Approximately 45 residents of the Round Hill area met with Mayor Frank Etro on Dec. 1, 2004, to discuss the history of the Loudoun County School Board's search for an appropriate site for the next Western Loudoun County high school and to formulate the area's next steps on the issue.

Etro opened the meeting by asking those gathered to think about whether the Town should simply let happen what will happen or take action to try to mold the direction that the School Board takes. He summarized the "summit" meeting held in Purcellville on Nov. 13, at which he challenged School Board members to come up with a creative solution to the high school issue. (See Notes for a detailed summary of that meeting.)

He also briefly outlined the School Planning Department's list of seven sites that had been or were being considered for the next high school, noting that two of the seven sites are in the Round Hill area. Of those seven sites, the school planners have deemed the Nichols property east of Hamilton as the most viable option. The School Board voted in late October to begin condemnation proceedings on that site.

Etro asked residents to consider the fact that if a site in Round Hill is not chosen for the next high school, it is highly likely that children from the Round Hill area will be bussed to the new high school, no matter where it is.

With that under consideration, the Round Hill Town Council passed a resolution on Nov. 18 supporting further investigation of both Round Hill sites for the purpose of a high school.

Etro then discussed the specifics of the two Round Hill sites, reading the School Planning Department's assessment of both sites:

"Lonas Property (101) Acres (Map)
This property consists of two parcels of approximately 50 acres each that are zoned for residential use. This land is located north of Round Hill Elementary School and Woodgrove Park. The two parcels could potentially accommodate a high school, however, zoning and road construction issues preclude this land from consideration. The property fronts on Bell Road, a typical Loudoun dirt road. Bell Road would have to be improved, as well as Woodgrove Road from the intersection of Bell Road south to its intersection with Evening Star Drive.
In addition to the road construction, signal lights would likely be required at the aforementioned intersections.
The two lots contain serious restrictions that do not permit the construction of a high school. The restrictions can be enforced by the Board of Supervisors or by lot owners in the Woodgrove subdivision. The proffers associated with these two lots (ZMAP 89-04) require a perpetual open space easement. Even if the restrictions associated with the use of the property could be overcome, both the proffers and the county’s Zoning Concept Plan would have to be amended."

"Brown Property (55 Acres) (Map)
This parcel east of Round Hill was brought to the attention of School Board staff by Round Hill Mayor Frank Etro more than a year ago.
Staff reviewed the property at the time and indicated that it would not be sufficient to house a 1,600-student school, especially given the restrictions proposed by the mayor. These restrictions included preserving the current house on the property and trees along the driveway. The mayor also proposed a series of buildings that would surround the existing house and serve as classrooms. Such a layout would leave little to no room for parking or athletic fields.
Staff met with Mayor Etro and a member of Blue Ridge Supervisor Jim Burton’s staff to examine the issue again on October 7th of this year. The basic concept of a “campus” environment remained.
Mayor Etro proposed using property north of Business Route 7 for athletic facilities. These facilities would be constructed and managed by a Public-Private Education Act (PPEA) corporation. Given the demands high schools place on athletic fields, plus the fact students would be crossing Business Route 7 to practice and compete in athletic events, this did not appear to be a prudent proposal.
To enhance the access to the site, Mayor Etro proposed using Franklin Park instead of Lake View Drive.
Since the Brown property is not contiguous to either Round Hill or Purcellville, staff inquired how Mayor Etro proposed to annex this land into the town, given current county and town policies regarding annexation.
Staff also asked if the current owner was a willing seller. Mayor Etro said he did not know and that he would ask the owner if they were willing to sell. At a November 13th meeting in Purcellville, Mayor Etro announced that the owner was not willing to sell the property. The School Board has indicated that it would be adverse to condemning property that someone was using for a residence.
All of this strongly suggests the parcel is inadequate to serve a high school."

Etro explained that the Round Hill Town Council has been holding water and sewer capacity available for a high school. However, at some point in the future, it is likely that developers will demand this capacity be used for residential units if a high school is not built.

Noting that a high school would be an important part of the community, Etro said he wanted to hear from the public whether he and the Town Council should continue to pursue a local high school. He noted that "it will take more than one or two people to make this happen."

Reporting on the Hamilton site, Etro said that he'd been told that several groups in Hamilton were organizing petitions both for and against the high school being built in that town and that the School Board is moving ahead on evaluations of the Nichols property to determine whether the site is in fact appropriate for a school. "The deal is not done yet," he said.

It is important to remember the urgency of the issue, Etro said. Loudoun Valley is the largest county high school by population and very soon will reach capacity. However, while it is important to find a site for a new high school, it is more important that the site chosen be the right one.

Etro then proceeded to go into more details on each of the two sites in the Round Hill area:

Lonas Property: As noted in the planning report, the two parcels on Bell Road have conservation easements placed on them. They are two of 13 parcels that were protected as part of the rezoning for what would become the Villages of Round Hill. The easements allow construction of one house per parcel, with stipulations that the parcels never be subdivided. There has also been legal action taken over these lots, resulting in a sealed settlement. Consequently, there may be significant legal issues involved in obtaining this property.

On the plus side, these lots are adjacent to the Town's JLMA, which means the Town can legally provide water and sewer service to them. While immediate access is via a dirt road (Bell Road) there is the potential for creating a road through Woodgrove Park directly off of Evening Star Drive. Also, the owner is interested in selling.

Brown Property: This site has several important advantages over many of the other sites, not the least of which is transportation. Its location on Route 7 business, nearly adjacent to the bypass, makes it easily accessible from major roads. In addition, being in the western section of the county, students would be going against rush hour traffic instead of being stuck in it.

Its location next to Franklin Park gives a high school the potential for shared facilities with the park. For example, athletic fields could be shared or swapped; if fields were built across Route 7 from the high school, these could be used as part of the park facility while the high school uses existing fields at the park. In addition, there is the potential, through developer proffers, for the construction of an indoor swimming facility at the park, which could then also be used by the high school. There is also the performing arts center at the Barns, which could be used by the school's drama and music programs. 

While the School Board sees the request to maintain the historic home on the site as a problem, Etro views it as an opportunity to be respectful of the area's history and identity. "We don't want to see Heritage High School built here," said Etro, "we want to see something identifying this as Round Hill."

The slope of the property, which the School Board has also identified as a constraint, can also be seen as an opportunity for creative design, Etro said. He believes the school should be built down the slope, which would eliminate the need for extensive regrading.

Etro repeatedly stressed the need for creative thinking, saying that "children learn from what they see and learn from the environment they are in."

Contrary to the school planners' report, Etro said that the Town of Round Hill can provide water and sewer to the site without annexing the property. While the Brown property is not currently within the Town JLMA, the JLMA boundaries can be adjusted to allow the Town to provide the property with water and sewer. The Town utilities would only need to be extended approximately 2,300 feet to make the connection.

The Brown property's major drawback is that the owner may not be interested in selling. The house is a vacation home, though, not a year-round residence. No one, to Etro's knowledge, has officially approached the owner.

Etro then opened the floor to public comment and addressed a number of questions from the residents in attendance. Many of the questions concerned the Town's ability to provide water and sewer to the site. Several adjacent property owners spoke against having a high school built on the sites in question. When asked for a show of hands indicating support for a Round Hill high school, however, the large majority of those in attendance were in favor.

The meeting ended with residents gathering names to organize a group that will continue working to lobby the School Board and Board of Supervisors to build the school in Round Hill. To add your name to the list or to express your support, email Mayor Etro at mayor@roundhillva.org.

Priscilla Godfrey, the Blue Ridge district's representative on the School Board, was at the meeting, but did not speak.