Approximately 100 area residents gathered at the Round Hill Elementary School on Apr. 5 to discuss the merits and issues surrounding the possibility of building a high school on Woodgrove Park. Round Hill Mayor Frank Etro described the purpose of the meeting as an opportunity to present another option to the three sites -- Purcellville (Fields Farm), Hamilton West (Assaad), and Lovettsville (Miller) -- currently being considered by the School Board. Etro said at the outset of the meeting that he hoped to dispel rumors, answer questions and hear comments and asked that everyone present try to be constructive in their comments.

Etro recognized other elected officials in the audience, thanked them for their attendance, and assured them they would not be put on the spot to answer questions. School Board members Priscilla Godfrey and Mark Nuzzaco were joined by Board of Supervisors member Sally Kurtz in attendance. Also present were Round Hill council member Mary Anne Graham and Purcellville council members Bob Lazarro and Tom Priscilla.

Etro began the evening's discussion with a brief overview of the requirements the School Board considers when looking for a school site. Criteria include:

• Population (centralized location of student population, feeder school proximity)
• Accessibility of site (transportation network)
• Utilities (availability and proximity)
• Site characteristics (topography, soils, unique features)
• Community support
• Cost (land, site preparation, transportation, utilities)

He noted that the School Board has been searching for a site for this school for many years and has had a very difficult time finding a site that meets their criteria.

He then proceeded to go through the Powerpoint presentation that he gave in front of the Board of Supervisors and School Board on March 22. The presentation details how Woodgrove Park meets the School Board's criteria (Presentation in .pdf format) and would provide a quality high school at a significant cost savings to the County while providing additional recreational facilities that are much needed in the Round Hill area.

At that point, Etro opened the floor for questions. One of the first asked addressed the potential cost savings. Etro outlined savings through:

• Land acquisition
  • Offer prices of more than $4 million for the Assaad and Miller properties vs. less than $2.5 million for the conservation lots adjacent to Woodgrove Park (Fields Farm is already County-owned)
• Transportation improvements
  • Estimated at $3.5-6 million depending on the property for Fields Farm, Hamilton West, or the Miller Property vs. using developer-proffered funds already dedicated to improvements in the Round Hill area and to Evening Star Drive specifically
• Utilities
  • Significant expenditures for either utility upgrades to the water and sewer systems in Purcellville, Hamilton or Lovettsville, or the ongoing expenditure of pump-and-haul vs. utilities available without plant upgrades to the Round Hill system

In addition to the savings, Etro continued, with the Round Hill proposal, the County not only gets a school but also gets additional athletic facilities by building County Parks and Recreation fields that the school could then use. He pointed out that there is not currently money in the County budget for acquisition of land for parks and recreation in the western part of the county. Consequently, additional recreational facilities are not likely to be built in the Round Hill area without the school. For the amount of money that goes into it, Etro said, the County gets more out of this proposal.

When asked whether the School Board was seriously considering this proposal or if we were "all blowing hot air" by discussing it, Etro responded that *that* was a very good question, one that he himself had asked of the School Board and Board of Supervisors. Unfortunately he has yet to receive a satisfactory answer. He said he has heard the proposal described as "intriguing" and "interesting" but that there are still questions about the legality of changing the easements, zoning and deeds to allow a school on the park and a park on the open space conservancy lots. He is still waiting for answers to these questions but in the meantime was told that he should seek public support for the project.

He reiterated that the open space easements would not be lifted but the property deeds would need to be changed to allow recreational uses on the property. Recreational use is allowed in conservancy lots under the Virginia Open Space Land Act, which is referenced in the deeds of easement. He confirmed that the issue of HOA convenants that was brought up in a widely disseminated email from Supervisor Jim Burton does not seem to be a problem as the HOA is at this time controlled solely by Round Hill Investors (Oak Hill), not the residents.

Many questions and answers centered on traffic:

• that Evening Star Drive would be built out to the planned four-lanes
• that the residents could petition the speed limit be no higher than 25 miles per hour on Evening Star
• that the school would have at least 725 parking spaces, which is the number the School Board has determined necessary for a high school
• that parking in the neighborhood would need to be enforced
• that the effect of school traffic on Bell Road is unknown at this time but would need to be studied
• that County plans show Evening Star Drive continuing west of Rt. 719 (Woodgrove Road) as a two-lane road, eventually connecting to Route 7 west of Round Hill

One resident asked about the mandatory water restrictions Round Hill imposed last summer and the availability of water for a high school. Etro responded that the water restrictions were imposed due to mechanical failures not lack of water capacity, and that several additional pumps are scheduled to be brought online before the school would open. He also remarked that because this proposal would not require any treatment plant upgrades, it also would not require any additional development to help offset the expenses of upgrades. Instead, this proposal, he said, would remove the possibility of two homes from the Round Hill area (one each that would be allowed on the two 50-acre conservancy lots).

Other questions focused on the safety of having a high school next to an elementary school. Etro said he would have to defer answering that question to the School Board. Several citizens spoke of the advantages of having the schools co-located, including programs such as mentoring in which Round Hill elementary school students are not currently able to participate due to the lack of older students nearby.

Several residents questioned the layout of the fields and the ability of the County to find a suitable location for the stadium off-site. Etro responded that the plan presented was fluid and created more to help people visualize the possibilities of the property, not to be a hard-and-fast design. He also said that the proposal would require coordination and cooperation among the School Board, Board of Supervisors and community. He said that in a partnership there is necessarily trust and questioned whether the trust is there now between the parties. 

One resident was on-hand passing out packets of material questioning the timing and thought process that went into the Woodgrove Park proposal. Etro responded to him that, yes, this proposal was put together in a short time frame, but that a lot of issues had been thought through. He also said that if the School Board were to seriously consider the property for a school site, then at that point any necessary official studies would certainly be conducted. 

It was also noted that this proposal was in direct response to the towns of Purcellville and Hamilton denying utility service to the school sites on their borders.  Etro was commended by numerous residents for the amount of time and energy he has devoted to trying to solve the problem of the high school.

A number of citizens expressed their support for the proposal, in addition to frustration with the School Board for not having made a decision on the school site sooner; many urged the Board to make a decision soon, while keeping the best interests of the students in mind.

Further comments and questions should be directed to:

• Round Hill Mayor Frank Etro: mayor@roundhillva.org
• The School Board: schools@loudoun.k12.va.us
• The Board of Supervisors: bos@loudoun.gov