, WTOP, the Easterner, the Connection and even the Independent still hanging on the 1st few pages of search results (along with the online-only sources). This is most apparent searching for the term "Loudoun County Newspapers", plus "Loudoun News Online".

We think the message here is that the significant and coordinated online push into this local advertising and news market by the Post resulted first in a rapid consolidation and drawdown of medium-sized advertising first from existing online outlets (i.e. papers), and second from existing printed publications. The more established and Internet-savvy papers rebounded fairly well, due mainly to their local "connectedness" with local advertisers, businesses, readers and community organizations (which Loudounextra we think really only achieved through its "Living in Loco" blog and local sports reporters) - as well as their complete online focus on the County (vs. the Post, which, although it claims "hyperlocal" focus, still works in a lot of more regional and even national content and advertising).

Without taking its cues from the Post and the Times, nor simply modeling its basic provision of advertising content and online accessibility after the solidly established Leesburg Today, the Independent seems to have quickly tumbled as the first major casualty of the contracting news outlet market.

There's a whole lot more analysis and themes to discuss about this (we're not obviously paid journalism professionals, but we are online marketing and technology professionals), but it's a great lesson to local newspapers - adapt quickly and smartly, coordinate online and offline activities and advertising, use metrics to attract advertisers, embrace "Web 2.0" and your eager hyperlocal community, seek partnerships in advertising and content networks, manage your proprietary digital content and copyrights as the valuable and extensible assets they truly are, and deliver true usability and accessibility to both readers and search engines. Driven by LoudounExtra's lead, the Times appears to understand most of these points, and Leesburg Today is getting them (albeit slugglishly); but the others seem to be falling behind, with the Independent as the first casualty of probably more to come.

Fairfax is next on the Post's radar - therefore, other locals, heed these lessons (Chronicle, Times, Connection, Sun Gazette).

Don't turn your backs on Dulles South students...

Quite a large public response is building to the current intentions of the BOS, given extreme County budget pressures, to significantly cut back and delay delivery of critical new educational facilities in Dulles South. The message is - don't let the future of our County, and our State, down for lack of bare minimum school facilities they deserve. Here's the latest message from Cheryl Bacak (Mercer Middle and Freedom High School PTA presidents) -

"Hi everyone!! I apologize if you received this more than once from either me or Sarah Lichter, but as you read you will understand the urgency. Decisions on the budget and the CIP will happen possibly as early as next week(which is spring break for us). So please act today!

Thank you for taking the time to write a letter to the supervisors or attending the next BOS meeting Wednesday, March 19 at 6:30 pm.

At this link, you will find a flyer with information about how critical a massive public response is to making sure the students of Dulles South are protected in regards to their education.

I PLEAD with each of you to circulate this information amongst our communities in Dulles South. Emails, flyers, calls to friends and neighbors, and your own personal time spent contacting the media and the Loudoun Board of Supervisors members will have an impact....time is of the essence.

Dulles South pulled together to get Freedom High School built. It was a hard won fight, and one that was only achieved because the community at large got involved.

We have very little time to make an impact on this vote. There is no tomorrow.

PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THIS MESSAGE. Take it one step further and pass it along. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Don't be a citizen who wonders...HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??....take a moment, and take action!!

We can have an impact on the BOS vote!!

Thank you once again!!


Cheryl Bacak"

Dulles Loop Update - Rt. 50 Short and Long-Term Improvements Underway

Here's an update on improvements to the "Dulles Loop" (Rts. 50, 28 and 606 around the Dulles Airport), focusing specifically on Rt. 50 in the Dulles South region, per a recent Dulles South Business Alliance Meeting's presentation by the Dulles Loop Implementation Group's hired consultants, as part of their strategic Dulles Loop traffic study.

This study is conducted jointly by the Dulles Area Transportation Association (DATA) and the Washington Airports Task Force (WATF), in cooperation with the public and private partners that collectively form the Dulles Loop Implementation Group (DLIG). The project includes generating an implementation plan for immediate improvements to the Route 50 and Route 606 portions of the Loop, identifying and generally estimating the cost of missing elements, establishing conceptual sections for several long-term right-of-way options in a manner that is mindful of a need for continued growth and evolution of the right-of-way. Phase 2 of the project involves developing a conceptual Dulles Loop master plan that could be included in the region’s 2030 planning scenario, and help ensure VDOT's interim upgrades are consistent with longer-range planning.

VDOT's "interim" solution to the Rt. 50 traffic issues is to arrive at a "6-lane arterial" near-term improvement of the road from Poland to Rt. 28. This addresses the horrid inbound traffic (east) between South Riding and Rt. 28 most mornings, and the nightmare afternoon/evening backups west along the same stretch. The solution includes improved traffic signalling and turn lane solutions, better access management (to businesses off the road), plus additional "through" lanes. This Fall, VDOT intends to let an RFP for the design/build/implement project, which would be completed within just a couple of years.

In the longer term, according to DLIG strategic planning efforts, the intention is to eliminate all signals, have 6 lanes uninterrupted flow, standard access management; all within the same Rt. 50 space (i.e. with no futher intrusion into the parcel properties on either side of the roadway). There does exist a natural tension between the Rt. 50 frontage landowners and those conducting strategic planning, in determining the balance between customer accessibility, business visibility and through traffic. The DSBA's objective is to avoid the "faceless freeway corridor" now implemented along Rt. 28 and Rt. 7 in Loudoun, while adjusting access to depend less on major intersections and single-use driveways, and to highly leverage alternatives like collector roads and joint in/out exits. Add to this expectations from most residents in the area for uninterrupted, visually appealing access in and out of this Gateway to Loudoun County, and you've got a very delicate balance of negotiated interests to weave through, and orchestrate as part of the overall strategic Loop planning.

Possibly the Best Dulles South Spring Ever - a New Home Depot!

Just caught the opening day sign on the new Home Depot in South Riding - March 20th! It's about time....

Just in time for Spring, we're totally looking forward to grill sales, great plant selections, mulch aplenty, and the simple visceral joy of wandering up and down the aisles of a brand spanking new "do-it-yourself" mecca - 5 minutes from our house!

It's just too much to bear, these last few weeks of waiting...Spring is most definitely here.

Braddock Village Plan Rejected

The Board of Supervisors finally killed (rejected) the proposed Braddock Village Plan, a community of 500 houses southwest of Arcola. While the proffers would've resulted in badly-needed infrastructure, including youth sports fields, road improvements and school facilities, this last vestige of the hyper-accelerating residential growth in this area of the county was the last nail in the coffin of the old board, by the new board, in establishing its reputation and direction.

With an increasing and accelerating drumbeat underway by economic and business interests to drastically improve the number and calibre of businesses locating (or staying) in the County, the absolute pressing need to improve the traffic situation around the "Dulles Loop", the undercurrent of intention and need for a George Mason campus expansion in the area, and the race between INOVA and HCA to establish a significant foothold from a Hospital/Medical Center perspective in Dulles South, this next 4 years is a great opportunity for the BOS to make great headway in increasing the "Tier 1" intellectual and commercial tax base presence in the Dulles South area. Imagine a "Gateway to Loudoun" area with a regional Medical Center, University campus programs, large office complexes for regional employers, the new Gum Spring library, all with rapid access (at all times of day) to the Airport and a slew of brand-new retail and restaurant options.

It seems the engine of economic recovery for Loudoun may be starting to turn, down in the Dulles South bulls-eye.

Loudoun BOS - Support the Loudoun County School Budget

Attending the School Board meeting last night in Ashburn was truly an educational experience in itself. Notwithstanding the Tango-related Superintendent address, public comments, and quite eloquent Board member remarks regarding this issue, the meeting was a very large and colorful window into a broad and serious spectrum of topics, issues, events and successes of the Loudoun County Public Schools system. Throw in some quotes from Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, a few public service medals for students, requests for "challenging conditions" driving courses, Arabic language and CDL training, some concerns regarding the Monroe Academy of Science's very narrow curriculum (ostensibly in favour of the Biology-related preferences of its sponsoring entity, HHMI) and lack of AP courses - you've got an event much more intellectual and socially-redeeming to attend than watching the competing "American Idols" on TV. We highly recommend ALL parents attend a School Board meeting or two - free coffee, to boot.

The prevailing undercurrent, however, throughout the whole meeting, was a bit of timely marketing to the public regarding the intentions of the Loudoun County budgeteers to cut the requested School budget and CIP. Even the penguins were played as "trumping" the limited and valuable time and attention available for discussing and promoting the School budget.

Two items in particular stood out. First, a very valid point was made about the need for Loudoun County to revisit and revise the Land Use Exceptions policies. Drastically lower taxes for large landowners evidently results in over $200 Million worth of taxes not collected by the County, according to one School Board member. Obviously these exceptions are not all unwarranted - but there are certainly many pockets of benefit without just or fully-transparent cause. We also would like to raise (and shear) a few sheep in our backyard to escape property taxes, but it's not favored by our HOA.

Second, the CIP cutbacks are penny-wise and pound-foolish, and will, for example, deny nearly a thousand students in the Dulles South area reasonable High School accommodations. This will lead to the downward, destructive community spiral of overcrowding, more traffic, more accidents, more students per class, less instruction, less desirable working conditions for teachers and ultimately less educated students with higher numbers of community infractions and social issues.

Certainly there's lots of complaining around the blogosphere about the "gilded" School Board accommodations, about non-parents having to pay for seemingly extravagant enrichment activities, and about seemingly "rich" parents who should kick in extra for their own kids. But, from our experience living in this county, attending BOS and School Board meetings, knowing many parents and children, having children in both private and public schools for various reasons, having many friends with children in Arlington, Prince William Fairfax, Montgomery and various NJ counties (for comparison), and witnessing many more opportunities for rational, fiscal responsibility on the part of the BOS vs. the School Board - we acknowledge the School budget must be retained intact, as proposed.

Stevens Miller - support the School budget. Especially for this fastest-growing, in terms of both community and business, area of the county in Dulles South.

Loudoun Rewards - a New Discount Card for Local Businesses

Have you seen it? Loudoun consumers in growing numbers are using their new "Loudoun Rewards" discount savings card at area merchants for great discounts on local products and services. Loudoun Rewards began in January of 2006 in Leesburg, VA, and has been delivering savings club memberships to Loudoun County residents since.

Their mission is to provide great discounts to residents, while providing low cost advertising opportunities to small and medium sized Loudoun County businesses. Their innovative approach also provides local charities and groups with an alternative source of funding.

This is a stylish and smart way of spending using the "One Card" and accompanying discount guidebook - which is published annually with partner merchants being added on an ongoing basis.

Check it out...first of its kind in this area.

Silent Auction Fundraiser, Wed. 3/26, for Shelly Scheyder, South Riding Little River Elementary School Teacher

You are invited….

Silent Auction / Music / Dessert Event


to benefit Shelly Scheyder, a beloved Little River teacher and South Riding resident


Wednesday, March 26th, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Freedom High School Cafeteria

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Music for the evening provided by P.O.D. Squad DJ Service

For more information, go to www.scheyderfamilyfund.com beginning Friday, February 22, 2008 or email schyderfamilyfund@yahoo.com.

Organizers: Julie Ciardiello, Karen Aspinwall, Colleen Borklund, Tess Palao, & Melanie Roukis

Shelly Scheyder, a beloved and devoted second grade teacher at Little River Elementary and South Riding resident, is ill and has been unable to work since October. Despite undergoing a battery of tests ordered by several specialists, none of them has yet been able to diagnose her. Shelly has taught and lived in our community for almost 10 years, and along with her husband Mark, unselfishly devoted some time to missionary work while raising three wonderful children. Shelly and her family now need your help. We would like to raise funds to help defray the cost of her mounting medical bills and seek further diagnosis and possible treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. To help make the auction and dessert event a success, we need donations from local families and businesses.

Here’s how you can help:

- Pass this on to friends, neighbors, family, etc.

- Donate goods or services for the auction; email scheyderfamilyfund@yahoo.com with details about your donation including donor name, item description, and value.

- Want to help but don’t own a business? Create your own auction item. You can make dinner to be delivered to the highest bidder or donate a themed basket that your family or neighbors put together. Donate gift cards or gift certificates to lessons, such as knitting, dance, or tae kwon do; or to local restaurants, businesses, or shops.

- Donate a monetary gift the night of the event, to go directly to the family’s needs or donate to an account set up specifically for this purpose (scheyderfamilyfund@yahoo.com at PayPal.com).

- Donate items or towards items for the dessert event (desserts, napkins, plates, water, etc. (contact Colleen Borklund at cborklund@aol.com).

- Volunteer for event preparation and/or at the night of the event (contact Julie Ciardiello @podsquadjulie@verizon.net).

- Come, bid and have fun!

Check out the website dedicated to this event, including items for bid beginning Friday, February 22, 2008 at www.scheyderfamilyfund.com.

Email the description and value of your contribution to scheyderfamilyfund@yahoo.com so it can be listed on the website.

Items should be dropped off by March 10th, 2008 (contact Melanie Roukis at milonotis@verizon.net).

Items that are donated after the deadline are welcome, but with no guarantee your name and contribution will be published in the online listing prior to the auction.

All proceeds will go directly to the Scheyder Family Fund.

Any questions? Email scheyderfamilyfund@yahoo.com.

Petition to Retain the Existing Arcola Community Center

The new Dulles South Multi-Purpose Center in South Riding is evidently not large enough to accommodate all the activities previously being held in the existing Arcola Community Center, including daycare, senior programs, etc...there's now a petition to the Loudoun BOS to keep the Arcola Community Center open, as mentioned by this letter to parents -

"Dear parents:

I apologize for sending another message if you have already signed the petition to retain an Arcola Community Center. Thank you for your support. This is just a reminder for those of you who have not signed to please visit http://www.petitiononline.com/arcola/petition.html and sign before February 19th when the Arcola Community Center Advisory Board will present the petition to the Board of Supervisors. We hope to get 500 signatures and have about 400 right now. All adult members of the household can sign. Feel free to e-mail the advisory board at accboard@yahoo.com with any questions. Please consider passing this petition link on to interested neighbors and friends. Thank you!

Regards,
Laura TeKrony
Arcola Community Center Advisory Board President "

A new kind of Loudoun sausage being created....

Some observations just in regarding yesterday's joint Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and School Board Committee meeting...it's definitely a new kind of Loudoun sausage being made in the county school board administration building. By the way, visit this very impressive building - a really well-done horse sculpture right in the front hallway, with small paintings of all the schools within their school clusters, along with a number of historical artifact displays.

This committee (Sally Kurtz - Chair, Tom Reed - Vice Chair) met with representation from the BOS (Kurtz, Burton, Buckly absent), the School Board (Reed, Godfrey, Stevens, with Dupree in attendance), a guest representative, John Wood, Vice-Chair of Loudoun's Economic Development Commission, Deputy Schools Superintendent Ed Waterhouse, and Ari Sky, Loudoun County Budget Manager.

The meeting kicked off with a Tom Reed replaying the "Shift Happens" video detailing challenges of education in this new century. Burton, always the pragmatic skeptic (he admitted being skeptical of the whole committee idea, but willing to get engaged), wondered what the point of it was...this evolved into a discussion of one of the goals of the committee, to find ways to collaborate on making sure children were educated per 21st century requirements. John Wood was very supportive of this discussion, adding that Loudoun business leaders are most concerned in the area of education with:

- the global threat on US business leadership, especially from China
- making sure that technology is viewed only as a necessary tool, not an outcome (though must be available as needed)
- the consistent concern that kids aren't getting strong enough education in math and science, plus learning the "softer" skills dealing with communication, presenting, etc...things not tested by the SOLs.
- reigning in capital development costs
- adequate and competitive teacher's pay
- measurable outcomes vs. outputs in educational performance - for example, recent accomplishments given of "17 national merit scholars" from Loudoun; "is this a good outcome"?

One interesting bit of news concerned the recent "Technology Resource Teacher Share Fair", evidently held recently for teachers to share information about how they're using technology to help in the classrooms...we'd certainly like to see more of this, and perhaps there's a way for the business community to participate, and more public exposure and input solicitation for this kind of thing.

Another interesting point evidently raised at the last meeting by Ms. Buckley, dealt with examining possible overlaps in spending and activity between the Boards, with respect to administrative and technical support - i.e. perhaps overlapping organization functions could be in some way consolidated. We look forward to hearing more on this.

Otherwise, the meeting served the nascent purposes of its intentions, to try and find ways to get the very different BOS and School Board cultures to collaborate earlier and more often, before the annual periods of conflict seemingly inevitable of the budget cycle. Additionally, with EDC representation, the business community seems to now have another avenue of input into the education strategies of the County, coordinate with the overal county budgeting and spending decisions.

Economic downturn's effect on smaller Northern Virginia, Fairfax and Loudoun Businesses

After speaking recently with a Bank Branch Manager about the effects of the current economy's downturn on her business (she was actually experiencing a sharp uptick in new small, home-based business accounts), we decided to check in with some other Northern Virginia, Loudoun County and Fairfax businesses for their insight - as a bit of a barometer reflecting and perhaps forecasting many of our own family and business financial and spending decisions to come this Spring.

We asked:

1 - Is the economic downturn affecting your Northern Virginia Business?
2 - Do you see differences between Loudoun and Fairfax County, in terms of customer demand for your services?
3 - Do you see any differences in your customer's spending or participation habits, possibly between men and women?

(All quotes are edited for readability)

Khalid Umerani owns the local NOVA Insurance Group in Chantilly, VA, and provides Northern Virginia home insurance, auto insurance, life insurance and business insurance to residents of Chantilly, Ashburn, South Riding, Brambleton, Stone Ridge and other western Fairfax and eastern Loudoun clients. He responds:

"We see many more indicators of family financial stress, including late payments, cancellations, policy reinstatements or re-writes; insurance payments tend to be prioritize lower than critical bills such as mortgage or car payments. The scope of personal insurance coverage is suffering, as well, with some folks reducing or eliminating coverages, or increasing deductibles to lower monthly premiums. This sort of activity tends to increases a family's financial risk profile, and simply adds to the overall negative effects of the economy. On the other hand, life continues, the region is still growing, and the overall demand for flexible, reasonable insurance services in touch with local context is remaining fairly reliable".

Hulya Aksu is owner and publisher of the Modern Loudoun Mom Magazine in Northern Virginia's Loudoun County, Ashburn. Modern Loudoun Mom Magazine is the only "social media magazine" of its kind, offering user-generated website and printed content for modern women and Moms across a variety of topics, including Spa, restaurant and private school reviews, shopping and health information, family events and offline social meetups. She remarks:

"Yes, there has been a slow down in some industries around Northern Virginia. However, advertising is crucial for most businesses and we have remained consistent in our growth. Loudoun in particular is less established, as most businesses are young or new. Having a multi platform media outlet that has a tightly focused target market, such as Modern Mom, is a much needed resource here in Loudoun. Fairfax also lacks in a publications that hyper-locally cater to moms. Fairfax also has a geographical span that cannot be compared to LC. It is an older area with more established social unities. We are approaching both counties differently but are finding many similarities. Moms are moms everywhere. We have both men and women as clients and there are differences. Women tend to also be our readers, believe in a long term commitment and value the savings they receive. Men are more likely to try it once and wait and see. Even if it means they pay more. It is very interesting. Women commit, men try..."

Ingrid Myers, Realtor is one of Northern Virginia's most experienced and long-time Realtors, having offered real estate services in this area for over 20 years. She focuses in Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. She says:

"Obviously it's easy to point to the Real Estate industry's slowdown, and know that many realtors, mortgage bankers and all the other Northern Virginia Real Estate service providers are suffering loss of business and revenue. But, it's part of the natural contraction and expansion that affects the overall economy in regular cycles, albeit this time with higher highs and lower lows. Consistent provision of superior customer services, a long track record with a deep referral and partner base, and leverage of critical tools such as Internet Marketing and Social Media Optimization all will help seasoned professionals in this business."

Steve Baker is the owner of National Security Screens, a local provider of alarm screens, window and door security and other home security system services. He adds:

"Like other "nice-to-haves", new home security technology is one of the first services or purchases to be passed over in favor of core family expenses like gas, food, housing. It's like cable TV - many feel it's helpful and enjoyable, but can be done without. On the other hand, economic anxiety tends also to drive up the awareness of security exposure, especially with children - and we actually see some stabilization in sales after an initial downturn. It's a delicate psychological balance