Meetings on Park Light Proposals Sets

Illuminating Brambleton Fields and Byrne’s Ridge Park in Aldie are focus.

Two upcoming meetings have been set to keep residents in the loop about special exception applications for lights at parks in Aldie and Brambleton. The Loudoun County Department of Parks, Recreation & Community Services and the Department of Construction and Waste Management scheduled the sessions to the public information about special exception applications that must first win approval before lights can be installed at Byrne’s Ridge Park (24915 Mineral Springs Circle in Aldie) and the Brambleton Fields park site (22389 Belmont Ridge Road).

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Survey Shines Light on Public Opinions

Loudoun residents shared opinions on transportation, nightlife and county facilities.

One of the most important purposes of the Loudoun County survey is to get a reading of public opinion on key issues facing elected officials. The 2012 survey asked questions about the number one issue in the county – transportation – and also some other areas of interest. In past columns, I have observed that a sizable majority of Loudoun residents feel safe in their neighborhoods, believe there is a high quality of life in Loudoun, feel they get good value in return for their tax dollars, and rate county and school services highly. Transportation Last month, I raised the possibility that the survey results changed the momentum of the debate on Loudoun Metrorail and put pressure on the Board of Supervisors to approve the plan. It was …

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Readers' Choice: Best Park

Playgrounds? Trails? Ballfields? Hockey? Skateboarding? What do you like to do at parks in Loudoun and where do you go to do it?

Update: You nominated the best park in Loudoun County, and now the voting round of Patch's Readers' Choice 2012 begins. Cast a vote to help crown a winner. Voting continues through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 17. Only one vote per user — tell your friends and family to log on to pick their favorite, too! Original: There are loads of parks in the Loudoun County and what makes a park your favorite may depend entirely on what you like to do outside. You may be looking for the biggest and best playground to exhaust your toddler on so he takes a nap. You may want big, flat, grassy soccer fields or a spot to play catch. Hiking trails? Biking trails? You can find many county and regional parks in Ashburn and Leesburg, but your favorite may be elsewhere in …

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Dusty Smith

7:01 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012

The nomination period ends at 11:59 p.m. July 9. Voting begins July 23. Stay tuned.   more ›

Ashburn Readers’ Choice: Kids Places

Where’s your favorite place to take the little ones during a day off, on the weekend or for a party?

Welcome to the Patch Readers’ Choice series. During the series, we'll run a poll to see who has the best ... whatever … in Ashburn. This week, it's kids places. So where do you like to go? Have you tried them all? After you vote, please leave a review on the places' Patch pages. If I miss a favored place, let me know (dusty@patch.com). This week's nominees in alphabetical order: Voting ends at 9 a.m. Friday, March 9. Martials arts facilities, as well as music, dance and acting studios are not listed on this poll. Ashburn businesses, claim your listing and get notifications about reader reviews and more. Register as a user and claim your business listing here. Learn more about claiming listings here. [Because this poll is not scientific, it…

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A Discerning Eye

Spring Break Activities

Here are a few ideas for what to do with the kids during the week off.

My son’s daycare closes for a random week of vacation each year. We thought to take some time off for a family break of our own and called the kennel for a quick spot to stash the dog. It was inexplicably unavailable. “What’s special about the week of April 18?” I asked my husband. He shrugged. How little I knew one month ago. Spring Break descends upon Ashburn this week. Kids are running, screaming down my street in joy. Signs advertising camps are posted along major roads. Business associates are unapologetically disappearing. Our family-centered community is taking a break. OK, that’s great. But, what if you’re not going on vacation? Luckily, I write a weekly column providing Ashburn Patch parents with ideas for what to do with their …

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