Wood Grove High School will ease congestion in Purcellville

View this photo << Map of Bus Routes to Wood Grove High School.

Anyone who has been through the intersections of Maple and Main in Purcellville on a school day morning or afternoon knows it is highly congested. With opening of Wood Grove High School, East of Round Hill, the traffic through this intersection will be reduced by 50%. Buses will no longer come from Harmony Intermediate School (IS) to Blue Ridge Middle School or Harmony IS to Loudoun Valley High School. During the busiest times, a Police Officer, paid for by Loudoun County, directs the traffic to reduce the bottleneck. 

Conclusion: OPENING WOOD GROVE HIGH SCHOOL SOONER WILL EASE CONGESTION IN PURCELLVILLE SOONER.

Comments

[Sarah S]

Tom, Did the School Board ever proffer the Town of Purcellville for their hosting a new 1600-student facility various road improvements and utility hookups, say comparable to the deal the School Board made with the Town of Hamilton for their hosting of 875-student Culbert ES ($1.2M, $0.5M utility line, water tower, 2 acres of land, promise to not build HS for 10 years)? Did the School Board ever ask Purcellville to provide utilities and make an pro rata share offer? If you did, what were the details? If you didn't, would you please consider urging the Board of Supervisors to make such an offer in their negotiations with the Town of Purcellville so the parties can come to a resolution? The Town Council members have stated publicly that they will drop the lawsuit if assistance is offered for infrastructure so it seems a reasonable question to ask, have offers been made in the past that they refused? I think paving Alder School Rd to Woodgrove Rd does little to help Purcellville with their congestion and won't help Lovettsville or Waterford children get to Woodgrove so it seems to be alot of money earmarked for such limited use. How about something like widening of Hirst Road where students from both clusters will be traveling for decades?

[Sarah S]

Tom,
Didn't hear back from you about this but I noticed in the Leesburg Today you are actively supporting the Karl Phillips slate of candidates for Purcellville. The map you provided a link to above shows routes for Lovettsville and Waterford area students via 287 to Hirst Rd or Route 9 to Hillsboro Road. But I just read something new today. Mr. Phillips said, "I will lobby the county to pave the eastern section of Allder School Road so Lovettsville won't have to drive down to Hirst..." (page 26 of today's edition of the Leesburg Today). Since you support him (per page 3 of the paper), do you support that, i.e., paving Allder School Road from 287 to Woodgrove? You wisely voted to purchase the Rouse property for $11+ million for a multiple school campus in Arcola. Would you lobby your collegues on the School Board to fund a similar amount for a road/utility network supporting an even larger parcel called Fields Farm so it can similarly support hosting both elementary and high schools and the ULYFL sports complex? Yes or no? and why?

[Sarah S]

I forgot to mention that Loudoun Valley HS does not have sports facilities comparable to its newer counterparts in the LCPS system. Hear me out because for once I'm NOT complaining about parity here...The LVHS baseball team competes at Firemans Field (which I think is fine w/ most in the west). Therefore, private sports facilities at Fields Farm are that much more worthy of the School Board and County's support due to the co-use potential and clear historical cost savings to LCPS. Bottom line, you apparently think Mr. Phillips is the answer. I say, sounds like he wants upgrades too, so why not offer up some funding to really resolve this issue the VERY fastest way - no matter who wins. I'd be very interested to get your take on this whenever you have the time.

[Tom Reed]

I don't want to use my blog to promote my support for a new Mayor and town council in Purcellville.

[Tom Reed]

The County and School Board have been trying to work with the Mayor and town council for over eight years to get utilities for Mountain View Elementary School and Woodgrove High School. Offers to upgrade the town's water and sewage system have gone unanswered.

[Sarah S]

What you have done in the past has become irrelevant. We need our leaders to keep working on opening Woodgrove as soon as possible. Please don't give up because you haven't been successful before. Therefore, in the interest of settling the lawsuits the absolute fastest way, would you lobby your collegues on the School and Supervisor Boards to fund a similar amount as the Rouse property for the Fields Farm "package" (the already paid for land acquisition along with an outstanding proffer of supporting road/utility upgrades to serve elementary and high schools, P&R fields and the ULYFL sports complex? Yes or no?

[Bill Druhan]

Mr Reed,

Your April 29 post is un-true and without merit. Never during my two terms (2002-2006) as Purcellville's Mayor did you, your Colleagues, or anyone from the County come to the Town to annex FF including MVES. In fact in 2002 and 2003 I met with school Staff to to have them strongly encourage the County (who owns FF) to ask the Town for annexation to get utilities to FF and MVES. My requests (pleas) went unanswered. In 2004 I sent a letter to Scott York asking the County to develop a Master Plan for FF, my request went unanswered. In March of 2005 the County and School System applied for annexation of FF but by May abondoned the process to develop what would become a non-PUGAMP compliant, non-conventional drainfield system and wellfield. By the time I left office in June 2006 the School Board was well underway developing well and septic utilities through the Special Exception process.

[Sarah S]

Tom,
OK I'm not asking you to use your blog to support candidates. I am asking for a dialogue with you regarding your stance on Woodgrove. How about some of that newly identified school construction funding surplus paying for Town utilities at Fields Farm and road improvements around the Town? You've been on the Board since Harmony opened, please help me understand how LCPS was approved to run busses between the three schools without an upgrade at the intersection of 287 and Business Route 7? I have witnessed dozens of near accidents there. That intersection and Hirst Road will be used by busses serving both clusters. If opening Woodgrove is really a high priority, why not bring Town utilities to the site and improve more intersections impacted by school traffic? As my representative, I think it is a fair question to ask you.