March 6, 2024

Statement on Silver Ridge Drive Explosion from Vice Chair Briskman’s Office

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Please see the statement from Vice Chair Briskman’s office on the house explosion and ongoing investigation on Silver Ridge Drive in the nearby Seneca Ridge community:

Vice Chair Briskman is following the guidance of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue as they continue to manage the scene and conduct their Fire Marshal investigation. If any residents reach out with questions or concerns, please advise them to follow the official channels of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. You can also direct them to Vice Chair Briskman’s office as they are putting out information on social media from Loudoun Fire and Rescue. Here is a link to the most up to date press release on the incident: https://www.loudoun.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=8937

If any residents are looking to donate and support the family of the fallen firefighter, we have been advised by the Fire Chief that they are working directly with the family to support them. At this time, no GoFundMe or other cash fund has been setup to directly support the family, as they are still working through this tragedy. If that changes, Vice Chair Briskman’s office will share that information out immediately. Residents can of course contribute to the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company directly if they wish to.

I know that it will be a long process of cleanup and recovery for the greater Sterling community and Algonkian District. Vice Chair Briskman and her team will keep regular contact with Fire and Rescue and relevant county agency staff to assist in the efforts to heal from this tragedy. I hope that you, your family, and neighbors are safe from this scary incident.

UPDATE – 4:00 PM on February 19th, 2024:

Message from Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue regarding how residents can support Firefighter Trevor Brown’s family and the other injured firefighters:

The Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company are mourning the loss of Firefighter Trevor Brown who lost his life in an incident on Friday, February 16, 2024. The incident also injured ten firefighters on the scene with several remaining hospitalized. 

As Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System and the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company mourn and heal, they thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support from the Loudoun County community, the region and the Country. Many have inquired how they can assist the first responders in Loudoun County. If you would like to donate, please visit the website of their non-profit partners, the Loudoun First Responders Foundation (LFRF) at  www.LoudounFRF.org. The Loudoun First Responders Foundation serves Loudoun County by providing immediate financial support to active first responder personnel in their time of need. To designate your donation specifically to the family of Firefighter Trevor Brown, please add “Brown Family” in memo line, if not specified, your donations will benefit injured firefighters.  

For community members who wish to donate goods and services, please email [email protected] and their staff will reach out to you directly to coordinate. Additionally, many of you have expressed your heartfelt condolences to the family of firefighter Brown and the injured members of LC-CFRS. An email address, [email protected] has been set up to collect those messages and share them with their responders.

The Sterling Volunteer Fire Company also shared the following directions for any residents interested in food donations: If you are interested in making food donations over the next few weeks, Sterling Volunteer Fire Company asks that you please call them at Station 18 in Cascades at 703-430-4013 so that they can put you on their schedule. This schedule will apply to both of their fire stations.

Suggestions from Juli Briskman’s office for the best places for residents to continue to get updates:

 

Further updates on this situation will be posted to the CountrySide website; please check there for further information

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Hidden Lane Landfill – February Cleanup Update

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Construction Updates:

EPA’s recent work has included preparation for excavation. This work at the site includes preparing the site working and support areas, the onsite water treatment system,  sediment and erosion controls,  temporary staging areas, and taking other steps necessary to prepare for excavation activities.

EPA’s contractors will begin the excavation of the TCE source area the week of February 19. The work includes excavating TCE-contaminated soil above cleanup levels down to bedrock at approximately 30 to 35 feet below ground surface. The TCE source area is located at the southern end of the landfill, with dimensions of approximately 100 feet by 50 feet. Excavated contaminated soils and debris will be temporarily stockpiled on site and then disposed of at an approved offsite disposal facility. 

EPA will be conducting air monitoring to ensure dust and vapors are not leaving the site and will control surface water runoff that contacts contaminated soils using an onsite water treatment system. EPA also has measures in place to ensure the physical safety and health for all site-workers.

 

Health and Safety:

As a part of this excavation process, EPA is taking a number of measures to protect human health and the environment and minimize nuisances. EPA will have air monitors set-up on site. The air monitoring program will ensure dust and vapors are not leaving the site at levels of health or nuisance concern. The onsite monitoring system will automatically notify the EPA site personnel of any increasing levels before they exceed action levels.

Additional information is available in EPA’s Community Health and Welfare Plan located at https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/03/2360151.

Hidden Lane Landfill – February Cleanup Update Read More »

Message from the President and Secretary on proposed revisions to Parking Resolutions 233 and 234

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Resolution 125 requires the Board President and Secretary to evaluate new and revised Resolutions for their impact on the rights and privileges of owners (Members of the Association). In the President’s and Secretary’s opinion, the revised parking Resolutions 233 and 234, as proposed, DO have an impact on the rights and privileges of CountrySide residents in several ways.

The major changes to Resolution 233 include a policy change in that curbside parking in townhouse communities will be treated as Visitor parking from the time the revised Resolution becomes effective. This means the same restrictions that have applied to Visitor spaces for years will now also apply to curbside parking—including, but not limited to, the prohibition against parking in such a Visitor or curbside space more than three (3) times in a thirty (30) day period. This change has been made in direct response to resident complaints that curbside parking allowed residents, guests, visitors, etc. to use curbside parking as a “storage” parking space, thus tying up those parking spaces indefinitely and without restriction, and thereby exacerbating the lack of overflow parking for other residents. Under the new Resolution 233, a car parked in a curbside parking space OR a Visitor space more than three (3) times in a thirty (30) day period can be towed if not moved when stickered with a warning notice that the car is in violation. This change is being made to manage non-assigned parking more equitably in the townhouse communities. Please review the new rules carefully to prevent misunderstandings about Visitor and curbside parking.

The major revision in Resolution 234 has also been made in direct response to resident complaints about commercial or restricted vehicle parking on townhouse streets. Under the former Resolution, a commercial or restricted vehicle (as defined in the Resolution) parked overnight on a townhouse street had to be stickered twice, with four (4) days’ warning each time, before the vehicle would be towed. This effectively gave the owner/operator of the commercial vehicle eight (8) days’ notice before the vehicle was towed, which is significantly more notice than owners and residents of non-commercial vehicles are given. Because the long-standing prohibitions against parking commercial vehicles on townhouse streets have generated a substantial number of resident complaints over the years, the revised Resolution seeks to definitively address the problem by giving one (1) day/24 hours’ notice before the commercial vehicle can be towed.

Both Resolutions have also had minor revisions made to clarify placement/location for warning stickers, to remove obsolete references to Loudoun County stickers, and other incidental spelling or grammatical errors. Overall, while the changes proposed in these two Resolutions are significant, we believe the new Resolutions will help the Proprietary more equitably and effectively manage parking practices throughout CountrySide.
Revised Resolutions 233 and 234 are under consideration by the Board of Directors, and comments regarding the revised Resolutions are scheduled to be heard at the Board of Directors meeting on February 7, 2024. If you wish to attend that Board meeting to make comments, please contact the PMP office to request dial-in instructions for the virtual Board meeting. Written comments on the proposed revisions may be submitted to the Board President prior to that meeting.

 

Penny Francke, President

Kumar Sangaran, Secretary

Message from the President and Secretary on proposed revisions to Parking Resolutions 233 and 234 Read More »